Category Archives: Events

All about author events including book signings, expos, book fairs and more

Gretchen Preston – Writing as a Blind Author: Challenges and Opportunities

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On September 13th, 2012 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with self-published  author and entrepreneur Gretchen Preston about the challenges and opportunities of living every day as a legally blind, visually-impaired person. Gretchen Preston is a children’s book author who lives near Marquette, Michigan. Legally blind since the fifth grade she writes her books on a laptop computer equipped with talking software. She shared with us some important aspects of her work life and success including:

  • Educate us about your visual problem and the assistive technology you use to write your books.
  • Your books are beautifully illustrated; share with us how a blind author produces such a nicely illustrated book.
  • Writing for vision impaired readers — what should people know?
  • How do you keep organized at book signings and sales events?
  • How does your low vision contribute to your books?
  • You have a totally blind character in your second book, what motivated you to create Winslow the blind professor?

Gretchen Preston

Gretchen Preston
Originally from Portland, Oregon Gretchen Preston is one of five children. She went to college at the University of Oregon and went on to graduate school at Arizona State University. Trained as a medical social worker, Gretchen worked on an organ transplant team in Denver, Colorado.Her interest in writing came early. She wrote her first book when she was seventeen. The Idiot Cookbook: The Complete Cookbook for the Complete Idiot was an unpublished work patterned after Peg Bracken’s I Hate To Cookbook. In her job as a medical social worker she wrote newsletter articles and patient education manuals.Gretchen is married. She lives with her husband Tim, their old dog, Rosie and Buddy Boy the cat. Her Valley Cat series of children’s books are set on their rural dirt road near the south shore of Lake Superior. Currently, she is working on the third book in the Valley Cat series and several adult books.Gretchen Preston is the author of the Valley Cat series of children’s books. Jam-packed with local fun and adventure, Valley Cats: The Adventures of Boonie and River and More Valley Cats: Fun, Games and New Friends can be purchased via her website. For more information including a list of stores carrying her books visit, www.prestonhillpress.com.

Watch for her upcoming book Valley of the Cats: Earth, Wind and sky 

More Valley Cats: Fun, Games and New Friends

More Valley Cats: Fun, Games and New Friends
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[Ep #159] Sheila Ruth – Everything You Wanted to Know About Book Expo America (BEA)

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On July 12th, 2012 Susan Violante and Victor R. Volkman spoke with publisher Sheila Ruth about how to navigate the Book Expo America (BEA) successfully. Sheila Ruth founded Imaginator Press in 2003 and has been addicted to publishing ever since. Imaginator Press publishes middle-grade and YA fantasy and science fiction. She first attended BEA in 2004, and since then has only missed attending one year. Sheila spilled all her secrets with us including:

  • What is BEA?
  • what are some ways that an author can have a presence at BEA?
  • What things can an author attending BEA plan to do?
  • Are there any things that an author shouldn’t do at BEA?
  • How should an author prepare for attending the conference?
  • What are some ways to minimize the cost associated with attending BEA?

Sheila Ruth

Sheila Ruth
Sheila is a list-mom of the self-publishing Yahoo group, and was president of the MidAtlantic Book Publishers Association from 2005-2009. In addition to publishing, Sheila is also a book blogger, an organizer of the Children’s and Young Adult Book Bloggers’ Literary Awards (Cybils Awards), a web site developer, and a publishing technology expert. She has a B.S. degree in Liberal Arts and Technology from Stevenson University  and has worked as a programmer developing publishing and typesetting software.  She is available for ebook conversion and design, web site development projects, and social media strategy consulting.

Imaginator Press

Imaginator Press
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Sabrina K. Carpenter – Selling Books at Fairs, Festivals, and School Events

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 On March 1st, 2012 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author, motivational speaker, and publisher Sabrina K. Carpenter. In 2006, Sabrina founded her professional writing firm, Perfected Pen, Inc., which specializes in business writing services ranging from editing, website content, business plans, motivational speaking, press releases, social media management and beyond. She founded her children’s literacy program, Eager Readers, Brighter Writers in 2011. Traveling across the country, Carpenter encourages the natural quest for knowledge within children, through fun and interactive reading groups and writing workshops. We had wide-ranging discussion including these points:

  • Determining Which Event is Right for You
  • How much to pay?
  • How important is the venue?
  • The Face of Marketing
  • Why Time is Always Money
  • Avoid Toxic People
  • Branding – You or the Book

