The Many Faces of Headshots, or What Am I Trying to Convey?

I decided I needed a new head shot because the one posted on this blog of me standing in the kitchen holding up a copy of Traveling Blind (the first book out of the box to be exact, which explains my goofy grin) wasn't conveying the right image of me as publisher. But what is the "right" image? And under what criteria am I basing the concept of right on?

Who knew creating a new head shot was going to be such a stressful, anxiety inducing task?

Last year when I launched Traveling Blind, Rick took a photo of me standing next to the framed, poster-sized Medusa's Muse logo that hangs in our hallway. That's where the picture of me on the Medusa's Muse Press website came from. You can see the tension in my jaw and the frightened "is it over yet?" look in my eyes, as if I'm suffering from severe constipation.

My own book is launching next month, so I needed a new head shot that was professional looking without being uptight or goofy. Rick agreed to take the photo, but he wanted some ideas on how it should look. What did I want my picture to say about me? I was stumped, I mean, how does any writer decide that question?

I cruised the Internet and studied the backs of books to discover all the different ways writers convey who they are and what they write about. There are the "I am a very serious writer" photos in which the author looks directly into the camera with an almost stern look on her face. Occasionally those serious writers gaze away from the photographer, but they NEVER smile. The images say, "I take my writing seriously and so should you." Hmmm... so if my jaw is clenched in my photo does it say, "I'm so serious about my writing I don't even breath?"

Some authors like to smile with big, toothy grins, as if saying, "Writing is fun!" Others prefer to press their lips together and curve them upwards into an almost mysterious smile, as if saying "I love my writing, but I'm still very serious, so don't think this is easy."

I found several photos of authors laughing, their mouths opened wide in glee, tongues showing behind their exposed teeth. Was that planned? Did the photographer command them to laugh, or did someone tell a joke and the photographer just happened to snap the photo at the exact moment the author looked lovely while laughing, but not a second later when the author spit all over the camera?

Besides the simple question of whether or not to smile, I wondered if I should sit or stand? If I sat, should I lean forward with hands clasped, or stand with my arms folded? What would that say about me? Plus, there is the question of props. A few authors like to wear hats. The photo of me on the Rocket Girl site was taken at the Gatsby Picnic three years ago. I'm wearing a 1920's Deco costume complete with cloche hat, smiling so big all my teeth are showing. I like that photo, but I don't know what it says about me or my writing other than I love to dress up in costume and go to reenactments.

Rick and I decided to try taking some in the moment photos of me at a cafe with my journal because that would show who I am: a writer, plain and simple. Nothing posed or pretentious. He'd start snapping away while I doodled in my journal and we'd see what we got. What we got was more pictures of me with that frightened, frozen, wide eyes look again, except this time I wasn't looking at the camera. The only one I liked was the picture he took of me when I tossed my journal aside and started reading the funnies. I was laughing and relaxed. However, it didn't convey the WRITER me.

The following weekend, we started working on images for the cover of the book. He shot about a hundred images of me pretending to be looking up at the title while working on my manuscript, and we managed to narrow those down to five that I thought would work. In all those photos, there was one close-up of me that didn't work well for the cover of the book, but just might work as a head shot.

So, here it is.



It might not be the best author head shot of all time, but at least my jaw is relaxed, my eyes are calm, and my expression conveys, "I'm having a great time publishing books."

I think... or maybe I should just stick with the picture of me reading the funnies.

Has any writer been happy with their head shot? I asked around and only about two writers out of thirty have said yes. The rest tell me all the reasons why they HATE their photo, and it usually has to do with their hair, or that their eyes are too crinkled, rather than that the message was wrong.

I am obviously over thinking and obsessing on this head shot issue, which is pretty typical for me. Name any topic on writing or publishing and I'll find a thousand bits of minutiae to ponder. I'll come up with ideas you've never considered, and no one ever should.

That being said, I quit this ridiculous head shot quandary and will stick with the one I've chosen. For now. Until I decide it's too serious... or too silly. Or my hair is wrong. Or... oh bollocks!

Is The I Phone Winning the Ebook War?

This just in from Forbes Magazine:

It's official: The iPhone is more popular than Amazon.com's Kindle. And not just in the obvious categories like listening to music, browsing the Web or the other applications where Kindle barely competes. Now, the iPhone is also muscling into Amazon's home turf: reading books.

Stanza, a book reading application offered in Apple's iPhone App Store since July, has been downloaded more than 395,000 times and continues to be installed at an average rate of about 5,000 copies a day, according to Portland, Ore.-based Lexcycle, the three-person start-up that created the reading software.

To read the rest of this article,written by Andy Greenberg and James Erik Abels, follow the link above. Note that the company is "working on deals with several major publishers." Could this be beneficial to a small, independent press like Medusa's Muse?

Regarding Medusa's Muse, I finished the final draft of What You Need To Know To Be A Pro and sent it to Jane, the Medusa's Muse Copy-Editor. Yesterday the Press designer, Rick, and I took a hundred photos to create several mock ups for the cover. As soon as we have a design, I'll post it here. I'll also write in more detail about how to decide on a good cover for your book, a process which is part scientific, part marketing, part art, and part "eeny-meeny-mineey-moe."

Today, I'm off to school. See you on Wednesday.

Taming the Vicious To Do List

Oh personal assistant, where art though? My Muse is refusing to help me this time, so I'm sitting here wrestling with my To Do list alone. It feels like everything is urgent, important, dire if not done today, and demanding my undivided attention. Or else!

Of course that can't be true, so when I'm feeling like my to do list is chasing me around the house with bared fangs as I plead for mercy, I play The Sims. No, wait... that's escape. I must focus on this list and get it under control.

Time management is my biggest publishing challenge, even more than cash flow. There is simply not enough time in one day to get everything done. Managing the press, editing manuscripts, developing projects, blogging, fulfilling orders and keeping up with correspondence is a full days work. Plus I'm a mom, which has its own set of responsibilities. Oh yeah, and then laundry, which is NEVER done... but we won't go there right now.

To get my To Do list back on a leash, I refer to the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. You've probably heard the hype around his book, but I'm telling you, it is a sanity saver.

First, I just write everything down in one long list:

-Finish Revising Manuscript
-Finish First Draft of Play for D
- Read Jody's new manuscript
- Read new submission
- Edit chapter from V
- Revise full length play
- Third Quarter Receipts and Inventory
- Pay Royalties
- Finish Cover Designs
- Create Promotional Materials

The list keeps going but these are the highlights.

Next, I get out another, large piece of paper and break it into four areas. These areas are called

Urgent and Important
Urgent and Not Important
Not Urgent, but Important
Not Urgent and Not Important

Then I take some time to really evaluate each task. At first, everything will seem Urgent, but if you step back and think about what you need to do, you'll realize you probably have more time to get things done than you realized.

I figure out what is Urgent and Important by deciding what needs to be done TODAY, or within a few days. What has the biggest, looming deadline? Finishing the revision of my book so it can go to the copy editor by Monday is an urgent task that takes priority over everything else. The next Urgent task is helping the designer get the cover done this weekend. I put those two in the Urgent and Important box. Don't fill the box up with too many tasks or you're letting the To Do list off its leash again.

The next box is Important and Not Urgent. The play I'm writing for D can go there. Once the other two tasks in Urgent and Important are complete, I'll move D's play to Urgent status. I'll also add V's revisions and Jody's book to this Not Urgent box.

I have to look at that word "Important." Of course, everything is important and needs to be done, but perhaps some of those things can take less priority. As much as I love working on my full length play, it isn't Important right now. So I'll put this in the Not Important and Not Urgent box. I'll put Quarter Three bookkeeping in here as well. Of course this is important, but once the other "Important" tasks are done, I'll move both of these up into the Important box.

Just because you label something as Not Important or Not Urgent doesn't mean it stays there and never gets done. Everything gets moved around.

What about the new submission? That will have to wait in the Not Urgent and Not Important Box for now. Preparing the new promotion? I'd better add that to Not Urgent but Important.

As for the Not Important but Urgent Box, that's where I put things like laundry, groceries, vacuum floor, water plants and clean the fish tank.

After putting tasks in little boxes my To Do list doesn't seem so blood thirsty and I am able to focus on the task at hand. Which means I should stop blogging and get back to work revising my book.

For more excellent ideas on time management and achieving your life's purpose, read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I used to think it was a bunch of self-help hooey, too. But once I actually read the book and started using the exercises, I saw an immediate change in my life. For example, I started Medusa's Muse.

Happy Birthday, Medusa's Muse

Today, October 1, is the one year anniversary of Medusa's Muse. It took two years of research and planning before my press became an official business, but on October 1, 2007, I received my business license, thus turning an idea into a tangible, legal, sole-proprietorship.

One month after Medusa's Muse became a "real" business, we launched our first book. Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers, debuted November 1, 2007 and has since sold over 500 copies nationwide and been included in the curriculum of two University Special Education Teacher Training programs. Not bad for an unknown author published by a brand new micro press. The book continues to sell well and it is Laura's hope that her book will help train and inspire future teachers for many more years.

