Self-Publishing Grabs Huge Market Share From Traditional Publishers

PubIt! Which went out of circulation was recently re-launched by Barnes & Noble as Nook Press which had all the things that a corporate press release can probably have. Some of their hard numbers were released that dealt with self-publishers. The new name is simple and straightforward unlike the somewhat baffling and hard-to-remember old one. Indeed, it is rather an enticing name.

The new publishing platform enables publishers to write, edit, format and publish books. Writers can register themselves in the forum and share their thoughts securely. They can exchange information on opportunities for merchandising in the Nook Store. Authors are allowed to price their books between 99 cents and $199.99 and can hope to receive 65% royalty.

• PubIt! attracts more than 20% independent authors each quarter.
• In the Nook Store, titles from authors of self-published books are increasing continuously – 24% every quarter.
• Nook customers are purchasing more self-published content, which represent 25% of their sales each month.

About 25% of sales by Nook are self-published books and that is only to be expected.
Self-publishing had started as an experiment and not many people had taken to it in a big way in the beginning. But before anyone knew it, it had formed a stable market.  Is it any wonder then that the traditional big time publishers are finding in the self-publishing segment a worthy competitor? This is happening in country after country.

Amazon’s Kindle Indie Store
To give the devil its due, Amazon Kindle has always been the numerationo since its launch in August 2011. This is hardly surprising. Publishers who were finding it difficult to get their books published, had, at one stroke, done away with the cumbersome procedures involved in publishing and saw revenue accruing to them as well.

Additionally, it had a Top 100 list like the regular Kindle Store list, ordered by Sales Rank. When there is a comparison between self-published work positions in Kindle Indie Store Top 100, where all the figures of Sales Rank are shown, quite an accurate idea of the proportion of highest-selling self-published books can be drawn. A book that is at #100 under the Indie chart can be at #346 under the Kindle Store overall ranking. This means that 29% of the highest selling books in the Store are nothing but self-published e-books. This store contains much more than only e-books, which include digital subscriptions to magazines, dailies, blogs, and games as well; that regularly appear in the Top 100 list. If you do not consider all of these categories, and take out only e-books, the figure crosses 30% in a jiffy.

Amazon’s self-published books comprise 30% of their top-selling e-book list – some of the biggest authors featuring from the most established publishing houses around the world, are beaten in this race. The subjects vary from fiction to subject material like what is six sigma.

When the respective market shares of Barnes & Noble and Amazon are tallied it leads to the estimation that self-publishers have come to conquer 25% of the e-book market in the U.S.

4 Reasons to Include Live Chat in Your Marketing Strategy

Any sensible entrepreneur will agree that merely making sales is not the ultimate goal in setting up a business. To be able to sustain the success of business, owners also need to ensure customer satisfaction as much as they can. One effective way of covering this base is by establishing reliable channels for customer assistance. Customers appreciate it when they see that a brand exerts considerable effort in making sure that every transaction is a happy one, and that the owner isn’t in the business just to earn money.

Providing assistance through live chat is one of the budding methods businesses are starting to integrate in their websites. A system that allows you to be of service to your customers through instant messaging, it’s a viable alternative to long-established practices such as phone and email support. If you’re the kind of entrepreneur who looks after your customers’ welfare, here are four reasons why you should offer them the live chat option and how it will help you stabilize your business on firmer ground.

1. It enhances customer experience

When it comes to shopping, customers prefer it if every step of the process is a breeze. From the selection of the one item they want, having it tested until they’re convinced, finally paying for it, to reaching the customer service hotline when they need aftersales assistance—customer seeks convenience when doing all of these. The part where live chat comes in is providing superior customer service in the most convenient means possible. By installing a live chat widget on your website, you can make it easier for your customers to reach you, especially those who don’t have access to a phone or whose concerns are too urgent for an email. While it’s still important that you offer other channels of assistance, live chat ensures that conversations happen in real time and customers are attended to with a sense of urgency.

2. It is convenient for you

One of the good things about giving your customers the live chat option is that it minimizes the possibilities of your representatives being verbally harangued by customers. Attending to customers is stressful enough, but going as far as placating irritated ones can take a toll on your staff. Although live chat doesn’t necessarily eliminate this scenario, it’s easier to handle customers through chat than listen to them screaming at the other of the line. Live chat also allows your customers to type the information they need, which means your staff doesn’t have to do all the work of encoding while paying attention to the customer. Your reps can then concentrate on the customer better without having to divide their focus.

3.It increases conversions

The presence of live chat revolves toward effectively engaging your customers here there is engagement,there’s also the possibility of increased sales. Much like when shopping in an actual store, a lot of customers prefer if there are staff that are always ready to render assistance. Customers seek the same experience when shopping online and live chat is a great way for you to help them navigate your website and your product/service catalog. Shoppers like it when their questions are answered immediately because it enables them to make buying decisions just as quickly. The sooner their inquiries are satisfied, the likelier it is for them to make a purchase and come back for a second time.

