March 2007 Newsletter #36


	Still Marching On... by: Jay Johnson Be sure to check out: The Aton Project Newsletters at: http://www.self-publishinghelp.com/TheAtonProjectNewsletters.html. This newsletter, by author Tony VanSluytman, has been receiving rave revues despite it not being directed to writers. and FREE Writing Course http://creativewritingworkshop.info. We are quite proud of the contributions of these two dedicated authors and wish for you to learn more about them. * Moonspinners Writer's Page (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com), the website of Maureen McMahon, has been voted one of the 101 Best Websites by Writer's Digest 2006 - specifically her Ask The Experts section, created in collaboration with fellow author Fran Silverman (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com/bookmarketing.html). The Experts Site is composed of 150 subscribers to Fran’s newsletter, Book Promotion Newsletter (http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com), who answer book marketing questions at no charge. Download: 10 Ways to Promote Your Book... Welcome our two (2) sponsors...** ADRdomainsPlus.com for Your Domain Names and Internet Products BOTH have GREAT rates and EXCELLENT service A New Radio Show... A new radio show devoted to book marketing made its debut on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 on Achieve Radio, noon to 1 p.m., MST. Host Francine Silverman will talk with authors, publishers and publicists, providing listeners with a unique perspective on book promotion. To access Book Marketing with Fran, go to http://www.achieveradio.com and click “Click to Listen” at top of page. Should you miss the show, click “Shows & Hosts” on the left and scroll down to Fran’s show and click, “More-Click Here” for the archives. Patricia Fry, president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network) and author of 24 books, will be Fran’s first guest. Patricia’s latest book is The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (Matilija Press 2006), a comprehensive guide for hopeful and struggling authors. Fran is author of Book Marketing from A-Z and editor publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com Screenwriting Advice Article! You are the Box Office Smash: The Personal Screenplay by Gordy Hoffman Right this very second, in the heart of every struggling, undiscovered screenwriter, in the dark, hidden corner deep within, there is a voice, a clear whisper, saying one thing: You're never gonna figure this out. And this is not referring to the story with its gaping hole, the finale missing a payoff, the hit and miss humor, the flat title. I'm talking about freedom. The freedom to work as a screenwriter. Compensation for a home for family and a life. The resources to wake up and ply your craft and pay the freight, without obstacle. The chance to see your writing made into pictures, to work with the industry's best, to fulfill this goal of professional screenwriter. Hollywood success. Behind this voice is the idea that somehow, some way, you'll find the hero, or the hook, logline or pitch that will punch your golden ticket. If you could only figure out what the studio wants, if you can only get a solid bead to this game, you know you can write and execute. What is the script I should write to get an agent? What is the one that will sell? It's not that I don't know how to write, I know how to write screenplays, I just need to know what they want, even though I think I know what they want, but I don't think I have the idea that they want. Yeah. I'm not gonna figure this out, whispers the voice. Why this uneasiness? Does it originate within ourselves? I don't think so. But where does it come from? The daily obsession with box office grosses? The news of the seven figure deals to newbies? The endless procession of boneheadedly conceived franchises-in-waiting arriving in the theatres every Friday? People winning Academy Awards for movies you would not be caught dead writing? Recognizing an idea you came up with years ago on your couch, produced with a $130 million budget drowning in CGI? All these things are but a few of the possible reasons why this seeds unhealthy doubt and confusion in the modern screenwriter. Tracking these forces outside us and beyond our control in an effort to trudge the path to a successful screenwriting career will prove to most to be unproductive and corrosive. Basically, trying to figure out what Hollywood wants will land us in a resentment that makes "giving up" a sane response to the very challenge which used to inspire us. In short, we cannot chase a perceived trend and remember our dreams. You cannot look at the marketplace and find your voice. You can find ideas, trends, and inspiration there, perhaps, but you can find these things driving in traffic as well. But listening to your voice is the key to creating original, compelling stories. Your life is your own story. You have a completely unique thread of experience. By allowing yourself to express these emotional experiences, your screenplay, your story, will be different from any other and powerful, as original as your fingerprint. Why is it powerful? When we have the courage to be specific about what we know about living, we create an authentic world an audience recognizes as the life they are living on planet Earth. This connects your audience