IFWG Publishing

IFWG at Megacon

2012-02-25T18:40:00.001-08:00

Friday, February 17th marked the start of the first big event for IFWG Publishing, MegaCon 2012. Peak attendance reached 185,000 on Saturday with standing room only capacity in the extremely large Orlando, Florida event center. Lines stretched around the outside of the building and people were turned away and the doors were closed due to overcrowding.

IFWG Publishing was well represented by staff and authors, including one artist, John Powers. The following are some shots from the event:

Elizabeth Lang and Jennifer R Resetar (IFWG authors)

John Powers, illustrator for Whirl Wind, drawing caricatures

Larry Ivkovich, Elizabeth Lang & Jennifer R Resetar with attendees

Larry Ivkovich showing his urban fantasy, The Sixth Precept

Louis K Lowy, Elizabeth Lang, Larry Ivkovich and RA Knowlton (authors)

Louis K Lowy and Jennifer R Resetar

Louis K Lowy and his impressive giveaways

(including a 45 record with novel details as a label)

RA Knowlton with fan holding KorraSky: The Deception

Tireless IFWG Staffer, Sandy Knowlton

RELEASE of SQ MAG, A New Specfic EZine

2012-02-25T16:27:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing is excited to announce the launch of SQ Mag, a speculative eZine, on 1st March. Each edition will be updated every two months.

The following structure makes this an exciting, must-read:

SQ Mag is a free ezine. It costs the reader nothing to read everything published on the site.
What's more, subscribers to the eZine (costing nothing), have the option of the new edition stories being emailed to them in HTML, PRC or EPUB formats (also for free).
SQ Mag releases anywhere between 3 and 9 short stories and/or novelettes each edition (usually around 6), where each of the main genres of speculative fiction are represented (scifi, horror/dark fantasy, fantasy). SQ Mag is also committed to publishing a fair share of new writers' work.
Every year, a 'Best Of' anthology will be published, of the best short stories published the previous year.
SQ Mag will always be publishing serial fiction piece in each edition.
SQ Mag is an international ezine: they will publish in the English idiom of the submitted work. That is, if a writer submits a story in UK English, it will be edited and published in UK English. We have a little flag next to the author to indicate this.
SQ Mag also publishes reviews in each edition.
SQ Mag periodically publishes interviews and articles.

SQ Mag grew out of a print magazine called SQ Magazine. The model presented above is, in the view of the publisher and editor, a better one for grown and exposure.

IFWG Publishing is the publisher of SQ Mag but has decided that the eZine be independently managed and financed. This means that while IFWG Publishing will be a major sponsor, all income generated by sponsorship, donations and merchandise, including profits from he yearly anthology, will be retained for the running of the eZine.

Visit SQ Mag at their in-construction site - www.sqmag.com, where you will see how it is looking, and how it is organized. Better yet, if you subscribe before 1st March 2012, you will get the first stories emailed to you if you have chosen such an option.

Sophie Yorkston, Editor-In-Chief
Gerry Huntman, Contributing Editor and Publisher

Photos from Jennifer R. Resetar's VIP Book Signing

2012-02-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Recently Jennifer R. Resetar, author of the children's book Whirl Wind, had a VIP signing. This was Jennifer's first book signing was a huge success, supported by a large group of friends and family along with new fans.

Below are a few photos taken from the book signing, including a few family/friend shots, including with her husband, Corey.

Congratulations for a successful book signing from the IFWG Team, Jennifer!

Brumbies Now An Amazon Best Seller!

2012-01-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce that Brumbies, a children's horse adventure by Paula Boer, and illustrated by Rowena Evans, is an Amazon Best Seller. It has sustained No.1 in various categories for sufficient time to earn this status, and even in Germany, it has even achieved No.2 in horse stories. Brumbies could not have got to Best Seller status without having demonstrated its high quality of writing, illustrating and production.

This is IFWG Publishing's first Best Seller, and congratulations to Paula and Rowena!

New Release: Blackthorns Of The Forgotten by Bree T. Donovan

2012-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

IFWG is pleased to announce the release of Bree T. Donovan's paranormal/romance novel, Blackthorns Of The Forgotten. While we have been known to publish books that are out of our normal genre/sub-genre matrix, we are particularly happy to support such a talented writers as Bree. If a reader opens this book, they will not get what they expected. This is not the run-of-the-mill paranormal novel - there are no vampires, zombies, werewolves and witches. There is no unrelenting action, mayhem and gore. And yet, this is not a standard romance either - in fact we struggled over the term 'romance', as it only barely touched on the definition. This novel has supernatural elements but they are secondary - they are a backdrop. This story is about love and sacrifice, about soul mates that transcend barriers that can only be depicted in a fantasy. It has tragedy but it is also an uplifting novel, set in the mystical land of modern-day Ireland.

There is a darkness that permeates much of this novel, and this is why we chose a dark, foreboding cover, with the symbolic blackthorn tree at its center.

Whoever reads this book needs to have an open mind, receptive to what soul-mateship is all about.

We in IFWG are proud to present this novel to the reading public.

New release: Against The Elements by Esme Carpenter

2012-01-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

IFWG is proud to announce the release of our very own Esme Carpenter's debut novel, the young teen fantasy, Against The Elements. We, the IFWG team as a whole, have been aware for years of Esme's immense writing talent, and this was underscored by her acceptance into, and graduation from, the prestigious University of East Anglia Writing School. What many people don't know is that she has written DOZENS of novels since she was about 15 years of age, and this novel we have published, is her revised version of a novel she had in fact written at 15. She is 21 years old as of this posting. What a future, and we are chuffed to be part of it.

Esme's novel is currently out in Kindle format, but it is only a matter of days before it is available in NOOK and paperback. Visit our ebook store to find the format you like, if you want it in electronic format.

Ian Hall's Book Signing in Topeka, Kansas

2012-01-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Ian kindly sent some snaps of him at his book signing (Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién) at the Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant, in Topeka, Kansas. Clearly fun was had by all.

New Release: Ferryman by Jonathon Wise

2012-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce the release of Jonathon Wise's new post-apocalyptic novel, Ferryman.

You can purchase a copy here: http://ifwgpublishing.weebly.com/bio-jonathon-wise.html

Ferryman - debut novel by Jonathon Wise

2012-01-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce the release this month of Ferryman, by Jonathon Wise. This is a very powerful, emotional novel of a world engulfed in the apocalyptic effects of a deadly virus. Jonathon Wise follows different routes than other 'virus' based stories, and we are proud indeed to be his publisher.

A young adventurer descends to the depths of a newly opened cave following a devastating earthquake in Mexico. While he gives into a strange compulsion to take off his oxygen mask and hold it to the microbial slime on the floor, he has but one thought in mind. He hopes to be forgiven.

The days of humanity are numbered when the plague takes its first victim a month later. The few who survive bear witness to the downfall of civilization. Humanity, once masters of their environment, are now slaves to nature. Not that this torment will be long lived, since no pregnancy has been carried to full term.

In this world of lost hope, one man rises to fulfill his destiny and lead the people back. This is the story of the Ferryman.

Season's Greetings

2011-12-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

The team at IFWG Publishing, and SQ Mag would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a joyous, fulfilling New Year!

We have had a very good first two years of publishing, and we look forward to many ahead of us.

Have a safe time during this period of festivity.

SQ Mag to become an eZine with annual print Anthology

2011-12-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing will be transforming SQ Magazine into an eZine from March 2012 and will print an annual ‘Best Of’ print and ebook anthology in tandem with it. The reasons for this decision are many and complex, and it is worthwhile spending a few paragraphs explaining our philosophy and attitude toward change.

IFWG Publishing was formed in late 2009 and commenced publishing in January 2010. The four of us established the company for essentially three reasons, and they form our continuing core values:

We believe that there is a real need for more publishers in our industry who are willing to take on, and invest in, emerging authors, particularly in the speculative fiction genres and subgenres.
We believe that we can be a viable, maintainable speculative fiction publishing business.
We believe that we can be a publisher with an industry accepted reputation for excellence.

When we started we set ourselves goals and created a business and delivery plan that consisted of several elements. The prime element was to publish about a dozen titles a year—this we achieved for our first year, and the success will be repeated at the close of 2011.

We frequently review our goals and plans, and we have certainly jettisoned some of the elements over time. Two goals did emerge early on and are key to this discussion: The Story Quest Short Story Contest, and SQ Magazine. Both these initiatives were felt to contribute to all three core values, but in particular number 1.

The Story Quest Short Story contest was created with the view to attracting new writers to the reading public. It started as a two contest per year event, with no genre restrictions. Prizes at the time reflected IFWG’s core values—the winner would be given the opportunity to have a large body of work published through traditional means; the winner and short listed authors would have their stories published in SQ Magazine—being the prime technique to expose new writers to the reading public.

SQ Magazine was named after the Story Quest contest. This, at the time, seemed to reflect the synergy between the two initiatives. We started by not being restricted to genres, but with the view to moving to speculative fiction—this we did in 2011. We followed the philosophy of publishing new authors fastidiously—and will continue to indefinitely.

Both our initiatives have been, in our view, successful, albeit with a relatively small footprint in the publishing and speculative fiction domains. This was expected, as we believe it takes time to build ‘street cred’.

Now to the specific reasons/background to why we are making this major change.

Print magazines are in decline, especially for small publications, and this in turn ups the unit production cost, which in turn declines sales. Get the rather nasty spiralling pattern?
eZines are in the ascendency—they are more popular, are ultimately more easy to produce, and are more flexible with different business models.
Our magazine schedule is harder impacted by delays than our title schedules—as a small publisher we need to find a way to address this, and ezine production is a good solution.
Finally, our production of the magazine through Amazon has been king-hit with a price increase—this really was the final blow.

The ‘final blow’ meant that our plans to moving to ezine after SQ Magazine #4 or #5 (middle to late 2012) has now been moved forward to early 2012. We are aiming for March 2012 to go live. The ezine will be rebadged to ‘SQ Mag’.

