Author Steve DeWinter is One Hot Indie Author

"Don't mess with this chick!"


His name might literally mean "of Winter" but this bestselling indie author is becoming hotter and hotter with books like Inherit the Throne. I met Steve DeWinter in person at the recent ITW Thrillerfest in NYC and we hit it off smashingly as they say in Londontown. We tipped a few, cruised into the heart of Hells Kitchen for some Asian along with my girlfriend and publisher Aaron Patterson, and just generally laughed a lot at some silly stuff. Oh, did I tell you that despite his serious talent, dude's as silly as I am?

Ladies and gentlemen I'm happy to introduce to you for the very first time, Steve DeWinter:

Publishing is a lot like baseball.

There are seasoned professionals who have been playing the game for a long time and then there are the rookies who are just starting out. The same can be said for published authors.

For the sake of argument, let’s consider those authors who go through publishing houses as seasoned professionals. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, let me just say that the reason I have put authors who have signed on with traditional publishers (and a growing number of indie-publishers like StoneHouse Ink) in the professional category, is that these publishers invest in the books they publish. Money has been spent, prior to publishing the book, to ensure that all the spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage (hear vs here) errors have been vetted and eradicated. These books are put through a rigorous editing and proofing phase before they are released for public consumption.

Now that I have qualified the professionals, I'm sure we can all guess who the rookies are? I'm not saying that a rookie author can't write a great story, but if you are the type of reader who is jarred by the occasional misspelling, and cannot enjoy a book because of it, you will want to stick with the professional authors. But here is your quandary. With online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble opening up the floodgates and letting just anyone publish their eBooks for Kindle and Nook, how can you, the reader, tell the difference between the seasoned professional and the rookie?

By the editing.

There are two forms of editing that can be done for a book. There is objective editing and subjective editing. What’s the difference you might ask, editing is editing. Not quite. Objective editing is based on hard and fast rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. As an author, you will never find yourself arguing with an editor over the spelling of a word. There is only one way a word is spelled correctly; and that is that. It is the subjective editing that pits author against editor all too often. Subjective changes (story flow, funnier dialogue, etc.) are changes that all boil down to a matter of personal taste. And these changes are not necessarily improvements, just changes.

If an author has done their homework and learned the craft of writing, all they really need is an objective edit by a proofer. Someone who will check to make sure that the spelling, punctuation and grammar (the objective and unquestionable changes) is perfect in their book. Everything else is subjective.

But what if I don’t want to waste my money on a rookie author’s book filled with spelling and grammar errors, what do I do? One of the easiest ways is to read the comments written by other readers and reviewers. Don’t worry about how many stars someone gave in their rating, which is all subjective anyway, just read the comments. All the comments. Even the comments on the comments.

And here is what you are looking for: Feedback about spelling and grammar. Look for this type of feedback even in the five-star reviews. I can guarantee that if there are no mistakes, it will not be mentioned. Nobody ever puts in their review, "I was pleased to find that every word in this book was spelled correctly."

In baseball, it takes years of practice for the rookie player to become the seasoned professional.

Thank goodness publishing is not exactly like baseball.

After being dinged by reviewers early in my published career for the handful of spelling and grammar mistakes in my debut thriller, I realized I needed to elevate myself above rookie status and invest in my books. I needed to be more than self-published; I needed to be a self-publisher. By hiring a solid objective editor (a proofer), I would propel myself out of the ranks of being another rush-to-self-publish rookie and into the professional category of authors.

And do you know who really wins? My readers!

I want to write the best stories possible, but I don't want to make it hard for my readers to enjoy my books by publishing them filled with rookie mistakes.

EBook Observations!!!

"This guy got a cool job or what? What's he got to do with EBooks? read on...."






A year ago I was primarily employed as a freelance journalist. Over the past 14 months, I've been on assignment in Africa, Moscow, Italy, Paris, and New York. All totaled I've written probably about 600 short pieces for various global publications over the past 5 years like RT, and Globalspec, written hundreds of professional blogs. Being a freelance writer is hard, so I consider myself lucky. I have work.