to your story. This connection is the foundation of the phenomena of story. Why does story mean so much to us? We recognize the triumphs and tragedies of our lives, with all the hilarity and tears. By seeing it, we are validated and it underscores meaning and purpose to living. If we don't use what we've collected in life in our hearts and spirits, then our story loses its authenticity and the connection the audience should make fails. They do not see themselves, and when they leave the theater, they do not call their friends. When people do not call their friends after seeing a movie, the movie bombs. When a writer opens their person to their work, when they allow themselves to be vulnerable, to risk exposure of the secrets of their life story, they take a huge step towards creating a screenplay of substantial value, a screenplay with a greater potential of a large number of tickets sold. This is precisely why art and commerce have remained bedfellows for thousands of years. To look at the relationship between art and commerce as adversarial or incompatible is just plain foolish. Art happens when people invest their spirits in their work without fear, and story is artful when the writing is truthful and the writer is authentic. And what do we have to be honest about? We can only lie about what we know, and we can only tell the truth about what we know. And that is what has happened to us, our life story. This is what we share. This is not a pitch to write "what you know." This is not about writing stories about where you work or where you live. This is about writing about what you felt. You can imagine characters and worlds and actions and speech you've never personally experienced, but if you remember to infuse your choices with your emotional and spiritual struggles and victories as a human being, your screenplay will be different in the very best sense of the word. The question you have to answer is not what does Hollywood want today. The question is how honest of a writer do you want to be. I guarantee you can write a blockbuster, you can write a box office hit. This will happen when you find an audience. And the correct path to this crowd of people is listening to yourself. If you practice, you will develop an inner ear for who you are and what you know and you will become masterful in loading your work with your fingerprints. Writing is personal work. You are the guitar. You are the box of paint. Give of that and your audience will remember why life is good and they will talk of you. About the Author Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has written and directed three digital shorts for Fox Searchlight. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno Intl Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, going on to screen at the Milan Film Festival and the historic George Eastman House. Recently, the movie won the 2006 Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in NY. A professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Gordy is the founder and judge of BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Dedicated to develop and celebrate the undiscovered screenwriter, BlueCat provides written script analysis on every script entered. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, www.screenplaynotes.com. For more articles by Gordy on screenwriting, visit http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com. BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 105: February 28, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 105: February 28, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 ============================== Need an editor? Let me polish your punctuation, spelling, and grammar so that you can focus on content. I have edited 24 full-length books as well as resumes, Web sites, Hollywood biographies, and children's stories. Read more: http://sigridmacdonald.blogspot.com ============================== INTRODUCTION Published! Talk Radio for Authors is finally out, and like my last book, is being offered to you at a discount. The book is 5"x8" and 338 pages. There are 230 talk radio shows represented, both terrestrial and Internet, divided into 40 categories. For a 20% discount off the cover price of the book ($17.95), contact me for the code. ============================== I am the guest of Bobbi Van Riet, an info-marketing strategist for published authors, on her teleclass on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 11 a.m. PST, 2 p.m. EST. My topic is "How to Be A Great Talk Radio Guest." To participate in the call, dial 1-712-432-2222, passcode 81973. http://pods.zaadz.com/selfpaa ============================== In This Issue: 1) Feature Article 2) Grist for Your Mill 3) Promotional Coups 4) A Good Question 5) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE Can There Be Life for an Author Without a Literary Agent? By Arlene Uslander Literary agents can help make your career as a writer if you happen to connect with the right one - someone who has faith in your writing, has personal connections with publishers, charges only nominal fees for such services as phone calls and photocopying, and, most important of all, has a solid track record of getting her/his clients published. Unfortunately, because first-time authors tend to be very vulnerable, they often are highly complimented if any agent (or