Category Archives: Independent filmmakers

Listen and Obey

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“Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.” ~ James Freeman Clarke

The signs are all there, and it is time, just for a few days, to get off the merry-go-round. The signs began with a scratchy throat, an ear ache, and I have gone through a box of Kleenex. I have been afflicted  by the common cold.

The feverish pace I have kept, trying to keep up with the independent publishing industry, and all of it’s changes, I am afraid have worn me down. But it is all so exciting, and I don’t want to miss a beat. It even has me all a Twitter!

I am going to listen to my inner voice telling me to be kind to myself and take a weekend break. Perhaps I will go  cold turkey- no more letters, let the e-mails pile up, forget the social media marketing.

We all need to give ourselves permission to seek some peace and quiet every once in a while. I may even hunker down, pull the covers up around my chin and reach, reach, reach across the bedside table for those two independently published books that have been waiting for me!

What is that saying? “Before you can help others, you have to help yourself?”

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Bull or Bear Art Market?

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“If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.”                              ~ Robert Quillen 

Who said art is not selling during these economic times? Who said we have all returned to frugality? And of all things, who said there is no value in being an artist?

All the skeptics have been proven wrong! “L’ Homme Qui Marche 1”  (Marching Man 1) was sold within 8 minutes of the opening bid to anonymous buyer at a London auction.  The opening bid was 12 million pounds and it sold for 65 million pounds ($103.4 million dollars) and the guy is not even a CEO!!! He is a piece of sculpture!! Imagine that!

The sculpture is a thin, wiry figure of 72 inches in height, crafted by 20th century Swiss artist Giacometti.  The last time one of this artist’s sculptures was auctioned off was 20 years ago, and it sold for 6.82 million.  Wednesday’s sale of “L’Homme Qui Marche 1” set a world record. It is reportedly “the most expensive piece of art ever sold” by Sotheby’s auction house.

The sculpture is said to be “both a humble image of an ordinary man, and a potent symbol of humanity.” Well- the value placed on that walking man’s head was not humble!! As for being a symbol of humanity,  we do sometimes attach that kind of  high value to some men or women walking around today, whether we agree with it or not!

Don’t get me wrong, if the artist was alive today, I would say “good for you, Mr. Giacometti, for being able to garner that kind of value from your artistic talents!”

Can anyone help me calculate what the profit per square inch of sculpted wire would be?

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Rosy Reflections

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“Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” ~               Sara Teasdale “The Philosopher”

Despite many trips to the mirror, have you ever looked into your reflection and observed some new things about yourself that you have never discovered before? All of us have experienced this phenomenon called self-discovery. Maybe you just noticed there are a few new freckles, that your eyes sparkle a little brighter than they did before or perhaps your mouth is more turned up than you thought.

Sometimes it leaves you shaking your head and wondering – it is an aura, my imagination or is it for real? It happened to me this week. Rather than explain exactly what I saw, I thought I would share the image that appeared before me, in my own mirror’s reflection, that way, there will be no distortion of the facts.

At the risk of being narcissistic, I am going to keep checking back with my mirror, because you never know what other changes can occur.  All of us feel good when we can share what we see with others, that is why I am sharing this reflection with you!

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Antiquarian Advice

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“The finest eloquence is that which gets things done”~ David Lloyd George

Guess what I did? Purchased my first antiquarian book! Thanks to the internet, I located and purchased the book through e-commerce! Interesting thing is , I located the book through Abe Books in British Columbia, Canada, yet the book was published in 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland.

To get to the real point, I wanted this book because it was authored by my uncle, Dr. John C. Krantz, who was professor of pharmacology at the University of Maryland. In fact, he is the only published relative that I know of! Not only was he a brilliant medical research doctor, who was widely published in medical journals, he was also a wonderful storyteller!

My uncle, Dr. Krantz, was a pioneer in medical research, and in my opinion, he was also a pioneer in teaching others about the art of public speaking! Today, there are a plethora of books on the subjects of career coaching, public speaking and professionalism in the workplace but, when this book was published in 1952, I doubt many books on these topics existed.

The book, The Art of Eloquence: A Governor and Scientist Look at Public Speaking was co-authored with Governor Theodore R. McKeldin of Maryland. The forward of this book was written by Lowell Thomas, an American writer and broadcaster who made the film Lawrence of Arabia famous.

Dr. Krantz and Governor McKeldin cover such topics in their publication as public speaking on radio, stage, giving welcome speeches, commencement addresses, speeches of acceptance and even as a toastmaster using humor. Tips on things such as how to dress for success, enunciation and proper modulation of the voice, protecting your voice from the cold and the importance of women removing their hats prior to television appearances are covered.

As a child, I knew my uncle was a greatly respected man of high integrity and intelligence. In the prime of his career, I was just a child, so I never witnessed “Uncle John” making a speech. What I have discovered inside the covers of this book, are transcripts of many of the speeches he made throughout his life. My intentions are to sit down soon, and read each and every one and to learn. After all, you never know when you could be called upon to address a group of people!

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Following Tradition

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“Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things.” ~ Author Unknown

Oh, how sweet it is! Isn’t that the truth? Pop was the best! He loved us all so unconditionally that he even loved us when he shouldn’t have. The four of us grandchildren were the apple of his eye, the light in his day, and we knew it!

