Youth Learns about Publishing

April 30, 2013

“Go confidently in your dreams, live the life you have imagined.” ~ David Henry Thoreau

Have you heard the inspiring story of Dallas Clayton? The author who is being touted as the next Dr. Seuss?

From his interview on the Jeff Probst show the other day, he revealed that he was a person without direction in his life until he became a father and decided to write a book for his son. The rest is history. He wrote an outstanding narrative that children could well relate to, and he discovered he had art talent and could do his own illustrations, also.

dallas-clayton-pillowsHis first book, An Awesome Book of Love, which came out of wanting to communicate his love for his child, sold like wildfire. This print-on-demand title kept selling out. Eventually, he was contacted by large, mainstream publishing house, and they offered him 10%. His response to that was “Why should I sign a deal like that? I am already making 100%.” Long and short of the story – he was eventually offered a “sweet deal,”  which allowed him to start a foundation for literacy “The Awesome World Foundation.” http://www.veryawesomeworld.com/.

Clayton said, in his interview with Jeff Probst,one of the biggest benefits that came with writing the book for his son, who was five when the first book was published, is that “his son saw what it takes to author and publish a book.” He saw his Dad involved in the entire process of the business - writing, illustrating, making mock-up books and even shipping the books from their living room when he needed a fulfillment company. Clearly, an eye-opening experience for a child who probably thinks books magically appear on library  bookshelves.  And it all began with independent publishing and taking a leap of faith.

I love these kinds of success stories!

Return tomorrow to  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Film Friday: Funny Retirement Movies

April 12, 2013

“If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble.”  ~ actress Betty White & author of  If You Ask Me

One of the secrets to a long life is humor. Being able to laugh at ourselves as we age takes the sting out of the loss of our capacities. Everyone ages at different rates, and thankfully, there are things we can do to forestall the aging process.

Watching funny films is good for people’s spirits at any age. On this Film Friday, here are a few suggestions for comedy movies about retirement.

Gran Torino

• The Bucket List

• Up

• The Artist

• About Schmidt

• The Notebook

• Something’s Got to Give

To read a description of each of these movies, please visit this link http://bit.ly/12Eqivo .

Betty White

Actress Betty White at 91, still actively working

A Grande Dame of Living with Humor and a Fulfilling Life

Have a fun weekend everyone. Return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Film Friday: Flying Books of Lessmore

March 1, 2013

“Great is the human who  has not lost his childlike heart.” ~ Mencius (Meng-Tse)  4th Century BCE

Our blogs over the past few days have been devoted to e-books and the use of digital technology, design and typographyics enhancing electronic literature for adults and children. There are strong arguments for and against using e-books to teach children to read.

 flying books of LessmoreA former Pixar designer and Moonbot Studios are developing animated children’s books along with William Joyce author of, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.” The app for these books is ingratiated with the latest technology and really open one’s eye to the potential of e-book development. 

Even if you are not interested in reading e-books, you can still appreciate the wonder of science and technology and how the world of publishing is evolving. Check out this video to get a glimpse into how books and movies are coming together for a new generation of readers. http://bit.ly/140sUz4 .

 To read more about Moonbot Studios and the creative and innovative e-books they are designing for children, please visit this link.http://bit.ly/140tahu.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


On the Bookshelf, Eye Level

February 5, 2013

Only one thing is impossible for God: To find sense in any copyright law on the planet.”  ~Mark Twain

copyright clearance for creativesWelcome back.  Today, we will provide you with very useful information. If it is not helpful to you now, it may be in the future, so bookmark and save it.

A new book, independently published, titled Copyright Clearance for Creatives: A Guide for independent publishers and their support providers has just been placed in my bookcase, on an eye-level shelf, right where I can find and reach for it easily. 

A desperately needed resource book, the publication includes very valuable information on things like: 

  • Sample letters for seeking permission on using quotes, photos, song lyrics.
  • Laws and regulations regarding use of copyrighted content
  • How to create a tracking log for permissions
  • On-line search sites for obtaining copyright information for periodicals, books, music and images such as maps, labels, cartoons and fine art images.
  • Visual art permissions agreements
  • The differences between public domain, stock  and private collection images. 

Husband and wife team, Joyce L Miller, and Dr. Daniel C Miller, authors of Copyright Clearance for Creatives, provide leading edge information on rules and regulations and licensing of digital content. This book will need to be updated frequently to keep pace with ever changing copyright regulations. Thus, it is available in e-book format, so that it can be easily revised and kept current. 

joyce l millerA little background about the qualifications of the authors – Joyce L. Miller is a consultant to independent publishers and is co-founder and co-owner of Integrated Writers Services. http://www.writerservices.biz/. She has over twenty years experience in publishing, copyright and copyright compliance including being an intellectual property manager for NASA’s Classroom of the Future. 

