Tag Archives: book

November 6, 2013 · 2:57 am

Author Rick Brambrink: a Victorian Lover and Publisher

Rick Brambrink started his self-publishing career in 2010 and already has seven books with more on the way. He has a passion for touring Victorian style homes and meeting with the owners. Rick is currently the president of the James J. Hill Society and will be holding a presentation at the Princeton Depot on November 13.

Another event coming up is ‘The Titanic’s of the Great Lakes’. It is about the two passenger ships that James J. Hill had on the great lakes. There will be one model ship on display along with all of the photos and blue prints of the ships. James built two passenger ships that sailed only on the great lakes, North West and North Land. They were sister ships and they were the largest and fastest ships on the great lakes at the time they were built and many years later. Please comment if interested in more info on event.

Let’s welcome Rick Brambrink,

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Rick: I decided to publish because I think that it is important to record history. The first book that we published was in architectural style. We wanted to record historic fences and gates of historic mansions. Then we went into coloring books but also kept that on the historic side. Recording history is very important no matter what form it is in.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Rick: Grand Fences and Gates of the James J. Hill House, Summit Avenue Coloring Book, Cathedral of Saint Paul Coloring Book, Glensheen the Historic Congdon Estate Coloring Book, Minnesota North Shore Coloring Book, Twin Cities Coloring Book and Summit Avenue Mansions.

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Rick: We do books on locations that have a good customer base. We make sure that before we do a book that they are willing to sell it. I have a good relationship with all of my customers so that they are willing to keep selling them.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Rick: I know that having a good website is very useful. But I have did not research publishing books before I got into the business. My business partner already had some background experience with publishing a book, I just had to be the front guy and make things happen. I have not read any books on publishing.

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Rick: Getting the word out on a new book.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Rick: Don’t think that all you have to do is publish a book and watch the money roll in, you have to work long and hard at it to get your book to sell. You have to stay in contact with the book stores at all times and make sure they don’t run out of your book. It’s not easy.

Check out my previous author interviews and blogs on prelaunch marketing, cover/manuscript setup and working with a printer. If you are not following, just click the follow button on the right hand side to be emailed when new blogs are posted. If you would like to be included in the author interview series and get some (free) book exposure – just email me at jill@mirabooksmart.com

As always, I appreciate any comments, suggestions or feedback. If you have a blog topic you want me to cover – send it over.

…and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Tagged as author, book, book marketing, Book media, interview, James J. Hill, publish, Rick Brambrink, self-publishing, writing

October 29, 2013 · 8:04 pm

Conquering the Beast: Part 1

Amazon is the most wonderful place on Earth – or is it? We all know that if you want to get book exposure then you need to have your book on Amazon. The only problem is they take a hefty 55% when they sell your book. They have the leverage to take a high dollar because of who they are and what they can offer a seller. So I have decided if they are going to take 55% then I am going to make them work for it. There are some basics to setting up an account but you can go further and figure out all the little tricks to get exposed faster and by more people. This blog will review setting up the accounts. The next blog, part 2, will go further into what you can do within the accounts. Be sure and click the follow button on the top right so you are alerted to when the next blog is posted.

First you have to open an Amazon Advantage account. Once you review the page on ‘What is Advantage’ and like what you see – sign up for the account. This is your login screen once you have created an account (click on screen images for larger view) :

I was surprised at how ‘business like’ the site is but then I thought – this is for all sorts of sellers and some people have multiple products, items, pricing, etc so it is built to host a wide range. There are a lot of tools for inventory control and analytics. I would recommend just reviewing the site and click through some tabs. I always feel a bit overwhelmed when starting a new program because there are a lot of features.

When you first sign up, you will need to add your book information and photos. Just go under the Items tab and ‘Add an Item’. You will then have to go through the steps and fill out the book info. Then upload your images. When uploading your book images, be sure and review how to properly name the images and the image size. I actually went through this a couple of times because I didn’t pay attention to the labeling system they want used. Once you submit then they go through a review right there and you quickly see if it was rejected or accepted.

