Tag Archives: Books

Community Driven Publishing

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“Freedom is man’s capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.” ~ Rollo May 

Have you picked up a copy of Poets & Writers Magazine lately? Biding time before our weekly Steamboat Writers Group, I picked up the current issue at the Bud Werner Memorial Library and began to explore the articles.  The November/December issue 2011 is a fulfilling read devoted to changes that have taken place and are continuing to take place in the publishing community. Literary Magazines and small presses are leading the way in building a new model in publishing. 

Attitudes of bigger = better is no longer proving to be true in the publishing world. Going with smaller presses often yields advantages. Big presses are not necessarily more stable. Signing on with one of the publishing powerhouses does not mean an end to economic woes nor marketing responsibilities. According to the article in Poets and Writers Magazine, author’s reputations do not suffer when going with small independent presses. These points of views, long endorsed by literary agents, have not proven to be correct.

If you haven’t read this article, I’d suggest that you do. Thought provoking testimony comes from people who have experienced both sides of the publishing world – employment by large, corporate publishing houses and involvement with the small presses. For more information on this article, please visit www.pw.org.

Living in the community of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where many experienced and published authors reside, I have noticed a shift here, too. Interesting and inspiring changes are happening throughout publishing communities everywhere. Learn more about the fast track approach to publishing. Independently discover and explore the art of the new publishing universe,  in quick time!  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g.

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Beyond Name Brand e-Readers

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 “The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”
~ John Wooden 

Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s Nook and the Sony Reader are becoming household words in e-readers. However, there are other brands that are geared for specific uses and target markets, too. Don’t discount the lesser known e-readers that are available. Check all your options when searching for an e-reader, you might find one that may be better than the others at fulfilling your particular needs. 

For example, Jet Book K-12 from Ectaco, Inc. is a digital reader made specifically for schools. Standard applications include state reading lists from schools, Oxford English dictionaries as well as other language dictionaries, a handheld scanner that allows for documents to be scanned directly into the device and a scientific graphing calculator. 

There is also a recipe reader, the Demy by Key Ingredient Corp. for culinary customers who find it easier to go to a digital reader to locate recipes they are looking for rather than leafing through volumes and pages of cookbooks. This slim digital reader can hold up to 2500 recipes all on spot, in one small space atop the kitchen counter. No need to worry about splatters of food ruining pages of a cookbook, anymore. 

Looking for a digital note e-ink screen and touch screen, all in one combo.  The entourage eDGe allows users to write handwritten notes on one side and has an e-reader on the other. This dual-sided e-reader came out in 2010, and now has a downsized Pocket version as well. 

The Story HD from Iriver is called the world’s highest-resolution 6 inch e-reader. This is device supports ePub and PDF files and uses 63% more pixels for better resolution. 

One more gadget new to the market features a full color, non-reflective screen great for out-of-door reading. Mirasol’s PocketBook has a 7 inch screen and runs on Android 2.0 on a wireless network. 

Remember, if you purchase an e-reader, there are also lots of free independently published e-books on line. How do you locate free e-books? Here is a source http://bit.ly/14tUT. 

Happy e-reading, everyone! This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Specializing in E-Commerce and E-Marketing for Independent Publishers.

Holiday e-Book Buying Guide

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“Only one shopping day left ’til tomorrow.” ~Author Unknown

I am always in awe of people who begin their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Shopping from the computer, through e-commerce has become routine. Catalogs in print, arriving through the mail, have been reduced. Many of the big catalog companies now have catalogs on the web. That is a positive move toward sustainability –  a very good thing. It will save a lot of trees! 

There has been a dramatic uptick over past ten years in digital and electronic gadgets that appear on Christmas lists. Everything from laptops, to i-phones, i-pods to digital cameras and more are the most wanted gifts on any adult and children’s wish lists. 

In 2011, e-books are selling at a rapid rate. As sales of electronic reader devices increases (such as the Kindle, the Nook, i-Pads and Sony readers), there becomes a proportionate increase in electronic books sales, too. Some e-book authors are selling 9,000 or 10,000 books per month. 

Let’s face it –  e-books, are on the fast track of independent publishing. http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. They have provided, to the reader, the most convenient and affordable way of purchasing new books. 

To view a catalog of authors who make their titles available through independent publishing, follow this link. http://bit.ly/qs0jUN .  Authors in this holiday  guide are among  leaders in the independent publishing industry. There are others available and they can be found by searching the internet for “top selling e-books or independently published books.”

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Praise for Creation

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“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”  ~Cynthia Ozick 

I’ve been drawn back into the church as an adult, in part, by the memories of the beautiful hymns that I sang as a child. Around Thanksgiving time, many of the spiritual songs have words of gratefulness and gratitude for the harvest and for the impending season of darkness. For without winter gloom, there would not be a fulfilling sense of renewal of spirit in spring. 

