TopShelf Magazine - April 2017

2016 Sales Catalog - 1

APRIL2017 ™

A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to

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TopShelf Authors & Books!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS Steve Berry Mindy Mejia

Page 13

Page 15

TopShelf Marketing 101: How To Achieve World-Class Customer Service Page 7

Photo of David Morrell © 2011 Jennifer Esperanza

TopShelf Reviews the latest addition to the Cotton Malone series by NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author, STEVE BERRY. Page 21

“A terrific book! The good, the bad, and the ugly woven into a tale that leaves the reader breathless. Great fun!”

~TopShelf Reviews

~Sandra Brown

“A speeding freight train hurtling toward a destination that will change their world.” ~TopShelf Reviews

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TOPShelf

APRIL2017

magazine

™

A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to

TopShelf Authors & Books!

table of contents

masthead

spotlights

CEO, President, & Publisher

4, 18

Noteworthy Books

columns 7

TOPSHELF MARKETING 101: World-Class Customer Service

9

THE INSIDE LOOK: Does Publishing Need Gatekeepers?

11

IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE, the Library is Still Where It’s At

interviews 13 15

Steve Berry Mindy Mejia

reviews 17 17 19 19 21 21 23 23

A Bridge Across the Ocean Besieged Cruel and Unusual The Darkness of Evil Everything You Want Me To Be The Lost Order Ren: The Monster’s Death Rise

directories 25, 26

Bookseller Resources

Keith A. Katsikas Jr.

keith@topshelfmagazine.net

E.V.P. & Director of Marketing Rebecca Katsikas

becky@topshelfmagazine.net

Lead Editor Rosemary Fifield editor@topshelfmagazine.net

Creative Director Keith Katsikas

creative@topshelfmagazine.net

Contributors & Reviewers J .H. Bográn Rosemary Fifield Julie Ann Gerber Sharon Isbell Keith Katsikas Rebecca Katsikas Jon Land Sarah Noffke Donald Richard Carole P. Roman

editorial policy TopShelf Magazine is a bookseller-focused buyers’ guide packed with the crème de la crème in indie and traditionally published authors and books. There’s no junk here!

subscriptions TopShelf Magazine is offered to bookstores and public libraries across the United States free of charge, and to any bookseller and library in the English speaking world for a nominal fee to cover the cost of shipping.

www.TopShelfMagazine.net

TopShelf Magazine is also available for free to anyone able to view the online digital version at TopShelfMagazine.net

advertising To advertise in print, online, and in our email marketing campaigns, please visit TopShelfMagazine.net or call 603.785.0560.

Our overall reach is currently in the millions and we always strive to go well above and beyond in promoting our valued clients.

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APRIL2017 3

spotlights

Kev Heritage Blue didn’t want to be in the future... they didn’t want him there either!

CreateSpace $12.99 - 344 Pages Science Fiction ISBN: 978-1507620526

4

A rip in the fabric of time, a farflung globally warmed future, the only remaining civilization on Earth––a militaristic organization living beneath “Desert Amazon.”

The more Blue learns about this flooded, futuristic wasteland and about himself––who or what he is––the more he realizes getting back home is the only solution.

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by Rafael Amadeus Hines Rafael Hines $15.99 - 452 Pages Thriller, Suspense, Military ISBN: 978-0997091915

by L. B. Johnson Xulon Press $14.99 - 145 Pages Religion, Spirituality ISBN: 978-1498490719

by Carol Marrs Phipps CreateSpace $12.99 - 434 Pages Science Fiction, Dystopian ISBN: 978-1533026408

by Richard Bard CreateSpace $16.99 - 418 Pages Thriller, Suspense ISBN: 978-1533257604

by James Vincett CreateSpace $19.99 - 340 Pages Science Fiction ISBN: 978-1508768906

by Shellie Blum Shellie Blum, LLC $16.79 - Hardcover - 238 Pages Biographies, Memoirs ISBN: 978-0996366908

by Patrick Miskella WaveCloud Corporation $18.99 - 500 Pages Literary Fiction ISBN: 978-1535602365

by Paul Hollis Dog Ear Publishing $16.95 - 302 Pages Thriller, Suspense ISBN: 978-1457520419

by Sarah Noffke CreateSpace $9.95 - 148 Pages Science Fiction, Fantasy ISBN: 978-1537774510

by Regina Puckett CreateSpace $12.99 - 290 Pages Contemporary Romance ISBN: 978-1491232118

A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to TopShelf Authors & Books!

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Social media guru, Julie A. Gerber and awardwinning author of forty-three best-selling, independently published books, Carole P. Roman, team up to travel the winding road of self-publishing, promoting, and marketing a book. Join these two self-help experts as they share their vast store of experience in an easy to read, comprehensive guide.

A rip in the fabric of time, a far-flung globally warmed future, the only remaining civilization on Earth––a militaristic organization living beneath “Desert Amazon.” The more Blue learns about this flooded, futuristic wasteland and about himself––who or what he is––the more he realizes getting back home is the only solution.

Each month, the editors of TopShelf Magazine nominate up to six books from our current Premium Spotlights to be considered for our coveted Editor’s Choice Award. A panel of judges (typically consisting of our CEO & Publisher, Keith A. Katsikas Jr., the EVP, Rebecca Katsikas, and our Lead Editor, Rosemary Fifield), carefully deliberate over the nominees and ultimately award the winning book the title of TopShelf Editor’s Choice.

www.TopShelfMagazine.net

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columns

Customer service defines your business and ultimately determines its level of success. You may have a rare item that someone would like to purchase; however, because of a poor experience, or the poor experience of a friend, that customer may decide to purchase online instead of through your venue. Not sure how you can offer world-class customer service? TopShelf Magazine is here to help.

NEVER STALK Don't act like a car salesman and stalk your customers the moment they walk into your business or follow them around like they are thieves.

A known thief loitering about your store is one thing; however, don’t watch every move a customer makes if there's no reason to believe they are trouble. Your customers will most likely leave and never come back, and advise everyone they know to do the same.

MEMBERSHIPS Offer customers free memberships. Memberships make people feel connected, engaging them in what you are doing, and discounts encourage members to shop more at your store. However, beware: customers hate being charged for memberships and will often opt out.

KNOWLEDGABLE STAFF Knowledgeable and friendly employees are one of the benefits of bookstores. Use them wisely. Have an “Employee Corner” in your monthly newsletter, have employees make a list of their favorite books and print them on bookmarks, have shelf hangers under employees’ favorite books with the reason why it is a favorite. Also, meet with your employees often and brainstorm ideas and feedback regarding marketing campaigns, or use Survey Monkey as a tool for staff to offer ideas or to give feedback.

Visit stores for business ideas, not only bookstores, and take pictures and notes of what the other establishments are doing right or wrong. Engage your employees with specific responsibilities to implement your ideas in the store. www.TopShelfMagazine.net

APRIL2017

by Keith Katsikas (CEO & Publisher, TopShelf)

to track the progress of their delivery.