Dr. C. Daniel Miller has served as dean of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College (CIPA) and past president of the organization. www.cipabooks.com He has been “a technology consultant to architects to computer design and telecommunicationsdan miller, author infrastructures.” He also served as Executive Director of NASA’s Classroom of the Future and has been a university professor and department chair. His latest venture is “a project manager and researcher to discover relevance in large unstructured data.”   

For every writer, musician, filmmaker, or any other individual involved in the art, marketing or design field,  Copyright Clearance for Creatives should be in their library, either in paperbound copy or on as an e-book acquisition.

Return tomorrow to  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Spinning Yarns

December 29, 2012

The key to a healthy society is a thriving community of storytellers.” ~ Franco Sacchi 

Yesterday our blog was about New Year’s resolutions, and the need for Americans to add PLAY MORE to their list of priorities for 2013. “Play more” means something different to everyone, depending on our own interests and hobbies. 

growingbookLast fall I enrolled in a creative writing course, just for the fun of it. I enjoyed it immensely; it was enlightening. As a result of the class, I feel as if my brain has been fertilized and my garden pot of memories has sprouted and grown. I have thoughts that would be rewarding to share with others, in a way that never occurred to me before. Funny, how that has happened. 

I made a decision for myself this morning.  Creative Writing II has been added to my “to do” list this winter. I have an independent publishing project I’m pondering; I wish to work through it, with the guidance of a skilled writing professor. 

Finding inspiration is not always easy, but, researchers say that the more we create, our minds become more open and receptive to invention, ingenuity and artistry. I suppose this explains why “mad scientists” who come up with one great idea to patent, often go on to explore and invent other key concepts to copyright. Authors, after writing one book, often find the motivation to continue, and write a second. 

 Imagination How Creativity WorksImagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer addresses how many factors in our lives  nurture creativity. There is an interesting review in Psychology Today magazine that both questions and validates what Lehrer says in his book. To read the article, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/W7A4xh

There is also a good article for writers and artists on how to stay inspired. http://bit.ly/YlZKaS.  Many people who live long, fulfilling lives attribute satisfying lives to the fact that they never stop growing and learning. Is there something you have always wanted do but haven’t dared to? Perhaps 2013 should be the year to pursue it.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Generation of Smart, Healthy Children

November 12, 2012

As a kindergarten teacher, I have come to understand the powerful interplay between our senses, memory and food.” ~ Grady Turner 

There is an e-book project in the works that I am more excited about than many others I have heard about. I desperately want to see it come to fruition. Why? This independent publishing project is about the new generation and teaching through interactive e-books.

Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC is a company that is developing “kids activities that use healthy food as a learning tool.” These lessons have been successfully used and tested in the classroom by award winning  kindergarten teacher, Grady Turner, B.A., MEd. They meet and reinforce academic standards.

The impetus behind this project is a need our country has – raising children who know about the benefits of staying healthy and fit.  By donating to Kickstarter, you can help Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC accomplish their mission. http://kck.st/UwXtgw. The funds raised through this campaign will be directly applied to the following “ EBook Design & Development – Video Production and Editing – EBook Photography – Book Cover Design – Website Design & Development – Various business expenses.” 

This series published by Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC covers four diciplines of learning – reading and writing, math, science and social studies. The e-books, complimented with video, will lead parents and children through a series of fun activities that reinforce healthy food choices. It is geared for children aged 4 to 9. The activities can be done at home, providing parents and children outstanding quality time together. Through the activities in the books, children are introduced food that is both nutritious and commonly found in homes and the grocery store.  

Please take the time to watch the video posted on Kick Starter that shows an example of how these e-books bring together the objective of food, fun and learning. There is a special star in the video, so watch it with your children! 

Electronic books published by Eat, Play Learn Books, LLC will be downloadable on e-readers, computers and palm-size digital devices, too – such as cell phones.

Please join me in supporting this wonderful publishing project. Any amount, big or small will be greatly appreciated. Do it for America’s children!  The Kickstarter fundraising ends Friday, November 23, 2012. http://kck.st/UwXtgw.


Fairy Tale Paper Artist

October 15, 2012

I was a great reader of fairy tales. I tried to read the entire fairy tale section of the library.” ~Beverly Cleary

Last week I posted a blog about ways to creatively recycle book pages. Su Blackwell, an artist from the U.K.,  creates three dimensional book sculptures made with discarded books. Many of her creations are scenes from fairytales and folk lore stories. 

 Her work is reflective of the books she read and the fulfilling make-believe world she created while playing in the woods during her childhood. Blackwell went on to study arts, specifically textiles, obtaining a M.A. degree at the Royal College of Art in London. 

“The Quiet American” was her very first sculpture which was created from a second hand book called the Kao San Road she purchased on a trip to Thailand. She says she reads books once or twice before she begins her creation of a scene from the book. 

The trend of repurposing books to create art sculpture is becoming popular in many places, including here in Colorado. Artist Kim Keith, exhibits and sells her geometric shaped paper sculpture and other mixed media, at the Red Contemporary Gallery here in Steamboat. She says her creations keep “alive the tactile sense and physicality of “book”. http://bit.ly/PrThwI.  

