Beyond the Next Star
Love Beyond Book 1
by Melody Johnson
Genre: SciFi Romance
An intolerable order. A desperate charade. A deadly secret...
Before Commander Torek Renaar can return to active duty, he’s ordered to purchase an animal companion to help relieve his PTSD symptoms. But having been a caretaker for and lost a loved one, keeping even one little human alive is a challenge he feels doomed to fail. It doesn’t help that his animal companion is the newest, most exotic breed on the market, demanding constant attention, daily grooming, and delicate handling. If she doesn’t die first in his incompetent care, she’ll be the death of him.
After witnessing the murder of her domestication specialist, Delaney McCormick allows her new owner to treat her like the pet he believes her to be. If anyone suspects she’s more intelligent than a golden retriever, her murder would be next. She endures the humiliation of being washed, the tediousness of being trained to “sit” and “come”, and the intrigue of hearing private conversations. But in Torek’s care, she finds something unexpected on this Antarctic planet, something she never had in all her years on Earth while house-hopping between foster families: a home.
As companionship grows to love, must Delaney continue the charade, acting like an animal and hiding from the murderer waiting for her misstep? Or can she trust Torek with her secrets, even if the truth threatens everything he holds dear—and both their lives?
**Get it in Audiobook!**
Audible * Amazon Audiobook * iTunes
Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads
**Coming Soon in January!**
Sight Beyond the Sun
Love Beyond Book 2
Melody Johnson is the award-winning author of the “out of this world” Love Beyond series and the gritty, paranormal romance Night Blood series published by Kensington Publishing/ Lyrical Press. She graduated magna cum laude from Lycoming College with her B.A. in creative writing and psychology.
Earning the 2021 Maggie Award of Excellence, Beyond the Next Star (Love Beyond, book 1) is an exciting branch from Melody's paranormal romance roots, keeping the dark grit from her Night Blood Series and taking it to new worlds. Her first published novel, The City Beneath (Night Blood, book 1), was a finalist in the “Cleveland Rocks” and “Fool For Love” contests.
When she isn’t writing, Melody enjoys swimming, hiking, reading, and exploring her new home in southeast Georgia. Stay in touch with Melody on social media or her website: authormelodyjohnson.com
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
GUEST POST
The Hybrid Life: Best of Both Publishing Worlds
The battle lines between traditional vs. indie publishing are beginning to blur. Many authors,
myself included, have chosen to be “hybrid,” publishing some books traditionally (with a major
publisher or an established small press) and other books independently (also known as self-
publishing). There are many, MANY, pros and cons to both publishing worlds, and as a hybrid
author, I enjoy the best of both. One major benefit I enjoyed recently was producing an
audiobook edition of my indie-published sci-fi romance, Beyond the Next Star (Love Beyond,
Book 1), an achievement I may never have had the opportunity to accomplish had I published
this story traditionally. But indie publishing isn’t all cotton candy and roses, either. Whether
you’re a reader looking for a sneak peek behind the scenes of being a writer, or a writer with a
beautiful manuscript that’s ready for the world to see but you’re struggling to decide the next
step in your journey, I hope my experience living the hybrid life can help you gain some insight
on the publishing industry.
Investment
For a traditionally published author, the moment you send your completed manuscript to the
publisher, you’re done! Yes, of course you can expect several rounds of editing, but while
waiting on that feedback, you’re free to begin a marketing plan and your next book! As an indie
author, finishing a manuscript is only the beginning. You still need to invest time and/or money in
professional copy and line edits, cover design, book formatting, ISBNs, an OCLC number,
distribution, copyright submissions, naming your publisher, designing a logo for your publisher,
submitting for an LLC, and any ongoing communications and/or maintenance with those
vendors and platforms. Publishers for traditional authors invest their own time and money into
providing those services, but as an indie author, you are your own publisher and responsible for
all the duties that entails.
Creative control
On the flipside of the indie author investment con, the pro of being your own publisher is that
indie authors have the exciting opportunity to maintain the creative control of their entire project.
They can take a vision they may have of their cover, for example, and make it a reality. They are
the sole decision-makers on book formatting, size, editions, pricing, and whether to publish with
Kindle Unlimited or a wide distribution. If a traditionally published author doesn’t like her cover,
too bad. If she wants a hardcover of her book or an audiobook edition, but the publisher’s
distribution plan focuses on e-book only—too bad! Unless you’re Nora Robert or Stephen King,
authors retain zero creative control outside of the story itself.
Distribution
Although traditionally published authors may not retain creative control, they have the huge
benefit of book distribution, assuming that print distribution is included in their contract. Print
distribution means having a massive print run before launch and sending copies to brick-and-
mortar retailers like Barnes & Nobel, Books-A-Million, and Walmart. Although indie authors can
certainly upload the paperback and hardcover editions of their novel to Ingram Spark for those
distributors to purchase their book in the traditional way, indie authors typically don’t have the
capitol to invest in a massive print run or the connections required to stock those books on the
shelves.
Subsidiary rights
Indie authors retain their subsidiary rights, but more often than not, they don’t have the
opportunity to use them. The exception to that is the ability to create additional editions of their
work, like producing an audiobook. Traditionally published and hybrid authors, on the other
hand, often have an agent, and subsidiary rights are mostly handled in the agent’s wheelhouse.
Their agent hopefully negotiated the traditional publishing contract so that the author retained as
much of their subsidiary right as possible. Then the agent has the opportunity to sell and/or
negotiate more deals in the future with foreign publishers, for example, or production companies
for film rights.
Marketing
Unless you’re a NYT best-selling author, indie and traditionally published authors are nearly in
the same boat in regards to marketing. Yes, your traditional publisher will provide you with a
publicist, but in my experience, the majority of the work still falls squarely on the author’s
shoulders. As a hybrid author, I manage and maintain all the marketing for both my traditionally
and indie published novels, including website creation and maintenance, social media
management, advertising, e-newsletter creation and maintenance, video production, booking
signings and conventions, and the creation and cost of promotional and giveaway items such as
bookmarks, chap sticks, pens, retractable banners and backdrops.
Enjoy the journey
The world of book publishing is forever growing and changing along with advances in the digital
world. Ten years ago, this blog post wouldn’t even have existed—traditional publishing was the
end all, be all, of the publishing world. But authors today have choices. Whether you’re
traditionally or indie published, a hybrid author, or on the cusp of publishing your first
manuscript, it’s an exciting time to be an author and the only time in history that choices even
exist for any of us. So enjoy the journey!
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon giftcard,
Audiobook of Beyond the Next Star
-1 winner each!
