My Top Ten Favorite books from 2017

The days of late December is a time often spent looking back at the year coming to a close. As I reflect on the books I read, it becomes clear 2017 was a remarkable year with some absolute stellar finds. 2017 also marks my second year delving into the horror genre after a long break. I’ve been trying to catch up on classics I missed and new releases of the moment, so you’ll see a lot of them on this top ten list I’ve scrabbled together. These represent the books I enjoyed the most this past year and it wasn’t easy keeping it to ten picks (don't believe me, check out my Goodreads list and all the 5 star reviews). Ranking them proved too challenging a task, so the numbering only reflects the order in which I read them.

Without further prologue, here are my favorite reads of 2017. Perhaps they will help inspire your reads for the new year.

1. The Romeo Catchers by Alys Arden (2017)

This is a bit of a cheat, since I actually read an ARC for this book in 2016, but since it was released this year I’m including it. The second part of Arden’s YA series about the battle of witches and vampires in New Orleans is a fierce follow up with an ending so tense and tormenting, I’ve been screaming for book 3 ever since I finished.

2. The Gilded Cage by Vic James (2017)

The first of a trilogy, The Gilded Cage takes readers into an alternate reality where the British aristocracy are evil sorcerers. Told mainly from the point of view of a family who become indentured servants to the regime, the novel delivers plenty of adventure, intrigue, and social commentary. The second book came out in the UK last September, and I’ve been on tenterhooks waiting for the North American release this coming February (why does it take six months to remove a bunch of “u”s? Why?).

3 The Fisherman by John Langan (2016)

This incredible novel may be my favorite of the year. It is certainly the first book in ages that on completion made me want to turn back to page one and start it over again without pause. Langan weaves a Russian doll of stories in stories all focusing with laser precision on the theme of grief. The result demonstrates what horror is capable of when it’s at its best.

4. Little Heaven by Nick Cutter (2017)

When the heroes of a story are a trio of neo-western killers, you know the book is going to go into some dark territory and Cutter doesn’t disappoint. He serves up some unforgettable villains in the form of a wacked out religious cult and an ancient god-like monstrosity. The novel is abound with violence and gore, but what elevated it up to my top ten was Cutter’s mind blowing gift for description.

5. Spider’s Gamble by Jesse Sprague (2017)

The conclusion to Sprague’s Spider series marks the first Wattpad book on the list. The author combines epic sci-fi with horror elements to great effect in this saga about a human-spider hybrid species which threatens to wipe out humanity. This concluding volume brought back much loved characters and much hated villains and resolved all the various plot threads in an immensely satisfying way.

6. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (2016)

An ingenious retelling of Lovecraft’s The Horror at Red Hook. LaValle takes one of the most notoriously racist stories in horror canon and confronts it head on. This is no simple flipping of roles or perspective. The author dives into a murky, gray world and gives readers a complex meditation on society and how oppression and pain can create evil. Set in the Jazz age, it’s wonderfully atmospheric and the world it builds is I could have occupied for much longer than the novella allowed.

7. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (1967)

There is no hyperbole in calling this novel an absolute classic. I have long been an admirer of the film version but had no idea what I was missing with book. The writing has a precision to it that is worth of study. Levin masterfully draws readers into intimately relating to Rosemary and pulls them through the mundane into a seething world of paranoia. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was on the edge of my seat.

8. Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman (2017)

It’s hard for me to describe how I fell head-over-heels in love with this book. It managed to hit all the right points and to be the perfect novel for me when I picked it up. It tells the story of Philip a Korean War vet and musician in the 1950s, who gets recruited by the army to investigate a possible weaponized sound in the desert. It’s filled with mystery, terrors, and a love story. Malerman impressed my with Bird Box but Black Mad Wheel secured him as one of my favorite authors.

9. The Ritual by Adam Nevill (2011)

Perhaps the most immersive and creepy book on the list. It’s about four old college friends who reunite for a hiking trip in Sweden. Each of them are struggling with the stresses of adulthood and the arduous hike cracks open divisions and awakens jealousies. But things go from bad to worse when a shortcut takes them into an ancient forest where dark things lie in wait. A real white knuckle page turner.
 
 

   

10. Hedoschism by Lindsey Clark (?)

The second Wattpad book and the second cheat, since this book is still in the process of serialization. But even though I’ve read a small part of this book, it is one of the most enjoyable of 2017. A dark story of a party girl, who gets in way overhead, Hedoschism feels a little like what would happen if Neil Gaiman had written Trainspotting, except the epic war between supernatural creatures (which has only been hinted at, so far) is pure Lindsay Clarke. A worthy follow up to her Whitechapel Chronicles, I’m anxious to read more in the coming year.