But over the past 6 months, my life has changed. With the publication of my new thrillers Moonlight Falls and The Remains, my first published novels since Godchild of 2001, I am now making money again as a fiction writer. Where's the bulk of that money coming from? EBooks and Kindles.

6 months ago, I hardly knew EBooks existed. Now I'm all about EBooks. Why? They are not only the future, they are the present, BIG TIME. I know, I know, you all like to hold a real book in your hands, smell the paper, feel the touch....I do too. Which is why all my books are still being published in trade paper as well. But in terms of making money on paper, let's put it this way, I don't even bother to look at my numbers. What's even more interesting, if not disturbing, my present publishers have all been complaining that distributors are lagging far behind on payments because bookstores are lagging far behind on payments and what's worse, going out of business before they MAKE their payments.

Back to the EBook. Why do I love them as an author? Because....
1. I make far more money per unit sold. So does my publisher and so does my agent, and so long as they're happy, they will want to continue working with me. And my novels are EBook bestsellers so that means my work is popular.

2. I have more control as an author. My rights aren't locked up in some NYC vault for ten years. Also, I don't have to wait a full year for a book to be published. EBooks can be edited, proofed, delivered, and published within a few short weeks, increasing their earning capacity by leaps and bounds. And once they are published, they will always be published and always be making money. If one day I decide to start publishing my own books, I will make twice the money per unit I'm earning now.

3. The EBook market, while ten years old, is in its infancy. As the price per reader device comes down and as EBooks become more popular than even mass market paperbacks, my earning capacity will increase considerably. In fact, it's increasing everyday, which is my my present publisher has not only signed me for two more books.

4. Enhanced EBooks are on their way. I'm looking forward to seeing my novels enahanced with video, pics, audio files, music and more.

5. I don't have to do so many book signings. You might think as an author, I might love doing book signings. That they migh be a big ego boost. Well, they are, and I support indie bookstores as much as I can. However, I've done too many signings where just about no one shows up, and I'm sick of disappointed looks from shop owners. Now, with the EBook, I can sell more books in the time it takes to drink a large Dunkin Donuts coffee by engaging in social media marketing from my bedroom or my sun-drenched stone terrace or my five story walk-up apartment in Florence, Italy, than I can standing all alone in some local bookstore.

6. Digital Shorts. During the span of my near 20 year career, I've published about 20 short stories in various journals and magazines. None of these properties make me any money nor are they available to the general public. Until now that is. Now two of my most anthologized shorts,
True Stories and Pathological, are available exclusively on Kindle for $.99 And guess what, they are both bestsellers in True Crime, Theater and Drama....

7. All of my previously Out of Print books are about to be re-edited, repackaged and re-published. They will be making money again.

8. The future. It feels good to have gotten in on the bottom floor of an ever expanding universe of EBook and Kindle opportunities. Taken altogether, I'm selling about 300-500 plus Kindle units alone per month. That includes Digie Shorts, and all my novels. By this time next year I expect that number to triple or even quadruple. In other words, my sales will explode exponentially.

What all this means of course, is that in a very short time, I won't have to be a journalist anymore if I don't want to. However, I'm not just a writer. I'm also a lover of adventure. I can't imagine a future without packing my backpack with a few days worth of clothing, packing my laptop, my passport, my guidebooks, my camera. I can't imagine not lacing up my big leather boots, slipping on my leather jacket or safari jacket (depending upon the climate), and heading out to the airport for some overseas flight to a destination I've never before experienced. I can't imagine not writing about it either. Only difference now, is that instead of packing and lugging a couple of pounds worth of books with me, from now on I'll take along my Kindle. When I arrive back home, I'll purchase the paper versions for my library.

Bon voyage summer. Hello fall...Hello football weather!
To order the bestselling "Remains," click HERE!