Ruby Dee – Writing and Self-publishing Cookbooks

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Victor Volkman
On March 14th, 2012 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with singer, songwriter, restaurateur, and entrepreneur Ruby Dee Philippa. She is the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated high-octane roots and rockabilly act Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers. Previously, Ruby owned three successful restaurants in Seattle, Washington, until she finally “settled down” as a musician in Austin, Texas, where she lives today. Her book, Ruby’s Juke Joint Americana Cookbook, is a veritable feast of down-home recipes meant to be enjoyed with family and friends.  She shared delicious tidbits of hard-earned wisdom on self-publishing cookbooks from conception to sales and marketing:

  • How far along was I when I began shopping the book around
  • Where did I go first- agents? Publishers? What was the trail that I followed
  • What sort of replies did I get?
  • What sort of deal did I end up making?
    –  what was included in the deal (printing, distribution, publicity?)
    –  who owns the rights to the manuscript
  • As a self published deal, did the publisher cover anything or was it all out of pocket?
    what expenses can one expect to pay for this type of deal?
  • What are the mechanics of integrating a bound-in music CD with a book?
  • Am I happy with the outcome?

Raised in both the Northern California foothill ranches and the cotton and oil fields of the Texas panhandle, Ruby has worked on fishing boats in Alaska, lived in South America, and toured most of the United States as well as Europe. Her travels have inspired her devotion to Americana culture, which celebrates the melting pot heritage of the United States.
Ruby Dee Philippa

Ruby Dee Philippa

Ruby's Juke Joint Americana Cookbook

Ruby's Juke Joint Americana Cookbook
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Posted in Cookbooks, Self-Publishing | 1 Comment

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

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Victor Volkman
 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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Posted in Childrens Books, Events, Schools, Tyler Tichelaar | Leave a comment

Cathy Stucker – Author Blogging – Tips on Why and How

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Victor Volkman
On February 16th, 2012 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author and marketing guru Cathy Stuckeron the basics of effective blogging AND promoting your blog.  Best known as the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, entrepreneurs and professionals attract customers and make themselves famous with techniques that make marketing easy, inexpensive and even fun.  We covered a myriad of topics, including:

  • Does blogging really sell books?
  • What is the best way to set up a blog?
  • What should authors blog about?
  • What about fiction authors?
  • How do you find the time to write for a blog without neglecting your “real” writing?
  • How personal should a blog be?
  • How do you handle blogging if you write in multiple genres or under more than one name?
  • How can authors attract readers to their blogs?

Cathy Stucker

Cathy Stucker
Cathy is the author of several books, and she has appeared on television and radio programs from coast to coast. Cathy has been featured in articles in Woman’s Day, Black Enterprise, the New York Times and the Associated Press, among others.Cathy is also the founder of SellingBooks.com, a site about all aspects of writing, publishing and marketing books. You will get free tips and advice about publishing, as well as an audio program about building your author platform, when you sign up for Cathy’s free newsletter at SellingBooks.com  Make Things Happen: Six Simple Steps to Getting Whatever You Want
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Posted in Blogging | 3 Comments

Arianne McHugh – Writing and Publishing Educational Books

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Victor Volkman
On February 2nd, 2012 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with educational publisher and marketing guru Arianne McHugh. She is the President and Co-Owner of Saddleback Educational Publishing. She has revamped Saddleback into the country’s largest publisher of high-interest, low readability material. Saddleback kicks off its 30th anniversary with thirteen Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (2012) for its series, Urban Underground. She took the time to educate on several important aspects of the industry including:

  • What is educational publishing exactly?
  • What is a high-interest, low readability book and who is the market?
  • How does an author write for educational publishers (versus the trade)?
  • What are the relationships you use to sell books and keep customers?
  • How does an author market themselves to educational publishers?
  • As an author, how do you stay relevant in this industry?
  • What is one thing you get asked all the time?

Arianne McHugh

Arianne McHugh
Arianne McHugh earned her bachelors at San Diego State University. Previous to publishing, Arianne was the Director of Clientele Development for Bloomingdales – assisting in the planning, training and complete operations for the opening of the California Flagship Store. She also created a mom’s blog that received national attention from General Motors as well as TV Dr. Phil, to name a few. Saddleback publishes over a thousand titles including Urban Fiction, Hi-Lo Chapter Books, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Interactive Smartboard Lessons, Low Level Supplemental Curriculum and more.

Don't Think About Tomorrow

Don't Think About Tomorrow
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Posted in Childrens Books, Educational Books, Libraries, Schools | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Ellen Feld – Niche Marketing Your Children’s Book

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Victor Volkman
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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Posted in Childrens Books, Events, Fiction, Non-Traditional Sales | Leave a comment