Three more books are in various stages of production. "What YOU Need to Know to be a PRO: A Start-Up Business Guide for Publishers" is due mid-November, followed by "Surfing the Mosh: A Punk Anthology," debuting May, 2009. Tamarian Graffham is furiously writing a book about household management, raising four children, and mostly keeping her sanity in the age of $4.00 per gallon gasoline. For a glimpse of that book, scheduled for release Fall, 2009, read her blog at Tales from the Den of Chaos.

One year ago, I really doubted I could pull off running a press. There was so much I didn't know and I had so little money. But I had the drive, the talents of Rick Wismar and Jane Mackay, and a manuscript I loved written by an author I believed in. I can't say it's all been bliss, but overall, managing Medusa's Muse has been the greatest joy ride of my life.

New York City is the Home of Chaos Theory

Anyone who has ever walked the streets of New York City can attest to this. New York City, at least Manhattan's South Central Park District (5th Ave, Columbus Circle, Ave of the Americas, Broadway...) where my daughter and I stayed during her Make A Wish Adventure is an example of Chaos Theory in action. The streets are throbbing with constant movement, noise, and activity, flowing with concentrated propulsion. Somehow, this sea of people manages to function, even move from place to place without crashing into one another. It may look like pandemonium, but there actually is a logical pattern. There's a current, and when you're walking the streets you need to plunge in and ride it. If you hesitate, you'll get hit by a cab.

My daughter and I spent two days and three nights in Manhattan to see Laurie Berkner in concert at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The concert was amazing! Laurie Berkner gave a show even a grown up would enjoy. And the toddlers were screaming like she was Paul McCartney. "Laurie! Laurie! I love you, Laurie!" They were bashing in the aisles, moshing to the groove of "Laurie's got a pig on her head" and singing along at the top of their little baby lungs. My daughter laughed and grinned through the whole concert. I have truly never seen her so happy, not even when she got Barbie's Dream House for Christmas three years ago.

After the concert we went back stage to meet Laurie and the band. She is wonderful! She got really close to Queen Teen as if intuitively knowing Queen Teen needed that connection to understand what Laurie was saying. And then Queen Teen surprised me. She was wearing a bracelet that she had insisted on bringing to the concert. I thought it was a fashion thing, but it turned out she wanted to give it to Laurie. Her whole body shook as she took it off her wrist and thrust it at Laurie. "This is for you." Laurie took it gently and put it on. "Thank you. It matches my dress. I love it." Then she hugged Queen Teen. Queen Teen hugged her back, her entire being glowing with joy. I wiped tears from my eyes and tried not to completely lose it.

Laurie spent several minutes with us before she had to join the reception in the main room, but she invited us to the party. We stayed a few minutes, eating chocolate covered strawberries, but it was packed with people and Queen Teen was exhausted, so we hopped back in the limo (yes, we got to ride in a limo to the concert. We rode in five limos during the trip to be exact).

The next day was our free day when we travelled the streets of Manhattan. Surprisingly, the stream of people stepped aside to let us pass when they saw us coming. The whole current adapted to our presence, and once when we got stuck on the edge of curb a man in a business suit stopped and helped us, then quickly jumped back into the flow and was gone. Queen Teen has a problem with loud noises, and the streets of Manhattan are nothing but one giant noise, but she hung in there, really hungry to explore. We hopped from store to store for breaks from the chaos, and I made sure to navigate back to our hotel so she could get her bearings again. I was really proud of her.

We flew home on Tuesday and met our limo driver, Duke, who drove us all the way back home. As I sat in the back of the limo with Queen Teen asleep beside me, watching the tiny LCD lights in the ceiling of the car as we sped through the blackness of the night, I felt perfectly calm and safe. I knew Duke would get us home safely. I fell asleep.

I am in love with Manhattan and hope to go back someday. In the literary world, it is Mecca. The creative energy there is more profound than LA, which seems quiet by comparison. Next time I'll go on my own, binoculars in hand, and hunt down all those hidden literary places I long to see.

Today, I'm playing catch up. A thousand emails and phone calls to make. Stacks of bills and dirty laundry. I don't mind. My daughter is happy, and I'm still tingling from Manhattan and the joy on my child's face.

Out of Town on a Make A Wish Adventure!!!!!

(image from www.musicforlittlepeople.com)

I will be out of town and away from the Medusa's Muse offices (okay, it's a desk in the corner of the living room, but I like saying "offices.") until Tuesday because my daughter, affectionately known as Queen Teen, and I are flying to New York City tomorrow to see Queen Teen's favorite singer, Laurie Berkner. She is in concert at Lincoln Center for the Arts in celebration of her new CD, Rocketship Run. This trip is all thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation. Queen Teen was referred to the program four months ago by one of the social workers we work with. At the time Queen Teen had no idea what she wanted, but the two volunteers who came to interview her discovered that she LOVES Laurie Berkner. When they asked her if she'd like to meet Laurie Berkner, Queen Teen giggled and smiled so big her pony-tales practically pointed straight up. That settled it! We would meet Laurie Berkner.

The team warned us that celebrity wishes can take a year or longer to arrange, but Laurie Berkner is not your average celebrity. She has been more than accommodating and seems really eager to help make Queen Teen's dream come true TODAY. We've been invited back stage to meet Laurie after the concert and she asked what Queen Teen's favorite song is so that they can sing it together.

While Queen Teen was recovering from surgery last year, I contacted Laurie Berkner and requested a note from her to help cheer Queen Teen while she lounged around in two big casts. Laurie sent a postcard and a hand written note within the week. Queen Teen says that listening to Laurie cheers her up. Even though Queen Teen is a teenager now, she still loves listening to the silly, children's songs of Laurie.

Make A Wish is sending a car to our home and driving us to the airport, paying for all the travel and accommodations, helping us navigate Manhattan, and providing meals and "incidentals." They want us to have fun without stress or worry about how much something costs. For that, I am deeply grateful. And I am grateful to the hundreds of volunteers and people who donate to the program who help make these dreams come true for kids who really have a rough road to travel.

"Make A Wish" isn't about pity, it's about joy; a way to try and balance out some of the anger and frustration, pain and discomfort, of coping with a chronic illness. It's about giving a family time together doing something fun and care free.

To tell the truth, I'm really excited to meet Laurie Berkner too! It's Laurie Berkner!!!! She's awesome! Really! Check out her website and play some of her songs. Not just silly preschool stuff, grown ups can enjoy them too.

"I've got a song in my tummy and it wants to come out, I've got a song in my tummy..."

So okay, maybe that one's silly, but what's wrong with a little silly?

"I've got a song in my tummy and it wants to come out. And when it does, I'm gonna sing and shout... La La, La La, La La..."

Patience is a Publishing Virtue

(image from AV Kids)

The business book I'm publishing next is on hold while we wait for notes from two of our three readers, therefor, the launch date will more than likely have to be pushed back, depending on how quickly the designer can get the work done. I hate waiting. I'm ready to get this baby DONE, but instead I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for feedback from two very knowledgeable people, feedback I absolutely do not want to proceed without.

Why is it better to wait for feedback than go ahead and proceed without it and meet our book launch date? Because there's no point publishing anything if it isn't ready. Until I hear back from these two readers who have several more years of business knowledge than I do, the book sits. What if one of them discovers an inaccuracy, or tells me I skipped very important information every person starting a small business MUST know? The whole purpose of the book is to help struggling publishers start a small business the right way, so the information in my book had better be right. Otherwise, why spend the money?

This is an important lesson every publisher really needs to understand. It is more important to publish the absolute best book you can than meet a deadline. Rather than worrying about book launch, worry about the book itself. Is it ready? Really ready? Has the copy-editor gone over every word and punctuation mark thoroughly? Is the cover as polished and professional as possible? Have all the details, dates, facts, and locations been checked for accuracy? Is the story the best work the author can create? If not, send it back and change the book launch dates.

I don't usually use sports analogies, but think of your book's launch like this. It's the first game of the season and you have the best players on your team money can buy. Expectations are exceedingly high. The crowd eagerly leans forward and cheers wildy as the pitcher takes the mound. Then there is absolute silence as the pitcher prepares to throw the ball. Will he strike out the hitter, walk him, or throw a foul? This pitcher is supposed to be good. Everyone's heard about him and has been waiting to see his first pitch. And here it is! It's fast and furious and thrown COMPLETELY OVER THE HEAD OF THE HITTER. Foul ball! The crowd is stunned. This is the guy whose supposed to be so great? This is the team we've been rooting for?

Don't let your book be that first foul ball of the season. Do it right THE FIRST TIME.

So I'll wait. And send another email. And wait some more.

Do You Need a Business License to be a Publisher?

