March 21, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On March 20th, 2008, Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Dave Kuzminski, creator and manager of Predators and Editors, the infamous website where scammers and companies with a record of complaints are recorded. Dave helped us distinguish the dark side of book promotion, agents, and publishing by covering such thorny topics as: the difference between a bad business deal and a scam, the evolution of a scam and what types of people are running them, how to avoid a scam, and what to do if you think you’ve been had.

Dave Kuzminski is both a writer and the owner and editor of Preditors & Editors. As a writer, he manages to inflict words upon readers in order to entertain them. He’s been writing for several decades. As an editor, he manages to inflict recommendations upon publishing businesses who sometimes aren’t entertained. He’s done that for eleven years though it probably feels like several decades to some of those businesses that are recommended against. One of his favorite titles is Knight Spirits and its available from Double Dragon Publishing.

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March 10, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with pioneering gay author Victor J. Banis. In his 40+ year writing career, he has learned a lot and shared with us writing techniques for audiences and how they differ between gay and straight fiction, how the writing market has changed in the past decades, advice for new writers, and amazing stories from a life in print in every genre imaginable.

Victor J. Banis is the critically acclaimed author of more than 150 published books and numerous shorter pieces, both gay and straight oriented, in almost every genre - fiction and non fiction, humor, mystery, romance, fantasy, sci-fi and even, recently, a cookbook.

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February 22, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, Feb. 21st, 2008 Victor R. Volkman and Tyler Tichelaar spoke with Deborah Herald, the 31-year-old managing editor of Amira Press. She is a published author and enjoys both the process of writing and editing. Debbie shared with us the secrets of writing erotica, the huge demand and advantage of selling erotica in the e-publishing marketplace, the shades of explictness from “spicy” to “sweet” (romance), lucrative sub-genres of erotica, and how the publishing and delivery mechanism works

Although Debbie is relatively new to the writing scene, having spent most of her life working with the dually diagnosed adult and juvenile population, it is her hope that she will continue to work in the world of writing for many years to come. Debbie has been with Amira Press for a little under a year, and is thrilled to work with such a wonderful company! She also uses the pseudonymn Jordana Ryan.

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January 18, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, January 17th, 2008 Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson spoke with astrologer and teacher Laura Waldman.  Laura educated us on the impacts that your astrological sign has on what you should write, when you should write, and whom you can succesfully collaborate with. An Astrological birthchart is a complex and highly individualized method of personality typing. Predictive astrology can help you with timing your marketing moves. Relationship astrology can help you choose compatible editors and publicists. Astrology can predict general social and cultural trends that help you research the saleability of a book.

Laura Waldman has had a private practice as a Consulting Astrologer since 1984. She lives in Austin Texas and has clients all over the world. She is the Vice-President of the Astrological Society of Austin. Laura is the staff astrologer for The Crossings Austin, an affiliate of the Omega Institute. Laura has taught astrology classes, presented workshops, and given astrology lectures in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Laura also leads Women’s Dream Circles. She specializes in making astrology accessible and useful and enjoyable for everyone. She writes a monthly Astrology Newsletter.

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January 4, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Authors Access where Authors get published and published authors get successful. I’m your host Victor Volkman, from Loving Healing Press in Ann Arbor Michigan.  Tonight we will be listening to my lecture “Amazon Adventures” delivered live at the Motown Writers Conference on November 9th, 2007. In this lecture, I’ll be covering a variety of Amazon programs and strategies including: Amazon Advantage, Amazon Associates, Amazon Connect, Amazon Marketplace, Amazon Mechanical Turk.  I’ll also highlight how to make Advanced Tactics work for you such as Listmania!, Search-inside-the-book, social networking, video reviews, and much more.

Be sure to download the accompanying PowerPoint presentation that goes with this lecture  so you can read along as we cover the material (PDF version).  This lecture was recorded about two weeks before the release of the Amazon Kindle eBook reader so we won’t be mentioning it.  However, we hope to have a show in early 2008 that highlights the strengths of this platform and how to parlay your Amazon experience with the Kindle reader.  Now sit back and listen to Amazon Adventures recorded in the Southern Fires restaraunt in Detroit Michigan.

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December 29, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

Victor R. Volkman presents a special edition of Authors Access recorded live at the Motown Writers Conference on November 9th, 2007 at the Southern Fires restaraunt in Detroit, Michigan.  Our guest is author and publisher Linda Daly, who is also the owner of Light Sword Publishing.  Linda brings her hard-won knowledge of book marketing to the table including: developing a visual image, creating flash movies, focusing on your message, and developing concise marketing materials.
Light Sword, is a full-service, time-honored, conventional publishing company, dedicated to providing the reader with both fiction and non fiction books from established authors, as well as talented newcomers. The range of genres that we offer, include, but are not limited to: Suspense Romance Fantasy Self-Help Paranormal Historical Romance Mystery Sci-Fi Thriller

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December 14, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, December 13th, 2007 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author and publishing veteran Robert D. Reed about how to be successful in writing and publishing non-fiction works. Bob is the publisher of nearly 1,800 books and co-author of more than 50 books and resource guides on a wide range of subjects, including: environmental issues, current affairs, health, business excellence, responsible leadership, education, effective parenting, psychology, ending domestic violence and child abuse, homelessness, and much more. He spoke with us about key issues of the nonfiction market including pre-publication publicity, sizing of print runs, finding distributors and wholesalers, and what an author has to do to be successful — where self-published or not.