4. It gives you an advantage over competitors

The value of live chat support to business has been underrated for quite some time that not many entrepreneurs are keen on having it on their website. The thing is there are customers who tend to switch to other brands when they don’t find immediate assistance at the ready. Make live chat support your leverage over your competition in the business by enjoying the perks of such channel can do bring to your enterprise. By completing your customer service arm with the addition of live chat, you’ll have a better shot at giving your customers a gratifying experience.

The installation of a live chat support system in your website may cost you a few bucks but provided that you have a great product and even better staff to begin with, you’ll reap the benefits in no time. If you have experience in using live chat to cater to your customers, you can share with your tips below.

9 Signs You Are Writing In A Wrong Way

There are dozens of articles on the Web with different tips on how to become a good writer, what tricks to use to attract a new audience, what words and word expressions to use for your stories to sound better, etc. But why no one tells you how NOT to be a writer? Are you sure, you write all your articles and stories in a right way? Do your readers ALWAYS like the results of your writing? Do publishers always accept your works?

It is very easy to find the information about how to become a good writer. Everyone who writes a couple of words at least is proud to call himself an author already, and he believes that he has a right to advise others how to write like a pro. Maybe it would be better to tell about some signs, that will tell you are writing your stories in a wrong way and have a wrong idea about what a good author looks like? Well, we’ve tried to gather all these signs, and we are here to share them all with you.

So, you are NOT an author, if:

1. You do not write.

No comments. A writer should write. Your Twitter or Facebook posts do not work here, neither does your personal blog, where you share your thoughts about weather and mood. Certainly, a writer writes for himself first of all, but an author writes for people.

2. You write when you are in mood only.

Certainly, it is always better to write when you have inspiration and mood for it. But you will never become a writer, if you just sit and wait for this inspiration to come (it may not come at all actually). Your task is to train your creativity, and sometimes it means just sitting in front of your computer and forcing yourself to write something at least. The more you train yourself – the better results you will see soon.

3. You write for money only.

Writing is not about money actually. We doubt, that J.K. Rowling or E.L. James thought about millions of dollars to get out of their writings. They just wrote and shared their stories with people. Certainly, some chances are that your novel will become a bestseller, and you will have a chance to quit your job and rest at the Maldives for the rest of your life. But let it happen when it happens, and do not be in a hurry to leave everything for your writing. If you start thinking of writing as a way to earn money, your best ideas will be killed, as you will try to write only about something potentially commercial. It is not good for the process of creativity, is it?

4. You want to become the next Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, or E.L. James at least.

When you focus on someone’s success and try to do everything to repeat it, this is a wrong goal to focus actually. Even the worse thing is your attempts to copy the writing style of other writers and use the same ideas with a hope to become famous in such a way. This approach will never make you a good author, and the only thing you’ll get will be a degree of a plagiarist, or a lack of energy and ideas to continue your writing at least.

5. You do not read much.

Stephen King, a guru of all writers for sure, says that he can’t spend a day without reading. It inspires you, helps you understand the writing styles of other authors better, improves your own writing, gives you new ideas, helps you learn something new… Reading is just like food for a writer, and if you do not like this process, you have probably chosen the wrong occupation.

6. You always follow the rules.

Every genre has its rules of course, and when you write your story, you always try to follow them. But it does not mean you should be stuck there! Some rules exist to break them, and if you feel that your story will sound much better without some necessary aspects of a genre, do not be afraid to change something the way you feel it.

7. You can’t bear any critique.

The biggest mistake you can make being a writer is to ignore critique and think, that you are genius enough to write a perfect story without any critics at all. Yes, critique hurts, but if your ego is too tender to bear it, you will never be a successful writer. Only the strongest authors will survive, so, learn to accept critique and analyze it in a right way.

8. You talk about your writing more than you actually write.

Certainly, it is not bad to share some your ideas with your friends or family, but talking is still not writing. One can not be called a writer for his ideas only: we all have some imagination and ideas in our mind, but not all of us write books anyway. So, it would be better to write a page per day at least, than tell everyone about how cool your future book will become one day.

9. You believe everything people say

So, your uncle Fred likes your protagonist much. Your best friend Mark can’t help admiring the end of your story, but he would change the protagonist for sure. Michelle says, you would better make your protagonist a girl and change the end of your story completely…. Do not listen to all of them! There is no story in the world, that all people would like! Just listen carefully to all their remarks, and write your story the way you see it.
Do you recognize yourself here? If two or more items are about you, maybe it is high time to change your approach to your writing, and start doing it the way it will be better for both you and your readers? Good luck, and happy writing!

http://www.bookwhirl.com/blog/the-moonlight-emporium-by-violeta-sterner

From the author of Cold from the Inside Out comes the equally riveting sequel, The Moonlight Emporium.

Author Violeta Sterner continues the saga of the Ravenwood Clan in this second book. The Ravenwoods are finally getting their family settled but the adventures haven’t stopped.