A person who wants to self-publish her book asked me this question a few days ago. She had a beautiful book and a lot of money to promote it, but she had no idea how to actually sell it. So she asked me, "Do I need a business license to publish my book?"

And I replied...

Yes! If you want to SELL that self-published book, then the answer is most definitely yes! After which I proceeded to smack her about the head with her own beautiful book.

I didn't actually smack her, but I really wanted to, because this is one of those questions that should be asked BEFORE you try to publish your book. Too often, questions about business and other important details are asked AFTER the book is not only written, but designed, printed and bound. You may roll your eyes and yawn, because after all, business is so *boring* to us artistic types. We have important works of art to create.

Writing your book is an art, but publishing that book is a business. If you want to publish your book yourself, you must fully embrace this idea. Say it with me: Publishing is a Business. Too many people in the small press world put all their energy into creating a beautiful book, skipping the part about creating their business. They then are unable to sell that book they just spent a year writing.

Again, Publishing is a Business. That means you need a business license, a name, a location, a resale license and a way to track sales. You need to pay taxes on those sales at the end of the fiscal year, and account for any income you earn for your personal taxes. Besides just reading books and asking questions about publishing books, you need to learn about setting up a small business. Being a publisher means you are an entrepreneur, so make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

It isn't difficult to set up a business, so don't let any fears you may have of entrepreneurial commitment stop you from being a publisher. Take a business course at a community college (that's what I did) and read a few books on small business, like The Small Business Kit for Dummies (which helped me a lot!).

While researching setting up a Publishing Business, I was disappointed that I couldn't find a book that combined Book Publishing with Small Business, so I've written my own. "What You Need to Know to Be a Pro: The Start-Up Business Guide for Publishers," is schedule for launch Nov. 1, 2008. My book covers the basics of creating a small business entity, including choosing a name, getting a business license, finding a logo, and keeping track of sales. If you send me an email I'll add your name to the the pre-order list so you'll know the moment the book is ready for sale.

The first person on the list is the woman who asked about Business Licenses.

Laura's Book Inspired Me to Become an Orientation and Mobility Specialist

I'm posting this cartoon in honor of me starting the Orientation and Mobility Program at San Francisco State University last night. I checked all the boxes as true except for the one about having my imagination crushed. Nope, not gonna happen. But being a professor's slave sounds cool.

What is Orientation and Mobility? Read the book I published, "Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers," by Laura Fogg, for an in depth view of her training and the work itself. Helping to create her book and attending the CAOMS conference inspired me to go back to school and learn to do what Laura does. Of course I'll still keep Medusa's Muse alive while working, and this way, I'll have a job that pays well, is beneficial and helpful to others, and will balance out the hundreds of solitary hours I spend staring at computer screens and manuscripts.

Gotta go. I have a ton of homework to do!

The Biggest Killer of a Small Business isn't Lack of Cash, It's Fear.

(elephant image from Daily Mail)

I just read this statement from Itty Business:

If you think you’re afraid your business will fail, you’re not. You might be afraid of poverty, of humiliation, of never finding happiness, but you’re not afraid your business will fail. Figure out what the problem really is and stop pretending the Big White Elephant of Fear hasn't taken up residence in the corner of your home office.

Amen sister!

Running my own small business scares me to death, especially because I publish books, which means my failures are there for everyone to see and those failures impact my authors, those people who are trusting me with their creative offspring. Not only am I trying to support artists and help them create works of art, I am fending off bankruptcy and audits. It is a manic battle of linear thinking and intuition. So far I'm managing well and I'm proud of myself for that. But the fear is always there. What if I make a mistake? What if I fail?

Of course I make mistakes, but so far no one's noticed. I suppose that's part of the battle. It's like flubbing your lines in a play; if the audience doesn't see it, why worry. But I do worry. I can't help it. Eventually I'm sure I'll make a mistake that will impact Medusa's Muse in such a way I won't be able to smile my way out of it.

And that right there is the basis of my fear; I can't stand to make mistakes. I have to be perfect, always, all the time, in everything I do and say. Perfection is exhausting and impossible to achieve, but Lord knows I keep trying for it anyway. Because if I make a mistake someone will notice and start to question my capabilities. Plus, in the words of my thirteen year old daughter, "That would be embarrassing!"

I know my fear, understand its origins, and have learned to deal with it. I have never died of embarrassment nor of the judgment of others. The fear is ungrounded, but it's there. Being afraid isn't a problem. Letting that fear stop me from achieving my dreams is.

In an earlier post I blogged about writing down your own personal definition of success. It is just as important to write down what scares you about your publishing business and writing. Usually the fear isn't really "I'll fail." It is more related to what that failure creates. Will people laugh at you? Will your parents be embarrassed by you? When you locate the root of the fear, you can tame it.

Every Writer Needs a Roomba

As I write this, my floors are being expertly cleaned by our new family member, the Roomba. She's a lovely thing, small, cute, hard working, round, and she does a better job on my floors than I ever did. Plus, she gives me more time to write, therefore, I love my Roomba.

My Muse is fascinated by it; she can't stop watching it move across the floor picking up bits of debris and dog hair, bashing into walls and furniture, figuring out how to navigate those obstacles, and then proceeding on its quest for cleanliness. She likes to throw more bits of detritus on the floor to see if the Roomba can pick it up. She cheered when it managed to vacuum a crushed Fish Cracker.

"Did you see that? It actually got every bit! What a marvelous invention."

When she came back from her summer hiatus, she dumped several ideas into my lap. "Here. I've been working on these for weeks." I flipped through each one, growing excited by the possibilities. Three plays, a novel revision that saves the plot and therefor might get my novel out of its hiding place, the entire philosophy of The Guru, and two ideas for essays.

"These are great! But I don't think we're going to have enough time to do all of this! School starts on Monday."

"So. You'll manage. How's the play coming along?"

"With these ideas for The Guru, it's practically done."

"Great. So what's next?"

"I'm waiting for the notes on the Business Book."

"And then..."

"I guess I'll start in on one of these ideas."

"Excellent." And then she saw the Roomba sitting on its charger. "What's that?"

The Roomba came from Tama, my newest author. She adopted my cat, so I adopted her old Roomba. It needed a bit of tweaking, but luckily my boy is a tinkering wizard. After reading a few websites and ordering another Roomba for parts, he got the thing chugging along beautifully. In fact, he's ordered a costume for the Scooba (the mopping Roomba) and is trying to decide whether to dress up the Roomba as a French Maid, or a Tiger.

See, Roomba's are a beacon for creativity. Buy one today and your own personal robot will give you new opportunities for writing. Or would you rather vacuum?

My Essay in Root and Sprout

An article I wrote has been published in the latest edition of the on-line parenting magazine Root and Sprout. Called "It's Back to School Time. Why am I so Happy?" the essay is about the glee and guilt we parents feel when we toss our children out of the car on their butts in the school parking lot lovingly send our little darlings to school. Look for it in the Grow Through Laughter section of the zine.

You'll also find articles about marriage (Dating Your Spouse: How to Reclaim Your Marriage, by Teresa Hirst), volunteering at your child's school (No Time to Volunteer? by John Boynton) and being a special needs student (Dear Mom and Dad: What It’s Like to Be A Child with Special Needs, by Kirk Martin).

I discovered Root and Sprout while surfing parenting websites and was very impressed with the quality of the writing, the wide range of topics which cover everything from basic parenting to the impact being a parent has on your relationships, as well as the beauty of the website itself. New issues of Root and Sprout come out monthly.

Claim your own Success

"You don’t need mass appeal or millions of customers to be a success. But your definition of success needs to be a keystone of your brand. You decide what success is, then show the world how magnificently successful you are by that light... You’ve got to create the fame and fortune in your own outlook first. Claim your position."

Sonia Simone

I read this quote in Robin Good's Newsletter several times because this is exactly what I've been feeling and trying to explain in the business book I've been writing, but I struggled with the words to express that feeling. What is success, or more importantly, what is success to me? Is being a publishing success really selling a million copies of my books? Is it having one of my authors discuss her book on Oprah? Or is success simply transforming a manuscript into a book so that the author gets her moment in the sun and I earn enough to pay the print bill? Right now, my success is closer to the latter than to Oprah, but do I really need Oprah to call Medusa's Muse a successful publishing company?

Success is a tricky thing. Too often we allow others to define what success is for us, from our parents to our spouses, our boss and our friends. Everyone seems to agree success is related to cash: the more you make, the more successful you are. I keep seeing new self-publishers and authors beating themselves to death with the wish for fame and fortune, spending more money on their books with the belief that one more advertising campaign will snare that longed for recognition. Too quickly, they give up in disgust, convinced they were failures because they could only sell one hundred copies of their book.

By whose definition are they failures? Is success entirely about money? What else defines success?

I think that success is linked to your long term goals rather than to your bank account. If you dream of getting rich on your books and retiring from your boring day job, then yeah, you need to sell a million copies to create that type of success, and unfortunately the odds of that happening aren't good. But why not try?

