Published Authors Forum

Is There A Doctor In The House?

rainbow689 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:29:30 GMT

The company I'm working for has no medical

benefits. About 7 weeks ago I got 7/8 'insect' or something bites, 3 on my

back, a couple on each arm and on my legs. The first week the calf on my right

leg was very painful. The pain went away, but I could not and cannot put any pressure on

the ball of my right foot, it just collapses if I try.

Subsequently, my left arm has lost a lot of its strength and I cannot grip with my left

hand. Also my left leg is somewhat weak. Also, my left arm and ...

American oil

MS Reynolds — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:32:44 GMT

I've been hearing a lot lately about drilling for oil in America. I think I know why it's not being done, but I'm not going into that right now.

What I don't understand is how anyone can think that taxing oil companies will help the price at the pump. The oil companies will simply raise the price to cover the tax.

Using alternative fuel will take decades to implement nationwide, and I, for one, don't have $40,000-$60,000 for a hybrid. Then how would I plug it in away from home? How long ...

Gosh, no wonder there's no room in the store for OUR books

Malcolm — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:23:57 GMT

"Visit your neighborhood superstore, and you will be overwhelmed with ephemera: self-aggrandizing memoirs by recovering addicts; poignant portraits of heroic pets; hyperbolic ideological tracts by insufferable cable TV pundits; guides to staying wrinkle- and toxin-free; odes to Warren Buffett and Jesus Christ; manifestos for fixing America in 12 easy steps; manly accounts of the best athlete/season/team ever; and glittery novels about British royalty, love-starved shoppers, mournful cops ...

Literary Agent Sues Sites for Ruining Her Reputation

dtpollard — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:05:19 GMT

This agent is going to court to fight information posted about her on various websites. This may be one to watch given the environment of the Internet.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6574477.html

Rooftop Diva � A Novel of Triumph After Katrina- ESSENCE bestseller

http://reviews.aalbc.com/rooftop_diva.htm

Fools� Heaven � Love, Lust and Death beyond the Pulpit

http://www.therawreviewers.com/artman/publish/FoolsHeaven.shtml

http://DTPollard.com

Happy Birtyhday to U.S.

Jim Woods — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:55:31 GMT

This is a day early according to the current calendar, or a day late according to recorded history, but Happy Hotdogs and Fireworks Day to U.S.

Jim Woods

www.ultrasw.com/jwoods

How important is amazon.com

lin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:41:37 GMT

I asked about this on another thread, with no reponse, so I'll pose the question again here.

How vital is amazon.com to sales of the kind people on this site are involved in?

Those who've mentioned some numbers of books sold, how many were on amazon compared to what you sold by your efforts?

Does anybody get the feeling that anybody has EVER bought one of their books by happening onto it on the amazon site, rather than being sent there by a link from your promotional efforts?

Wooffer, by Betty Fasig

zadaconnaway — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:03:13 GMT

My review of:

Wooffer, by Betty Fasig

This well written little book holds many surprises in the lessons the animals on Ms. Fasig�s farm learn from one another. From an abandoned dog to a seven legged spider, the animals on Wooffer�s farm live their lives in harmony by resolving their differences and coming to the aid of one another. When dilemmas come to the any of the creatures dwelling there, Wooffer steps up as the hero and finds solutions with the help of his Mom, Ms Fasig.

Ms. ...

3 Ways to bring down gas prices

rainbow689 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:23:03 GMT

Check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOpcPfAarjY

Am I an Alien?

Sue Sunshine — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:29:35 GMT

The day for me started at 1:30p.m. I didn't go to bed until almost 10a.m. My sleep patterns are so different from everyone else's. I have been this way since 7th and 8th grade. I am definitely a night owl. I prefer, when I worked full-time outside the home, to work 2nd or graveyard shifts. I could come home at 6:00 or 7:00a.m. and go right to sleep. I am up all night. Sometimes I read novels or do jigsaw puzzles. I just can't get to sleep. When I finally go to bed I go to sleep the ...

Headlines that shouldn't have happened

Dick Stodghill — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:13:57 GMT

It takes a special talent to write headlines. During my long newspaper career it was a talent missing from my makeup. Don't get me wrong; I could write beautiful headlines, but if the count was nineteen mine were twenty. You cannot make a twenty count headline fit in a space limited to nineteen.

That was OK because reporters don't write headlines. Editors do that. Sometimes the headline leaves something to be desired, so who do the readers blame for it? The reporter who wrote the story, ...

