This week’s interview is with Marian Perera, who published Before The Storm with Samhain. This is probably the last interview for a while, since work’s making life a little hectic!

In Dagran society, Alex is the lowest of the low—a “mare”, an object to be used by the nobility. When her owner, Stephen Garnath, gifts her to his greatest rival, she begins plotting her path to freedom. Nothing and no one will ever control her again. Not her degrading past, and certainly not her growing attraction to a man reputed to be an even crueler master than Garnath.

Robert Demeresna is instantly suspicious of such a generous gift. Yet she comes to him armed with only her sharp mind—a potent weapon he can use to defend his people from the enemy. And underneath, an unbreakable spirit that besieges the walls of his heart.

Slowly, Robert chips away at Alex’s defenses, striking sparks that make her begin to believe even a lowly whore like her could be worthy of him. Until Garnath springs a trap so cleverly hidden, war is unleashed before either of them sees it coming. A new kind of war fought with steam engines, explosives—and magic with a killing edge…

To start with, can you tell me a little about your first published book?

Before the Storm, my first published book, is a fantasy romance with a dash of steampunk. In a world where steam engines and magic are going to clash in war, the balance of power is tilted by a whore and by the nobleman whom she can never have.

Before the Storm has received reviews praising its strong female characters and detailed worldbuilding. My favorite aspect of the world of Eden is that it was once as perfect as its namesake, but is now corrupted. And each of its lands reflects the Fall in a different way.

I sent my manuscript to an editor of Samhain Publishing in July 2009 and it was accepted shortly afterward. The e-book was released by Samhain in April 2010 in a number of different formats, and will be available in trade paperback in early 2011. It’s also the first in a trilogy.

Did you decide to go straight for epublishing, or did you consider other formats first?

I always wanted my book to come out in print. Not only are most books still sold in stores, but there’s a reality and charm about physical copies that e-books still don’t have, and perhaps never will. You can sign a print copy, for instance.

That being said, the e-romance pie is a large and growing one, and Samhain has a good slice of it. I wouldn’t have submitted to them if they didn’t put books out in print as well, but I like their approach to both e-publishing and the print model.

The points you make about sales and not being able to sign the books are definitely some of the “cons” of epublishing. Are there any other cons (and pros!) of epublishing you think people should bear in mind before submitting to an epublisher?

Pros of e-publishing:

1. Book delivered instantly

2. Cheaper than print copies, but higher royalties paid

3. Affordability and technology of e-readers growing, and more e-books being sold

Pros of print publishing :

1. Most books still sold in bookstores

2. Books shelved in stores are available for impulse purchases (assuming the publisher has distribution)

3. Books stocked in libraries allow more readers access

4. Books are available to people who have no access to e-readers, e.g. people in underdeveloped countries, people who can’t afford e-readers, military personnel abroad, people in correctional institutions, etc.

5. Books are available to people who collect print copies e.g. first editions, autographed copies, etc. One of the books in my collection is a copy of The Good Earth which my now-deceased grandmother received as a Christmas present in 1949. She wrote her name and the date in it. An e-book can’t replace that kind of thing.

6. Books are available to people who prefer print copies, e.g. older people who aren’t used to e-readers, collectors who simply like the visual display of a case full of books rather than a Kindle.

Is there anyone you’d specifically recommend epublishing to? Is there anyone you would suggest avoid it?

It’s not epublishing that writers need to avoid, IMO, so much as bad epublishing.

For instance, let’s say you write a novel and it gets a few rejections. Just to have it “out there” for readers, and to earn a little money, you e-publish it via the Kindle. You may never know whether the book might have been accepted by a publisher eventually. The ease of e-publishing can short-circuit the more difficult process of being accepted by a commercial publisher – after all, if everything you write can be published right away, what incentive is there to edit for spelling and grammar, much less content and style?

And let’s say that after the book is e-published, you keep querying and a publisher makes you an offer. What if they want electronic rights? You own the rights if you e-publish via the Kindle, and they may be all right with you having used up an immediate pocket market of readers, but what if you went through a micro e-press which won’t release the rights?

E-publishing, like any other kind of publishing, should only be done when the writer knows what it involves and what to expect. And of course it depends on genre. I did it for my romantic fantasy manuscript, because romance is a huge part of the ebook market, but I’m not going to do it for my fantasy manuscript.

What have Samhain done for you in terms of post-publication support and promotion?

For the ebook: online availability and review copies, plus some pre-release publicity with electronic ARCs. For the print version, I provided information about the book that Samhain will pass on to their distributor and the trade paperback just appeared on Amazon for preorders. They’ll also be sending me twenty free copies that I’ll use in further promotion.

For the ebook version, were there any particular promotional efforts made either by yourself or Samhain you feel worked particularly well?

One thing I wasn’t expecting – and which came as a pleasant surprise – was the amount of help I received from established Samhain authors. I’m not sure if this is something that our publisher specifically put into motion or whether it arose naturally from a community of like-minded writers, but it helped very much with promotion, mostly by bringing relatively-unknown me into contact with a much wider circle of readers.

Moira Rogers, Vivian Arend and Maria Zannini, especially, were wonderful in this regard – they went above and beyond in helping me with promotion. There was a giveaway for my book on Moira Rogers’ blog. Viv Arend had an ARC (provided by Samhain) and wrote a lovely review. Maria hosted me for a guest post on her blog as well as giving me much valuable advice on advertising and promotion.

Before the Storm is available as an ebook from Samhain, and to preorder in paperback from Amazon. Visit Marian’s website at marianperera.com!