Monday, July 26, 2010

New Publishing Company for Unknown Writers

This publishing company opens the doorway for writers who are struggling to be heard. Its purpose is to make it easier to have their writing looked at without being scrutinized to the point of having their material tossed in the trash without being given the opportunity of it being read. Catch-It Publication (http://robertcrudup.com/) gives the writer a voice, a sounding board, a vision, and great possibility of making their dreams a reality.

Most writers feel their words are written in stone and cannot be changed at all. Their written words are not to be chiseled or chipped away at any level that might conform to what an editor or publisher might think is best way to tell the story. Writers are adamant in their descriptive creations for the world to see and admired in some case for their refusal to budge with their concept of a story no matter what the editor or publisher might demand. That usually means the end of their story.

In 2010, Robert Crudup, an advent fiction writer who'd been writing stories for over twenty years yet had never caught the attention of any editor or publisher until 2004 when a small publishing company in Brooklyn, New York took a chance on him and published his first novel, "Blood is thicker than Water." It was through this experience that Robert Crudup decided to create his own small, unknown publishing company with the financial assistance of Anthony Faison, who, later on would become the CEO. Neither Robert nor Anthony had any experience in such a wide venture, but through determination, and many struggles, they created Catch-It Publication.

"When you have a fire in your mind and heart and it is burning through you to get out, you let it out. Being a writer, I always felt compelled to create through my cerebral vision," said Robert Crudup, president of Catch-It Publication. "Listening to sentences form in my mind, and then seeking to express that vision on paper while telling a story. Yet, the rejection letters have a tendency to slap you back into reality. I grew tired of being rejected by editors and publishers for my stories. I needed some other reaching point to get my novels out to the mainstream."

Anthony Faison's connection to Catch-It Publication would be his own story in waiting. In 1987 Anthony was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of a New York City cab driver in Brooklyn (New York City Daily News writers: Nancie L. Katz and Owen Mortz on May 15, 2001 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2001/05/15/2001-05-15_13_unlucky_years_2_innocent_.html). For the next fourteen years following that conviction, Anthony would see the horrors of prison and be confronted by the many threatening encounters that might have resulted in loss of life for him if he hadn't put his mind in the law library and began seeking out a justice for his wrongful conviction.

During those years of incarceration, Anthony began writing letters to numerous Congressmen/women, Senators, Community Activist, and many clergy. His drive for freedom would result in him writing over sixty-six thousand letters. One of those letters would eventually prick the interest of a retired New York City detective by the name of Michael Race. With years on the job, this detective would take up the fight for Anthony on the outside by going to the place of the murder and questioning witnesses. His commitment would eventually bring about the immediate release of Anthony in 2001.

For the next two years, Anthony would be constantly reminded of his painful ordeal as he is repeatedly asked to return to court while pursuing a lawsuit against the State of New York (New York City Daily News writer: Ralph R. Ortega on January 16, 2003 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/01/16/2003-01-16_2_divide__3_3m_-_jailed_wron.html). The State of New York admitted its error and awarded Anthony Faison 1.65 million dollars as well as an apology acknowledging that he'd been wrongfully convicted for a crime he hadn't committed.

On September 11, 2003 Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Robert Kreindler the sitting judge who'd impose the sentencing of Anthony Faison as well as exonerating him fourteen years later, retires (New York City Daily News writer Nanie L. Katz on September 11, 2003 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/2003/09/11/2003-09-11_judge_who_tossed_out_convict.html). His statement: "I remember saying that I wish there was a way you could tell when a witness was not telling the truth, that it would be very helpful if every time a person lied, a light bulb would go off." This statement should be written on the stone when altering a person's life by wrongfully convicting them. It is through this erroneous act that Anthony invested in Catch-It Publication to assist the unknown voices who are capable of giving something for the layman to read and something to be proud of. To show his faith in, he is in the process of completing his own book, The Mighty Hand: An autobiography of his life.

Catch-It Publication would like to give all writers an opportunity to let the world see their gift by inventing a contest in which writers are encouraged to send in their material along with a small fee. If their material is chosen, then they are placed on Catch-It Publication's website along with a brief biography, their picture, and information about their book. Included also is a guarantee of receiving fifty published books with the acknowledgment that they are a new writer. This contest is every four months and Catch-It Publication is looking for any and all writers to participate regardless of their writing genre. Currently, Anthony Faison is a police officer in Georgia.