My long term dream is to be a Muse for future generations. I want a big house or a plot of land where artists of all types can come and stay and be fed and nurtured while they create their art. Seeing as I can't afford a house right now, I started a publishing company so that a few writers will get singular attention and share their words with the world. In the short term, I need Medusa's Muse to break even and pay for itself, otherwise I'll never get to that big house with all those writers and musicians. I don't expect the press to pay for my house, so I'm back in school to be an Orientation and Mobility Instructor like Laura Fogg. Success for me right now means being able to create art which I am passionate about and that pays for itself. Oprah Winfrey is welcome to visit if she'd like, but it isn't a requirement.

Before you head out into the world of publishing with your trunk full of books, write down what success means to you; not what it means to your mother or best friend, but what it means to YOU. Keep that piece of paper with you to help you stay on track. Are you following your own dreams of success or straying into what your grandparents expect?

And head over to Sonia's blog for more excellent advice about Marketing, Small Business, and making your dreams come true.

Article in Business Week About On Line Survival

While on my quasi hiatus over the Summer, I collected several interesting articles about publishing, book marketing, and social networking. Here's one of the more interesting ones:

From Business Week - Book Publishers: Learn From Digg, Yelp—Even Gawker
Book publishing could keep itself vital by taking a page from Web 2.0 technologies, but it has a long way to go. Here are some lessons.

This article intrigued me because I am interested in the way the Internet and other forms of technology are changing business, especially the book business. Look at the Music Industry. For the last fifteen years Music Companies have struggled to retain control over their property, the bands they produce and the music those bands create. Anyone can download music for free with ease and share it with all of their friends, on-line and off. Plus, a band doesn't have to be "signed" anymore to find exposure and listeners. Thanks to I Tunes and My Space, your weekend garage band can be listened to by a world wide audience. However, with so many bands competing on line for your attention, how do they stand out from the white noise of the Internet?

Now it's the book industry's turn to figure out how to survive in a digital age. Some publishers are wondering if books are dead. If so, what's next? Many smaller publishers are only creating e-books because they believe e-book readers and on-line zines are the future. In ten years, paper books will be obsolete. The article implies everyone will be reading on a Kindle.

Rather than be afraid of all these technological changes and the impact they are having in the book industry, I want to learn and strategize so Medusa's Muse will survive into the future. So should every publisher.

Just like the music industry, the book market is flooded with books from small presses and self-publishers, all competing for the attention of a decreasing reading market. How can we find our audience? This article discusses that.

From the article:

Reading a book is an incredibly solitary experience. That's both a blessing and a curse. Like most busy professionals, I don't have a lot of downtime. What little free time I have could easily be filled by other pursuits—chiefly, time with a husband I rarely see. When I do commit to a book I love, I want to talk about it. This impulse explains why book clubs were all the rage in the 1990s.

There has to be a way for Web 2.0—a movement whose raison d'etre is to connect people—to meet the ongoing need for building community around books.

What's your online strategy?

My Daughter Went Back To School Today, Do dah, Do dah!

Forget Christmas, THIS is the best time of year. Back to school! No more, "I'm bored," every fifteen minutes. I try to focus on my child and enjoy each moment with her, especially now that she seems to grow even faster, but by the beginning of August we're both tired of each other. She thinks I'm dull (don't all thirteen year olds feel that way?) and I think she's whiny. No matter how many times we play Uno or go for walks or do an art project together, there's still this level of weariness neither of us are any good at covering up.

I think the fact that my daughter gets tired of me is a good thing, actually. She is growing up and eager to explore her own life with her own friends. No tween wants to spend months with their Mom, even a tween with disabilities. The fact she is ready to go back to school with hardly a glance back at me when I dropped her at her classroom is a good thing (regardless of how teary eyed I got while walking away from Jr. High. Jr. High! Not Elementary... Jr. High! sob).

So today she went back to school and I can get back to work. I have a stack of Medusa mail and tasks that have been waiting for two weeks as well as a desk so disorganized I doubt I could find any of those tasks to begin with. My hands still hurt, so I'll have to pace myself (a quick thank you to Maggie for her advice about managing Repetitive Stress Disorder). It will take me a few days to get back in the zone of managing Medusa's Muse, editing the Business Book and the Punk Book, and bugging Tama again for a draft of her novel. Plus there's more Marketing for "Traveling Blind" as well as a couple of invoices to follow up on. Also the website needs updating. And if my Muse decides to get out of bed any time this week, I have a play to finish writing.

I have two weeks before I start Graduate School, time I'd better use getting my files in order, my desk cleared, my to-do list whittled down and my schedule organized.

Ooh, one bit of dorky, exciting news: "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers" has been teamed up with "Crashing Through: The Extraordinary True Story of the Man Who Dared to See" by Robert Kurson in an Amazon.com's Better Together package. For some reason this makes me super happy (proof that I'm a dork!).

Enough blogging for now. Time to get working.

Emergency! My Hands Hurt!

You'd think I wouldn't have any trouble with my hands right now since I've been on a hiatus from daily typing and Internet use (and I haven't even had time to play too many hours of The Sims). Instead, my fingers, right thumb, both wrists, right arm and both shoulders hurt so bad I'm popping tylenol while trying not to panic. I'm a writer, for heaven's sake! What am I supposed to do if I can't type? Or even hold a pen for thirty minutes?

There has been more than the normal amount of stress in my life right now, so I suspect some of the pain I feel, especially in my shoulders, is due to that. My husband had surgery, the dog had surgery, and Queen Teen had surgery, all within a week of each other, so I've been a nursemaid to all three since August 1. At the same time, I was putting the finishing touches on The Business Book I've been writing, getting it ready for feedback from experts. So it's not completely inconceivable that I would have some pain in my arms and hands right now.

I bought a new keyboard yesterday, a Microsoft "Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000." The key pad is split and raised in the middle to create a more "natural" curve for the hands. Typing feels really weird, but if it will save my hands, I'll give it a shot. I'll probably have to stop writing for long periods on my I-book at the cafe. But that's the weirdest part. I HAVEN'T been writing at the cafe, or anywhere, for long periods in a month. So why am I having trouble now, and what will that mean when my daughter goes back to school next week and I can once again write?

If anyone reading this has experienced something similar and has ideas about what to do, please send me a comment. I could use the advice.

"She's 13"

I managed to write an original post at my other blog, Gravity Check, about the meaning of "She's 13." If you'd like a glimpse of what I do when I'm not running Medusa's Muse, check out the post.

One More Week Until School Starts! Yeehaw!

Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks

It's still Summer break and I'm still juggling Mommy time and Work time, so my posts will be infrequent for at least another week. This morning Jane, my friend and the Medusa's Muse copy-editor, sent me a link to a hysterical blog, called The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks. If you're anything close to a word nerd like me, you'll love these posts.

So instead of getting any actual work done, I've been reading about the ridiculous use of Quotation Marks. Yep, a good use of my time! Maybe not... but at least it was fun.

Okay, back to work. My daughter and I are working on her scrap-book today.

Update on Amazon vs. Booklocker Anti-Trust Lawsuit

Here is the latest on the anti-trust lawsuit against Amazon.com.

From Publisher's Weekly:

The legal skirmishing between Booklocker.com and Amazon in Booklocker’s antitrust lawsuit filed against the giant e-tailer got a bit heated last month as Amazon filed a motion to dismiss the case and Booklocker filed its response to keep the lawsuit alive. The case stems from Amazon’s decision to make print-on-demand publishers use its BookSurge subsidiary to manufacture POD titles if they want to sell their titles on Amazon directly (publishers that don’t use BookSurge will have their buy button removed). In May, Booklocker filed suit, charging that Amazon’s action was in violation of antitrust laws.

In its motion to dismiss, Amazon says that Booklocker is unhappy because it wants to use Amazon’s services “but doesn’t want to agree to the purchase terms announced by Amazon.” The company further argues that “there is no federal antitrust claim here. It has been well established for nearly a century that a retailer such as Amazon is free to decide unilaterally which suppliers’ products it will purchase, stock or resell, and the terms on which it will do so.” Amazon contends that its changes to its POD policy are aimed at improving the efficiency of its supply chain as part of its vertically integrated business, and that “antitrust laws simply do not prevent Amazon.com from making unilateral changes to its supply chain.”

Go to the article at Publisher's Weekly to read Booklocker's response. Very interesting.

The judge is supposed to make a ruling on Amazon's request to dismiss the lawsuit after Labor Day.

Summertime Slow Down

It's that wonderful time of year when school is officially out and your children are once again firmly under foot, tripping you at every turn, demanding food, attention, and entertainment. Yes, Summer... when I have zero time to write or be creative. I manage Medusa's Muse five minutes at a time, in between the cries of "I'm bored" and "I'm hungry" from Queen Teen. It makes creating new and interesting posts for my blog a little difficult.