Now that you have an item for sale, Amazon will send you a PO (Purchase Order). This is usually for just 1 book to make the product ‘in stock’. You will see a tab for ‘Orders’ so click there and select ‘Purchase Orders’. Here is a screenshot:

You have to click on the little box to open the PO and then confirm it. The PO will give you the basics of how many books to send and the address to send them to. You then print the shipping label and packing slip (for inside the box). Here is a screen shot of the PO I received:

So my thought is – I pay to print the book, they take 55% and now I have to pay at least $2.53/book (media mail – up to 9 business days) for Amazon to receive it. Well, that’s not cool because I am now in the hole and will lose money on this book. So I found a ‘stock up feature’ in their help section. The help section is surprisingly helpful, btw. You can go to Help/Orders/Stock Up Request and send them an email. Just let them know it is for a promotion or launch of the book. They need a reason to allow you to send more books. Personally, I requested to send 10 books and they accepted within 2-3 business days. They sent me a new PO for 10 books.

You have now officially put your book for sale on Amazon. That wasn’t so bad now was it?

…Wait, we are not quite done…

AUTHOR CENTRAL

Amazon realizes that many authors are selling their books and they have created a separate site for Authors to share their info, reach more readers and get author help. This is not part of the Amazon Advantage account you were just setting up. This is different. You can join here: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/. Once you join, your home screen will look like this:

First, go in and update your author central profile. If I had a dollar for every profile I have setup while promoting my book, I would be rich from that and not book sales…anyway….This is like any other profile where you can add info about yourself such as:

Bibliography, Photos and Video
Blog, Twitter, Facebook feeds
Any upcoming events

Then go and add your book. Just click on ‘Book’ tab and add more books. You want to make sure that all the books that you have with Amazon are added to this page. Your Author Central profile is then linked to your Amazon book sales page like this:

You can sign up for the ‘Look Inside the Book’ feature through Author Central. There are certain obvious rules like owning the work and having a valid ISBN#. There are directions to signup under the Help tab. I thought this part was strange but you have to send an email to insidethebook-submission@amazon.com. First they have to accept your request which can take 2-3 business days. Then they will send you an email with upload instructions and ANOTHER site to log into. There are instructions on how to send your file so review carefully. Once I uploaded, I received a Submission ID# but that was it. It said successful so I just waited and waited….until finally 9 business days later it appeared online. I was surprised to see things take so long because it is Amazon – I assumed it would be automatic. I guess they have to review all materials first before making them live. And it is a bit comforting to know there are actual people behind the site and all the emails.

So now you have an Amazon account setup and an Author Central account. All we have to do is sell books!

Next up is Conquering the Beast: Part 2. Be sure and click the follow button at the top right and you will be alerted with each new post. As always, I appreciate any comments, suggestions or feedback. If you have a blog topic you want me to cover – send it over.

…and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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Tagged as amazon, author, book, book marketing, Bookselling, self-publishing, writing

October 8, 2013 · 4:03 pm

Word on the Street with Ralph Morin

Through my years in publishing, I have worked with some really great authors. All of these authors approach self publishing with their own agenda and expertise. Since the whole point of my blog and book is to look at the reality of self-publishing, I thought it would be nice to do a series of author interviews. Welcome to ‘Word on the Street’.

My author interviews will consist of 6 questions about them, their book and their experience. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all real self publishing stories are full of rainbows and butterflies – it can suck sometimes too.

Come on down, Ralph Morin:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Ralph: I felt that I had something interesting to say and thought that by writing a book that it would be read by people who would be interested in the subject matter.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Ralph: “The Cold War: A Remembrance”, “The Autobiography of Eve”, “The Autobiography of Eve: Empire”.