800 Children's Book Reviews On The iPhone

Have you ever gone shopping for a gift book for a child or teen and wondered if the book was appropriate? Getting a hold of an independent review can be tough, because newspaper print editions with book reviews are becoming scarcer, and several of the remaining book reviews don't review many children's or young adult books.

Now, help is available instantly, thanks to a highly useful iPhone book review application called Kids Book Review, developed by Heidi Komlofske and Ross Rojek of 1776 Productions of Sacramento, CA.

"In a time when print newspaper book review sections are on the decline, 1776 Productions is challenging the trend," says Komlofske. "Kids Book Review offers 800 new book reviews at launch, from the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Reviews. We plan to upload about 100 new reviews every month to the app."

The service includes childrens reviews for ages 1-8, tweens reviews for ages 9-12, and teen reviews for young adults age 13 and older. For a one-time expenditure, users will have instant access to hundreds of book reviews - a resource that will increase in number every week.

"No matter where you are shopping for books, if you see a book you are intrigued with," says Rojek, "all you have to do is power up your iPhone and tap into Kids Book Review for solid book information on the spot!. Additionally, if you read a review you like, you can easily put in your favorites folder to find quickly when you are ready to buy it or check it out from the library."

Launched in September 2008, 1776 Productions aims to become a vehicle for readers to find new books and authors and to help create, support, and encourage local writers, publishers, and readers by bring new books of all types to readers in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find format.

Website: http://www.kidsbookapp.com/

Thriller Writers Launch New Collaborative Vook for iPad

Vook, the company that pioneered the integration of text and video into an innovative new mixed media experience, released its newest two-part vook series, "Watchlist," from New York Times best-selling authors Jeffrey Deaver and International Thriller Writers, Inc. (published by Vanguard Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group). The vook includes 34 chapters, each written by a different, well-known thriller writer, along with 26 original videos and a manuscript reading with award-winning actor Alfred Molina, and is indicative of the new possibilities in mixed-media digital publishing.

Based on the popular thriller of the same name and set across two parts, "The Chopin Manuscript" and "The Copper Bracelet," "Watchlist" recounts the adventures of Harold Middleton, an ex-U.S. military intelligence officer and is a collaboration of a who's who of the world's greatest thriller writers, including Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeffrey Deaver, who conceived the characters and set the plots in motion. All participating authors contributed one chapter, each building off the previous section. Deaver brings the series full circle and wrote the first and last chapter of both parts. "Watchlist" seamlessly integrates 34 chapters with 26 corresponding videos shot by two-time Emmy nominee and filmmaker Greg Mocker and demonstrates the potential of new digital devices such as the iPad to revolutionize the way books are created and experienced.

A vook is a digital mixed-media form that blends video, text, images and social streams into a single, integrated experience. Vooks are available on the Web-based Vook Reader and also on-the-go as a unique mobile application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch through the Apple iTunes App Store.

"Vanguard Press is proud to be the publisher of 'Watchlist,' a unique and innovative combination of two serial novels by major best-selling authors," said Roger Cooper, vice president and publisher of Vanguard Press. "We are tremendously pleased that a company as visionary and dynamic as Vook has provided their expertise in mixed media to develop an exciting new platform for this wonderful book."

"There are endless possibilities in digital publishing, and we're experimenting with many genres and production processes to empower writers and thought leaders to share content in new and innovative ways," said Brad Inman, CEO and founder of Vook. "Watchlist introduces a new type of vook, bringing together some of the best minds in the thriller genre to create a new type of collaborative fiction for anyone with an iPad or iPhone."

Since the company's formal launch in the fall of 2009, Vook has experienced impressive momentum, forming strategic publishing relationships with Simon & Schuster, HarperStudio, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and Janklow & Nesbit Associates. The company recently published mixed-media titles by best-selling authors Deepak Chopra, Seth Godin and Anne Rice, as well as a retrospective about landmark rock band Guns N' Roses.

Both parts of "Watchlist" are available now for all Vook formats, including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Please visit http://www.vook.com/ to get your copy today.

BookDaily Launches Author Online Marketing Resource Center

BookDaily.com, the leading source of book samples online, has just launched a new section dedicated to helping authors and book publishers promote online.

The marketing advice is distributed by email through the BookDaily "Author Update" newsletter and then appears on the BookDaily Author sectionin a blog-like format. All authors who register for a free BookDaily author account receive this newsletter, along with the opportunity to post their book samples, biographies and marketing information to readers on BookDaily.com.

