Find The Axis - Book and Author Blog

2012 Excites!

2012-01-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

With only a few days into 2012, things are already hopping! Two projects have been completed, with a long-term one just kicking off.

Project One - Rally 'Round The Corpse by Hy Conrad (Seven Realms Publishing)

Writer of TV's MONK and WHITE COLLAR, this title was one of my highest profile pieces and it was an honor to work on Hy's newest mystery! Thanks to Kent Holloway and 7R for another great opportunity. Both the e-book and the print book will be available in a few months to all you who dun-nit fans!

Project Two - Act Of God by Paul Byers

Author of CATALYST and ARCTIC FIRE, this collection of short stories was an absolute joy to work on. Paul is a great guy and his writing is engaging. Keep your eyes open for it in e-book in the near future and print later this year.

Project Three - The LOCH 2 Contest by Steve Alten

That's right, a sequel to the long-awaited title The LOCH, by a science thriller favorite. As in his last lot of contests (MEG: Hell's Aquarium, The SHELL GAME, The GRIM REAPER [round 1 and 2], and PHOBOS), I will be receiving emails from contestants and the 30 contestants with the highest views of the viral trailer will be immortalized as LOCH 2 characters! Head over to SteveAlten.com for full details on the contest, along with the rules and any other swag.

Also, on an aside, I'm finishing up questions for a guest interview appearance at the Kane Gilmour blog (author of RESURRECT, and co-author of not only the CALLSIGN: DEEP BLUE Chessteam/Jack Sigler novella, out now, but also book 4 of the series, RAGNAROK), so when that goes live I'll be sure to give out the link... So far this year has started off at a breakneck pace.

Last thought for today, thanks to you all who made 2011 so special, and to the bunch of you so far that have already made 2012 look so promising and energizing! I'm looking forward to a great year filled with partnerships, new and old.

WebbWeaver Interview and Contest Discount

2011-11-29T20:33:00.001-08:00

Good evening all,

DJ Weaver was nice enough to give me a spot on her blog, please take a moment to stop by and read the interview! It was a great time and really appreciate the opportunity they gave me. Topics covered include a day in the life, the future of publishing, and who I read and why.

Also, if you are thinking about our services, head over to author Paul Byers website where he is conducting a contest where I joined up and offered 25% off any one service. Good luck!

--Stan

Workin' On It

2011-11-26T18:49:00.003-08:00

Hey all,

I've been working on a new design for the site over the past week or so, and while it's not active yet, it's getting close. Here are a few sneak peeks though of our new logo and banner/header. I hope you like them!

As you can see, the logo is made up of arrows all pointing to one thing - a convergence - a point where great writing and quality design come together to create something set apart from everything else around it.

We've also been lucky enough to get some great testimonials! Here are a few I'd like to share:

"The guys at FindtheAxis just get it. They understand the value of design and brand quality. The proof's in the pudding, they were behind the design of Silver and the redesign of my other ebooks to fit an identifiable brand. Silver hit #2 in the UK charts in no small part because of the work these guys did, and that spilled over into every other aspect of my online presence. We're talking about fifty thousand electronic sales over 2011 across the brand. That's a hell of a lot of recognition. That's what I mean about the proof being in the pudding. They do it, it works. As a writer looking to cement brand recognition in the current white noise of the publishing industry you can't ask for more from a team."
-- Steven Savile, #1 International bestselling author of SILVER and PRIMEVAL: SHADOW OF THE JAGUAR

"When I first decided to self-publish novels, I was inundated with opinions and advice about formatting, marketing, promotion, editing, you name it. But I knew one of the most crucial components of a good book is a quality cover. That’s where Stan came in. When I reached out to him he couldn’t have been more helpful. He took the time to educate me not just about book covers, but about the publishing industry in general. He cut through the BS, laid all my options out on the table, and answered all my questions with patience and professionalism. In the end, I got more than just an awesome book cover that gets lots of compliments—I gained a friend and someone in the industry I can trust."
-- Katie McVay, author of THE CITY OF LOST SECRETS

Thanks to everyone who has chosen Find The Axis to create a cover, a print/ebook layout, or a web site. Your trust in our services means the world!