publisher, for that matter) shows an interest in them, and they are not nearly as selective as they should be. According to Book Promotion subscriber, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, author of several books, including her fascinating and very successful And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to Me (www.chroniclebooks.com/andmyshoes) "Agents are essential for a lot of reasons. They know the right editors to pitch to, they can play bad cop and whine for you while you, the author, gets to stay sweet, they understand book contracts and almost always catch things a first-time author might not notice, they can set deadlines and advocate for an author in many other ways. The author/agent relationship ideally continues beyond the sale of a book, and a good agent will advocate for you every step of the way." Kathi has been extremely lucky. She has had the same agent for four years, and, as I learned when I did an informal survey among Book Promotion subscribers, another author has had the same agent for ten years! But, these are the exceptions rather than the rule. Many authors change agents frequently, either because they feel that the agent is not working hard enough to get them published, or because the agent is unsuccessful in finding them a publisher and finally gives up. Most client/agent contracts are good for a year, though some for only six months, with a renewal option, and many contracts include a clause that allows either party to terminate at will as long as the other party is given sufficient notice. As Kathi pointed out, agents can be essential. However, they can also be patronizing, totally insensitive to writers' feelings, and may cause writers to lose precious time in their pursuit of finding a publisher, because, of course, the agents have so many other clients, and they do not want you BUGGING them. In addition to being an author, I am also a free-lance editor, and I recently received a note from one of my clients saying that she was very excited because she found an agent interested in her book. "And," said my client, "she seems very nice and approachable. Not like some of the agents who treat you with such disdain." Unfortunately, that can be said of many, though certainly not all, agents: they treat unknown writers with disdain. I'm sure that many of you know exactly what I mean! Also, more often than not, if an agent expresses an interest in representing you, there will be considerable communication with you prior to the contract signing, but afterwards is another story. As another of my editing clients recently told me: "My agent has done absolutely nothing with my manuscript, Forever Amber, and I've yet to get her to read As the Sun Also Rises, which I'd planned to be revising by now." The titles, of course, are not the real titles, but the complaint is very real. The agent often seems to be in a big rush to get the contract signed, and then, the poor author has to wait and wait and wait to have e-mails or phone calls answered. It becomes a matter of great frustration to the writer. Speaking from my own experience, as the author of 14 non-fiction books, I have had two books self-published (which led to a traditional publisher re-publishing them), two POD books published, nine books published by traditional publishers through my own efforts of directly querying publishers, and ONE book published through the efforts of an agent. Now, I must say that this agent was a delight to work with (for one thing, we had the same first name, so of course, we hit if off!) and the fact that her husband was senior editor of a big publishing company certainly made it easier for me to have my book published. My agent's husband really liked my book, a collection of humorous essays, and his company published it. However, my experiences with other agents have not been as pleasant. For lack of space and time, I will just give you one example. The very first time I submitted a manuscript to an agent was probably before many of you were born. My father-in-law, whom I loved dearly, was very ill, and my child, the first grandchild in the family, was only a few months old. Each day, I wrote a letter to my father-in-law, supposedly written by my infant son, telling Grandpa what was going on in the baby's life, and making jokes - anything to cheer the man up. Naturally, friends and relatives thought this was wonderful, and they persuaded me to try to have the letters published in book form, entitled: "Dear Grandpa." As it happened, the father of a sorority sister of mine was a literary agent, so I thought he might give me some special consideration. Was I wrong! He hung on to the manuscript for several months, thereby shooting down one of the oldest, biggest and most erroneous myths about publishing: "No news is good news," then sent it back with a note: "Sentimental slop!" It was probably at least a year before I could bring myself to sit in front of a typewriter again. I have had other unpleasant, unproductive experiences with literary agents, but, enough about me. As previously mentioned, in addition to being an author, I am a free-lance editor, helping authors polish their manuscripts for publication. Now, with the exception of those writers who planned to self-publish from the beginning, every single client of mine has wanted to go the agent route. Many of them have only been able