Category Archives: digital publishing

From a Different Perspective

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“Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you.”~Richard Brinsley Sheridan

A few weeks ago, my September/October issue of Poets and Writers Magazine www.pw.org  arrived in my mailbox. As I leafed through it, I was stopped by a letter to the editor written by a woman who had disappointments in her life that she was airing. 

What led to her writing the magazine was a letter of rejection she had received for a piece of flash fiction she was hoping to have published. She articulated her frustration at having spent the last nine years writing a novel and fifteen years penning a collection of short stories, with little hope of ever having them published. In the end, she said despite her disappointment, she “will go on” and keep writing. 

First, I felt sympathy for the woman. Her love of writing is obviously heartfelt since she has stated she will keep on writing anyway. 

 Secondly, I would like her to know that she is not alone. Rejections are not unusual. In fact, these days, having an agent to represent you may be one of the few ways to get your foot in the door with a traditional publishing company; they’ve gotten so selective. 

After I read her letter to the editor, I thought, “Why does this woman not know there are other publishing choices and options out there?” I want to help her.

She stated it was very important that her daughter, in particular, be able to read her work thirty years from now and laugh and feel connected. I can understand that and I assume she meant when she was gone, since this woman said she was in her sixties. 

Is that not also a reason why many people decide to independently publish? To pass work along to future generations?Somehow, I think the daughter would still love to have her mothers written words, no matter how it is published. 

Do you think a book would be any less fulfilling to her adult child, knowing the book was independently published? I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter. Feel free to post your comment.

These are my independent thoughts, words and views for today from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

I Remember the Bad Moment

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 “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”  ~ Mother Teresa 

Well, I am cheating a little bit but, I have come up with my own version of Mother Teresa’s adage, as it relates to the literary world. “If you judge a poet, you have no time to produce prose.” How’s that? Needs improvement, you say? Alright, I’ll work on it. 

If you have been following this blog, you’ll know that I started a creative writing course a week or so ago and my biggest fear was writing poetry. Wouldn’t you know it – that is where we have started. On the first day of class when the teacher announced it, I thought “what am I going to do now? Withdraw from this course?” 

“Oh, well,” I thought, “I may as well conquer those fears from the offset.” 

Guess, what, my teacher is a Mother Teresa – kind, not too harshly judgemental and very helpful. She said my stuff was not bad, for a beginner. I have never seriously written poetry before but I’ve learned a lot about the art of writing poetry in just a few classes . I am thinking about words and how to put them together in all new ways. My teacher said “Each word to a poet, counts in the overall effect of the composition.”

The first piece I wrote is called I Remember. I will share it with you in due course. Briefly, it is about moving to a place, sight unseen. 

I am currently working on my 2nd poem, using the writing prompt The Bad Moment. I hope it won’t come when  the teach tells me “She was just kidding, that she didn’t mean what she said. She made a mistake. My writing is not as good as she initially thought.” 

If that happens,  that’s ok, I am a student. I’m taking the class to learn from it. I’ll fulfill my duty, do something about it and learn to write better. Won’t I? 

Before I end this blog writing, I just wanted to tell you, the September/October of Poets and Writers Magazine is the MFA issue. If you are interested in pursuing a writing program, check out P&W, it is filled information on fulltime programs, low-residency programs and writer’s conferences. Here is the link   www.pw.org 

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

Creating Legendary Filmmaking

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“At the center of every fairy tale lay a truth that gave the story its power.” ~ Susan Wiggs

There is a new Disney movie that is soon to be released called Brave. It is about family, protecting a kingdom and Celtic legends. The Highlands of Scotland is the setting for this production. A great Christmas present for the entire family. Click for info & ordering Brave

Besides an opportunity to tell a fulfilling fairy tale story, along the lines of Grimms Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen, the production of this film has some the most complex visuals in movie making possible. Pixar Animated Studios rewrote their animation system after twenty five years to bring these computer-animated effects to the viewer.

Don’t miss out on this fantasy adventure film written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi and Brenda Chapman.  To read more about the film, to learn about the characters and to watch a video trailer, please visit this website. http://bit.ly/yzz6Ky.