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Ralph: Since I am deeply involved in another and completely different project, I am not currently paying much attention to marketing, although I occasionally get a sale or two from the exposure that I first developed.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Ralph: A couple, but I have forgotten what they were and I suspect that they would be out of date by now.

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Ralph: Hitting the promotion trail and sticking with it.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Ralph: Be prepared to NOT hit it rich right away. it will take time and maybe even not pan out, but at least you will have something to leave as a good legacy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A little music, if you please. I’ve always had music intertwined with my life, Born in the middle of the 1930‘s depression and spending my formative years during the cataclysmic World War Two era, I was surrounded by the glorious music of the forties; the show tunes, the classical music, the love songs, the martial music. It has had a lasting effect on the things that I do and the way that I live.

Early on, I found that writing was a great way for me to meet some of the responsibilities of school. I received praise from an English teacher in high school for an essay that I had spontaneously composed. It inspired me to continue, but the draft intervened.

After a four year period in the Air Force during the Korean “Police Action”, I attended UCLA film school, studying under such luminaries as Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kramer and many other award winning directors and producers. I made my way, albeit sometimes somewhat shakily, through the sixties. My output during those times consisted of educational, documentary, industrial and short entertainment films, which I usually wrote and produced. Some of my clients included CBS Educational, Encyclopedia Britannica, Rocket dyne, Lockheed, Volkswagen of America and Nissan.

The next phase of my life centered around developing and operating an Electrical Contracting business in Los Angeles, something which fit into my background of engineering which I had acquired at the University of Denver right after I left the Air force. I was a State of California licensed Electrical Contractor until 1999, all the while keeping my hand in the film business by writing and producing home-made backyard films.

In 2008, I began a script than dealt with the Cold War, a period which I know intimately. After developing the idea, I realized that it would have to be a rather longish film, so I decided that it would be best treated as a television series rather than one long film. The more I wrote, the longer it became; after all, the Cold War period ran from the mid 1940’s until 1990, about 45 years. After the script was finished, it dawned on me that if I ever hoped to get it sold, it might be a good thing to start as a book and continue from that point of view, and so I wrote the book from the script.

In the book, “The Cold War, A Remembrance”, my character, Walter Vorley, always carries his music with him in his head. Sometimes it’s repetitive (i.e. Bolero), or sometimes it plays straight through a song or a short phrase. Walter is a photographer and he is there to record the events of the Cold War Years. His life, his family and the political events that surround him during the telling of the story, culminates with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is my hope that this little known and less understood era can be brought to life and told to as wide an audience as possible.

Ralph Morin

2545 Foose Road,

Malibu, California 90265

310-589-2519

Ralphmorin@verizon.net

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September 27, 2013 · 5:06 pm

Word on the Street with G.P.A.

My author interviews will consist of 6 questions about them, their book and their experience. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all real self publishing stories are full of rainbows and butterflies – it can suck sometimes too.

Tell us about it, Greatest Poet Alive (G.A.P.):

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

G.P.A.: I had written enough poems for other people that I felt it was time to put them all together.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

G.P.A.: The Confessional Heart of a Man, The Book of 24 Orgasms, The Mind of a Poetic Unsub, and Revenge of the Orgasm. Plus, I have appeared in many anthologies.

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

G.P.A.: I am a guerrilla marketer. Whatever methods will help spotlight my books, I use them. Similarly, it is great to perform Poetry where it is. But the outstanding thing is to perform Poetry where it might not be. And that is same with my books.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

G.P.A.: Facebook is a wonderful tool if used correctly. Otherwise, I just surf for opportunities.

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

G.P.A.: The greatest challenge in self publishing has been doing it as an author of Poetry. I say this because some regard Poetry as a “dead art”. Also, with the advent and movement of spoken word, the written art is looked over, unless you provide some sizzle to it. This may come with the personality of the individual Poet, title and/or cover of the book, or material that invites attention.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

G.P.A.: Write the way you want to and do what makes you feel good. If it touches many people and makes money, it is even better.

