Showing Tag: "be" (Show all posts)

How Books Need to be Packaged, Bundled and Sold

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, December 29, 2010, In : publishing 
You often hear of authors selling their book rights...but, today's post is about a best-selling author buying back his book rights!

 Best-selling author, Steve Farber, is paying a handsome figure to buy back the rights to two of his leadership books from Kaplan Publishers so he can publish with No Limit Publishing Group; publishers more savvy in all the new tech publishing platforms. 


No Limit is also offering Mr. Farber a 50/50 split on net royalties for both digital and print formats AND wor...
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Self-Published "Pleased But Not Satisfied" Topseller for Bookworm

Posted by John R. on Monday, December 27, 2010, In : self-publishing 
David Sokol, an Omaha native, has self-published a business management book (his first book) through online bookstore Bookworm. It has been it's bestseller over the last two years with 8000 copies sold to people from all over the world.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Sokol is a top manager in a Berkshire Hathaway major subsidiary company AND that  Sokol is rumored to become Berkshire Hathaway’s next chairman and CEO, succeeding Warren Buffett, 80.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is essentia...

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Are Lists and Databases Protected By Copyright?

Posted by John R. on Thursday, December 16, 2010, In : Publishing & Copyright Law 
The answer to this post's title is: maybe so. I never really thought about a compilation of data being copyrightable until I came across an article about an Australian court case Publishers see red over court's Yellow Pages copyright ruling.

My interest was tweaked! So, I delved into a little research into American law on subject copyright existence...It seems some lists and aggregations can, indeed, be copyrighted. Depends on how much originality went into the compilation, sorting and listing...

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The Daily Beast Marries Newsweek--A Genius Merger

Posted by John R. on Saturday, November 13, 2010, In : Magazine Publishing 
A popular two year old start-up on the internet, full of new tech and digital savoir-faire, has taken the hand of a very traditional-published, weekly, print news mag...AND the new , young bride (The Daily Beast dot com) does NOT want the older groom (Newsweek) to change at all!

The plan for Newsweek (which does have a web page, by the way) is to mold the print weekly into the upper stratosphere of print mag popularity using some magic, digital dust from The Beast.


Can they do it? I think so! I...
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Adobe Triumphs Over Apple's Resistance to 'Flash'

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, October 27, 2010, In : Magazine Publishing 

Conde Nast's magazine empire will be using the Adobe publishing tool to publish and sell mags on Apple's iOS...AND with the fantastic "flash" capability intact through the use of ingenious Adobe apps.

For those who aren't aware, Apple resisted the use of the fantastic "flash" technology on their new iOS/iPad outlet by not including an Apple in-house designed app to allow the great clarity and sharp graphics technology that is "flash" and sets Adobe apart from the rest in this area...including ...


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Adobe Unveils New Hosted Digital Publishing Suite

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Adobe, still the premier online graphic designer resource, is providing a publishing platform that will allow magazines and newspapers to publish to all the new mobile devices.

The new Adobe platform was introduced today at the start of it's Adobe Max Conference.

I learned of this cool news reading an article by
Ron Miller for Fierce Content Management:

Adobe(NASDAQ: ADBE) made several key announcements today at the launch of its Adobe Max conference including a new hosted digital publishing...


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Insight: Making Books Less Expensive for Buyers and More Profitable for Authors

Posted by John R. on Saturday, October 2, 2010, In : publishing 
Another big house publisher has been dumped by a bestselling author...And, why not? Traditional publishing is like thick molasses pouring from a bottle when new tech has ushered in fast-pouring media.

Traditional publishing can take up to two years or more to get a book to market from contract signing! Hell, by that time the book info is probably obsolete!

Douglas Rushkoff, a bestselling author, gives a good insight into why writers are leaving the big publishing houses in this article by Pando...
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Create Mobile Applications Without Writing any Code

Posted by John R. on Thursday, September 16, 2010, In : publishing 
SachManya, a maker of mobile publishing tools, is launching a mobile app platform called Yapperthat will allow media publishers to create mobile apps in 30 minutes without writing any code.

Pretty neat stuff and a little bewildering to my simple mind! 

Julie Klein of VentureBeatreports more details:

SachManya is one of 70 companies chosen by VentureBeat to launch at the DEMO Fall 2010 event taking place this week in Silicon Valley. After our selection, the companies pay a fee to present. Our cov...

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Books Should Reflect Cultural Messages

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, In : writing 
Books from countries around the world should...besides detailing their native country's histories and thought processes that defined those histories...address current world challenges and the particular country's feelings, thoughts and possible solutions to those challenges.