Updates - Jan 2011 to Today

2011-11-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

Hey friends,

It's been way too long since I've been here on the blog. I had visions of greatness for it... and then life got busy. This not being my full-time day job, it kind of got neglected - many apologies. I do want to post some updates though about what has been going on in 2011.

I've acquired many clients this year, many of which have been repeat offenders (what's wrong with you people... haha). Here are a bunch of them, along with a widespread thanks to all of you who have come and commissioned work through me and FindTheAxis.com.

Rick Chesler - Cover creation of kiDNApped

Charles Colley - Cover creation and ebook layout for Skull County, USA

Denise Gass - Cover creation of Ghosts of Arlington

Rick Jones - RickJonz.com

Mindstir Media - Ebook formatting which included: Contingency, Indemnity, Precedent (Paula Wiseman), Purpose of the Powerful (Chinelo Umunnakwe), Sands of Sanibel (Donna Raye)

Paul Byers - Ebook formatting of Arctic Fire, as well as cover completion

Katie McVay - Cover creation of The City of Lost Secrets, as well as ebook and print book layout

Seven Realms Publishing - Ebook and print book layout for David Lynn Golemon's The Supernaturals; Cover creation for David Sakmyster's Blindspots

Cinder Path - Movie poster for Nightwatchers, a screenplay by David Sakmyster

Steven Savile - Ebook covers, US and International including international bestseller Silver (int'l), and The Sally Reardon Series

Tom Monteleone - Ebook formatting for Night of Broken Souls, also coming soon include The Blood of the Lamb, The Reckoning, and Mafia

Exlineal - Logo creation

Steve Alten - Running his contest for his releases of Phobos (Tor) and Grim Reaper: End of Days (Tor)

2011 so far has been a wild ride and I love it. I've made many great new friends along the way and hope you join in and take advantage of our author services and logo creation. Feel free to join us on Facebook, or come say hi on my personal Facebook page where you can also see what I accomplish at my day job. We also have a Twitter account, so if you want to say hello I encourage it.

Take care, everyone. Enjoy what is left to autumn.

Newest Cover Design - 33 AD

2010-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Good day readers, writers, and the rest,

What do you get when you cross vampires with Jesus of Nazareth? You get David L. McAfee's 33 AD, a very unique look into the world of vampires and a speculative twist on the death of Jesus.

Congrats on the book, Dave! This creepy cover should definitely grab the attention of the public.

Are you in need of an eye-catching cover or interior design? Look no further. The industry raves about what we can do, join in and be a part of what people are talking about.

Well wishes for the rest of your holidays, 2009

2009-12-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to start by thanking you all - whether you are a reader, writer, or somewhere in between - with your help this project has started off successfully. We here at FindTheAxis would like to wish you all a very merry 'rest of your holiday' season 2009. With Hanukkah done, and Christmas and Kwanzaa quickly approaching, we hope you use your holiday gift funds on some of the great books posted here. To recap the posts, please view the following links:

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/09/horror-peter-mark-may-demon.html

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/09/inspirational-ficiton-jj-hebert.html

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/09/poetry-margaret-kellogg-my-heart-and.html

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/10/updated-charlescolleycom.html

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/11/poetry-dan-rabarts-urban-driftwood.html

http://findtheaxis.blogspot.com/2009/11/adventure-rai-aren-secret-of-sands.html

Please also enjoy books from these indie publishers:

Variance Publishing

Second Wind Publishing

And special thanks to:

Jeremy Robinson

The Novel Blog

I hope that covers it, oh, I have to thank those of you who retweet our stuff on twitter - you know who you are! Your support certainly does not go unseen.

Ok, so one last thing, if you would like to get your published work on our blog for 2010, visit the Social Marketing and Networking page on our website. Of course, we do the full gamut of book production, including covers, interiors, and websites, so don't hesitate to take a look at what we have to offer if you are thinking of putting your book out next year. We work hard at bringing you top-notch work for pricing below industry standards.

To a safe, happy, and fruitful 2010!

Adventure -- Rai Aren -- SECRET OF THE SANDS

2009-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

Secret of the Sands is a mystery novel and an adventure novel that combines alternate historical fiction & speculative sci-fi to explore ancient Egypt and the mysterious Great Sphinx of Giza

SECRET OF THE SANDS is an Indiana Jones type of story where the reader is treated to two adventures-in-one as it weaves back and forth between a royal family with a potentially deadly secret in ancient Egypt and the adventures of a couple of modern-day archaeologists on a mission to uncover an amazing artifact that could change the world!