AUTHOR INFO

G.P.A hails from the south side of Chicago, IL. He has written four books of Poetry, participated in several anthologies, released one cd G.P.A. Experience, and has another on the way, GPApocalypse Forever. G.P.A. has recently added acting to his repertoire of talents with stints in independent films “Persian Version” and “Animals” and tv shows “Chicago Fire” and “Crisis”. Also, he won the Moth Storytelling Championship on two occasions, won all medals in the Poetry Pentathlon, and was a semifinalist in the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards.

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Tagged as author, book, book marketing, Book media, book printing, Greatest Poet Alive, Poetry, publish, self-publish

September 24, 2013 · 3:54 pm

Word on the Street with Larry Flinchpaugh

Tell us about it, Larry Flinchpaugh:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Larry: Nearly my entire life, I had serious questions about my religious beliefs, political ideology, our country’s banking system and even our educational system but never had the time to serious search for answers until I retired in 2005. I had a sense that there was something seriously wrong with our country and with some effort; I could discover the truth that would improve the lives of not only myself and family but also the lives of all American citizens. As it turned out, I discovered the secret to improving the lives of nearly everyone on the planet.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Larry: The books I have published to date are: “My Family History Book, “Growing Up In A Zoo, “Secrets of Our Hidden Controllers Revealed, “Letters Home From Civil War Soldier Charles Gamble, “Against All Odds-President Paul Ronan,” “Billions For The Bankers-Debts For The People” and “Should I Start My own Business.”

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Larry: My books are marketed through our local book store called “Hastings Books,” amazon.com books, local museums and the tourist bureau in St. Joseph, Missouri. Also my books are available on my own personal web site and promotion through Facebook. The local libraries also have my books available. Actually our local book store, Hastings does slightly better than amazon.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Larry: My own web site promotion is new and I haven’t seen any results here even though I am having 200-300 visits per day

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Larry: My greatest challenge was learning to use Microsoft word in writing books. It’s really not designed for book writing but other book writing programs are fairly expensive. Huge files on word are hard to manage and I still haven’t mastered how to have separate page numbering for the index and the body of the book. Trying to get an ISBN number and communicating with Bowker was nearly impossible. Amazon did fix that problem.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Larry: I always explain to people that few self publishes ever make any money; you will be lucky to at least cover your costs. I personally did not write my books to make money but rather to inform the people how we can increase the living standard of everyone plus eliminate nearly all wars. I have discovered the secret but few will listen. I even had one representative state in private, “Larry, I agree with almost everything you have written, but if my constituents knew I believed that way, I would never get re-elected. This is my biggest hurdle. The masses of the people are asleep or suffer severe cases of apathy and our political leaders no longer represent the electorate; only the big money lobbyist, bankers and the military industrial complex companies.

I still encourage people to write because most will not be writing about so controversial subjects as I.

AUTHOR INFO

John Larry Flinchpaugh

J L Flinchpaugh Publishing Company

5500 Cape Court

St. Joseph, Missouri 64503

816-676-2565 cell 816-351-3107

Email: lflinch@stjoelive.com

Web Page: http://www.larryflinchpaugh.com

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September 17, 2013 · 4:43 pm