We see this as a smart move. We are following a model that has a much better opportunity for author exposure to readers, and the yearly anthology that will publish the best 20 or so stories for a year, will satisfy authors who wish for print (and ebook). Readers will get a boost in quality and quantity of short fiction—for free.

Transition, however, is always a companion of pain and inconvenience. SQ#4 was due in December 2011/January 2012, but the ezine won’t be ready by then. We are in about to go into negotiation with authors who submitted to SQ prior to this announcement, to make sure they are happy with the processes of change. We need to construct our website. And so forth.

The details of what we will produce will come soon. I can foreshadow this much: we will more than DOUBLE the number of short stories that will be published in a year; we will continue to publish a high percentage of emerging writers.

regards

The SQ Mag and IFWG Publishing Team

Discontinuation of PDF Copies of Catalog Titles

2011-12-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing has recognized, for some time, the emerging black market of PDF copies of published titles, as well as reverse engineering activities. We have finally concluded that we cannot viably offer PDF versions at this stage of the technology. We have therefore immediately withdrawn PDF offers from our catalog.

We should add that technologies are such that those of you who do not want eReader appliances, can easily download Kindle as well as NOOK for PC, and purchase our titles in Kindle or NOOK Book format.

We will be looking at other formats for readers in the near future.

SQ Magazine #3 Is Released!!!

2011-12-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing is relieved and pleased to announce the release of SQ Magazine #3. The use of exclamation marks as well as the term 'relieved' is because our magazine was the most affected by the delay effect caused by the Missouri Floods - there was a cascading delay effect and it was more important for us to publish our title schedule than the magazine (unfortunately). Any other delays simply added to this accumulated effect.

To make matters worse, we lost a bit of time when we discovered that Amazon had changed its pricing policy - which added considerably to the retail price - we strongly recommend you compare their price (which will appear in a few days) with what we can make available on our site. However, this has caused us to seriously rethink how our business and delivery model should be shaped for the future - stay tuned for that.

In this edition we have 11 short stories by new authors, as well as 3 stories by IFWG Publishing Authors (MF Burbaugh, author of Circle of Seven and We Were Legends; Ian Hall, author of Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién; and Gary Alexander Azerier, author of the children's title, Constellation Station). We should add that this edition has an interview with Gary and illustrator Ioanny Dimov, regarding the children's story.

We also have a book review and some articles on writing speculative fiction, including world building.

This is a strong edition, complemented by Roan Carter's fabulous illustration gracing our cover.

IFWG Publishing Closed To Manuscript Submissions Until 1 March 2012

2011-11-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

With success comes compromise. We at IFWG are ecstatic with the submissions we have received since opening to manuscript submissions, but it had a powerful side effect - our 2012 calendar is already full.

While we were going to stay open into the new year, and incorporate children's submissions, we have no choice but to shut the pipe for the while.

The process we have decided to use is to open to speculative fiction and children's fiction on 1 March 2012, and remain open until our 2013 publishing calendar is full. We may repeat this process each year, until circumstances change again.

We apologize to those authors who were considering submitting a work in the near future - we simply cannot handle more work for 2012, and it would be grossly unfair to authors to have to wait 18 months or longer to see their work published.

We look forward to new submissions on 1 March 2012.

The IFWG Publishing Team

Larry Ivkovich (author of The Sixth Precept) at Philcon

2011-11-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Larry Ivkovich, author of the recently released urban fantasy, The Sixth Precept, attended Philcon 2011 November 18-20. Apparently he enjoyed the con a great deal, and got many visitors interest in his new title. Those who are going to Megacon next year will see Larry there!

World Launch of Brumbies in Australia

2011-11-20T01:37:00.000-08:00

Over eighty people attended the launch of the first of five novels in the Brumbies series, published by IFWG Publishing (Australia). Brumbies was formally launched by local horseman and former Member of Parliament Peter Cochran at the Raglan Gallery, Cooma, NSW, Australia.

Peter Cochran is descended from a pioneer family that settled in Yaouk in the 1850s on what is now the edge of Kosciusko National Park in the Snowy Mountains. Peter made his first trip across the mountains at eighteen months of age on the pommel of his mother's saddle. Since then, he has been a Vietnam veteran, the Mayor of Cooma and local Federal Member of Parliament. These days, Peter is busy with his family's horse trekking and motel business.

Peter spoke about how the wild horses of Australia came to live in the Snowy Mountains, sharing his experience of their lifestyles in the wild. He claimed that the Brumbies novel captured real life and that the author (Paula Boer) demonstrated an in-depth understanding of horses. Peter hoped that Brumbies would play a significant role in assisting young readers to understand the issues surrounding horses in Australia's natural parks and protect this important part of pioneer heritage.

Paula Boer thanked those people who had helped in the creation of the book, and also presented a copy of the novel to Zoe Bullmore to whom the book is dedicated. Rowena Evans (illustrator) shared the process of developing an illustrated book and how the map of the realistic but fictional environment helped in the creation of this exciting adventure.

The paperback novel is now available in Australia from www.Horsewyse.com.au. The book can also be pre-ordered for delivery after January 1, 2012 direct from the publisher at www.IFWGPublishing.com.

Brumbies will be available worldwide in paperback and e-book formats from online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble from January 1, 2012.

Peter Cochran speaking at the launch of Brumbies

L to R Paula Boer, Peter Cochran, Peter Boer, Rowena Evans

General view of the launch

Illustrations Table

Brumbies on Display at Monaro Books

2011-11-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Paula Boer (author) and Rowena Evans (illustrator) have been busy promoting their new children's novel, Brumbies, in their home town (Cooma, NSW, Australia).

Here the proprietor of Monaro Books and Music, allowed them to set up a window display. They did a wonderful job of it, and notice that Rowena supplied original illustrations from the books, beautifully framed.

It was a sunny day, so there was a bit of reflection on two of these shots, but you can certainly get the idea here.

Best wishes for lots of sales in your home town!

New Release: The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovich

2011-11-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

IFWG is excited to announce that The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovich is now released. This is an urban fantasy with a difference, and Larry has succeeded in producing a story that will keep the reader turning the pages - it will be hard to read the book in more than one sitting.

Larry already has strong credentials, with a finalist status in the prestigious Writers of the Future awards, and the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for fiction.

At this stage, the book can be purchases from IFWG Publishing, or Amazon. The ebooks will be out shortly.

Brumbies on Sale in Australia

2011-11-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

Given the Australian authorship, editing, subject matter and printing of Brumbies, by Paula Boer (illustrator Rowena Evans), we have agreed to exclusive sale to Australian buyers for November and December 2011 by Horsewyse Magazine.

If you are an Australian (or nearby neighbor) you can go now to Horsewyse and purchase a copy (or more!).

For the rest of you, you can preorder copies for a very good price from our site.

Click HERE for Horsewyse Magazine bookstore purchases.

Click HERE for pre-orders from our site for delivery early January 2012.

The Okapi Promise Being Marketed

2011-10-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Paula Boer, had already acquired merchandise (including t-shirt) for her new novel, Brumbies, but decided that they looked so good, she would have a t-shirt made of her last novel, The Okapi Promise - an exciting travel adventure primarily set in various locales in Africa.

IFWG Publishing agrees - it sure looks good!

Pre-Orders Now Being Taken: Brumbies by Paula Boer

2011-10-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are taking pre-orders for Brumbies, by Paula Boer (and Illustrator Rowena Evans). We will be launching Brumbies in Australia next week, where Australians can get early purchases of the title through Horsewyse Magazine, but on 1 January 2012, Brumbies will be available worldwide for distribution, including ebooks.

Those who pre-order now get the benefit of a good price, and delivery on or soon after 1 January 2012.

Visit our special page for pre-orders.

New Children's Book Release: Whirl Wind by Jennifer R. Resetar

2011-10-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing has the pleasure of announcing the release of Jennifer R. Resetar's special children's book, Whirl Wind. Tribute should also be given to John Power's wonderful illustrations.

This IS a special book. It is about a boy who discovers he has super powers - but he isn't an ordinary boy - he has Cerebral Palsy. And yet, the book shows that in fact he is as normal as anyone else. This book isn't really about super heroes. It's about showing that the world is diverse and it is made up of all kinds of people, and we all have challenges. This book also depicts one particulra challenge that many school children have - schoolyard bullying. Again, we are shown how this can be overcome.

This is a labor of love by the author and illustrator, as well as our publishing house. We believe it is as much an educational tool, as it is a young child's tale of superheroes.

This is a special book.

Author's bio and a summary of the story can be found in Jennifer's Bio Site
We also have a bio site for the artist, John Powers.

Available now in Amazon as an ebook, soon in print and NOOK Book formats.

Preordering can take place in Jennifer's Bio Site.

IFWG News: New Cover for Circle of Seven by MF Burbaugh

2011-10-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to show you the improved cover of Circle of Seven, by MF Burbaugh, which was released earlier this year. For several reasons, including just a wish to improve on it, we have tweaked it, and believe it looks a great deal better.

New Release: A Magpie Called Will by Peter Rondel

2011-10-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of Constellation Station, is a wonderful illustrated children's story called A Magpie Called Will, by Western Australian Peter Rondel, and illustrated by New Zealander Frances Hutt. This is a wonderful story about a boy who is playing in his back yard when suddenly he meets a magpie - who talks! And then the amazing things happen! We will say no more - buy it, and enjoy it.

Out in Kindle, and shortly in Print, PDF and NOOK Book.

Release: Constellation Station by Gary Alexander Azerier & Ioanny Dimov

2011-10-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce the release of Constellation Station by Gary Alexander Azerier and illustrated by Ioanny Dimov. This has been a long project but well worth it. The illustrations are glorious and we can assure you that this work will be nominated for a number of illustrated children's books awards. It's that good.

