LMW: It’s a brave new world in publishing. Tell us a little more about the synergy of your new enterprise Astor + Blue Editions. Is it a multi-pronged approach to publishing as an integrated unit like a family, where the literary agent, production, manufacturing, distributing and PR are all under one umbrella?

TV: I think your words are right on, certainly in synch with mine: Publishing is a brave new world. Personally I describe it as a “wild-wild west”, at least in the space A+B is trying to fill. Technology has re-written all the rules, and as a result an exciting new frontier has opened. Ebooks are exploding, but this format, because of its inherent ease and availability, looks deceptively simple to exploit. People think, “Well, just convert the text into a computer file and voila, book! Buy it! Sell it!”  But the best and brightest in the industry understand—no I’m not counting myself among them!—that even though an author writes his/her book, it takes a team to make it the very best it can be and get it ready for publication.

All of that set-up to say this: Yes, at Astor + Blue, we want to fully embrace the Digital Revolution and all its benefits (speed, versatility, limitless reach) but we want to preserve the indispensable aspects of traditional publishing (Editing, nurturing). We believe we’ve come up with the model to accomplish that.  And thus our company catch phrase:  Digital Publishing. Classic Publisher. The kind of publishing we envision can only be achieved with strong relationships in every phase of the process. (If the person/relationship is not directly within our team, then we rely on people whom we know well).  So you actually hit it on the head.  “Family” is the best description for it.  Because ultimately, books are a labor of love, and therefore producing them and preparing them for the general public should involve love as well.  Don’t want to get misty now.

LMW: Who came up the name: Astor + Blue?

TV: There’s actually a log funny story to that, but I’ll spare you. Part of that story is actually on our Facebook page if you’re interested.  The short answer is, my partner and I came up with it, after several tries:  Our office in NoHo lies right next door to the historic Astor Library. So in the long tradition of naming publishers after their locations (Green Street Press, etc.) we adopted Astor, for nearby cross street Astor Place. The name is intimately tied to the classic history of New York, and my partner’s name is Robert Astle also, so there were those connections too.  My contribution was “Blue” (We toyed with “Viardo,” but that was pretentious, come on). “Blue” has a very deep meaning for me. I used it in the name of the PR Firm I helped found (Blue Dot Literary) and marketing/ publicity is one of our company’s main strengths. I also used it in the title of my first novel (not yet published)… but the true meaning of “Blue” to me personally? I’m really not yet prepared to reveal that, so let me just go with the mechanics and process of it, and say that’s how we finally arrived at Astor + Blue Editions.

 LMW: One of the complaints of debut writers is that their publishers spend little to promote them unless they have celebrity status or established platform. How will A & B market their clients?

TV: A+B has a very unique marketing program. We offer a marketing program to our authors that they will not be able to find anywhere else (even from large publishers) without having to pay for it themselves. This may sound self-aggrandizing, but I don’t mean it to be, we worked hard to have this advantage, so I have to tout it.

We provide this specialty as part of our publishing package at contract signing. It’s pretty much our bread and butter so I can’t reveal specifics.  But let me just say that we make a long term commitment to every title we sign. One of our company’s principles is to obliterate the “3 – 6 month shelf life” mentality.  I believe this mindset--accepted as conventional wisdom in the publishing world--is meaningless in the Digital Age; And, as authors can attest, it is damaging for the average title. How many authors have complained that their books were “dropped,”--gone from the shelves--before their real audience even had a chance to find it! We’ve made the commitment that every title we publish will receive our very best marketing over the long term. Thus, A+B’s other company motto: “We widen each book’s readership, and keep it alive indefinitely.”

 LMWigital-first publishing makes good fiscal sense. Can you describe how the A + B revenue sharing will differ from traditional publishing or other forms of digital publishing?

TV: We operate as a proper publishing house, not a digital e-book vendor.  The difference?  When we sign authors we don’t charge them anything. Digital book vendors survive either by charging authors, or by sheer volume. (Publish all comers, and make a few cents per book).  This is fine for self-publishers and I’m not knocking that at all.  But as I said, we want to be a publishing house, with a strong commitment to content, editing and quality.  As a publishing house though, I’m very open in that we do not compete as most do, on the size of author advances. (Establishment publishers have always operated this way). But I say, both authors and publishers have to learn to make money new ways, or risk getting left behind.

A+B’s revenue sharing model is forward thinking, common sense, and I think the most fair to everyone involved.  We’ve bet our survival on the notion that we can make money on the back end, through sales, and we think authors should take that risk along with us, so we’re truly publishing “partners.”  Again, I can’t reveal specifics, but let me just say, we offer the highest revenue split in town (I’m talking NYC here) and that’s not false advertising.

LMW: What do you anticipate to be a reasonable time lag between an e–book and its subsequent print format if sales are strong?