Word on the Street with Kristina Blank Makansi

Tell us about it, Kristina Blank Makansi:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Kristina: I co-founded a publishing company, Blank Slate Press, in 2010 and we’ve published 6 books—5 fiction and one memoir. I am also a partner in Treehouse Publishing Group, an author services company that works with both traditionally and self-published authors. For my own work, I queried and had some interest in my historical fiction, ORACLES OF DELPHI, and have one traditional publisher that would like to see a revised version. But because of my experience with Blank Slate Press and Treehouse, I asked myself why I should have someone else publish my book when I can do it myself. So when my daughters and I co-wrote THE SOWING, the first book in our YA/New Adult sci-fi trilogy, we decided to publish it ourselves. We are a family of do-it-yourselfers and self-employed types, and the lessons learned from each project I’ve worked on over the years for other authors—from editor to title consultant to interior layout designer to cover designer to event coordinator to chief cook and bottle washer—can all be applied to publishing and marketing THE SOWING. So self-publishing makes sense for us.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Kristina: Books I’ve published through Blank Slate Press include: THE SAMARITAN (which will be republished by Picador in 2014), DANCING WITH GRAVITY, SLANT OF LIGHT, OFF THE LEASH, NEVER HUG A NUN, DRIVING ALONE, and the upcoming COUNTERFEIT. Through Treehouse, we’ve put out ROBOT+BIKE=KITTEN and DRAFTED is coming soon. Plus we’ve worked on a bevy of books that are being self-published by the authors. THE SOWING is the only title of my (our) own that we’ve published to date. We started by experimenting with serialization, but because many of our readers said they couldn’t wait to read the whole book, we gave that up. If we’d been traditionally published, we wouldn’t have had the flexibility to try something new. Now, we’re issuing the whole book and we’re excited about that process. The e-book is out now (or will be soon) and the print book will come out in September

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Kristina: We love social media, of course, but we also love meeting readers face-to-face. I have wonderful relationships with the local independent booksellers and enjoy working with them to host author events. You may not always sell a gazillion copies, but you always have a good time. And as much as independent authors depend upon Amazon and online e-books, I believe in supporting other small business owners as well. Attending conferences and meeting other authors—who are usually voracious readers—is important, too.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Kristina: Building an audience as an author is difficult whether you’re traditionally or self-published, but I think Facebook and even LinkedIn are good places to connect with other authors. There are all sorts of genre-specific groups to join on those sites. A lot of people are using Google + as well, but I’m not nearly as active there. As far as blogs/websites go, I subscribe to Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly, and the The Shatzkin Files, and I read Publishing Perspectives, Jane Friedman’s Writing on the Ether, and David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Visible religiously. I’m also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Kristina: Getting readers to buy our book, of course! Seriously, it is tough out there for debut authors whether you go the traditional route or the independent route. And just because you have a publisher—even a big five publisher—behind you, it’s still tough. The biggest challenge is marketing your book without being annoying. The number of people on twitter who simply tweet “Buy my book!” all day long makes my head hurt.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Kristina: Be professional. If you want to be considered a professional author, if you want people to shell out their hard-earned money for your book and then precious time out of their busy lives actually reading it and then recommending it to others, you need to approach the writing, the editing, the interior layout, the cover, the marketing and promotions just like you would if you were opening a shop down the street. As we say at Treehouse, writing is an art, but publishing is a business. And running a business takes investments in both time and money. Hire an editor. Even if you’re planning to query and hoping to get an agent or editor to publish traditionally, you should hire an editor to get your manuscript in the best shape possible. Agents and small press editors get hundreds if not thousands of queries, and if your work doesn’t stand out, you won’t have a chance. If you’re self-publishing, hire a proofreader. Hire a cover designer. Be professional. If we all, as independent authors approach publishing professionally, the old stigma around self-publishing will disappear.

AUTHOR BIO

Kristy co-founded Blank Slate Press in 2010 to discover, nurture, publish and promote new voices from the greater Saint Louis area and beyond, and in 2013, she co-founded Treehouse Publishing Group to provide author services to both traditionally and self-published authors. She has worked as a copywriter, marketing coordinator, web and collateral designer, and editor. She has a B.A. in Government from University of Texas at Austin and a M.A.T. from the College of New Jersey and an opinion on everything. Currently, she is hard at work revising her historical fiction, ORACLES OF DELPHI, set in ancient Greece and is publishing THE SOWING, the first book in THE SEEDS TRILOGY, a YA/New Adult sci-fi series co-written with her two daughters.