It is currently released in Kindle format (which doesn't do it justice), and it will shortly be followed by NOOK Book and Print.

Brumbies by Paula Boer - Launch T-Shirt

2011-10-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

Paula is modeling her T-Shirt for the Launch of Brumbies in November.

For Australian enthusiasts, the novel will be available for sale from 1 November through Horsewyse Magazine.

Sneak Peak: The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovich

2011-10-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is very pleased to provide you with a sneak peak of Larry Ivkovich's urban fantasy, The Sixth Precept. It should be out in a week or so, and you will be spell bound by this detective-fantasy, set in modern US as well as feudal Japan - you'll need to read it to work out how this happens!

Wonderful artwork by Isaiah Stephens!

Sneak Peak: Against The Elements by Esme Carpenter

2011-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

We are proud indeed to reveal the front cover of Esme Carpenter's teen fantasy novel, Against The Elements, to be released in November/December 2011. Esme is a prolific writer and we are fortunate that she has chosen IFWG Publishing to publish her debut novel.

Sneak Peak: A Magpie Called Will by Peter Rondel (illustrator Frances Hutt)

2011-10-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

Another children's book coming out very shortly is A Magpie Called Will, by Western Australian Peter Rondel and New Zealander Frances Hutt (illustrator).

This is a delightful children's story set in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia - but be warned, space and time will be traversed!!!

Here is the latest version of the cover:

IFWG Author On Writing Panel

2011-09-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Die Laughing author, Louis K. Lowy, participated in the Sept. 21 discussion panel 'You're Published! Now Comes the Hard Part’ along with authors Deborah Sharp and Sean Keniff. Louis said, “It was a great turn out and the audience was enthusiastic. I had a blast.” The panel was sponsored by The Writers Network of South Florida and was held at the main branch of The Broward County Library in Fort. Lauderdale, FL.

The following are several pictures of the event.

IFWG's Latest Author at Bridgewater Bookfest, Penn.

2011-09-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of Larry Ivkovich at the 3rd annual Bridgewater Bookfest held in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania. This is organized by members of PennWriters, a Pennsylvania-based writers group which Larry is a member of. They spotlight Pennsylvania authors of all genres and categories. He promoted The Sixth Precept (his upcoming urban fantasy novel through IFWG). Note - the illustration at the front of his table will form the basis of his cover - tremendous art by Isaiah Stephens. More to show later.

Sneak Peak: The Brumbies by Paula Boer & Rowena Evans

2011-09-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing promised for some time we would be publishing several children/teen books this year, and this is a sneak peak at the cover of Brumbies, by Paula Boer (who previously published the riveting adventure, The Okapi Promise last year with us) and Rowena Evans, a very talented illustrator - who graces the pages of this new title with many fine illustrations.

When city girl Louise moves to the country, she discovers the mountain brumbies are to be killed for pet food. She and Ben, a local farm boy, determine to save as many of the wild horses as they can. Despite opposition, they arrange a muster, but nothing goes according to plan.

Following in the hoof-prints of “The Silver Brumby” and “The Man from Snowy River”, this horse-packed adventure encounters challenges through some of the toughest territory in Australia.

Sneak Peak: Constellation Station

2011-09-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is proud to reveal the cover of Constellation Station, its first children's title. It also represents a long collaboration with Gary Alexander Azerier (author) and Ioanny Dimov (illustrator) - the longest project IFWG has carried out.

Expect the release of Constellation Station in the next few weeks - the illustrations are absolutely stunning, and the story enchanting.

Here's the sneak peak of the cover:

IFWG is intensely proud of this title - work commenced in November 2009, and the wait was well and truly worth it.

Visit Gary's bio page for more information.

The blurb for the title is taken from an early page of book:

Karl opened the book of maps. Inside, however, there were no maps. There seemed to be…a story! It began:

Through his room window, Karl could see the night was thick, but he could see pinpoints of gold and patches of orange light scattered along the horizon.

Soon, thought Karl, he would reach Constellation Station. He had been planning this trip for as long as he could remember and now, finally, his dream would become realized..

Story Quest Short Story Contest #3 - Important Policy Change

2011-09-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is pleased to announce that it has decided to waive the admin charge for entry. This means that submissions are completely free - all other rules apply, including the cash prizes.

Please visit the contest web page for full details.

Those who have paid will be reimbursed. We look forward to exciting speculative fiction submissions!

Big Turnout At Louis K Lowy's Reading/Booksigning

2011-08-31T23:19:00.000-07:00

Louis K Lowy had a special day on 27 August this year, giving a reading of his debut novel, Die Laughing, at Books and Books (Coral Gables, Fl). It was followed by book signings.

Louis has graciously provided us with a few of his snaps.

Louis reading from Die Laughing

Another moment from his reading

An appreciative audience

Book Signing in progress...

And another signing.

And so it went on. Well done, Louis! and we hope you have many more successful readings and signings in the future!

Submission Announcement

2011-08-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that we will be open, from 1 September 2011, to unsolicited manuscripts for adult speculative fiction. Children's book manuscript submissions will be open from 1 January 2012.

New Title: Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién by Ian Hall.

2011-08-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

IFWG is pleased to announce the release of Ian Hall's epic sized historical adventure, Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién.

We are also pleased by the illustration by IFWG artist, Roan Carter - watch out for him, as he has also done the cover of SQ Magazine 3!

Ian's novel is currently available in Kindle in the US and UK, as well as NOOK Book. The print version will be available online in just a matter of days.

Sneak Preview of Ian Hall's Opportunities Cover

2011-08-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

In a few days we will be releasing Ian Hall's historic novel, Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién. Here's a sneak peak of the final front cover:

Story Quest Short Story Contest #3

2011-08-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

The annual (now) Story Quest Short Story Contest #3 is now open for speculative fiction submissions and will close on 1 October 2011. The process of organizing the first two was pleasurable, as we received many quality entries, and the winners and other finalists are top examples of quality short story writing. We also enjoy the collaboration with a non-IFWG staff member guest judge - #1 we had Jack Eason, author of Onet's Tale, and in contest #2 we had Daniel Pearlman, noted academic and science fiction writer.

This year we have Mysti Parker as guest judge, author of her debut fantasy novel, A Ranger's Tale. What makes this contest different from the previous two is that we have replaced the (always limited to 2010) manuscript publishing offer with cash prizes. as well as the short listed short stories being published in SQ Magazine #4. We have also asked for a small entry payment (US$5.00 by PayPal), to cover overheads and to ensure that serious entries are only submitted.

You can submit your speculative fiction short story here.

We look forward to receiving quality submissions again this year.

The IFWG Publishing Team

Print Release of MF Burbaugh's We Were Legends

2011-08-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased indeed to announce the release of MF Burbaugh's science fiction adventure, We Were Legends, in print format.

Visit Amazon to purchase a copy.

Congratulations Skip!

Just Released: Louis K. Lowy's dark humorous scifi novel, Die Laughing

2011-07-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Louis K. Lowy's novel, Die Laughing, is now out in Kindle format - in a day or so it will be out in NOOKBook, and in PDF and print by early August.

Great Review of Louis K. Lowy's Die Laughing (pre-release)

2011-07-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Lang, author of The Empire, contributes an insightful review of Lowy's Die Laughing posted on the popular writer's ezine, Angie's Diary. A great 5 star review!

Well done, Louis!

Last Days of Distribution of Our First Publication

2011-06-24T01:32:00.000-07:00

When IFWG Publishing commenced business, it was with great pleasure that we assisted a large bunch of writers who were members of the Storywrite site, to get their collective short stories published. We joined in after the editorial policy and cover design was already set in train, but we helped where we could and got the product published. It is called Page Dancers.

It achieved its prime objective - to get a large number of writers published through traditional means.

As it is a specialized product, and there is no expectation that it will make many more sales, we have decided to stop distribution of the title. By close of business 26 June 2011 (US EST) we will stop distribution.

If any good readers are interested, there are a few more days to purchase it. It is a hefty tome with a huge number of short stories, in almost every genre under the sun. It is unique.

We believe it may end up a bit of a collectors' item, as it is limited in production and many of its writers, no doubt, will become well known, if not famous.

Go here for paperback purchase,

and here for various ebook formats.

M F Burbaugh's New Novel, We Were Legends

2011-06-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that M F Burbaugh's latest novel, We Were Legends, is now out in Kindle and within a day or two, NOOK Book. The print and pdf versions will also be released very soon.

We are also chuffed that this is our first author who has published a second title with us (the previous novella is Circle of Seven). A great milestone, and thank's Skip!

Jake is a NASA pioneer pilot in a newly developed one-man explorer ship who takes to the stars to escape torment. Odds of survival are less than four in ten, and it is believed NASA pads the statistics.

He is forced to crash on an unknown planet that is dying, as its star gets colder in defiance of the laws of physics. Jake begins his survival quest with a few technological items from his ship and a still-functioning computer. It gets more complex when he rescues a beautiful girl and struggles to overcome the life and death challenges of the planet's inhabitants, mega-fauna, and extreme climate. He discovers a few of Earth's ancient stories of gods and demi-gods that are embroiled in hate, vanity, and what some call magic, are more than myths.

With success or failure, Jake proves that legends are made, not born.

New Look Cover for Elizabeth Lang's THE EMPIRE

2011-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Lang's riveting scifi-romance, The Empire, has a new cover. At this stage, it has promulgated to ebook format: Kindle and NOOKBook, and will soon follow in print and pdf.

Oh, and by the way - the cover rocks!

Message regarding The Book Depository from IFWG's Managing Director

2011-06-16T17:08:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone.

I looked at The Book Depository site and did a search. It seems that Onet's Tale, Blood Contract, The Devil Came East, KnorraSky and Page Dancers and are available. The others are not.

There is no reason for this since all of our titles are handled the same way. There must be more to it. I contacted our printer about this. I await their answer. When I get it I will send that answer to The Book Depository.