Quick updates: Had a wonderful time visiting my author Tama in her "Den of Chaos" with Queen Teen (and for those who are wondering when her book will be ready, I'm happy to report she is working on it and so far it's fabulous!). I was a little worried the noise and travel would be too much for my daughter, but she jumped right into the din and had a blast. It helps that the Denizens are friendly, outgoing, and patient, giving Queen Teen the time she needed to join in the fun. Eldest even said she was "cool." High praise from regal Eldest.

Laura Fogg will be at the Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference next weekend, taking a memoir workshop and chatting with fellow writers. She's not scheduled to read or speak, but if you run into her, say hello. I'm sure she'd love to talk to you about writing.

The first draft of the Business Book is complete and I'm now revising it, making sure my resources and facts are indeed correct. Next, one of my business teachers from Mendocino College has volunteered to read it and make sure I haven't missed anything important. The book should launch as scheduled this fall (as long as I can stay awake past my daughter's bedtime to get the work done!).

One more University Special Education Program has added "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers," to their curriculum this Fall. We're all doing the happy dance.

And the Punk book is almost ready as well. I have enough stories collected and can start boasting about the excellent writing and suprising tales. I could use more artwork, so if anyone reading this would like to submit a Punk image (photo, drawing, tattoo, etc), send it to medusasubmits@gmail.com in the body of the email. The book is on schedule and final edits should be complete by this October.

That's the quick version. My posts will be sporadic for the next few weeks, but if you have a question about publishing or Medusa's Muse specifically, please send it to me and I'll do my best to answer.

I'm off to draw an Arthur story with Queen Teen. Although keeping up with my girl full time makes it hard to get work done, I'm having fun hanging out with her. Besides, now that she's thirteen, I count myself lucky she even wants me in the same room.

Happy Summer everyone.

Have you paid your Sales Tax yet?

Yep, it's that time of year again, the end of the fiscal year and the beginning of a new one, the time when all businesses, large and small, write a big-fat check to their State's Board of Equalization for all the sales tax they've collected on the States behalf.

Since my local tax board seems to understand that start-up micro presses won't have very many sales in their first year, which means there will be very little tax to actually collect, they sent me the Short Form: BOE 401-EZ. Happily this form was easy to fill out and the entire process took about an hour to complete. The form even had my local sales tax printed on it so I didn't have to hunt for that number to do the math. 7.75% x taxable amount = tax owed.

The only tricky part was figuring out exactly what the taxable amount was. Not every sale is taxable. Some of my sales went to bookstores who have their own resale license and collect their own sales tax. A few more were via the website to other States. I did some research and discovered that you only pay sales tax to the State where you have an actual, physical office or distribution center. That could change though because as States are struggling with budget deficits, they are eyeing internet commerce as a source for new tax revenue. Amazon.com is battling New York State right now over that issue. But for now, interstate sales through my website are not taxable (but don't take my word as gospel. Double check for yourself and let me know if I'm wrong).

Sales tax must be paid by July 31st or you can get hit hard with penalties and late fees. Don't fool around with your taxes: pay them! You can even pay electronically with a credit card. I know people who got behind and lost their business because they never paid sales tax, and another person who is still paying tax from 2006. If you're having trouble, talk to your local office of the State Board of Equalization.

The links I've posted here are for the State of California. Be sure to find the appropriate websites for your own State if your business is not in California because every State creates their own Sales tax rules, and some States, like Oregon, don't collect Sales tax at all.

Don't be alarmed by the sudden drop in Book Sales

This quarter saw a BIG drop in overall sales, which isn't surprising,actually. Laura's book launched on Nov. 1, 7 months ago, and it's had a long run of steady sales, mostly to other Orientation and Mobility and Special Education instructors. Most books sell their copies in the first 3-4 months and then those sales drop precipitously. "Traveling Blind" continues to sell well, but the average sales per month have slowly declined through May and June.

Since I don't have the total number of books sold in the second quarter from Lightning Source yet, I can't say exactly by how much book sales have declined. Lightning Source reports and pays 90 days after the end of that month, so I received my last Quarter One report for the month of March in June. I won't know the exact sales numbers for this Second Quarter until September. My author also doesn't get paid her royalties until 90 days after the close of the quarter, so she receives her royalty check for Quarter One now.

I know our sales have dropped overall though because our direct sales have declined. We sell the most books through events and to our local bookstore. We tapped out our local market by April and Laura hasn't had the time to do many more events. The initial marketing efforts to University Instructors and other Professionals in Laura's field was very helpful, but again, that market has been saturated.

Now it's time to think about who else might benefit from her book and how we let them know it exists.

The biggest problem right now is cash flow, which is seriously hampering my ability to do that second wave of marketing. Between Book Expo expenses, low book sales, and Sales Tax time (I'll write about that in my next post) I don't have any cash to pay for marketing materials. Plus, I have a new book to launch this fall. That means Laura will either need to do more marketing on her own, or I'm going to have to get extremely creative.

Don't be alarmed if your book sales decline. Book sales rise and fall, depending on the market, season, and efforts of the author. Everyone who would want the book has probably bought a copy already, so it's natural to see a decline. The goal is to get those sales back up by finding potential readers who will enjoy the book, but that fact hadn't occurred to them. Yet.

Hunter S Thompson Documentary - "Gonzo"

I found my Muse in San Francisco sitting in the movie theatre with a big bag of over-buttered popcorn. I sat beside her and said, "I thought you were in the Caribbean."

"Not this time of year. Too hot." She shook the popcorn. "Want some?"

"Thanks." I took a big hand full because I knew once the bag was half eaten she wouldn't offer me any more. We watched the documentary "Gonzo - The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S Thompson" together with Jane, the Medusa's Muse copy-editor who is also my dear friend. It felt like a sort of pilgrimage because Jane and I had driven to San Francisco, two hours from home, to sit in that theatre and pay homage to the genius that is Hunter.

I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when I was a freshman in college. My first taste of Hunter. The wildness of the story held together with precise prose and blunt truths made an impact on my own writing and life. This was also the time I had discovered Dead Kennedies and was exploring punk. I was shaking off my small town immaturity and ideals, expanding my world view, and embracing that part of me that howled at the moon. My inner need for chaos was strummed by the writing of Hunter.

Since then, I've read most of his books and much of his writing, and his energy has stayed with me, imprinting on my concepts of art and politics. However, I have no illusions about him. My admiration is not romantic; he was a drug-addict, alcoholic, manic-depressive prone to violent outbursts and when he killed himself I was angry. It felt like a betrayal of everything he wrote. If only he'd had the courage to face the era of George Bush! What wondrous words he would have thrown at the White House!

The movie helped me understand a little better why he felt like he had to die. I saw the human behind the art, the troubled boy behind the angry man. I saw his goodness and compassion and I understood what drove him to ride that edge for so long. He lived his life peering over it until he finally lost the energy to hang on. Over he went, leaving behind his words and his ideas which will resonate forever.

The State of Small Presses

While browsing blogs about book publishing, I discovered this very interesting article written by Seth Abramson on his blog "The Suburban Ecstasies." The article is called 2008 State of Small Presses. In his post, he mathematically breaks down the submission requirements of 100 poetry presses to determine if it really is as impossible for a poet to be published as believed. Here is an excerpt from that post:

Recently I've been thinking about how best to help a colleague of mine whose first manuscript is probably the best first collection I've ever read.

As always, my mathematically-inclined way of thinking has been pushing me to determine the best course of action in this situation through research, rather than intuition or rumor. Specifically, I found myself wondering whether, in fact, the old complaints about the book-publishing industry are true: that is, whether or not a young poet in America with no connections amongst the editor set stands a snowball's chance in hell of getting a first book published outside the contest system (taking into account the continued irony that small-press publishers are just as likely as the rest of us to bemoan the shortcomings of that system, particularly the fact that so many young poets lack the financial resources to enter into it).

I decided, in the spirit of this blog--which has always been highly conversant with numerical analysis, despite the fact that I'm a poet--to do [what I imagine is] the first-ever assessment of the openness of American small presses to unsolicited work. Given the absolute inviolability of the large trade houses to first-book authors, and the admirably democratic--but for too many twenty-somethings, essentially unaffordable--contest system (much of which is connected to an excellent second category of publishing ventures, the university press system), it would seem that the small independent press is one of the last bastions of hope for a young, talented writer like the colleague I mentioned above who's looking to publish a first manuscript.

[NB: And no, this isn't one of those "I have this friend..." gambits; I truly and actually am trying to think about how to help another poet I've recently met, and this has nothing to do with my own work whatsoever. I was lucky enough, myself, to last September find a publisher for my first book that I couldn't possibly be happier with].

What I did was visit the websites of fully one hundred independent presses, drawing their names from the best-seller lists for the past year at the Poetry Foundation and Small Press Distribution websites. Incredibly (and fortuitously, given my limited mathematical skills), adding up the data from every single press listed in a year's worth of SPD best-seller lists, as well as the current Poetry Foundation best-seller list, got me to exactly 100 independent poetry presses.