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Tagged as author, Blank Slate Press, book, Kristina Blank Makansi, marketing, publish, Publishers Marketplace, self-publish, writing

September 10, 2013 · 7:02 pm

Word on the Street with Michele Hinton

Tell us about it, Michele Hinton:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Michele: Being a new and unknown author, I tried for years to find a traditional publisher or agent for my manuscripts. Twenty years ago, vanity presses were outrageously expensive (I’d received a quote for $40,000.00 from one of them), so my work gathered dust in a drawer. Six years ago, I rediscovered print on demand publishers and gave it a try. It is still expensive, but a far cry from 20 years ago. Two of my novels became available through different websites, however, book stores would still not carry them on their shelves. That’s when I decide to publish my work on my own. I could format my own books and sell them through different venues on-line. I then decided that other new authors might be in the same boat that I was, so I expanded on my thoughts and now offer to publish the work of others (who are unable to publish on their own) as either ebook or paperback and distribute where I can without the high price charges that some of the major POD companies charge. I only charge when a book sells and then I split the royalties with my clients after expenses, which in some cases might be more than the 8% to 10% that traditional publishers would pay.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Michele: Books in Print written by Michele L. Hinton:
High Seas: The Cabin Boy
High Seas: A Matter of Blood
Tales with a Twist & Tales Totally Twisted
The Sin-Eater’s Daughter
Princess Courtney and the Magic Suit
Humpty-Dumpty: A Fractured Tale
Michael Smith (ebook only)
Joshua Pennwrite: Ghost Writer (ebook)

Books Written by my clients :

Beauregard Blue by Betty J. Rees
Bring Me a Blue Bird – by Brian Durski
Winds of Sand by Brian Durski
The Four Year Hitch by Roy Reichelt, Jr. (Coming Soon)
Dontay’s Alphabet Book of Color by Evelyn Hall
The Masks We Wear by Stacie Cooper
Secrets of Asian Women by Crystal Tai
A Field Where Memories Grow II by Joyce Lawhorn
The Confidence Box by Roy Reichelt, III
Poetry for the Mind by Debra Stephenson
The New Order by Charlie Thrun

Plus more

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Michele: I’ve tried several local outlets: newspaper advertising, TV/website ads: Facebook; I have a book trailer for my book, The Sin-Eater’s Daughter;book fairs and events. Trying to find the right marketing tool is an uphill struggle with a limited budget.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Michele: Amazon Kindle has been my best venue, and I’ve had some sales through Smashwords as well as my own website, http://www.theseashellbooks.com

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Michele: The major challenge in self-publishing is finding a distributor that will be able to put books on book store shelves. Thus far, I am finding that unless you have hefty sales and a large bank account, finding a distributor or even getting into a major database is just as difficult as trying to find a traditional publisher/agent.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Michele: If you love to write, keep doing it. Have an open mind to suggestions made by other writers. You might find their words helpful. In these days and times, if you can’t find traditional means of publication, do it yourself. If you don’t have the technical skills to do it yourself, there are publishers out there, like me, who can give you a chance for your work to get out there.

AUTHOR BIO

Michele Hinton was born in Louisville, Kentucky and now resides in Bowling Green. She was married in 2007 for the first time at the tender age of 50. She holds a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo and taught for many years (retired). Currently Michele is working on her Bachelor’s Degree and is expected to graduate in Oct. 2013. She won awards for her poetry from Mid-Continent University’s creative writing competitions. This year she won 1st place for her poem, Nature’s Serenade and will have several other poems published in their review magazine this year. Michele also started her own publishing company in 2008 and caters to the new author.

“Writing is my passion,” Michele says. Her newest books are The Sin-Eater’s Daughter, a novel, and a fully illustrated children’s book, Princess Courtney and the Magic Suit. Within the next few weeks, she will be launching an autobiography by Roy Reichelt, Jr. entitled, The Four Year Hitch on her website, www.theseashellbooks.com and it will also be available on Amazon and through Smashwords.

