Finding it Within

“True prosperity is the result of well-placed confidence in ourselves and our fellow man.” ~  Benjamin Burt

On this Thanksgiving Day, I would like to thank all independent publishers everywhere who are finishing their books and films by the end of this year, 2009.

Blessings to You, who work hard and dare

Blessings to You, who wish to share

Blessings to You, who have penned, produced and toiled

Blessings to You, who have burned the midnight oil

Thanks for sharing your independently published books, music and films so that we may be enriched, educated and inspired. May you all find fulfillment in the work that you do, and be rewarded with an abundance of personal prosperity in 2010.

Blessings to You

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More Indie Publisher News

 

Start your year out right! The American Library Association will be holding it’s Midwinter Conference on January 15 at the Boston Convention Center.  Members and non-members,alike may display their publications with the Independent Publishers of New England. For more information visit their website www.ipne.org.

Your book may be the very thing librarians are searching for,  an uncommon book that meets their patrons needs!

For more information on the event, visit http://www.ala.org/conference/upcoming/midwinter./2010/index/cfm.

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Filmmakers – Are you looking for an opportunity to combine Art and Travel? The 12th Annual Green Mountain Film Festival is slated for March 19-28, 2009. This is a curated film festival and an outstanding selection of independent films will be shown throughout the 9 day festival.

For more information, visit http://www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org

Make your travel plans now! And see what the Green Mountain State has to offer for fans of independent film!

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Weekend Indie Publisher News

Attention Independent Filmmakers –

Nomads Land www.nomadsland.com is calling for entries for the Washington, DC Film Series. They are seeking 7 social issue documentary films. Films may be submitted between December 2009 – June 2010.

For submission guidelines, please go to www.nomadsland.com.

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Reminder:  Cover to Cover Radio Show for Authors and Publishers

Airs every Saturday morning on www.wnzf.com  with Host Frank Gromling. Tune in on-line and learn about the independent publishing industry.

  • 11:30 am Eastern Time
  • 10:30 am Central Time
  • 9:30 am Mountain Time
  • 8:30 am Pacific Time

Turning Pages

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

For those of you who are returning to this blogsite, you know we have approached the subject of electronic reading devices before. Someone sent me an article from a publishing newsletter the other day that caught my attention. I will share an interesting tidbit of information from the newsletter with you –

Did you know it takes 25% longer to read a book on a digital reading device?

Do you know what the long range consequences of this estimation means?  It means I will read approximately 25% less books in my lifetime. As an owner of a company that serves independent publishers, I am NOT okay with that! I can sum it up real quick, here and now!

I have promises to keep,

and books to read before I sleep,

and books to read before I sleep.

And from a computer, I need relief!!

Get the story?

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Publishing Love Letters

“The love of  a family is life’s greatest blessing.” ~ Unknown

Desktop publishing has been used widely for families to document and share their family geneology and history. Because, let’s be honest, unless you are a member of a notable family, have accomplished something unusual in life, are a hot television personality or politician, a CEO “giant” or have an extreme story to tell, the chances are slim to none of having your book published by a traditional and major publishing house.

Many people find it important to travel to different parts of the world to discover, document and learn about their geneology, but it is not necessary. Tracing your family heritage is made simple in this digital age. Websites like Ancestry.com makes searching for relatives possible and fun.

The purpose of publishing a family history is to pass along stories of family members migrating from one geographical area to another, to teach of ancestor’s struggles and adversities, to record births and deaths, family values and ethnic lineage. A study of our ancestry helps us to identify and connect with those family members who came before us.

A common mistake is to think that only your family members would be interested in your family’s tales. Not so – I just read an independently published book called “Out of Vienna” by Ernie Weiss. www.OutofVienna.com.  The author is not personally known to me, nor is his extended family. But the recounting of his family’s eight year escape from Vienna during the Nazi occupation to the United States was fascinating.

If you are contemplating independently publishing a book about your family’s geneology – take the leap. For your relatives, a book of family history is the inheritance of a love letter written for your children and those not yet born.

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Weekend Indie Publisher News

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Are you an emerging writer looking to share your work with readers? Are you interested in meeting other writers and building a network of literary friends?