Here's what I found:

Go to Seth's blog to read the rest. His process of analyzing the statistics and what he concludes is fascinating. Medusa's Muse is not a poetry press, but I wonder how close these statistics are to that of fiction publishers? Even though there are thousands of small, independent publishers in the industry, is it still just as hard to get published as it always has been? I'd love to hear your comments.

We interrupt our smoke reports with this message from John Oat's mustache

from Billboard:

John Oates wants people to know that he is nothing like what he was when he had a mustache. The Hall & Oates principal is firm about the distinction, because if things go as planned, his mustachioed image could appear on TV in cartoon form kicking ass, rocking out and wearing tight pink pants.

Independent publisher Primary Wave Music Publishing, which owns a majority stake in most of the biggest hits in the Hall & Oates catalog, is shopping a cartoon titled "J-Stache" that further illustrates the dichotomy. As laid out in a two-minute trailer, Oates is portrayed as a modern-day family man and finds himself enticed back to the rock star life by his mustache, which is voiced by comedian Dave Attell.

"In a cartoon setting, the mustache has its own personality," Oates says from Aspen, Colo., where he's finishing his latest solo album. "Just as I'm represented as the John Oates of today, the mustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it's an open-ended situation. There's even talk of the mustache trying to bring new bands into the picture."

When I was a 7th grader, I was a HUGE Hall and Oats fan, with a HUGE crush on John Oats. Those dark eyes and that mustache! Oy! Made my 12 year old bony knees knock.The idea of his mustache having its own show is just hysterical, and I'll have to check this out.

I know, what the heck does this have to do with publishing? Not much directly, but it does show how far a wild idea can go. Don't throw out those crazy story ideas because you think people will laugh or think you're a moron. Sometimes, it's the crazy ideas that make the most sense.

Twenty Four Hour Play Festival

The festival was a blast! Exhausting, but so much incredible, focused, collective energy, not just from our own team, but from all the teams working at the same time, trying to create art, or a semblance of it.

On friday night at 6:30 everyone gathered at the Ukiah Player's Theatre to meet, sign in as a team, make a plan, and find out the theme. We got lucky. "Death" was chosen. My writing partner Natasha Yim had an idea that fit perfectly so that gave us a head start. She and I went to her husband's office, put on the coffee, and started brain storming.

I've never worked with a partner before, so it took me a while to figure out how to proceed. I tend to just write everything down in one expulsion, sort of like vomiting words, not worrying too much about each line of dialogue. Once the structure is there, I go back and fix the words. Natasha sets up an outline first, going line by line, making sure she's staying on track. It took about an hour before we were in the zone, finding that balance point where we were both contributing. We spent as much time laughing as typing. By midnight, we had a play. By 3:00 am, it was a good play. I got to bed at 4:00, then up at 7:30 to meet the actors and director.

8:00 am the whole team got together outside the theatre and did the read through. The actors loved it. It sounded even better when they read it than how I imagined it in my head. Right away, the actors embodied the characters, adding nuances to the dialogue I hadn't foreseen. Natasha and I were exhausted, but happy. We left to get more sleep while the actors got to work.

At 3:00 pm I went back to the theatre to watch them on stage. Incredibly, they knew most of their lines already! I can write a play in one night, but there's no way I can learn lines in 7 hours.

8:00- Showtime! It was a good turn out. All seven plays were about death, but every team had a different idea about it. There was a campy Sci Fi comedy about reigniting the sun, a play written by a group of high school students about Canada nuking Ukiah, a play about ghosts messing with a fake psychic, and one about a mad taxi driver on his last night of work. Our play was about Vampires in a support group to help them fit in with humans. The vampire therapist has a nervous breakdown after listening to them "whine for the last millennia." After all the players took their bows, I found my teammates and we hugged, everyone feeling high on fatigue and excitement. It was an incredible experience.

To celebrate, my hubby and I went to the Ukiah Brewery to dance to The Mad Maggies, an eclectic, polka, ska, celtic, zydeco, rock band; the kind of music you MUST dance to. By the time I made it to bed at 1 am I felt that I'd climbed Half Dome in a day. But what a day!

If you've never done a 24 hour play fest, I highly recommend it. Exhausting, yes, but it's incredible what can be created in a short amount of time. I plan to do it again next year!

Living in a Scene from a Zombie Movie

You know in zombie movies there's that heavy, reddish fog that obscures the visibility of the hero as he runs through a deserted town, right before he gets attacked by zombies? That's how it looks outside right now.I feel like the zombie, not the hero. It's 3:00 in the afternoon in the middle of summer and the smoke from all the fires burning in Mendocino County makes it feel like twilight. Day four of unending, suffocating smoke.

The entire county is under a State of Emergency. The closest fire to us is the Greenfield fire, about ten miles away in the hills, still burning mostly out of control. Happily the calvary arrived yesterday. CalFire has sent help, although since there are so many fires throughout the State, the help is limited. But every little bit helps.

My daughter is going to stay with her dad for a while in Davis. It's smokey everywhere, but the hills surrounding the Ukiah Valley traps smoke inside like a big fish bowl, holding everything tight. She needs to get out of here.

I'm trying to keep working on the business book, edit punk stories, and manage Medusa, but I admit I'm feeling fuzzy headed and fatigued. Someone who lives outside the valley said she was surprised by how thick the smoke is here and how much everyone seems worn out and slow. "Like a bunch of zombies." Yep, I know how they feel. I want a new brain too.

My Muse has vanished. When all of her snakes started coughing, she grabbed her bathing suit and went to the Caribbean again. Can't say I blame her. Although I could really use her tomorrow night when Natasha Yim and I write a play in one night for the 24 hour play festival at Ukiah Player's Theatre. We write for 12 hours, then our team of actors take it and rehearse for 12 hours. At 8:00 Saturday night our play is performed along with the plays of seven other teams. I'm excited to do it, but I'm not feeling at my prime, I have to say. No Muse and no clean air. Maybe the play should be about zombies.

Correction to POD post

This is a correction to my blog post on Monday. Here is a comment from Tracy Cooper-Posey, who is the actual author of the article I linked to.

"I wanted to point out a couple of errors of fact. Charlotte Boyette Compo was indeed a guest blogger on my blog...but she did not write the POD post. I did.

And the blog is called Anchored Authors (plural).

Cheers,
Tracy Cooper-Posey"

My sincere apologies, Tracy, and thank you for contacting me.

Mendocino County is On Fire!

On friday, we had an incredible lightning storm. I was out that night with my writing group and as we left the cafe and walked across the overpass, we watched the flashes of lightning strike through the treacherous black clouds which were smothering the hills. Fascinating and beautiful. And then I thought, Uh Oh. I bet there's a fire burning now.

Not only is there a fire burning, there are over 130 fires burning in Mendocino County, one just ten miles from the city of Ukiah where I live. Every fire is burning out of control because there just isn't enough man power to deal with so many fires at once, especially when you realize that all of Northern California is threatened by fire. Cal Fire is on overload, so Mendo Fire Crews are battling the blazes mostly on their own. There are a lot of Community Volunteer fire crews, inmates from the County Jail, and homeowners out there, battling thousand acre blazes with garden hoses and shovels.

In Ukiah, we are mostly safe, but of course, not completely. Besides the heavy smoke dimming the sun and reducing visibility to less than 1 mile, a fire could reach this town. When I was in the seventh grade I lived in Lakeport in Lake County. That summer, Cow Mountain caught on fire and the fire blazed almost unstoppable toward the town. My family and I stood on a hill in town one night and watched the flames crest the hill and race toward the freeway. We were all praying the flames wouldn't leap the four lanes of asphalt, but the fire was burning so hot and the air was so dry, the town was on high alert. No one slept much that night. We had suitcases packed, waiting for the evacuation order. Somehow, CDF and local fire crews managed to keep the fire from reaching the freeway, saving the little town of Lakeport. A few days later, the fire was out.

I have a list of things to take, just in case. Documents, medications, some clothing, food and water, dog food, both computer towers, my lap top, and Paul's letters. If there's time I'll grab the photos. Both vehicles have full tanks of gas and we have friends in the Bay Area we can go to if need be. Odds are, Ukiah will remain untouched by anything more than dense smoke, but just in case, I'm ready.

This is California. We all need to be ready. If it's not catching fire it's falling down in an earthquake. I've lived here my entire life, so droughts, wildfires and earthquakes are nothing new to me, but the loss of life and property is tragic. You can't take anything for granted, not even in California where the weather is gorgeous 80% of the time and the views rival the French Riviera. Enjoy the beauty, but watch for smoke.

Excellent Information about Types of Publishing and The "Amazon Situation"

While continuing my research about Amazon's new POD policy, I found this blog post which includes an overview of that policy as well as an explanation of what POD actually is. Written by Charlotte Boyett-Compo, guest blogger on Anchored Author.