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September 6, 2013 · 4:32 pm

Word on the Street with Jack McMilin

Tell us about it, Jack McMilin:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Jack: My children and grandchildren kept telling me my stories were better than many books in the book stores. Then, my mother published a couple books and that pushed me over the edge; I had to!

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Jack: ‘Dodger the Dragon,’ ‘This One Thing,’ ‘The Adventures of A.P. Grace’, and ‘Fourteen Angels’ (at the editors now).

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Jack: A.P. Grace is the first book I have put the effort into the retail market. I am going to Christian book stores, one by one, and getting the books placed. I am having good success at getting the books in but, it is a slow process. It has inspired me to put my other books out there in the market!

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Jack: There is a ton of information out there but, if you want to sell your book, you really have to pound the pavement, so to speak. Nobody is going to sell your book with more passion than you!

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Jack: Not having an agent or publisher/distributor means you have got to put some time into your project.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Jack: Become relentless, when it comes to getting your book noticed. Go to the book fairs, every mom and pop book store you can find, use your friends and family to “Like” you on face book, tweet, I could go on and on.

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Tagged as author, book, Bookselling, Jack McMilin, publish, Publishing and Printing, self-publish

September 3, 2013 · 4:41 pm

Word on the Street with Gabriela Jurick

Tell us about it, Gabriela Jurick:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Gabriela: I decided to publish my own story, because I have been through some bizarre situations. Every so often someone would say to me “you should write a book”. I’m happy to say that even though the obstacles that I’ve been through were not positive, the book shows that I still had faith and knew things could only get better.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Gabriela: My first book is entitled “I’m Still Standing”. Soon, I will have self-published “Deep in Thought”.

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Gabriela: I’ve ordered some extra books and left them at some restaurants and doctors’ offices just to get my name around. I decided to get the first book published; the publisher is supposed to set up book signings, etc. I’m supposed to do the rest. However, the books sold in bookstores don’t leave much of a profit margin. I changed my business cards to show that besides an author, I’m a motivational speaker. I’ve contacted three places to hear my speech “Recovery from Depression”; to no avail. They did not respond. So far, the best seller is using friends you have on Facebook to get the word out.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Gabriela: Truly, I’ve followed Jill Mettendorf on her journey through publishing a book. That was positively the most useful information I had gleaned. It was actually like Jill did the work, and I tried to follow her footsteps.

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Gabriela: I thought it would be a difficult sell to self-publish; and it was. Now that I know mirabooksmart.com can actually sell my book online, all I have to do is give out the link…it couldn’t be easier now.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Gabriela: I would tell an aspiring author to constantly read your own work over and over again. But not day after day. Sometimes you need a break from reading the same thing over and over. I’ve changed my words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, etc. many, many times. Have someone else look at it when you’re almost done. That person should be able to tell you if the story flows properly, or give you some ideas on what might need be changed.

AUTHOR BIO

Gabriela was born in New Jersey where she and her husband, George, raised three children. Gabriela is a secretary for a community college in the health, physical education and dance department as well as the athletics department. She, along with her family, continues to encourage others, explaining through their own experiences that when one is down, the only way to go is up.

BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore

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Filed under Book Marketing, Book Media, Book Printing, Self Publishing Author

Tagged as author, book, Book signing, Deep in Thought, Gabriela, Im Still Standing, interview, Jurick, publish, self-publish, writing

August 30, 2013 · 5:03 pm

Word on the Street with Bob Megantz

Tell us about it, Bob Megantz:

Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?

Bob: I am a musician and audio engineer, and I have a great interest in tube guitar amplifiers. I found no reliable, accurate information in published books or magazines on the topic. In fact, I found lots of misinformation, so I wanted to produce a clear, correct, and concise resource for interested musicians and equipment designers.

