LOSING ONE’S PUBLISHER

 

Today, fellow writer, John Lindermuth, writes about what happens when an author loses a publisher. We were both published by the same independent publisher who died. It was a challenge for all of us.

 

What's a writer to do when they lose a publisher?

It's a dilemma many of us have faced. It was the situation confronting me with the death of Billie Johnson, publisher of Oak Tree Press. Regaining the rights to Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold, the first two books in my Sheriff Tilghman mystery series published by Oak Tree, was not a problem.

What to do with the books did pose a problem, though.

The two obvious choices were to find another publisher or self-publish. I've always preferred to work with publishers and didn't feel confident in having the technological skills needed to do a good job of self-publishing.

Fortunately, Lawrence Knorr, my publisher at Sunbury Press, had published The Bartered Bride, third book in the series, and he agreed to reissue the first two books under Sunbury's Milford House imprint.

Dilemma solved.

We'd hoped the books would have been out sooner, but the pandemic and other issues slowed the process. Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold were released on January 31 of this year and are now available from the publisher, on Amazon, and from other popular outlets in both print and Kindle formats.

 Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman is the third of his family to serve as sheriff of the small Pennsylvania town of Arahpot in the waning days of the 19th century.

As Fallen From Grace opens, Syl is a man focused on two problems: finding a new deputy and convincing Lydia Longlow, his true love, to accept his latest marriage proposal. The murder of a stranger in town suddenly makes his life more complicated.

In Sooner Than Gold, he confronts a murder victim with too many enemies, a band of gypsies hunting a man who stole one of their young women, a female horse thief, and other problems while still trying to convince Lydia to marry him.

The books were popular with readers in their first inception, and I believe, for those who haven't read them, lovers of cozy and historical mysteries will enjoy them. Oh, and I might mention, By Strangers Mourn'd, a fourth book in the series will be coming next.

Here's a short blurb for Fallen From Grace:

The 19th century is coming to a close, and Sheriff Tilghman is focused on his two biggest problems: Finding a new deputy and convincing his true love, Lydia, to marry him.

But his problems are about to get more complicated.

The town’s usual tranquility is shaken to the core.

A stranger has been killed.

And one for Sooner Than Gold:

It’s the summer of 1898. The nation, just coming out of an economic slump, has been at war with Spain since April. And Sylvester Tilghman, sheriff of Arahpot, Jordan County, Pennsylvania, has a murder victim with too many enemies. There’s Claude, who is found standing with a knife in his hand over the body. There’s Rachel, a surly teen who admits she intended to cause harm. Then there’s the band of gypsies who claim the victim is the goryo who stole one of their young women. If this isn’t enough to complicate Tilghman’s life, add in threats to his job, a run-in with a female horse thief; scary predictions by a gypsy fortuneteller, and the theft of Doc Mariner’s new motorcar, plus, plenty of good eating, church-going and socializing. And, before all is over, Sylvester solves the crime and even comes a little closer to his goal of finally marrying longtime girlfriend Lydia Longlow.

J. R. Lindermuth is the author of 19 novels, including eight in the Sticks Hetrick mystery series set in a fictional rural community near Harrisburg, PA. A retired newspaper editor/writer, he is now librarian of his county's historical society where he assists patrons with research and genealogy. He has published stories and articles in a variety of magazines, both print and on line. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Additional information on his books and writing is available at www.jrlindermuth.net