to attract agents who are just starting out or who live far away from New York, California, or Boston, where most of the publishing houses are located, or agents who charge reading fees, or editing fees (even though the manuscripts have already been edited). Any time an agent wants to charge you anything other than a commission on an advance and royalties if she or he is able to sell your book to a publisher, run away as fast as you can!!! Very few of my clients have been fortunate enough to find an agent who is well-known in the industry, for the simple reason that my clients are not well-known writers, and most well-known agents are looking, not only for published authors, but for authors who have sold a lot of books! There are exceptions, of course - the first-time author whose book is so remarkable, or so timely (or so scandalous!) that agents fight over it. But, for the most part, it is extremely difficult for an unknown author to find an agent with a really good track record. More often than not, the author settles for an agent who either will never find him or her a publisher, and precious time will have been wasted (usually at least a year), or the agent will find a small, unknown publisher which the author most likely could have found for him or herself, without having to pay the agent a commission on royalties, or on an advance, in the event that there is one - although small, unknown publishers rarely offer an advance, And, by the way, I am not knocking small, unknown publishers, because all it takes is one bestseller, like the first Chicken Soup book, or Life's Little Instruction Book, to turn a small unknown publisher into a giant! Nor am I knocking agents. The main problem I, personally, have seen with beginning writers regarding agents (and I am sure this isn't always the case) is that once the writers are offered representation by an agent, the writers assume that this is tantamount to having the book published. And, when weeks and months pass, and the agent no longer shows much (or any) enthusiasm, it is not only a very deflating experience for the writer, but as I mentioned before, in many instances, precious time is lost waiting for something to happen. In short, though, if you are fortunate enough to find an agent who really believes in you and your book, and has the right connections, go for it! However, before you sign on with any agent, make sure they are not listed as "predators" on the "Predators and Editors" website: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/peala.htm. The best resources I have found to determine whether or not a publisher will accept unagented manuscripts are in both the print and the online (http://www.WritersMarket.com) versions of Writers' Market. And, if you do your homework on the Internet, you are bound to find publishers looking for the type of book YOU are trying to sell - without an agent. ============================== Arlene Uslander is the author of 14 non-fiction books; her most recent is The Simple Touch of Fate: How the Hand of Fate Touched Our Lives Forever, an anthology of true inspirational stories, written by people from all over the world telling about their personal brushes with Fate. http://www.thefatesite.com, and if you have a true Fate story of your own to share for the next Fate book, e-mail her through the Fate website. ============================== 2) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL May Leilani Schmidt, the host of The Universal Spirit Connection, is putting up a storefront on her show page and welcomes authors to place their books on it. She asked me for my book's image, short bio of the book and price, so I guess that's what she'll want from you. May's email and website are: iamdivinelight@aol.com http://www.bbsradio.com/bbc/the_usc.shtml ============================== 3) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Bobbi de Cordova-Hanks and her husband Jerry are authors of TEARS OF JOY (Infinity Publishing 2003) and founders of a breast cancer support group called Bosom Buddies. "How's this for a novel way to do a book signing?" she says. "I design and make jewelry and use part of the proceeds to benefit my Bosom Buddies organization http://www.earslookingatyou.com. I buy lots of products from a bead shop that opened in our neighborhood and the woman was intrigued by my work with breast cancer survivors. She's doing a fundraiser for us called `Beading for Breast Cancer: Bet a Buck for Breast Cancer.' She bought a beautiful glass fish and donated thousands of beads that she put inside the fish. For $1, you can guess how many beads are in the fish. On March 3, Jerry and I will be there signing our book with a portion of the book sales going to Bosom Buddies. We'll pick the winner of the bead guessing contest. So far lots of people plan to come. Whatever works, right?" http://www.speakersforlife.com ============================== Carolyn Howard Johnson contributed this tip on how to assure your book fair will be successful. Bookfair Blues? Ten Tips to Make Booths Better The spring season for book promotion will soon be upon us. Don't rent a booth at a book fair. Don't host an event. Don't do anything! Not without assuring its success with a savvy public relations campaign. Here's how: 1. Join with other authors to cross-promote. 2. Send out invitations to readers and to the media. 