The shipping policy must be clear to the customer. Offer fixed rates and a reasonable delivery time. Staff need to ensure that orders are delivered within the predetermined amount of time to maintain customer satisfaction. There should be several payment options available including credit card, debit card, or cash on delivery. Providing these options will likely result in increased sales and improve the customer’s buying experience.

REALLY LISTEN Have a “Customer Suggestion Box” and ask your customers to fill out a card with a short survey.

Questions can be as simple as “What don’t you like about our bookstore?” or “Did we have what you were looking for today?” The answers will bring to your attention issues that may have never crossed your mind, however, are very important.

RETURN POLICY It is important to have a clearly defined policy regarding exchanges and returns so that there is no confusion. Mention the policy on receipts, and train staff to handle all customer questions regarding the policy. Typically customers have a 30-day timeframe where bookstores will allow returns or exchanges under certain requirements. The book must be in good shape at the time of return.

ESCALATIONS Make sure to train your staff how to handle escalations. When a customer is angry, disappointed, or feels wronged by someone within your business, quality of merchandise, pricing, and so on, your staff needs to remain calm and listen to the customer without interruption. Never have a bad attitude towards a customer's complaint. Always stay friendly, smile, and assure the customer that you are going to work hard to make their complaint heard and, if needed, corrected. Moreover, never, ever, make promises that you cannot fulfill.

IN CLOSING No marketing professional will ever honestly state that there is one marketing idea or method that will work 100% of the time, for 100% of their clients. The truth is, there is no magic bullet, and there are no guarantees in life or business. Everything we do is a risk.

However, there is one thing I can assure you––something I can and will promise.

The worst thing you can do in this life is nothing at all. Remember, do what you love, and love what you do, and the world will eventually follow.

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TOPSHELF MARKETING 101: TIPS TO ACHIEVING WORLDCLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE

LOCAL EXPERTS Engage your community’s local experts for book suggestions. Ask therapists for their favorite self-help books, business owners for the business section, veterinarians for pet books, local chefs for the cookbook section, and so on, and post the lists in the relevant sections of the store. Also, ask local teachers and professors to recommend books to help your bookstore become a better curator for student customers. Most public school teachers have yearly “summer book lists” from which students are encouraged to read two books during the summer.

SMARTPHONES Bookstores that have a “no smartphone” policy are hurting themselves.

By not allowing customers to use their phone to look up books and reviews, even if they could use the information they find to shop elsewhere, you are succeeding at only one thing––giving customers a bad feeling about your store. You cannot stop customers from purchasing a book on Amazon; however, giving them a reason to buy from Amazon, and likely never return to your store, is just bad business.

EASIER THE BETTER Many customers come to your store because they want to support a local business rather than a big box store. However, at the first sight of difficulty they will almost certainly run to the big box store. Customers want their questions answered quickly, so computerize your inventory and have someone on hand who understands the computer system or smartphone app, so that customers have their questions answered instantly. Also, no one enjoys waiting in line to make a purchase.

Speed up the checkout process by ringing up purchases without having to go to a register, using a square reader or smartphone.

CUSTOM ORDERS It is important to make customers orders simple. If all you are doing is placing an order on Amazon and having it ready to be picked up in a week, a customer will appreciate that service, and if you can order books at wholesale and have them available quickly, offer that as a service to your customers. Hang large signs that tell customers the service is available. Wave the shipping costs if you must, or you could offer 99¢ shipping for all orders over $15.

STORE WEBSITE A simple, welldesigned website allows customers to find information and place orders easily. The process of placing an order should be easy, with clearly defined policies. Also, if a customer finds a book in the inventory, they should be given the option to place the order over the phone. The customer should be able

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COLUMNS

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 7

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columns

by Sarah Noffke (TopShelf Columnist)

The other day I read an article that went viral by a traditionally published author. Her main point was that in publishing we need gatekeepers on all published books. The whole article kind of felt like communism, if I’m going to be completely honest. This author was obviously trying to stir the indie pot, and it worked based on the billion comments she received. Her main point was that without strict controls––I’m going to relabel that “a totalitarian system of government”––the quality of books goes down. My first thought was, “Yes, I’d like an authoritarian publisher to dictate what I get to read. Bravo.

Now, please assign me a job and housing.” Before you start to think that I’m adamantly against communism, please understand I’m only trying to make a point about publishing. I think as readers, we should have the choice on what we read. Let the market dictate what sells.

Is there anything wrong with traditionally published books? No more than what I see with indie published books. In all fairness, I spot so many errors in traditionally published books, that seriously should be embarrassing.

But I’m not over here telling the big publishers how to do their job, but if they’d like me to, I have a few tips.

Here’s what I am saying: publishing doesn’t need exclusive gatekeepers.

From my perspective, the big publishers www.TopShelfMagazine.net

quick as I’d like. Traditional publishing is slower than indie because there are so many stairs in those darn publishing houses. It is my understanding that a traditional publisher isn’t going to allow me to publish six books in one year like I did in 2016. There are rules for these publishers, and I kind of like doing things my way. I don’t answer well to authority, and that’s perfectly fine if we have choices--if the dictates of the old system don’t strike down the indie market.

Do some aspects of publishing benefit from gatekeepers? Sure. But do we also need indie options?

Unquestionably. And more than anything, we need tolerance and respect for each other. I love the big

Day. And why? Because I take the time and resources to use professional editors, content editors, cover designers, etc. And I’d like to bring up a key point here. I’m an indie author by choice. No, I won’t turn down a ten million dollar deal from a publisher if they approach me (see contact information below), but in general, I find the indie market suits me better. One reason is the gatekeepers. Because they carry that large ax around, they tend not to be as

publishers. They’ve published many of my favorite books. But there seems to be a divide between them and the indies.

And the only one that hurts is the authors. So let the traditional publishers continue as they have for so long. And have respect for the indie books that go their own route. At the end of the day, the readers are the ones in charge. They are the true gatekeepers.

APRIL2017

DOES PUBLISHING NEED GATEKEEPERS?

sell to market. They analyze what readers want. They don’t flood the market with a certain genre because they think it will shoot them in the foot.

They do guard the publishing doors to the press with their unending rejections and meager approvals of authors and books. And that’s fine. However, in general, we can’t guard what books get published. That was this author’s proposal. She thought indie authors were flooding the market with works that were unedited, unprofessional, and lacking in many ways. Are there bad indie books? Absolutely. Does that mean we need over-arching, strict controls on publishing? No. Why? Because, typically, bad books don’t sell.

I’m an indie author, and I’ll be honest, my books sell. Every. Single.

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THE INSIDE LOOK:

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COLUMNS

More Articles at: TopShelfMagazine.net

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 9

WHO C AN YOU TRUS T ?