R.A. Knowlton

Disappointed

2011-06-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

Very disappointed.

For some time now, IFWG Publishing has recommended readers to purchase our titles through The Book Depository (UK and US online stores). We still do, but now rather reluctantly.

Firstly, we should point out that from a US based, international small publisher, The Book Depository is an excellent avenue for our readers to purchase out titles, if they do not live in the US. It is the most cost effective way to purchase our print titles.

However, over recent months our latest titles have been shown on their sites as 'not currently available' or the like, and request the reader place a notification order via their email addresses.

This is very bad for us, and anyone like us.

We currently publish most of our print titles via POD - it is a most cost effective means of publishing, and it literally means that anyone who places an order will have the title printed in a very short time frame, and then shipped. Despite numerous email exchanges - where the answers have been stock and frankly illogical - we are now in the situation where our non-US fans will not be able to purchase our products through The Book Depository. You will not be able to order then and there, and if you place your email address for notification, you will never get notified. Amazing isn't it.

They are cutting significant sales pipelines for us, and as a small publisher, this is critical.

We kindly ask all our fans, acquaintances, professional networkees, and anyone else who would like to burst a massive bubble of nonsense, to contact The Book Depository and ask them to make POD books available for order. Please please cite recent titles by IFWG Publishing as a good example.

Here's to solidarity.

The IFWG Publishing Team

Louis K. Lowy's Video Trailer For His Debut Novel, Die Laughing

2011-06-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

IFWG is very pleased to present to you the video trailer for Die Laughing, by Louis K. Lowy. Mr Lowy is talented indeed - his did this work himself. The book will be out shortly.

Plug: Scott S. Colley's Mythica Genesis

2011-06-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

IFWG has a lot of friends, and one of our oldest and dearest is Scott Colley, an early member of the Fantasy Writers' Guild. We are pleased indeed to find out he has an epic fantasy released, his debut novel.

His novel can be found in Krullstone Publishing.

Here is a book launch blurb - take a look, you wont be disappointed!

Visit http://mythicagenesislaunch.com on the 7th June!

Sneak Preview of new cover for Elizabeth Lang's THE EMPIRE

2011-06-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that in the very near future, Elizabeth Lang's scifi-romance novel, THE EMPIRE, will have a make-over cover:

And while we are at it, the following is the new blurb:

It will be interesting to discover which will make you beg. Will it be the pain or the pleasure?"

How do you tame a man without breaking his spirit?

The galaxy is under siege from alien invaders. The Empire is the only force that stands in their way, trading the freedom of its citizens for a tenuous security.

Amidst this chaos, Lt. Adrian Stannis is a brilliant scientist trying to stay out of the limelight. He hides on a research vessel plying the Outer Rim and finds peace of a sort with Kali Mirren, a psi-enabled humanoid. But his days of anonymity may be coming to an end. Someone has discovered his secret and is determined to make him pay for his treachery. He must finish the project he abandoned years ago, one the Council deems essential in its fight against the aliens, but things are never that simple where Adrian is concerned.

Is he more man than machine, or have years hiding behind a mountain of logic eroded his humanity? Can he survive the tangled web of political expediency and psychological manipulation that surrounds him?

Will Kali be able to save him from himself, or is there a mystery surrounding him that may explode in their faces?

Everyone wants to know the truth, but will it set them free?

Sneak Preview of Cover: Louis K Lowy's Die Laughing

2011-06-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

IFWG is excited to provide you with a sneak peak at Louis K. Lowy's new science fiction novel, Die Laughing - a wonderfully humorous, and yet at times poignant, story set in the late 1950s. The cover was designed by Laura Givens, a talented illustrator who no doubt will work with us again. Look to see this novel out in late June/July 2011.

Guest Judge For 2012 Story Quest Short Story Contest

2011-06-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Mysti Parker, fantasy novelist, will be the guest judge for this year's speculative fiction Story Quest Short Story Contest.

Sneak Peak at the Cover of R.A.Knowlton's Upcoming Knorrasky Novel

2011-05-29T02:06:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing are happy to give you a glimpse of the latest (but not final) draft of Knorrasky: The Earth Blade, by R.A. Knowton.

Floods Affecting Publishing Schedule

2011-05-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

The region of Missouri where IFWG Publishing's headquarters is based, has been subject to severe flooding.

Consequently, several titles expected to be published in May and June 2011 will be disrupted.

We will soon provide a 2 month forward schedule of some of our excellent new titles.

regards

IFWG Publishing Team

IFWG Author Wins Prominent Fiction Award

2011-05-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing are pleased indeed, that one of our newest authors, Larry Ivkovich (his novel, The Sixth Precept, will be published later this year), has won the 2010 ChiZine Publishing/Rannu Fund Award for fiction.

We are very aware that ChiZine Publishing is a highly prestigious small publisher, and their magazine, ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade, is one of only a handful of speculative fiction magazines that are recognized by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America professional organization, for membership entry.

Congratulations Larry!

Correction re: SQ Magazine #2

2011-05-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Folks, we found out today that our print and PDF versions of SQ Magazine #2 (not the ebooks) incorrectly attributed one of the illustrations inside (the girl with whip) to Tim Larsen, when it should have been to Exchael Agus. Tim, of course, has other wonderful illustrations inside. Both these artists' work, as well as the graphic novel, Kaina Pt 1, were reproduced in the magazine by kind permission of Artyrian Entertainment.

Corrections are being made as soon as practicable, with minimal resultant disruption to production.

We want to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Exchael Angus as well as Artyrian Entertainment, for this error.

MF Burbaugh's novel, We Were Legends nearing release

2011-05-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is pleased to announce that MF Burbaugh's second title with us, a science fiction novel, We Were Legends, will be released in Kindle and EPUB format within the week, shortly followed by print and PDF.

Synopsis:

He is forced to crash on an unknown planet that is dying, as its star gets colder in defiance of the laws of physics. Jake begins his survival quest with a few technological items from his ship and a still-functioning computer. It gets more complex when he rescues a beautiful girl and struggles to overcome the life and death challenges of the planet's inhabitants, mega-fauna, and extreme climate. He discovers a few of Earth's ancient stories of gods and demi-gods that are embroiled in hate, vanity, and what some call magic, are more than myths.

With success or failure, Jake proves that legends are made, not born.

IFWG Publishing Artists Featured

2011-05-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to have started bio pages for artists who have been involved in illustrating our titles, or covers for our magazines. Visit our site www.ifwgpublishing.com, and click on an artist's name in the drop down menu, "Our Artists".

We have featured their art for us, as well as sample art from their careers.

Enjoy!

Review of Elizabeth Lang's THE EMPIRE, by All Books Review Intl.

2011-04-28T00:45:00.000-07:00

"It will be interesting to discover which will make you beg. Will it be the pain or the pleasure?"

The brilliantly intelligent scientist; Adrian Stannis suddenly finds himself pulled away from the walls he put up in his own mind, to keep him in solitude. Trapped doing research on a small science vessel far away from others, he finds that for once he must rely on friends he never wanted to make, in order to succeed. Everything he once knew seems to have been destroyed as he's pushed into the middle of political rebellion and an alien invasion. After a strange kind of torture, he is pushed even farther from other beings but his freedom and even his life may depend on the trust he finds so hard to create.

Elizabeth Lang has created a wonderful story of intrigue and twists and turns that I couldn't put down from the moment I picked it up. The story was interesting and compelling, pushing me towards the end hastily. As an avid reader Ms. Lang has had a passion for science fiction and fantasy since she was young and her love for these things was obvious throughout the well written pages of her work. The characters were well developed, and you could see the differing thought processes in each person and how much they were affected by the situation. I truly began to believe in these characters as I read The Empire; they communicated so realistically amongst each other and had appealing personalities to read about. Elizabeth Lang began her writing career later in life, but once she started she just couldn't stop and I certainly hope that doesn't change, because her words are wonderful.

Overall, I was very pleased with The Empire and I found it to be quite an adventure, leaving me wanting more. Hopefully, I will be able to read her other novels and complete the story because I continue to wonder what might happen next. Elizabeth Lang has created a story that will appeal to people on many levels and I hope that she continues writing wonderful stories like this.The Empire is highly recommended by Kirsten Bussière, www.allbooksreviewint.com

via Writing Raw

Sneak Peak at early cover concept: Ian Hall's Opportunities: Jamie Leith at Darién

2011-04-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

We loved Roan Carter's artwork for Ian Hall's upcoming novel so much we wanted to share it with you. Lettering etc will be improved, and the usual formatting, but this is essentially it. As an aside, Roan has also done the art work for the upcoming SQ Magazine #3.

Writer Profile: MF Burbaugh

2011-02-21T00:50:00.000-08:00

Born in the post war era of 1947 and raised in the farm country of upstate New York, MF Burbaugh saw ground level life and death.

Joining the Army in 1966 and spending almost two years in Vietnam, he added to that grounding of reality, and after 21 years in the Army he now resides with his wife of forty years in El Paso, Texas.

He writes in the sci-fi/fantasy genre but has a collection of short stories based in the 1860s of a humorous western genre, where he received good reviews. He tries to bring his stories to life such that you feel you are right there.

He writes a weekly column on a website dedicated to aspiring young authors to assist them were he can.

We had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of 'Skip' last year, where we were enchanted by his manuscript, We Were Legends, a science fiction story. This is now in pre-production, but we surprisingly were were presented with a novella, Circle of Seven, late last year, and we fast tracked it into production - and were delighted with the result.

After being kidnapped by pirates, a young earth girl, Myra, finds herself on a strange planet full of magic, hate, and ancient prophesies. Befriended by a Dwarf Princess, she struggles to understand her environment or die.
War looms on the horizon as Elves, Dwarfs, Dragons, and others face the reality of an ancient judgment to come.

This is the story of pirates, death, war, magic, and ancient prophesies.
Myra may hold the key to their planet's destiny in her tiny hands as she struggles to fulfill the ancient writings and stay alive.