Tales of a De-Published Author (Part 2)

It has been a week since the announcement about Booktrope closing their doors was sent out to their community of authors and publishing professionals. A lot more is known now than seven days ago. Information has been flowing out in a flood after the initial, worrying trickle. Booktrope has not issued a press release concerning their decision to terminate operations at the end of the month, and they have stated that they will not release one. They have given a very precise account of the state of affairs which led to the decision to their community, but I'll respect there wishes and keep it confidential. For a public statement they are pointing people to an article on Geekwire, even though they say it was written without “any input from Booktrope.”

On Twitter, the hashtag #BooktropeSuvivor has been gaining popularity as the members of the community reach out and share their feelings and experiences in this challenging time. I’m not alone in blogging about it. I have read several articles from authors and in one case editors affected by Booktrope’s decision. Reactions very widely. Some writers feel biter disappointed. Others sadness, one blogger compared Booktrope to Camelot—too good to last. In Ally Bishop's in depth blog, they talk about how they saw this coming and that the business model was never a viable one.

There is definitely a divide in the community, which has been exasperated by the stress of the situation. Some writers always saw Booktrope as a family. Some never did. Personally, when I signed on, they were growing rapidly and the dozen or so employees weren’t enough to offer personal service to the hundreds of writers in their stable.To me it was very much an online publishing service. Read the PDFs, follow the checklist, and only contact someone when there’s a problem you can't solve on your own.

But just because Booktrope was never a home for me, doesn’t mean I have anything less than complete sympathy for its employees and owners.This must be no doubt harder on them than those of us with books in the game.This is their vision and livelihood that’s ending.This is the business they put blood, sweat and, tears into that's closing. This is hard for me as one of their writers, I can't even imagine what they are feeling.

In the mass of bulletins and FAQs, Booktrope has been sending out, they are encouraging writers to self-publish or find a new publisher for their books. Since there is little that they can do to help authors find a new publisher, most of the information has been oriented toward flipping the books back onto the market.

There is certainly a strong incentive to do so since the author reclaims Booktrope's 30% of the profit and very little work is required. The major downside to it is that the author has to shoulder all of the self-publishing expenses. And they have to front this money on books, which are not receiving a launch buzz or are in anyway are expected to perform differently in sales than they are today. For books with steady sales, this makes a lot of sense. For others where the sales are flat, like mine, it is a harder choice to make.

To get the book back up may cost anywhere between fifty up to four hundred dollars or more. I haven't had time to do the research to know exactly what I'm looking at. If it's fifty bucks, then it's pretty easy to swallow. If it's, say, three hundred, that's three-hundred dollars that would likely take years to recoup, if it ever does.

In my earlier post, I made a big deal about continuing the profit sharing with my editors and designer, but upon further reflection, I have come to realize that would only be an issue if sales were outrageously good. And if they were, I would cheerfully cut the checks. So I no longer see that as a drawback. But there is still an attraction to doing a full rewrite and re-launching a brand new addition. At least that would put a better product on the market and perhaps hit the reset button on the whole thing.

As far as finding a new publisher goes, does anyone know of a publisher willing to put out a previously published book, which had lackluster sales? And a publisher that would actually be more beneficial to sign with than self-publishing? If you do, I would love to know who they are.

There are still twenty-four days until Mr. 8 is pulled from the shelves. The only decision I have to make in that time is do I want to try and self-publish it and have it up in early June, to minimize the time it's off the marker, or do I wait.

I'll keep you posted on that decision and on anything else I learn.

The Launch Day

Everything in this blog series has been leading up to the book launch. To get the most out of it takes a lot of planning and preparation. Your book launch will likely be the most important moment of its publication. not just because it’s your book’s big day, but because the sales on this day will likely set the tone for the entire run.  Get it wrong and you may be struggling for every sale afterward. 

And yes, I got it wrong. But I've learned a lot since then.

Party Time

Prior to publishing, Facebook parties were no secret, although I had never attended one. Truth is, I didn't like Facebook and never focused on it much as part of my writer’s platform. I wish someone had told me I was making a big mistake by ignoring this valuable resource. Today, I often think: if only someone had pulled me aside and told me to plan a launch party on Facebook (and really I can’t figure out why no one did).

Since the release of my book, I have attended several Facebook launch parties and even guest hosted at one. My experience has left me convinced that it is an absolute must for any author releasing their book into the wild.

Why do I say that? Because love it or hate it, Facebook is one of the biggest, most used social platforms on the Web. And hosting a party on it is some of the best free advertising you’re ever going to get.

Review as Preview

It won’t come as any surprise to you that good reviews are important to a successful book, but did you know it was vital to get good reviews before the book is even released? If you did, than you are a step ahead of where I was when I went to publish my novel.

My publisher mentioned wanting a review or two for the back cover but never stressed what that would entail. In fact, there is something I'm about to tell you, which I only learned long after the book was for sale. It was so completely absent from the information and advice I received that it felt like a great secret when I figured it out.