Doris Booth is founder and president of Authorlink.com, the news and information magazine for editors, agents, writers, and readers. She began her journalism career at age 19 writing weddings and obituaries for a local newspaper, a subsidiary of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She eventually became the company's vice president and the award-winning managing editor. Doris amassed numerous journalism awards early in her career. Her newspaper series on U.S. race riots of the late 1960’s was included in the U.S. Congressional Record. In Washington D.C. and Texas she worked as a District publicist for the third most powerful man in government, then U.S. Congressman Olin E. (Tiger) Teague. She was hired as an investigative reporter by then-Dallas Times Herald Publisher Tom Johnson (later head of the Los Angeles Times). Instead, she turned to advertising and marketing.
After a short stint at a Dallas advertising firm, she opened her own advertising firm, representing Fortune 1000 companies. She produced award-winning video advertising and training pieces. But her first love has always been books and writing.
In 1996, she founded Authorlink.com, ranking among the top 100 best websites for writers. The company also has a literary agency that represents several bestselling authors. Booth has sold projects to St. Martin’s Press, Simon & Schuster, Sterling Press, Berkley Books/Penguin, Farrar Straus Giroux and other dominant houses. The agency is no longer accepting new authors but writers are encouraged to use www.authorlink.com as a comprehensive resource.
She has lectured for a number of writers’ conferences, including the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Whidbey Island MFA Writing Program.
Doris adamantly believes in and supports traditional publishing houses and maintains there is an overwhelming need for curation in the literary world.
However, self-publishing also fills a specific niche. Authorlink‘s production unit has produced more than 200 e-books and print books, using the latest technology.
The challenge for authors today, Doris believes, is in navigating the complex publishing market. One of her primary goals is to provide traditionally-published and self-published authors alike with the resources they need to navigate the publishing process and to get savvier about distribution. Her book, UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF E-BOOK PUBLISHING, GET YOUR BOOKS INTO EFFECTIVE SALES CHANNELS (WITH OR WITHOUT AMAZON), has been cited by Ingram Spark/Ingram Content Group as “A must-have resource…packed with imperative information for navigating the [sales] channels.”
Insights Into Doris
Doris is a slightly reclusive writer, speaker, editor and entrepreneur who relishes people’s stories. Her favorite place is a secluded get-away house in the East Texas piney woods. She hates traffic, noise, and crowds. She also hates fish and likes pizza and Mexican food. She loves being around other creative people and spending time listening to sounds of the woods from her long porch overlooking the forest.
Reading and writing have been Doris's lifelong interest. The books that appeal to her the most are those with heart, and yes, an intelligent “message.” To catch her eye, the story must have shape. Her favorite writer remains Ernest Hemingway who indeed fathered the modern novel. Doris's favorite contemporary is GREEN ON BLUE by Elliot Ackerman, which gave her more insight into the Afghan War than any other work.
She believes most American writers have forgotten how to tell stories, while Europeans still know how. Somewhere out there in America, excellent writers are waiting to be discovered. Getting readers to notice good writers is the ultimate challenge. Authorlink is passionate about helping them achieve that goal.
The Hand on the Wall, Maureen Johnson, Harper Collins - New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson is receiving wide acclaim for the newly-released final chapter in her Truly Devious mystery trilogy.
(Editor’s note: Thanks to excellent feedback from our readers, I have clarified several points in this story. We strive for... View Article
Writing Insights - On the popular website, Quora.com, where I often hang out, my answer to the below question has gotten a lot of views, so I thought our readers might be interested in hearing my answer.
Joan Didion, David Ulin Editor, Library of America - A major literary event: Library of America launches a definitive collected edition of one of the most original and influential writers of our time
Met Her Match, Jude Deveraux, Mira Books - Bestselling author Jude Deveraux is at her best in her latest book, MET HER MATCH. Terri Rayburn is a girl with a reputation.
The O’HENRY Prize Stories 100th Anniversary Edition, Laura Furman Editor, Anchor - Now celebrating its centenary, this prestigious annual anthology gathers the twenty best new short stories published in the previous year.
Bruce Dern is one of Hollywood's most indelible actors. Many moviegoers will know him as the guy who shot John Wayne in The Cowboys. His career has spanned B and Z movies to Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for some of the most memorable performances in modern cinema. He turned down career-making roles in the Godfather and Gandhi, valuing artistic challenge above roles that might have made him rich and famous.
The Big Book of Classic Fantasy, Ann and Jeff Vandemeer, Vintage - For those of us looking to escape the insanity of today's world, here is a book that can immerse the reader into pure fantasy landscapes.
Assassin of Shadows, Lawrence Goldstone, Pegasus Books - Just after 4 P.M. on September 6, 1901, twenty-eight-year-old anarchist Leon Czolgosz pumps two shots into the chest and abdomen of President William McKinley.
A Good Enough Mother, Bev Thomas, Viking - What happens when an experienced therapist starts breaking all her own rules?