3. Produce a catalog or brochure to give to the press in attendance and attendees. 4. Tie sales to a charity relevant to writing or literacy. 5. Schedule book signing times even though you will be manning the booth for the full day. It adds credibility to your appearance.. 6. Use signs, lighting and other effective display techniques. 7. Give a gift to those who purchase your book. Go to http://redenginepress.com for a journal that can be used to increase your profits as an add-on sale or as a gift-with-purchase. 8. Offer snacks to those who drop by. 9. Take photos for use in post-publicity. 10. Design a media blitz including queries, releases, and personal phone calls. And, of course, get a copy of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T for practical suggestions for hundreds of other ways to brand yourself and promote your book. Follow the planning of a bookfair booth--both successes and disappointments at a bookfair-focused blog, http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson. Learn more at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com. Sign up for "Sharing with Writers" to see how you can participate in the next LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books no matter where you live. ============================== Barbara Bixon (writing as A.R.Alan) is author of IF YOU REALLY LOVED ME, YOU'D TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE (American House Book Publishers 2000), THE CB SOCIAL CLUB (Book Locker 2007) and THE HOUSE OF CUPCAKES (Book Locker 2007). The comedy writer lives in a Florida retirement community. The first thing she did to market her two latest books was "to send a letter to everyone living in my development," she says. "The front of the letter had a color photo of my two book covers, and on the reverse side of that I wrote a nice letter telling everyone about my books and how it would be printed in a couple of weeks. On the bottom of the letter, I had a tear-off order form. I got 100 orders from that mailing of 500...Last week I contacted the Corporate offices of my local supermarket. They've just told me that they'll carry my books in 300 of their stores." ============================== 4) A GOOD QUESTION Picking up on Patricia Fry's suggestion in her feature article to open a merchant account, Richard Laermer would like to find a merchant account who can co-opt the selling of a book online. He is not interested in PayPal - he wants a merchant account that specializes in books. http://www.PunkMarketing.com ============================== 5) KUDOS The Gasman, a short story by Judith Columbo, has been released by Amazon.Com as an Amazon Short E-Book. A story within a story, The Gasman is a humorous foray into the life and psyche of a morally challenged but likable arsonist. All Amazon Shorts are sold for forty-nine cents each. Go to http://www.amazon.com and type in the author's name. Judith's most recent novel is NIGHT CRIMES (AmErica House Book Publishers 2001). http://odin.prohosting.com/night01 ============================== Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter and available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the book with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). If emailing Michelle, DO NOT put your credit card number in any email correspondence as this is not secure. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 106: March 14, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 106: March 14, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 INTRODUCTION You are all invited to my book party in celebration of the publication of Talk Radio for Authors - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007), on Tuesday, April 17, 2007, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the radio studio of Paul Sladkus, Good News Broadcast, 126 Fifth Avenue (Suite 3D), between 17th and 18th Streets, NYC. The party will be broadcast live and there will be guest interviews. I am sending invitations to all subscribers who live in the New York area, but if I miss you please forgive me. Please let me know if you plan to attend. ***************************** I will be a guest on The Charles Campbell Show on WOIC 1230 AM in West Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, March 17, 2007 at 11 a.m. The show can be accessed at http://www.strnetwork.com. Just click on the ON AIR flashing sign. *************************** In This Issue: 1) Feature Article 2) Grist for your Mill 3) Feedback 4) Progress Report 5) Kudos *************************** (1) FEATURE ARTICLE “I have a great book, but I can't seem to get the attention of journalists!” is a lament I hear over and over again. Here are five surefire ways to get more consistent media attention from journalists: Know which publications to pitch. Don't send out press releases or emails to publications without knowing which publications you're pitching. Targeted pitching is almost always more effective than scattershot pitching; it's like the difference between firing a gun out of a window hoping to hit something, and learning how to shoot the gun so you can actually aim at something specific. Before you pitch, read back issues of the publications-enough so that you can truly understand the differences between the magazine you're pitching, and similar publications on the market. When I wanted more attention for my Expertizing