Kate has to fix her head, so they made an appointment with the doctor. Though the results fascinated the doctor, these were not alarming. Gabe has healed nicely after the beating administered by Professor Gilbert, while Gilbert spent time in prison after he recovered from his beating by Ravenwood. When the new DA charged Ravenwood with attempted murder, Ravenwood broke his jaw when he would not keep his hands off Kate.

Come and enjoy with Ravenwood and Kate as they celebrate their wonderful wedding – and hear Ravenwood play the violin to surprise his beloved. Accompany Kate as she learns that she could calm the mares during the birthing process, just as she could calm the family.

But what role does Stella, who runs The Moonlight Emporium, home of Po’s Potions, play in the lives of the Ravenwoods? Read on to find out the exciting adventures and surprises the emporium has in stored for you.

About the Author

Violeta F. Sterner was a project manager for AT&T, Storage Tech, and IBM. She is no longer able to work due to a disability. She lives with her mother in Ballwin, Missouri.

Edie Bradley LaDuke’s Postal Blue Image

Postal Blue Image

The treasure of postal acclaim found its original concept during the same time as the tiny village of Rome was rising to its political heights. And this spread out from Europe through America and to the rest of the world. Even today, there is that notable honor specially given for these mail servicemen everywhere.

On September 21, 1963, one special mail lady crossed the rank and file of the postal blue to become the very first female foot letter carrier in this district, which included the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. And she invites you to join her, using the mode of transportation: her pair of feet and the U.S. mailbag in her story. Come and walk a mile or two with her and take a rather keen look at the street life of a mail lady.

Are you ready to face the rain that comes with thunder and no umbrella in sight, with stinking socks and black toenails? Find out if you can survive the street life of a mail lady as you leaf through the pages of Postal Blue Image.

Edie Bradley LaDuke

As far back as one can go in a young child’s memory, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up! A newspaper reporter was top billing. And still today, 2008, I have mellow dreams. No money for college has destroyed many of a dream. Yet there are ways to rebuild that dream. Just ask me. My greatest accomplishments in life have been my second marriage to my beloved Frenchman, Kenny and the warm loving five children (Richard, Tommy, Steven, Billy and Theresa) I have from my first marriage. The love and support that Kenny showered upon me helped me to find the courage to become a college student. How proud he walked beside me that night I graduated from Indiana University with an Associate Degree in Journalism. My children and now their children have listened and shared their views in so many ways throughout all the years I have had the honor of having them to love. God has certainly blessed me. My cup runneth over! My hat’s off to all who have listened to me whenever I shared my wonderful memories. Your support and laughter is priceless.

At age 16, another goal began to take shape, ‘I wanted to write a novel one third as good as Gone With The Wind. What a lofty and notable challenge that was! I offer you for your reading pleasure Postal Blue Image. My computer and I now reside in The Hoosier State.

My Body My Baby by Irene Chain Kalinowski

When will women take back the power of childbirth? Woman, it’s your choice. It’s time to take charge of childbirth – and celebrate it!



The truth is not all women in today’s society have the choice around childbirth. And now is the perfect time to change that. Women should not be made vulnerable to the system. And that’s exactly what midwife-nurse Irene Chain-Kalinowski wants to achieve with her book, My Body My Baby.

This book educates women about the different perceptions and spin-off effects of medical interventions in childbirth. Oftentimes, women are vulnerable and busy taking care of their baby after their birth that they do not have time to complain. But they do need to find time to do that. The media release needs to highlight that women deserve the right to free and informed choices.

In this experiential, insightful and empowering read, the author has indeed re-echoed the voices of countless women throughout history, calling for every woman to be able to choose where she births, to have control of her experience, and to be given healthy choices.

Overview

The truth is not all women in today’s society have the choice around childbirth. And now is the perfect time to change that. Women should not be made vulnerable to the system. And that’s exactly what midwife-nurse Irene Chain-Kalinowski wants to achieve with her book, My Body My Baby. This hopes to give childbirth back to women so they can make informed choices and celebrate them.

“You need to be well informed throughout your entire childbirth experience and only then can you make healthy choices,” adds Chain-Kalinowski. “After all it is ‘Your Body and Your Baby’.” And this book does just that. It allows women to take charge of childbirth – and celebrate this experience.

Oftentimes, women are vulnerable and busy taking care of their baby after their birth that they do not have time to complain. But they do need to find time to do that. The media release needs to highlight that women deserve the right to free and informed choices. In this experiential, insightful and empowering read for expectant mothers, the author has indeed re-echoed the voices of countless women throughout history, calling for every woman to be able to choose where she births, to have control of her experience, and to be given choices.

About the author

Irene Chain-Kalinowski was born 21 July 1956, Rotherham, South Yorkshire England. She has been a practising midwife for 32 years and has worked in both hospital and community settings. Kalinowski is protective of women’s rights which promote the principles of partnership, protection and participation. She has worked in both hospital and community settings and been exposed to multicultural environments.
A registered nurse and midwife, she practices in a holistic midwifery health care setting that creates healthy mothers where medical intervention and referrals are rarely required, women are empowered to take charge of their health and birthing experiences are celebrated.