A riveting novel about the unexpected, shattering, and lethal consequences of a one-night stand on a seemingly happily married couple.

“A terrific thriller…with plenty of suspense and action, it should appeal to Harlan Coben or Gillian Flynn fans.”

—Booklist (starred review)

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Pick up your copy today at JohnLescroartBooks.com

columns

There’s a meme making the rounds on the web (depicted to the right) with a message about how Google can give you 100,000 answers, but only a librarian will get you the right one. Despite its snarky slant, the maxim makes a valid point, one that resonates with many readers, especially people desperate for information, may they be students or researchers.

The following abridged scene from my novel Poisoned Tears got its inspiration from the notion displayed in this meme.

Alan Knox typed ‘dead women in the New Orleans Metropolitan area’ into the search engine and over a hundred thousand hits appeared on the screen. That’s the problem with digital news, he thought. There’s too may websites discussing the same damn story. Just one murder case could generate thousands of hits. He narrowed his search down to within the year. The hits were slightly fewer.

With the resignation of an unwilling toddler put down to nap, he clicked on and read page after page.

An hour and several keyword combinations later, frustration settled in.

Geographical availability, that’s the term he thought of as he approached the librarian.

“I need some help.”

“Yes, sir. How can I assist you?”

“Last night they found that woman in the park.”

She nodded. Clearly, she had seen the news.

“I’m trying to find out if there have been other incidents––” “You think that was intentional and you’re searching for a pattern,” she interrupted.

“In a word, yes.”

“Come with me.” www.TopShelfMagazine.net

Libraries, in total understanding of the current times, have added computers for people to conduct their searches. However, the real treasures are kept on the shelves, organized following a nowadays obscure code that's akin to an ancient language.

Back in the day, people turned to libraries to do research on any topic. Today, people, including myself, make our first stop in a search engine, and very often we find what we need.

My first online incursions were during the late ‘90s, and after enduring the whistle, scratchy sounds of dial-up connections, I would look for stuff. I have a soft spot for Yahoo because it was the first engine I used. The trivia fans were thrilled with the interesting bits found in the Yahoo Daily Pick. Then Google started to take prominence, and people even made a verb out of it.

A search engine, just like any artificial intelligence, doesn’t think per se, but rather calculates algorithms and presents any and all of the results matching the given criteria, namely keywords, whereas a person will understand the spirit of the question and get you an appropriate response. The secret to searches is selecting the keywords that would yield better results. For detailed

APRIL2017

by J. H. Bográn (TopShelf Columnist)

researches, however, you need human intuition. That’s a trick that A.I. has not reached yet, the word “yet” being the operative there.

Perhaps the best explanation can be found in the 2004 movie I, Robot, particularly in the scene where Will Smith’s character tells how a robot chose to rescue him over a kid after an accident, and how humans would have known that even when the kid had a lower chance of survival, she was worth saving more than any adult.

In conclusion: These days it’s all too easy to fall on Google for information. The reality is, however, that Google is simply a computer algorithm designed to help people find information based on keywords and search terms. Google cannot decipher between what’s absolute fact and what’s simply fake news. The internet is so full of noise and misinformation that it’s more likely for us to get the wrong information than it is to find the facts that we are indeed looking for. Sure, Google is a great place to start, and for some of us, it may be the only place we can get to.

However, for those who seriously need to know the truth and need to filter out all the noise and often intentional falsehoods, the library is still where it’s at.

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IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE, THE LIBRARY IS STILL WHERE IT’S AT

He followed her to an aisle behind the computers. Large folders safeguarded newspaper editions. She pulled out one of the hefty tomes and placed it on top of the table. Alan glanced at the date range; it was from two weeks before.

The woman kept turning pages, with the care of handling something precious. About halfway through the tome, she found what she was looking for. Alan looked down and read the headline. The more he read the article, the more the hair on the back of his neck rose. Two are a coincidence; three are a pattern. The librarian had just helped him confirm his theory.

TOPShelf

COLUMNS

J. H. Bográn, born and raised in Honduras, is the son of a journalist; however, he ironically prefers to write fiction. José’s genre of choice is thrillers, but he enjoys to throw in a twist of romance on occasion.

He has published three acclaimed novels and is a member of The Crime Writers Association, the Short Fiction Writers Guild, and the International Thriller Writers where he also serves as the Thriller Roundtable Coordinator and contributor editor for their official e-zine The Big Thrill.

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A SECRET SOCIET Y FR OM THE CIVIL WAR. A M AP HIDDEN IN THE SMITHSONIAN. BILLIONS IN LOST CONFEDER ATE GOLD.

THIS WAR WILL BE ANYTHING BUT CIVIL. Available April 4th

The electrifying new novel from New York Times bestselling author

STEVE BERRY “BERRY RAISES THIS GENRE’S STAKES.” —THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Knights of the Golden Circle were the most dangerous clandestine organization in American history—amassing billions in stolen gold and hiding it in caches across the United States.

Now, one hundred and sixty years later, someone is uncovering the lost clues, threatening to ignite a modern-day rebellion.

STE VEBERRY.OR G

interviews

www.TopShelfMagazine.net

good. Talk about absurd.

Please explain to aspiring authors and booksellers just how much work is required, even as a traditionally published bestselling author, to maintain your level of success?

Have you ever been part of a writers workshop or group? Was it helpful? Or a waste of time? Any advice for writers looking to start or join one?

It’s something that has to be worked at every day. Of course the most important thing for any writer is to produce the best work they can. Writing the book is the one thing a writer has total control over. So I pour most of my efforts into just that. Whether or not I succeed is a matter of debate, but I do try as hard as I can. You can never forget that being a commercial fiction writer is a constant endeavor, a full time job. You have to give it your full attention.

Is there a marketing idea you've seen bookstores do that stands out as particularly successful?

The most successful marketing that stores do is working their customer base through e-mail, newsletters, and personal contact, making sure those folks stay customers, participate in store activities, and buy their books. The most successful independent stores around the country follow this religiously.

What is the biggest mistake you have seen a bookstore make?

My favorite is from about nine years ago.

My book was chosen as a President’s Pick at Books-A-Million. Being selected entailed lots of free placement, marketing, co-op, and promotion at all of the Books-A-Million stores. Stuff they pay for. Talk about wonderful. At the same time Books-A-Million produced a monthly publication that it gave away in all its stores (which they also pay for).

It was a newspaper like publication that highlighted what was for sale in the stores for that month. Inside that publication was a review on my novel, thrashing it. So, on the one hand the company paid lots of money in marketing and promotion to sell the book then, on the other, more money to print a review that said the books wasn’t all that

Do you have advice for independent bookstores on how they can organize successful events in their stores?

Promotion is paramount. They have to work their customer base and generate interest in the writers that are taking the time to come to store for an event. No promotion, no successful event. It’s that simple. Everything else springs from that.

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Steve Berry was born and raised in Georgia and graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers— a group of nearly 4,000 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.