_____________________________________________________

And stay tuned for We Were Legends:

Writer Profile: Gerry Huntman

2011-02-13T03:01:00.000-08:00

Gerry Huntman is a father, husband, writer, publisher and IT Consultant. This means he is also a very good juggler. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and young daughter. Gerry has created fantastical worlds since he was a young child and was a creative influence in the Australian Roleplaying scene for decades. Recently he made the decision to write seriously for publishing and has already published a dozen short stories in many journals and anthologies. He is working on an epic fantasy, its sequel, and a modern day science fiction action adventure. His current project is a dystopian Young Adult novel, and is not far away from publishing an anthology of short stories based on his Evyntyde fantasy world.

Gerry is a team member of the IFWG Publishing company and has worked hard to help new writers emerge in the industry. As a writer as well, it was inevitable that he would publish through our company, and it is with pleasure that we took on his mid-grade fantasy novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms. Gerry has published with other companies, and we consider it fortunate to have him on our authors book, as well as team member.

This is the cover of Guardian of the Sky Realms. The following is the official blurb:

Maree Webster is an 'almost-emo' from the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. She hates school and only has a few friends. She has an infatuation with Angels and Fallen Angel stories. Life was boring until she one day decided to steal a famous painting of angels from a small art gallery.

Her life will never be boring again. She meets a stranger at the gallery who seems to know her. She stumbles into a world where cities float in the sky, and daemons roam the barren, magma-spewing crags of the land below.

But not all is well. Maree is turning into something she loves but at the same time, fears. Most fearful of all is the prospect of losing her identity, what makes her Maree, and more importantly, human. She has ties to the human world that she can't bear to sever.

Guardian of the Sky Realms takes the reader on a journey through exotic fantasy lands, but also across the globe, from Sydney to Paris, and the Himalayas to Manhattan.

It is about transformation.

Writer Profile: Linda Penhall

2011-02-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

Linda Penhall left her native home in Ireland for the sunnier climes of South Africa in 1997. Upon arrival in Jo’burg, she did something totally out of character―she bought an Irish Pub and Restaurant. Prior to this, she was involved in the equestrian and airline industry, so becoming a restaurateur was a rather strange experience and one that didn’t last―it just wasn’t her! Two years later, she packed up and moved to the Eastern Cape where she now lives in organized chaos as a full time writer along with her husband and daughter, two spaniel type dogs, a lovable but loopy ginger cat and of course, her well-used laptop.

Linda came to us with a manuscript very close to publication ready, which impressed us. The story, while not the usual we publish, entranced, delighted and captured us with the strength of its characters. We were happy indeed to invite Linda into our stable of authors, and very much look forward to the sequel of They Never Give Up.

This is the cover of her debut novel, and the following is its official blurb:

Cathy and Pauline are leaving footprints—raised ones.

Cathy is gorgeous, smart and quick-witted—her life looks promising to say the least. And to round it all off she has a devoted husband who thinks the world of her. Everyone assumes she’s got it made. But has she?

Pauline is the life and soul of every party—firmly believing the world to be some kind of giant playpen. Underneath this rebellious guise is a woman who desperately wants someone to love her for who she truly is.

Set in an Irish backdrop, the story humorously explores the vibrant and multicolored lives of these two lifelong friends as they love, work and laugh in the midst of horses, rehab, aviation, a whiskey guzzling skinflint father and a deplorably meddlesome mother-in-law.

They Never Gave Up will strike a chord with all women especially those who have ever been let down to the point of betrayal.

Reviews

They Never Gave Up is packed with so many emotions and the voices of the characters are wonderfully authentic. It's also a heartwarming read that to me, places a wonderful emphasis on the power of true friendship. I think if you're looking for chick-lit with substance, you'll definitely find all that and so much more in They Never Gave Up - Tammy February - Women24 - South Africa

A cracking good beach read. Barbara Manning – Daily Dispatch - South Africa

Delectably honest - laugh-out-loud funny and heartfelt. Tim Botha - Go Magazine

Story Quest Short Story Contest

2011-01-21T16:28:00.001-08:00

For those who have been following this contest, the 3rd (and now annual) Story Quest Short Story Contest will open for submissions on 1 August 2011 and close on 31 October 2011. There are some changes that most of you will know of for this year, but we have one important addition:

1. The important one - we have decided to charge $5.00 per submission (to a maximum of 3). This is not a money making venture (believe me) but it helps defray some of the costs associated with administering the contest - in two ways: firstly, we have been getting a lot of submissions and this means that the revenue generated from the fee will help pay for our editors' time. Secondly, it will discourage frivolous entries and in effect, reduce unnecessary workload.
2. This year we have fully transitioned our contest to Speculative Fiction only. The web site discusses the scope of genre and styles in more detail.
3. This year we changed to an annual competition.
4. This year we have changed the prize to modest cash prizes and publishing in SQ Magazine - for the winner and runners up.

We encourage those of you who are specfic writers to submit to our contest in August. We enjoy reading the entries and helping elevate author profiles.

MF Burbaugh's Circle of Seven Now Released In eBook Formats

2011-01-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

As foreshadowed a few days ago, MF Burbaugh's novella, Circle of Seven, has now been released in Kindle and NOOKBook format. PDF will come shortly, as well as print.

Visit the eBook Store for more details.

Author Profile: Elizabeth Lang

2011-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Lang was an avid reader from an early age. Science Fiction and Fantasy were and still are her passions, with occasional dips in the pools of Mystery. She spent many years in the IT industry and started writing late in life, but once begun, she couldn’t stop.

Elizabeth lives in Canada though she's worked in many places around the world. She loves traveling, learning about different cultures, and sampling their delectable foods.

Elizabeth came to us with what was described as a science fiction - a title called The Empire. We read it and fell in love with it. She had understated her work, in a sense, by calling it a science fiction (yes, it is one, but it isn't classic - it is a blend of science fiction, psychological thriller and romance), and the title is entirely apt, for something comprising only two words. IFWG Publishing is happy indeed to have this excellent Canadian writer represented among our current titles.

This is the cover of Elizabeth's novel, The Empire. The following is her official blurb:

With security comes a price.

Humanity is in danger of annihilation as a centuries old war with the Andromedans heats up again. The Empire, an increasingly totalitarian society, is the only force that stands in the gap.

Thrust into this chaos of alien invasion, rebellion, and political intrigue, Lieutenant Adrian Stannis is caught between the ends and the means. No one knows why this brilliant scientist chooses to hide in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, doing research on an insignificant science vessel. His days of anonymity may soon be coming to an end, whether he wants it to or not.

Adrian's freedom, and his very survival, may depend on friends he's afraid of having. Kali, a psi-enabled humanoid who is the only person he gets along with, just barely, and Bryce, his personal assistant and one-time conman and thief, may be his only hope, if he doesn't push them away, not to mention a mystery surrounding him that may explode in their faces.

Everyone wants to know the truth, but will it set them free?

For more information:
Elizabeth's web site: http://www.elizabeth-lang.com/
Elizabeth's Facebook Page: Elizabeth Lang
Elizabeth's Twitter Address: @Kalinda001

MF Burbaugh's novella Circle of Seven's cover

2011-01-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the cover of MF Burbaugh's novella, Circle of Seven. It will be released in ebook format over coming days, and will be available in print form by end of January (that's a scoop folks, we couldn't resist publishing it in print form).

Writer Profile: Paula Boer

2011-01-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Paula Boer was born in England and moved to Australia at the age of 28. She lives on 500 acres in the Snowy Mountain region with her husband, five horses and an old dog.

Paula loves the natural world and has traveled in sixty countries across six continents. She particularly enjoys wilderness and wildlife. Some of her adventures are reflected in The Okapi Promise.

When Paula isn't writing, she spends hours on horseback exploring the countryside and is learning to play the piano. Her favorite author at the moment is Barbara Kingsolver, but she has been a fan for many years of Wilbur Smith and James A. Michener.

www.paulaboer.com

We had the pleasure of developing a professional relationship with Paula early in IFWG Publishing's formation and worked closely with her to get The Okapi Promise right. What added to our interest in this novel was the opportunity to include photographs of various scenes and landscapes that are described in her title, which added an extra dimension for the reader.

This is the cover of Paula's first novel, and the following is its blurb:

A cure for rabies is discovered in the heart of Africa. Two unknown adversaries join a small tour group to gain the serum. One wants to use the cure for the good of all mankind; the other for personal glory and profit.

The travelers are threatened by wild animals, tribal unrest, personal hardship and vehicle breakdowns. Set at the start of the Rwandan Civil War, the race to patent the new drug is against more than time. The physical and emotional challenges of the journey across the whole continent leaves no-one unchanged—and one of them won't come out alive.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-12-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

From all at IFWGP, whatever holiday you may or may not be celebrating, whether it is cold and snowing or hot and humid where you are, we wish you a very merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a prosperous and creative New Year.

This year at IFWGP there have been a lot of changes - to our policy, to submissions - but all for the better. Next year we hope to publish roughly ten titles, as well as start accepting submissions again. We thank you all for your patience, your kindness, but most of all your support. Without you guys IFWGP would definitely suffer.

We raise a glass to you all - see you in 2011!

RAK, GH, WG and EC

Nookery

2010-12-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

We are pleased indeed to see all our novels now available as NOOKBooks. That means that you can read our authors in print, PDF, Kindle and NOOK formats.

Visit our eBook Shop to see what is available.

New (and Last) Title for 2010!

2010-12-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased indeed with the print release of Linda Penhall's They Never Gave Up. It can be purchased at Amazon, just in time for Christmas.

This is a story that is full of wonderful humor and yet interlaced with moments of great poignancy. Enjoy!

All Kindle Titles are now available in PDF Format

2010-12-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

Hot following the Kindle explosion in IFWG Publishing, we now have PDF formats for all our titles, including Linda Penhall's They Never Gave Up, prior to it turning up in print. A scoop!

