Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Prince William Spends a Night on a London Street - Sphere News

Prince William Spends a Night on a London Street - Sphere News

This interested me particularly because the article was published a day after a group of my author friends did a seven hour short story-reading marathon to raise funds for the Detroit Capuchin Soup Kitchen

Four of us will be doing a second fundraiser, just for two hours, with three complete short stories on my regular "Crazy Tuesday" radio show at ten a.m. Eastern on Tuesday January 5th 2010 on PIVTR

Monday, December 21, 2009

Ten Romance Authors Read Complete Short Stories to Raise Donations

Tomorrow afternoon and evening (that is Tuesday December 22nd 2009) ten of my author friends will be reading their own short stories aloud on Internet Voices Radio (PIVTR) and we hope that listeners who enjoy the entertainment will donate to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in downtown Detroit.

Reading times: 2pm to 4pm, 5.30 to 7.30 pm, 9.00pm to 11.00pm

There will be carol singing led by a Detroit opera star from 4.30 to 5.00 pm (check the PIVTR for precise times).

Authors involved (alphabetically by first name):
Brenna Lyons, Cindy Spencer Pape, Cornelia Amiri, Jade Lee, Lillian Cauldwell, Loretta Wheeler, Linda LaRoque, Linda Nightingale, Mickey Flagg, Sandy Lender, Victoria Houseman,



To Listen Live (on Tuesday afternoon and evening)
http://internetvoicesradio.com
Enter
In the Black Box, click on "Listen Live"
Sign in (there's a box for that)
Listen and Enjoy

To enter chat room
http://internetvoicesradio.com
Look on the lower right under "In The Spot Light"
Live Chat Room... click on that.

To set up an RSS feed (to listen on mobile)
RSS feeds
click on middle box RSS/PODCAST
Put "Soup" into description
Pay $3.50
Your donation will be acknowledged.


To donate to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen with or without listening
either:
PAYPAL
lsaracauldwell@gmail.com
Memo "Soup"

or:
visit http://www.cskdetroit.org
Click on Click_And_Pledge or Donate Online
to donate using a credit card (This is a https ... secure site)


The phone number for text messages is: 734-277-2733
For Soup Kitchen pledges for the interest and encouragement of the authors who are reading, and for short messages how much you like the stories etc.

Further details... please forgive me for not editing.

Cindy Spencer Pape
Story title: Christmas at Mort's
available for free on Cindy's website, as a holiday gift to her readers.
http://www.cindyspencerpape.com
Book I'm promoting: Mistletoe Magic: available in print from Ellora's Cave


Victoria Houseman
My story is: Rachel’s Light in Holiday in the Heart published by The Highland Press. It’s 20 pages.
I write under Victoria Houseman. My website is: http://www.victoriahouseman.com


Loretta Wheeler
http://www.lorettawheeler.com
http://www.lreveaux.com
http://www.myspace.com/southernnuances


Brenna Lyons
http://www.brennalyons.com http://www.myspace.com/brennalyons
"I found the world Ms. Lyons created to be realistic. Both main characters had humanistic characteristics but also the genetic makeup of their Xxanian ancestors as well. I blushed more than once, that’s for sure. CLOSE ENOUGH TO HUMAN was an exceptional read." Reviewed by Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies 4.5 Ribbons


Linda Nightingale
http://www.lindanightingale.com
http://www.pinkfuzzyslipperwriters.blogspot.com
a Black Rosette, Black Swan
Available from The Wild Rose Press
Best of Week at The Long & Short of It Reviews


Linda LaRoque (the Roque is pronounced like the Roque Roquefort cheese)
~Writing Western Romance with a Twist in Time~

Reading: Goat Heads and Yellow Roses - Childhood Memories of Visiting Grandma in the 1950s. Unpublished.
Website: http://www.lindalaroque.com
Promoting: Time Travel Romances - My Heart Will Find Yours and Flames On The Sky available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble. com and The Wild Rose Press. And Contemporary Western Romances - Forever Faithful, Investment of the Heart, and When The Ocotillo Bloom at online bookstores and Champagne Books.