TV: The beauty of Digital First publishing as we define it is freedom and flexibility.  If I believe in a book I have no problem putting the ebook and print book out together.  But again, taking advantage of Digital Publishing’s benefits is putting out the ebook and letting the market talk to you about that book.  Is it selling.  Who’s buying it? Where? The data can even tell you why… immediately.  So optimum case?  Can’t really say, we’re breaking into new territory every day.  But I would think that if an ebook performs, in an ideal world you can put the print version out after a 30 – 60 days.

LMW: Traditionally, authors have little input in the design layout/cover design. Would that be any different with A + B?

TV: I wouldn’t presume to know better than another person what should be the “correct” visual concept for their book.  However, I do have industry experience and observation on my side, as well as the most talented/trained visual design professionals working for our shop.  So on that basis my partners and I would be confident in asserting that we would know best about a cover, and we reserve the right to have final say on the what the cover will look like.  Having said that, I listen very carefully to the author, and try to capture their heart about the essence of that book.  Why wouldn’t I? She/He has created this world, or for nonfiction, he/she is living that world. So far, we’ve usually found a way to work together, but knowing how important the cover is in the market, I understand we have to be quite authoritative about it.

LMW: Can you take us through step-by-step time frame of publishing and marketing a promising author over the course of one year using “The Blue Dot Method”?

TV: Don’t know if I can quite do that, again, that’s our bread and butter.  But for a promising author we can put the full force of digital technology to work.  If an author writes well, and a manuscript is in good shape, we can bring a book to market in 6 – 8 weeks. But editing is an art, and we do not want to take short cuts.  So to answer your question, the author goes through an acquisition process with us, (vetting), if we sign the book goes through rigorous editorial process. Then the manufacturing kicks in, and we work with the best production and manufacturing people in the country at Bookmasters, Inc., our strategic partner. Timing is entirely dependent on the condition of the manuscript, and how much editing it needs.  Once the book is distributed, (again through Bookmasters, Inc., we deploy full distribution to all major retailers) we employ the Blue Dot Method marketing program.  We stick with it at least for a year.

What do you get when you mix sex, drugs, rock 'n roll with cats? The gutsy, new memoir Cat Daddy:What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean by Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet's My Cat From Hell. It's Mother's Day, a day when we honor and celebrate women who nurture their loved ones; whether they have two legs or four. Cat moms have big hearts, and then there is the cat daddy, Jackson Galaxy, who healed his wounded heart and soul thanks to one special cat named Benny. This is a story of broken dreams, reinvention, and triumph over multiple addictions and dark despair. By saving the life of one cat, he inadvertently saved his own life.

They say, we don't choose cats but they choose us. Cats are our secret allies, teachers and healers, if we let them. Benny came into his life sixteen years ago at a time when no one wanted either of them. Jackson, a down on his luck musician and full blown addict, had a hole in his soul the size of a Buick. He found work at a shelter where one of his jobs was performing euthanasia on perfectly healthy pets. By a twist of fate, Jackson's work with animals led him unwittingly toward his life purpose: making a change in the lives of animals. Slowly and after countless adventures, Benny taught Jackson about life, death, acceptance and love. Once you begin reading, you'll be hooked by Jackson's roller coaster ride thanks to Joel Derfer's co-writing wizardry. Derfer captures Jackson's voice and turns it into an alchemy of ink on paper.

This memoir, while gritty, grim and at times shocking is ultimately about love and self-acceptance. When we love ourselves, healing happens and anything is possible, and when we share that love with our four-legged friends, real change is possible. The book is chock-full of over thirty nuggets of cat behavior tips including his mentor Anitra Frazier's now famous "slow blink-I-love-you". Jackson is a man on mission: to end kill shelters everywhere and teach his cat mojo, his tips for better understanding cats.

There have always been cat whisperers and people who speak "cat" but every generation brings new knowledge and wisdom. Jackson Galaxy speaks to a new generation of cat lovers of every age, race and gender, beyond stereotypes, leading hopefully towards a kinder, more humane world where everyone eventually will understand and speak "cat".

Because every cat mom deserves a cat daddy, we are offering a special Mother's Day giveaway. We have not one but two autographed copies signed by the cat daddy himself for two lucky readers to win!

To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment at this post (with a valid email address) and click the Facebook "like" button any time until 11:59 pm ET, May 19, 2012. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. or Canada. Two winners will chosen by randomizer.org and announced next Sunday, May, 20, 2012. For extra chances to win, subscribe to Cat Wisdom or our sister blog the Boomer Muse and/or like our Facebook page

If you simply must have a copy right now, click on the Amazon link in our sidebar or visit the cat daddy at Jackson Galaxy

The publisher Tarcher/Penguin sent me an unedited manuscript of Cat Daddy which I reviewed and several copies of the bound edition. 

May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I awaken to the light
of my own true nature.
May I be healed.
May I be a source of healing
for all beings.

Say this blessing for yourself anytime you feel alone, afraid or out of
touch with the Light within.

May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the Light
of your own true nature.
May you be healed.
May you be a source of healing
for all beings.

Say this blessing for as many people as you wish. If worried thoughts
about loved ones occur during the day, take a moment to send them
a loving kindness blessing rather than a fearful thought.