Beijing's 17th annual International Book Fair, which begins on Monday in Beijing, and which attracts more and more foreign publishers and authors, is becoming a great venue for exchange of cultural messages and increasing ...

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Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing? Both Offer Writers ?????

Posted by John R. on Sunday, August 29, 2010, In : publishing 
Self-publishing is growing up and coming into it's own right before our eyes; but, traditional publishing (TP) still has tons to offer...and with the right flexibility and adaptability, TP will continue to offer great publishing options.

Boyd Morrison, published author of The Ark, wrote this for The Huffington Post:

To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish

When I was looking for a publisher in the olden days of 2008 (47 years ago in ebook time), it seemed clear that the way to make a living as a...


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How Editors Should Help Writers

Posted by John R. on Monday, August 23, 2010, In : writing 

A good editor does NOT just start chopping away at a clients manuscript. They should give the entire work a complete read through first, only correcting minor and obvious punctuation errors...This is to give the editor a sense of the writers style, form and nuances.Rachel Mattison published a short, to-the-point article for Wordpreneur that gives us a good insight into how a professional editor should approach his/her job:

How to be a Professional Editor

Editing and proofing is more than...


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Rules to Help One Become a Writer

Posted by John R. on Thursday, July 22, 2010, In : writing 
Want a guideline from a successful writer that points the way to becoming a successful writer? I bet you do.

Harvey Rachlin, award-winning author of Scandals, Vandals and da Vincis, and dozens of others, lays out a nifty 50 rules for writers to achieve success in The Writer Magazine...Pay particular attention to the last one! 

From the experience of Harvey Rachlin:

To succeed as a writer in the world of publishing is no easy task. A plethora of writers—many of them seasoned pros or people famo...

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Creative Writing in Newspapers?

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, In : writing 

Who says you can't make news features more colorful? I always enjoy a newspaper story that presents the facts...but with the three-dimensional ambiance of all the characters and locations involved. I hope I'm saying that right to make my point.

At any rate,
Susan Beam, a journalist for the Columbia Ledger weekly newspaper, says it better than I in this article she contributed to Suite101.com:

When a person thinks of newspaper article, without fail, it is understood that they contain the five W'...


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Make Your Own Book Trailer Videos!

Posted by John R. on Saturday, July 3, 2010, In : book & author promotion 
I have been meaning to search (and putting it off) for a "how to" instruction on creating my own videos for YouTube and other video networking sites...mainly for marketing written products and books...And then, out of the blue, I get an excellent "how to" from Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn!

You see, I thought there might be software available for making videos or slide shows without having to have your own camera,etc, but I wasn't sure! Joanna explains where to go on the internet to acce...

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Writing Better Dialogue

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, In : writing 
You absolutely MUST have dialogue in your stories, both fiction AND nonfiction...It blasts your story from one dimensional to three dimensional instantly! And talk about character development! Dialogue builds character faster and deeper than any other writing element...such as narrative, action or setting.

Here is an informative post by
Brad Vertrees on five things he's learned to write better dialogue:

5 Lessons I've Learned About Writing Dialog In Fiction


This post, from Brad Vertrees, ...


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How to Become a Better Writer

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, In : writing 

More advice for writers, especially aspiring writers.

Want to kick-start your initial writing career or jump-start an old one in a slump? There are certain things you can do to help you go to the next level and Rob Parnell, founder of the Easy Way to Write, has listed a few good ones in an article he wrote for Wordpreneur.

I just discovered Rob and his work and I'm impressed! I am proud to present his article here:

Becoming a Writer

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a lea...


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Can iPad Resuscitate Magazines?

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 6, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Maybe...The iPad offers a more personal experience than computers and more graphics and peripherals than eReaders...but, will readers pay for the mag content...much less invest in the expense of the iPad to begin with?

I feel they will...IF the content is relevent, interactive, well written and not available elsewhere. Afterall, content that people want is king!   

Benny Evangelista, who writes technology for the SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle), has this view:

For the magazine industry, App...


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How To Be a Successful Author

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, In : writing 

How can I be a successful writer? A question asked by ALL newbies...Well, one way is to follow lessons learned from more experienced writers who are willing to share...Such is Bob Baker (pictured) who is a full-time author and independent publisher who wrote this excellent advice for Wordpreneur:

Are you a curious person? I am. Especially when it comes to people who have taken action to achieve worthy and creative goals. Whenever I meet a successful author, musician, artist, actor or whatever,...


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American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Celebrates 20 Years

Posted by John R. on Saturday, May 22, 2010, In : publishing 
 The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) will celabrate 20 years of solid work in protecting American freedoms next week in New York at Book Expo America (BEA) 2010...