Composers of yester year have created some of the most eloquent stories, through song, about the change of the seasons and the bounty of the Universe. Many hymns of blessings and praise, written decades ago, are still sung in sanctuaries today, such as – 

  • For the Fruits of the Garden ~  verses by Fred Pratt Green
  • Oh Food to Pilgrims Given ~  words by Maintzich Gesangbuch
  • Come, Ye Thankful People, Come ~ verses by Henry Alford
  • America the Beautiful ~ verses by Katharine Lee Bates
  • For the Beauty of the Earth ~ words by Elliot S Pierpoint
  • In the Bleak Midwinter ~ words by Christina G Rossetti 

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year to step inside the doors of a church. Listen to the vocal choirs, tune into the musical instruments, experience the peace and be grateful for the cozy warmth of the shelter for the body and soul. 

A few weeks from now, at the United Methodist Church http://bit.ly/lAT08q  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in other places of worship everywhere, choirs will be magnificently singing Handel’s The Messiah. Don’t miss out!

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Cookin’ Up a Soulful Pot

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As a blog writer, when the inspiration hits, I am on the job no matter what day of the week it is.  I am compelled to put it down on paper, when the mind and heart is awakened by a spark of creative thought. It’s all part of fulfilling my need to write. 

Today is National Day of Chicken Soup for the Soul, did you know that? It’s Saturday, a good day to stay at home and create a soup full of thoughts that will warm me both inside and out. Intuition tells me the ingredients to build a healthy stock would be – 

  • Year-long gratitude for the personally fulfilling things I have in my life
  • Observance of the gift of quiet times
  • Understanding that the ordinary can be extraordinary
  • Appreciation for the natural beauty of the earth
  • Rigorous amounts of stirring of the spirit by exploring one’s own gifts
  • Ecstatic feelings for our son and seeing him make his marc on the world
  • New Ideas to bring inspiration and creativity
  • Eager anticipation of beauty in the holiday season
  • Variety in Independent Thoughts, Words and Views for my blog readers
  • Energy  and excitement as I go about my daily work
  • Rousing possibilities for telling my own story
  • Abundance of work to do
  • Limitless discovery of “kindred spirits”
  • Old fashioned values of home and hearth
  • Nurturing of the book I am writing -it is close to my heart
  • Enduring love from friends and family 

Create your own unique recipe for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Add  ingredients that  bring happiness, contentment and peace to your life.  Stir the pot with a big strong spoon, so the harmony and balance of flavors will be just right. 

Bountiful Living to You !

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Views from Different Generations

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 The past few blogs have been focused on “raising up” the next generation. Elders often feel the responsibility to share and teach younger generations wisdom they have gained throughout a long life. The condition of human existence guarantees that our life experiences will range from triumph to tragedy.  Depending on our own attitudes, we all form our own personal perspectives about life and how fulfilling we see it. 

When we compare the work of two artists translating the same scene onto a painted canvas,  we often find perfect examples interpreting things through a different set of values and thoughts.

 Last month, I went on the Great Falls Studio Tour inVirginia. I stopped by the home and studio of artist Linda Jones. As we walked around her work space, she shared her life as an artist. She explained how being an artist can be a solitary existence and by teaching painting to others in her studio, it allows for fellowship with other artists and a chance to share her knowledge with new generations of painters. It was fascinating to see the different styles of her student’s unfinished paintings left on the easels to dry. 

Some of the paintings in the studio were those of her daughter.  Although she shared her knowledge of painting with her offspring, mother and daughter each have their own unique and definite style. 

We came across a canvas that was in the works. Linda Jones and her daughter have undertaken an experiment of combining both of their styles onto one canvas. They paint as the spirit moves them, each contributing their own creative talents, never altering what the other has done. This painting is real testimony to the respect they have for one another’s work despite their differing styles. It will be fascinating to see the end result. 

For more information on Linda and her art, please visit www.lindajonesart.com. Thank you, Linda for opening your studio to others so that we may better understand all that you do!

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Daylight Comes in Memories

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 “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ~ Wayne Dyer 

Daylight savings time has arrived. For those people whose bodies are sensitive to light, perhaps the long season of diminished day light will provide an extra hour of sleep.

Spring, summer and fall are my seasons of choice. Here in mountain country, winter is literally experienced in the raw. The biting, blustery Arctic winds are a reminder of the nature’s less gentle ways with us. Moments of glory in winter come when the rays of sunshine peak out from behind the somber clouds of a raging snowstorm. Those rays carry a special splendor, far different and more dazzling, than the sunshine of summer days. I rely on extra moments of light and illumination from within during the dark season of winter. 

This year, my memories and photographs of our family’s October wedding by the Chesapeake Bay, will bring me pleasure in the bleak hours of a winter’s day. My niece’s engagement began with the husband-to-be creating a story that will long be remembered. The thoughts of the sparkle of the bride’s eyes on wedding day, the camaraderie of eight cousins brought together to share a special occasion, the budding new relationship of two strong families tied together through a marriage, and God’s grace in granting long, healthy lives to the bride’s Grandparents who were there to witness the scene, is enough to brighten even the longest winter. 

