June 29, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, June 28th at 8PM EDT Victor Volkman and Tyler Tichelaar interviewed Irene Watson, author, entrepreneur, and managing editor of ReaderViews. Irene shared with us an insider’s look at how book reviews really work, how to get your book successfully reviewed including strategies and tips, and prepublication vs post-publication reviews and what to do with them. As owner of a book review, editing, coaching, and manuscript submission service bureau, she has a unique viewpoint of how things really work.
A native of Northern Alberta, Irene’s career took her from career counseling, to business ownership, to working in management for a police force, to spiritual counseling, to teaching at a college, to retreat/seminar/workshop design and facilitation to her most recent - owning/managing Reader Views. She has an M. A. in psychology from Regis University in Denver, CO.   Listen to the PodCast!
After retiring in 2003 Irene authored an award winning memoir, The Sitting Swing, which was published in October 2005 and co-edited a recent release The Story That Must be Told. Having a hard time getting reviews for her book, she started Reader Views on a whim. Within a month it exploded to a full time business. So much for retirement! Reader Views has since expanded into author publicity, editing, creating book videos, and the most recent, coaching for book proposals and manuscript submission service.

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June 22, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On Thursday, June 21st at 8:00PM EDT we spoke with Janet Walters and Jane Toombs about essential mistakes that every writer must work to avoid and how to proactively defend against these issues. For example, we covered “Show vs. Tell” in conveying action, preventing “False Starts” to make sure your story starts and ends in the right place, and the nature of dialogue and what it should convey, to name a few topics in this jam-packed interview.

Janet Walters is both a nurse and a novelist. She has published 28 novels and four non-fiction books over a 30-year writing career, three of these written as a ghost-writer. Janet has written in many genres including: Romances from sweet to spicy and from contemporary to historical. She has written paranormal and fantasies, cozy mysteries and suspense.    In 2003, Becoming Your Own Critique Partner (with Jane Toombs) won the EPPIE award for non-fiction. Jane Toombs is the author of eighty some published books and fifteen or so novellas or short stories. She writes in all genres except men’s action and erotica, though paranormal is her favorite to read and write. Listen to the PodCast!

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June 16, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

From Library Journal 

Well, it won’t be the first public library in the country to drop the Dewey Decimal Classification system, as the Arizona Republic suggested May 30, but the Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ, is pushing the envelope in its new Perry branch, scheduled to open next week. The branch’s 24,000-item collection will take its cue from bookstores, drawing on the 50 or so subject headings used by the Book Industry Study Group. Director Harry Courtright came up with the idea and assigned Marshall Shore, the adult services coordinator, to implement it. Most library users, Courtright told LJ, say they come to browse, but Dewey doesn’t facilitate browsing. Thus the the new subject headings, as well as an effort to get more books shelved at eye level.

Shore says the layout of the branch, which is part of a high school campus in the fast-growing town of Gilbert, also aims to echo bookstores with nooks and crannies aimed “to create a sense of intimacy and privacy.” Maricopa outsources all of its cataloging, and Brodart, which provided the opening day collection, worked to translate Dewey to the new taxonomy. In the catalog, the record will indicate the subject heading, and books are then alphabetized by author. “We’ll be working with staff to develop the taxonomy,” Shore said. “It’s a small branch, and the collection is not huge. If we open a larger branch, we’d need to fine tune it.”

Asked about potential pitfalls, Courtright said, “We might find out our customers don’t like it.” Added Deputy Director Cindy Kolaczynski, “The pages are probably a little nervous,” but she noted that the sections in the library would each be fairly small. She added that staff were hired for the branch who embraced the evolving mission. And, where, for example, might the biography of sports figure go? Probably biography, Shore said, but the library would remain flexible as it assesses patron response. In some cases, the new taxonomy might allow for more granularity; DVDs, for example, won’t be labeled simply as fiction, but will be broken down by genre, as in video stories. Movable bookshelves on wheels, added Shore, will help the library create flexible displays of books.

The news of the new branch stimulated several comments on the Arizona Republic web site, as well as on librarian mailing lists. For example, Francis Buckley, former Superintendent of Documents at the United States Government Printing Office, commented in a message re-posted on pub-lib, “Approximately 50 years ago, under the legendary Ralph Ulveling, the Detroit Public Library instituted Reader Interest classification in its branches. The books in each branch were arranged by categories of interest to the local population by the librarians in that branch. It finally petered out as reduced staff no longer had the time for customization and since it was difficult for staff transferred from one location to another to locate books.”