You can purchase a copy of My Body My Baby through these online bookstores:

Bookwhirl | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

When is Enough, Enough? by Morongwa Makakane

“Clearly, entrepreneurship is not for everyone. But if you’ve always wanted to know if you have what it takes, this step-by-step guide to launching a business is highly readable and highly recommended. Industry trade associations will want to consider recommending it to prospective business owners.” – Blue Ink Review 

“Some of the most useful counsel a would-be business owner can get is from a person who started a small business and failed. It is this individual’s unique perspective on what can go wrong that creates a valuable learning experience. This is one of the primary reasons Morongwa Makakane’s honest, authentic When is Enough Enough? stands out among many books targeting entrepreneurs.” – ForeWord Reviews



Starting and running a business is a responsibility that must be taken seriously, and must be implemented using proven step-by-step methods to ensure long-term sustainability. And that is definitely not an easy feat.
Learn ten things aspiring entrepreneurs need to know to start and run a successful business
.
Based on the author’s true story of her life: her failed business and the mistakes she made that led her business to close down and left her highly indebted, this self-help business book contains tips on what to do and what not to do, to ensure that aspiring entrepreneurs can start and run viable, profitable and sustainable business. It’s a practical, inspirational handbook that provides insights into the things that must be put in place, and be done, to ensure that an entrepreneur achieves their dreams and goals.

“The book is also essentially about making personal change, it’s about not giving up when you have experienced a failure, it’s about taking responsibility for your actions, and recognising that true change comes from within,” says the author.

Even though the book is about how to start and run a successful business, each and every chapter is a life lesson in itself…

Morongwa Makakane

Morongwa Makakane is an outgoing, goal oriented, self motivated strategist and talent management expert, specialising in Organisational Transformation in the areas of Change Management, Business Strategy and People Development in South Africa. Having owned a small business, which was one day, very successful, and the next day, saw it crumbling in front of her eyes, she uses her experiences in this book to educate all aspiring entrepreneurs of the things that need to be done, most of them overlooked in running a small, and successful business. Morongwa is also an accomplished inspirational speaker, who authentically interacts with her audiences. Optimistic and resilient, she believes in showing people, through practical strategies and her personal life-stories, how to succeed where they have failed and how to rise above the difficulties and challenges in business and in life.

You can purchase a copy of When is Enough, Enough through these online bookstores:

Xlibris | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

How To Publish A book: Self-publishing VS. Traditional Publishing

Aspiring writers who seek to get the voice in literary industry have their own distinctive goals and guidelines to follow along the way.  Most importantly, they all first need to have a craft well done and be published before they can pursue their paths towards becoming successful authors.

Your next concern will be as to how and where are you going to start. You’ve got 2 options before you can be called an author: either you will start securing a contract from an established publishing house and do the traditional publishing; or you can work with a self-publishing company to get your book published.

Whichever way you feel comfortable in pursuing; still, there is always a need for you to know the basics on how to self-publish your book and how to publish it the traditional way. So here is the overview of both.



TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

You’ve got the book and now you’re ready to have it published. Consider these basics steps on how you can do the traditional way of establishing yourself as an author in the market.

• Identify the right category for your book

Classifying the right category for your book helps you decide whether which company or publisher you would like to send your book proposal to. In an instance that you want your non-fiction book be published traditionally, you will need to submit a book proposal along with sample chapters of your book to publishers which deal the specific genre of your book. Also, you need to include the description of your book and your potential readers. In cases of fiction books, it is a must that you complete first your manuscript before contacting any publishers and send them a query letter stating your high interest to get your book published.

• Secure a contract

Granting that you have found an agent who can help you publish your book or the right publisher of your book, you should next consider acquiring a contract with them. But of course, it only happens when they accept the book proposal you sent them. After all, publishers have the full discretion whether to accept or reject your proposal. If your book is lucky enough to be considered for publishing, they will send you a contract.

• The publisher prints, publish, and sell your books

Acquiring a contract from a publishing company is a great payoff to all your hard work in traditional publishing. Once you can secure one, the publisher will start printing your manuscript and publish it. The publishing company will also take in-charge of marketing and selling your work to different bookstores, distribution, and warehousing for your book. Traditional publishers also help an author promote his books for 3 months before an author has to do book promotions by his own.

SELF-PUBLISHING

• Complete your book

Well, of course you need to have your manuscript complete as the foundation of your journey towards self-publishing. Having your work complete means that from the cover, text, design, and formatting– you should see to it that you have all what you think it needs to be ready. In self-publishing, you are responsible for your every action. You need to make sure you have edited your work a couple times before moving forward. You might need the help of professionals for fees. These include professional editors and self-publishing companies offering essential services.

• Print your book

When your book is ready, you can start printing your work or contact a self-publishing company to do it for you. You shoulder the expenses in printing. Some publishing companies have different service levels in publishing your work such as black and white and colored. Of course, their prices differ based on the quality.