(Secret of the Sands is a little bit like mixing INDIANA JONES + THE MUMMY + NATIONAL TREASURE)

ISBN-10: 1-419675-52-4 • $17.99

To purchase the book in trade paperback, visit Amazon.com (also available on Kindle). Want to check out the trailers before you buy the book? View them both (yes, two separate!) at YouTube and Animoto. You can also find more information on the book at the SECRET OF THE SANDS website (where you can find sample chapters, reviews and other great stuff), or by following Rai on Facebook, Myspace and/or Twitter.

Have you read the book and want to leave a review? Let the readers know what you think!

Thanks for tuning in.

Poetry -- Dan Rabarts -- URBAN DRIFTWOOD

2009-11-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is a collected anthology of poetry and short stories by four writers, titled URBAN DRIFTWOOD. URBAN DRIFTWOOD took ten years to go from inception to finally being published, so the work reflects largely on the journey from teens to adulthood. Dan would be more than happy to answer any questions one may have about this work or any of the contributing authors (which can be left here or emailed to rabarts(at)gmail.com.

ISBN-13: 978-0-473-14236-0

URBAN DRIFTWOOD can be found in a few forms: a free PDF download from www.Dan.Rabarts.com, or a POD paperback from Lulu.com ($9.00 + shipping). A podcast is in the works!

For a review, please visit TimJonesBooks.blogspot.com.

Be sure to visit Dan's other websites/projects, including a blog titled Freshly Ground - Food and the Other Stuff in Life that Really Matters, and The Podagogue - News, Reviews and Interviews from the world of Podcasting and Other Fiction. Lastly, follow him on Twitter, he has lots of great Tweets.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next.

The SHELL GAME Contest still has one month left!

2009-10-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hey book readers,

As you may have seen in a past post, Steve Alten has provided another chance to get his fans into one of his bestselling novels with a contest devoted to promoting The SHELL GAME. With a month left, you may think it's too late to join - but on the contrary, now is the right time to come in and take over one of the top 30 spots to be a character in DOMAIN 3 (PHOBOS)! The rules are simple, just follow the link above and start accumulating your views. In the process, get a limited edition MEG poster just for promoting The SHELL GAME.

In a related note, The SHELL GAME was called the 'Scariest Book of 2009' by HotIndieNews.com. Click the link and find out why.

Join in spreading the terror today and make your way into PHOBOS!

Updated CharlesColley.com

2009-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to invite you to see the newest masterpiece that Charles Colley and Find the Axis have put together. We added a few more pages, edited some text, and put up more images for your viewing pleasure. He was a gentleman, scholar... and comedian!

Charles is also the author of SISTERBABY'S MONKEY, and has received some rave reviews from authors, news channels and reviewing websites. I urge you to pick up a copy if you don't have it already - it's a great read that you won't be disappointed with. He also is donating proceeds from his book to a great cause, so help him reach his goal. You can find his book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you are a fan of Charles, you must know that he has a Facebook page... if not, tell him we sent you.

Have you read SISTERBABY'S MONKEY? We would love to see a review of it here.

Thanks for your participation.

Poetry -- Margaret Kellogg -- MY HEART AND MIND IN MOTION

2009-09-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is a book of poetry from the heart. The mind creates the poems and then they are written from the heart. That's why the title My Heart and Mind in Motion is so fitting. Once a poem starts, you must write it down or your mind won't quit.

ISBN-13: 9781440425813 • ISBN-10: 1440425817

$15.50

Be sure to visit Margaret Kellogg at her website, where you can purchase her book. You can also find her on Myspace and Twitter.

Do you enjoy Margaret's poetry? Please, let us know here and why. We look forward to your feedback!

Steve Alten Has Another Contest Going!

2009-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hey fans!

If you are a Steve Alten buff, be sure to check out http://www.theshellgame.net/contest.html as he has another contest going for becoming characters in his bestselling books, this one for PHOBOS, the third book of the DOMAIN series. I hope you will take part in it, it is a great opportunity for fans to get a foot in the door to be in a book for one of their favorite authors. And this isn't a random picking - you control your destiny! Be one of the top 30 contestants and you're in.