Knocking at the golden gate

dtpollard — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:45:39 GMT

The author did all that was asked and now could not wait

Manuscript in hand, query letter, etal he awaited his fate

Now he stood in awe at the mighty golden publisher's gate

He waited and waited, this delay would certainly make him late

Once, twice three times he knocked with all of his might

A small bespeckled woman answered that was half his height

Who are you the author asked as he adjusted his sight

I am the gatekeeper agent and to gain my favor is your first fight

Go hone you craft ...

Keep writing....

Jenny — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:45:11 GMT

Just one more reason to keep writing and improving your technique!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2008006552&zsection_id=2002119537&slug=bookpressure22&date=20080622

What made you smile today?

Forest Elf — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:41:46 GMT

I think we all experience those moments where we are going along in our day ... and suddenly we hear or see something that just makes us gasp in delight and then smile.

Right?

That happened to me the other night when I was driving in Florida. I was just cruising along listening both to the XM radio and the voices in my head ... when a tiny light along the side of the road caught my eye. Then another appeared ... then another.

They were FIREFLIES!!! I LOVE fireflies. And they were everywhere ...

Indiana Judge Dismisses Store Registration Law

zadaconnaway — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:54:52 GMT

From this morning's Publisher's Weekly virtual edition:

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression took a victory yesterday when a federal judge dismissed an Indiana law requiring retailers to register "sexually explicit" material with the state. (subject of a previous post)

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6575036.html?nid=2286&source=title&rid=1609285953

I've been interviewed beneath the covers!!!

rainbow689 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:27:45 GMT

Yes indeedy-doo I have been interviewed by Carol beneath the covers

http://www.myshelf.com/beneaththecovers/column.htm

The Hockey Farmer

fdevji — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:13:36 GMT

Growing up in Cochrane, Alberta�a large town located 22 km west of

Calgary�Logan Watt�s life consisted of essentially two things: Farming

and Hockey� Well naturally there was room for girls somewhere in his

busy schedule, too. And Logan wouldn�t have it any other way. After

getting passed up on by all 30 teams in the National Hockey League

Entry Draft, Logan took on a new project for the upcoming summer: the

rehabilitation of the legendary family farm. Little did he know that

this ...

An agent files suit

Dick Stodghill — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:34:25 GMT

Don't miss the Publishers Weekly morning report story about an agent filing suit against a number of websites, including AbsoluteWrite.

First Five Star Member!

Shelagh — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:14:16 GMT

Congratulations Zada!

How do I insert a photo into a post

Betty Fasig — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:14:03 GMT

I wanted to put into a post a colored pencil drawing that Julie Larose has done of Wooffer and Sara and Jazzmin. It is so lovely.

How do I do that?

Love,

Betty

The War in Iraq

Abe F. March — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:16:47 GMT

In addition to the troops, the worlds largest private army is operating in Iraq under the guise of private security firms. Recently we heard about the private security firm Blackwater operating and how they operate with little or no restrictions. Our government, as well as the UK, use private security firms to circumvent the need for more troops. Funding of these private security forces are costing hundreds of millions of tax dollars. Some of the security improvements that are attributed ...

Saving Energy

P. Gordon Kennedy — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:50:58 GMT

In these times, it is very important for all of us to conserve energy resources. Here's a little food for thought. If you run a 100 watt incandescant bulb four hours a day every day and your electricity costs $0.10 per kilowatt hour, you'll spend $14.40 a year on electricity just to light that one bulb! And if your incandescant bulbs last about 750 hours and cost $0.60 each, you'll need two per year, bringing tha total anual coat of running the light to $15.60 and that's just one light, think ...

Amazon putting the squeeze on POD publishers!!

zadaconnaway — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:12:16 GMT

If your POD book appears on Amazon, your 'buy ' button has probably disappeared. Read about it here:

http://writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/004597_03272008.html

7,000 and rising!

zadaconnaway — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:25:52 GMT

I just checked, and it is almost 11:30 a.m., pacific daylight time on Tues. June 3. We are at 7,000 posts, and climbing! Good work, everyone!

Avatars

P. Gordon Kennedy — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:56:52 GMT

I'm starting this thread as a place where we can talk about the interesting stories behind our avatars how we created them and why we chose them. Mine dates from about a year ago. It was actually taken as an "experimental" picture, it was not originally intended to amount to anything, but when I saw it I really liked it. The picture has since gone on to be my author picture and my avatar on several web sites. Depending on how I view things it is either my favorite or second favorite ...