• Market your book

In self-publishing, you have all the control on what kind of promotional materials you can apply for your book. When it’s already published, your next step is to market your book so that you can start gaining the profits from your endeavor. You can start from simple platforms to market your book such as community forums and exhibits where you get the chance to talk about yourself and your work. You can also take advantage of any book marketing services offered by different self-publishing companies.

Whether your option is the traditional way or self-publishing, there is a common responsibility addressed to authors in both ways—promoting your book. Either way, you take the responsibility of kicking some promotional effort to get sales. Traditional publishers do offer help any author promote his/her book such as sending your book to reviewers and securing some media ads for you in a specific span of time. In self-publishing, you get all the control of time, money, and effort to promote your book. The span of time of your book exposure online is also not limited.

At the end of the day, it is still your choice as to what way you think that best fits the kind of book you have. Take your steps as early as now and get published.

Best Self-Published Fiction Books of All Time

1. Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James

Fifty Shades trilogy has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide. The publication of the book started on the author’s website as she started out writing fan fiction stories. Fifty Shades of Grey was self-published through a small Australian company, which released it on eBook and print-on demand. Her passionate fan base had driven the book to extreme levels of popularity.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

By the end of its first year in publication, Gone Girl had sold over two million copies in print and digital editions. This self-published book has become the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list for eight weeks. Further, it was also twenty-six weeks on National Public Radio’s hardcover fiction bestseller list.

3. Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

This self-published book has sold over a million copies of her books, primarily in eBook format, making the author a widely considered the exemplar of self-publishing success in the digital age.

4. Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer’s disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova. This self-published book spent over 40 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, sold over a million copies in print, chosen as one of 30 titles for World Book Night 2013, and has been translated into over 25 languages.

5. The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Box is an American fiction and was self-published in 1993. It became the first book to simultaneously reach the No.1 position on the New York Times bestseller list for both the paperback and hardcover editions. That same year, the book was made into a television movie.

6. Invisible Life by Harris E. Lynn

Just a few years ago, E. Lynn Harris was selling his self-published novel Invisible Life out of the back of his car. Today, he is a bestselling publishing sensation, having more than one million copies for the book. Invisible Life has been hailed as “one of the most thought-provoking books and is adapted into motion picture screen jointly produced by Edmonds Entertainment and Proteus E2 productions.

7. Bared to You by Sylvia Day

With almost a half-million copies sold in the U.S. in six weeks, foreign rights sold in 26 territories, and twelve weeks and counting on national bestseller lists, Bared to You is one of the fastest selling books in the country. The novel was initially self-published on April 3, 2012 by Day. The book is a 2012 New York Times best-selling erotic new adult romance novel.

8. The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan

The Mill River Recluse, a self-published fiction book has become a word-of-mouth e-book sensation. With nearly 700,000 copies sold, the book appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists for 30 weeks and became a heartwarming favorite of readers across the country.

9. Wool Series by Hugh Howey

Wool Series has sold half a million copies. It is #1 Bestseller on Amazon and Winner of Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Book of 2012 Award.

10. The Wedding Gift by Marlen S. Bodden

As a self-published book, The Wedding Gift sold over 140,000 e-books. This novel started out as a self-published e-book but when it made its way to the top of the Amazon bestseller list, this top-selling self-published author won an international book deal.

Successful self-published authors have their own secrets on how they are able to reach the peak of self-publishing triumph. For some, they use their intellect and creativity in making decisions while they pursue the path of becoming their own publishers of their work. For some, focus is always the greatest starting ground. Consequences of your decisions differ based on your reasons as to why you self-publish. It is a matter of time, effort, and good decision-making. So, decide what seems so suitable to your publishing and book marketing needs and get that recognition that these authors have reached.

House of Mirrors by Debbie Boswell

 

Love, friendship and forgiveness intertwine in this fictional story of pain and revenge.

To the town of Gordonville, the Crandalls are a respectable Christian family. But inside the house, trouble and danger abound…

Meet Jenna Crandall, a docile public relations receptionist with an exceptional talent for art. But she carries with her some heavy baggage – the mental and emotional abuse by her mother and sisters. Jenna suffers in silence and only her best friend, Rosa Garrison, knows the truth and has the solution to her problem: kill her mother and sisters. However, Jenna won’t hear of it until she reaches her breaking point. Find out what she’s planning inside the House of Mirrors.

Unravel the hidden scandals with families and the lengths people go through to portray a pristine persona while hiding the truth about themselves and/or their families in author Debbie Boswell’s second book.

Debbie Boswell

Debbie Boswell has a B.S. in accounting and an Enrolled Agent license (E.A.). She is also the owner/manager of Crafts by Grace, a cottage industry in which she makes candles, soap and designs T-shirts. Debbie co-wrote and co-produced her first screenplay, OPEN/CLOSE, through the Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center. House of Mirrors is her second novel. Debbie resides in Brooklyn, NY where she was born and raised.