business, for example, I read back issues of a dozen business magazines before zeroing in on the one that was most desirable and appropriate for covering my story. Then I took my aim carefully-and got a full page feature (in Fortune Magazine). It all comes down to doing your homework. Research which journalists to pitch. Similarly, research the journalists at the publication you're pitching, and make sure you're pitching to the most appropriate reporter or editor for your story. Google them to read other stories they've written. The more you know about them, the better and more specifically you can tailor your pitch to them. Know what to pitch. Make sure you've got a news angle. Just telling journalists about your book usually won't do any good; you need a news peg. And just because your book is new doesn't mean that you can use that as a news angle: New books, like new businesses, aren't themselves compelling enough for journalists. Know how to pitch. There are a few general rules to follow in dealing with journalists. The most important, perhaps, is to remember that they're very busy-and that to be effective, your pitch needs to be delivered in a really coherent, organized, and appropriate way. So if the pitch needs data to make it work, include the data; if the story requires talking to other sources, suggest some. And never, never send a journalist an email attachment. Know when to pitch. Knowing when to pitch is as important as knowing whom and what to pitch. If a publication is on deadline, for example, they're not going to be particularly interested in your pitch-no matter how good it is. On the other hand, pitching during traditional down times can be a surprisingly effective way to garner more media attention than you otherwise might; the week of Thanksgiving, for example, is a particularly good time to pitch, as is the week between Christmas and New Year's. (Get busy!) Follow these simple rules for pitching, and media attention for your book will go up dramatically. Then check out my new Expertizing Pitching Forum http://www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm where you can pitch top journalists directly each week for five months-and watch your media hits soar! *************************** Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com, offering books, workshops, and consulting. She is also CEO of Expertizing.com, teaching people how to get more media attention for themselves and their business. *************************** (2) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Dennis AuBuchon has joined Authors Coalition and recommends it highly. "There is a fee beginning with a charge of $20," he says. "I joined as a platinum member which I think offers good benefits at a $75 fee. My book is posted on the website along with a link to my website. More of my information will be posted in the future, including having a link to buying my book through Amazon. My favorite book review will also be posted, which is the five star review completed by readerviews and posted on Amazon. "Other features of becoming a member is that I have achieved exposure through the search engine by being a member of the Authors Coalition. When you put my name in the search engine the Authors Coalition link appears on the first page. I also received a no-cost list of over 700 author friendly bookstores which I will be utilizing in my marketing projects which I am developing around the list. There is also going to be a speakers bureau page which my membership will provide me access to publizing my availability for speaking engagements." Dennis is author of INTEGRITY: DO YOU HAVE IT? (Infinity Publishing, 2d edition, 2005). http://www.myqualitywriting.com [Editor's Note - Dennis joins 14 other subscribers who are members of the Authors Coalition, including yours truly]. *************************** Answered Prayers is a work in progress by Barbara Popyach, author of "Kentucky Authors Cook," "Celery Soup for the Heart," "Heart Affirmations" and "A Tiger By The Tail." Barbara invites those who have been blessed with answered prayer(s) to submit their story for inclusion in this book. E-mail popyach@yahoo.com for submission information. Deadline is April 30, 2007. *************************** Do you have an interesting story to tell? I discovered a site looking for them, http://www.transom.org. On the site is reads: Transom should be the first stop for anyone looking to explore radio on the web. Public radio meets the online community in an audio-and-the-internet experiment started by Jay Allison. He says, "We're looking for new and different voices, for good ideas. Record your stories. Send them to us. Listen to other people's work and talk about it." Under "Submit Your Work," it says "sound-recordings or print material" are accepted "for consideration by Massachusetts-based Atlantic Public Media for placement on Transom and other uses..." *************************** Shirley Cheng is conducting two one-question polls for her parental rights in children's medical care advocacy book, and will include the results in her book. All voters will be anonymous. Please take a moment to vote in these polls: Who Should Make the Final Decision in Children's Medical Care? http://www.opinionpower.com/Surveys/354037681.html Should Parents Have the Right to Disagree with Doctors' Recommended Treatments for Their