Steve is a New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 16 novels, 12 of which are Cotton Malone adventures. His books have been translated into 40 languages with over 21,000,000 copies sold in 51 countries.

History lies at the heart of all of Steve Berry’s books. It’s a passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 they’ve crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers workshops.

To date, over 3,000 students have attended those workshops. All totaled, they’ve raised a million dollars for preservation.

Steve Berry has had more than a few awards come his way. In 2012 and 2013 he was recognized by the American Library Association, which named him its spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among other honors are the Royden

B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the 2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the 2013 Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed in 2013 by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work.

He currently serves on the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board. A 2010 NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH NY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, STEVE BERRY

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INTERVIEWS

I would not be a published writer today except for the writers group I attended for 6 years back in the 1990s. It was a brutal experience, but that’s where I learned how to teach myself the craft of writing. Writers groups are wonderful, if they work. Finding the right one is a matter of trial and error. I’ve heard many horror stories about bad ones. I was fortunate to stumble into a great one. I would encourage all writers to try and either create or find a good writers’ group. In my time, we had to do it all face-to-face. But, today, it can be done online with Facetime, Skype, and e-mail with writers all around the world.

What’s the most important thing a bookstore can do for an author to promote sales? Obviously, every book cannot be front and center.

That’s right, which is why placement in stores has to be purchased. It’s called co-op and publishers pay dearly for it. Placement is important. No question. As in real estate, in the book business three things are critical: location, location, location. But word-ofmouth from booksellers helps too. And just not in the independents. The chains can contribute there too. Hiring people who are readers, who actually know something about the product they are dealing with, definitely helps.

What advice could you give to an author about dealing with failure?

There’s a saying, When you’re walking through hell, keep going. And that’s what you have to do. Keep moving ahead. Never quit. It took me 12 years and 85 rejections to finally be published. I’m living proof it can be done.

Read more of our interview with Steve Berry at:

www.TopShelfMagazine.net

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APRIL2017 13

“Compelling psychological thriller...”

- Booklist

Full Page

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“Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl will devour this fast-paced story.” - InStyle www.MindyMejia.com ISBN: 978-1501123429

“Tantalizing... Ms. Mejia displays the enviable ability of such contemporaries as Megan Abbott and Laura Lippman in convincingly charting intergenerational passion and angst.” - The Wall Street Journal

“Engaging... Readers will look forward to further work from this talented author.” - Publishers Weekly

interviews

Do you edit and proofread your own work at all or do you just write it and hand it off to an editor?

AN INTERVIEW WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR MINDY MEJIA Mindy Mejia is a fiction writer, finance manager, weekend jogger, wife, and mother of two. She writes what she likes to read–– contemporary, plot-driven novels that deliver both entertainment and substance.

Mindy Mejia was born and raised in a small-town-turned-suburb in the Twin Cities area. She received a BA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from Hamline University. Other than brief interludes in Iowa City and Galway, she’s lived and worked in Minnesota her entire life.

Mindy focuses her fiction writing on novels, though she also writes short stories, which have appeared in rock, paper, scissors; Things Japanese: An Anthology of Short Stories; and THIS Literary Magazine.

Everything You Want Me to Be is her latest novel from ATRIA Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster. Be sure also to check out her debut novel, The Dragon Keeper. Learn more about Mindy at MindyMejia.com.

Do you write an outline before you start a novel? If yes, how detailed is your outline?

I don’t outline. My first draft process is more like exploring a new world. I can see the horizon and I follow the story where it leads, which might be somewhere different than I expected to go. Once the first draft is finished and I understand the www.TopShelfMagazine.net

How do you work with an editor without pride making a guest appearance like Jack Nicholson in The Shining?

The most important thing is to have an editor who wants to tell the same story as you. As long as my editor and I agree on the general narrative structure, POV, and themes, I’m willing to change up just about anything else as long as it serves the story.

That being said, there’s always about a dozen sentences in each book that I jealously guard and will defend to the point of a Kung Fu death match. Luckily, no such death match has yet occurred.

What is the most difficult part by far about your craft? What's the one thing about being an author you wish you did not have to do?

The most difficult part is finding the time to do it. No one in my life has ever said to me, “Why don’t you go write now? I’ll take care of this (insert task) you were doing for me.” Because so much of writing happens internally and it doesn’t take the form of a standard office job, it becomes challenging to carve out and defend from the rest of my life.

On the flip side, what is the best part about what you do––that one thing that makes the answer to that last question worth every minute?

The best part is when I’ve slipped away into the world I’m dreaming and everything starts to come together. I finally understand where the narrative is going, the characters arcs are illuminated, and the themes begin teasing their way to the

Why do you think your books are so successful?

I’m a plot junkie, so for me suspense is key. I always do at least one revision of every book purely for suspense. To break that down, I’ll read the entire manuscript in terms of questions.

What questions are raised in this chapter? What questions are answered? Ideally the answers themselves create bigger, more compelling questions. The “suspense revision” is all about rate of revelation and how the stakes increase. It’s one of the best ways I know to embed that page-turning quality into the narrative.

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Must, must, must edit and proofread.

Ultimately my name is on the cover and I take responsibility for the story inside. I don’t want to hand anything off to an editor until I’ve revised to the point where I need a fresh set of eyes.

forefront. It’s a transformative feeling, and highly addictive.

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story I’m trying to tell, I approach revision with more attention to architecture. I’ve created the map at that point.

TOPShelf

INTERVIEWS

Please explain to aspiring authors and booksellers just how much work is required, even as a traditionally published bestselling author, to maintain your level of success?

This is a job like any other, and the actual writing is only a piece of it. Every author, no matter how they’re published, must find their audience. This is no small task considering the wealth of books being released both traditionally and through other channels. A few of my non-writing writerly jobs: I maintain an online presence through various social media formats and my website so readers can connect with me on the internet. I network with other authors and bookstores through various in person and virtual events. I monitor new releases and reading trends to stay current on the market and literary environment, and I try to support fellow writers and promote their work whenever I can. These are all periphery items to the actual writing, but they can make a huge difference when it comes to marketing and selling your books. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have a phenomenal publicist in your corner, too.

Read more of our interview with Mindy Mejia:

www.TopShelfMagazine.net

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 15

THE COMPLETE COLLECTION OF THE COMPLETE COLLECTION OF

MICHAEL PHILLIP PHILLIP CASH C ASH MICHAEL THE HISTORY MAJOR An ominous shadow is stalking Amanda Greene. Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening?

“Cash intermingles beauty and violence ...It’s smartly ambiguous and open to interpretation, and some may delight in a second (or third) read.”