Mickey Flagg
http://www.Mflagg-author.com
Retribution! The Champion Chronicles:Book One
Available at www.thewildrosepress.com
"I am very anxious for the sequel" 5 star reader review
Coming soon: Consequences: The Champion Chronicles Book Two


Sandy Lender
"A Legacy Protected." from Sandy Lender, Author of Choices Meant for Gods

What you've been waiting for!
ArcheBooks Publishing has released the intense sequel Choices Meant for Kings at http://tinyurl.com/CMFKamazon Also in Kindle format at http://tinyurl.com/CMFKkindle

Visit http://www.authorsandylender.com
"Some days, you just want the dragon to win."


Cornelia Amiri
Long Swords, Hot Heroes & Warrior Women
http://www.myspace.com/CelticRomanceQueen.com


Lillian Cauldwell.
The Anna Mae Mysteries -- The Golden Treasure


JADE LEE

http://www.jadeleeauthor.com
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Getting Physical (Blaze) Sept 09
Dragonbound April 09
The Concubine (Blaze historical) Feb 09


Your host:
Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
Heroines get more hero than they bargain for....

--------------------------

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Authors Guild on Random House (repost)

I occasionally repost info that interests me, and that I think may interest some of my friends and colleagues. Here's the text of an email I just received, which granted blanket permission to repost, retweet, and forward.

The advice about sitting on ebook rights (and not rushing to grant them to Amazon!) interests me, not that I ever had a contract with Random House, because I have retained all my e-book rights with the exception of a license granted to New Concepts Publishing with regard to Mating Net, and an exclusive arrangement I have with Cy Korte of Ebookisle.net for the e-version of Forced Mate.

On Friday, Random House CEO Markus Dohle sent a two-page letter to many literary agents regarding e-books. Much of the letter is devoted to Random House's efforts and investments to market traditional and electronic books.

On the second page, Mr. Dohle gets to the point. After noting that most of Random House's backlist titles grant the publisher electronic book rights (we agree, since most backlist titles are from the past ten years, a period in which authors have generally licensed electronic rights in tandem with their print rights), he writes that "there have been some misunderstandings concerning ebook rights in older backlist titles." He then proceeds to argue that older contracts granting rights to publish "in book form" or "in all editions" grant electronic rights to Random House.

The misunderstandings reside entirely with Random House. Random House quite famously changed its standard contract to include e-book rights in 1994. (We remember it well -- Random House tried to secure these rights for royalties of 5% of net proceeds, a pittance. We called it a "Land Grab on the Electronic Frontier" in our press release headline.) Random House felt the need to change its contract, quite plainly, because its authors did not grant those rights to it under Random House's standard contracts prior to 1994.

A fundamental principle of book contracts is that the grant of rights is limited. Publishers acquire only the rights that they bargain for; authors retain rights they have not expressly granted to publishers. E-book rights, under older book contracts, were retained by the authors.

There's no need to take our word for this, however. A federal court in 2001 examined this precise matter in Random House v. Rosetta Books. Judge Stein of the Southern District of New York was unequivocal in his 10-page decision: authors did not grant publishers the e-book rights in the old book contracts at issue. Judge Stein specifically dismissed notions, raised by Mr. Dohle in his letter to agents, that the non-compete clauses of these old contracts in some manner acted to grant Random House electronic rights to the works, saying that this "reasoning turns the analysis on its head." The court pointed out that the license of rights comes solely from the contract's grant language, not from the non-compete clause, and that non-competition clauses, to be enforceable, have to be narrowly construed. Using the non-compete clause to secure future rights is unsustainable. An appellate court affirmed Judge Stein's decision.

We are sympathetic with the difficult position the publishing industry is in at the moment. The recession has been tough on book publishing, as it has been on many industries. And everyone with knowledge of the dynamics of the industry properly fears that Amazon's dominance of the online markets for traditional and especially e-books will give it a chokehold on industry profits. Difficult times, however, do not justify this attempt at a retroactive rights grab.