My Thanksgiving horn of plenty was filled early this year with the blessings of a family gathered. A nourishment of spirit comes with fulfilling thoughts of gratefulness for the abundance of a happy home and family. I need not a thing more.

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Butterflies at Art Award Night in Vermont

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“A novel is not, after all, a historical document, but a way to travel through the human heart.” ~ Julia Alvarez – In the Time of the Butterflies 

Tonight, November 4th,  the Vermont Arts Council http://bit.ly/7Ncf6e  will have their annual awards honoring three outstanding artists. All three are working in their fields to share their talents through their poetry, books and musical compositions. 

Christian Wolff will be receiving the Walter Cerf Award for Outstanding Achievement in the performing arts.  He has recorded over 20 solo CDs and his book Cues, is a collection of his writings on music. For more information on his musical compositions and his life, please visit  http://bit.ly/cJGbcs. 

Julia Alvarez is the writer-in-residence at MiddleburyCollege. She has 5 published novels, a book of essays and many books for young readers. Several of her books have been adapted for film and theatre and are available in many languages and in many countries around the world.  An organic farm-literacy arts center in her homeland of the Dominican Republic holds a special place in her heart, and she shares of herself there, too. For more information on this author and her new book which will be available in the spring of 2012, please visit  http://bit.ly/9WSMSJ. 

Sydney Lea is a poet and prose writer often writing on subjects such as ecology and the natural environment. He has two books of essays, a published novel and has just been named Poet Laureate of Vermont. He makes his home in Newbury, Vermont. To read more about this multi-lingual professor of literature, please go to  http://bit.ly/ofelnu. 

Every year I look forward in great anticipation to receiving my Vermont Arts Gala invitation, whether I am able to attend or not. It is fulfilling to learn about the artists who are being celebrated for their contributions of inspiring others in the creative state of Vermont.

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Eureka! Wonders of the Web

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If you are an independent publisher, e-marketing can help you find people you have had relationships with in the past but had lost track. Potential book buyers are often people with whom you have had fulfilling personal connections with. Your relationship with a customer may have begun a long time ago – as a child, in school, through a career, in church or by being a joint member of a fraternal or service organization. A book written by long lost friend always holds curiosity and intrigue.

Way back on February 2, 2010, I posted a blog on All Things Fulfilling entitled Antiquarian Advice. http://bit.ly/uMfwK8. The blog mentioned a book my Uncle, Dr. John C. Krantz had co-authored more than 5 decades ago with the  then Governor of Maryland called The Art of Eloquence.

The other day, more than a year and a half after the blog had been posted, I received a comment to the blog!  It came from a woman who was a neighbor of the Uncle I had featured.  She contacted me  to say that she remembered my Uncle and his wife, very well. She mentioned she used to go to his house more than 50 years ago to babysit (I’ve concluded his Grandchildren). 

It was not spam! It was the real thing!   She went on to describe the color and style of their home, their address and the name of their daughter. All correct! 

It was a splendid surprise to have heard from her. I was astonished. How did she find the blog that was written a year and a half ago, I wonder?  She now resides many states away from her childhood home of Baltimore.  I, the author of  the blog, am now located far from my east coast family roots of  Baltimore– in the Western part of the country. Yet, we were able to connect. I certainly did not know who this person was, but she found me and now I do! 

This is a perfect example of how communities of people connect through the world- wide-web. If you are not visible on the internet,  your potential book buyers can not find you. As Bill Gates once said  “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”  There is a lot of truth in that!

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Closing out a Chapter

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“The heart’s intention is the measure of all things.”-Maimonides

Today, Kiwanis International is on my mind. Perhaps because Monday is the day our Steamboat Springs chapter of the service organization meets. 

Did you know every nine minutes, a newborn from somewhere around the world dies from tetanus? This shouldn’t occur. The vaccine is available and inexpensive.($1.80 per vaccination). Kiwanis International and UNICEF have partnered to eliminate this fatal disease. 

All Kiwanians look forward to the day when fulfilling this mission is complete. This service organization has already proven a project of this scale can be successfully accomplished by the global elimination global of iodine deficiencies disorders. This new mission to eliminate neo-natal and maternal tetanus can be achieved, too. It will mean closing out a chapter of worry in the lives of mothers in far off places around the globe. Sixty one million child bearing women in 38 countries will be protected against the deadly disease of MNT. 

You can do your part by learning more about the good work of Kiwanis in local communities and around the globe. Join in and “serve the children of the world.” http://bit.ly/byhSUg.

Thanks for hearing my plea. And one more thing – Today is Halloween so be on the watch for little ghosts and goblins as they they walk down the street trick or treating. Please slow down and be alert!

Coming tomorrow, more independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.