HAPPY BIRTHDAY AQP
Happy
7th
Birthday
AQP
March 2003 - WHERE'S MICHELLE - Romantic suspense, was my first AQP release.
October 2009 – REINCARNATION - Gay m/m erotic romance
My most recent AQP Release
And in the beginning, on the 1st day of October, 2002, Trace, Karin, Laura, Ingrid, EJ/Libby, Catherine/Caitlyn, Barbara/April, and a few others who’ve since moved on, gave birth to Amber Quill Press and launched it kicking and screaming (well, I’m sure Trace probably was) into the wonderful world of digital publishing. The company’s name and trade mark color, a beautiful amber gold, has proved to be the perfect choice because here we are, seven years later, and the golden child is still marching right along in tune with my favorite new motto: ONWARD AND UPWARD.
I joined AQP as an author on September 29, 2002, after receiving an invitation from Trace—a “by invitation only” policy that is still in effect today and one, I suspect, that is largely responsible for the company’s success for the simple reason dealing with literally thousands of unsolicited submissions takes time, money and manpower a fledgling operation either doesn’t have or cannot afford to expend. There are also a number of other AQP policies that are still in place as much today as they were on Oct.1, 2002 such as the company being open and honest with its authors, treating them in the same polite, courteous way they like to be treated themselves, and always paying royalties on time. Probably one of the most important of these policies from the authors’ point of view is that since day one, all novel-length books have gone into paperback, and the company has never used a "sales quota requirement" to decide whether a book would qualify.
I still have a bunch of old emails from those early days (yes, I tend to be a bit of a hoarder), and it was fun to reread some of them and recall people and incidents I’d forgotten about. Like, for example, the start of the Heat Wave contest and a soap-opera style serial romance which, and probably for the best, died a very quick death.
But out of all the memories there is one thing that stands out in my mind from way back then, and that is something Catherine/Caitlyn did. As you may or may not know, the owners and staff of AQP plus some of its current authors previously worked together at another epub. Things were not going well, so Trace and the others quit and started AQP. However, in the time between them deciding to quit and actually leaving, it was business as usual and Catherine okayed the purchase of one of my books she knew would never see the light of day. So what did she do? Instead of keeping her mouth shut, which most people would have done in the circumstances because there’s no way I would have ever found out, she bought the rights to the cover of WHERE’S MICHELLE, my first release, from Trace (who owned them) and gave them to me as a gift. It was, is and probably always will be one of the nicest and kindest things anyone has ever done for me. Thanks, Catherine!
When AQP started out, 60,000 words was the minimum an author could submit, but then readers wanted hotter stories, short stories gained in popularity, and erotic romance with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed became the NEXT BIG THING. I recall we had a lot of fun thinking up names to hide our real identities: such as Trixie Stilletto, and Christiane France. Remember Hot Clue, Beth Anderson’s aka? Although as far as I know she never did publish anything under that name. But back then we had to hide behind something, heaven forbid our families and friends should find out we were writing S M U T.
Now it’s 2009, AQP is 7, and we’re writing gay, ménage, and whatever else turns our readers on, the hotter and kinkier the better, and for the most part, our friends and families think it’s just great. At least mine do. They know what we write is fantasy, not real life, and that our aim is to entertain and amuse not to hurt or destroy.
So, please, join with me and lift a glass of cyber champagne to wish AQP, it’s owners, staff, authors and readers, A VERY HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, and here’s hoping, at the very least, for 7 more golden years.
Actually, today, October 28, is my birthday, and as my mom used to say when I asked how old she was, I’m as old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth.
Have a great day everyone.