Have a nice weekend, everyone! Return next week to All Things Fulfilling to learn more about creative industry.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected  and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Truly Committed to the Indies

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“The follow-your-gut mentality of the entrepreneur has the potential to take you anywhere you want to go.” ~ Bill Rancic 

Today, I’ll tell you about my ride to Telluride over the weekend. What gorgeous scenery and a charming town, also. 

 Did you know that Telluride is home to the American Academy of Bookbinding? http://bit.ly/s29fjg. Although the Academy was not one of the primary reasons I visited Telluride, I found out a lot about this village that made me understand why it was recently awarded a grant from the Creative Colorado Industries. http://bit.ly/fXkoNC. 

One of the reasons I visited was to take a look at  Between the Covers. It is a quaint, well-stocked bookstore, well arranged from floor to ceiling. As soon as I walked into the space,  I noticed the Indie Best selling books, front and center. Proudly displayed and identified as such. They were not hidden away, as in many bookstores, like the black sheep of the family. Instead of the NY Times list of best sellers that you usually see in bookstores across America, prominently displayed was the Indie List of top independently published, hard covers and paperbacks. IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) Award winning books were displayed with full cover out rather than with spine only. I was so glad to see it. This bookstore takes selling indie books seriously – it was so refreshing! 

I got a head start on my Christmas shopping for my favorite filmmaker in the family. Between the Covers Bookstore has a nice variety of books on cinema and movie production. I didn’t bypass the nice selection of books in the language arts section without noticing it was at the heart of the store, in the middle. 

Just as we were ready to leave the bookstore, I spied a sign that caught my eye. It read “We prefer being a community partner much more than a showroom.” 

“How apropos!” I thought. This bookstore obviously embraces and is proud of being a partner in the community of independent booksellers and publishers.” Take a peak into Between the Cover’s website. Follow this link http://bit.ly/QK8K5F.   

Next week, I plan to return to this fulfilling small town of  Telluride in my blogging writing. I want to tell you more about the grant it received from the Creative Industries of Colorado. Follow this continuing blog series on Telluride, next week!  

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

Storymakers have Deadlines

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“A dream is a goal with a deadline” ~ Napoleon Hill  

Time is running out! Rocky Mountain Public Broadcast System’s (RMPBS) writing contest for sixth, seventh and eighth graders will be accepting submissions until October 12th. There is only one month left to wrap up those stories. Parents and teachers, encourage your students to  write and participate!

The winners will enjoy having lunch with local radio personality and Colorado authorDom Testa and finalists will also win prizes. Dom Testa is a pretty neat guy! I’ve had the pleasure of hearing him speak several times at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). His Big Brain Club supports creativity in students, making excelling as a student “cool.” For more information on this 50l(3) C foundation, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/OjxLoQ.

To obtain a copy of the rules of the Storymakers Contest and a submission application, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/OUGUXH.

Good luck to all students and remember your child can not win if they do not participate!

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

Headed Between the Covers

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“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~ St. Augustine

 I am ready for a little traveling. Where am I headed? To Between the Covers Bookstore. http://bit.ly/NaKzRg. Where is that? In a “box canyon” in a place called Telluride, Colorado; where the mountains soar to altitudes of almost 13,000. According to Wikipedia, “a box canyon is a small ravine or canyon with steep walls on three sides, allowing access and egress only through the mouth of the canyon.” The bookstore co-owner is like me, a Baltimore transplant, who has ended up in the West. 

I suspect at certain times of the year, when large shipments of publications are delivered, Between the Covers Bookstore, feels as if it is a box canyon, until all the books are shelved. There is a certain book that I will be searching for at this bookstore that would come in handy on days when I struggle to put down my digital devices and stop working. This two minute video, shot last February, gives a quick glimpse into the book I am looking for.  http://vimeo.com/37703165.  

The video is courtesy of film editor, visual effects artist, independent filmmaker Marc R. Leonard. http://marcrleonard.com/editing.  Thank you, Marc, for a little insight into Telluride in the other season, winter.

Telluride is, from what I understand, a neat little “artistic town” and very scenic! It is home of the Telluride Film Festival.  http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/. 