Best of luck!

Inspirational Ficiton--J.J. Hebert--UNCONVENTIONAL

2009-09-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

YOUNG JAMES FROST just knows, deep in his bones, that he's a writer. He writes far into early mornings, after his wearying hours of scrubbing toilets and sweeping floors. He loves writing that much.

But it's not only the joy of words that keeps him grinding; it's his desire to retire the janitor's mop. He sees being published as the key to living an improved life. James has another deep-seated conviction: that he's not good enough. He secretly longs to be accepted. However, the conventional others in his life seem all too willing to remind him that he's wasting his time.

Then he meets and falls in love with Leigh, the one bright spot in his endless misery of self-doubt. A quiet but resolutely religious girl, she has to fight off disapproval of her own from overly critical parents, whose insults are countered by James's often-voiced admiration of her. Likewise, Leigh's faith in his talents begins to build his confidence, eventually allowing her to introduce him to a different way to help himself: relying on God.

Ultimately, James's newfound faith is sorely tested to the point of doubt when his dream to be published seems to melt into a mirage, smothered by countless rejection slips from agents and publishers. His faith is also battered by having to fight highly emotional battles and suffer fear and loss. Just when James appears hopelessly sapped by devastating events, one last door opens, and he's rocked by an epiphany.

UNCONVENTIONAL is designed to inspire readers to reach for their dreams. Buy this book. Read it. Share it with everyone you know. You - and they - will be glad you did (ideal for Karen Kingsbury & Nicholas Sparks fans)!

ISBN-10: 098196480X • ISBN-13: 978-0981964805
$14.99

Be sure to visit J.J. Hebert at his website, and you can find his book at Amazon.com, B&N, indiebound.org, and get your signed copy at at his site! You can also find him at Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Goodreads and Blogger.

Are you into give-a-ways? Check out the one going on for UNCONVENTIONAL at Goodreads! But don't wait, it ends September 30, 2009.

Have you read UNCONVENTIONAL and want to leave a review? We would love to see it here! And if you would like to review it, please post it here as well.

We look forward to your comments!

Horror--Peter Mark May--DEMON

2009-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their own demons to fight. Nathaniel has: as well as all the demon hordes from hell. A chance meeting with an exotic woman with a demon close on her heels, sends them both on a horrific adventure. Soon both are fighting for their lives, as well as everyone else on the planet; as the legions of Hades, try to stop them. If they fail, they will die and we ll all die with them! In a thrilling novel full of dramatic twists and turns, in a thoroughly modern setting, Peter Mark May succeeds in creating a duel to the death between the powers of good and evil that is as exciting as any medieval tale allegory. Read on, if you wish to discover whether the good can overcome the thoroughly evil, or has Armageddon come at last?

ISBN-10: 1843863987 • ISBN-13: 978-1843863984
£9.99 here or cheaper......

Be sure to visit Peter at his website, and you can find his book at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, among other places. If you want to review DEMON, please leave you comment here, and make a point to send us a link to your review when complete!

Have you read DEMON and loved it? Please leave your review here. We would love to see your comments.

What's To Come?

2009-08-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Here we are, our first posting, and I hope you like what you see in the future! There has been a bunch of brainstorming going into this project and I think it will be a great thing for a number of you reading this blog. We are here to help you (if you are an author/writer) succeed! It's that easy. We want to help give you the same opportunity that big names get - like affordable, professional covers and interiors, a website that will draw fans in and keep them coming back for more, and some free marketing and networking.

For all of the info be sure to visit our site, http://www.findtheaxis.com, and cruise all the pages. We have a lot of info that will benefit you and prices that are extremely competitive for the industry. It is still under 'construction' so to speak, but should be enough to get your juices flowing for what we can offer.

I look forward to seeing who our first guest will be so keep your eyes open for new postings regularly! They will be books and authors from all genres, in paper and e-book form along with podcasts/audio, so there will be something posted for you at some point. Enjoy - oh and be sure to leave comments. We love to see fans posting things about their favorite authors!

Talk to you all soon,

--FTA