Since launching in Spring 2009, BookDaily has distributed more than 21 million book sample chapters. Readers can read the first chapter of a book on the Web site or by email as a way to learn more about a new author or sample a book before buying.

"As the readership on BookDaily continues to grow, our intent is to become a key component of an author's online promotional marketing," said Scott Wolf, CEO of ArcaMax Publishing, BookDaily's parent company. "Our experience in the online advertising world over the past 12 years gives us a wealth of experience that we can share with authors and publishers."

Featured topics in the author resource section of BookDaily include email list building, use of video, SEO, and basic direct marketing concepts like lifetime value of a reader.

"We believe this section will be beneficial to anyone involved in book marketing. Whether one is self-published with one title, or is the marketing director for a major publishing house, we intend to provide relevant content. Because the content will be updated on a regular basis, we expect this section will continue to grow in value," Wolf said.

One useful feature is the stat counters at the top of the section. Visitors can check back daily to see the number of books sampled through BookDaily. Currently the site is distributing more than 136,000 samples per day.

Website: http://www.bookdaily.com/

Sunday, July 18, 2010

5 Book Marketing Do's and Don'ts

In the realm of book marketing there are as many opinions as published works. Everyone has a set plot line as to how to market your book in a way that results in sales and, most importantly, demand for additional material. The climax for both scams and legitimate schemes is the same: fame and fortune. This article will help you sort through the overwhelming amount of information and break it down into simple Do's and Don'ts that will get you headed in the right direction.

Do...

* Write quality content:
Nothing can compete with a well-written book. Take the time necessary time to create excellent material and shun the temptation to write mediocre work for a quick, fleeting buck.

* Take book marketing into your own hands:
Do not place your manuscript into the hands of a publisher, receive your check and walk away. Make sure that you know how you can effectively contribute to the book marketing plan they will implement.

* Utilize social media networking sites effectively:
Take advantage of the connectivity allowed via online social networking sites by making sure it is quality content that is driving people to your sites and sticking around.

* Stay informed of new technology that affects the publishing world (e.g. iPad):
The world of publishing is changing and you will only increase in your effectiveness if you are aware of the changes. Do not allow yourself to become outdated with what's out there in regards to new technology for print media.

* Create an author's business plan:
Those of a more creative bent tend to overlook the idea of a business plan. Take time to consider how what you are writing fits into the long-term income and vision that you have for your career.

Don't...

* Rely solely on publishers for all of your book marketing practices:
Consider going the self-publishing route for greater control of the marketing of your book. If you decide to go with an established publisher, let it be known that you desire a say in the book marketing plan.

* Inflate your followers on social networking sites:
Yes, we all know of celebrities who have over one million followers on Twitter but an author needs more than a pretty face to generate sales. Make sure that you are connecting with people on social media sites that are potential readers, not faceless followers.

* Skip over cover design:
An effective cover is an excellent tool in creating buzz for your book. Find a creative designer who will help you create a cover that pops in the eyes of a reader. How many times have you picked up a book simply because the cover was interesting? How often have you overlooked a book because the cover failed to impress?

* Assume your book will sell:
Authors cannot be passive in their book marketing strategy. Do not wait until after your work is finished to think about how you will sell your book. Throughout the writing process be jotting down thoughts and ideas that will eventually help create your marketing plan.

* Rely on cheesy viral marketing plans:
This once again comes back to the idea of quality. If you have a publisher who insists on viral marketing to market your book, aim for videos that do not discredit the value of what you have written. Aim for inanity but instead of insane gimmicks focus on creativity, humor, emotion and interesting confrontation to generate buzz.

These are just a few Do's and Don'ts to get you started and help you sustain your career as a published author.

BookDaily and Email Transmit Develop Email Marketing Platform for Authors

BookDaily.com, the leading source of book samples online, has entered into an agreement with Email Transmit to provide email marketing services to authors. The partnership is designed to help authors use email marketing to connect with readers joining their email lists through BookDaily and other online marketing endeavors.


The Email Transmit solution for BookDaily authors includes author newsletter templates, email list management, tracking, reporting functions, and email marketing expertise. (Authors can sign up for the service at http://emailtransmit.com/sign-up-now and use discount code "BD50" to get a special BookDaily discount.)

According to book industry statistical source R.R.Bowker, 764,448 book titles were self-published in 2009.

BookDaily was launched in May 2009. The bookdaily.com website features the first chapter of more than 80,000 books. In its first year, BookDaily distributed more than 10 million sample chapters to readers on the website and by email. The company has more than 25,000 full reader accounts and currently maintains 150,000 email subscriptions.