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June 15, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

Victor R. Volkman is proud to bring you a new podcast stream devoted entirely to airing authors talking about their work.  This new program, entitled Authors Airwaves, will feature selected authors reading from their work, being interviewed, and providing brand new never-before heard material.  Our authors range from the inspirational to the pragmatic and I’ll be posting one new audioblog right here every Friday.  Authors Airwaves is a production of Loving Healing Press

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on Authors Airwaves!

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June 15, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On June 14th, 2007 Irene Watson and Victor Volkman spoke with Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She told us the secrets of The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with message boards, blogs, ezines, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book’s topic, positioning the author in his or her market.

Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including From Book to Bestseller which has been called the “road map to publishing success.” AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™. Penny has placed authors on: The View, CBS The Early Show, CNN Showbiz Tonight, NY Post, NY Daily News, Fox in the Morning and many other national syndicated network and cable shows. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site.    Listen to the PodCast!

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June 12, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

The new Show Lineup is now fully scheduled through September 2007.Irene and Victor invite you to join them each week as they explore the myriad issues involved in planning the production of your first book AND once you’re done, what to do next.  If you would like to post a question in advance for any of the guest speakers, please contact us at info@authorsaccess.com  Authors Access is where authors get published and published authors get successful.

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June 8, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

The results of the 2006 Reader Views / Loving Healing Press writing contest are now finally available in print.  The Story That Must Be Told: True Tales of Transformation is now available at Amazon.com and fine bookstores around the world. 

What will you do when life puts you to the ultimate test?

This slim volume contains 21 true stories of courage, love, endurance, and undying hope from people around the USA and UK. Follow each of our authors as they detail what it took to face impossible circumstances and powerfully transform them into forgiveness, understanding, and grace.

Are you…

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then this is the book for you to start (or re-start) your personal journal of transformation.What one person achieves creates new possibilities for everyone in what it is to be human

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June 8, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman are now booking guests for the Fall 2007 season of Authors Access.  If you have expertise in some area of writing, publishing, or marketing, please contact us with the following

• Your bio including qualifications
• Photo
• Topic
• Talking points (10 to 12 questions you can answer about the topic)

The ideal guest has both technical and marketing qualifications.  For example, a romance writer who is also involved in actively marketing her own work, etc.

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June 8, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

On June 7th, 2007 at 8PM EDT we spoke with award-winning screenwriter and bestselling co-author Ami Hendrickson. She is the founder of Muse Ink - inspiring writers and helping them put their vision into words. Hendrickson has ghostwritten on projects about photography, architecture, business processes, home improvement, local histories, and food and nutrition. Ami taught us the ins and outs of becoming a ghostwriter, working one-on-one with people on memoir development, understanding the role of collaborator, what to expect from a ghostwriting contract, and how to pitch your own projects as a ghostwriter.

Ms. Hendrickson has worked with and written for some of the world’s leading horsemen. She co-authored “Clinton Anderson’s Downunder Horsemanship,” now an international success written for renowned horse clinician Clinton Anderson. Two of her books routinely rank in Amazon.com’s Top 5 bestselling Horse Books. WOW! “The Rider’s Pain-Free Back,” a book on back health written with neurosurgeon Dr. James Warson will be released from Trafalgar Square Books in July, 2007. Her published and produced credits include advertising copy for companies like Whirlpool, Haworth, and Miles Labs, video voice-overs, video cover text, promotional scripts, feature articles, specialty publications, songs, and more.

Listen to the PodCast!     

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June 3, 2007 by Victor Volkman.

We are proud to announce the availablity of Authors Access Podcasts on Apple’s iTunes service.   You can find us in the Podcasts section of iTunes by searching on Authors Access as well.  Even if you don’t own the ubiquitious iPod, there are many advantages to using the free iTunes software on your PC. Specifically, after you Subscribe to Authors Access podcasts it automatically downloads each new episode to your computer as soon as it is posted.  If you do own a portable MP3 player (iPod or otherwise), it will then be sent to your iPod at the next available opportunity allowing you to learn more about writing, publishing, and marketing on your daily commute, on the exercise treadmill, or even while mowing your lawn!  Join the revolution today!

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