Publishers Weekly ran a piece last Friday on US author Bob Katz. Third and Long is the latest novel by Katz, but unlike his previous books, this one is a collaborative self-publishing project he undertook with Doug Wilhide, a college friend and marketing consultant. Katz has been a midlist author for many years but his could not sway either agent or publisher with his latest novel about a former football star hired as a plant manager in a small town, who must save the community. Katz is has a background in professional speaking, education and also writes on American football and sports.
Together Wilhide and Katz have cobbled a publishing relationship that is part small press and part self-publishing. Wilhide took care of the ISBN, getting the book on all the appropriate databases so that book buyers can purchase it, and the printing. Katz paid for an editor, when Wilhide didn’t feel comfortable copy editing the book himself, as well as a cover designer. Katz also found the cover image of a small town on the Web site of an auto mechanic whose hobby is taking photos of coal towns. And he solicited blurbs like this one from Frank Deford: “an engagingly sweet tale of first impressions, second chances.”
Third and Long: A Novel For hard Times by Bob Katz is published next month. You can read the full PW piece here.