Rock along to our eStore - it is worth visiting!

All our titles are on Kindle

2010-12-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

Guardian of the Sky Realms by Gerry Huntman, The Okapi Promise by Paula Boer, and The Empire by Elizabeth Lang - all three latest titles are now on Kindle through Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

This means that all our print products are now on Kindle.

New Release: Elizabeth Lang's The Empire

2010-12-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce the release of Elizabeth Lang's The Empire.

This novel has an epic science fiction backdrop, with all the commensurate excitement and adventure, but is mainly concerned with the strength and weaknesses of the human spirit.

The Empire can be purchased through Amazon

Final Draws of Great Giveaway

2010-11-30T23:57:00.000-08:00

Two draws for this final month of our Great Giveaway.

For the standard monthly giveaway, we have a winner by the Twitter name @Yorkmum. If she claims the prize within a week she will receive signed copies of Page Dancers, Knorrasky: The Deception, and Onet's Tale

For the special giveway, only drawn from newsletter subscribers, the winner is Kate Blackham. We have emailed her and if she claims within a week, she will receive the same prize as @Yorkmum, with the addition of a signed copy of The Devil Came East, the crime thriller.

Both winners have claimed their prizes.

Congratulations to all, and thank you to all who participated. We were impressed with the turnout.

Gerry Huntman
Chief Editor
IFWG Publishing

Two Titles now published

2010-11-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today we are pleased to announce the publishing of two titles:

Paula Boer's The Okapi Promise

A wonderful adventure set in Africa, including photos.

click here to purchase

and Gerry Huntman's Guardian of the Sky Realms

a Young Adult fantasy adventure, set in fantasy worlds, but also in a number of countries around the globe.

click here to purchase

Elizabeth Lang's The Empire

2010-11-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the front cover of Elizabeth Lang's science fiction novel, The Empire, out next month. We are very excited by this title, as it isn't a run-of-the-mill epic scifi - while it is epic in backdrop, the story is strong in characterization and intrigue, and delves deep into human fragility... as well as strength.

Stay tuned for the release date very soon.

eNovella to be released in December 2010

2010-11-18T00:26:00.000-08:00

MF Burbaugh is an exciting author who has joined our fold. We are publishing a science fiction novel of his in January next year. However, we were entranced with a novella he also wrote and just had to publish it - it is called Circle of Seven and is whimsical and very exciting. It has elves, gnomes, fairies and much more, and yet it has battles in space. It would be unfair to say much more... just watch out for it, and do yourself a favor and buy it!

It is a very readable 42k in word count and because of this, this will be the first of an uncommon number of books that will only be published for electronic readers.

His bio/blurb page can be found at: http://ifwgpublishing.weebly.com/bio-mf-burbaugh.html

The Weekly IFWGP Q&A

2010-11-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a little something for you guys to get involved in!

As of this Sunday, this blog will be host to a weekly writing Q&A, courtesy of me, Esme Carpenter, and your burning writing questions. Having problems with characterisation? Lost the sparkle in the long-haul? Or just not sure where to start? Wondering how we at IFWGP started writing, or where we get our inspiration from?

Send me your questions at esmecarpenter@ifwgpublishing.com, and every Sunday I'll pick the best ones and answer them right here on the blog. Then, from your comments, we'll be able to help each other answer those tricky questions.

So get sending me your queries, and I'll get answering them!

EC

EDIT: Okay, I misspelled the e-mail address, so we'll restart the questions and get them answered next Sunday! Apologies!

The Second Story Quest Short Story Contest

2010-11-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that we have a winner and four finalists for the second Story Quest Short Story Contest:

Winner - J C Martin - The Critic - an unusual short with a touch of horror in it.

(in no particular order), Finalists:

Imran Nazar - The Harness - a solid, hard-Science Fiction story.
Amanda Crum - Water For Sunshine - a Science Fiction story with a moral undertone.
Darren Moore - Freeman's Toll - a Fantasy story in a believable medieval setting.
Steve Gepp - Rejection - A highly original, supernatural, post apocalyptic story.

Congratulations to all, and we look forward to publishing their stories in SQ Magazine!

Winner of Second Great Giveaway

2010-11-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Twitter, blog, newsletter and Facebook entries were combined (including older entries), and the lucky winner for the 1 November 2010 draw is a follower on our blog, who_leo (Florida).

We had lots of entries again, so thank you!

Remember, those who entered are still in for the last draw, and those in the Newsletter get the bonus draw on the same date, 1 December.

IFWG Publishing Team

Our Kindle Catalog

2010-11-03T01:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested, here's a link to our Kindle collection at Amazon. Really good value here.

IFWG Kindle Store

GH

Second Draw of our Great Giveaway

2010-10-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to who_leo (name via this blog site) for winning the second draw of our Great Giveaway!

This is a nice outcome, as the last winner had registered via Twitter.

If who_leo follows our instructions by email, and contacts us by 8 Nov, he/she will receive a 3 pack of autographed titles. Otherwise we will redraw.

IFWG Publishing Team

Improvements

2010-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

In the next couple of hours IFWG Publishing will enact some policy changes to the way we do business, and will make some technical changes to our web site.

Firstly, to policy:

As of 1 Nov we will narrow our scope to speculative fiction - we have already made this adjustment to general submissions, but now this applies to SQ Magazine and the Story Quest Contest as well. This change is not a surprise to everyone, and it certainly means a sign of growth for us.

We want to stress this important point - all our authors of titles who have not written speculative fiction are safe - we will continue to publish their work on merit, and with the genres they are comfortable with. They are part of our family.

The Story Quest contest is being overhauled, and for the better. As stated above, it is restricted to speculative fiction, and it will now only be held once a year. The submission pipeline opens on 1 August each year, and closes 31 October. Winners will be announced within 3 weeks of the closing date. Prizes are cash for 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and they, along with other finalists, will be published in SQ Magazine.

Technical Changes:

We are happy indeed to incorporate the Submishmash submission management system into our operations, to make it easier for editors and authors alike to keep track of submissions.

We have also made changes to the three pages relevant to all of the policy/technical changes - Story Quest Contest, SQ Magazine, and Manuscript Submissions.

All in all, 1 November represents a key date in our company's growth.

IFWG Publishing Team

Another title coming!

2010-10-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Gerry Huntman's Young Adult fantasy novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms, will be available next month. Visit his bio page on our site, and take a sneak at the front cover and blurb.

http://ifwgpublishing.weebly.com/bio-gerry-huntman.html

A bit of trivia: Gerry wrote a short story called The Painting, based on looking at Penina Gal's painting called Wings (the painting on the cover). It became apparent a longer story had to be told, and Gerry wrote Guardian of the Sky Realms. What was interesting was that Gerry was able to get in touch with Penina and make arrangements to use the original artwork on the cover of his novel - a great result, and adding meaning to the cover.

Elizabeth Lang to be published in December

2010-10-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to be nearing completion of Elizabeth Lang's debut novel, The Empire.

Take this link to her bio page and read the first four chapters. Enjoy!

Of Forum Nazis

2010-10-14T03:07:00.000-07:00

This post is regarding comments posted on a ‘writers’ blog.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181582

IFWG Publishing is an honest, up-front small press, helping authors get a leg up in a tough industry, and promising no more than what we can deliver, and what we state we can deliver. Once in a while people will sensibly ask others if they have heard of us, and opinions, facts, and sometime incorrect statements, will be aired. The World Wide Web is a wonderful beast, and one of its strengths is that it is open and is mostly accessible for most of the world to use. The downside is that if an untruth or misleading statement is made, it can stick around a long time like a bad smell and many people can, and will, read it and believe it. In other words, the democracy of the Internet implies that everyone is equal, including idiots and miscreants.

Randy and I have decided to write a lengthy response to a particularly ugly set of statements made by a few ‘forum Nazis’ (of which there are many in the world, and most public facing forums seem to have at least one clique with them), not to debate them, but to try to ensure that we have our opportunity to have our say. We wont be debating further, because forum Nazis like to prolong debates (read ‘win them at all costs’, ‘damn the torpedoes’)—we will have said our piece for the ‘world’ to consider.

We both have a lot to say, so if you are willing to bear with it, and have an interest, read on—noting that the format is to directly address points made by the forum Nazis.

Jasmine calls one of us a 'gem' (thanks Jas) and yet others in the same forum consider our co-owned company as 'worrisome', nepotistic (or alternatively, set up to publish ourselves), are self publishers (and are avoiding the label), wont support some of our authors when we tighten our genre scope, that our book covers (inferring majority) consist of clipart, that we are exclusively POD, and don't understand publishing terminology.

These views are disturbingly, and completely wrong. The reason why they are disturbing is that they were presented within a membership forum but public facing, which doesn’t make it necessarily easy for those who are attacked to respond. Additionally, the authors make strong statements while being in the comfort zone of anonymity, behind their avatars.

Based on the poor research, knowledge and logic provided in many of the statements, we are underwhelmed by most of the forum authors.

IFWG Publishing began about a year ago, with the express purpose to help new authors climb the vocational ladder. We started small and had a business plan. We figured that authors who joined with us would get the step up—not the ten rungs that the big 6 can provide (although that is debatable to an extent, see below), or the 5 rungs that the mid-range publishers provide, but up a few nevertheless. Initially we constructed a hybrid model, where we would publish some authors traditionally (see definition below), and given our resource constraints, we would provide some services in assisting in self publishing, although with the proviso that a modicum of quality was present (this last point truly made it hybrid, and unusual). It didn't take long to discover that the hybrid model was not feasible, and so we bit the bullet and we transitioned quickly to traditional (again, MM, definition below), which was our ultimate goal. We have published 6 titles and three magazine editions thus far, and by end of December we will have published 11 titles (three are coming out in the next four weeks) and four magazines. We only started publishing titles from January, and that means our business plan is on target—we aim to publish 10 to 12 titles per year.

Our hybrid model was VERY short lived and in fact we have NOT published one word where the author had to pay—all our authors paid NOTHING (oops, sorry Terrie et al.—we don't and never have self published).

We are a company that is run by authors for authors. There are 4 of us, based in New Jersey, Missouri, Australia and England. We think we are pretty good authors, but time will tell (nothing else will, not even you, MM). Of the eleven titles that will be published this year, two will have been by members of the company. One of the remainder is an anthology of short stories (41 authors, most of whom were unpublished), and the other eight are debut writers—each and every one of them. The amount of work to edit, proof, InDesign format internal block, etc is HUGE. The cost also accumulates as we publish with worldwide wholesale distribution (through Ingram, same used by the big 6), along with epublishing. Do you honestly think we are doing this work in order to prop up our own novels? As I said, we think we're pretty good writers, and we do get the work peer reviewed, and edited, and proofed etc. With what we have done, there is no guilt whatsoever (sorry CaoPaux for contradicting you, but at least your head doesn't have to hurt anymore).

Along with publishing titles, we also publish our own journal (SQ Magazine), again overwhelmingly to help new authors. Again peer reviewed—we have a dedicated editor. Ralan.com and Duotrope.com vetted us and are happy to advertise our mag (and Ralan is also happy to advertise our seeking submissions for titles—Ralan pays particular attention to avoid self publishers). Daniel Pearlman kindly submitted a short story which we will publish next month in SQ Magazine #2. Things are going well—all we need now is more good press and at the least an opportunity for people to sample our wares (oops, came to the wrong place for that).

Regarding our authors—we are very happy how things are running. Jack Eason, author of Onet's Tale, got a 4 out of 5 stars rating by Paul Goat Allen, Barnes and Noble's Specfic reviewer. Biola Olatunde is a writer from Nigeria and we are EXTREMELY proud that we have given her a break for her excellent adventure/social commentary, Blood Contract—if you think it is hard to get a break in the US, England or Australia, try Nigeria. Hey, why don't you write to some of our authors (other than Linda, who kindly already responded) and ask them how we perform—or are primary sources hard to swallow? (perhaps it is, and goes with a hurting head).

Stating it again, we are a small company and we have a clear, modest, business plan, and we believe we make a difference. We believe that we will grow and our authors will grow with us. We know that most authors fail to get published, and of those that do, the vast majority start humbly indeed and make little money—we believe we are a facilitator in this difficult process and all signs are showing that it is working. Aside from recognition by Ralan, Duotrope, etc, our authors are finding they are eligible for submissions to awards that require legitimate (read traditional, MM) publishing as a criterion for entry—and categorically state that self published works are ineligible. The industry accepts us as a small press, the only people who don't are a small scattering of armchair quarterbacks (quaint US term), in a variety of forums and wikis. Who critiques the critics? We know you guys aren't in that category, don't we?

We are figuring that Momento Mori (MM) may be the alpha forum Nazi in this particular eco-system, and it is her/his (can’t tell, with the anonymity) commentary that most perplexes us, and disgusts. Why be so volatile? Why filter the data gathered from our site? Why bother going into such depth? Why so quick to respond, and change the tack of attack in different postings? We believe that whatever the motivation, it isn’t particularly flattering. One thing is clear is that MM, despite the rhetoric, is clearly not an expert in the field of publishing. We find it interesting that someone claiming to be an author would slam a company who is simply making a way for unknown authors to get a foot in the door. We never claimed that we would kick the door open, just that we would do our very best.

The following itemization addresses most of her/his points made over a few postings (again, not to debate, but to set our point of view for a fair hearing):

1. Advances - we assert on our website that payment of royalty advances are 'disappearing' or 'diminishing in size'. Note that the wording is not in absolute terms—this is our observation of a trend. MM's criticism is illogical and unwarranted, as she/he is stating that we are making an absolute statement.

2. We use a high level definition of 'traditional'—contrasting it with 'self publishing'. Many traditional, mainstream publishers use POD (Printing on Demand, Digital Printing, Green Publishing) facilities—particularly the small press, but not confined to them. We consider it being part of traditional publishing technology for some years now. We see it as a viable option compared to hundreds of thousands of unsold books ending up in landfills, which is what happens every year. We ALSO carry out offset print runs of titles, by the way. POD does not equal Self Publishing, but Self Publishers almost exclusively use POD. POD is a technology. Some statements made in this site about POD are categorically wrong, and a whole lot of reputable small, medium and large publishing companies would be most unhappy indeed with the insults. We think MM is the one with definitional problems.

3. Regarding our statement about not necessarily putting books on shelves—it's just a natural extension of point 2 above. We are up front about everything, and certainly in more detail when we work with our authors. Is it easy to get a book on the shelves? No. Will every book that the big 6 publishes make it on book shelves. No. The amount of shelf space that they would require comprises 2 feet of new shelf space per day every day of the year. Bookstores would have to double in size every year and that is just for new releases. MM infers (by way of contrast with us) that just because one of the big six publishes a book, that instant success will follow. Not true and if one of their titles does not sell well, they mothball it.

4.Yes we take both ebook rights and print rights—and more importantly, we actually publish in both mediums for every one of our titles. Most publishers include this clause.

5. Prediction on how well Duleek’s novel will sell, including marketing, royalties etc. MM’s statement is a lazy statement, as in a year the posting is likely to have (deservedly) fallen into relative obscurity. MM’s understanding of the publishing industry is dismal. How many authors who are taken up by the big 6 get decent royalty checks (ie get good sales)? How many of them have contracts that require them to spend large amounts of time travelling, at their own expense (via deduction from royalties?) How many of them with books that don’t sell, find that they are removed from the shelves (mothballed, as stated in 4 above?) Research, MM, research. The chances of IFWG Publishing turning a first-timer into a best seller is very small indeed, but we will give them the leg up through bona fide, recognized, publishing, and are likely to be on parity with the majority of first time midlist writers in medium publishing houses. The leg up is of high value in itself, as already described ad nauseum. While IFWG Publishing knows that author participation makes a big difference in sales, it does not expect or require the author to do anything. If the author chooses to promote their work by doing independent advertising, that is their choice. IFWG and the author are partners in the process. IFWG promotes authors work by contacting book buyers, especially those in the area near the author. Our authors are from all parts of the world so our promotion varies from country to country. It would be hard indeed to find a publishing house that pays higher royalties than us. Our authors receive royalties in four different categories. If anyone knows anything about other publishers the best you will get are two categories.

6. Our move to specialization and those who are not within scope. This is probably the most underhanded, ugly statement that MM has made. Whenever we announced this move, targeted for 1 January 2011, we made it crystal clear we will support all our authors for as long as they want to associate with us, gladly. We emphasize loyalty and are committed to it. MM deliberately left those statements out, and this, for us, is clear proof of very poor analysis (or worse). We should also point out that all four author-owners are specific specialists and have good, and growing connections in the industry (hence the ease to get Barnes and Noble to review, to get Ralan to pick us up, etc).

7. Clipart, schmipart. We aren’t the big 6 and we aren’t in the top end of the midrange publishers. MM is using a high benchmark of the big 6 to pick on the small dudes. IFWG Publishing, by and large, have good art and getting better. SQ Magazine and The Devil Came East were produced by excellent artists, They Never Gave Up is a very clever graphic job, delighting the author with its symbolism (the inverted footprints), etc etc.

8. Questions about IFWG’s marketing. We do plenty and plenty more to come. Rhetoric by MM with no information at all, for reasons that we cannot fathom, but guess.

We believe that MM smacks of an ill-intentioned, clueless amateur.

Finally Jasmine. We will say little in order to honor our disclaimer agreement (and thanks again Jas, for the nice words). Since she had a few things to say about us (nevertheless), we are happy to at least state that we parted on reasonable grounds and we don't necessarily disagree with Jas' statement that she wanted to go it alone—a philosophical point. As a publisher, we get exposed to a lot of people, and people = unpredictability. We are grateful this has been, thus far, an isolated event.

We are a growing company and we are already starting to get points on the board. We will have eleven titles out this year, and we are already booked out until July 2011 with a further nine (non IFWG Publishing owner-authored) titles slotted (that's 20 over 19 months - we had to lock down submissions for a while). We will have published by this December something in the order of 70 authors’ short fiction. In other words, we are working hard and are very busy helping emerging authors, while at the same time making a business of it (mutual benefit).

We wrote this long retort because, regardless of the dubious qualifications of commentators in this forum, publicly accessible electronic postings stick around a very long time and gets picked up by Google and other search engines. It would be good to have our say equally visible, particularly on points of fact. We currently have eighteen new authors who are doing their damnedest to break into the market and we are doing everything we can to help them.

Are members of this fine forum helping them?

Latest Titles on Kindle

2010-10-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Drum roll! At last, our latest titles are now on Kindle (that means ALL our titles are on Kindle):

Blood Contract, by Biola Olatunde (adventure/social commentary) and

The Devil Came East, by Geri Fitzsimmons & Andy Stephenson (crime thriller).

Excellent prices for quality fiction.

- The IFWG Publishing Team

Apologies - Newsletter October

2010-10-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hello once again, and once again sincerest apologies for the lateness of this month's newsletter!

As you're all aware, everyone here at IFWGP is extremely busy - rest assured the newsletter will be out in the first half of next week!

**UPDATE**

Newsletter is now on its way. In it are details of our new releases and ways you can get involved with The Great Giveaway. Apologies again! EC

IFWG Publishing Great Giveaway Draw #1

2010-10-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

Twitter, blog, newsletter and Facebook entries were combined, and the lucky winner for the 1 October 2010 draw is a Twitterer, @dazzzen (Darren Watson, London, England).

We had lots of entries, so thank you!

Remember, those who entered are still in for the next two draws, and those in the Newsletter get the bonus draw on 1 December.

IFWG Publishing Team

The Great Giveaway - First Draw Draws Near!

