The third weekend of June, I received the Western Writers of America SPUR Award at their Annual Conference in a hotel in downtown Tulsa. The parking was in the basement of the hotel and difficult to get in and out of, not to mention the fee, so for the short time I would be there, I decided to eat my meals at the hotel’s restaurant rather than exploring the local cuisine someplace else, as I usually do. On Saturday morning, I found a booth in the dining area and ordered a breakfast burrito. It sounded nice enough on the menu, but when it came, it revealed how spoiled I’ve become by living in New Mexico. The menu did not offer green or red as a choice, so I assumed it had neither. By the time I ordered, I had adjusted my expectations. When it came, however, I remembered how barren a breakfast burrito can be if it’s not drenched in a green chile sauce, or, if handheld, how empty it tasted without a couple of scoops of red chiles to give it vitality and moisture. My burrito did not even have salsa. Nonetheless, I ate it and it was good enough. As I finished, an older (that is, my age) man came to my booth, did not take off his cowboy hat, asked if I wouldn’t mind company, and sat down. That was okay with me. I was already mellow into the Cowboy Way, having worn my cowboy hat to breakfast (and not taken it off, as it seemed to be protocol), as well as the boots I had bought in Amarillo the day before. He was a kindly man, introduced himself as L. J. Martin, and mentioned that he was a fellow author attending the Conference. The waiter came and he ordered breakfast, giving me time to look at the business card he handed me. L. J. Martin is a well-established Western writer with thirty westerns, twenty-two thrillers and crime stories, and 11 nonfiction books, including cooking books. He is also a photographer who uses his art to create book covers. His wife is an author with seventy-five novels to her name, specializing in Romance. She has been on the New York Times bestseller list twenty-five times. They’ve also seen a few movies based on their books. They alternate living in Clinton, Montana, and Prescott, Arizona. Reading his website, ljmartin.com, is entertainment in itself. The Martins are not only prolific, but cover a wide range of interests. The house in Montana is stunning (see it on the website), with a kitchen that would make Rachel Ray jealous. Mr. Martin went on with his background. He got interested enough in the publishing business that he and a friend formed Wolfpack Publishing some years ago. Looking at the website, the publishing house has matched him in terms of productive energy. Wolfpack Publishing is a full-service publishing house that is home to an all-star stable of award-winning legends and developing superstars in the western fiction, action-adventure, men's adventure, crime fiction, mystery, thriller genres, and more. The house publishes under four imprints: Wolfpack Publishing (concentrating on Western novels), Wise Wolf Publishing (serving mainly young adults), Rough Edges Press (hosting thrillers, mysteries, adventure, crime books), and CKN Christian Publishing (dedicated to bringing wholesome Christian novels to readers). I cannot guess how many books they have in their catalog. Wolfpack has been named the Best Western Fiction Press by True West Magazine. Besides printed books, it specializes in eBooks, Print On Demand paperbacks and audiobooks. Their forte is marketing, using whatever means they can find, including the network, social media, libraries, bookstores, big box stores, and international markets. As he was making his way through his omelet, L. J. Martin asked if I might be looking for a publisher. Since Death in the Tallgrass was self-published, I was an easy mark for being approached and my picture was even on the back of the book. Trying not to drool on what was left of my burrito, I managed to squeak out that I had very much hoped to identify publishers at the Conference who might be interested. My previous publisher had sold itself to new owners who are more interested in nonfiction, self-help, spiritual books. Gunfights are not in line with their vision. By the end of the day, L. J. Martin had introduced me to Mike Bray, the CEO of Wolfpack Publishing (he was giving a talk at the Conference), and during the next week, Mike was reading Death in the Tallgrass, Smoke Dreams, and a couple of the Mogi books. I did a little research, then talked with a friend in Albuquerque whose books are published by Wolfpack. She thought it was a good enough outfit. Last week, I signed a publishing contract with Wolfpack Publishing for all of my published books, and this morning, I mailed fourteen manuscripts (pdf files) to Rachel in Tampa, who is the Production Supervisor for Wolfpack. I am now part of the stable of award-winning legends and developing superstars mentioned above. I have, legitimately, made it to the big time. This is a good time to make a break from the Mogi Franklin Facebook page, so I’ll be working with Facebook to discontinue it. I will continue my regular Facebook page, as well as my website, DonaldWillerton.com, but a lot of the marketing associated with my books will move under Wolfpack’s purview, beginning with Wolfpackpublishing.com, where the books will be listed and offered for sale. The Mogi books may end up under the Wise Wolf imprint, and my three adult thrillers/mysteries/historical fiction may be under the Rough Edges Press. I’m sure someone will take care of it and I’ll let you know. It will be a while before I hold a freshly published book in my hands, but that’s okay. I won my first writing award twenty-three years ago, this month; I can wait a little longer. Thanks to everyone who has kept up with me for all this time. I hope to prove worthy of your attention.
2 Comments
Deb
9/3/2024 07:29:33 pm
Congratulations! I know you are thrilled!
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William H, Willmon
9/3/2024 09:01:41 pm
Congratulations Stone, It's been a long time coming. I'm happy to see it happening for you.
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AuthorDon Willerton has been a reader all his life and yearns to write words like the authors he has read. He's working hard at it and invites others to share their experiences. |