Mahoney, Severeid sign
with The Literary Group

Milly Mahoney sure doesn’t act dead.

While the titular character from Susanne Severeid’s mystery novel, The Death of Milly Mahoney does indeed come to an unfortunate demise, the novel itself has been living an active lifestyle since it was first published with iUniverse in the Fall of 2005. The latest milestone is a contract for representation with Frank Weimann of The Literary Group International.

The signing caps a surge of publicity for Mahoney, which has received both the Editor’s Choice and Reader’s Choice designations from iUniverse, that included a review on the POD-DY Mouth blog and a subsequent mention in Entertainment Weekly when that blog was the subject of a short piece in the magazine.

“The POD-DY review was a terrific break,” Severeid said. “Her blog has such credibility, especially since people know her level of objectivity. I felt so honored that she chose Milly over hundreds of other books to review, and that she loved it. To then have the Entertainment Weekly mention come out a short time later; well, you can't buy that kind of publicity. I was very happy when Frank offered to represent me.”

Weimann learned about Severeid and The Death of Milly Mahoney through a scout and elected to take on the project based on that recommendation.

“What we loved most about the book was the style in which it was written,” Weimann said.

Severeid did her research and negotiated before signing with LGI.

“It's a big step, signing a contract; you've got to be sure of what you're signing. I first checked with an attorney friend, and looked over various websites (the Mystery Writers of America has some excellent contract information). I also recommend buying the book, Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers, by Tad Crawford. There was a bit of back and forth along the way, but I don't think I've ever signed a contract or release without making some changes,” Severeid said. “And, having been a model and actress, I had some experience with all that. In agreements, everyone obviously tries to get the best deal for themselves, so consensus is vital. Some advice to other authors: don't let yourself feel rushed, and never sign anything you don't understand or that you don't feel comfortable with. A good contract should satisfy both sides, since once it's signed you’ll be a team, working together. But know what your "deal breakers" are, and be prepared to walk if you don't get them.”

While Weimann is shopping The Death of Milly Mahoney to traditional publishers, Severeid is hard at work on the second in the Trix Donovan series. Donovan is the protagonist in The Death of Milly Mahoney.

“I'm working on the next book in the series and am pleased with how it's coming along. I've even gotten several emails from total strangers who say they can hardly wait to read the sequel, so that's fun, and I'm hearing from librarians who say they can't keep Milly on the shelf, that it's always checked out or has holds,” Severeid said. “I love these characters and want to work with them for a long time if I can.”

Severeid said her iUniverse experience has been nothing but positive and has really helped her get the ball rolling.

“I've been very pleased with the professionalism every step of the way, and with the individuals I've dealt with. iUniverse gives a lot of personal attention and support to the author, and they produce a quality product. Unlike some of the other POD or self-publishing options, iUniverse is honest about what they offer.”

While the fact that the book was previously-published by iUniverse had no effect on his decision to represent the book, Weimann does see some positives with POD.

“I think it is terrific for authors, as it has taken away the stigma that used to exist around 'self-published' books; readers now take these books very seriously,” he said.

The Literary Group International represents a wide variety of titles and authors including Johnny Damon’s Idiot (Crown, 2005) and Mindy Starns Clark’s Blind Dates Can Be Murder (Harvest House, 2006). Upcoming releases include The Alchemyst (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2007) by Michael Scott and The West Point Way by General Joseph Franklin.

To read more about Susanne Severeid and The Death of Milly Mahoney visit http://www.susannesevereid.com/. The website for the Literary Group International can be found at http://www.theliterarygroup.com/.