Published on April 15, 2009
After circling the globe three times, my wife and I settled down and had a baby. I was a travel writer who suddenly couldn’t travel much, so it seemed like a good time to write that book I’d had in my head for ages: The World’s Cheapest Destinations.
I didn’t feel like I had the patience or the track record to break down the New York publishing doors. So after researching the options, I published it as a POD title through BookLocker in early 2003.
My modest expectations of selling a couple hundred copies didn’t take long to exceed.
Published on April 8, 2009
On Monday afternoon, Max came inside to tell me that, while he was playing badminton with Daddy, his front tooth got caught in the net.
Published on April 8, 2009
amazon, book marketing
Amazon recently announced they would be removing other book names and links from book reviews. Some so-called book reviewers are furious about it…because they were accustomed to using Amazon’s book reviews option to promote themselves. While I’m no fan of Amazon, for once, they’re doing something I agree with!
Published on April 8, 2009
Angela,
Just a quick note to say thanks for all you do for writers and editors.
Thanks to you, I’ve been freelancing for David C. Cook for going on four years … I have a poem under market review for Blue Mountain Arts … and I am preparing to become one of Lynda Lotman’s network fiction editors.
So, thanks again. Keep up the great work!
Best to you and yours,
John David Kudrick
Published on April 8, 2009
Recently when my son moved into his new house, he demolished the ninety year old farm house that stood in his yard. He works for a large construction equipment company so he used a Hydraulic Excavator to demolish it. A friend hauled it away to a huge pit they had dug with the Excavator. He’d asked me to photograph all the steps of the demolition. What does this story have to do with writing? If you have read articles I’ve written I often say turn your lemons into lemonade. As I photographed the process I kept wondering where I could sell the photographs I was taking. I queried a farm paper about an article on recording the history of your farm for generations of grandchildren to come. In Canada we are losing a thousand farmers a year as farms grow in size and, in our farm community, farm homes are disappearing every year.
Published on April 8, 2009
We’ve all heard the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” That may seem a bit old fashioned, but as writers, we know that if something doesn’t work out, doesn’t sell, or doesn’t fit an editor’s mind set, then it’s important to start thinking of other ways to become creative and get the work done.
Published on April 1, 2009
During the winter in Bangor, Maine, the Penobscot River freezes over. If you go outside after dark, when there aren’t many cars driving by, you can hear the ice cracking as it echoes along the boulders lining the mighty river.
Published on April 1, 2009
There are lots of snakes in the Print on Demand (POD) industry. And, while most companies charge too much, way too much, there are a few that offer good services at reasonable prices. And, some of those even offer reasonable customer service! I thought it would be fun to start compiling a list of “Best Practices” for the POD industry.
Published on April 1, 2009
This week’s letters appear in Angela’s article HERE.
Published on April 1, 2009
“Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”
If you guessed the above quote to be from Will Rogers you’d be correct. Our friend Will was extremely popular with the American people back in the 1930’s. And isn’t it uncanny that we can relate to his witty observation today? Good humor is like that – timeless. And it will always sell because people, whatever their circumstance, love to laugh. As writers it’s in our very best interest to be mindful of that, and we should attempt to infuse our material with a tickle or two whenever we can.