The Bookworm of Edwards and the Alpine Arts Center are joining forces to host a Book Sculpture Contest based on the work of artist Su Blackwell and her creation “The Fairy-Tale Princess: Seven Classic Stories from the Enchanted Forest.”  

All ages and groups are invited to participate in this one day workshop and contest. The price of the workshop is $25 per person, and books and supplies will be included in this fee. For more information, please contact the Book Worm of Edwards. http://www.bookwormofedwards.com/

For more information, on the amazing work of Su Blackwell, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/RTrcwA.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Story Woven with Nostalgic Images

August 28, 2012

Where were you during the Vietnam Era?

I just read the newly-released book Cottonwood; a satisfying read on many levels. Author Tom Dawson effectively crafts a story of two men who served together during one of our country’s most painful periods, the Vietnam era. The ties that bind them are their war experiences; they become life long buddies.

The author intertwines the culture of the Nam era into the storyline, which filled me with nostalgic images of my own, as a person whose adolescence came during the late nineteen sixties and seventies.  I could also relate, on a certain level, to some of the frustrations and attitudes that the main characters, Tom and Sam, carry about today’s technological era.

As a woman, I appreciated how through good dialogue, the author showed that the two comrades, Tom and Sam, communicate differently. The  truthfulness with which Dawson writes about the issue of men and aging was refreshing and honest. It is a story I didn’t anticipate liking but I really look forward to reading more from this author.

Dawson’s book is available through Amazon in soft cover and also as an e-book edition. To order this publication, please follow this link. http://amzn.to/SevpuG.

To read more about Tom Dawson, the author and war correspondent, follow this link. http://bit.ly/Ng0Srt. Don’t miss out on his blog and comic art, he calls “Pieces” on his website.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Where are the Tools for Society?

July 23, 2012

“Sometimes, no matter how much faith we have, we lose people.” ~ Unknown

On Friday morning, after I wrote “Stringing along with Sister” I went about my daily walk early, at 7 am, before the heat of the day. As I traveled along my thoughts went out on a tangent over a few words I had just written that went like this “I come from a family of builders, generations deep.”

I began to think how this comment relates to building a strong society and the tools that are needed in order to accomplish it. 

It occurs to me, that in my own opinion, there are many “tools” that help keep a strong society together, that are missing. Today’s world is filled with crime, a high divorce rate with broken-up families, unconscionable behavior. What ever has happened to us as a nation? 

Could it be lack of accountability to a higher power? I ponder. I have a strong but quiet, deep-seated faith within me. I don’t like to push my beliefs on anyone, not even on my husband or family. 

I believe that we all come to terms with our faith, or lack of it, in our own unique way, often as a result of  a reckoning through our life stories. I feel we can each have our own individually constructed beliefs and respect each other. That is why I attend a church with a “tag line” of “open doors, open hearts and open minds.”

Oddly, as I had just wrapped up my own thoughts on what I see as “tools being missing from our society,” I received an email from both my mother and sister asking me if “I had turned on Friday morning’s news?”

I went immediately to the news on the computer and learned of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. I read “At the Century Theatre’s opening of the film “Batman” there are twelve dead, many others wounded.” 

“What?” I thought. “Come on now!  Is there no safe haven?”

I  feel compelled to ask once again “Is there no accountability in our society to a higher power?” 

 

Thoughts and prayers  for healing go out to all of the grief-stricken and to the survivors of this tragic incident in Aurora, Colorado. There is an excellent book ”When Crisis Strikes” that is a good resource in times like this. For more information, follow this link. http://bit.ly/M5EpCB.

As a Kiwanian, I have been notified that donations  are being accepted by the Kiwanis Club of Aurora Foundation, P. O. Box 441774, Aurora, CO 80044. One hundred percent of the money collected will go to the victims or the victims’ families.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.


Film Friday: Spider Man

July 13, 2012

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” ~ Ethiopian proverb

Spider Man first appeared on the scene in the 1960s in Marvel comic books, since then  Spider Man has also been produced for cinema. The most recent movie The Amazing Spider Man was released in theatres on July 3, 2012. It is currently playing in my city of residence, Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in many other communities across America and around the world. For the international release schedule, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/sCV1Ei

Tomorrow, Reelz Channel will be broadcasting their special The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Mystery. If you have never seen the behind the scenes specials about the making of movies aired by Reelz Channel “TV about Movies”, this special feature is not one to be missed. To find out when it will be broadcast in your area, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/NuTLOy

Who would have thought that the character Spider Man would still be providing sensational entertainment for children and adults for more than 50 years. Spiderman’s popularity has only grown greater – now there is international appeal. 

Thanks to the crew at Reelz Channel for producing another great Special. This one must have been especially fun to create. To see the trailer produced by Reelz Channel , visit the link http://bit.ly/NuTLOy.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.