Dick Rose Book Collection

Dick Rose was born in Chicago, IL. August 16, 1931. He attended school in Chicago through the tenth grade before moving to Los Angeles, Cal., in 1947. He finished high school in 1949 and graduated from Los Angeles City College June 14, 1951, one day before entering the Navy.
Though he had tried to enlist in the Army in August 1950, at the outbreak of the Korean War, he was classified as 4-F. By June 1951, as the Korean War entered its sixth month of stalemate, he was re-classified 1-A. His patriotic ardor somewhat dimmed, he opted for Naval Service.

He entered naval service as a radioman and was assigned to the USS Pollux, a supply ship home ported in Yokosuka, Japan in March 1952. A year later, he found out about the recently formed Journalist rating. He applied for the Class A Journalism School and was selected to attend. Following graduation in September 1953, he found himself back in Yokosuka, on the staff of Commander Naval Forces, Far East in the History & Awards section, preparing a month-to-month history of the Navy’s participation in Korea.

He left the Navy in May 1955, attended UCLA, and married Barbara Feder. Bored with the study of 17 century English writers, he re-entered the Navy in February, 1956. He was assigned to the News Department of Armed Forces Radio, Taiwan, in Taipei. He was the news director, newscaster three times a day, and hosted a couple of musical shows.

In November 1956, his daughter, Debbi, was born in Taipei.

Successive tours of duty from 1959-1965 found him advancing in rate, serving in Seattle, Washington; Hollywood, California; and Pt. Mugu, California.

In 1965, he returned to Japan and Armed Forces Radio to head the news bureau at Far East Network, Tokyo. A promotion to Senior Chief Petty Officer brought a sooner-than expected transfer to Saigon, Vietnam, on the staff of Commander US Naval Forces, Vietnam.

In Vietnam, he was the senior enlisted man and officer supervisor for a 12-man contingent of navy journalists and photographers. He supervised their assignments to Navy detachments throughout the country, primarily in the Mekong Delta, south of Saigon. During his one-year tour, he participated in fourteen combat missions on attack helicopters, river patrol boats, and with the U.S. Marine Corps-trained Vietnamese commandos, service which earned him the Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V.”

It was during this service, as he personally observed the progress of the war, attended press briefings for news media correspondents, read situation and action reports, read the English language version of Saigon newspapers, and listened to his fellow servicemen of all four services, that his disillusion began.
He finished his Navy career in Coronado, California, on the staff of Commander Amphibious Force, US Pacific Fleet. Further contact with returning servicemen as well as conscientious objectors who were assigned to the commander’s staff while awaiting their processing out, sharpened his concern over the war. After 3/12 years of absence, his return to the United States in October, 1968 had introduced him to the increasing opposition to war.

Following his retirement as a Master Chief Journalist in 1971, he entered San Diego State University, earning a BA with honors in English in 1972, and an MA in 1975. While in school, he realized that he had to tell his story, his view as a participant, and as a disillusioned career navyman.

The story became his Master’s Thesis, Moveable Forts and Magazines, re-published as Tarnished Brass Curtain: A Novel of Vietnam, about the Vietnam experience. In it, he was able to dramatize the contradictions and doubts faced by a dedicated and loyal Navyman. It also allowed him to explore alienation, the outsider status he had always felt as a Jewish second generation American in a WASP-oriented society. The book was a finalist in the 2011 National Independent Press Excellence Awards in the military fiction category.

In 1997, he and Barbara retired from the IRS. They moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in January, 2000, where he continued to write, tend his rose bushes and koi pond waterfall, and prepare occasional tax returns.
Though he had many news stories and feature articles published in military and civilian newspapers and magazines, and wrote an award-winning radio drama in 1966 saluting the Hungarian Freedom Fighter, he remains focused on Vietnam. He was active in Vietnam Veterans of America, where he served in various chapter offices, and edited a newsletter, Frontlines. He was also a contributing editor to the VVA California State newspaper, The California Zephyr.

Throughout his post-Navy career, he wrote humorous newspaper columns for various VA and community newspapers, under the title Through Rose-colored Glasses.

In November, 2012, he published a collection of articles, stories and poems about Vietnam, written while there, and afterward, entitled “Vietnam: Through Rose-colored Glasses” This book won Honorable Mention in the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Book Festival in the mixed-media category and a Bronze Medal in the Current Events military category of the Independent Press (IPPY) 2013 contest. His latest book, a collection of short stories, “Did You Ever Try to Melt a Lemon Drop?” won the 2012 MANA 1st Prize Sunrise Writers Contest and is expected to be published by MANA in June, 2013. Barbara died in 2007, and Dick and his daughter, Debbi, now live in Henderson, Nevada.

What Really Matters by Dr. Ralph Redding

Meet Zeke the zebra, who sees his reflection and gallops off on an adventure to learn about the color of his skin.

Set in the African savanna, the story begins as Zeke wonders whether he is a black zebra with white stripes or a white zebra with black stripes. In his search for answers, his animal friends’ opinions have only made him feel confused and inferior. Perflex, Zeke decides to approach his wisest friend, Matilda the elephant. With Matilda’s sensible words, Zeke soon discovers that color or physical appearance is unimportant, as long as one realizes what really matters.

