January 2, 2009 by Victor Volkman.

Today Tyler R. Tichelaar is pleased to interview Irene Watson and Victor Volkman, his co-editors of the new book “Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers.”

Irene Watson is an author, entrepreneur, and former therapist and educator. She currently is the owner and Managing Editor of Reader Views, Reader Views Kids, and Inside Scoop Live, and a co-host on Authors Access Internet Radio. Irene holds her Master’s Degree from Regis University in Denver, CO and a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. She is the president of Higher Power Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to awarding scholarships to people seeking recovery. Irene’s expertise in the publishing industry comes from being an author herself as well as managing an online book review service. Reader Views offers book reviews, author publicity, and many other elements needed by authors and writers. Irene also coaches authors to write book proposals and is a literary agent. Irene lives with her husband in Austin, Texas. Her memoir “The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference” is currently in its second edition.

Victor R. Volkman began his writing career in the late 1980s writing for computer programming journals such as “Windows Developer’s Journal” as well as original books on the programming. Loving Healing Press, founded in 2003, has published dozens of cutting-edge books that promote its mission of “redefining what is possible for healing mind and spirit.” As such, he has produced a series of books on Traumatic Incident Reduction as well as empowering other authors in a wide range of helping areas including trauma recovery, self-esteem, physical disabilities, sexual abuse recovery, and much more. He has produced and edited more than 200 podcasts for “Authors Access” and a variety of other author-related shows. In 2007, LHP spun off a new imprint Modern History Press dedicated to empowering authors to speak about surviving conflict and seeking identity in modern times. When not publishing, he enjoys spending time with his wife Marian K. Volkman, a formidable author in her own right.

Tyler: Welcome, Victor and Irene. I’m very excited to interview both of you today, and of course, I was honored to work with both of you since we are the three editors of “Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers.” However, both the Internet Radio Show and the book based on the program were the brain-child of the two of you, so it’s fitting I sit back and listen to the two of you discuss what you initially envisioned for the program and why you chose to turn the radio interviews into a book on publishing and writing. So let’s get started. To begin, will you give us a little history of how the radio show Authors Access began and what were its initial goals?

Irene: Victor and I met nearly 3 years ago through Reader Views. He, being a publisher, submitted books to us for review. Through this connection we came up with the idea of interviewing experts in the field of publishing. Because of Reader Views, I already knew many experts and how to contact them. Victor’s expertise in mixing and publishing podcasts made us a great team. Our initial goal was to give an opportunity for experts to share their information with writers who wanted to self-publish their books. Over the past two years, Authors Access just kept evolving. As to where it goes from here, we don’t know. However, I do know we are picking up new listeners every week. We get about 1000 global listeners on a weekly basis.

Tyler: What led to the decision to produce a book based on the podcast interviews. How did the book develop and how did you choose which people would contribute? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Tyler Tichelaar, Victor Volkman, Authors Resources | Print | No Comments »

December 21, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

Congratulations to our Top 10 Podcast Guests for 2008! You have made the biggest difference for our listeners in generously sharing your expertise and experiences. The lasting value of your message really shows, regardless of when your show was aired.  Our hat is off to you!

Rank	Original Airdate	Guest	Subject	Podcast Link
1	15-Nov-07	Carolyn Howard Johnson	Frugal Book Promotion
2	08-Aug-08	Jo Virgil	Getting Your Book into a National Book Store
3	06-Dec-07	Maryglenn McCombs	Why Should You Hire a Publicist?
4	21-Dec-06	Joan Neubauer	Elements of Great Storytelling
5	26-Jul-07	Jacqueline Marcell	How to Get Celebrity Endorsements
6	02-Aug-07	Shaila Abdullah	Creating a Website That Sells Your Book
7	02-Aug-07	Victor R. Volkman	Amazon Adventures: Staring Down Earth’s Largest Bookstore
8	28-Jun-07	Irene Watson	Getting Great Reviews
9	29-Dec-07	Linda Daly	Book Marketing 101
10	07-Feb-08	Brad Grochowski	Successful selling books online

Posted in Guests | Print | No Comments »

December 14, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On December 10th, 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with screenwriting guru Alexis Niki Alexis Niki is a writer, producer, and script consultant originally from New York and now living in Paris, France. She started her writing career with a seven-year stint as a freelance script translator and film subtitler for customers such as Columbia Tristar and Warner Brothers. Alexis shared with us some key questions about how to get started as a screenwriter including: what is an adaptation, how are novels different than screenplays, what is the “concept” of a screenplay and why is it important, how to pitch your screenplay, how to register your screenplay, and success tips for screenwriters from her new book 101 Screenwriting Tips.

Alexis continues to provide script analysis, translations, and rewriting services directly to writers and producers who are preparing their projects for the US market. In 2007, Alexis wrote the book 101 Screenwriting Tips (published by LifeTips), a practical guide to screenwriting that has been described as “fun, informative, and to the point.” In November of the same year, she partnered with George Leclere, former Executive Director of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the current Director of the Banff World Television Awards, to write and develop ecology-themed stories for film, television, and the Internet. Two of these projects are currently in development.As a team member of international film association DreamAgo, she helps choose the scripts for DreamAgo’s annual screenwriting workshop in Switzerland. In addition, Alexis is on the development team of the newly-formed Pavaline Studios, New York. Alexis runs the Paris-based screenplay critiquing group Les Scénaristes, and she continues to work on her spec projects. She is also a certified Alexander Technique teacher. We are very pleased to have her on the line with us live from Paris for this transcontinental interview.

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Screenwriting | Print | No Comments »

December 6, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On December 4th, 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with veteran travel writer Barbara Hudgins. Barbara Hudgins is best known as the original author and self-publisher of New Jersey Day Trips. This guidebook sold over 110,000 copies in several editions before she sold the rights to Rutgers University Press. She also co-authored the 10th edition put out by that press. Her most recent book is Crafting the Travel Guidebook. Barbara helped us answer key questions in travel writing including: howw should a travel writer get started, how do you get credentials, and/or a platform, what goes into travel writing and construction, and how do you go from written the manuscript to publication.

Barbara’s travel column, which covers both local and foreign trips, has appeared in several newspapers in northern New Jersey.. National magazines such as Signature, Woman’s World and Foreword have published her free-lance pieces on a variety of subjects.She has lived in New York, New Mexico, Hawaii and Virginia, but has made her home in New Jersey for the past 30 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Library Science and has worked at the New York Public Library, Hunter College and the University of Hawaii. A former English major in college, she began writing music, movie and theater reviews before gravitating to travel writing. It was only after she had worked with a traditional publisher and gone through all the phases of working with an editor and a co-author that the concept for Crafting the Travel Guidebook was formed. Although there are several books about travel writing on the market, they all concentrate on selling to magazine, newspaper and internet editors. Why not, she thought, create something geared to travel book publishing? Barbara’s experience as an author for a traditional publisher, as a self-publisher and as a freelance writer positions her as a unique expert in all of these fields.

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Travel, Regional Books | Print | No Comments »

November 21, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On November 20th, 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Suzanne Lieurance about how to convert your passion for writing into a viable career as a freelance writer. In addition to being the author of more than 20 published books, Lieurance offers a variety of coaching programs via private phone calls, teleclasses, listserv, and private email for writers who want to turn their love of writing (for children and/or adults) into a part-time or full-time career. We talked about all types of freelance writing and what it takes to get started as a freelance writer, common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid, how much you can really expect to make, how to build your writing resume, and ghost writing. We also touched on some secrets for success in writing for children’s books.

Suzanne Lieurance is a fulltime children’s author, freelance writer, and The Working Writer’s Coach. She teaches children’s writing for the Institute of Children’s Literature based in West Redding, Connecticut, and is the founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center. Lieurance has written articles for a variety of magazines, newsletters, and e-zines like Family-Fun, Kansas City Weddings, Instructor Magazine, New Moon for Girls, Children’s Writer, and many others. She hosts a talk show about children’s books, called Book Bites for Kids, every weekday afternoon on blogtalkradio.com.

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Freelancing, Ghostwriting, Childrens Books, Guests | Print | No Comments »

November 11, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Authors Access Live. This program was recorded in front of a live audience on November 9th 2008 at the 5th Annual Essence of Motown Literary Jam Weekend at the Southern Fires Restaurant in Detroit Michigan. This event was sponsored by the  the Motown Writers Network.  This talk features Ryan Johnson of the Guild of Blades Retail Group talking about POD Printing Books and Games. GOB is the only POD printer in the USA with walk-in service (as opposed to uploading your files to an impersonal web server) and features mixed (color and black-and-white pages) book printing as well as POD card deck printing, both of which are extremely rare in my experience.

The Guild of Blades Publishing Group is a Detroit area based adventure games and entertainment publishing company. Today the company is the publisher of a half dozen unique gaming brands and publishes and distributes more than 100 in print gaming SKUs. These games range from historical and fantasy board games, miniature games, role playing games and general strategy games. Its core brands include the Empires of History line of historical board games, Overlords: Fantast Battlescape Wargame line, Button Wars Tactical Spaceship Combat Game, Worlds of Heroes & Tyrants Fantasy Quest Board Game and Epic Adventure Role Playing Game and Heroes Forever Role Playing Game. The Guild of Blades is also the publisher of a growing catalog of electronic downloadable PDF games with brands such as Grunt 3rd Edition Fantasy Miniature Battles, Dark Realms Role Playing Universe, Risk Variants, G-spot Games’s adult humor products and e-product versions of select print games. More recent major expansion programs include the Guild’s launch of the Empires of History Online Gaming Network, a growing network of turn based multi-player online strategy computer games plus the Guild of Blades Fiction Group

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Print On Demand (POD), Self-Publishing, Guests, Publishers Resources | Print | No Comments »

November 9, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Authors Access Live. This program was recorded in front of a live audience on November 9th 2008 at the 5th Annual Essence of Motown Literary Jam Weekend at the Southern Fires Restaurant in Detroit Michigan. This event was sponsored by the  the Motown Writers Network.  This talk features Edna Washington of Washington Consultants with over 15 years accounting and computer experience. Washington Consultants provides accounting and computer services to small businesses. Computer skills training for youth and adults is also a service offered by Washington Consultants.

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Business, Self-Publishing, Guests, Authors Resources | Print | No Comments »

November 8, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On November 6th, 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author and entrepreur Valerie Connelly of Nightengale Press about digital print-on-demand publishing and how it has changed the familiar landscape for authors and publishers. Valerie is the founder of Nightengale Press, an independent publisher that has produced 80 books since 2003.  She shared with us her unique and hard-won expertise on marketing, cover design, bookstore placement and much more. Her latest book is an anthology entitled Calling All Authors: How to Publish with your Eyes Wide Open

An educator, artist, and world traveler fluent in French and English, Valerie Connelly manages Nightengale Press is now part of Nightengale Media LLC offering its authors a first class website, bookstore, marketing opportunities and more. Ms. Connelly is also the host of the Calling All Authors show at Global Talk Radio. Also, she is an artist whose paintings are exhibited around the USA. She is a member of the Cedarburg Artist Guild. Her works are available as original paintings and as prints.When anyone listening to this program today purchases Calling All Authos: How to Publish with Your Eyes Wide Open at 30% Off use the coupon code AUTHORSACCESS and you’ll receive a free bonus novel by Valerie Connelly

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Marketing, Getting Published | Print | No Comments »

October 29, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

Authors Access proudly announces our first collaborative book:  Authors Access: 28 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers, Ed. by Irene Watson, Tyler Tichelaar, and Victor R. Volkman.  This book contains the distilled wisdom of two dozen guests to the Authors Access show in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand reference. Organized into chapters that reflect the lifecycle of your book, ”Authors Access: 28 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers” lets you learn about best practices and avoid pitfalls in writing, editing, cover design, marketing, book reviews, online presence, genre and children’s books and other key topics.

Our new book will be officially launched at the 5th Annual Essence of Motown Literary Jam Weekend (Nov. 6-9, 2008) in Detroit, Michigan (http://essenceofmotown.com/) As a special thank-you to everyone who comes out for this event, we’ll include a FREE best-of-Authors Access CD-ROM jam-packed with MP3 files from all our shows for each person who buys a book at this event.

Includes free podcast CD-ROM only when purchased here! $21.95

Posted in Self-Publishing, Tyler Tichelaar, Genres, podcasts, Publishers Resources, Guests, Authors Resources | Print | No Comments »

October 20, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On October 16th, 2008 Tyler Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with award-winning children’s book illustrator and author Kevin Colllier. He educated us on key areas of unique factors in designing and illustrating children’s books, including: how do authors and illustrators find eachother, avoiding a creative tug-of-war with your artist, the importance of chemistry between author and illustrator, project management pitfalls, and how to choose the right number of illustrations for your book.

Kevin Collier is the author and/or illustrator of about 100 books to date (some pending publication). A book he illustrated won the New York Book Festival. Another was reviewed favorably by the New York Times, which only reviews a handful of the tens of thousands of books they receive. As a favor for a minister’s wife, Kevin did some quick illustrations for a poem called Topsy Turvy Land. He never imagined that that she would send those sketchy drawings, done in three days, to a publisher. That book was voted one of the top 50 children’s books of all time by World Magazine in 2006. He is also a critically acclaimed author. His first chapter book, barthpenn at heaven.org, was called “a masterpiece of communication,” and received the Craig’s Choice Award for children’s fiction. His second chapter book, Esther’s Channel, received 5 stars on Amazon.com. Literary professionals have said that Kevin is the “next C.S. Lewis,” and that his “writing will set the standard for children’s literature for generations to come.” Kevin also stars in an upcoming show called “Drawing for KICKS,” which will be broadcast nationally, and possibly internationally, on Christian television stations. An offshoot of internationally broadcast show “KICKS Club,” “Drawing for KICKS” features Kevin, his son, Jarod, and some of Jarod’s classmates. Part reality show, part art class, and all fun, “Drawing for KICKS” is shot primarily in Grand Haven, MI.

Listen to the PodCast!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Posted in Childrens Books, Book Development, Guests | Print | 1 Comment »