It's regrettable and unhelpful that Random House has chosen to try to intimidate authors and agents over these old book contracts. With such a weak legal hand, it would be well advised to stick to its strength -- the advantages that its marketing muscle can provide owners of e-book rights. It should also start offering a fair royalty for those rights. Authors and publishers have traditionally split the proceeds from book sales. Most sublicenses, for example, provide for a 50/50 split of proceeds, and the standard trade book royalty of 15% of the hardcover retail price, back in the days that industry standard was established, represented about 50% of the net proceeds of the sale of the book. We're confident that the current practice of paying 25% of net on e-books will not, in the long run, prevail. Savvy agents are well aware of this. The only reason e-book royalty rates are so low right now is that so little attention has been paid to them: sales were simply too low to scrap over. That's beginning to change.

If you have an old book contract in which you haven't granted e-book rights, patience is likely to pay off. The e-book industry is still young -- there's no need to jump in. And we strongly suspect e-royalty rates are at a low-water mark.

---------
Feel free to forward, post or tweet. Here's a short URL for linking: http://www.tiny.cc/C439s

Monday, December 14, 2009

Google Book Settlement

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
Supplemental Notice To Authors, Publishers And Other Book Rightsholders About The Google Book Settlement

The parties in Authors Guild, et al. v. Google Inc . announced a settlement of the litigation in October 2008 and sent out a Notice of that settlement (the “Original Settlement”). The parties have now amended the Original Settlement in response to discussions with the United States Department of Justice and objections to the Original Settlement (the “Amended Settlement”). The Amended Settlement Agreement (“ASA”), as well as the original Settlement Agreement and the original Notice, may be found at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com or obtained from the Settlement Administrator.

This Supplemental Notice is not designed to replace the original Notice, but rather, to supplement that Notice. This Supplemental Notice identifies:

1. The material amendments to the Original Settlement,
2. Your rights under the Amended Settlement, and
3. The date of the fairness hearing scheduled to determine whether the Amended Settlement should be granted final approval.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The deadline to claim Books and Inserts for Cash Payments has been extended from January 5, 2010 to March 31, 2011. The Removal deadline as to Google has been extended from April 5, 2011 to March 9, 2012. (The Removal deadline as to the libraries’ digital copies remains April 5, 2011.)

Summary of Amendments to the Original Settlement

1. Amended Settlement Class. The definition of Books has been narrowed. As a consequence, many class members under the Original Settlement are no longer class members under the Amended Settlement.

Rightsholders Who Are Included in the Amended Settlement Class

* For United States works, the definition of Books remains largely unchanged: United States works must have been published and registered with the United States Copyright Office by January 5, 2009 to be included in the Amended Settlement.
* Under the Amended Settlement, however, if the works are not United States works, they are only included in the Amended Settlement if they were published by January 5, 2009 and either were registered with the U.S. Copyright Office by that date or their place of publication was in Canada, the United Kingdom (“UK”) or Australia.

As a result of the narrowing of the definition of Books, the scope of Inserts has been narrowed as well.

Please note that you may be a member of the Amended Settlement Class even if you do not reside in the United States, Canada, the UK or Australia. If your work meets the criteria above, then you are a member of the Amended Settlement Class regardless of where you reside and regardless of where else your work may also have been published. (ASA Section 1.19)

A work will be considered to have a place of publication in Canada, the UK or Australia if its printed copy contains information indicating that the place of publication was in one of those three countries. Such information may include, for example, a statement that the book was “Published in [Canada or the UK or Australia],” or the location or address of the publisher in one of those three countries.

Rightsholders Who Are Not Included in the Amended Settlement Class

As a result of these amendments, if the only United States copyright interests you own are in works that were not either (a) published and registered with the United States Copyright Office by January 5, 2009 or (b) published in Canada, the UK or Australia by that date, you are not a member of the Amended Settlement Class, even if you were a member of the original Settlement Class.