OK Then - New Member, checking in

Celia Hayes — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:29:59 GMT

I have two books published - one of them a memoir about my eccentric family "Our Grandpa Was an Alien" which I wrote because people who liked the nostalgia bits that I had on the website "The Daily Brief" liked them so much. The second book I meant to be a historical novel set on the American frontier - which most everyone classifies as a Western (sigh)

- "To Truckee's Trail" ... so, what the heck. It's set in the old West, but it is oneof those splendid stories that no one has ever heard about. ...

A Bad Day at the Falls of the Cuyahoga

Dick Stodghill — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:21:09 GMT

Some days it doesn't pay to roll out of bed in the morning. June 18 started out OK but it has been all downhill since my first sip of Irish Breakfast Tea. With Jackie away shopping I did the thing I hate most, answered the telephone. It was my step-daughter in Indiana saying her husband was in the hospital for a heart cauterization - a word I can't spell and am not about to look up.

Then Jackie fell as she was about to enter our building's back door. A cut finger was the worst of the damage, ...

This happened yesterday.

Karina — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:17:02 GMT

You know the saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

Yesterday I was chatting to a tourist, we then got on to the subjects of books and I mention I was an author with two published books. It turns out this lady works for a big newspaper in Ireland, The Independant ( I think). She's taken my card and is going to speak to one of her workers, about me.

She's says my books are very marketable, as am I. She knows I'm hunting for an agent, and she also mentioned how the newspaper prints ...

why am i paying tax to the US government on my advance?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:28:17 GMT

hi

this is my first post. i have my advance from mcGraw hill an american company and it has 30% "federal tax" taken off it!

i don't remember reading any thing about that in the contract and i wasn't expecting it since i live in England.

thanks for your advice

What do authors have to give?

Malcolm — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:25:46 GMT

This morning, I read an author's post about the use of social networking sites for the sale of books--or anything else.

The bottom line, at such places as Facebook and MySpace, she said, was that one had to give and give and give before people trusted them enough to buy their book--or whatever.

No doubt, a lot of what one has to give is oneself, and one can give that by reading other people's posts and leaving comments at the bottom of them. From a marketing standpoint, though, people ...

Zada Connaway

Shelagh — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:27:33 GMT

Reply to Zada here.

The Sad State of Baseball

Dick Stodghill — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:37:00 GMT

This will be the last year for an exhibition baseball game as part of the Hall of Fame inductions at Cooperstown. Why? Because the players made it part of their agreement with the owners.

This hardly comes as a surprise considering the overwhelming number of overpaid, under-talented loafers in the major leagues today. Big money and long-term contracts spoiled what once was the greatest game of all. I quit watching the major leaguers years ago when the players quit going all out on every ...

Gentle Thoughts

zadaconnaway — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:05:13 GMT

Gentle Thoughts for Today--

Birds of a feather flock together and then crap on your car.

When I'm feeling down, I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement .

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are ' ...

Rainbow's Elvis avatar's secret revealed

lin — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:06:59 GMT

My Quandary - How to Support Each Other's Books

Malcolm — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:32:08 GMT

Like most people who read a lot of books, I've usually blown my yearly book budget by mid-February.

This makes it hard to support the books of the writers I meet here, on Author's Den, MySpace and in various blogging communities.

If we all lived in the same town, we could trade books around and then go leave reviews on barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. Obviously, this isn't feasible for members of this forum since lending books by mail, sometimes internationally, would cost a lot for ...

Just a little message from Carol

Carol Troestler — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:46:25 GMT

I just wanted to tell you that my mother, whom I mentioned on another thread, died last night. She was 93 and we were there along with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She lived a good long life.

Carol

Omar Tyree Retires from Urban Literature

dtpollard — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:56:47 GMT

This is an interesting article. Tyree says he through with Urban Lit. The main reason seems to be that the genre is now calling the shots. Retailers are even getting into how gritty the title sounds as it relates to sales. This is the link to his article:

http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/06/street-lit-000748.php

Has this author's readership pool been conditioned to expect one type of product that blurs out the talent of the individual author? Is this the first step in a return to a ...

Thoughts With You

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:23:11 GMT

Hi, Carol,

I'm sorry to hear of your sad news. My thoughts will be with you in the days ahead. Rejoice in your memories, for memories and time will help you get through.

Mary

Abe March

Dick Stodghill — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:14:16 GMT

Had a call from Abe March this morning. He's heading home to Germany this Thursday. Abe is a wise and knowledgable man, but everybody here knows that already.