From the post:

It’s clear that because of the new publishing models available now, even we authors are tripping over definitions and labels. Some aren’t even aware of the range of possibilities to pick from. And if authors aren’t straight on it, they can’t help educate readers on the huge variety of books available to them these days.

It doesn’t help make discussions about strategies for authors any easier when “POD”, for instance, means something different to everyone in the room.

Go to the blog to read the rest.

The term "POD" is very confusing, even for people in the industry, because it is used by different people to mean different things. When I use it, POD means Print-on-Demand, which is digitally printing a book an order at a time, rather than printing hundred or thousands of copies at a time using an "off-set press," which is the traditional model. I prefer to use POD because it allows me to print only the number of books I need at a time, keeps my inventory manageable, and uses less paper. I pay more per book than I would if I printed a thousand at a time, but the cost isn't prohibitive and I don't have to store a thousand books in my garage.

POD can also mean "Publish-On-Demand" which is completely different from Printing on Demand. Publish on demand is used by such companies as IUniverse, XLibros, and Booklocker wherein they take your manuscript and turn it into a book for you. Then they use Print on Demand to print as many copies as needed.

When I say POD, I'm talking about Printing. I call Publish on Demand presses Subsidy Presses, which means you pay them for their help creating your book. I think the term Subsidy Publishing became a stigma over the years, so those publishers now use the term Publish On Demand. There is nothing wrong with Subsidy Publishing. I know many people who have used IUniverse and are very happy with the service and quality of their book. An author just needs to be careful and understand exactly what they're getting before paying anyone to help them with their book. Not all subsidy presses are ethical.

Now I need to get back to work on the business book. I have a deadline looming. Remember to send me your questions if you'd like me to consider them for the book, or answer them here.

Ted Turner, Larry King, Secret Parties, and more Writing about Book Expo

Just when you thought I'd covered Book Expo, I found this excellent article written by journalist Paul Constant for The Stranger. I kept hearing about those upscale industry parties and here is proof they actually existed. Mr. Constant attended Larry King's party for the launch of Ted Turner's book, "Call Me Ted." (I saw Mr. Turner at Expo, walking slowly with two very young women on either side. And yes, he is much smaller than I expected).

Paul Constant definitely captured the surreal quality of Book Expo as he writes about Jeff Bezos' of Amazon.com speech about the Kindle, the teeth whitening booth, and publishers dressed up like teddy bears. I tell you, that event is more bizarre than a trip to Oz! He also writes about excellent books coming from small presses such as Soft Skull and McSweeney's.

From the article:

Larry King's backyard in Beverly Hills, with its high hedges, glittering pool, and verdant lawn, is full of Industry People. Besides Larry King, there aren't any movie or television stars here, but you get the sense that these are the people who hire the stars. There is a giant portrait of Larry King made entirely out of Jelly Bellies in the room overlooking the lawn. On the buffet table in the dining room is a mountainous spread of medium-rare bison, a layer-cake-like dip composed of seven varieties of goat cheese, dishes of duck pâté, and platters of other things so bizarre they almost seem like they were ordered off a menu from a myth.

Follow the above link for the rest. Excellent story!

The Combination of Business Savy and Artistic Passion

My Muse refuses to take off her power suit. She's even wearing a tie; a 1940's era silk tie with a brass tie-tac to be exact. She looks stunning in the gray slacks and matching jacket, lounging on the couch while reading the first draft of the business book I'm writing. Although she doesn't need glasses, she started wearing a pair of granny cat-eyed "cheaters" I found in a thrift shop. She says they help her think.

I've been cranking out the pages on this book as fast as possible, which this time of year is pretty dang slow. My daughter is out of school for the summer, so there goes my time to write. I grab an hour here, a half hour there, running away to the cafe as soon as Rick gets home from work so I can concentrate. My daughter is a good sport, giving me an hour while she plays or watches a movie. But only one hour; any longer and she succumbs to BOREDOM and swears she will swoon away from misery if I do not stop immediately and play with her. Thirteen is so dramatic.

But despite my lack of time, my Muse seems pleased. The heart of the book is there, with a few details to be flushed out. Plus, writing non-fiction doesn't seem to take as much concentration as fiction, at least for me. I jot down notes and look up resources around coloring with my daughter and doing the laundry. Then when I have time to write, I compile all those doodles into a cohesive paragraph. Also, writing this book is helping me fill in the gaps of my own knowledge about running a small business. What is the best way to write a business plan? How do you fill out form BEA-401-EZ? Is there a better way to track royalties? Writing a book like this combines my creativity and my business acumen, which is why my Muse has pledged to keep her suit on until the book is complete.

If you are a publisher, send me a question in the comment section and I'll answer it here, plus I'll add it to the book. The book will debute this Fall. Um... that's like, what... four months away? I'd better get crackin!

The Book Expo Experience I Wish I Had

I know, you're probably over my BEA fascination, but I'm still digesting the experience, analyzing what I did wrong (like falling into a speechless shell-shocked trance) and what I should do next time. Here is a link to an excellent blog post about BEA, written by Jacqueline Church(JC)Simonds of Creative Minds Press. She had the Book Expo experience I wish I had.

The next time I go (and I've decided I will go again when it returns to the West Coast) I'll do what this woman did; be SOCIAL!

There are great photos and she's a very good writer. Check it out.

Top Ten Publishers

I found this very interesting article called Top Ten Publishers in America, by Michael Hyatt, who writes the blog "From Where I Sit." Michael Hyatt is the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing, the leading Christian Publisher in the US.

I found this interesting because it is based on market share: who is getting the most books into the hands of the most readers. Market Share is one gage of a successful company and many would argue it is the best gage, more than earnings or revenue.

No real suprises. Random House is still the king of the publishing hill, despite Scholastic's incredible earnings from Harry Potter and the fact that both Micheal Moore and Ted Turner are being published by Hatchett. I don't know what their profits are, but more people are reading Random House Books than any other.

Book Expo is still very much on my mind right now, so this article made me think about the myriad of presses and authors I saw while wandering through the booths and aisles. Publishing is a gigantic industry, and Random House appears to be "the winner." Why them and not Simon and Schuster? What makes Random House so strong? Maybe it's like asking why Coca-Cola has a greater market share over Pepsi? I mean, they're basically the same drink, so what makes Coke stand out? Longevity? Better marketing? What is it about Random House that gives it the greater market share? From what I saw at Expo, no press really stood out over another. The "big houses" were all publishing pretty much the same type of book. The people were equally as pleasant to talk to. I saw nothing about Random House to distinguish them from Harpor Collins.

I find this subject just another facinating piece of the mysterious book industry which I am now a part of. A tiny part, but a part none the less.

Other Comments About Book Expo

Before I end this section on BEA, I'd like to include some comments from other Independent Publishers who attended Book Expo. I apologize for not posting sooner, everyone. I've had some family emergencies pop up (nothing serious, thank goodness, just time consuming).

"As this was my third Expo, I've gotten better at the networking. The first time you walk around in a haze because there is so much to see. The second time, I was a little more of an expert, but still shy with introductions and speaking to people. This time, I made some good connections."

-Judine Slaughter

"Once a month I travel from DC to NYC for meetings. Some of these meetings cover details for an upcoming publicity campaign. Other meetings are to get new business. There is something about book people in that they love placing a face to the name. Especially with the larger publishers where your firm won't be thought of when the next contract comes through without that personal contact. So, to me, that's what most people get from BEA. A super-sized, speedy, way to make a lot of introductions. My fav BEA story: I had been trying to work with a small HarperCollins imprint for a while. At BEA, I "ran into" Jane Friedman, made some small talk, introduced my firm, and that was it. Of course, my next pitch to this HC's imprint mentioned Friedman's comment about something our firm did, and well, sometimes that's enough.I saw the commentary from Chelsea Green's office disparaging the worth of trade shows in general; their thought was that you could go with trained sales reps, online marketing and do OK. Perhaps. But there is an undefinable quality to these trade shows that moves books, starts creative partnerships, and stirs ideas. But one day is probably enough. Count ourselves lucky, us independent publishers, that most of us have freedom to roam about the BEA!"

-Kelly Powers
Obie Joe Media

"This was our first year exhibiting at BEA, but not my first exhibiting at shows of this size in other industries. All in all I believe is was a valuable show for us. However, here's what I felt to be the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Good:
* Contacts. This show gives growing publishers an unprecedented opportunity to make contacts with a variety of people and services. I spoke with distributors, sales reps, associations, printers, illustrators, the media, and lots of other publishers. Our goals for making contacts and opening discussions were well met at the show.
* Information. I found a lot of people who were happy to talk about their companies, their products, and how they were achieving their goals.

Bad:
* Insofar as I could tell, the West Hall (children's books, cook books, indie publishers, writers, etc) received about 1/3 the attention the South Hall did.
* We met with very few librarians. PW reported that their attendance was very low and suspected it was due to an ALA meeting in LA later this month.