Our trip to Telluride will be timely. My husband and I will watch our son run in his first half-marathon, which goes over Imogene Pass – seventeen miles of climbing and running, traveling from 8,000 ft in altitude to 13,000. The boy has energy, I tell you! It’s time to play catch up and see what else he has been doing.

Come on back next week. On Film Friday, we will be featuring a new Disney movie that both adults and children, who enjoy Celtic legend, may enjoy seeing. Have a good weekend, everybody.

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

Growth of an Emerging Technology Industry

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 “Many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.” Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862), Walden 

On October 4, 2011, almost a year ago, I posted a blog called Libraries Kindle the Flame. If you missed out or don’t remember it, here is the link. http://bit.ly/TaxQPo  I invite you to go back and read it. The gist of the blog was the number of libraries that have included e-books in their catalogs. 

A year later, the numbers have changed and show about a 9% increase. It is too bad we don’t see those kind percentages in the growth of our economy. That would be extremely encouraging; evidence that other emerging technologies are coming to the forefront.

These graphs show how the numbers stack up, side by side,  for 2011  and 2012.

Being the eternal optimist, I believe the entrepreneurs of our country can develop other technologies that will show the same kind of promise. But, some may take longer than others to come to fruition. And let’s face it, e-books didn’t arrive on the scene overnight. The momentum has been growing since 2007.

Energy, enthusiasm, vision, initiative, motivation to lead others, self-motivation and resilience is what is needed in new businesses. In other words, pioneering qualities!

The United States of America is only sixty-some days away from our next political election. Here is an article that outlines traits of good business leaders. http://bit.ly/PvOIRg. As  Americans, it is our God-given right to vote but with that comes responsibility to know the issues, and to listen, with open minds, to both sides of the story. Then vote in good conscience. What is best for our country as we go forward? Who has the experience to lead our nation in the right direction so that the American spirit will not continue to suffer?

This time next year, I will make it a point to look in on the e-book statistics once again, to see how far the electronic book industry has traveled to bring a more sustainable way of publishing to our citizens. We need to commend and support our local libraries and  bookstores for making adjustments to the way they do business and for spreading their roots in community in different directions – it hasn’t been easy. 

 Business owners who have figured out how to adapt to the “digital age” are proving that, indeed, the traits that are outlined in the article can be found in every American who runs a successful business.

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

Bookstores Join Writers and Readers

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“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” ~ Bill Cosby

I am still feeling rather bouyed, bubbly and bright (as in radiant) after a fulfilling weekend.

Last Friday night, I was one of three panelists/presenters at a Writers Workshop in Edwards, Colorado held at the Bookworm, a superb Indie Bound bookstore. The subject of the night was marketing independently published  books. We had a much larger turn-out than expected; the space was filled to capacity! A special thank you to events coordinator Kelli Kostroski for all she did to promote and organize the evening.

Nicole Magistro, Co-owner of the bookstore, advised how to best approach retail environments about selling your book, along with the importance of doing research for a “good fit.”

Lindsay Eland, young adult fiction novelist, and author of Scones and Sensibility spoke about selling books at public speaking engagements and finding common interests with the book buying public. Click here for Lindsay Eland’s books.

Bookselling through on-line marketing was my contribution to the discussion. Many in the crowd had thoughtful questions that allowed us to mention the various publishing platforms that are used in today’s digital world, and the valuable role that active local bookstores play in bringing together communities of writers and readers.

I’d like to say thank you to Nicole Magistro for hosting and participating in the event. It was a pleasure to share “the stage” with both women. It is always a good time when I get to discuss my passion of the independent publishing industry with others.

The morning after the event, I made a decision to revisit a small town that used to be legendary for one thing – its Saloon and their Mexican food. It had been about 37 years since I last frequented it. What an awakening! The village is now an example of what art can do to revive a small community. Come on back tomorrow, and I will tell you all about it.

Photos courtesy of Kelly Kostroski, Event Mgr. of the Book Worm

Lindsay Eland (left), Nicole Magistro (middle), Sue Leonard (right)

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and http://www.allthingsfulfilling.com.

Story Woven with Nostalgic Images

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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.Cottonwood

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 Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.