Global Children's Publishing Market to Reach $9.66 Billion by 2015

Global children's publishing market is projected to reach about US$9.66 billion by the year 2015. Growth in the market is especially driven by factors such as population growth, changing lifestyles, higher emphasis on education, growing readership, increased spending on education by governments and parents.

The proclivity for bright, colorful books with magnificent art, captivating stories, tales that revere magical creatures, exotic places, and the ingenuity of many traditions has long flourished the children's publishing industry. Unlike in the past when children's publishing was synonymous with simple rhyming rhymes, folk & fairy tales, and sing-along songs, children's books have evolved as primary source for learning for young children. Parents view books as a positive and educational way of interacting with their child. Most parents consider infancy a crucial time for developing language skills, and therefore children prior to age one are read to at home. From purchasing popular books, to giving books as gifts, rewarding kids for reading books, to persuading reading-related activities on Internet, parents try variety of tactics to encourage reading.

Although the children's book market offers attractive growth opportunities, it is not easy for publishers to succeed. Major publishing groups and several small, independent children's book publishers are pitched against each other for a small share in the market. Children's publishing industry worldwide is presently in the midst of a radical transformation, with innovative and new reading formats offering broader opportunities for growth. In a digitized world, a mixed bag of opportunities, and challenges awaits the children's publishing industry in the upcoming years. As stated by the new market research report on Children's Publishing, the US, and Europe together accounting for approximately 77% of the global Children's Publishing market estimated in 2009.

These days, children are more fascinated by electronic media sources such as video games, and outdoor sports at an early age. Reading of short stories, novels, plays and poetry has ceased to be a leisure time activity for young adults. They would rather spend their leisure hours watching television or at the computer, weaning out of the traditional book reading at a relatively earlier age. Sensing the demographic changes and its impact on reading habits, publishers are pining their hopes onto newer modes of book publishing as interactive publishing. Interactive book publishing, a niche area of book publishing, is widely perceived as a high growth segment. Interactive publishing is presently adopted for storybooks, fiction, children's/ juvenile books and academic books, mainly school college textbooks. Collaborations amongst content companies and the interest shown by multimedia companies have helped the generation of interactive content.

Key players in this marketplace include Barefoot Books Inc., Barnes & Noble Inc., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., Candlewick Press Inc., Disney Publishing Worldwide, Hachette Book Group, Hodder Headline Plc., HarperCollins Publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Lee & Low Books, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., Oxford University Press, Parragon Books Ltd., Pearson Education Ltd., Pelican Publishing Company Inc., Pearson Plc., Penguin Books Limited, Random House Inc., Scholastic Corporation, Simon & Schuster Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Barnes & Noble.com, and Grolier Ltd., among others.

The report titled "Children's Publishing: A Global Strategic Business Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a review of noteworthy market trends, growth drivers and challenges. The report in addition also enumerates recent acquisitions, and other strategic industry activities. The report offers latent demand estimates and projections for World Children's Publishing market in dollar sales for the following regions: US, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World. The report offers latent demand estimates and projections for US Children's Publishing market by following product segments: Hardbound and Paperbound Books.

For more details about this market research report, please visit – http://www.strategyr.com/Childrens_Publishing_Market_Report.asp

Bookshare Crosses 100,000-Member Milestone

Bookshare (http://www.bookshare.org/), the world's largest online accessible library of copyrighted content for individuals with print disabilities, today announced a milestone event -- surpassing 100,000 qualified members around the world.

Bookshare's Publisher Program also crossed a substantial milestone, with more than 60 publishers from a wide range of publishing sectors agreeing to contribute digital files to Bookshare for worldwide distribution. These files expand Bookshare's library with current popular fiction and nonfiction titles, academic and scholarly works, textbooks, and educational materials.

The University Partners Program has grown substantially and has over 20 university partners regularly contributing books scanned on local campuses to Bookshare, helping to build a collection of postsecondary textbooks for all qualified students around the United States. This growing collection reduces the costs and redundant effort of producing accessible books on U.S. campuses.

Bookshare's very loyal volunteers, numbering over 2,200, have contributed over 25,000 books across all genres through their dedicated scanning and proofreading efforts. Volunteers have also applied their energy and talents to activities from engineering to outreach.