KIRKUS REVIEWS

ALL TITLES AVAILABLE ON

OTHER TITLES BY MICHAEL PHILLIP CASH

ALL TITLES AVAILABLE ON

Award winning and best-selling author Michael Phillip Cash has twelve novels to

ot sl

date. Stillwell won Honorable Mention for The Book of the Year Foreword Review

wei

2014. He currently lives on the North Shore with his wife and two children.

Award winning and best-selling author Michael Phillip Cash has twelve novels to date. Stillwell won Honorable Mention for The Book of the Year Foreword Review 2014. He currently lives on the North Shore with his wife and two children.

www.michaelphillipcash.com

www.michaelphillipcash.com

|

@michaelpcash

@michaelpcash

n

a bridge across the ocean

reviews

as he races to find the perpetrators of an attack launched in a school before the entire United States ends up

“A BRIDGE ACROSS THE OCEAN

HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS VERY BEST! AVAILABLE NOW During World War II, the luxury ocean liner Queen Mary was commandeered for transporting troops, and in 1946 it became the vessel carrying European war brides across the ocean to their American G. I. husbands in the U.S. Among those brides are Annaliese Kurtz and Simone Robinson. One is a Susan Meissner German ballerina traveling under an assumed identity, and one is the daughter and sister of French Résistance fighters.

Each seeks to leave the horrors of the war years behind and start a new life.

Today, Brette Caslake is a young woman struggling with the effects of having “the Sight,” an inherited ability to see and communicate with the ghosts of people caught between this world and the next. It’s a gift she prefers to downplay and ignore but cannot always control. When prevailed upon by an old friend to help his young daughter cope with the recent death of her mother, Brette visits the Queen Mary, now docked in Los Angeles as a floating hotel and tourist www.TopShelfMagazine.net

besieged

APRIL2017

kept me reading when I should have be doing other things––like sleeping.”

magazine

attraction. The ocean liner has a history of ghost sightings, and the child felt her mother’s presence there. But when Brette visits, the presence she feels is that of another who connects with her and wants her to solve the decades-old death of a war bride while traveling on the Queen Mary in 1946.

This fascinating tale kept me reading when I should have been doing other things––like sleeping. The fate of each character became important to me. The very intense stories of Annaliese and Simone during World War II were vividly portrayed, providing a level of depth and understanding that made the conclusion completely believable. Brette’s fears and concerns and how they are resolved send a strong message about our need to do something meaningful with what life gives us rather than striving to control that which we cannot. ~Rosemary Fifield, TopShelf Reviews

TOPShelf

REVIEWS

hostage to the whims of whack jobs.

The set-up is pure gold and only platinum follows from there as Mahegan traces a serpentine path to the truth that winds through his own past as well.

Military types are no stranger to the page. But the likes of Anthony Tata are now lending readers not only their expertise but also their mastery as storytellers. Besieged serves up pitch-perfect plotting sharply seasoned by actual experience, propelling Tata to a literary station that matches his military rank.

PITCH-PERFECT PLOTTING SEASONED WITH EXPERIENCE! AVAILABLE NOW Speaking of putting his military experience to good use, retired Brigadier General Anthony Tata goes where few thriller writers dare to go in the bracing Besieged, imagining a series of terrorist attacks against socalled soft targets.

This stunner of a tale pits series hero Jake Mahegan, formerly of Delta Force, against enemies from both A .J. Tata abroad and at home

~Jon Land, TopShelf Reviews

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 17

spotlights

J.A. Gerber & Carole P. Roman

CreateSpace $12.99 - 146 Pages Nonfiction, Writing Skills ISBN: 978-1537228068

18

Social media guru, Julie A. Gerber, and award-winning author of forty-three bestselling, independently published books, Carole P. Roman, team up to travel the winding road of selfpublishing, promoting, and marketing a book. Join these two self-help experts as they share their vast store of experience in an easy to read, comprehensive guide.

awaywegomedia.com

by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne Avid Readers Publishing Group $9.95 - 108 Pages Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1612862446

by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne Avid Readers Publishing Group $9.95 - 112 Pages Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1612860718

by Steve Snyder Sea Breeze Publishing $27.95 - 376 Pages Nonfiction, Military ISBN: 978-0986076008

by J. H. Bogran Rebel ePublishers $12.99 - 242 Pages Suspense Thriller ISBN: 978-1944077198

by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne Avid Readers Publishing Group $9.95 - 82 Pages Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1612861821

by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne CreateSpace $8.00 - 62 Pages Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1523248025

by Armand Rosamilia CreateSpace $12.99 - 206 Pages Crime Thriller ISBN: 978-1523692149

by Heather Graham & Jon Land TOR Books $25.99 - Hardcover - 400 Pages Thriller, Suspense, Romance ISBN: 978-0765337917

by Jack Mayer Long Trail Press $19.95 - 530 Pages Historical, Holocaust ISBN: 978-0984111343

by David Morrell Mulholland Books $27.00 - Hardcover - 352 Pages Historical, Thriller ISBN: 978-0316307901

A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to TopShelf Authors & Books!

cruel and unusual

reviews

convicted serial killer reaching out to someone outside the prison in which he will (probably) spend the rest of his life.

Roscoe Lee Marcks actually claims more

AN INTRIGUING TALE THAT ENDS WITH A TWIST! AVAILABLE TODAY! Malcolm is serving his sentence in a cruel and unusual way. Banished to a remote island in Alaska, he has no contact with the outside world. His only outlet is through his art.

Constantly painting the woman he lost the day he committed his crime while defending her honor.

Then one day his routine is changed when a C. E. Wilson very small young woman with metal wings falls off his roof and into the bushes. Is she a fairy, a robot, a sophisticated doll, or some sort of high tech spy drone? She claims to have been once human, but her memories are faulty.

She could be his one chance at an early pardon out of his sentence, but the more time he spends with her, the more he learns to care for her.

One of the things I really enjoy about C.E. Wilson's stories are her characterizations. She has the ability to www.TopShelfMagazine.net

~Kris Miller, TopShelf Reviews

the darkness of evil

APRIL2017

“THE DARKNESS OF EVIL Nobody nails this kinds of book better and more consistently than Alan Jacobson.”

magazine

write extremely compelling characters that are not only believable, but move you. You feel as they do, the highs and the lows.

Another thing I always appreciate is the diversity and adversity that her characters struggle with. In every story that I've ever read by this talented author, she has presented a story in which the characters are up against that which is outside the norm, and therefore left open to ridicule by others. The hidden gem is often how they stand up to society in spite of the hurdles placed in front of them.

While this is the second book in the 'Somewhere in Between' series, it can be read at any time. It is definitely a standalone novel and so far has no relation to the first in the series. Overall an intriguing and sweet story with an interesting twist at the end.

TOPShelf

REVIEWS

victims to his credit than even Hannibal Lecter, but as a letter to his newly published daughter indicates, he may not be done yet. Enter the stalwart Vail racing the clock in a fiendish game of wits with a killer who’s every bit her equal.

Other thriller writers dabble in the “profiler” sub-genre. But nobody nails this kind of book better and more consistently than Jacobson. He continues to reach for more in each successive title, The Darkness of Evil being his biggest and most ambitious yet.