Profits from one of his cookbooks fed millions of children worldwide through the C.A.R.E. Organization in New York City. Many of his authors have been featured on television and radio programs, and in newspaper and magazine articles throughout the world. The founder of Robert D. Reed Publishers, Bob has produced and distributed over 165 titles, including House Calls: How we can all save the world one visit at a time by Patch Adams, M.D. - the compassionate and humorous doctor portrayed by Robin Williams in Universal Picture’s hit film, “Patch Adams.”

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December 7, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, December 6th, 2007 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with publicist and former publisher Maryglenn McCombs. A veteran of the book publishing industry for over 15 years, Maryglenn has been involved in the publication of several hundred books Throughout her career.  She has served as a guest lecturer for publishing workshops, conferences and events, including serving as a panelist for the Southern Festival of Books, as well as Publishers Marketing Association’s PMA University. Maryglenn answers key questions about the role of a publicist including why would an author hire a publicist, what does a publicist do, how far in advance of publication does a publicist start, and what does a publicist do besides send out books for review?

Maryglenn graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1993 with a BA in English. Her other interests include volunteering with the Nashville Humane Association, reading, traveling and cooking. A south central Kentucky native, Maryglenn lives in Nashville with the two loves of her life — her husband Tim Warnock and their old English sheepdog Garcia.

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November 30, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On Thurdsday, November 29th, Victor R. Volkman and Tyler Tichelaar spoke with author, poet, and educator  Beverly Matherne. She is a professor in the Department of English at Northern Michigan University and a former director of its Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing. Beverly has published two chapbooks and two full-length books of poetry in facing pages of French and English, including The Blues Crying, a collection of blues poetry. The work is available in both book and CD format, the latter featuring Beverly’s performance of the poems to slide guitar and fiddle. Beverly addressed key questions in learning to write poetry and the process of getting published including: what is poetry, where does poetry come from, how do you become a poet, and how to approach publishers about getting in print.

Beverly’s poetry is also the subject of a dissertation on bilingual writers, also including Samual Beckett, by a student at the Sorbonne in Paris.  While on sabbatical last year, she completed a third full-length book, a bilingual collection of linked prose poetry about the founder of Detriot, titled Lamonthe-Cadillac: His Early Days in France.  This book, which required a residency and field research in southern France, as well as Blind River, another collection of prose poetry, are forthcoming in 2008. Beverly’s work is widely received. She has published in many English-language publications, including Great River Review, Runes, and Verse.  French publications include Eloizes, Feux chalins, and Langage et Créativité.  Her poetry appears in many anthologies including, most recently, French Connections: A Gathering of Franco-American Poets, published by Louisiana Literature Press, in 2007.  She also has a short, short story in Resurrecting Grace:  Remembering Catholic Childhoods, from Beacon Press in Boston.Also a poet translator, Beverly did the French translations of a bilingual portfolio of poetry by former U.S. Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz.  The portfolio, featuring original lithographs by Bulgarian artist Stoyan Tchoukanov, is now on exhibit in the Huron Mountain Club Art Gallery in Peter White Library.  In addition, Beverly won the “Best of Submission” award for her translation of a long prose poem by Charles Baudelaire, in Sojourn, a journal published at the University of North Texas.Beverly did an hour-long interview on National Public Radio with Grace Cavalieri on her show “The Poet and the Poem” and has performed three times in French on CBC Radio Canada Internationale.  From Tulane University in New Orleans to the United Nations in New York to venues in Canada, France, Belgium, and Germany, she has done over 145 poetry readings in English and/or French. Most recently, in May of 2007, she read and performed at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, Wales.

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November 17, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On November 15th, 2007 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with award-winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson, creative force behind the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for writers. She has just released  second book in the series, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Carolyn shared her best tips and strategies for low-cost/zero-cost marketing campaigns and also talked about what NOT to do to market your books.  She also talks about the value of editing and how it directly controls how your proposals, books, and marketing are peceived in the marketplace.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards. Her book of creative nonfiction, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, won three. An instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program, her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t was named USA Book News’ “Best Professional Book 2004,” and was given the Irwin Award. Her second book in the How To Do It Frugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her chapbook of poetry Tracings, was named to the Compulsive Reader’s Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers’ Society of America’s Silver Award of Excellence. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics Committee awarded her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of 14 “San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen.”

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