First-Time Author Takes Readers on a Thrilling Ride Around the World

La Jolla, CA (PRWEB) June 09, 2011

Crisscrossing the globe to investigate intertwined kidnapping and terrorism cases, Joe Abraham serves as the special assistant to president of the United States. As Abraham tracks down leads and uncovers clues his investigation, he stumbles upon an astonishing discovery with national security implications. Threats and danger loom ominously in the new exciting mystery thriller, Code Name: Merlin (published by AuthorHouse), by George Wise.

Wise crafts a masterful international thriller in which his stealthy and resourceful main character, Joe Abraham, investigates the mysterious disappearance of women from military bases. His investigation takes him to San Diego where many of these puzzling disappearances occurred. There, he lands his first big clue ? the missing women were all photographed at the same studio.

As more clues add up the mystery behind the disappearances begins to unravel. Joe Abraham implicates a Saudi Arabian prince as the prime suspect for the kidnappings, but his investigation soon reveals the shocking extent of the prince?s anti-American motivations. Abraham has uncovered more than he could have imagined ? a threat to national security!

Code Name: Merlin is a thriller in the same vein as books by Tom Clancy, John Grisham, and other mystery/thriller greats. This new book is sure to grab readers who are ready for an electrifying, globe-trotting, politically-charged adventure.

About the Author

George Wise is an international businessman with a degree from Pepperdine University. When not traveling, he makes his home in La Jolla, California with his wife and two dogs.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry?s only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse will celebrate 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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More John Grisham Press Releases

New Book by Author Rick Cook Highlights Exciting New Opportunities for Authors, Readers

(PRWEB) July 19, 2011

?Shift Happens: The New E-Publishing Paradigm And What It Means For Writers,? by Rick Cook, is about the exciting changes in the publishing industry and the opportunities it offers to authors and readers. It is currently available on Amazon Kindle for $ 2.99.

?Ebooks enormously increase choices for readers and put authors instead of publishers in the driver's seat,? says Rick Cook, noted science fiction author who wrote the book based on his experiences with conventional and e-publishing.

Cook says the book's price of $ 2.99 reflects the changes. ?The fact is that ebooks are so cheap to publish that authors can cut their prices substantially and still make money. If ?Shift Happens? were published in the regular manner it would be a $ 15 or $ 20 book.?

?The choice also becomes much greater with ebooks,? Cook says. ?With no publisher to act as gatekeeper a lot more books will be available.? Cook notes that not all ebooks are of high quality, but many of them are.

The ebook model also offers major advantages for authors as well. ?With ebooks authors don't have to mess with the dysfunctional and increasingly closed system of conventional publishing,? says Cook, who has 6 science fiction and fantasy novels in print. ?If the book satisfies the author, that's all it takes.?

This is in sharp contrast to conventional publishing where the opportunities for authors, especially new ones, have been shrinking as publishers' outmoded business model produces more economic stress.

?John Grisham's first book was rejected by 28 publishers,? Cook points out. ?Louis L'Amour collected 350 rejections. What would have happened if Grisham had stopped after the 27th rejection? Or L'Amour after 200 or so? How many wonderful books are sitting in desk drawers because the authors folded under the avalanche of rejection??

?The amazing thing is how quickly this has happened,? Cook says. ?The first big uptick in ebook sales came in November and December of 2010 and Amazon's announcement of a 70 percent royalty rate in January 2011 sealed the deal.?

Cook noted that several ebook millionaires went from selling only a few copies of their ebooks in 2010 to selling hundreds of thousands of copies a month in 2011.

Cook cautions that ebooks are not a get-rich-quick scheme. ?The fact is that you have to work hard,? he said. ?First you need a good book and then you have to promote it heavily to get noticed and drive sales. It's not difficult, but it is work, work that has to continue as long as you want the book to keep selling.?

Cook also points out that most of the major outlets have no upfront costs to the author. ?It's essentially free to publish your book,? Cook says. ?The publisher makes money off the sales of the book, not the author.?

The name of the book ?Shift Happens? came from Cook's friend and fellow author, the late G. Harry Stine.

?Harry used to say that the thing about paradigms is that shift happens,? Cook recalls. ?He was sure right about ebooks.?

?Shift Happens: The New E-Publishing Paradigm? is available for $ 2.99 from Amazon Books Kindle Store.

Editors

For More Information

Contact

Rick Cook

rickcook(at)rickcook(dot)biz

602-973-6012

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