ALAN JACOBSON CHANNELS HIS INNER THOMAS HARRIS! AVAILABLE February 21 Our old friend, FBI profiler Karen Vail, returns in the pulse-pounding The Darkness of Evil (Open Road, $16.99, 486 pages) that finds Alan Jacobson channeling his inner Thomas Harris.

That was my first thought, especially in comparison to Red Dragon, when the book made a Alan Jacobson plot point out of a

~Jon Land, TopShelf Reviews

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 19

DAV I D M O R R E L L’s Notorious OpiumEater Returns

The sensational climax to David’s acclaimed Victorian mystery series focuses on a real murder so startling that it changed British culture.

As the brilliant Opium-Eater, Thomas De Quincey, Full Ad andPage his irrepressible daughter, Emily, confront their Coming Soon! most ruthless enemy, the stakes couldn’t be higher: both the heart of Victorian society and De Quincey’s tormented soul.

“ RIVETING! I literally thought I was in 1855 London.”

—Lisa Gardner, author of Find Her

“An exciting blend of high-thriller and Dickens… I LOVE THIS SERIES . ” —John Sandford, author of Extreme Prey

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everything you want me to be

reviews

the lost order

AVAILABLE APRIL 4

High school senior Hattie Hoffman is the consummate actress, skilled at being whoever the people in her life need her to be. She knows exactly what she’s doing and has it all figured out, until the night she's murdered.

The setting is a small town in rural Minnesota, where farming families grow soy and cotton, and everyone knows everyone else's business. County Sheriff Del Goodman, a nononsense old-timer who doesn’t mince words, is investigating Hattie’s death. Peter Lund, a man who’s desperate for someone to appreciate and Mindy Mejia understand him, is the new English teacher at Hattie’s school. All three characters take turns narrating this suspenseful thriller. Each has a distinctive voice and perspective that works, keeping readers engaged. We instantly know and recognize these characters. They're flawed, show honest emotion, overwhelmed by what’s happening, making understandable if regrettable mistakes, making it all the harder to be sure who the murderer truly is. Everything You Want Me To Be is a well-written story with characters you will care about and a finish that offers hope for second chances. ~Rosemary Fifield, TopShelf Reviews www.TopShelfMagazine.net

APRIL2017

AVAILABLE NOW

The Lost Order is the latest in the Cotton Malone adventure series, and what an adventure it is. Incorporating the Civil Warera secret society known as Knights of the Golden Circle and the present-day halls and back rooms of the Smithsonian Institution, this is a book full of political intrigue, ruthless treasure hunters, and steadfast individuals devoted to protecting a legacy most of us know nothing about.

Fact: In midnineteenth century United States, a Steve Berry clandestine organization of southerners known as The Knights of the Golden Circle wanted to annex territory in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for the purpose of forming a southern empire, creating a “golden circle” of slave-holding states with its hub in Havana, Cuba. They amassed a fortune in gold and silver to finance the venture, but when the Civil War interfered, they buried their fortune in remote locations in the hopes that their plans might be resurrected someday. They left clues in the woods for those who knew how to recognize them and vested individuals known as sentinels with the responsibility of protecting the hidden caches from treasure hunters.

Confederate records, including those of the Knights, disappeared during the Civil War, and the full extent of the secret society’s reach and fortune is unknown.

Fiction: Two present-day factions of the Knights are close to finding a major vault of Confederate gold hidden in the Southwest. One faction plans to use it for nefarious purposes, the other wants to preserve it for posterity. Cotton Malone, former Justice Department agent, is called back into service because his ancestor was a Confederate spy who may be the final

link to locating the vault before the Knights do. He and a former president of the United States are the last hopes for stopping a major disruption to Congress and for bringing coldblooded killers to justice.

This book is enjoyable on many levels – as a thriller with the codebreaking aspects of The DaVinci Code, as a fascinating account of a dangerous secret society in American history, and as an insider’s romp through the back rooms, tunnels, and hidden places in the Smithsonian Institution.

Author Steve Berry is a history buff and preservationist, as well as a seasoned writer, and he also serves on the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board.

This heavily researched work is packed with authentic information that illuminates as well as entertains, leaving the reader with the satisfying sense of having learned something while enjoying the action that never stops. Whether it’s the workings of Congress, the existence of hidden caches of gold and silver buried across the U.S., or the fascinating history of the Smithsonian itself, Berry keeps it interesting and relevant while providing a complicated plot with plenty of dangerous players and harrowing situations.

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ENJOYABLE ON MANY LEVELS!

TOPShelf

REVIEWS

~Rosemary Fifield, TopShelf Reviews

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 21

" (3*11*/( 461&3/"563"5)3*--&3 :06 -- #& 563/*/( 1"(&4 8&-- */50 5)& /*()5 After recovering from an explosion that took the life of his cameraman, his career, and half his face, John Hunt experiences something that has him believing he’s crazy, or high on painkillers. The vision of his dismembered cameraman is all too real and he has a message. There is something special about John Hunt, and his macabre guide will lead him to the terrifying truth.

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ren: the monster’s death

reviews

impossible task becomes at once heart-wrenching and heartfelt, as she faces a seemingly incessant parade of obstacles that bring her closer and

MASTERFULLY EXECUTED! AVAILABLE NOW "Everyone dies. Everyone. No account of immortality has ever been documented and yet we continue to fear this certain fate.

Humans take every precaution to secure there life but their is no home safe enough.

No healthcare plan that can prevent disease. There is no escape. Death is the shadow that follows all of us. And its promise is a real one that it has never failed to deliver."

Sarah Noffke I'm going to skip my normal summary, as the author summed it up perfectly, and go straight to the review. Let's talk emotions. No one, and I do mean no one can bring emotions like Sarah Noffke. You don't just relate to her characters, you feel them down to your very soul. You laugh with them, you cry with them. They become a part of you.

They live through you. Not just her main character, which alone is no easy feat. No, all of her characters. Every single one of them, which is plenty in each book. They are longlost friends who you eagerly anticipate reading about in the next installment. Even the villains are written so flawlessly that they www.TopShelfMagazine.net

~Kris Miller, TopShelf Reviews

APRIL2017

“I’VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN. If it’s got written by Sarah Noffke on the cover, I’m reading it!”

magazine

too, become favorites.

This book really brought the feels! I thought I knew Ren, but with this final book came an even deeper evolution that, well, you'll just have to read to understand. Sorry you'll never get spoilers *insert evil laugh*. The storyline was executed masterfully, bringing those highs and lows. It also was the perfect set-up for her new series, which is now leaving me in breathless anticipation.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again. If it's got written by Sarah Noffke on the cover, I'm reading it. This is arguably one of her best books yet, and that is truly saying a lot, since I've loved every one. Each book continues to get better, drawing you in and keeping you there within her world. Turning the last page is always a bittersweet experience. If you haven't read her other books, I very much urge you to check them out.