RARA: What titles have you published to date?

Bob: Designing and Constructing Guitar Amplifiers. This is the only self-published book I have written. Two other books I wrote (How to License Technology and Technology Management: Designing and Implementing Effective Licensing Programs) were published by Wiley.

RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?

Bob: I currently sell directly from my Web site and through Ebay, and indirectly through several vendors and through the Amazon Advantage program. Most of my books are sold through Amazon. I advertise in two guitar-related magazines (Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar), and participate in several related forums.

RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?

Bob: Several useful related resources are listed in the bibliography. There is a great deal of useful information on this topic available on the Web. If you are referring to resources useful in marketing my book, Amazon has been the most useful (and also takes the biggest cut).

RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?

Bob: Fulfillment. While fulfillment services are available, they are expensive (and labor-intensive), so I have been handling fulfillment myself. I make many trips to the PO.

RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?

Bob: Write about what you love. Don’t worry about commerciality while writing. I say this because writers will in all likelihood gain modest (at best) financial rewards. Figure out for whom you are writing, and ways to contact those people. If you want to sell books, promote and advertise. The world will not beat a path to your door.

AUTHOR BIO

I’ve been involved in music and electronics since the 60’s, when I electrified my ukulele. My parents had a Magnavox record player, whose ceramic cartridge plugged into the amplifier via a RCA jack. I bought a contact microphone from the local electronics store, attached it to my ax, plugged in to the Magnavox, and counted off “Memphis.”

That seemed to get my parents’ attention, so they bought me a Heathkit shortwave radio kit for Christmas, along with a Weller “pistol-grip” soldering iron. I assembled the radio, attached the antenna, turned it on, and it started howling. I couldn’t get it to work right until I resoldered every joint in the radio.

By this time we’d moved to Jersey, and I started buying my own equipment. First up was a Lafayette amplifier, which, if I recall correctly, used two 6BQ5’s in its push-pull output stage. I connected the amplifier to the 12” speaker in the console TV in my bedroom, and plugged my uke into the phono input. I had no idea why it sounded so bassy…

I upgraded to electric guitar in ’67, when my folks bought me a used Fender Jazzmaster. I joined a band with my friends, but I needed an amp, so I emptied my savings account and bought an Ampeg Gemini II at the local music store. Luckily, it included the dolly, since I had to push it all the way home.

I took that rig to Cornell University, where I studied Electrical Engineering, including a couple of courses on electronic music taught by Robert Moog. I also took every music class I could, and worked part time as an electronics technician at the Cornell Synchrotron. My guitar never sounded quite right to me, so I started by changing the speaker in the amp, and then, in ’70, I sold the Jazzmaster and bought a Gibson ES-335, which I still play today. The Ampeg went next, first for a Marshall Major, then a long string of other amps.

After graduation I headed out to Santa Barbara, where I worked for a couple of years testing integrated circuits for Burroughs. I was still playing in bands, and I started building my own equipment, both amps and speaker systems. I then moved to San Francisco, where I eventually ended up working at Dolby Laboratories as an audio engineer. I learned much of what you will read in Chapter 1 at Dolby.

In the last decade or so I have been taking a more orderly and comprehensive approach to amplifier design. I began, like most designers, by repairing and modifying various Fender, Ampeg, Marshall, and other designs. Later, I began constructing new amplifiers, first using existing units, such as Fender Bassmen, as platforms, and then designing and constructing all electrical and mechanical parts of the amplifier. Each amplifier was used in performances with various guitars, speakers, and effects systems.

This experience has provided the basis for the book you are about to read.

BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

www.amazon.com

www.tactec.biz

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Filed under Book Marketing, Book Media, Book Printing, Self Publishing Author

Tagged as Ampeg, author, bob megantz, book, Designing and Constructing Guitar Amplifiers, Fender Jazzmaster, marketing, self-publishing

Tag Archives: book

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