Finally, an excerpt from SNIPER SHOT has been released! Click on "Books" to get a sneak peek at the prologue of SNIPER SHOT, which is scheduled for a May 1st, 2005 release. Feel free to comment by clicking readermail@barryozeroff.com .

January 3, 2005

iBooks, Inc. has announced that the release date for SNIPER SHOT is May 1st 2005, but the book will likely be on paperback shelves by April 26th. Editing of the final manuscript is nearly complete, and the cover art is finished.

“I’m thrilled with how they’ve done it,” said author Barry W. Ozeroff, referring to the cover. “It’s exciting to look at, and is one of those covers that make you just want to open it up and start reading. And if you like the cover, just wait ‘til you get into the meat of it. Editing the manuscript has taken me a lot longer than it had to, because every time I get into it, I find myself caught up in the story. I wind up reading long segments instead of following the timeline and looking for inconsistencies or sentences that could be worded a little better. But I guess that’s ultimately a good thing. If I didn’t like it, how could I expect other readers of thrillers to enjoy it?

“But as for the cover, it’s bold, a tad mysterious, and very attractive to the eye, especially if you like real thrillers. You can’t tell by looking at it, but the title is embossed in a red flat foil. It’s the type of book cover that leaves you with a desire to see what the story is all about. The teaser line at the top gives you all the information you need to make you know that if you like thrillers, whether military, political, or police, you’re going to like SNIPER SHOT. I really couldn’t be happier.”

Look for SNIPER SHOT this coming May in bookstores, groceries, retailers, and where ever fine paperbacks are sold.

NOTE: You can PRE-ORDER the book thru AMAZON.COM currently by clicking HERE... -webmaster...

July 8, 2004

Barry W. Ozeroff is pleased to announce the sale of Shot of Opportunity to iBooks Inc., a highly successful, medium-sized New York publishing house. Barry’s agent, John Talbot of the Talbert Agency brokered the terms of the sale, which are, as Barry puts it, “more than satisfactory for a first-time author in today’s market.”

iBooks, Inc. has given Shot of Opportunity the new title of SNIPER SHOT, and has reserved an as-of-yet undisclosed Spring, 05 release date for the mass-market paperback debut of the book. SNIPER SHOT, though published by iBooks, Inc., will be distributed nationwide by Simon and Schuster, and will be sold in bookstores, pharmacies, airports, and everywhere quality paperbacks can be found.

Check back often for updates with regard to the exact release date of SNIPER SHOT, information on pre-ordering it, and other exciting news.

11/20/2003

Ozeroff Signs with Reputable Agent

Heretofore unknown author Barry W. Ozeroff Sr. is pleased to announce that he has signed with agent John Talbot, of The Talbot Agency, as his literary representative. Ozeroff, a seventeen-year police veteran, is a former SWAT sniper, and is currently the lead hostage negotiator for the Gresham, OR police department. He has sought an agent of Talbot’s quality for a number of years.

“I’ve had to turn down agents of lesser reputation,” says Ozeroff, “But I knew that the quality of my writing would ultimately lead me to one of the better ones. I truly believe this is the break I’ve been looking for.”

The Talbot Agency is now in the process of finding the right publishing house for Ozeroff’s new police SWAT thriller, SNIPER SHOT. “I’m excited about this book,” Ozeroff says. “It provides a rare look at the inner workings of SWAT within the context of a fast-paced and exciting novel. SWAT is something the average guy wonders about when he sees cops in camo with automatic weapons using military tactics on the news. Now, he’ll get a chance to see what really goes on during one of these tactical operations. I hope to see this book on the shelves within the next twelve to eighteen months.”

SNIPER SHOT is custom-made for The Talbot Agency of Mamaroneck, NY, which represents quality authors of both fiction and nonfiction. Talbot, who is considered an expert at judging what will sell and what will not in today’s jam-packed literary market, numbers among his clients a National Book Award Finalist, a New England Book Award winner, Book-of-the-Month Club and Literary Guild selections, and New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Denver Post, Publishers Weekly, and Wordstock bestsellers. Ozeroff will be joining ranks with other Talbot thriller authors which include the likes of David Kent, John Mackie, Clinton McKinzie, and Joe Buff, to name but a few.

As a matter of fact, it was Joe Buff who helped the writer and the agent get together. Ozeroff and Buff met through Bill Parker, of Parker Information Resources, the webmaster for their respective websites (you can see more about Ozeroff at www.BarryOzeroff.com).

Ozeroff equates his day job with writing. “Being a good police officer requires a great deal of training and concentration,” he says. “You start off with interest in law enforcement, get an education geared toward it, apply to police departments, go to the Academy, and upon graduation, you strap yourself into a police car. When you close the door of that patrol car for the first time, that’s when your real training begins. It ends when you retire.

“Well,” he continues, “being a good writer is much the same. You begin with interest and a love of books, coupled with a creative mind. Your training starts with reading - lots of reading. You hone your skills with practice. Write anything. Stories, a journal or diary, novellas, or full-length books. For me, it took four full-length novels and lots of short stories as practice before I finally achieved the level of expertise where I would be proud to say, ‘See that book? I wrote it!’”

Ozeroff has dreams of hanging up his gun belt and badge in exchange for being a full-time writer. “The novels are stacked up in my mind like airliners waiting for takeoff,” he quips. He also has plans for law-enforcement related nonfiction. When he attains the goal of writing full time, Ozeroff plans on sharing the wealth by teaching creative writing at either the high school or college level.

BarryOzeroff.Com Oregon, USA E-mail: readermail@barryozeroff.com