TOPShelf

REVIEWS

closer to achieving her dream. This in spite of relying on experience gleaned from little more than the likes of Tinker Toys and Erector Sets.

Thrillers derive their popularity from heroes who overcome impossible odds en route to ultimate triumph.

The same holds true in Rise, a sumptuously simple tale belying an emotional depth that defines its very core and makes us root for Brookins and her kids as much as any fictional heroes.

rise

SUMPTUOUS...

AVAILABLE NOW The title Rise (St. Martin’s, $25.99, 320 pages) may suggest a thriller, and Cara Brookins’ superb, family-dominated, nonfiction tale is every bit of one, though for totally unexpected reasons.

The book tells the story of Brookins reassembling her life and family by literally building a house with her children. Losing herself in a Cara Brookins seemingly

~Jon Land, TopShelf Reviews

TOPShelf magazine

APRIL2017 23

Carole P Roman

Critically Acclaimed and Award-winning Children’s Book Author

BRINGS YOU CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FOR ALL AGES!

Captain No Beard—An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life Captain No Beard and his crew mates travel the open waters on his pirate ship The Flying Dragon while learning valuable life lessons.

Once on board, their world is transformed into a magical vessel sailing the seven seas on dangerous and exciting adventures!

The first in the series of ten Captain No Beard books!

Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life, Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience, Stuck in the Doldrums, Strangers at the High Seas, The Treasure of Snake Island, The Crew Goes Coconuts, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis, Fribbet The Frog and the Tadpoles, A Flag for the Flying Dragon, and Being A Captain Is Hard Work

Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012!

“Roman charms with an imaginative, whimsical picture book that will entertain even the oldest pirates.”

KIRKUS REVIEW WINNER OF THE ERIK AND NABE PINNACLE AWARDS

Also available by Carole P. Roman “If You Were me and Lived In...”

A new nonfiction series for children about culture around the world. This series is an expanding series with 4 new books released every year.

For the littlest ones in the household: Rocket-Bye, Can A Princess Be a Firefighter? and I Want to Do Yoga Too

Countries featured include:

India, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, France, Australia, Kenya, Egypt, Norway, Italy, China, Scotland, Russia, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, and Turkey

And Introducing her new groundbreaking series that explores civilizations throughout history featuring the following civilizations: Colonial America, Ancient Greece, Renaissance

Italy, and Elizabethan England... and coming soon to the series: Vikings, Old American West, Medieval Times and Mayans

ABOUT CAROLE P. ROMAN

Award-winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born. She is currently working on the groundbreaking new nonfiction series about culture around the world. “If You Were Me and Lived in...” combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us.

Find out more at CarolePRoman.com ALL TITLES AVAILABLE NOW ON

directories

Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, LA January 6 - 8, 2017 310-648-8410 wizardworld.com/comiccon/ neworleans Los Angeles Comic and Science Fiction Convention Los Angeles, CA January 7 - 8, 2017 818-954-8432 www.comicbookscifi.com

YAK Fest: Young Adult Keller Book Festival Keller, TX January 28, 2017 yakfestkisd.weebly.com CODEX International Book Fair and Symposium Berkely, CA February 5 - 8, 2017 510-849-0673 www.codexfoundation.org Association of Writers & Writers Programs Washington, DC February 8 - 11, 2017 703-993-4453 www.awpwriter.org The National Writers Union’s New York Conference February 13, 2017 212-254-0279 nwu.org Savannah Book Festival Savannah, GA February 16 - 19, 2017 912-598-4040 www.savannahbookfestival.org Amelia Island Book Festival Fernandia Beach, FL February 16 - 18, 2017 904-624-1665 www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org Wizard World Comic Con Portland, OR February 17 - 19, 2017 310-648-8410 wizardworld.com/comiccon/portland

COSine Science Fiction Convention Colorado Springs, CO January 20 - 22, 2017 www.firstfridayfandom.org/cosine/

Teen Bookfest by The Bay Corpus Christi, TX February 18, 2017 www.teenbookfestbythebay.org

SDSU Writers Conference San Diego, CA January 20 - 22, 2017 619-594-5152 www.ces.sdsu.edu/wc

Search for Meaning Book Festival Seattle, WA February 25, 2017 www.seattleu.edu/ searchformeaning/

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decor & furnishings

Oxford Conference for the Book Oxford, MI March 2 - 4, 2017 662-915-3374 oxfordconferenceforthebook.com

Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival Redlands, CA March 3 - 4, 2017 909-748-8791 www.redlands.edu/study/schoolsand-centers/school-of-education/ childrens-literature-festival-2017/

Demco (N) Madison, WI 800-356-1200 www.Demco.com

Main Street Children’s Museum Suess-A-Thon Rock Hill, SC March 5, 2017 802-329-2121 www.chmuseums.org/event/2144/ Tucson Festival of Books University of Arizona March 11 - 12, 2017 tucsonfestivalofbooks.org Wizard World Comic Con Cleveland, OH March 17 - 19, 2017 310-648-8410 www.wizardworld.com/comiccon/ cleveland Southwest Florida Reading Festival Fort Myers, FL March 18, 2017 www.readfest.org Virginia Festival of the Book Charlottesville, VA March 22 - 26, 2017 434-924-3296 www.vabook.org Dahlonega Literary Festival Dahlonega, GA March 25 - 26, 2017 www.literaryfestival.org The Southern Literary Festival Fort Smith, AR March 30 April 1, 2017 www.southernliteraryfestival.org

Allen Display (N) Midlothian, VA 800-999-2373 www.AllenDisplay.com

BroDart Contract Furniture (N) McElhattan, PA 888-521-1884 www.BroDartFurniture.com

APRIL2017

conventions

New England Book Festival Boston, MA January 2017 323-665-8080 www.newenglandbookfestival.com

ALA Atlanta Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Atlanta, GA January 20 - 24, 2017 866-513-0760 2017.alamidwinter.org

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American Booksellers Association (N) White Plains, NY 800-637-0037 x7541 www.BookWeb.org

Christian Booksellers Association (N) Colorado Springs, CO 800-252-1950 www.CBAonline.org

Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (N) MysteryBooksellers.com

Independent Online Booksellers Association (N) Sykesville, MD 609-474-0640 www.IOBA.org

New England Independent Booksellers Association (R) Cambridge, MA 617-547-3642 www.newenglandbooks.org

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associations

DIRECTORIES

Displays2Go (N) Bristol, RI 800-572-2194 www.Displays2Go.com

Franklin Fixtures (N) Cookeville, TN 931-400-0300 www.FranklinFixtures.com

Modern Shelving (N) San Clemente, CA 877-477-5487 www.ModernShelving.com

Opening the Book (N) Williamport, PA 272-202-3957 www.OpeningTheBook.com/us Skyline Designs (N) Newport, NH 603-843-8965 www.SkylineDesigns.com

