Page 41 of More than Paper

Kim smiles at me and hands me a card. “I hope you’re staying. Here’s my card. I would love to connect with you and help you get your stories out into the world. Contact me anytime.”

I smile back at her. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you to offer.” I slide the card into my purse pocket.

She pats my shoulder and moves to the front of the room.

Jamison puts his arm around me and grins.

Yep, there’s the cocky look I expected to see on him before I ever met him.

I try to concentrate on Kim. I can’t believe he brought me here. I don’t know why he is pushing this on me. I tried in the past and failed, and I don’t need to keep repeating that.

Kim spends the next hour, leading a discussion on how to get started in the indie community. Several other authors add their input as well. Jamison seems to know most of them and has read many of their books.

Can their books really be that good?

Wow, Quinn, you’ve officially become a publishing snob.

It hits me in the face. I’m judging these authors before I even give them a chance. And from what Kim is saying, these authors are producing more work than they would be if they were picked up by a traditional publisher.

Hmm.

Several newer authors stand up and talk about some issues they are facing. The experienced authors give them suggestions and offer to help them outside the meeting.

Everyone is so nice and helpful.I didn’t expect that.

I take a few notes on some points that stand out to me, and, when it’s done, Jamison and I say our goodbyes to Kim and head back out to the store area.

Jamison’s eyes shine bright. “Well? What do you think?”

I cautiously say, “It was interesting. Kim is nice. So were the others. They genuinely seemed to want to help each other out, which surprised me.”

“Why?”

“It’s pretty cutthroat where I work.”

He grabs my hand and guides me over to the thriller section. “Let’s pick some books.”

“Okay. But I’m not familiar with any of these authors.”

He spends a few minutes looking at the novels and selects several off the shelf. “Start with these.”

“Why these?”

“All four of those authors write very differently, and they are my top four picks.”

I check out the covers and read the back. “They sound interesting. I like the covers, too.”

“My friend is a designer. He created that one.”

“Wow. He’s talented.”

“He used to work for a big publisher here in New York, but he started his own company.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Yeah. You should meet him sometime.”

“During one of my many trips to New York,” I tease.

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