Battery Brothers Discounted!

With just about a month until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, we decided to discount Battery Brothers by Steven Carman for a couple days. So, if you're looking for a wonderful YA read, please take a look at it on Amazon, where it's in the midst of a countdown deal. Basically for the rest of today and tomorrow, it'll be available at $1.99 (down from its customary $4.99).

It's a wonderful story about two baseball-playing brothers, the elder of whom -- Andy -- was physically scarred by his now estranged mother. Beset by a bully, self-doubt, and a catastrophe for which he blames himself (though no one else does), Andy must find the strength to keep striving toward the goal he and his brother set for themselves.

It is a YA story, but we've received dozens of reviews that speak to how it's a story that works for multiple audiences of almost any age, whether they're baseball fans or not.

I hope you love it as much as I do. Tell a friend!

Welcoming in the new year

Howdy, folks! I thought I'd just touch base and see how everyone's new year is beginning. I'd love to hear what your writing goals are, what you'd like to see on this blog (personally, I'd like to see more posts; I'm open to guest posts, if anyone is interested), and other topics you want to address related to the writing world. I know I intend to offer more book reviews, interviews, and general observations on the publishing world.

Feel free to share in comments, or reach out to me at matt@elephantsbookshelfpress.com

Cover Reveal: Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand

Targeting a broader array of bloggers, we went with a slightly different approach on the cover reveal of the latest book from Elephant's Bookshelf Press, but I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression: I'm very proud to share the beautiful cover of EBP's latest novel, Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand by R.S. Mellette.

The book will be released in literally a week, but the electronic version is available for pre-order now! With Billy Bobble, we're officially establishing EBP's science fiction department. In a sense, you might say it also establishes a middle grade department, though I see Billy and Suzy as almost young adult; we certainly plan to continue following their tales, as RS is working on Billy Bobble and the Witch Hunt right now, which we're aiming to publish in about a year.

As a lifelong lover of science fiction, I've always intended to include SF in the EBP ouevre. Heck, one of the stories in Spring Fevers, is a science fiction piece I originally wrote back in college. And several other stories in our growing collection of anthologies are in that genre. At a date to be announced, we will have a single anthology that focuses on science fiction.

But back to the Billy Bobble cover. The illustration that graces its cover is by the very talented Kirbi Fagan. I expect we're all going to see a lot more of her work gracing covers, so I'm thrilled we have been able to establish a relationship with her early in her burgeoning career.

The cover itself was designed by our friend Charlee Hoffman, who also created the covers for Whispering Minds and Winter's Regret. She's another artist who I think is demonstrating talents that will pass the test of time.

What do you think? Let us know.

Cover Reveal: Tales from the Bully Box

I’m so excited to share this cover with you! I simply love what author and designer Sarah Tregay created for the latest Elephant’s Bookshelf Press anthology, Tales from the Bully Box, which launches our “Colors for Causes” series. Sarah also has a story in the anthology.

Bully Box, which was edited by the wonderful CatWoods, is a collection of anti-bullying stories for middle grade readers. As Cat writes, "I wanted to share the work of amazing authors who work hard to make this world a stronger, safer place for everyone regardless of where they come from or what they look like. In the process, I chose ordinary stories with ordinary characters, because bullying is an ordinary event that happens to ordinary people."

The result is an extraordinary collection.

The genesis of this project was a teenager who wanted to stop the bullying she experienced in her school in Minnesota. She created what is now called Building Relationships Against Violence Everywhere (BRAVE). Cat, who in many ways was the catalyst behind my establishing EBP, suggested we create an anti-bullying anthology for middle grade readers. I’d never heard of such a thing before, but one of the advantages of being a small publisher is we can – and I’d argue must – do things differently.

As many of you know, EBP is a for-profit publishing company, but we have the soul of a nonprofit organization. We endeavor to help developing writers achieve their goals of achieving publication and developing an audience. At the same time, we have found ourselves working with authors who want more than simply seeing their book published: they aim to make a difference. For example, the proceeds from our novel Battery Brothers by Steven Carman (who also has a story in this collection) will go to the Sunshine Foundation, which was the first wish-granting organization in the United States.

Bully Box is in production now and will be available through all the usual vehicles within a few weeks. In the meantime, feel free to share this cover and let people know what we’re doing. We aim to get this collection in schools and work with educators to help them fight back against bullying in their schools. I will discount prices for teachers who can share the books with their students. And a healthy portion of what EBP brings in from Bully Box will help organizations working in this field.

Our next anthology will be published in 2015. It also will have a cause at its heart, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about that soon.