{"id":3497,"date":"2026-09-11T06:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jajance.com\/Blog\/?p=3497"},"modified":"2026-09-10T21:31:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T04:31:56","slug":"the-girl-from-devils-lake-in-paperback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jajance.com\/Blog\/2026\/09\/11\/the-girl-from-devils-lake-in-paperback\/","title":{"rendered":"The Girl From Devil\u2019s Lake in Paperback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you happen to be a blog reader as well as someone in my newsletter database, please be advised.  I\u2019m using this note to kill two birds with one stone.  Please feel free to disregard one or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During World War II, a company called Avon Books began publishing what were then referred to as \u201cpocket books,\u201d\u2014inexpensive paperbacks small enough that soldiers and sailors could carry them in the pockets of their uniforms. In 1985, when my first Beaumont book, Until Proven Guilty, <\/em>was published by Avon, I was proud to be a part of that long paperback history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time my books sold for $2.65 each. My royalty share for each sale amounted to 25 cents. At one of my book signings, I was asked how much I made per book.  Naturally I answered. At the end of the signing, a man came up to thetable and slammed a quarter down in front of me, saying he\u2019d bought his copy from a second-hand store.  That means I made 50 cents on that one\u2014a quarter for the original sale as well as his. I told him, \u201cThank you very much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there was my least favorite editor from New York City.  As a volunteer, I was designated to pick her up at Sea-Tac and drive her to a writer\u2019s conference at Pacific Lutheran University southeast of Tacoma.  Somewhere along the way, she asked me who my publisher was.  When I told her Avon, she sniffed and said dismissively, \u201cOh, original paperbacks. That\u2019s where anybody who wants to get published can get published.\u201d  I took her to the conference and dropped her off. I have no idea how she got back to the airport, because I sure as hell didn\u2019t take her.  For all I know, maybe she\u2019s still out there, wandering around in the wilds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But all of this is leading up to the fact that I have a long history with paperback readers, and they make up a big part of my readership. So here\u2019s the deal. Joanna Brady #21, The Girl From Devil\u2019s Lake, <\/em>goes on sale September 22.  This is coming at a point when I\u2019m at  90% in the process of writing Joanna Brady # 22, but as they say, that\u2019s another story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And here\u2019s another bit of my personal writing history.  Shortly before Until Proven Guilty <\/em>was scheduled to be published, I asked my sales rep, \u201cWhen\u2019s the party?\u201d She replied, \u201cWhat party? There is no party.\u201d  Then I asked, \u201cWhat about signings?\u201d  Her answer?  \u201cThese are paperbacks.  Nobody signs paperbacks.\u201d  But this girl from Bisbee, Arizona, was about to be published by a New York-based publisher, and if paperbacks were all I had, I was sure as hell going to sign them!  So we had our own party and my agent set up thirty individual book signings, thus pushing Until Proven Guilty <\/em>into an unprecedented second printing.  And the rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this is to say, I truly value my paperback readers and I STILL sign paperbacks.  If you\u2019d like your own personalized paperback copy of The Girl From Devil\u2019s Lake, <\/em>please consider ordering it from Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond, Washington<\/a>.  Please let them know how you\u2019d like the book signed and inscribed if applicable.  At age 82 I can\u2019t travel long distances to do signings, but I can make it from Bellevue to Redmond!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy reading, everybody, and thank you for being all the readers\u2014hardback, paperback, audio, or ebook\u2014who have made my lifelong dreams of becoming a writer come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gratefully,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JAJance<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you happen to be a blog reader as well as someone in my newsletter database, please be advised.  I\u2019m using this note to kill two birds with one stone.  Please feel free to disregard one or the other. During World War II, a company called Avon Books began publishing what were then referred to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t