I recently joined Kiwanis International. This service organization was established in 1915, when my Grandfather was a young man in his early twenties. Several months ago, I mentioned to my Dad that I was contemplating joining this fine service organization.  He reminded me of a few things – that my Grandfather, who was a fine custom homebuilder and my uncle, who was a medical reseach doctor, both were Kiwanians. Once I was reminded of this fact, I did vaguely recall that my Grandfather had a Kiwanis plaque hanging in his office.

Many might wonder why a person would join a service organization. It is simple! I was given so much as a child, in ways that have nothing to do with material goods, that if there is some way I can give back by being involved with this great organization, it will be my pleasure!

Kiwanians are involved in all sorts of service projects which benefit children. They aid in providing for homeless children, building playgrounds, raising funds for pediatric research, mentoring disadvantaged children, and much more. Great things come out of stepping out and giving a child a chance in life! I am going to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps, because being a Kiwanian is a tradition worth following!

This short trailer will give a little insight into what Kiwanis is all about! Take just a few minutes to watch fellowship, caring and community happen!  For more information on Kiwanis International, please visit http://www.kiwanis.org.

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Books from Basement to Marketplace

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“You have all the reason in the world to acheive your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization.”~ Dennis Waitley

A mistake that some independent publishers make is putting all efforts into writing and publishing their book and forgetting about marketing campaigns. This leads to poorly or under-marketed  books. Over printing can also leave an independent publisher with a pile of unsold books.

Does your independently published book or film still have as much relevance today as when it was published, yet you have cartons sitting in your basement rather than on the shelves of your audience?

Enter E-Marketing! Through the use of social media marketing and e-commerce (internet selling), why not explore the possibility of ridding yourself of books that are still current in subject matter. Breathe new life  into  your attempts at marketing and selling them. Social media marketing can be the perfect tool for reaching potential readers and to getting those books sold. Many independent publishers have never used these tactics of book selling,  but there are professionals who can assist with every step along the way.

Give it a go! Opportunity may be just a search engine away! Start with e-commerce for independent publishers.

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The Art of Friendship

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“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”  Voltaire

We have all known others who would give the shirt off their back for anyone. They give almost greater attention to others than themselves. They are so full of kindness, generosity and beautiful gestures that their souls are as golden as honey. You know the kind of person I am describing, each of us have friends like that!

I have a new painting sitting in my home that I love! I acquired it through a friend whose kind, giving nature makes the world better for so many others. I happened to see the beautiful painting hanging on her wall and remarked how well I liked it. She took the painting right off the wall and gave it to me!

The painting is unsigned, and it may not be an original, but what matters is that it brought beauty to my friend’s life by hanging in her home, and now it brings joy to my life. Is that not what art is all about?

As I brought it home and hung it on the wall, I began to think of the likeness of my friend and the artist. To each, creation of beauty in art and friendship is more important than name recognition.

Thank you, my friend, for your beautiful act of kindness. Your own art, of friendship, is noticed, valued and greatly appreciated.

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It’s All Good!

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“We immediately become more effective when we decide to change ourselves rather than asking things to change for us.” ~ Stephen Covey

You all must think that this blogsite only focuses on independent publishing. Not so! I will read any book or watch any film so long as it adds value to my life, independently published or not!

Although we all stop growing physically at a certain age in life, that does not mean our intellect and self improvement skills need to stop growing, too. Growth from that perspective should be never ending.  Our evolution as human beings should be ongoing, especially if we are to live the kind of life we want for ourselves.

Last week, I stopped by the library and picked up a book that I never expected to be as useful to my own life and business as it is. It is called “Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, published by Franklin Covey Company. What a treasure chest of writings this book contains for a values based business. If every business operated with the same synergy suggested in this book, we would all be living in a diamond mine.  Every company and organization would shine so brightly, we would all need blinders on! There is no “preachiness” in each short daily reflection in this book, only empowering principles for living life effectively and with great integrity.

We are all diamonds in the rough. This helpful book may add polish to your life, and contain the very things you have been searching for along your path to an enriched life. Check it out!

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Being on Target

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“All great men are gifted with intuition. They know without reasoning or analysis what they need to know.” ~Alexis Carrel

Hah! I knew I should listen to my intuition or the big guy in the sky who has been telling me to press on, not to listen to all the doubters, to carry-on with what feels right and just! I am talking about social media marketing!

One of the most high of all feels the same way I do! The Pope just advised his people that they need to spread the word by responding to “today’s cultural shifts” and if that means messing about with electronic technology and the virtual world, so be it! The Pope is an advocate for the use of electronic images, blogs, websites and videos to communicate with the masses of people throughout the world.

I concur! This is also what I have prescribed for opening up doorways of opportunity for all of our independent publishing clients! See that, sometimes it really pays to listen to your intuition or whatever elevated “being” you listen to!

Are you paying attention?

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Weekend Indie Publishing News

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Have all of you spent time with Frank lately? I have an appointment with him at 9:30 am MT, and you can listen in, too! Frank Gromling’s radio show “Cover to Cover” for authors and publishers will be well worth listening to. It is every Saturday morning at 11:30 am Eastern Standard Time, 10:30 am Central Time, 9:30 am Mountain Time and 8:30 am Pacific Time.

It is a great way to stay on top of the ever changing trends in publishing, hear interviews with local and nationally known authors, tips for independent publishing and industry tips of the trade. Tune in to www.wnzf.com.  You’ll be glad you did!

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