Through an exemption in the U.S. copyright law, (17 U.S.C. § 121) known as the Chafee Amendment, Bookshare serves a community of individuals with qualified print disabilities, such as visual impairments, physical disabilities or severe learning disabilities that affect reading. Proof of disability is required for membership. The library offers over 72,000 books, including K-12 textbooks, postsecondary textbooks, teacher-recommended reading, literature, children's books, reference works, and newspapers and magazines. Members can download books in the latest DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) and BRF (Braille Ready Format) file formats.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Writing an E-Book to Make Money by Lance Winslow

Indeed, just about every American has at one time considered writing a book about something. Obviously, there are millions of books published, and you can tell just by going to your local library, or going to one of the large bookstores. There are books everywhere, and even in the future as electronic books become more popular and e-book readers become the way of the future, there will still be plenty of people who will want to have their say and put their thoughts into words.

Then, there are folks that don't really care much or have a passion for what they write about, rather they are writing books to make money. They realize that perhaps they don't have the literary background to secure a publisher to create a real book, nor do they have time to chase down the fewer and fewer remaining publishers to help them produce their work.

They'd rather create a book using electronic methods, using the word processing tools on their computer. Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine from Australia said she wanted to write an e-book, and she needed to finish it fast and start selling it within the coming months, because she didn't want to lose her home, and this was her idea to make money.

Not to crush anyone's dream, but writing an e-book to make money and then selling it online, may not be the way to go, most people don't make very much money selling e-books, if you don't have the passion; it is less likely to make any money.

Therefore, I told her; "Why don't you get a job? I do not see how you are going to make money with this eBook you are creating. I mean have you made any money doing this eBook Marketing at all? It doesn't make any sense to me, I mostly see a bunch of scam artists out there promising the world trying to con suckers into buying garbage eBooks. Why would you wish to be anywhere near them?"

Perhaps, my advice to you is that if you create an eBook then needs to be something of value. What I find is far too many people are creating e-books that are less than 10,000 words, hardly a book, and then selling them for $39.95 online telling other people how to create and sell e-books or how to market on the Internet to unsuspecting customers.

Personally, I am alarmed at the number of people who write e-books to sell to article marketers and other Internet marketers, because in a way they are enabling them, and a good many of the marketers online are not ethical. And although a few are legitimate, I am quite certain, these e-book writers do not seem to be worried that they will be assisting less-than-ethicals who are selling fraudulent stuff online. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes inn ethical writing, eBooks included.

Author Gives the Hard Truth about Self-Publishing; Little Book, Big Buzz

When New Hampshire author Kenneth Tingle self-published The Girl in the Italian Bakery, a gritty memoir about growing up poor in the inner-city, he didn't know what to expect. Tingle had to approach bookstores himself to even get the book stocked. It exploded in the local area, selling over 5000 copies in ten square miles. The reviews were five-star at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, readers urged their friends to read it, and local schools had their students using it. Tingle has been on radio shows, local television, even in the Boston Globe. Sounds like a Hollywood success story. This is not the case.

Over 100,000 people self-publish a book each year, hoping to hit the big time. Most will sell copies to friends, family and co-workers; maybe a few more. Tingle has some advice for them: "People need to know what they're getting into. When you self-publish the marketing falls completely on you. Many of these companies claim to have great marketing or distribution. Listing a book on Amazon will do nothing; there are close to 5,000,000 books listed there. If people don't know your book is there, they won't buy it, period. The truth is they will try to sell you copies of your own book, that's it. This is how they make their money (along with their original fee for editing and cover design). My book has sold over 5000 copies and it is still an uphill battle. I'm still trying to get decent distribution."

Currently, Tingle is trying to sell the rights to a larger publisher who can put it in bookstores nationwide. The book may in fact break out on its own -- it is described as a "sleeper" by some readers, and currently has a five-star rating at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. So if you're thinking of self-publishing, you may want to heed Tingle's advice. But definitely check out The Girl in the Italian Bakery.

Visit the author's website at http://www.thegirlintheitalianbakery.com/

Embattled Self-Publisher Gives Advice on Selling Books

Penelope Thompson, the author of "How to Sell Thousands of Your Self-Published Book" was the poster girl for the struggling self-publisher. After selling 20,000 copies of her own books without the help of a traditional publisher, she has advice and a story to tell other money-strapped self-publishers who are desperate to learn how to sell books.

Imagine quitting your job then losing $10,000 on your first failed self-published book, and having to dump thousands of books out in the trash. That was Penelope Thompson's unfortunate reality a decade ago. Since then, she's learned countless marketing and sales techniques for how to sell books that have led her to sell over 20,000 copies of her own books.