I want to point this out because of the important work ABFFE does in fighting those who would limit our freedom of expression through promulgating censorship...due to mostly those who can't interpret mature literature and art without acting out there own stupid fantasies!

This from Publishers Weekly Indust...

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Borders Launches e-Books and Kobo Readers

Posted by John R. on Friday, May 14, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Amazon, Google and Apple are in the eBook biz, why NOT Boarders? And other current bookstore chains are probably scrambling to integrate digital as I'm writing this post! Follow the money, right?

Calvin Reid reporting in Publisher's Weekly says:

Borders has provided a few more details for its move into offering digital content, beginning with plans to take pre-orders for the new Kobo digital reading device. Kobo’s new $149 e-ink reading devices will begin shipping in June to be followed by ...


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Amazon To Start Charging for More Bestselling eBooks

Posted by John R. on Thursday, May 13, 2010, In : digital publishing 

If a free Amazon eBook gets popular, Amazon is going to remove it from the free list and put it on a pay list! Better read them while they're free...

This from Jason Boog of Mediabistro/galleycat:

Last December, we reported that 64 of the 100 eBooksthat topped the Kindle bestseller list were free. Today Publishers Weekly broke the news that the online bookseller will soon divide the bestseller lists into free and paid categories.

Here's the scoop: "A representative at the e-tailer has confi...


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How To Be A Reasonably Happy Writer...

Posted by John R. on Saturday, May 8, 2010, In : writing 

A happy writer? Of course! I'm happy...BROKE...but happy nonetheless. Thank God for a retirement from another source (subject for another post) to sustain me half-way comfortably.

First, from my point of view, to be a reasonably happy writer you had better been born rich or have money from another source coming in to allow you the "luxury" to pursue writing.

This piece by
Rosemary Clement-Moore  (pictured below) posting on GENREALITY blog is light and breezy and has some good writer parallels:...


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Adobe vs Apple - More Intrigue!

Posted by John R. on Friday, April 30, 2010, In : writing digital gadgets 

Why can't people just get along? There is no good reason (unless it's hidden) why Adobe shouldn't be allowed on iPhone...It won't stop Apple from continued development in mobile techs such as HTML5, etc, etc and blah, blah.

This report by 
Stephen Shankland on cnet: 

In a rare
open letter published Thursday, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has detailed the technological reasons behind his company's refusal to let Adobe Systems' Flash Player onto the iPhone: he thinks it's a relic, not the futu...


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Different is Good

Posted by John R. on Thursday, April 22, 2010, In : writing 

Different is the same as unique...and that's good in writing. You can learn just so much from established, experienced authors; then you must strike out alone and let your own imagination and iteration of it fly!...and realize that some of the experts that initially gave you advice will be different from you and not like all your approaches (as you probably don't like all of theirs, right?).

This is by Candace Havens who contributes to the GENREALTY Blog:


  Candace Havens 

I’m going on the rec...


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Who Makes Blackberry Phones, Anyway?

Posted by John R. on Sunday, April 18, 2010, In : writing digital gadgets 
I got to wondering about iPads, iPhones, tablets, laptops, slates, etc, etc and THEN I progressed to who made them and thought of them in the first place! ANYWAY, today I found this interesting history of the Blackberry on eHow.com written
By
Dennie Ho, eHow Contributing Writer:

Offering the capability of real time email in any location, the BlackBerry Smartphone has become a popular wireless handheld device. Designed and developed by the Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), the abili...


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Adobe's InDesign CS5 Powers the Transition to Digital Publishing

Posted by John R. on Monday, April 12, 2010, In : publishing 
I have always LOVED Adobe and their products...and now they are outdoing past achievements with agressive leadership in digital publishing! The new interactivity and time-saving work-flows in their publishing software are stupendous! 

This press release from BusinessWire paints a pretty picture of Adobe's "InDesign CS5":

Adobe InDesign CS5 enables creative professionals to deliver digital documents that include interactivity, animation, video and audio -- connecting people to page content in in...
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About Me


John R. Austin Writer, Old-Warrior-Adventurer, Blogger... I was born in Key West, Florida. A rather famous hangout for some past famous writers: Hemingway and Tennessee Williams to name two. I just hope that I possess a glimmer of their talent. I have a bachelors degree in architecture/construction and a master's degree in industrial engineering. I have been writing for fifty plus years. Most of my writing has been in the technical, instructional and business areas. I am working on my first book: "Havana Harvest---When Cuba Was Naughty" which details my coming of age experiences in 1958 Havana, Cuba, at the age of 15. Please visit my other blog "Writers Welcome Blog" at http://alturl.com/4z88.

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