Share your writing by uploading your own book and download  other e-books too through www.bookrix.com.  A great way to begin to build a following as a writer, too!

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Braveheart

“When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into it’s writing.” ~ Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Someone not too long ago made the comment to me that “I am a brave woman to bare my soul through blogging.” Her remark took me by surprise and I began to think about why people write and whether putting pen to paper is an act of bravery.

I came to the conclusion that, yes for many, writing is an act of courage. Therapeutic writing often addresses wrongdoings or failings in one’s life.  Topics of therapeutic writing can be ugly and fraught with raw emotion. Feelings of victimization, being punished or bullied, thoughts of resentment, shame, grief or frustration is often addressed in therapeutic writing. Acts of contrition are often mentioned.  Writing is cathartic and a useful tool of psychological therapy for many.

Writing a memoir takes guts too! Reflecting on one’s own life is not always easy. The act of sharing one’s own life story takes courage.  Deep reflection on one’s own life and it’s purpose often digs up unpleasant moments and times that have been pushed way back, lest they be remembered.

No, I am not a brave woman. I write because it is fun. It gets my fingers goin’ and my thoughts flowin’ and if someone likes my writing, it is all that more satisfying and fulfilling.

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More Indie Publisher News

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Learn from others. Attending other author’s book tours and book release events are an ideal way to learn to promote your book.

There is a great resource for finding out what author will be coming to your area by going to www.BookTour.com.

You can search the website by date, author and place and find out where you can meet and hear about your favorite author’s newest book releases, including NY Times best selling authors.

Learning from others is a great way to educate yourself so that when you are ready to promote yourself as an author, you have the knowledge of what it takes to have a successful book tour.

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Weekend Indie Publisher News

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First things, first!

Tune in This Morning! Poor Frank, he must be feeling ignored! I have been unable to listen to his Radio Show “Cover to Cover” for a few weeks now.  If you have never listened to this radio show for writers and publishers, every Saturday morning is your chance. No need for a radio, “Cover to Cover” can be listened to on line at www.wnzf.com. Host Frank Gromling always has insightful, interesting guests on his show sharing their knowledge of the publishing world.

Tune in at 11:30 am Eastern Standard Time, 10:30 am Central Time, 9:30 am Mountain Time and 8:30 am Pacific Time.

Let’s show Frank our support today!!! Listen in and learn with me!

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Registration is now open for The Association of Writers (AWP) 2010 Conference in Denver, CO!! You can save money now by registering early. Major sponsors, literary partners and patrons make this great three day event possible at the Hyatt Regency form April 7 – 10, 2010. The event includes a book fair, presenters and  exhibitors.

A wealth of information for writers is available through the AWP. They sponsor writing contests, writers conferences, information on writing careers and MFA writing programs. Check it out at http://www.awpwriter.org.

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It is All in the Details

ice cream sundae

Can you imagine a company like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream deciding to sell a new flavor without tasting the concoction first? It would never happen!  Before they even begin to create a new flavor, the company often canvasses ice cream lovers for flavor suggestions. A lot of research and development goes into a new flavor before it goes to market. The company mixes and tastes, mixes and tastes, mixes and tastes, until they are completely satisfied with the test batches. Then they come up with a name and packaging for the new flavor that will excite discerning palates and make customers want to scream for the new ice cream.

If you are a self publishing author or independent publisher, the same kind of consideration needs to go into your book. Talk with those whom you think would be your prospective readers and get a feel for whether your book would be saleable or not.  Research how many books have been published on the subject you want to write about. Think about who your market would be (main and ancillary). What would your strategy for reaching those markets be? Would you sell the book on-line? Do you know the most economical and quickest way to ship and how to keep track of the business end of shipping? What title and book cover would grab the attention of your reader? These are all  details you would need to think about.

The most successful independent publisher has crafted not only their manuscript carefully but they have designed a complete plan for their publication from concept to market. They know their strengths and limitations and seek help for the parts of the plan they know little about.

No, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream would not think of selling a new product without taste testing. A writer would not think of placing their book on the shelf without editing either.

It is all in the details!

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