Ugly:
* Apparently "Independent Publisher" has become an acronym for "Self-Published Author." We'll never exhibit in the Indie Publisher section again.
* In the West Hall we easily saw more yellow exhibitor badges than we did blue retailer/bookseller badges.
* One of our authors, who attended BEA last year in NY, told us the LA show was vacant by comparison. My seat-of-the-pants guess is that only 15,000 attended.
* When the door man stopping you from taking your boxes out at 3:50pm on Sunday tells you that the FedEx shipping counter will be open at 4:05pm, don't believe him. We had to beg to get them to ship our stuff home.

Conclusion:
Would I exhibit again? yes, eventually."

-E. Keith (JB) Howick, Jr.
Wind River Publishing


"BEA is the proverbial elephant, and we're the blind people, each describing the whole based on the part(s) we touch. For me, BEA is mostly a matter of face time, making and building relationships that either are useful, or may someday become useful. So, for me, it fits into "vital confab." As an exhibitor, my BEA was seen primarily from my fixed position in my booth in the Publishers Group West (PGW) area. Why exhibit? Because people (and opportunity) can find you. When you're walking the floor, you can find other exhibitors, but finding anyone else who walks the floor is a matter of chance. I once walked the floor, essentially hat in hand, and was essentially another face in the crowd. I saw much, but accomplished very little. With a booth near the front-center of the main exhibit hall thanks to PGW, traffic is very, very good. Traffic is much slower in the small press exhibit area (hint: don't let the lower price of a small press booth seduce you. If you're going to exhibit, spend the extra money for a booth in the main exhibit area). Again, it's a matter of face time. Since much of my business does go through traditional trade channels, the show's emphasis on the traditional book trade speaks very much to my needs. I had meetings with my domestic and international distribution partners, discussed international rights with a very enthusiastic overseas publisher, was introduced to various booksellers as they were escorted around the PGW area by PGW reps, and had lots of interaction time with the staff and executives at PGW and its parent, Perseus. That kind of familiarity pays dividends all year long. All my time was not spent in-booth. I ventured out several times to touch base with various suppliers and friends around the show floor. Again, face time has its long-term benefits I'm certain I moved my business forward on a variety of fronts. Had I tried to do the same without BEA, I'd probably have paid far more on airfare and hotels, spent far more time away from the office, and still not have accomplished as much."

-Dave Marx
PassPorter Travel Press

To read another perspective, read the Catalyst Press Blog. J.L. Powers is the publisher and has become a friend thanks to BEA. We'd chatted several times but finally got to meet face to face at BEA.

What Librarians Wish Publishers Knew

The one workshop I attended at BEA was called "What Librarians Wish Publishers Knew." The panel included Librarians from Brooklyn, Chicago, Seattle and the University of California, Irvine, and was led by Nora Rawlinson, former editor-in-chief of Library Journal.

The most important thing I learned was just how important sales to Libraries in context of overall book sales are. According to the Book Industry Study Group, 10% of all book sales are to Libraries. 40% of Mid-List titles are sold to Libraries. Plus, Libraries really promote their books. They are as interested in attracting readers as you are and put a lot of energy into their websites and other promotional materials. If your book is chosen to be part of one of those promotional campaigns ("1 book, 1 community" for example) all that promotion can help you sell more copies in stores.

Think about it. If every Library system bought just one copy of your book, that's about 5000 copies sold. So don't disparage library sales as lost revenue.

Ms. Rawlinson provided a handout with information about a new, Library related information site called Early Word which publishers can access.

Overall, demand for audio-books at Libraries has increased greatly while e-books are not as popular. However this may also be related to location because the Librarian from Brooklyn stated audio-books are not as popular in New York. Libraries are not buying many print reference books anymore. Instead they are buying licenses for access to electronic materials which are updated regularly. More readers are using Library websites to look for books than ever before, and Libraries are changing their sites to keep up with that demand, making them more interactive and easier to use. Libraries use all Wholesale catalogues to find books, including Ingram, and it is very important to make sure your book's information is up-to-date and thorough. Libraries also use Library Thing and Good Reads to discover hot books readers will want.

Also, the rumor that Libraries don't like to buy paperbacks is false. Libraries buy what their customers request and most readers like to read paperbacks.

How to contact a Librarian to pitch your book depends on the Librarian, but the ones on this panel all prefer email. Also, most Libraries are part of a system with different "branches," so pitch to the Acquisitions Librarian. That person decides what books will be available for ALL branches. If you go to your local library branch and ask them to stock your book, they will send you to the Acquisitions Librarian.

When the talk ended, I jumped up and joined the crush of people pitching their books to the panel. At last, we had found the elusive Librarians! They were all generous with their time and answering questions. I gave a copy of Traveling Blind to a Librarian from San Francisco who had been sitting behind me, and another copy to the Librarian from University of California. My goal is to have Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers in every University in the country. Wish me luck.

Recovering from Book Expo America

Obviously I didn't do my BEA homework well enough, because despite my plans and goals for the event, I spent most of the time wandering around the LA Convention Center, hopelessly lost. Spending time at BEA is a lot like spending time on the internet. You intend to do research on a particular topic, say Beverly Hills shoes, but you start clicking on other links and exploring more sites and before you know it two hours have passed and you now know everything there is to know about South-East LA weather patterns. I missed all but one of the workshops I'd signed up for and missed every author signing I was interested in. Attending BEA became a test of Zen.

However, I don't think it was a complete waste of time. I did get a glimpse of the bizarre and somewhat elusive book industry, and I was pleasantly surprised by how polite everyone was. Not once did I get mowed over or ignored. Even rep's at the Simon and Schuster pavilion were cheerful and chatted about books with me. They graciously accepted a flier about Laura's book while offering me a pre-release book of their own, some of which I accepted. That's one thing about BEA I learned very quickly: say no to an offered book or you'll quickly spend the day hauling around 30 pounds in your bag. But behind the smiling reps at Simon and Schuster and Random House is where the real purpose of BEA is. At numerous tables in each pavilion sat well dressed men and women making deals and taking book orders. Their heads were bowed close together as they looked over contracts and papers, speaking in quiet voices, and finishing their discussion with a firm handshake. I heard snippets of conversations: "that's not very many units..." "he doesn't know what he's talking about..." "I'm not sure about these numbers..." "this display alone cost one thousand dollars." I felt that I had wandered into a secret society's secret convention and the secret members were speaking in a secret code. They even had secret handshakes.

I also learned that I was under-dressed. Despite the fact BEA is a convention, people were dressed in black suits and sleek dresses, and most wore impractical, high-heeled shoes. Because I'd been warned over and over to wear good shoes, I noticed people's feet. 60% chose style over comfort. In my jeans, Medusa's Muse t-shirt, and red Keens, it was obvious I wasn't an "insider." Several times I was asked if I was a librarian. I guess librarians like to be comfortable.

Speaking of librarians, I couldn't find any. The American Library Association booth was abandoned and there was no "library section." I spent all Saturday morning hunting for them, eager to hand out free copies of Traveling Blind. No luck. That was the same time I lost my cell phone, so by lunchtime on day two of BEA I was ready to sit on the floor and cry. Happily, an exhibitor found my cell phone and when I called my number I found them. Thank you so much, Interlink Publishing! After the cell phone fiasco I found librarians in a workshop called "What Librarians Wish Publishers Knew." An interesting talk, and I'll go into more detail in my next post. I gave free copies to two of them and handed fliers to the rest.

I did manage to find the Independent Publishers Section and Writer's Row, both located in the very back of the West Hall, about as far from the Main-South Hall as you can get. All I can say is these people are brave. While walking up and down the two aisles, I got very depressed. There were table after table of writers and publishers, practically leaping into the aisle and thrusting a book into my hand, as if begging me to take one. I took too many, and while a few were poorly produced in my opinion, I did find some treasures, especially a book by Simhananda published by Orange Palm and Magnificent Magus Publications. I will write about more Indy publishers I met at BEA in a later post.


The highlight of the event for me was the 20 minutes I chatted with Gordon Burgett while drinking champagne during the PMA Fortieth Birthday bash at their booth. He wrote one of the books that helped start Medusa's Muse: Publishing To Niche Markets. That's he and I in the above photo.

The other wonderful, as well as humbling moment, was when I found Laura's book on the PMA shelves. At first, I couldn't find it, but then, hidden amongst the other biography/autobiography books, was Traveling Blind. Can you find it in the photo at the top of this post? (sorry, it's a little blurry).


Overall, I'm glad I went, but I'm not sure I'll go again. Or if I do go when it returns to California, I'll just buy a day pass. And I definitely won't go alone! Jane was planning to come with me, but circumstances kept her away, so I had to go solo. I'm not a naturally outgoing, gregarious person and a shy person at BEA doesn't stand a chance. I'm sure I would have had more fun if I'd been there with a pack of friends and we schmoozed our way into some of those after-hours parties. Also, I would dress better. Nicer outfits, skirts with stockings, but I'd still wear my comfy shoes.