Penelope is the author of a handy information-packed eBook on how to sell books as a self-publisher entitled "How to Sell Thousands of Your Self-Published Book."

"I can't believe how hard it is to find a resource on or offline that tells you in simple terms how to sell books," Penelope says, "As a small self-publisher with a bunch of books piled up in your living room, all you want to know is 'how do I move these rectangular cardboard boxes out of my house already!'"

Thousands of self-publishers across the world have a similar story. In fact, over 93% of authors barely manage to sell 1,000 copies of their books after release (Source: Steve Shapiro). That's a far cry from the tens or even hundreds of thousands of books that many new self-publishers think they'll sell.

Penelope went so far as to hit the streets of NYC to sell copies of her books. She suffered through hot days, fickle pedestrians, and carrying heavy bags of books down packed city blocks. She discusses this wild yet rewarding experience in the eBook.

"Selling my books from a table on the street was one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life, but it taught me some very important lessons about what it takes to turn a book browser into a book buyer and how to get word out about your book," Penelope recalls.

Instead of giving her readers an idealistic goal to shoot for, Penelope's eBook on how to sell books focuses on a more realistic goal for a self-publisher : how to sell a few thousand copies of your books in a short period of time using basic book marketing tips, concepts, and methods.

"Of course everyone's results will be different, and it depends largely on how interesting or informative the book is, but I think selling about five thousand copies of a well-written self-published book is a realistic goal if you follow all of the instructions in my eBook."

The "How to Sell Thousands of Your Self-Published Book" eBook is a whopping 23 chapters, packed with information that self-publishers want to know about how to sell books including:

- How do you get the attention of strangers so that they will look and buy your book at book signings?
- How to sell cases of your books rather than just a few at a time
- Is it a good idea to place radio or printed ads for a book?
- How to sell books online -- instructions for setting up a book website that draws traffic and sales
- How to tell the "story" behind your book to create an instant sale with anyone

At just $9.95 to start (for a very limited time--discounted price guaranteed until 7/10/10) this eBook is one of those rare situations where the value greatly exceeds the price. As one of her eBook subscribers commented, "No matter how good a product my book is, a sound marketing plan is what will make it sell." Penelope's how to sell books eBook helps self-publishers develop that sound book marketing plan.

Visit the how to sell my books website to learn more about the eBook. If you want to read free book marketing tips and tricks, follow her blog at http://blog.howtosellmybooks.com/

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Writing For Writers - Piecing Together Your First Book by Mark A Brown

Have you ever had a book idea you wanted to write, but you didn't know where to begin? You had a basic plot outline somewhere in your head, but things just don't seem to come together. I've had periods like that, but there's a way to solve the problem. The solution is piecing your book together.

I'll explain.

I can't speak for everyone, but when I have a book idea I usually have most of the major events of a plot locked somewhere in my mind. I write down each plot event in the order that I believe they should appear in the book. An example might be:

Boy meets Girl.
Girl meets other Boy.
Boy shoots other Boy in kneecap.
Boy goes to prison.
Boy gets out of prison and saves the world.
Girl falls in love with Boy.
Boy marries other Girl. (That'll teach her for not writing Boy in prison.)

Okay, the plot stinks, but it's only an example.

Piecing allows the writer to write a short story about each major plot event. When the writer gets all his short stories done he will then be required to connect point A with point B, point B to point C, and so forth.

Before I put the pieces together I check the characters in each piece and insure that they are believable (consistent) for each section. If they are not consistent I need to work on character development. I may need to add or delete a character to make the jump from one section to another.

Does each section supply tension on its own? Is it needed to further the plot? I have found if my short story doesn't work within the plot I may have to delete it. (But I still have a short story to market.) Sometimes I discover the section needs some tweaking to be believable or interesting.

Tension should be involved in every segment. If tension isn't present in the segment then maybe the section is unnecessary. (Nobody said this was easy.)

Piecing helps me discover subplots within plots that make the work more interesting. I discover different options for piecing the segments together.

I found that instead of being restrictive piecing opens a whole new set of possibilities for plot twists, turns, and reversals. It lets me see the whole work while I work on each segment.

Lastly and most importantly, I don't become overwhelmed by the project. I can take one slice at a time and savor it.

Copyright 2010 J-me

Award winning author, Mark Brown, who writes under the pen-name, J-me, invites you to receive your free subscription to the Mason Bricklin Newsletter. Each family friendly monthly issue features a humorous short story, and articles about family, writing, internet marketing, and the amazing creation. Or visit his humorous books and stories site which features his award winning humorous book, Mason Bricklin: http://www.masonbricklin.net/.