Children? http://www.opinionpower.com/Surveys/123037682.html She writes: If you'd like to support my cause by doing more than just voting, you can contribute to my book by going to http://www.shirleycheng.com/submission.html Also sign my Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/parentr7/petition.html Thank you and please pass the word on to others. Learn more: http://www.shirleycheng.com *************************** Award-winning romance author Susanne Marie Knight says: "Book trailers seem to be the 'latest thing' in book promotion so I've tried my hand at a few," she says. "I've gotten some really nice responses to them, too!" Check out how Susanne turned four of her books into videos, Janus is a Two-Faced Moon (Awe-Struck eBooks/Earthling Press 2007); Competitors (Awe-Struck eBooks/Earthling Press 2007) http://www.awe-struck.net; Tainted Tea for Two (Hard Shell Word Factory 2002; republished in 2006 by Uncial Press http://www.uncialpress.com)and A Continental Marriage (Wings ePress, June 2007) http://www.wings-press.com: JANUS IS A TWO-FACED MOON: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i86CgD6o3eI COMPETITORS!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkxXYFwCykQ TAINTED TEA FOR TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdohSneG7I0 A CONTINENTAL MARRIAGE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_rL4WXUGCc You can also view the trailers under the "more from this user" tab to the right of the trailer. Asked to give a brief explanation of how to create a trailer, Susanne replied: "These book trailers are a lot of fun to do," she says. "From what I've heard, it's the authors who are initiating the trailers, but publishers are very glad to have these new promo avenues. The program I use is Windows Movie Maker and I found it to be very similar to Powerpoint. The royalty-free music I picked is in mp3 format.You just drag the music onto the storyboard. The photos can be in various formats (gif, jpg, etc.) and are also dragged onto the storyboard. Then you can add video effects and transitions that come with this Movie Maker program. To 'publish' the trailer, I upload the video files to Youtube.com, which is a very popular spot with lots of activity." http://www.susanneknight.com *************************** I found this item in John Kremer's newsletter, regarding the Sleepytime with Grandpa D radio show: This relatively new radio show on KRUU-FM features a friend of mine who reads children's books while playing soothing music in the background. My friend, Dick DeAngelis, is looking for more good, short children's books that are suitable for reading at bedtime. If you have a book you think would be suitable for his show, call Dick at 641-919-4277 or email him at didkd@deangelis.net *************************** (3) FEEDBACK Richard Laermer wanted to find a merchant account that specializes in books - not PayPal. David Bowles responded. Stressing that he is not soliciting business from authors, he explained what he does. "I am an author and have been in the merchant account business since 1990 (my day job)," he says. "I have a merchant account that has a virtual terminal, meaning the visitor to my website can purchase books on line or call and give me credit card information. Additionally, I have an apparatus that attaches to my mobile phone that will take payments at book fairs, etc, all on the same account." He emphasizes that unless an author earns $1000 a month, it doesn't pay to have a merchant account, since the monthly fees run between $35 and $45 a month. "Case in point, an author who sold two $25.00 novels for a total $50.00 in monthly credit card transactions would be paying the credit card company almost as much as the value of their monthly sales," he says. "An author selling $1000 in books would be paying only 3.5%-4.5% in fees. When I started my web site http://www.westwardsagas.com, I went several months before selling anything but I still had to pay about $45.00 per month in monthly fees." He adds that there is a set-up fee of $99. David warns of the "gotchas." "Some merchant agreements have long term commitments with expensive escape clauses. Remember, your credit card processor has electronic access to your bank account. They can pull money out the same as they can put it in. If you can find a processor with no more than a 12 month commitment and under $150 early cancellation and no more than the fees I mentioned above you will be getting a good deal." http://www.dabow-inc.com David is author of The Westward Sagas - tales from colonial days to the settlement of the West. The first book in the series, SPRING HOUSE (Plum Creek Press 2006), blends genealogy, American history and imaginative dialogue. *************************** From Shel Horowitz to Richard Laermer: I found a good deal with Stuart Abrams at FirstData, Stuart.abrams@firstdata.com Shel is author of GRASSROOTS MARKETING (Chelsea Green Publishing Company 2000), PRINCIPLED PROFIT (Accurate Writing & More 2003) and MARKETING WITHOUT MEGABUCKS (Fireside 2003). http://www.frugalmarketing.com *************************** (4) PROGRESS REPORT Joyce Faulker will be the guest of Carol Espy on The Life Lounge, KDKA News/Radio 1020, on March 31 at 8pm. The shows airs in Pittsburgh, Pa. and Joyce, a Pittsburgh resident, is author of two books about the Battle of Iwo Jima, LOSING PATIENCE (2004), a