Presidential campaign and candidates

Abe F. March — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:36:10 GMT

I for one am fed up with the campaign for President and all the crap the candidates have been feeding us. I think what it will boil down to is voting for the �less worse� candidate.

The Democrats seem to be on a course of self-destruct. When you throw dirt you lose ground � and they are both guilty of that. The lone Republican will most likely be signing his own death warrant if he succeeds in becoming President. The pressures of the job at his age is a serious health factor. In any ...

Jackie Collins vs. 'The Shack'

Malcolm — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:07:05 GMT

In publishing, we love the underdog while supporting the big name. How sweet it is, then, to learn that in a world run rampant by authors like Jackie Collins, there's still room for authors like William Paul Young.

Granted, the multiple high-impact photographs of Collins in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution got considerably more space than the one low key photograph of Young.

Their stories in this morning's paper are a beautiful study in contrasts. Collins, who was famous before ...

ONE OF OUR FRIENDS IS UNDERGOING HEART SURGERY

E. Don Harpe — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:27:49 GMT

For those of you who know or have corresponded with Alice Crooker, I thought I'd pass along that she will be undergoing triple bypass surgery this coming Thursday, and if you are a person who believes in prayer, please put her on you list for the upcoming days.

Alice has been a friend to both Dick and myself, as well as a lot of others, and has often been banned from boards for speaking her mind about what she sees as something being done wrong. I've found her to be smart, witty, very outspoken, ...

Kindle books on Amazon

A Ahad — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:20:33 GMT

Have any authors here much experience of getting a kindle edition of a paperback book? I can see an obvious benefit in that, compared to a publish america title, a kindle edition retails on Amazon a few dollars cheaper.

Is it worth a go?

funny southern tote bag

madhatter — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:28:03 GMT

Last year at a writers conference, I had a bit of a disagreement with a fellow on the use or overuse of adjectives in southern fiction. I had him laughing, but I still don't think he GOT me.

So, this year, I have designed a tote bag to take along. It is hot pink with a little cat logo....and it reads....

"A southern fiction author without adjectives is like a warm cathead biscuit without melted creamy butter and smooth sweet cane syrup."

Let's see how many comments I get ...

Received request for a partial!!

Jenny — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:33:59 GMT

Cross your fingers everyone, Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency has requested a partial from me!!!

Period or Question Mark

Sue Sunshine — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:18:07 GMT

In the following sentences does one use a question mark or a period?

"As I read and realized I was still struggling with two year old issues, I wondered why "

"While blogging I came across a question that I have had before: to use a period or question mark "

I figured since we have been discussing semicolons I would throw this at you, too.

Thanks for the help!

Back from book event burnout

dtpollard — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:47:48 GMT

I have just completed my first two book events this year after not trying to book anything for half of the year. I burned myself out on doing too many last year. I just didn't want to do any live signings. Now I'm starting to feel like getting back out. Today I booked an event at a Barnes and Noble close to my home and will book some more.

Has anyone else just become tapped out on activity and put themselves on ice with their books?

www.DTPollard.com

Getting Rid of Nuclear Waste

P. Gordon Kennedy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:21:08 GMT

Nuclear energy has tremendous potential and should be exploited. A tiny amount of nuclear fuel can produce an incredibly large amount of electricity. Nuclear power, as we know, produces highly radioactive byproducts that must be disposed of. One option that should be pursued is the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Reprocessing of spent fuel reduces the amount of radioactive waste and by reusing the fuel, we can extract several times more energy from it. Even with reprocessing, there still ...

Modern life and the semicolon

Carol Troestler — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:35:05 GMT

Just a little interesting info about punctuation:

http://www.slate.com/id/2194087

The Self Publishing Experience

Malcolm — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:25:37 GMT

Here's an interesting site featuring authors' self publishing experiences. The best of them end up saying here's what worked and here's what didn't work. It costs nothing to share your story and a bit of advice. You can't use your space to promote your book, but you can upload a picture of the cover and a website link:

http://www.shared-self-publishing.com/index.html

Malcolm

Badges and Boxes

Sue Sunshine — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:40:33 GMT

Ok, I think I am now ready to put up the badges and boxes to support my forums. I want to put up the ones for Published Authors first. However, I have absolutely no idea how to do it even though I have read the information on how to do it. My mind just won't wrap around their instructions.

I want to put it on my blog at wordpress http://www.weavingdreamspublishing.com/authorblog1

and

on MySpace, Facebook, Sisterwoman, and a website.

So if someone could help me it would be appreciated!

Thanks!