April 11, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On April 3rd, 2008, Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author, publicity guru, and connection maker Gini Scott Graham of Making Connections, Gini spoke with us on the all-important subject of doing queries for the purposes of syndication, getting an agent, selling media rights, and finding a publisher. She has published over 50 books herself and has an extensive background in personal and professional development, problem solving, decision-making, conflict resolution, and interpersonal relationship techniques for over 25 years. She has gained extensive media interest for previous books, including appearances on Good Morning America, Oprah, Montel Williams, CNN, and hundreds of radio interviews. She has been frequently quoted by the media, such as a recent short piece in Cosmopolitan seeking advice on a workplace conflict.

Dr. Gini Graham Scott, is the Founder and Creative Director for Making Connections, a Web-based Internet service that connects clients by – email with publishers, agents, the film industry, the media, the game and toy industry, the music industry and others. The company helps clients write an effective query letter that will be received and read and sends out personalized queries to hard to reach contacts in these fields. The company has had over 1000 clients in the 5 years since it was founded, has been written up in the Wall Street Journal and other publications, and has success stories and kudos from over 250 clients – some who have gotten six figure deals through using the service.

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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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February 8, 2008 by Victor Volkman.

On Feb. 7th, 2008 Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson spoke with Brad Grochowski of AuthorsBookshop about what it takes to sell books online. Brad has been running his own online bookstore for several years and it provides many of the same features that Amazon does: blogs, reviews, forums, PDF previews, and complete control of the product detail pages.  We talked about marketing strategies and tactics, how to use your time online effectively, quality and the market perception of independently published books, how we can emulate the success of indie music and films, and why you would choose to self-publish or work with a small press.

Brad Grochowski is a web entrepreneur and programmer, author and actor.  He is the founder of AuthorsBookshop.com, an online bookstore that specializes in selling independently published books, as well as the website RandomBookMachine.com and the soon to be launched OurLittleBaltimore.com.  His is also the author of the book The Secret Weakness of Dragons and Other Tales a Fairy Whispered In My Ear

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Posted in Self-Publishing, Childrens Books, Marketing | Print | No Comments »

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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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 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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October 12, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On October 12th, 2007 Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson spoke with Patrick Snow, bestselling author and book coach. Patrick is author of Creating Your Own Destiny: How to Get Exactly What You Want Out of Life which has sold over 125,000 copies since its first printing in July of 2001. He spoke with us about the crucial elements of cover design and what turns consumers on (or off) when looking at your book. We also talked about realistic amounts to spend on cover design and your role in promoting the book after its printed. Patrick also touched on effective generation of the title and subtitle and how important they are to your platform. He generously shared many real-life examples of books that he has helped shepherd into production.

For more than 20 years, he has studied the field of personal growth and development. Patrick’s “DESTINY” message has been recognized in major newspapers such as The New York Times, Denver Post, and the Chicago Sun Times. His book and photo were also featured on the cover story in the December 5, 2002, issue of USA Today. His message has also been featured on hundreds of radio stations throughout North America and Europe. Patrick has also been a TV guest on Seattle’s popular Northwest Afternoon. Patrick has been in business-to-business and high-tech corporate sales for more than 15 years. During this time, he has been tracking layoffs and worker discontent. As a Business-Ownership Advocate, Patrick’s mission is to help others overcome their fears by turning their career distress into personal success, through business ownership. Originally from Michigan, Patrick graduated from the University of Montana in 1991, and now lives in Seattle with his wife and children.

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September 28, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On September 27th, 2007 Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson spoke with social media developer and expert Deltina Hay. She is the owner of Dalton Publishing, an up-and-coming literary press out of Austin, Texas. Deltina shared with us the new elements that make up Web 2.0 and how to use them: RSS feeds, blog aggregators, Wikis, and social media press rooms just to name a few. We also talked about which technology is most appropriate to your target audience and the strengths and weaknesses of major social media sites, including book/author themed sites such as Shelfari and Book Movement

Deltina Hay has also been programming and doing Web development in one form or another for over 25 years. Her love of publishing and media, coupled with her passion for open source programming led her naturally to Web 2.0 and social media consulting. She is the founder of SocialMediaPower.com, a social media and Web 2.0 consulting firm, specializing in helping authors and small publishers succeed in the new, “live” Web.

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