Son of a Pitch Publisher: Anaiah Press

We have a huge line up of publishers and editors who have jumped on board for Son of a Pitch, and today you get to meet Anaiah Press.

ABOUT ANAIAH:

Anaiah Press is a Christian digital-first publishing house dedicated to presenting quality faith-based fiction and nonfiction books to the public.

Statement of Faith: At Anaiah Press, we believe in the one living and true God. We believe in God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that God created all, upholds all and governs all. He hears and answers prayer; and all who come to Him through Jesus Christ are saved from sin and death. Our Christian beliefs are reflected in the way we conduct business and in our relationships with our employees and authors. All books published by Anaiah Press are faith-based. We strive to publish books that convey a Christian message, explicit or implied, through our various genres.

www.anaiahpress.com 

ABOUT KARA LEIGH MILLER:

Kara combines her knowledge and prior editing experience with a passion for the written word and a love of YA. She is a multi-genre published author, and an avid reader with eclectic tastes that range from the tame to the taboo. She loves to help her fellow authors recognize their dreams of publication and is very excited about working toward that goal with Anaiah Press.

KARA'S WISH LIST:

~ Contemporary YA, preferably with strong romantic elements. (Please remember to keep it clean!)

~ I would love to find a story set during summer bible camp or a family camping trip. 

~ YA / NA dystopian with an ultimate good vs. evil theme.

~ Adult romantic suspense centered around characters with unusual professions. 

~ Adult, YA or NA romance with thriller or mystery elements.

ABOUT LAURA MAISANO:

Laura is a language nerd, honestly an overall nerd, and loves to immerse herself in strange worlds through fiction. Her interests are geared toward YA/NA fantasy of all kinds and soft sci-fi.

Laura is looking for fantasy of any kind (urban, low, high, epic), sci-fi, or dystopia. Give her interesting settings, but more importantly, give her gripping characters and drama. Make her cry, laugh, and invest in well-rounded "real" people as they struggle through adversity, only to come out stronger on the other side. She'd love to see a strong sibling relationship and an emotional quest, or a clean dystopia where the heroes can keep their shirts on.

LAURA'S WISH LIST:

- A YA with a strong sibling relationship that pulls at the heartstrings, like Frozen or Fullmetal Alchemist.

- I'm still looking for that clean YA dystopia with inspirational themes or an undercurrent of Christian faith.

- I love geeky characters with heart.

- A sci-fi with Christian themes or an inspirational message. Can have dark moments, but come out stronger because of it.

Son of a Pitch: List of Publishers

As well as our awesome Agents, we have a huge line up of publishers for you. I will be posting about these publishers and the requesting editors over the next few weeks. But for now, here they all are!

BookFish Books

REUTS

Tigearr

Bloomsbury Spark

Carina

City Owl

Dancing Lemur 

Elephantine

Future House

Loomis Park

Omnific

Blog Tour: Heir of Koradin by Lisa Dunn, The Second Book of Chasmaria

Blurb:

Dagger of Willow and Strike has waited a lifetime to return to the village of his birth. He’s been promised the throne of Koradin, but getting captured by his treacherous sire wasn’t part of the plan. Dagger needs a miracle to turn his childhood dreams into reality—And Grit of Berth and Stone might be that miracle.

Unfortunately for him, Grit’s stuck in the rival village of Thresh, and she’s in way over her head. Having bluffed her way into commanding an army of incompetents, she’s useless to Dagger if her new recruits don’t learn the right end of a sword. To make matters worse, Dagger’s sire seeks Grit’s life, and there’s no telling when he’ll return to Thresh to finish what he started when he killed her dame.

But freedom calls through shifting alliances, and neither Dagger’s disillusionment nor Grit’s doubt can keep the armies of Koradin and Thresh from war.

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Book Links:

Anaiah Press: http://www.anaiahpress.com/Koradin.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013C7TWLK

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grit-of-berth-and-stone-lisa-dunn/1121283483?ean=9780996129756

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/grit-of-berth-and-stone/id970834995?mt=11

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566000

Excerpt: First chapter available on our website http://www.anaiahpress.com/Koradin.html

Author's Favorite Scenes

I suppose the correct authorly response to the question of favorite scenes would be, “They’re all my favorites,” but two scenes hurt my heart on every revision of HEIR OF KORADIN.

I’ll try to do this without any major spoilers.

The first scene comes at the end of Chapter 22, where we see the first casualty of war. We’re in the point of view of Dagger—who secretly considers Threshans mad, unpredictable barbarians—so there’s a distance and a contrast we don’t get when we’re in Grit’s point of view. The interaction Dagger observes reveals a lot about the true nature of Theshans and of these two characters in particular. These Threshans are fiercely and tenderly devoted to their home and to one another. It’s a shorter scene than Anaiah Press generally allows, but Laura (my editor) and I agreed it needed to be where it was, as it was. There’s something sacred about this brief, deeply human moment set in the midst of chaos and slaughter.

The second scene to break my heart during every single edit is found at the close of Chapter 25, where Grit says goodbye to someone she loves deeply and quietly. This was a death I hated to write, but the story demanded it. Still, I grieve every time I have to say goodbye to this character. And I may or may not sometimes cry when a song I associate with this character comes on the radio.

What’s really interesting about these two particular scenes rising to the top is that the focus characters are both intimate observers of their world. Their responses to what they see are starkly different, however. One determines to remain impartial and winds up skeptical. The other, broken-hearted by injustice, sacrifices all to bring peace to a world in which he/she cannot remain. As the author, I know the end of the story, and it grieves me to consider that one’s battle is only just beginning, and the other will never see the long-awaited peace of Chasmaria.

But, of course, they’re all my favorites.

ALSO READ The First Book of Chasmaria: Grit of Berth and Stone by Lisa Dunn

http://www.anaiahpress.com/Grit.html

Review Snippets from Book 1: Grit of Berth and Stone:

“Grit does not fit into any of our modern stereotypes and I love that.”

“ Grit's world is well-crafted and revealed to the reader through the story telling with just enough details to understand the world and story and to keep you intrigued and guessing about what is coming next.”

“This book will definitely keep your attention and your thoughts long after you've finished.”

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Seq-Fg7M0l4

DON’T MISS!

End of Tour Author Facebook Q&A: Thursday, August 27, 9-10 p.m. EST

https://www.facebook.com/events/1666980863546266/

Author Bio:

As a child, Lisa Dunn fell asleep to her father’s fanciful bedtime tales and played with her own stories during the daylight hours. She now resides in a small southern town with her husband and four children. Local librarians thank her for their job security.

Website: http://waitingforaname.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ScouterWife

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlisadunn?fref=nf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21086727-lisa-dunn

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Hunter by Renee Donne

Hunter

by Renee Donne 

Release Date: 11/14/14

Anaiah Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Moving across the country isn’t Hunter’s ideal start to her Junior year of high school. She has no friends to hang out with, no beaches to lounge on, and she’s living just a few miles from the secluded hiking trail where her father died when she was a baby.

Living in Wyoming isn’t all bad, though, thanks to Logan, the handsome veterinary assistant at the animal clinic where she lands an after school job. And he seems just as interested in her as she is in him.

As Hunter begins to settle into her new home, she learns more about the circumstances surrounding her father’s tragic death, and it may not have been the accident everyone believes. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, and Hunter might be the next victim. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon

Trailer:

About the Author

Renee Donne is a native Floridian with a penchant for writing books with a western theme. In her head, she's a world traveler and an amateur chef. In real life, she's a hometown girl with an affinity for fine wine and good friends. Her favorite place to write is sitting on her veranda, overlooking the beach.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anaiah Press Feature End and #GIVEAWAY!

A huge thank you to everyone who jumped in to make this Anaiah Press feature a success. To all the authors, editors, and staff from Anaiah, a special thank you. And everyone who followed along, and especially commented, I love you! Please come back for May's feature to meet more amazing people.

Some quick stats:
Most popular Author post: Linda Brendle
Most popular Staff post: Kara Leigh Miller
Most popular post overall: Kara Leigh Miller
Countries where the most visitors came from: 
1. United States
2. Russia
3. Germany

Now, for the big event, the GIVEAWAY!!!

It's a little different this month. For all those who have commented throughout the month you have already won a prize! To enter, comment below on what you enjoyed about the feature month and what you learned. Winners are first come first served. Here are the prizes! (ebooks unless otherwise stated)

 First chapter critique by Kara Leigh Miller

First 5 pages critique by Laura Maisano

First chapter critique by Tara Creel

Query letter & first 5 pages critique by Molly Zenk

Synopsis and/or author bio critique (includes 30 minute phone / Skype session) by Ami Hendrickson

Donna L. Martin -- Either a 2000 word PB critique OR first ten pages critique of a MG/YA