Celebrating the diversity of our human race, this thoughtful fable offers young readers a simple and clear explanation of how differences in physical appearances do not matter, because What Really Matters! is the personality or inner character with each of us.

About the Author

Ralph Redding was raised in Lethbridge Alberta, Canada. After graduating from the public school system, he attended the University of Alberta for both his undergraduate and medical school training. He got additional medical training in London and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He then moved to New England with his family and taught pulmonary medicine at Brown University. He is the author of fifty scientific and medical articles, and this is his first children’s book.

The most significant event in his life was the discovery of bone cancer at age thirty-five, which prompted amputation of his left shoulder, arm and some ribs. His survival and recovery spurred him into newer interests such as death education for medical students, and participation in the early development of hospices, both in Miami, FL, and Tulsa OK, where he practised medicine for fifteen years.

He is now retired in New Bern, NC, and lives with his wife, Beverlee. Married for 38 years, they share six children between them, and twelve grandchildren. In New Bern, they started a free clinic that provides medical attention and medicines to un-insured low income individuals.

The House of Sand by Terrence Douglas

Witness The House of Sand trickle down in this allegorical novel, replete with humor, about those consumed by self-interest, greed and ambition who rule a fictional desert, located in the middle of the Empty Quarter.
Follow Aziz as he reluctantly agrees to lead a caravan across the treacherous sands at the village merchants’ urgings, anxious to capitalize on a royal wedding. The journey is as difficult as Aziz predicted and the travelers nearly lose their lives, but for the sudden eruption of water from the empty sands. And it is this water that serves to finance the future Kingdom of Aquifia.

Proclaimed unanimously king by the survivors of the near tragedy, Aziz abdicates as soon as possible, turning power over to Sultan, his self-absorbed son, upon the latter’s return from Clatterbush Military Academy in the U.S. which he has been studying. Accompanied by a respected alumnus, the now-King Sultan begins his reign. Foreign businessmen rush to the kingdom, anxious to satisfy the king’s every whim—agreeing to build at exorbitant cost the vessel dubbed the boat that would not float, organizing a safari in the bush to include dancing girls for Sultan’s pleasure, to recreating a water park in the desert for his entertainment as well.

As the Kingdom approaches its demise, Aziz, the once-king, retakes the reins of power from his son, and leads the citizens and businessmen across the desert to safety just as a huge sinkhole swallows up what was once the Kingdom of Aquifia.

“…Sharp satire with crisp, intelligent writing and spot-on characterizations.” – Kirkus Reviews
You can purchase a copy of The House of Sand through these online bookstores:

iUniverse
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Book Marketing Ideas You Should Apply

Writing a book and being one of the famous authors in the world do not only happen because you’ve accomplished and published your craft. It happens because people get to know you and your work and that brings you to that fame. Therefore, to simply write a book is not enough because in order to get that name in the literary world and be popular would mean that your book or books should in return, give you that prize you deserve. These are in the forms of book sales and profits, which are acquirable only when you take the risks and do whatever it takes to attain that goal.
Book marketing is simply an absolute and a must for you to get out of your way and to slowly grab and gain these profits. Though authors have different book marketing ideas, there are strategies that are commonly seen and done by top-selling authors of today.

Advertise your book

You need not to just sit there and wait for the results because it is essential that you do your own way to sell your books. It doesn’t matter how. So long as you know you are featuring your books in all activities in your life. Perhaps, you can talk about your book in local forums in your community or you can write a blog about your book online—that is still advertisement without necessarily hurting your pocket.

Use the Internet

I agree with the fact that authors, especially self-published authors, find it challenging to understand the kind of marketing effort that can surely fit their books. But the Internet has created an environment in which everyone can compete on a much more level playing field. Just be savvy on how to gain the readers’ interest and study the different skills that can be useful online because your prospect buyers might just be there, waiting.

Build your platform

You can build your platform even when you start the advertising campaigns for your books. In most cases, you can do it using the social media because you can be sure that through making some noise in these sites can gain attention from their thousands and even millions of visitors and viewers.

Reach out to your readers

Know who and where are your interested followers. Among the proven effective ways to communicate well with your readers so as to know their needs is to build a mailing list. This enables your readers to be informed of your new blog posts, book signings, and all other activities you plan to do. According to Lori Culwell, founder of BookPromotion.com, it is important that you, as author would develop an audience of people who like your writing to boost book sales even on the first day you are selling your book. In most cases, the word-of-mouth promotion from the readers and buyers follow.

Communicate with your fans

It is also a way of saying you are reaching out to your readers but to make it more personal is proven effective book marketing idea. Never ignore your fans or readers who write comments on your blogs or advertisements online because they can be your future purchasers. In a recent online survey of 141 people about what and why they buy books, 78% of the respondents said they buy self-published books and 42% of those who buy self-published books have claimed that they buy the books because they know the author and/or illustrator and so, they want to express full support. So, appreciate every reader/fan’s comments and their ideas by saying thank you through a personal e-mail.