Scholastic Award Winning Youth Author Opens Publishing House

Amid the turmoil of the book publishing industry there are still many new start-ups that venture forth. Clayborn Press, LLC is one such newcomer. They come onto the scene with a fresh look at the industry and are poised to take advantage of the advances in technology. Company owner Johnathan Clayborn said "We are quite different from any other publishing house that I have seen."

Clayborn Press was launched back in November of 2009 by Johnathan Clayborn. Mr. Clayborn, already a published magazine article author, wrote fiction and science fiction as a youth and was awarded first place in a youth Scholastic writing competition. His love of books is part of what compelled him to start this venture. Unlike most of the other smaller presses, Clayborn Press does have this much going for them; most of their staff writes. The company website claims that they are "...a new type of publishing company based on old-fashioned ideals and set to take advantage of all of the benefits of our current technological age."

Clayborn Press offers books in POD and e-book formats. They have a number of authors signed on with them already and are set to release several more books before year's end. Clayborn Press offers books in both black and white and full color and is discussing the possibility of releasing Children's Books before the end of the year.

"As a business, I feel really confident about our abilities" says Clayborn. "We have a great staff who all love books, we understand the need to put pen to parchment and pour your heart and soul into a book, and we have a lot of technically experienced people who are set to help us take advantage of the e-book trend."

Clayborn Press prides itself on their taking the time to help new authors cultivate and mature their talent. Their books are currently available through Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and many other retailers.

About Clayborn Press: Clayborn Press is a small publishing firm that was founded by authors with authors in mind. Clayborn Press is based in Glendale, Arizona and publishes and distributes books worldwide.

Upheavals in Book Publishing Lead Industry Execs to Launch 'Somersault'

The ways people buy and read books have undergone revolutionary change in the last half decade. Book publishing is the latest major media to transition to the digital age. As a result of this shifting landscape, five publishing executives with more than 125 years of collective experience are teaming with international branding and marketing firm Grey Matter Group, Grand Rapids, MI, in launching Somersault Group, doing business as Somersault.

"For Somersault, the unprecedented changes in the publishing world aren't a crisis; they're a playground of possibilities," says John Topliff, General Manager. "Somersault will help clients embrace change and leverage it to fulfill their mission." Topliff comes to Somersault from Zondervan, a HarperCollins company (a division of News Corp.), where he was Vice President of Strategic Product Integration.

Due to rapidly churning communication technology and seismic shifts in the book market distribution landscape -- from the Internet to eReaders and the iPad to individual book print-on-demand capability -- publishers expect authors to take more responsibility for the development, promotion, and sales of their books. Somersault will help publishers, agents, ministry partners, and Christian authors adapt to these changes with dexterity. It combines the experience and vision of Somersault publishing executives with the integrated marketing and technology expertise of Grey Matter Group digital natives. Somersault will provide authors with brand counseling, editorial direction, research capabilities, marketing strategy, Internet and social media presence, and a comprehensive portfolio of publishing assistance.

Somersault's mission statement is: To change lives by connecting inspirational content creators with readers using exceptional creativity, right-now technology, and old-fashioned personal care.

According to John Sawyer, Brand & Marketing Strategist, Somersault will honor good ideas and the creative people who embody them. "We believe in the power of books to change lives, and are committed to help authors tell their stories and actively engage their readers," says Sawyer. "Somersault wants to be known for its nimbleness and responsiveness. Anticipating and embracing the future, being attentive to consumer behavior, inviting collaboration, and encouraging entrepreneurship are our core values, as we operate within the framework of having fun and reflecting the kingdom of God. We'll seek and find for our clients 'blue water' opportunities (uncontested market space), be they pond, lake, or ocean."

Somersault is an alliance of book industry executives who have a professional and personal passion for Christian publishing. The managers are:

* John Topliff, General Manager. In his most recent position at Zondervan, Topliff worked with bestselling authors, including Philip Yancey, John Ortberg, Anne Graham Lotz, and Rob Bell, to maximize their content across all publishing divisions. His career experience includes positions at Baker Publishing Group, Revell, HarperCollinsPublishers, and Spring Arbor Distributors. Topliff has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, and a Masters of Divinity Degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL.

* Jeannette Taylor, Research & Development Architect, responsible for product development and marketing strategies, and supervision of all research functions for Somersault. Taylor is the owner of the research firm JET Marketing and an adjunct Marketing Professor at Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI. She is the former General Manager of Bibles and Vice President of Marketing at Zondervan.