collection of philosophical short stories, and a novel, IN THE SHADOW OF SURIBACHI (2005), both published by Red Engine Press. Note: When writing Carol about Joyce, I pointed out that Joyce's subject was timely, given Clint Eastwood's film. I didn't know at the time that Carol's father was on Iwo Jima, that she produced a story on it for WQED, and that it won a regional Emmy Award. "I am very excited to talk with Joyce about this time in our history," she said. *************************** David Spero, RN will be a guest on the Dr. Meg Jordan Show on HealthRadio.net on March 19, 2007. The show airs 9-10 am, PST, 12-1 p.m., EST and repeats at 9-10 pm, PST. http://www.HealthRadio.net David is author of THE ART OF GETTING WELL: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness (Hunter House 2002) and DIABETES: Sugar-Coated Crisis: Who gets it, who profits, and how to stop it (New Society Publishers Sept. 2006). http://www.davidsperoRN.com http://www.art-of-getting-well.com *************************** Walter Brasch has three interviews coming up. He will be guest of David Smith on "The Exchange" on WICC600, among the largest staions in Connecticut, with a signal through much of the state and parts of New England, on March 15, 2007, 1-2 p.m. http://www.wicc600.com; Eric Asher on WIST-AM 690 (Metaire, La.) at 2-2:30 CST on March 23, 2007. http://www.wistradio.com; and Charles Heller on Liberty Watch Radio, on April 15, 2007, aired in Arizona on AM 690, KVOI, Tucson, AM 930 KAPR Douglas and AM 1100 KFNX, Phoenix. http://www.libertywatchradio.com Walter's latest book is 'UNACCEPTABLE': The Federal Government's Response to Hurricane Katrina (BookSurge Publishing 2006). http://www.walterbrasch.com *************************** Shoshanna Katzman also has three shows coming up: She will be the guest of Dr. Rita Louise on Free Your Body, Mind & Spirit Naturally radio show on Just Energy Radio, http://www.justenergyradio.com, on Friday, April 6, 2007. http://www.soulhealer.com; Parthenia Izzard on Wellness, Wholeness & Wisdom Radio on the 7th Wave Network on Voice America on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 9 a.m. EST. http://modavox.com/7thwavenetwork and on WWDB 860 AM, serving the Philadelphia, Pa. market; and a second show scheduled Wednesday, May 16th at 3 p.m., EST on A Fresh Start with Sallie Felton on Contact Talk Radio. http://www.contacttalkradio.com Shoshanna is Director of the Red Bank Acupuncture and Wellness Center in Tinton Falls, New Jersey and author of QIGONG FOR STAYING YOUNG: A Simple 20 Minute Workout to Cultivate Your Vital Energy (Avery Penguin Group 2003) and co-author of FEELING LIGHT - THE HOLISTIC SOLUTION TO PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS AND WELLNESS (Avon Books 1997). http://www.healing4u.com http://qigong4everyone.com http://www.caringwomen.com *************************** Phil Harris was on Elemental Journey with Nic Daniels on March 5, 2007 from 5-6pm PST. http://www.elementaljourney.com Phil is co-author of the controversial novel WAKING GOD (Star Publish, July 2006). http://www.authorsden.com/philfharris *************************** Received this nice note from John Dandola, which especially pleased me because one subscriber interviewed another: "Thanks to the newsletter, I made contact and was interviewed by Julia Buckley [on her blog] and it turned out so extraordinarily well, that I wanted to thank you." John is author of three books in his 1940's mystery series: DEAD AT THE BOX OFFICE, DEAD IN THEIR SIGHTS and DEAD BY ALL APPEARANCES (nearly completed). His New England series consists of: WIND OF TIME and WICKED IS THE WIND. THE UNBOUND WIND is not yet published. All these books were published in 2001 by Quincannon Pub Group. http://www.JohnDandola.com [Editor's Note: The entry John is referring to was from an Aug. 2006 issue and read: Julia Buckley has started a blog, on which she primarily interviews other mystery writers. "I chatted with almost fifty writers and they were all terrific interviews; it also gave me a huge list of books I'd like to read," she says. "It's viewable at http://www.juliabuckley.blogspot.com" Julia is author of THE DARK BACKWARD (Midnight Ink 2006) *************************** (5) KUDOS Brian Wizard was quoted in a Hindu newspaper, the Hindustan Times, http://www.hindustantimes.com, in an article about the number of U.S. citizens falling victim to the Nigerian 419 scam. Brian is an expert on the subject and author of NIGERIAN 419 SCAM: Game Over! (Starquill International 2000), based on his personal experiences with these conmen. To see his work in the World Premier Counter-419 Artshow photo tour go to: http://www.brianwizard.com/shorts.htm Brian is an award-winning author whose seventh book, SPACE EGG, was released as an e-book in 2006. He assists authors in the independent publishing of their manuscripts. Check his website at http://www.brianwizard.com *************************** Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter and available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the book with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). If emailing Michelle, DO NOT put your credit card number in any email correspondence as this is not secure. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 Banyon Publishing also offers... 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