Free Seminar

If anyone happens to be in the Glendale area this June, make sure you check this out:

Reach for Your Dream: Publish Your Book Your Way
Saturday, June 10, 2006
10:00 am
Central Library Auditorium
Glenale California

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't, presents a free seminar for authors: Reach for You Dream: Publish Your Book Your Way. It is sponsored by the Chevy Chase Library Critique Group.

Admission is free, and the Library validates parking for 3 hours in the Good Guys parking structure across from the Library at Harvard and Maryland. Ann Verona, Glendale, is planning the event

The Chevy Chase Library Critique Group, a support group for writers started by Ms. Howard-Johnson and Elizabeth Evans, another Glendale resident. It meets the first and third Wednesdays at 6 pm at the Chevy Chase Branch Library.

For more information:

LINK: Carolyn's Website

Dying Bestsellers

For anyone who is interested in the topic of how the sales of *bestselling* books are doing in the general marketplace, here's a recent release on the subject:

Life–Expectancy of Bestsellers Plummets, Finds Study

The time a best-selling novel spends on the bestseller list has dropped to half of what it was ten years ago, says a new study released by self-publishing web site Lulu.com. The study, which analyzed titles from the NYT Bestseller list over a span of fifty years, found that the shelf-life of bestsellers has diminished dramatically, another sign of the disintegration of mass media as more and more titles now vie for the attention of readers...

But I won't give you all the details, just a few perks that the messages notes comments in regards to: life-expectancy for bestsellers, average number of weeks on top, and where similar trends are showing as well.

For the full read:

LINK: Dying Bestsellers

Salem Aquires Xulon Press

A note of much interest for current and future Xulon Authors:

Salem Publishing announced today it has agreed to acquire Xulon Press. Xulon President and CEO, Tom Freiling, will join Salem Publishing as general manager of Xulon Press.

Freiling said: "By combining the sophisticated resources... it's exciting to think about how many more Christian authors we can serve in the future."

For the whole story:

LINK: Salem aquires Xulon

Website Traffic: Yours any Good?

I'm always fascinated by the number of authors who build websites then complain they aren't getting the kind of visitors they want. Hey, it takes time to build an audience--time and lots of dedication to giving the people what they want ... so that being said, anytime I read another good feature of how "it's not so much the amount as the quality" of hits, then I feel all so led to pass it along for all those who are just realizing there's more to marketing on the web than just having a site.

Seth Godin's recent topic of choice all so eloquently lays it out in one simple phrase that all internet marketers of any level should take to heart: "...better traffic, not more..."

Ah, the distinct ring of wisdom...

Don't miss it folks!

LINK: Seth's Blog

Indebookstores, Good for what?

In an interesting article recently posted at Slate, writer Tyler Cowen discusses the independent & chain bookstore industry and how we as consumers and authors are steadily changing the marketplace by the choices we make on a daily basis.

If you have the time, it's one you shouldn't miss.

The Death of the Independent Bookstore

LINK: Slate

Book Production Drop

Book Production Plummets 18,000 in 2005, According to Bowker Statistics

Bowker recently released it's numbers in regards to US book publishing and based on early figures, it looks like the title output for 2005 dropped by more than 18,000 editions. This is the first decline since 1999 and only the tenth in the last fifty years.

What this means to authors is that if this trend towards a "tighter" marketplace in both selling work to traditional and small publishers stays in place, authors will need to make double sure their work is at the top of their game and that the package they present is the best it can be because there won't be as many openings as there was in previous years.

But it doesn't mean there isn't any opportunity to get that contract, it just means there will most likely be more competition--so don't send in a half-done proposal.

For all the info on this intriguing turn of events, along with numbers on what's being published, who doing the publishing, average pricing and more, just visit:

LINK: Bowker Media Release

New Publishing Service

Open Book Press announced the launch of a new publishing imprint called Family Editions. Family Editions Publishing will specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind private keepsakes, heirlooms, and mementoes for clients. The keepsakes come in the form of books that are professionally printed and bound as either a soft or hardcover. Printing is done on demand through a printing house associated with Open Book Press.

Geared to people who want to memorialize a lost loved one, create a tribute to someone in their lives, newlyweds who want a permanent printed wedding album, scrap book enthusiasts who want to create a version of their favorite scrapbook, artists who want to create a unique portfolio, or anyone who has a favorite photo album or special occasion they'd like in print.

LINK: http://www.bookcatcher.com/index2.php?a=2&b=695

LINK: http://www.familyeditions.com

Townshend Bio Independently Published

A right interesting press release recently popped onto my desk and I thought I'd pass it on:

Pete Townshend Biography Independently Published Through Lulu.com Is Gaining Industry Accolades as 'The Who' Prepare for a Summer Tour

Townshend tells author he's "Pleased the book got published" at Lulu.com.

A new, critically acclaimed, exhaustively researched biography of legendary rock musician and songwriter Pete Townshend has been published on the eve of his band The Who’s most active period in years. Author Mark Wilkerson spent over eight years researching and writing the 641-page volume which chronicles the fascinating life of one of the world’s most intriguing rock stars.

The release of Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend comes on the eve of a flurry of activity for The Who: June marks the kickoff of the European leg of The Who’s world tour, along with the release of an EP featuring Townshend’s new “mini-opera”, The Boy Who Heard Music.