Christiane France/Chris Grover
www.chrisgrover.ca
My most recent AQP Release
And in the beginning, on the 1st day of October, 2002, Trace, Karin, Laura, Ingrid, EJ/Libby, Catherine/Caitlyn, Barbara/April, and a few others who’ve since moved on, gave birth to Amber Quill Press and launched it kicking and screaming (well, I’m sure Trace probably was
I joined AQP as an author on September 29, 2002, after receiving an invitation from Trace—a “by invitation only” policy that is still in effect today and one, I suspect, that is largely responsible for the company’s success for the simple reason dealing with literally thousands of unsolicited submissions takes time, money and manpower a fledgling operation either doesn’t have or cannot afford to expend. There are also a number of other AQP policies that are still in place as much today as they were on Oct.1, 2002 such as the company being open and honest with its authors, treating them in the same polite, courteous way they like to be treated themselves, and always paying royalties on time. Probably one of the most important of these policies from the authors’ point of view is that since day one, all novel-length books have gone into paperback, and the company has never used a "sales quota requirement" to decide whether a book would qualify.
I still have a bunch of old emails from those early days (yes, I tend to be a bit of a hoarder), and it was fun to reread some of them and recall people and incidents I’d forgotten about. Like, for example, the start of the Heat Wave contest and a soap-opera style serial romance which, and probably for the best, died a very quick death.
But out of all the memories there is one thing that stands out in my mind from way back then, and that is something Catherine/Caitlyn did. As you may or may not know, the owners and staff of AQP plus some of its current authors previously worked together at another epub. Things were not going well, so Trace and the others quit and started AQP. However, in the time between them deciding to quit and actually leaving, it was business as usual and Catherine okayed the purchase of one of my books she knew would never see the light of day. So what did she do? Instead of keeping her mouth shut, which most people would have done in the circumstances because there’s no way I would have ever found out, she bought the rights to the cover of WHERE’S MICHELLE, my first release, from Trace (who owned them) and gave them to me as a gift. It was, is and probably always will be one of the nicest and kindest things anyone has ever done for me. Thanks, Catherine!
When AQP started out, 60,000 words was the minimum an author could submit, but then readers wanted hotter stories, short stories gained in popularity, and erotic romance with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed became the NEXT BIG THING. I recall we had a lot of fun thinking up names to hide our real identities: such as Trixie Stilletto, and Christiane France. Remember Hot Clue, Beth Anderson’s aka? Although as far as I know she never did publish anything under that name. But back then we had to hide behind something, heaven forbid our families and friends should find out we were writing S M U T.
Now it’s 2009, AQP is 7, and we’re writing gay, ménage, and whatever else turns our readers on, the hotter and kinkier the better, and for the most part, our friends and families think it’s just great. At least mine do. They know what we write is fantasy, not real life, and that our aim is to entertain and amuse not to hurt or destroy.
So, please, join with me and lift a glass of cyber champagne to wish AQP, it’s owners, staff, authors and readers, A VERY HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, and here’s hoping, at the very least, for 7 more golden years.
Actually, today, October 28, is my birthday, and as my mom used to say when I asked how old she was, I’m as old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth.
Have a great day everyone.
Christiane France/Chris Grover
www.chrisgrover.ca
posted by Christiane France at 6:54 AM
6 Comments:
Happy Birthday to you and to AQP!! I remember the first time I ever encountered Trace and AQP. It was a few years ago at the Autumn Authors Affair conference here in Chicago. My old writers group, Love Designers, sponsored it. I attended a workshop given by Trace, talking about AQP and e-publishing with none other than Beth Anderson. We had a blast and there was so much positive energy from that program.
Have a wonderful birthday!
Thanks, Melissa. What happened to Beth? Haven't heard from her in ages.
Christiane
Hey, Chris, Beth is alive and kicking, just not writing erotica so I guess I did sorta kinda drop from the AQ radar, didn't I? I'm fine, still writing, but the book I'm working on is crime fiction, which is my real love. Maybe I'll run into you sometime. Hope so! Meantime, Happy Birthday to my sweet Amber Quill, all of you, IMO the very best of all epublishers.
Cheers, Beth Anderson
Hey, Beth! So pleased to hear that you're still out there, writing up a storm. Be sure to let us know when your next book comes out.
Chris
Happy Birthday, Chris! And AQP :)
In another life, I've had the opportunity to work with several other e-publishers, and none of them come close to Amber Quill. I feel very fortunate, and blessed, to be counted as one of their authors.
Thanks, K.C. I have to agree, AQP is the absolute best.
Chris
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home