Publishing and Marketing Roundtable 2011

Posted by on November 13, 2011 No comments
On November 3rd, 2011 we held the 2011 Publishing and Marketing Roundtable with Tyler R. Tichelaar, Irene Watson, and Victor R. Volkman.  Tyler R. Tichelaar is the owner of Marquette Fiction and author of The Marquette Trilogy and other books.  Irene Watson is the owner of Reader Views, a book review and marketing services company that does everything from author interviews to book videos. Victor R. Volkman is the owner of Loving Healing Press and Modern History Press that have produced more than 120 titles in paperback and eBook formats in self-help, personal growth, disabilities, and fiction to name a few categories.  The focus of this week’s show is both looking back the past five years since the show started in 2006 as well as projecting the trends ahead up to 2016 to come.  Specifically, we touched on these topics and how YOU can take advantage of them:

  • The rise of eBooks especially in the last 24 months
  • The decline of generic bookstores and the success of specialty retailers
  • The appearance of subsidy or vanity imprints from traditional industry leaders such as Harlequin Romances, Hay House, and even Amazon
  • Globalization of the book industry and the yearly doubling of new titles since 2007
Irene Watson

Irene Watson

Authors Access: read the book!
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Karl Beckstrand – Publishing and Selling Activity Books

Posted by on October 28, 2011 No comments
On October 20th, 2011 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with children’s author and publisher Karl Beckstrand.  Since 2004 he has run his own publishing company Premio Publishing and a Spanish language imprint Gozo Books—producing captivating stories, ads, and scripts. Beckstrand has experience in high tech, TV/radio broadcasting, film, and public policy. Karl shared with us key points on writing and producing children’s activity books, including:

  • How do you market activity books?
  • How do you distribute them?
  • Do parents/educators prefer physical books for kids?
  • Why activity books/Why not just picture story books?
  • What kinds of activities engage children?
  • Are activities with adults more beneficial?
  • Bilingual books

Karl Beckstrand

Karl Beckstrand
Karl  Beckstrand has written 5 books that have versions in English, Spanish, and Bi-lingual for a total of 21 editions. Raised in San Jose, California, USA, he is pursuing an MA in international relations from American Public University.  He has lived abroad, been a Spanish/English interpreter, and he enjoys volleyball and kayaking (usually not at the same time). Beckstrand’s activity books, Spanish & bilingual books, ebook mysteries, and nonfiction stories feature minority characters and have been lauded by national reviews. His work has appeared in diverse places such as: Children’s Miracle Network,  BioPhotonics Magazine, Papercrafts Magazine, LDS Film Festival and various broadcasts. He hope readers will get from his books–LAUGHS, learning and family fun

Bad Bananas: A Story Cookbook for Kids

Bad Bananas: A Story Cookbook for Kids
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Susan Violante – Writing Your Book with Oral History Techniques

Posted by on October 9, 2011 No comments
 On October 5th, 2011 Victor R. Volkman and Donna Winters spoke with writer, broadcaster, and historical fiction writer Susan Violante about incorporating research from oral history into fiction and non-fiction contexts.  In 2010, she published her Young Adult novel Innocent War: Behind and Immigrant’s Past — Book One. She currently works as the Editorial Assistant for Reader Views and First Chapter Plus. During the course of her writing she used tapes her father recorded as well as one-on-one interviews to flesh out the events, characters, and emotions that she hoped to capture in her book.  In this wide-ranging discussion, we covered those issues and much more:

  • Researching for your book
  • Benefits of Interviewing as a research tool when writing any story
  • Different Interviewing tools and techniques.
  • Quick tips to interview like a professional.
  • How to use your story’s research to Market your book.
  • Creating Podcasts using recorded interviews done during story research.
  • Using your contacts generated through story research to promote your book.

Susan Violante

Susan Violante
Born and raised in Venezuela from Italian immigrants, author Susan Violante completed a BA degree in Political and Administrative Cs. and worked as Founding General Director of a Environmental Foundation before moving to the US. Although she built a career as a Business Analyst/Accountant since 1987, she also kept herself active as a Freelance writer. In 2010 Violante finally retired from Accounting and leaped to the publishing industry. She is also finishing her first picture book titled Tuma: The Little Indian Princess while working on Book 2 of her Series. Susan is also the host of I Have Something to Say LIVE, and soon to be Managing Editor of her newest project: I Have Something To Say Press. Her new radio show: Italian Austinite will go on the air through Blogtalk radio at the end of October.

Innocent War

Innocent War
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Barbara Techel – Selling Books Through School and Library Author Appearances

Posted by on September 17, 2011 1 comment
On September 15th, 2011 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with children’s author, publisher, and marketing guru Barbara Techel. She is the award-winning author of the Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog book series. She has shared her story of hope and inspiration about her dachshund, Frankie, who is in a wheelchair, with thousands of children and adults since 2007. To date they have made over 300 appearances in Wisconsin and many more via Skype to classrooms across the US and Canada. Barbara is also a speaker and publisher. She appeared on our show to help all authors who may be having trouble getting started in speaking at schools and libraries some ideas and inspiration.  A few topics we covered include:

  • What to include in your presentation.
  • Types of presentations
  • Ideas for what fiction authors can speak about
  • Pitfalls to avoid in pitching classroom appearances
  • Appropriate length for various ages
  • Managing the sales appropriately
  • Where to speak: In-person and via Skype
  • What to charge for classroom appearances
  • Marketing your message and appearances to schools

Barbara Techel (and Frankie)

Barbara Techel (and Frankie)
Barbara and Frankie are avid volunteers as a therapy dog team. They routinely visit a local hospice community, hospital and senior assisted living facility, where they “walk their talk” about the inspirational nature of perseverance in the face of challenge.Since before her first book was published, Barbara has worked tirelessly to promote her books and the positive message they embody. She has garnered coverage for her story from local, regional and national media through these efforts, and continues to develop and refine her marketing message and approach. Class Act: Sell More Books Through School and Library Author Appearances is her first book about what she’s learned, but not likely her last.

Class Act: Sell More Books Through School and Library Author Appearances

Class Act: Sell More Books Through School and Library Author Appearances
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