* David Lambert, Editorial Director, responsible for managing the editorial development process for each manuscript for Somersault. Lambert is the owner of Lambert Editorial. He is the author of ten books (including last year's The Missionary); speaker; former Senior Fiction Editor at Howard Publishing, a division of Simon & Schuster; and former Executive Editor for fiction at Zondervan.

* Jonathan Petersen, Social Media Marketing/WOM/Publicity Evangelist, responsible for creating the Internet marketing and publicity strategy for all Somersault authors. Petersen is the former Senior Director of Corporate & Internet Communications at Zondervan and Religion News Editor at UPI Radio Network. His microblog (twitter.com/jonpetersen) is a featured recommendation in the twitterati, marketing, and social media categories on Alltop.com.

* John Sawyer, Brand & Marketing Strategist, responsible for developing brand identity and positioning strategies for authors to help them build loyal readership and long-term value. Previously Vice President of Bible Marketing at Zondervan and Director of Marketing at Baker Publishing Group, Sawyer is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Grey Matter Group.

BooksOnBoard and Stanza Join Together on the iPad

BooksOnBoard and iPad now offer a full-sized reader solution for customers on the iPad with full backward compatibility for iPhone customers. In partnership with Amazon's Stanza eBook Reader, BooksOnBoard provides customers a world class tablet-based eBook reading experience.

"The Stanza iPad reader provides our customers with a bright, easy to view eBook reader" said Bob LiVolsi, president and founder of BooksOnBoard, "And it's completely backward compatible so customers that have invested significant dollars for our eBooks on the iPhone can now read them on the iPad as well as Nooks, netbooks, laptops and PCs"

The new Stanza puts to use one of the iPad's distinguishing features: its large screen size and image clarity. As a result, BooksOnBoard customers are now provided with a non-pixilated, full-screen view of their eBooks that offers an unparalleled eBook reading experience.

Amazon's Lexycle released the updated, iPad-compatible version of its popular eReader app, Stanza earlier this month. Stanza 3.0 now offers its users numerous new features and fixes, including extensive customization options, comic book support, and a streamlined means of transferring eBooks to and from the device.

These new developments affect both past and future customers; BooksOnBoard eBooks previously purchased for use on an iPhone are now compatible with the iPad, making readers' libraries accessible from both devices.

BooksOnBoard (http://www.booksonboard.com/) is the largest independent online retailer of eBooks.

Publishing in Today's Fast-Changing Multimedia Landscape

What does it mean to "publish" in today's fast-changing multimedia landscape? You can be a journalist overnight by starting a blog on, say, grammar, as lawyer-turned-publisher Margie Blumberg has. You can work with a New York editor, as Margie Blumberg does with Emma Walton Hamilton, who is Editorial Director of The Julie Andrews Collection. And you can publish traditionally in the form of hardcover & softcover books – or in new and emerging formats, like iPad, Kindle and iPhone App – all of which Ms. Blumberg is doing with a charming line of bunny books, a grammar guide book, and a Jewish-interest story inspired by true stories of friends and family near her home in Bethesda, Maryland.

Options abound and there are no wrong answers. But it's a matter of finding the right resources, bravely exploring new territory and setting standards to produce a quality product. Easy when you have dedicated creative and R&D departments, more challenging when you're an individual. Blumberg's fairly new into the game, but her first MB Publishing company picture book, Sunny Bunnies, received a Mom's Choice Gold Award for Bedtime Stories and her non-fiction guidebook, The Scoop on Good Grammar, received a Mom's Choice Gold Award for Educational Products. She has published two hardcover picture books (Sunny Bunnies and Avram's Gift – also in paperback) and a non-fiction e-book (The Scoop on Good Grammar – tied to her weekly blog on the topic), and she has licensed two picture books, available in the iTunes App store (Breezy Bunnies – released in April - and Sunny Bunnies - a late June release) through PicPocketBooks. Breezy Bunnies and Sunny Bunnies are also available for iPad, and the books are in development for other formats.

According to Blumberg, "It's not easy without some foundation, but it is exciting and rewarding. It probably helped that I had gotten a patent for an electronic memory pad back in 2008, so I had a context for understanding the technology going in. I had also co-authored a Shakespeare biography for kids for the Chicago Review Press and had done my own recipe desk calendar years ago, so I knew the process and what I wanted to achieve."