2010-09-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

It's nearly October 1st - which means it's nearly time for us to pull the first name out of the hat for The IFWGP Great Giveaway!

If you've not yet entered or have simply forgotten how to, check this very blog for the rules - you have only 2 days to enter the October draw, but there is still plenty of time to enter the November one!

Fair fortune to all who have entered!

EC

Hidden Tentacle Art Exhibition - Featuring IFWG Authors

2010-09-05T03:41:00.000-07:00

The art group Hidden Tentacle are setting up their art exhibition - and our authors are going to be part of it!

A selection of our authors' finest short stories will be on display with the artwork of the incredibly talented Hidden Tentacle group. If you're based in England and fancy a long drive, why not pop up to Beningborough Hall near York and take a look? It's open from 17th September, Sunday to Wednesday 11am-5pm. It'll also be up for the food and craft weekend, the 25th and 26th September, which is free entry.

And if you aren't based in England, don't fret - Hidden Tentacle are avid bloggers, and will put up pictures of the exhibition for all to see on their blogspot blog.

Among the authors are:
Jack Eason (author of Onet's Tale)
Gerry Huntman (author of Guardians Of The Sky Realms, release date to be confirmed)
And Esme Carpenter.

We hope you can make it, and if not, we hope you will send your most positive thoughts towards Beningborough Hall!

EC

Writer Profile: Geri Fitzsimmons & Andy Stephenson

2010-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

We have two authors who have collaborated on a wonderful crime thriller.

Geri Fitzsimmons

Geri a native New Yorker, who fled the state at an early age, but continued to return, resides now in the town of Whitesboro, NY as a member of a large extended family in the immediate Upstate area.

Her years of roaming this great land from the deserts of New Mexico to Ocean beaches of South Jersey, often alone and scared, started her people-watching, fantasizing, and eventually writing about the secret lives she could give these strangers. When she encountered Andy Stephenson a fire was ignited and they commenced in the winter of 2008 to combine their abilities to create The Devil Came East.

Andy Stephenson

Andy Stephenson, forced to write a poem in the second grade, froze in front of the class, unable to speak, when expected to recite it. Thus began his writing career. To impress a high school girl, he began writing more poetry and was first published in 1970. He's been published many times in spurts in small periodicals. Writing mostly songs over the years, in 2005 he changed his creative efforts to stories, novellas, and novels. October 2007, he produced and self-published, 'One More Time, America', containing twenty-one songs he'd written or co-written.

In February 2008, he teamed up with Geri Fitzsimmons to write The Devil Came East, his first completed novel. He loves to co-write and to encourage others to strive for their dreams.

He is owned by and resides with five cats in Norman, Oklahoma, his favorite city, pursuing his creative interests

The Devil Came East

Had Dr. Neil Harris, a sincere, genuine psychiatrist and radio talk show host, not become concerned, the killing rampage of the devil might have gone unnoticed. Perhaps, the authorities would have never discovered the trail of bodies in his wake. The young women who died might have been destined to be no more than a statistic, one among a number of tragic deaths of girls who'd lost their will to live, among the masses of New York City.

The devil disguised his crimes well until Neil mentioned his concerns to his long time friend, Detective Sergeant Joseph Farley of the 61st precinct of the NYPD. From his conversation with Neil, Farley decides to delve into what turns out to be a string of killings by a serial killer, knowing neither remorse nor fear.

Joe Farley and his men strive to catch the devil before he strikes again or escapes to hunt victims in another locale, while they face personal problems and the politics of the city of New York.

The devil targets his next victim....

The Cover Artist: Isaiah Stephens

Born in the Artistic city of Lowell , Ma in 1988, from the age of 5,Isaiah spent a great portion of his youth in the rural town of Raeford, NC until 2005 when he returned to his birthplace.

Having a tumultuous relationship with his adopted guardian, he turned to drawing and writing as outlets to express himself. Now he is content with writing and drawing all the time.

He lives in his hometown now and works as an amateur freelance artist and story writer . His artistic icons are Greg Horn, J. Scott Campbell, Randy Green and Chuck Close.

Sketchy yet realistic is the style he like to play with. A gallery of his works can be found at www.isaiahs.deviantart.com/gallery .

Artists and Us

2010-08-28T03:21:00.000-07:00

Here at IFWGP, all creativity is good creativity, and we love to join forces with like-minded people. Currently we're working with the talented individuals at Hidden Tentacle, an art group based in York, England, to produce some fine artwork and collaborative story projects.

Our first joint venutre will be an exhibition at Beningbrough Hall where some of our teams' short stories will sit alongside the fine art of HT's members. The artists there are also interested in helping to create cover art and illustrations for our new and existing authors should they wish for some extra creative input or if they don't know where to turn for their novel's cover!

HT have both a blog and a website. Have a look!

Hidden Tentacle Official Website
Hidden Tentacle Blog

The Great IFWG Publishing Giveaway!!!

2010-08-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

IFWG Publishing is about to stop taking manuscript submissions for the next six months (to end March 2011) in order to consolidate our busy schedule of new releases. To celebrate our great line up, and to share in our gratitude for such an overwhelming response from authors, we have decided to give away a series of signed copies of our latest titles. Our giveaway will run for three months and take two forms:

1. Monthly - September, October & November

On the first of October, November and December we will announce one winner (for each date). The winner will receive three signed copies of Page Dancers anthology (various authors), Knorrasky: The Deception (R.A. Knowlton), and Onet's Tale (Jack Eason).

To get this giveaway, you have to register yourself in the following services. You will remain in the running for as long as the giveaway runs, although you will only be able to win once. Each registration can only be done once, but if you use two or all three, it doubles or trebles your chance to get the giveaway.

Follow us on Twitter at @IFWGPublishing. Post "I am registered in the @IFWGPublishing Great Giveaway".
Follow us at Facebook (IFWG Publishing) and post "I am registered in the Great Giveaway".
Follow this Blog site and comment "I am registered in the Great Giveaway".

2. From Now to end November 2010

As a separate giveaway arrangement, if you register for our monthly Newsletter, and write in the comments box "I am registered in the Great Giveaway", you have chance for the same prize pack as the Monthly draw, but you will also receive a signed ARC of The Devil Came East by Andy Stephenson and Geri Fitzsimmons. This will be drawn on 1 December 2010.

NEWSFLASH (date: 25 August 2010)

2010-08-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Due to unprecedented manuscript submissions, IFWG Publishing will have to close to submissions from 1 September 2010 to 31 March 2011. We will literally be publishing titles throughout the period and we need to focus on them. It gives us time to breath. We apologize to those who have considered submitting during this period, but rest assured, we will be happy to receive submissions from April next year.

We will continue to be open to short story and article submissions for our Story Quest Contest and SQ Magazine lines.

Gerry Huntman

Chief Editor

IFWG Publishing

SQ Magazine #1 About To Be Published!

2010-08-24T03:29:00.000-07:00

Finally! It took us a little while but we have finally got there. We promised a July publishing, but it ended up end August. With the processes now ironed out, the next edition will be on time.

SQ Magazine, this year, covers any genre of literature, but you will see that it is oriented strongly toward specfic. Not a coincidence really, as our followers know this. Edition #3 onwards will be limited to specfic.SQ Magazine at IFWG's web site

We have 54 pages containing 14 short stories - yes, 14!, including our first Story Quest Contest winner and finalist entries. We have an interview with Jack Eason (who kindly let us publish a short story waaaay out of his usual genre space), and we a very different take on how to write speculative fiction - a continuing series. And there's more.

Here is our cover, in line with Story Quest #1's theme of a shining knight, and we're grateful indeed to Andrew Herman for allowing us to publish it.

In 1 to 2 weeks the magazine will be available in print format. It will be able to be ordered through Amazon or our site for $6.99US plus $3.50US P&H - for US residents. Kindle and other ebook formats will be available this weekend for $3.00 US. A bargain, for what you get.

Great work, team!

Writer Profile: R. A. Knowlton

2010-08-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

R. A. Knowlton is a native of the state of Maine. He was born upstate but lived most of his childhood in southern Maine near Wells. His extended family line includes: Searles, Little, Peabody, Kennedy and Ketch. His love for writing only blossomed in the last few years - prior to that he worked in the construction industry. Now he is a full time writer and publisher, a pastime he much prefers.

He is married and has several children, most grown and out on their own. He and his wife love to travel and have been to every state except Hawaii. Their trip to Alaska was an adventure! He has also been to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.

On many sites on-line R.A. is known as KnorraSky and on others they call him The Storyteller.

R.A. is certainly The Storyteller - he tells great tales and enjoys others telling them too. We (four of us, including R.A.) formed IFWG Publishing for the express purpose of helping good authors become great, and R.A is a major driving force in this endeavor. He is the Managing Director of IFWG Publishing - but is also a top writer by himself. He published Knorrasky: The Deception through IFWG Publishing, and it was, in fact, the company's first publication. He has also published a collection of short stories, and an instruction book associated with the building industry. He is a Next Generation Indie Book Finalist.

This is the cover of R.A.'s book. Here is the blurb:

KnorraSky: the Deception, is an exciting story of courage and heartbreak amidst a medieval setting. The opening pages describe a confident king, Noman, who leads his people without hesitation. Soon things changes when during an epic battle a Deception occurs and Noman is forced to confront his worst fears. KnorraSky: the Deception covers 3000 miles and five years as King Noman tries desperately to regain what he has lost.

IFWG Publishing August Newsletter

2010-08-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Please click here to gain access to our pdf August Newsletter.

August Newsletter

2010-08-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

The August newsletter is now winging its merry way to you. Included:

Information on our recent releases and our new authors, including Biola Olatunde and our very own Gerry Huntman
The new release date for the SQ Magazine
Our submission dates

... And more!

And if you aren't signed up for the newsletter, get it done! Go to www.ifwgpublishing.com and sign up to get our monthly update.

Esme Carpenter