Critics are already praising the book, with the Rocky Mountain News calling it “…the most detailed, exacting study of his life we’ll likely get until Townshend releases his own autobiography – and maybe not even then.”

For the whole release, check out:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/5/prweb382975.htm

And for more info about: Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend, visit: www.lulu.com/amazingjourney

"Stickam"-ing it right to you!

Here's a neat idea that you may want to check out when you have the time.

Authors are always looking for the "next big thing" to maximize both thier exposure and sales and being on the forefront of new technology helps when you're trying to reach consumers and although not specifically created for just us authors, Stickam™ is an online site that "allows you to easily place streaming video, slide show, music, and live video chat on your blog and/or web site."

By using Stickam™, you'll be able to "instantly play your videos online using just your web browser." The better features are that "there is no software to download, you just copy and paste the Stickam™ Code into your web site or blog where you want it. Your video can be viewed by virtually anyone with no software to install and will play on any operating system including Linux, Windows and Mac."

To find out more about this neat little tool, just visit:
LINK: http://www.stickam.com/

From POD to Beyond

This is a excerpt of a recent press release regarding author Penny A Sansevieri and her new publishing opportunity. For those who are not yet familiar with who she is, the bestselling author and marketing guru Sansevieri is someone who proved authors can be successful when using the print-on-demand publishing technology.

Stepping over from Self-Publishing

Bestselling author, publicist, book marketing specialist and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. Penny C. Sansevieri has closed a deal with Morgan James Publishing, LLC for the re-release of From Book to Bestseller, Get Published Today and her upcoming book: Striking Internet Gold. Morgan James will also be picking up her book marketing audio series. The deal (for an undisclosed amount) is among one of the most revolutionary in the industry.

Sansevieri’s first book, a novel titled: The Cliffhanger (iUniverse), was a regional Amazon.com bestseller in 1999. This led Penny on a mission to creatively promote books using non-traditional methods like the strategies she maps out in her Virtual Author Tour™ campaign that she developed as part of her company’s innovative marketing concepts.

Sansevieri is excited about this deal but says that she doesn’t want to forget her “roots” in publishing and the POD trend that helped to make this possible. “POD can work for anyone, but an author has got to do the work and the due diligence to make it happen; once they do anything is possible.”

For more on this recent turn of events, visit:
LINK: http://www.prleap.com/pr/34440/

Hiring a PR Pro

When to use a PR Pro & How to Hire One by Pari Noskin Taichert

This is a very informative article for the author who is considering the hiring of a PR professional.

Hiring a PR firm or person is becoming more popular as authors discover the freedom of "POD Publishing" yet at the same time (or soon after) learn they may not be cut out of the "marketing" side of the equation.

Some of the better points made focus directly on when you should consider hiring a Pro and some very insightful questions to ask when doing so.

You can read the whole article here:

LINK: M.J. Rose Blog

Table-ing CSS, Teleconferences, & Amazon Numbers

Hello readers,

I realize I've been busy with some offline housekeeping as of late and because of my seemingly ongoing distraction, I'm somewhat behind on my updates here at my blog but on a good note, I've finally finagled my code enough to begin to get closer to what I've envisioned as being a more suitable layout for this part of my site.

Closer to being designed in tables (which is something I understand) instead of fully dependant on the CSS coding (something that I admit remains beyond my comprehension), I've overhauled the basic template for now to see if this layout will work somewhat better.

But I realize the content is much more important than the design so not to leave you without some writing-oriented tidbits, this is what's come across my desk as of late:


How to Write your e-Book & Print Book at the Same Time Teleclass

Date: May 17, 2006 Time: 3-4PM pacific time

20-year Bookcoach, Judy Cullins, will answer these questions and more:

-Whats the best way to publish?
-How can I make my book more marketable?
-How can I use the "Hot-Selling Points" to pre-market?
-How to I know who my target audience is?
-What are my eBook opportunities?
-How can I write compelling chapters that make the reader want to turn pages and recommend my book?

More info: BookCoaching

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And from the latest edition of Publishing Poynters

To get Publishing Poynters sent to your email, visit:
Dan Poynter's Newsletter

Bestsellers Teleconference

Robert Ringer, author and self-publisher of three #1 bestsellers, will join Dan Poynter in three precedent-setting teleconferences that you won't want to miss - May 30, June 6, and June 8. As a result of his unique marketing strategy, two of Ringer's books were listed by The New York Times among the 15 best-selling motivational books of all time. If you're really serious about wanting to write, publish, and market your book, don't miss this chance to hear Robert Ringer and Dan Poynter discuss every aspect of the art of book promotion.

LINK: Bestsellers Teleconference

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Publishers Report Increase in eBook Revenue

eBook publishers reported a 23% increases in eBook revenue. eBook titles published increased 20% over 2004. Publishers reported 1,692,964 eBook units sold and $11,875,783 in revenues for 2005. They also reported 5,242 eBooks published during this time.

LINK: IDPF Stats
LINK: IDPF Stats

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Rosenthal updates Amazon Ranking Graph

"The most interesting trend to me is that Amazon is passing 1 in 3 books sold going through Marketplace vendors, and on the way towards one in two books sold, though it's still a ways off. Some of those sales are new books from large vendors underbidding Amazon and scraping by on shipping mark-up, nobody knows the ratio of used to new books sold.

LINK: Foner Books