The Library Store (N) Tremont, IL 888-422-7204 www.TheLibraryStore.com

The Store Decor Co. (N) Rowlett, TX 800-831-3267 www.TheStoreDecor.com (N) = National Coverage (R)= Regional Coverage To have your business listed call 603-785-0560

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APRIL2017 25

APRIL2017

coffee services

360OfficeCoffee (N) Austin, TX 800-598-8685 www.360officeCoffee.com Alhambra (R) Lakeland, FL 800-728-5508 www.AlhambraWater.com

aramark (N) 855-273-3835 aramarkrefreshments.com

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DIRECTORIES

Aroma Coffee Service (R) Fort Myers, FL 800-448-9139 www.AromaCoffee.net

Associated Coffee (N) San Leandro, CA 800-750-5282 www.AssociatedCoffee.com

Blue Tiger (N) Seattle, WA 855-258-3844 www.BlueTigerCoffee.com

Brad’s Coffee Service (R) West Fargo, ND 701-238-0591 www.BradsCoffee.com

Canteen (N) Charlotte, NC 800-226-8336 www.Canteen.com

Cardinal Coffee Systems (N) Sandusky, OH 419-624-8800 www.CardinalCoffeeSystems.com

Clearly Colorado (R) Colorado Springs, CO 719-663-6887 www.ClearlyColorado.com

Coffee Serv (R) Philadelphia, PA 800-784-8400 www.CoffeeServ.com

Coffee Service, Standard Coffee (N) Lakeland, FL 800-962-7006 www.CoffeeService.com

26

Community Coffee (N) Baton Rouge, LA 800-884-5282 CommunityCoffee.com

Corporate Coffee Systems (N) Westbury, NY 516-371-4800 www.CorpCofe.com First Choice Coffee Services (N) Oakbrook Terrace, IL 855-262-6357 FirstChoiceServices.com

Good As Gold Coffee (R) Worcester, MA 800-322-0439 www.GoodAsGold.com

H2O Technologies & Distribution (R) Pensacola, FL 850-932-8400 www.PensacolaH2o.com

Horizon Coffee & Water Service (N) Greensburg, PA 724-520-1272 www.HorizonCoffee.com Ideal Vending & Coffee (R) Brooklyn, NY 866-433-2565 www.IdealCoffee.com

Java Dave’s Coffee (N) Tulsa, OK 800-725-7315 www.JavaDavesCoffee.com Java Distribution (N) Boulder, CO 303-494-6348 www.JavaDistribution.com

Malone’s Coffee Service (R) Knoxville, TN 888-961-2606 www.MalonesCoffee.com

National Coffee (N) Coconut Creek, FL 954-775-0357 www.NationalCoffee.net

Nespresso (N) Long Island City, NY 800-562-1465 www.Nespresso.com

Office Coffee Deals (N) Chesapeake, VA www.OfficeCoffeeDeals.net OfficeCoffeePlus.com (N) Ormond Beach, FL 888-391-4646 www.OfficeCoffeePlus.com

Quality Express Coffee Service (N) Tullytown, PA 866-452-8228 www.QualityExpressCoffee.com Royal Cup Coffee and Tea (N) Birmingham, AL 800-366-5836 www.RoyalCupCoffee.com

S&D Coffee & Tea (N) Concord, NC 800-933-2210 www.SDcoffeeTea.com Standard Coffee (N) Atlanta GA 800-962-7006 www.standardcoffee.com Taher, Inc (R) Minnetonka, MN 952-945-0505 www.taher.com

The Gourmet Coffee Co (R) Hialeah, FL 305-698-0991 www.TheGourmetCoffeeCo.com

The Great American Coffee Co (R) Denver, CO 303-357-5268 www.GourmetOfficeCoffee.com The Water Guy (R) Birdsboro, PA 800-924-6841 www.WaterGuys.com Tidewater Coffee (R) Portsmouth, VA 757-399-4323 www.TideWaterCoffee.com

Treasure Valley Coffee (R) Sandy, UT 801-265-2667 TreasureValleyCoffee.net

US Coffee (N) Hicksville, NY 800-776-2866 www.UScoffee.com

Vending Solutions (N) 800-655-7564 www.VendingSolutions.com

Water Boy (R) Bradenton, FL 800-799-5684 www.WaterBoyInc.com

wholesalers

Bell-A-Roma Candles (N) South River, NJ 718-874-9194 www.ACandleCo.com Jazz Candles (N) Shreveport, LA 318-686-8583 www.JazzCandles.com/ wholesale.php The Yankee Candle Company (N) South Deerfield , MA 800-792-6180 wholesale.

YankeeCandle.com

other services Espresso Book Machine (N) P.O.D. in Your Store!

New York, NY 212-966-2222 OnDemandBooks.com Libris (N) Bookstore Insurance Greenwood Village, CO 888-694-8585 www.Libris.org

Paz & Associates (N) Bookstore Training Fernandina Beach, FL 904-277-2664 www.PazBookBiz.com (N) = National Coverage (R)= Regional Coverage To have your business listed call 603-785-0560

A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to TopShelf Authors & Books!

~TopShelf Reviews

“A twist on every page. Hair-raising surprises galore.”

“A mindblowing, thrilla-minute ride.”

~Sandra Brown

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“The Rising will blow your mind.

A great read.”

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~Douglas Preston

“A Pandora's Box that promises to be a thrilling series!” ~TopShelf Reviews

“Nail biting tension, highvoltage action, heartbreak, and hope.”

“A classic in the making.” ~James Rollins

~Meg Gardiner

“Completely unique.

Completely engrossing.”

“A slambang, can’t-put-itdown thriller!” ~Lisa Scottoline

~Brenda Novak 978-0765337917

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

And the authors of ITW’s new anthology MATCH UP, including:

Full Page Ad Welcome to ThrillerFestThrillerFest XII Lara Adrian •XII We’re excited to present a blockbuster line-up featuring: • • • •

2017 ThrillerMaster Lee Child 2017 Silver Bullet Award recipient Lisa Gardner 2016 ThrillerMaster Heather Graham 2016 Silver Bullet recipient John Lescroart

• • • • • • •

Steve Berry C.J. Box Sandra Brown Nelson DeMille Diana Gabaldon Andrew Gross Charlaine Harris

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Lisa Jackson Peter James J.A. Jance Michael Koryta Eric Van Lustbader Gayle Lynds Val McDermid David Morrell Kathy Reichs John Sandford Lisa Scottoline Karin Slaughter

Join us for the FBI workshop, Master CraftFest, CraftFest, PitchFest, ThrillerFest, and more.

ThrillerFest is not just for writers! We encourage all thriller enthusiasts to join the family.

www.ThrillerFest.com Any questions about ThrillerFest, please feel free to contact Executive Director Kimberley Howe at: kimberleyhowe@thrillerwriters.org

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