Pump Up Your Book Chats with Brine Books, publisher of ‘My Whispers of Horror’

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We are thrilled to be able to talk with Brine Books about their latest release, ‘My Whispers of Horror’.

We are an activist publishing company established as a partnership by a husband and wife in Ontario, Canada. The mission of this business is bring awareness for serious human rights issues around the world, while raising funds to expand our capabilities and to help fund non-profits and charities whose purpose is to better the world.

Our main purpose as a company is to find ways to better the world. We feel that if we fail in this mission then we fail as a business, so we will not give up on our goal. The release of our books and the profits that we raise are meant for this very purpose.

View their site at http://brinebooks.com

ABOUT MY WHISPERS OF HORROR

Women search for happiness no matter where they live. They want to build a life, family, career in order to insure a wholesome future. But in much of the world the patriarchal cultures women are born into simply nip at a woman’s potential and brutally guards the slave-like position that women occupy.

Women struggle as they are bought and sold as property. Their inheritance of an unequal and corrupt system that works against them. All while being enforced by domestic violence which women must deal with alone.

These issues, and so much more, are addressed by the voices of real women in ex-USSR nations. We included anonymous letters that will touch and terrify you on a personal level, while learning what women still have to deal with today.

BRINE BOOKS

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

My wife and I only wrote the foreword and put the book together for publishing. Otherwise the passages were all written by the many brave women from Ukraine and Russia, of whom had suffered from a range of issues there from human trafficking to domestic violence. The issues there are significant as domestic violence itself isn’t even a criminal offense that is punishable by a prison sentence, and traffickers of women for the purposes of sexual exploitation often don’t get a proper sentence even if they’re found guilty. The most they usually get is a small fine.

How women are treated is a very serious issue, and it is in our hopes to draw more attention to the very serious human rights issues in that part of the world.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

To write? Well, if that is the case it would be the foreword as that was all that we wrote. If you mean for the letters that were translated into english. Well it is hard to pin point just one. They’re all very heart breaking to read. There is Ekaterina whom came to New York City expecting a temporary job in hopes to make some decent money, and then build a better life with her family, only to find herself forced into prostitution. Or there is Julianna whom was nearly killed by her own father. The heart breaking trials that these women face was certainly the hardest part of it all. But they’re incredibly important to share.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

Yes. We wish to help people understand what women face in these eastern european nations. We often hear about how bad it is in the middle east or in Africa, but there are many other places in this world that are also suffering. I’m not saying that we should reduce our attention on the others, but we need to also see things on an even more global level. Much of the world is suffering, and only a tiny part of it is doing well. We need to do more. All of us that are doing well have a responsibility to give back. And yes, compared to most of the world we in the west are doing very well even if we are not amongst the rich.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

Publishing bug would be more accurate. We aren’t writers but publishers, as we are merely putting together anthologies and books.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I’m simply a publisher. We put together work that others write. We welcome other writers in the field to share with us.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Don’t give up. There are many publishers from small to large, and you can always try to appeal to a smaller publisher first to build up your audience. Otherwise, as a self publisher or getting the attention of an agent or large publisher… well, its a big up hill battle to fight. So don’t expect success right away.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Yes, Brine Books Publishing is active on twitter, facebook, tumblr, google+, and pinterest. We are quite active in all of them.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

It has changed considerably. Back when I had my education all of the focus was on conventions, celebrity reviews, radio interviews, television, newspaper advertising, and so on. The focus now has moved more toward online discoverability and visibility.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

This has also changed considerably. It used to be that the main way to get published was through a publishing house. Now it has shifted to being both this and self publishers. Some think that publishing houses are a dying trade, in which case I would disagree. I think that it is an evolving trade and those that do not shift with the changing industry will be the ones to have a greater chance of losing their profits.

There is plenty of room for both, as at least with publishing houses they will spend the money for editing, marketing, cover design, etc. and they have more experience than a new self published author. Not only that but they have a little more discoverability and trust behind their name. That is not to say that self publishers cannot do well, but when going with a publisher you already have that trust and discoverability that comes with going with them. As a self publisher you have to build it up from scratch. Some people are prepared for that and quite enjoy that part of it though.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My wife. My family. Yeah, boring, I know. But I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for any of them. The thank you especially belongs to my wife.

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Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

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Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

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M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

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Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

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Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

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Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

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Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

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Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

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Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

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Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

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Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

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Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

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Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

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I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

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Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

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Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

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Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

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Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

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--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

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--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

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--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
-- Lou Aronica, STORY PLANT

"Blog tours have been the most effective promotion I’ve done. Dorothy Thompson and her company Pump Up Your Book are the greatest. I’ve spent money with other promotion companies that advertised packages then didn’t deliver the service they advertised, inflated their audience and reach and point blank falsely represented themselves. Dorothy has been a Godsend, and by far, her services are the best promotional endeavors I’ve invested in thus far."
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--Kathy Holmes Eckardt, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

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--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach