Authors Access » Victor Volkman

Drew Gerber – Catapult Your Book with Media Coverage

Victor Volkman — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:19:28 +0000

On September 2, 2010 Irene Watson and Alan E. Smith spoke with author and media coverage guru Drew Gerber of PitchRate.com. L. Drew Gerber is CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc. and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a free media tool that connects journalists, publicists, and experts. Drew informed us on critical aspects of the interface between author and media including:

How to stand out from the crowd and brand what’s unique about your book.
How to make it easy for customers and journalists to find you and your book online.
Who wants your expertise? How to position yourself as an expert.
How to grab the media’s attention by creating the perfect pitch.
How to get to the point and use sound bites.
How to maximize your publicity by leveraging the coverage you’re getting to attract more traffic and leads to your website.

Drew Gerber

Gerber’s business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed.

www.PitchRate.com

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Fall 2010 Lineup announced!

Victor Volkman — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:26:21 +0000

date	Guest	Topic	Podcast
Sep 2	Drew Gerber	Catapult Your book With Media Coverage	TBA
Sep 16	Valerie Bradley-Holiday, PhD	Writing as a Working Mom	TBA
Oct 7	Tom Wanek	Currencies that Buy Credibility for Your Book	TBA
Oct 21	Julie Ann Stricklin	Things Your Need to Know Before You Hire a Graphic Artist	TBA
Nov 4	Jim Bouchard	Think Like a Blackbelt: Promoting Your Book by Being a Media Personality	TBA
Nov 18	Diana Raab	All About Writing Nonfiction: Getting Your Reader’s Attention	TBA
Dec 2	Kristi Floyd and Lisa Charbonnet	Getting Your Book into Libraries	TBA
Dec 16	Dan Poynter	Book writing, Publicity and Promotion	TBA

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James P. Studinger – Using Your Book as an Investment Tool

Victor Volkman — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:41:37 +0000

On August 19th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with financial adviser and author James P. Studinger. He is the author of Wealth Is a Choice, and owner of the JPStudinger Group, a wealth-management company. Studinger wrote this book to create a road map for his children to follow should anything happen to him. This passion blossomed into a book to educate readers and help them embrace, not fear, financial decisions. This evening he spoke about the critical role of understanding how an author can exploit their book to best financial advantage, including:

What is the secret to becoming wealthy?
Good assets vs. bad assets
Efficiency
Where is there profit in a book?
- Sales of books
- Ancillary services
What have other authors done in your field
Leverage your credentials
- Where would you like this to take you in the future?
- Keep aligning your efforts with your goals.

James P. Studinger

Studinger’s expertise was called upon by the State of Michigan where he was instrumental in the passing of a new 529 College Savings Plan. For his part, Studinger was happy to participate in a plan that helps Michigan families educate their children. In 2009 he became the Vice Chair for the Michigan JumpStart Coalition, a non-profit dedicated to raising the financial literacy bar for kids. He is frequently a guest on Fox News for their “Money Matter’s” segment.

When not writing and advising, James enjoys the outdoors: hiking, camping, and fishing. He likes being active by running, triathlons, and hockey. He resides in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with his wife and their two sons. To learn more, please go to www.jpstudinger.com

Wealth Is A Choice

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Mark Long – Getting Published by a University Press

Victor Volkman — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:19:40 +0000

On August 4th, Irene Watson and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with university press publisher Mark Long. He has a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from the University of North Texas, both in English. In 2004, after teaching for ten years, he oversaw the formation of TSTC Publishing, the publishing arm of the Texas State Technical College System. Mark Long shared his wisdom about:

Manuscript/project acquisition (what we look for in proposals): market analysis, author credentials, ease of marketing/sales efforts
The textbook sales cycle: summer (research), fall (pre-sell), spring (adoption season)
Printing considerations: offset vs. POD
Marketing/Sales: how we publicize and sell books: facebook, blogs, email newsletters, trade shows, direct mail pieces, inside sales/cold calling
How authors make money: royalties vs. work-for-hire agreements (plus, as well, what publishers pay for vs. authors
Future of college (textbook) publishing: ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and apps

Mark Long / TSTC Publishing

With a list comprised of academic and technical textbooks, technical career guides, and technology forecasts, TSTC Publishing’s mission is to provide low-cost yet high-quality materials to institutions of higher education and private industry.

TSTC Publishing offers faculty throughout the USA the opportunity to initiate and participate in a variety of textbook development projects. Of course, in the 21st century a textbook is no longer ‘just’ a textbook, so TSTC Publishing projects now include such ancillary products as instructor guides, student workbooks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, e-books, and companion Web sites. In addition to offering editorial help and guidance to faculty, assistance is also available in the areas of materials production, distribution, and sales.

TSTC Publishing is based in Waco, TX

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Shel Horowitz – Green Marketing: Reaching the Environmentally Aware Customers

Victor Volkman — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:24:15 +0000

On July 22nd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Shel Horowitz, author, marketing consultant and copywriter who works with authors and publishers. A veteran of the 1977 Seabrook occupation, his first book, written when he was only 22, was about why nuclear power makes no sense. He visited with us to share some secrets from his 8th book Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet (John Wiley & Sons, 2010, co-authored with Mr. Guerrilla Marketing himself, Jay Conrad Levinson). Specifically, Shel informed us on:

How does ethical/green marketing differ from ordinary marketing?
How can an author put together a green book event?
What green options are physically available in terms of paper and book production?
Does green marketing cost more, if not, why not?
Where should I start and how can I get my customers to notice and to care?
How can cooperative marketing create green results?
How do I get started going green?

In 1972, at age 15, Shel Horowitz was involved in a community group that opposed a nuclear power plant proposed for two miles north of New York City (a proposal that the utility company quickly withdrew). Shel is also the author of the e-book, Painless Green: 111 Tips to Help the Environment, Lower Your Carbon Footprint, Cut Your Budget, and Improve Your Quality of Life-With No Negative Impact on Your Lifestyle. He is directly responsible for the first nonsmokers’ rights regulations in Northampton, Massachusetts, and for the defeat of a large and inappropriate mountaintop development in his current home town of Hadley, Mass. His Down to Business webzine was one of the first business publications to have a regular section on sustainability.Shel now offers not only copywriting and strategic marketing planning based in Green principles, but also helps unpublished writers become published authors. Five of his eight books have won awards and/or been republished in other countries, including his most recent, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet (John Wiley & Sons, 2010, co-authored with Mr. Guerrilla Marketing himself, Jay Conrad Levinson).

This new book states that honesty, integrity, and a commitment to environmental sustainability are important—but market share is often the wrong metric entirely…that long-term relationships are better than a one-time sale…and that competitors can be among your best allies. The book provides dozens of examples of companies large and small that have succeeded by putting people first: familiar names like Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Southwest Airlines as well as numerous entrepreneurs who are successful in their own niches, even if not widely known.

Guerilla Marketing Goes Green

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Jim and Linda O’Connor – Developing Comprehensive Campaigns to Sell Your Books

Victor Volkman — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:28:34 +0000

On July 7th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with book marketing and publicity specialists James V. O’Connor and Linda O’Connor about how to develop a marketing campaign tailored to your personal skills and your book’s target market. O’Connor Communications, Inc is a public relations firm that has specialized in book publicity since 2000 when Jim and his wife won three national awards for the successful promotion of his first book, “CUSS CONTROL, The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing.” O’Connor Communications gets people into the news through radio and TV interviews, newspaper and magazine article placement, blog, social media and internet marketing, and media campaigns. In our wide-ranging discussion we covered the following points in detail:

Why do you need to promote your book and yourself?
Why every book is promotable
When and how to get started
Giving traditional media what they want
Mass mailings and target marketing
Social media and Internet Marketing
What a publicist can do for you

Jim and Linda O'Connor

Jim’s first-hand experience includes appearances on more than 312 TV programs (including Oprah), interviews on more than 750 radio stations, and features in over 400 newspapers and magazines. Jim and Lynda represent 23 authors, organizing national and regional book campaigns, book tours, media interviews, speaking engagements, and press materials. Authors Lynda has represented describe her as knowledgeable, professional, tireless, tenacious, creative, enthusiastic and dedicated. She works closely with her clients and makes sure they get the attention that they deserve.

Together they have spoken in Richmond, VA at the James River Writers Conference, Clarksville, TN at the Clarksville Writers Conference, and Chicago at the Lawyers for Creative Arts book conference. 2010 will take them to Seeley Lake, MT to the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association Book Conference, The San Francisco Writers Conference, the University of Wisconsin Writers Conference where they will share their knowledge on how to get into the news

Cuss Control

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Roundtable – Choosing the Right Book Contest

Victor Volkman — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:35:10 +0000

In this special Roundtable episode, Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman discuss book contests and how to make the most of your marketing dollars. Irene Watson is the managing editor of Reader Views, a book review and author publicity service located in Austin, Texas. Irene is well versed in today’s topic Choosing the Right Book Contest as this is her 5th year in running an awards program. Victor R. Volkman is the owner of Loving Healing Press, Modern History Press, and the newest imprint Marvelous Spirit Press. Together, these imprints have produced more than 100 titles in five years in paperback, hardcover, and eBook editions of same. This evening we chatted about the how and why of book contests including:

What’s the purpose of entering a contest?
What kinds of contests are out there?
How are contests judged?
How do I enter a contest?
What can I do with the awards?
What about poetry and short-story contests?
How do I choose a category that I can win in?
Local, regional, vs. national contests: is bigger always better?
What’s a reasonable fee for entering my book?
What about contests where “everyone is a winner”?

Irene Watson started Reader Views in 2005 when she published her first book and realized a need wasn’t filled. Listening to authors she continues to create online sites to fulfill their needs. The latest being First Chapter Plus, an e-Catalog of self-published and small publisher books targeted at libraries and independent book stores. Ger first authored book won an IPPY Honorable Mention. She is the author of several books including The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference, Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers, and most recently co-author of Rewriting Life Scripts: Transformational Recovery for Families of Addicts

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Kim McDougall – Creating Sizzling Book Video Trailers

Victor Volkman — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:40:36 +0000

On June 3rd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with artist, author, and book video director/producer Kim McDougall of Blazing Trailers. Kim has produced more than 100 book video trailers and hosts more than a thousand of them on BlazingTrailers. She shared her hard won experience in producing and also critiquing these latest promotional marketing tools. Her laser-sharp focus in marketing really showed us what does and doesn’t work for videos. Some talking points included:

Why make a book video trailer?
What makes a good trailer (good, bad, or ugly)?
How do I use my trailer effectively?
Can I include a Special offer in my video?
Walk us through a typical experience with you working with an author
Should I make my own trailer or have someone make it for me?

Kim McDougall

Kim McDougall is an fantasy author, fiber artist and photographer. She writes children’s and YA fiction under her married name, Kim Chatel. Some of her books include Angel Venom, the Twisted Tails series and Luminari, She has a bachelors degree in English literature from Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. She was born in Montreal and has lived in Nice, France, Toronto, Long Island, New York and now beautiful Pennsylvania.

She is also the founder of Blazing Trailers a site designed to showcase video book previews. After creating 100+ trailers she has picked up some tricks for promoting with this hot multimedia tool.

Blazing Trailers

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Katharine Sands – Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye

Victor Volkman — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:13:23 +0000

On May 20th, 2010 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Manhattan literary agent Katharine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. She helped educate us on the basics of good “pitchcraft”, including

What is pitching?
Why is pitching your work so important?
Why there is such a relentless emphasis on platforming a book…
What are some rules for pitching a book?
How does self-publishing play into this equation?
What do I need to know about becoming a full-time nonfiction author

Katharine Sands‘ new book Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye is a collection of pitching wisdom from leading literary agents. Actively building her client list, she likes books that have a clear benefit for readers’ lives in categories of food, travel, lifestyle, home arts, beauty, wisdom, relationships, parenting, and fresh looks, which might be at issues, life challenges or popular culture. when reading fiction she wants to be compelled and propelled by urgent storytelling, and hooked by characters. For memoir and femoir, she likes to be transported to a world rarely or newly observed.

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Jonathan Maxwell – Arranging Public Appearances

Victor Volkman — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:14:08 +0000

On May 6th 2010, Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with successful nonfiction author and speaker Jonathan Maxwell. He is the author of Murderous Intellectuals: German Elites and the Nazi SS (2009). Jonathan has tirelessly promoted his books at bookstores, libraries, museums, colleges, and K-12 schools. Today, he shared his wisdom about

The Importance of Making Public Appearances (sales, marketing, buzz)
Alternatives to Public Appearances (reviews)
Obtaining Public Appearances (libraries, schools and colleges, museums, bookstores)
Charging Fees (why, when and how much)
Becoming a great speaker(tips and tricks)

Jonathan Maxwell is an Atlanta-based writer, editor, and critic. He holds a BA in English from Berry College in Rome, Ga., as well as a psychology minor. He also holds a paralegal certificate. Murderous Intellectuals: German Elites and the Nazi SS is his first book. Released in November 2009, the work has since received considerable critical acclaim. Maxwell’s next book- Piltdown Man and Other Hoaxes- will be released late this year. This book is a lighthearted examination of scientific frauds through the centuries. In addition to book-writing, he has composed op/ed pieces in newspapers great and small, penned reviews for literary journals, and has written chapters for history textbooks. As a freelance editor, he was worked for the publishing giants Harcourt and Pearson.

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Awakening The Power Within – May 15th, 2010 in Ann Arbor

Victor Volkman — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:49:44 +0000

Special offer good only for readers of AuthorsAccess.com! Bring a friend and saves $10 on the cost of TWO tickets! HURRY offer ends April 30th at midnite! Click here to take advantage of this special offer or call tollfree 888-761-6268

Come join us for a day of inspiration, education, and renewal at the Awakening the Power Within conference at Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 15th 2010 from 9am to 4pm. Conference registration is only $25 and includes Weber’s fabulous sandwich buffet lunch. We’ll have a diverse selection of motivational and spiritual presenters:

Time	Speaker	Topic
9:00	Registration	Coffee and networking
10:00	Robin Marvel	Energize, Revitalize ~ ChakraCize!
10:55	Marian Volkman	Practical Happiness
Noon	– break –	Lunch provided by Weber’s Inn
12:50pm	Rick Ritter	Reorganizing the Self: After it has been shattered
1:45pm	Jane Saylor	The Power of Self-Help: What you accomplish in this lifetime is all up to you
2:40pm	K.J.M. MacLean	Consciousness, Feelings, and Self-Empowerment
3:30pm	Networking	Meet and greet presenters (until 4PM)

Our Amazing Presenters

Kenneth J.M. MacLean advocates applying spirituality in a practical, common sense manner to daily life for success and happiness. He’s the host of the Interview with Spirit Show and the author of eight books including The Vibrational Universe: Harness the power of thought to consciously create your life.

Robin Marvel is an inspirational speaker, spiritual workshop leader, and radio host. She is the Senior Editor of Marvelous Spirit Press and the author of the Awakening Consciousness series books for boys, girls, and women.

Rick Ritter MSW, LCSW is a trauma therapist in a small private practice, disabled vet of 40 years who works at practicing what he “preaches” toward his clients/audience. He is also a father, grandfather, organic gardener (3 acre garden), beekeeper, handcyclist who is extremely blessed. He is the author of Coping With Physical Loss and Disability

Jane Saylor is a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker. She is also the author of “The Road You’ve Traveled, How to Journal Your Life”. Learn more at her new website www.ThePowerOfSelfHelp.com

Marian Volkman has worked in the fields of trauma resolution and personal growth for more than 40 years. She teaches Applied Metapsychology, including Traumatic Incident Reduction in the US, Canada and Europe, and maintains a practice working with individuals. She is passionate about development of human potential, among other things. She is the author of Life Skills: Improve the Quality of Your Life

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PDF Flyer about this event

Register by Phone at 888-761-6268 or visit www.AwakeningThePower.com

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Janet Grace Riehl – Do-it-Yourself Audiobook Production

Victor Volkman — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:13:47 +0000

On April 15th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman interviewed poet, author, and performance artist Janet Grace Riehl about recording, producing, and marketing audiobook versions of eBooks and print publications. Her book Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary, told in story poems, was recently made into an audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music. Twice selected as finalist for Poet Laureate of Lake County, California and a member of Authors Guild, her poems, stories and essays are published in national literary magazines and several anthologies.

Janet broke it all down for us on audiobooks into easy-to-understand steps

Creative;
technical (editing, mastering, disc numbering);
legal (licenses and copyrights);
production;
distribution and marketing; and,
Big Celebration.

Resources mentioned on this podcast

Janet’s appearance on Blogging Authors which has more detail on the 6 steps
podiobooks.com – where authors can upload self-recorded chapters serially
audible.com – world’s largest seller of audiobooks (follow this link for a FREE audiobook!)

Janet Grace Riehl is an award-winning author, artist, performer, community mentor, and creative collaborator. Her poems, stories, and essays have been widely published in national literary magazines such as “Harvard Review” and the anthologies “Stories to Live By: Wisdom to Help You Make the Most of Every Day” and “Hot Flashes 2″.

Her life moves between the big city in St. Louis in the Central West End to the family home place on the bluffs above the Mississippi River in Southwestern Illinois where she collaborates on creative projects with her 90-something father. Feel free to contact her by email at janet.riehl@gmail.com.

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Marie Davis – Your Career as a Cartoonist!

Victor Volkman — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:50:15 +0000

On April 1, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman interviewed veteran cartoonist and graphic artist Marie Davis on the nuts-and-bolts of this exciting creative visual endeavor. Marie is the creator of three comic strips which have run as long as 14 years in syndication: Kentucky Tales, She said…She said…, and Besos. We covered a wide range of topics in cartooning, including

Cartoons as educational tools
How to get started on cartooning
Building a portfolio and finding your creative voice
Non-traditional outlets for cartoon work: businesses, book illustrations, and more.
Coloring–how it works
Cartoon grammar–the 1 panel, 3 panel, and 6 panel strips
Finding a mentor

For seven consecutive years, Ms. Davis has won First Place in the Louisville Chapter SPJ Awards for her outstanding work in the fields of editorial cartoons and minority/women’s affairs reporting. Her commitment to Women’s History has led her to travel throughout the state of Kentucky uncovering the untold stories of women. These stories prompted her to create a traveling show entitled, Ten Great State Women, which kicked off at the state’s capitol in Frankfort with Governor Paul Patton leading the Opening Day festivities. The show then spent the rest of the year traveling throughout the Commonwealth, inviting all Kentuckians to learn more about the great wealth of women’s stories.

In 1994 her first strip, Kentucky Tales, began its fourteen year run as a newspaper-in-education program. It used humor and history to teach gender equity and multiculturalism to children in middle school. Now in its tenth year, Ms. Davis’ second strip, She said…She said…runs in Today’s Woman magazine. This cartoon’s topic deals with the struggles and accomplishments of women from the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area.

Her most current cartoon work is titled, Besos it is a multilingual lesbian cartoon strip published in five languages: Belarusian, Russian, French, Spanish and English. With her business partner and marketing genius Margaret Hults, her audio book and this cartoon strip are spreading around the world. As of June 2009, they are available in the GBLT communities of Russia, Belarus, France, Mexico, Australia and the United States. Presently, we are engaging the women of India and China and plan to have this cartoon strip translated into Mandarin by the end of this year..

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Walt Shiel – Print Book Design, Typesetting, and eBooks

Victor Volkman — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:10:03 +0000

On March 18th, 2010 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with veteran author and publisher Walt Shiel about some of the most confusing topics for the self-publishing newcomer: print book design, typesetting, indexing, and even eBook production. Walt’s publishing company, Slipdown Mountain, has published three novels, two military history titles, two other nonfiction titles, and one short story collection. It’s subsidiary Five Rainbows Services for Authors and Publishers was spun off to meet the demand for assistance from self-publishers. Walt addressed some of these key points in today’s interview:

Book Design & Typesetting

• Is there any difference between designing a book and typesetting it?
• What are the key decisions a book designer must make?
• Isn’t typesetting just pouring the text into the typesetting software, adding some formatting, and letting the software work its magic?

E-Book Design

• Does design and/or typesetting matter at all in creating an e-book?
• Aren’t there software packages that can create e-books virtually automatically?
• Do readers even care if an e-book is well-designed as long as they get the content one way or another?

Indexing

• What is an index and how is it different from a concordance?
• Doesn’t the author know better than anyone else what should be indexed?
• What do you need to know to create a useful index?

Independent publisher Walt Shiel claims he is now into his fourth career, following career stints as an Air Force pilot, telecommunications engineer, and aerospace engineer on the B-2 bomber program at Northrop and the F-22, F-35, and F-16 pilot training programs at Lockheed Martin.Walt has been a freelance writer since 1992, with magazine articles published in the US, UK, and Australia. Currently, he writes the “Warbirds” column for Cessna Flyer magazine and the View From The Publishing Trenches blog. Walt has served on the Board of Directors of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association for the past four years.Walt, his wife Kerrie, and his daughter Lisa founded Slipdown Mountain Publications LLC in 2003 in North Texas but relocated to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 2004.

Since then, they have published three novels, two military history titles, two other nonfiction titles, and one short story collection.In 2007, they formed a subsidiary, Five Rainbows Services for Authors and Publishers to meet the demand for assistance from self-publishers. Converting print books to Kindle and ePub formats has become a major part of this business over the past year.

Walt has written two military history books (Cessna Warbirds and T-41 Mescalero), a Michigan historical novel (Devil in the North Woods), and a short story collection (Pilots and Normal People). He also edited a reprint of Flying for France by James R. McConnell. His new book — Rough War: An American Fighter Pilot’s WW II Journey to Burma and Back — is due out in mid-summer 2010.

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Successfully Sell Your Books at Conferences, Craft Shows, and Fairs

Victor Volkman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:50:37 +0000

On March 4th, 2010 Irene Watson moderated a roundtable with Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman on how to successfully sell your books at conferences, craft shows, and regional, seasonal, and special interest fairs. Tyler specializes in working regional craft and seasonal fairs and has achieved some remarkably good results. Victor exhibits at professional conferences for social workers, psychologists, and mental health fairs. Together, they addressed the following issues:

Managing bathroom breaks
Dealing with “show management”
Supplies You May Want to Buy as an exhibitor: tables, tablecloths, acrylic book stands and signholders, posters, Director’s Chair, Tschokte items (pens, post-it notes, to give away),
The Fine Print: watch out for proof-of-insurance, mandatory carpet purchase, furniture rental, and more
Indoor vs. outdoor shows: foot traffic, weather, customers, pros and cons
How to lure people to your booth
Being prepared for any situation
Offering exclusive specials
Which shows work and which ones don’t
Determining whether you succeeded

Victor R. Volkman is the owner of Loving Healing Press Inc. whose mission is “redefining what is possible for healing mind and spirit” and his press has produced more than 100 titles since its first book rolled off the press in 2004. He also manages the other imprints including Modern History Press which tells “empowering stories of conflict and the struggle for identity in modern times.” MHP features multicultural writers as well as those of veterans, and others who have had difficulty finding their place in the world. His latest venture is Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing which is a quarterly anthology of writings about abuse recovery, addiction, grief, trauma, and personal growth issues.
Tyler R. Tichelaar is the owner of Marquette Fiction which has produced five books of regional fiction spanning 150 years on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He is also the owner of Superior Book Promotions, a full-service editorial shop which provides proofreading, editing, and manuscript evaluation. Tyler has a PhD in literature and has taught at three universities.

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Spring 2010 Podcast Lineup announced

Victor Volkman — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:41:40 +0000

Date	guest	Topic
April 1	Marie Davis	Career as a Cartoonist
April 15	Janet Reihl	DIY Audio Books
May 6	Jonathan Maxell	Arranging Public Appearances
May 20	James and Lynda O’Conner	Developing Comprehensive Campaigns to Sell Books
June 3	Kim McDougal	Creating Book Video Trailers

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Ernest Dempsey – Earn Extra Income Freelance Writing for the Web

Victor Volkman — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:26:25 +0000

On February 19th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with fulltime freelance writer, proofreader, and editor Ernest Dempsey. He shared encouraging information on how you can get started in the fun and profitable art of freelance writing. In addition to having written 4 books, he is now the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing and also works as the country editor for Pakistan on the celebrated Internet news channel Instablogs.com. He shared with us on the following points:

Where are some places that I can go to look for freelance web writing?
Is it “ghost writing” or does sometimes my name get shown?
What about being a Foreign Correspondent for a news organization in another country?
How does getting paid work?
How do you manage personal time, schedules, and deadlines?
What types of writing projects are available: interviews, reviews, tutorials and how well does each pay relative to the others
How have you improved your knowledge of English by writing over time?
How does freelancing compare to a “regular job”? Do you get to travel more?

Ernest Recommends for finding gigs: Writer’s World

Karim Khan, pen named Ernest Dempsey, hails from Hangu, a small town in Pakistan. As a child, he enjoyed two things: The joyful company of his brother and Khan’s best friend, Shais; and making airy castles with lots of characters in his mind. At twelve, he started writing detective stories, horror, thrillers, and humor. He has a Masters degree in Geology and one in English Literature.He has authored four books including his latest The Blue Fairy and other Tales of Transcendence and, in just the last few years, seen the publication of his poems, essays, short stories, and literary reviews worldwide. Khan is now looking forward to completing his first novel.

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Jamie Saloff – Six Rules That Will Kickstart Your Book Website into Full Gear

Victor Volkman — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:03:09 +0000

On Feb 4th 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with web media and book publicist expert Jamie Saloff on common pitfalls of author/book websites and simple, easy, and inexpensive ways to get more conversions from your web hits into book sales. Jamie is the site owner for www.PolkaDotBanner.com – an author-helping-author website designed to help authors gain visibility for their books. She also maintains several other sites she built and designed, including the site for Pennwriters, a regional multi-genre writer’s organization, where she is the Web Committee Chair. In this wide-ranging discussion, some key talking points included:

What are the high real estate values and high productivity areas of your website?
How does art direct the eye and how can I use it to my advantage?
Why are color and “lighting” important?
How is reading a website different from reading a magazine or book?
How does my website reflect who I am and why it is important?
How to use multi-media and flash cost effectively?
What other things can I offer or talk about besides the book, the book, the book…?

On a daily basis, Rev. Jamie L. Sailoff utilizes many facets of creation and design as an: author, web designer, book design and publishing consultant, jewelry designer, and art enthusiast For over a decade, Jamie has been a book designer and DIY publishing consultant (www.PODBookDesigns.com) for countless author-publishers, particularly professionals who are navigating the waters of self-publishing for the first time..Jamie is the author of Transformational Healing: Five Surprisingly Simple Keys Designed to Redirect Your Life Toward Wellness, Purpose, and Prosperity. She has also authored two other books, including The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Cowan Pottery, which she co-authored with her husband, Tim. Her other book, The Publishing Center, was based on her years of work heading an all-volunteer elementary school writing center, which produced on average, 1000 student-written books per year.

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Dana Lynn Smith – Twitter, Tweeting, and Re-tweeting: Twitter Book Marketing

Victor Volkman — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:10:44 +0000

On January 22nd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with book marketing guru Dana Lynn Smith about exploiting the potential of Twitter for marketing your books. Dana Lynn Smith, owner of Texana Publishing Consultants, LLC, has 15 years of experience in publishing and 25 years of marketing experience. She specializes in developing marketing plans for nonfiction books and teaching authors how to promote their books online. She is the author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides, a series of ebooks on book marketing topics. Talking points include:

How does Twitter work
Why do you think Twitter is a valuable tool for authors?
What common mistakes do you see authors making on Twitter?
Twitter profile for a minute – what suggestions can you offer?
Can you give us some tips for attracting followers on Twitter?
A lot of people who use Twitter wonder what they should be tweeting about. Can you give us some suggestions?
I know there are several different types of messages that can be sent on Twitter. Can you explain the difference between Replies, Mentions and Direct Messages?
How often should authors tweet?
How can Twitter work with FaceBook or MySpace?
How can I run a contest with Twitter?

Dana ‘s professional background includes:

Overseeing book production, marketing, fulfillment, and bottom-line profitability at Hoover’s Business Press, with distribution channels including direct sales, library sales, online bookstores, and retail bookstores.
Writing search engine optimization content for a group of travel web sites.
Managing and promoting conventions and tradeshows for the Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Hospital Association, and other associations.

She has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing, and is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Writers League of Texas. A fifth-generation Texan, Dana enjoys exploring Texas and the world, and she writes a Texas travel column for Examiner.com. She and her husband live on a small ranch near Austin, Texas, where they raise cattle and goats

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Podcasting for Authors – Roundtable with Alan E. Smith

Victor Volkman — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:49:35 +0000

On January 8th, 2010, we convened a roundtable discussion on Podcasting for Authors with Victor R. Volkman, Irene Watson, and Alan E. Smith. Each of the principals invited has been recording and distributing podcasts for several years through Authors Airwaves, Inside Scoop Live, and UnBreak Your Health, and podcast programs respectively. Our discussion ranged through a wide variety of subjects from production to promotion to book tie-ins and of course, getting started.1. How did you get into podcasting?
2. Is it hard to do, do I have to learn a lot of stuff?
3. Should I use blogtalkradio or do-it-myself?
4. How do I get guests, what do I talk about?
5. How do I promote the podcast?
6. What is RSS.XML and stuff like that
7. How can I tie my book into the podcast without making it an endless infomercial?
8. Can I integrate or interweave my book and podcast content?
9. How do I measure success?
10. What about audio quality? tips

Alan E. Smith

Victor Volkman specializes in the audio engineering aspects and has done audio editing for quality control on more than 200 podcasts, including all 102 podcasts of Authors Access. The chief problems that he works on involve noise reduction, balancing the levels, integrating background music and commercials, fixing speech problems, and maintaining quality and continuity. His audio editing suite is Goldwave Version 5.

Irene Watson is the owner of Reader Views, a full-service book marketing and publicity firm with a wide range of services from reviews to interviews to book editing and agenting. In 2005, she created Inside Scoop Live which has produced nearly 400 shows which is now primarily hosted by Juanita Watson. Inside Scoop Live is a global internet-based broadcast specializing in interviewing published authors about their current books and areas of expertise. Her preferred recording platform is Audio Acrobat dot com” Alan E. Smith is the author of Unbreak Your Health: The complete guide to complementary and alternative therapies. Alan has produced 55 podcasts since 2008 with a variety of guests from bestselling authors such as Bruce Lipton, PhD, who wrote “The Biology of Belief” which was a major influence of the infamous “What the Bleep” movie and also the creators, deans, and master teachers of many techniques such as Naturopathy, Chiropractic, Energy Medicine, Therapeutic Touch, and dozens of others.

Resources we mentioned on this show

Internet Stations to consider broadcasting on

AudioAcrobat.com
Blogtalkradio.com
InsideScoopLive.com
Global Talk Radio
BBS Radio
Achieve Radio
World Talk Radio
VoiceAmerica
HealthyLife.net

For publicizing your podcast show

Francine Silverman’s Talk Radio Wants You
Alex Carroll’s database of talk radio
Podcastdirectory.com
Podcast411.com
Podbean.com
Podseek.net
Dailyslice.com
Google’s podcast directory

Where to get great guests?

PitchRate.com
HARO (www.helpareporter.com)
RadioGuestList.com
www.mymediaconnections.ning.com

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Top 10 podcasts of 2009

Victor Volkman — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:03:27 +0000

Dear listeners, new and old,
As we ring in the New Year, we want to make sure you haven’t missed the best podcasts that Authors Access has presented, as voted by you: the people who listen to the show

Rank	Original Air Date	Guest	Subject
1	08-Aug-08	Jo Virgil	Getting Your Book into a National Book Store
2	21-Aug-08	Yvonne Perry	How to Become a Freelance Writer
3	04-Sep-08	Alice Acheson	Publicity for Pennies
4	15-Nov-07	Carolyn Howard Johnson	Frugal Book Promotion
5	16-Oct-08	Kevin Collier	Kevin Collier – Illustrating and Designing Children’s Books
6	11-Dec-08	Alexis Niki	Screenwriting 101
7	12-Nov-08	Ryan Johnson	POD Printing Books and Games
8	20-Nov-08	Suzanne Lieurance	Developing Your Passion of Writing as a Career
9	12-Nov-08	Edna Washington	Using QuickBooks with Publishers in Mind
10	04-Dec-08	Barbara Hudgins	Crafting Travel Guidebooks

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Intensive critique classes online in fiction and memoir

Victor Volkman — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:50:47 +0000

Claiming and Polishing the Power of Our Stories: Intensive critique classes online in fiction and memoir. (10 weeks)

This is an advanced writers’ workshop open both to writers who have studied with me, or those who have not but are invited to participate after sending a 3-page sample of your work in fiction or memoir, and a paragraph describing the project you are working on, or aim to develop. The workshop focuses on your work-in-progress and the questions you pose about craft, which will be addressed specifically in relationship to your work. This intensive critique class will respond to each individual’s needs as they continue to develop and revise their work toward the completion of a memoir, novel, collection of short stories, or collection of memoiristic essays. Many of the fiction writers in the class may have an autobiographical connection to their work; this connection may be direct, or may be subtle, internal, roundabout, and not absolutely necessary or identifiable. This course means hard work, following your own strong impulses and directions, and receiving and giving helpful, extensive feedback. Participants in the group who have studied with me previously have shown themselves to be insightful and constructive in their responses, and I aim in my feedback to you to illuminate in large and in detailed ways the deeper subject matter, language and structure of your project. The course will begin in late January or early February, to be determined.

Fee: 325$ payable in full before the start of class. Please aachtenberg@gmail.com or 651-214-9248 before January 2, or after January 18. Remember, if you have not studied with me before, please email, within the body of your email and NOT as an attachment, a paragraph or one page project description, and a 3-page writing sample from your project.

***If you are looking for another kind of online workshop with regular lectures posted each week, I will continue to teach with writers.com — see http://www.writers.com/achtenberg.html#story for Claiming Our Stories… Parts One and Two.

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Winter 2010 podcast lineup posted

Victor Volkman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:37:48 +0000

The new Show Lineup is now fully scheduled through March 2010! Irene Watson, Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman invite you to join them each week as they explore the myriad issues involved in planning the production of your first book. 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.

Date	Guest	Topic Summary and Info
07-Jan-10	Alan E. Smith	Podcasting for Authors
21-Jan-10	Dana Smith	Twitter, Tweeting, and Re-tweeting: Twitter Book Marketing
04-Feb-10	Jamie Saloff	Six Rules That Will Kick-Start Your Book Website into Full Gear
18-Feb-10	Ernest Dempsey	Success as a Full-time Paid Blogger
04-Mar-10	Tyler R. Tichelaar Victor R. Volkman	Selling Books as an Exhibitor – Is it Worth It?
18-Mar-10	Walt Shiel	Cataloging, Indexing, Typesetting, and more… what does it mean?

Join us every Thursday night from 8PM to 9PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

For PODCASTS of past shows, please visit the PODCAST Archive

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