Sabrina K. Carpenter

Sabrina K. Carpenter
As a cancer survivor, professional writer, motivational speaker, author, literacy coach, entrepreneur, mother, radio show host, spoken word poet, publisher and philanthropist, Sabrina Carpenter. has inspired and motivated thousands of people with her ability to evoke heartfelt emotion through stories of growth and perseverance.In 2010, her publishing division, Perfected Pen Publishing was born, fulfilling an obvious gap in the land of books. Perfected Pen Publishing specializes in manuscript consultations, editing and complete book publishing and design.Carpenter has authored two books of her own thus far; a collection of poetry entitled, ‘Betting on One Percent’ and a dynamic children’s book, The Adventures of Isaiah James: Beach Boy. Her latest book of poetry and CD, ‘Pain-ted Faces’ will be debuting in 2012. All are available on Amazon.com.

The Adventures of Isaiah James: Beach Boy

The Adventures of Isaiah James: Beach Boy
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Ellen Feld – Niche Marketing Your Children’s Book

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On January 19th, 2012 Susan Violante and Victor R. Volkman spoke with award-winning children’s author, marketing expert, and entrepreneur Ellen Feld about how to target-market your children”s books. Her first book, Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse, went on to win a coveted “Children’s Choices” award, co-sponsored by The International Reading Association and The Children’s Book Council.  The book was then picked up by an international toy company and packaged with a toy horse made to resemble Blackjack, the star of the series.  Blackjack continues to sell well and to date has sold over 30,000 copies.  Ellen shared her lessons learned and hard won experience with us on a variety of topics including:

  • on-line advertising: where/when it works/doesn’t work
  • Selling at regional events, shows, and other public venues outside the bookstore
  • Why you need to think in terms of a series
  • Importance of author selling/marketing, the personal touch
  • Book signings – what works, what to have at your booth
  • Finding and keeping an illustrator
  • Cultivating your reputation as an expert
  • The importance of professional help with your project.

Ellen Feld with Annie

Ellen Feld with Annie
Award-winning author Ellen Feld began writing about horses more than twenty years ago. Her first writing jobs were for horse magazines.  At first, she wrote for small, regional publications, but within a few short years her work began to appear regularly in large, national publications. Her articles have appeared in publications such as The Morgan Horse, Stable Management, Equestrian, Young Rider, Just About Horses, Horsemen’s Yankee Pedlar, Tri-State Horse, and The Appaloosa Journal.One day, back in 2001, while waiting for her next assignment to come in, Ellen wrote a short story about a Morgan Horse.  Several of her friends encouraged her to expand on the story and try writing a book.  That short story became the first chapter of “Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse.”

Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse

Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse
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Valerie Coleman – Organizing a Successful Book Fair

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Victor R. Volkman and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with best-selling author, award winning publisher, and entrepreneur Valerie Coleman about secrets of making a great book festival event. In 2010, Coleman joined forces with LaTonya Branham and Charlotte Brown to launch the Dayton Book Expo. The first event drew over fifty authors from across the nation and almost five hundred book lovers. We ranged over a wide variety of aspects of exhibition planning and execution including:

  • What was the catalyst for creating the Dayton Book Expo (DBE)?
  • Where did the authors come from
  • What elements are essential for a successful book fair?
  • How did you recruit the volunteers?
  • What unique things did you do for the DBE authors?
  • What things did you do for the DBE book lovers?
  • how far in advance do you have to plan an expo?
  • what should the well-prepared author bring with them
  • How did you divvy the work load?
  • How did you market the event?
  • When is the next DBE?
  • Are you doing anything differently for the 2011 event?
  • How can authors, book lovers and sponsors learn more about this event?

Valerie Coleman

Valerie Coleman
Valerie Coleman is on a mission to be a voice for self-published authors. She has coached thousands of aspiring authors through the publishing process and conducts workshops that provide step-by-step instructions on prepping, printing and pricing literary works. She founded the Pen to Paper Literary Symposium in 2004. This annual conference draws participants from Washington to Florida. Past presenters include national best-selling authors Dan Poynter, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, Vickie Stringer, Parry “EbonySatin” Brown and Kendra Norman-Bellamy. In 2005, Coleman co-founded Write On! Workshop which is geared towards the novice writer

Dayton Book Expo

Dayton Book Expo

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