Nancy Barr – Writing Regional Mysteries

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Victor Volkman
On January 4th, 2012 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with regional mystery maven Nancy Barr.  Nancy served as news editor at the Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton for three years and now works at Michigan Technological University, where she recently earned a master’s degree in Rhetoric and Technical Communication.  Her novels include Page One: Hit and Run(July 2006), “Page One: Vanished” (May 2007), and “Page One: Whiteout” (November 2009), all from Arbutus Press. She spoke with us on all the particulars of regional mystery writing including:

  • Challenges of writing about real locations in rural areas
  • Character development — deciding who deserves a repeat appearance and who is a one-book wonder
  • Plotting versus characterization.  Each book has been different for me.
  • Other mysteries worth reading that feature the rural upper Midwest.
  • The pros and cons of small, regional publishing houses.
  • Marketing

Nancy Barr

Nancy Barr
A transplant to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at the age of 9, Nancy Barr grew up in the tiny town of Rapid River nestled at the top of Little Bay de Noc. She earned an associate’s degree with honors from Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., and graduated cum laude from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., with a bachelor’s degree. Her love of reading and writing led her to a career in newspaper journalism where she spent several years covering police, courts, schools and local governments for the Daily Press in Escanaba.  An animal aficionado, she lives on the Keweenaw Peninsula with two demanding, but lovable, cats. When not writing, Nancy enjoys hiking and photographing the natural beauty that abounds in the Upper Peninsula.

Page One: Hit and Run

Page One: Hit and Run
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Posted in Mysteries, Regional Books | Leave a comment

Donna Winters – Writing Regional Historical Romances

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Victor Volkman
On December 14th, 2011 Irene Watson and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with romance author, publisher, and entrepreneur Donna Winters about writing regional historical romances.  Donna Winters and her husband Fred Winters are the owners of Bigwater Publishing. Since 1989 they have released 15 of Donna’s historical romances for ages 12 and up under the Great Lakes Romances imprint.  We covered a wide-range of topics from writing to marketing, including:

  • Historical romances vs. contemporary romances
  • Research methods
  • Historical characters
  • Images
  • Names
  • Character development
  • Historical dialog
  • Historical costumes
  • Historical transportation

Donna Winters

Donna Winters
Donna adopted Michigan as her home state in 1971 when she moved from a small town outside of Rochester, New York. She began penning novels in 1982 while working full time for an electronics firm in Grand Rapids.She resigned from her job in 1984 following a contract offer for her first book. Since then, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan Publishing House, Guideposts, and Bigwater Publishing have published her novels. Her husband, Fred, a former American History teacher, shares her enthusiasm for history. Together, they visit historical sites, restored villages, museums, and lake ports, purchasing books and reference materials for use in Donna’s research.

Donna has lived all of her life in states bordering on the Great Lakes. Her familiarity and fascination with these remarkable inland waters and her residence in the heart of Great Lakes Country in Upper Michigan, make her the perfect candidate for writing Great Lakes Romances®.

  
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JC Simonds – How to Start a Publishing Company

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Victor Volkman
On December 1st, 2011 Susan Violante and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with publisher and marketing guru Jacqueline Church (“JC”) Simonds.  She is the co-owner of Beagle Bay, Inc, a book packaging and distribution company. Jacqueline is also the author of the historical novel Captain Mary, Buccaneer.  We went back to basics for this episode and touched on all the fundamentals you need, including:

  • Self-Publishing = Entrepreneurship.  Can you handle the business or do you need a partner?
  • Publishing is a $3 TRILLION a year, global business. Are you ready to compete?
  • Most new publishers are woefully lacking in knowledge about the book business.
  • Should you go for a “Doing Business As” (dba) or incorporate?
  • How many ISBNs should you buy – 1? 10? 1000
  • Understand the new business models of Print on Demand (POD) + distribution, eBooks, and offset printing.
  • Marketing = Sales. How do you plan to reach your reader/buyer in the first few months, and from then on?

Jacqueline Church Simonds

Jacqueline Church Simonds
Jacqueline is a book shepherd, assisting self-publishers and start-up presses in launching their businesses. Much of her knowledge about publishing can be found at the Creative Minds Press site New Self-Publisher’s FAQIn Captain Mary, Buccaneer, Simonds has crafted an enduring tale that will satisfy readers with its swashbuckling action, dark intrigue, and torrid romance. The book is the result of Simonds’ extensive research into the pirate subculture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. From the tales of real women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read who were tried for piracy in Spanishtown, Jamaica in 1721, Simonds has created a character who would be as at home on Wall Street as she is on the heaving deck of an 18th century brigantine. If you enjoy curling up in your favorite chair with a great adventure story, then this book is for you!

 

 

Captain Mary, Buccaneer
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Posted in Business, Marketing, Print On Demand (POD), Self-Publishing | 2 Comments

Publishing and Marketing Roundtable 2011

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Victor Volkman
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 on October 28, 2011 by Victor Volkman
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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Posted in Bi-lingual, Childrens Books, Self-Publishing | Leave a comment