GRIT OF BERTH AND STONE (YA fantasy) by Lisa Dunn & a first 5 pages critique

Signed copy of 1000 STOLEN MOMENTS (Adult military romance) by Connie Ann Michael & swag

MOMMY'S LITTLE WORDLINGS (Picture book) by Linh Nguyen-Ng

DANGEROUS LOVE (Adult romantic suspense) by Jody Holford & Kara Leigh Miller

TESS IN BOOTS (Adult contemporary romance) by Courtney Rice Gager

AGING GRACEFULLY WITH THE 23rd PSALM (Inspirational / devotional) by Dr. Sharon King

REVENGE (Adult romantic suspense) by Paula Rose

THE LAST STORED (YA fantasy) by Sonia Poynter

BRICKS (YA contemporary) by John Davidson and swag

Ebook ARC of ALL FOR LOVE (Adult romantic suspense) by Susanne Matthews

Anaiah Press Editor: Sean Connell

Bio: I started writing in elementary school, won my first writing prize in middle school, and sold my first piece in college. I took up editing because I enjoy it, and between the writing and the editing I’ve worked on a number of different projects, though none for AP. I also teach writing at a local university.

1.       Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press. I knew Eden Plantz through an online writer’s group, and she let me know there was an opportunity.

2.       What does your job entail?  Mostly content edits. It’s my job to look for plot holes, continuity issues, and smaller things like consistent characterization. I also fact check, when need be. Or at least ask the author to.

3.       What do you enjoy most about being an acquisitions editor?  I like working with new authors, helping them get the most out of their manuscript, and helping them become better writers in the process.

4.       What have your experiences been like working with the authors? So far, it’s been great, but so far I’ve only worked with one.

5.       What is the hardest part of being an editor? Reading the same work multiple times. It’s necessary, but it breeds a certain familiarity with the story.

6.       And what is the best part? Reading the same work multiple times, and watching the author make it better each time.

7.       What kind of manuscripts do you enjoy and are looking for, and how can an author submit to you? I’ve been hired to help get the spec fic section going, so anything that falls under those guidelines. I like to read a lot of things, in all genres, so mostly it comes down to telling a good story.

8.       Last question; If you were suddenly struck by lightning/bitten by something/exposed to toxic waste, and ended up with super powers, what would it be and why? Teleportation. Would cut down on the commute. 

Anaiah Press Acquisitions Editor: Eden Plantz

Bio: 

Eden found her love for Christian fiction as a child by raiding her family's well-stocked bookshelves. She has devoted her education and career to learning the ins and outs of writing, publishing, and marketing. She has almost a decade of marketing management and consulting experience, combined with experience as a fiction editor -- including publishing management experience. She's thrilled to use her knowledge and abilities to the greater success of Anaiah Press authors.

Follow Eden on Twitter: @edenplantz

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press.

I’ve actually been w/Anaiah Press since the beginning. Noreen Walker and I partnered to make Anaiah Press happen.

2.      What does your job entail? 

What doesn’t it entail! J I do a little bit (or in some cases a lot) in every department of Anaiah. I’m sort of a Jill of all trades. In editorial, my responsibilities include acquisitions: offering and executing contracts, maintaining my own (short) list of authors, release/deadline planning and scheduling, Assigning projects through the various departments, etc. Outside of the editorial department I act as publicist/ marketing assistant to Marketing Director Melinda Dozier; I manage our art department and sometimes handle design work (covers and trailers). On the executive/managerial side, I handle sales tracking and royalty/ payment reports. The list goes on. I tend to be a busy woman!

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an editor? 

I think my favorite part of being an editor is the authors. I love getting to know them and getting to know their work. It’s exciting being part of their publishing journey and being able to experience their excitement and enthusiasm.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

Oh, I guess I kind of jumped the gun and answered this a question early, huh? Our authors are great. We have a really supportive, enthusiastic group.

5.      What is the hardest part of being an editor?

Probably the fact that it’s so hard to stop working. There’s always something to be done, and it’s so easy to take the work “home” with me at the end of the day. I’ve been known to answer emails in the middle of the night because I woke up to get a drink or something and saw my email notification flashing on my phone. I have to make a conscious effort to stop working and go to bed at night. Otherwise, I would never sleep.

6.      And what is the best part?

Well, I’ve always been an avid reader, so I’m going to have to say the best part is all the stories. I get to bury my nose in good books and it’s considered work.