Get influence from popular authors

There are these popular names such as James Patterson whose book earned $91 million between June 2012 and June 2013, Suzanne Collins, whose book, “The Hunger Games” has put her on the top 3 best-selling authors recognized by Forbes. These authors are just among the many who have earned millions because they have come up with the right book marketing ideas for their books at the right time. Find out more popular names in the market and study their distinctive techniques to acquire the same fame. Examine how these authors reach their fans online and how their books have put them in that place of fame.

Make it a personal commitment

Start committing yourself the moment you just start thinking about writing a book. Know your objectives as to why you plan to write and what makes you so eager to be an author. Doing that can help you create a focus on every single campaign you do for your book—one step after the other. Make sure that every correspondence you make for your readers doesn’t only revolve around the profits you can get from them. It is always important that you build their trust towards you which can lead to a better branding for yourself and your book.

Myths on Self-Publishing: The Truths and Consequences towards Book Marketing

In the vast and mostly challenging world of publishing, there are hundreds and even thousands of contradicting stories as to why the number of authors today who decide to self-publish their crafts is increasing. Why not? They have found a lot of reasons and advantages especially with the word “control” for their books.

We can dig dipper unto the usual reasons why do authors shift into self-publishing. Let’s find out what are mainly the myths and the truths behind them which affect self-published authors’ successes.

Myth #1: Self-Publishing only fits for Bad Writers.

“Very Bad Things” by Ilsa Madden-Mills

With the increasing popularity of self-publishing among authors, they now have that option to wait for two years or six months before their work can be considered for publication. Two years is the standard waiting period when an author chooses the traditional publishing while six months for self-publishing. When an author doesn’t want to wait that long in order for his book to be published, that doesn’t mean he is a bad writer. If it means that way, then the self-published book, “Very Bad Things” by Ilsa Madden-Mills can’t be featured as bestselling book by Goodreads, Amazon, and anywhere online.

The truth is that self-publishing used to be the place of an uncertain gamble for some authors who would pay a huge amount of money to print his book and fulfill his own orders. But today, things have changed with the Internet, digital readers, and the concept of print-on-demand (POD). Authors have also gone out with their own ways to promote their books and the fact that there are self-published books that sold millions of copies prove that these authors do not shift into self-publishing because of their quality issues as writers.

Myth #2: Readers are not interested with self-published books.

The truth is that all readers in all walks of life choose to read good books no matter if they are published traditionally or self-published. The reading public are, on the whole, also consumers like us who want to get the worth of every penny we spend. And so, even if a book is self-published yet good, informative, and interesting; people would love to purchase and read it.

As of the 3rd week of August 2013, self-published books, “Wicked Firsts,” by six independent authors: Elisabeth Naughton, Alexandra Ivy, Cynthia Eden, Laura Wright, Katie Reus and Joan Swan and “Ruin,” by Rachel Van Dyken are the first and second best-selling books featured at USA Today. In fact, this is not the first time that these authors have topped the list. This shows that when they were able to grab the readers’ interest towards their books from the very beginning, then the next time around would be easier for them to sell their books to these people. People would simply find them and buy their books because there is already trust built towards the quality of their work.

Myth #3: Standard quality of self-published books’ production is vividly low.

In the earlier period of self-publishing evolution, there might have been a visible inconsistency between the huge conventional publishing houses and self-publishing companies. But that is no longer true today.
Through the Print-on-Demand (POD) and e-books, and the power of the Internet, self-published authors are now having a lot of options that they can do for their books—professional editing, formatting, and cover art designing so that the quality of the books they want to self-publish can equal the quality of those that are traditionally published.

Myth #4: Most self-published authors can’t get their works into big chain book stores and that hinders their successes.

Long time ago, huge book stores were the only primary places where people can buy their favorite books and where students can purchase their textbooks. But that is no longer true today. In a recent poll about book buying habit of the readers conducted online in August 2013 by “Drowning in You” author, Rebecca Berto, 74% of her 104 respondents said that they prefer buying books online while 49% choose to read e-books.

This only shows that people nowadays buy books where they are comfortable of doing so without necessarily driving away from their homes just to look for bookstores. Further, younger generation of today generally prefers the comfort downloading and reading books through their computers and through the use of any other downloading program they are comfortable with.

Myth #5: Self-published authors are doing their own ways of promoting their books and that hinder their success.

Fact is that even the traditional publishers do ask authors to do tours to promote their books, interviews through newspapers and television, and book signings. Those writers who are going the traditional way of publishing their books are also asked to submit their book marketing plan.

It is therefore a must for every author to come up with a strategic book marketing plan because for any author, book promotions are important to drive book sales.

Many believe that all self-published authors only self-publish because they were rejected over and over again by big publishing houses and book agents from the traditional companies. Some have continued to think that way but these successful self-published authors I’ve mentioned prove that anyone can be successful when you choose to believe in yourself and the story you intend to unfold. Success in self-publishing doesn’t count on how many times you were rejected but rather what book marketing strategy do you do in order to achieve it.