7.      Last question; If you could bring any book/movie/TV show to life, what would it be and why?

Honestly, the book I’d choose would be a recent Anaiah Press YA release title Grit of Berth and Stone by Lisa Dunn. It is pretty much exactly what I envisioned for Anaiah’s YA imprint when the company was still a series of ideas pinned to our drawing board. The main character, Grit, is sort of a reluctant heroine and the way Lisa showed the stakes and developed her characters kept me hooked more than any book since I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was seven. 

Anaiah Press Senior Editor: Giovanni Valentino

 Giovanni Francesco Valentino has struggled at the art of writing for four decades against many demons like self-doubt, chronic depression, OCD and severe dyslexia. He has written a few memoir pieces about his life struggles going undiagnosed for more the half his life. He hopes one day to be a famous published science fiction and fantasy author. He is glad to report that at this point in his life, he is happy. All of the credit for that goes to his wonderful wife, Carol Ann, who is the perfect spouse a full 82% of the time.

He is an editor for the Anaiah Press Presence Line. Presence features Adult genre fiction, with a focus on speculative fiction: thriller/ suspense, science fiction, supernatural, dystopian, etc.

He also produces a upcoming humorous anthology series, Alternate Hilarities.

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press.

I just showed up at the office one day with my own nameplate and took a desk. I find that if you act like you belong there, sometimes people just believe you. J

Also, I know Kara Leigh Miller. We have been friends and critiquing partners for years. We’ve worked on editing projects together before like the Alternate Hilarities and Romanic Ruckus Anthologies for Strange Musings Press. So when there was an opening in the Presence line at Anaiah, Kara thought of me.

2.      What does your job entail? 

I mostly make coffee and stop the photocopy machine from attacking people. You should see it. It’s huge. J

And I read the submissions from new authors for the Presence line or any other line if it has a speculative element to it. If I like them, I make a case for why I think Anaiah should take them and I send them up the line to Kara or other managing editors to review. If I don’t, I send out rejections directly to the authors.

I also do content editing with authors we have taken on. Content edits are where the editor goes through your novel and finds all the potholes in the road. This issue range from large things, like pacing or character building, to smaller ones, like keeping track of details like how many front that buildings has or which event happened first.

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an acquisitions editor? 

The power it gives me over other people. Mwahahaha. J

Moreover, I like working with authors. As an author myself, I know what we have to go through to get published. I try to send a little feedback even if I’m rejecting the piece. Sometimes, your story isn’t a good fit for the publisher but you could still fix a few things. I’m happy to make a few notes and even recommend a better place to submit.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

I think the honest answer to that would get me in trouble. J

No really, I have had many good experiences with my authors. Most of them are smart, open-minded people who understand the value of the feedback an editor can give. My favorite type of author is not the ones that just do everything I tell them do but ones that can convince me, in a professional way mind you, of how their way works.  The editing process is very give and take and it works well as long as there is respect on both sides.

5.      What is the hardest part of being an acquisitions editor?

All that reading. I don’t know about you but I prefer TV. J

Also, I hate getting submissions that obviously do not fit. We are a Christian press. You’re story doesn’t have to talk about God on every page, we pride ourselves on considering any type of faith based work. Still, The Devil can’t be your lead character or the church your main villain.

6.      And what is the best part?

Free donuts at the office and fighting the photocopy machine from time to time. J

My true joy is finding that perfect story and helping a fellow writer become a published author.

7.      What kind of manuscripts do you enjoy and are looking for, and how can an author submit to you?

I’d love for authors to submit bestselling novels that require no editing at all. J

In general, I’m looking for adult genre fiction, with a focus on speculative fiction: thriller/ suspense, science fiction, supernatural, dystopian, fantasy. Unlike other Anaiah lines, Presence is light on romance, and heavy on the spiritual/ emotional warfare.

Specifically, I'm not looking for non-human leads. 

I'd prefer the heroes not use magic heavily, think The Chronicles of Narnia over Lord of the Rings. 

If your fantasy world has multiple gods in it, your story needs to be about your hero bringing the one true God to help them and it needs to be apparent very quickly.

If you have something like this, send a query letter, synopsis and the first three chapters to Giovanni.valentino@anaiahpress.com.

Please paste this into the body of the email as we do not take submissions as attachments.

If I get another virus on my work computer, they might fire me. J

8.      Last question; If you were suddenly struck by lightning/bitten by something/exposed to toxic waste, and ended up with super powers, what would it be and why?

Can I have all of them? Like all at once? J

If I’m stuck with just one, I would like the power to force people to be nice to each other. Flying would be great but I’d rather get everyone to calm the heck down and get along.