If you are not a member of the Amended Settlement Class, you will not be eligible to participate in the Amended Settlement and you will not be bound by its terms. You retain all rights to sue Google for its digitization and use of your copyrighted material without your permission. If you wish to sue Google for such digitization and use, you must do so in a separate lawsuit. Your rights may be affected by laws limiting the time within which you may bring such a suit. If you are interested in bringing a lawsuit against Google, you should consult your own attorney.

If you were a class member under the Original Settlement, but are not a class member under the Amended Settlement, you should visit http://books.google.com/books-partner-options in order to learn about Google’s current policies with respect to the removal of your works from its databases, as well as Google’s interest in making your works accessible in models similar to those in the Amended Settlement under similar terms.

2. Commercially Available. The Amended Settlement clarifies that a Book is Commercially Available if it is being offered for sale new by a seller anywhere in the world to a buyer in the United States, Canada, the UK or Australia. (ASA Section 1.31)

The Amended Settlement now provides that Google will not display any Book it classifies as not Commercially Available for at least 60 days after the date of that classification, or the Effective Date, whichever is later. The Amended Settlement also now provides that, if a Rightsholder asserts that a Book is Commercially Available, Google will not display the Book unless Google successfully challenges that assertion in a dispute. (ASA Sections 3.2(d)(i) and 3.3(a))

3. Representation of Canadian, UK and Australian Rightsholders on the Board of the Registry. The Amended Settlement provides that the Board of the Book Rights Registry (the “Registry”) will, at a minimum, have one author and publisher director each from Canada, the UK and Australia. (ASA Section 6.2(b)(ii))

4. Monitoring for Rightsholders Outside the United States. Because the services authorized by the Amended Settlement will be unavailable to users outside the United States, the Registry will, upon request, monitor Google’s use of Books and Inserts to ensure that they conform to the requirements of the Amended Settlement and to Rightsholders’ instructions, and will attempt to provide a means for such Rightsholders themselves to monitor and verify their claimed Books and Inserts. (ASA Section 6.1(f))

5. Dispute Resolution Optional For Rightsholders. The Amended Settlement now provides that Rightsholders may agree not to arbitrate disputes between or among them under the dispute resolution mechanism in the Amended Settlement. In addition, Rightsholders (but not Google) can elect to participate in any arbitration by teleconference or videoconference in order to save travel costs. (ASA Sections 9.1(a) and 9.3(a))

6. Independent Representation For Rightsholders of Unclaimed Books and Inserts. The Registry will include a fiduciary who will have the responsibility for representing the interests of Rightsholders with respect to the exploitation of unclaimed Books and Inserts. (ASA Section 6.2(b)(iii))

7. Unclaimed Books and Inserts and Unclaimed Funds. The Amended Settlement clarifies that, from its inception, the Registry will use settlement funds to attempt to locate Rightsholders. The Amended Settlement also now provides that funds owed to Rightsholders of unclaimed Books and Inserts (“Unclaimed Funds”) will not be used by the Registry for general operations or reserves and will not be distributed to claiming Rightsholders. The Amended Settlement makes the following changes to the Original Settlement: (a) after Unclaimed Funds are held for five years, the Registry, in collaboration with organizations in Canada, the UK and Australia, and in consultation with the fiduciary, may use up to 25% of the funds for the sole purpose of locating Rightsholders; and (b) remaining Unclaimed Funds will be held for the Rightsholders for at least 10 years, after which the Registry, subject to fiduciary approval as to timing, may apply to the Court for permission to distribute Unclaimed Funds to literacy-based charities in the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia, upon notice to Rightsholders, the attorneys general of all states in the United States and Fully Participating and Cooperating Libraries. (ASA Section 6.3)

8. Commitment to Improving Claiming Process and Website. The Amended Settlement provides that the Registry and Google (for as long as Google continues to provide operational support for the Registry) will maintain and improve the Settlement Website to facilitate the claiming of Books and Inserts. Google will also work to correct errors in the Books Database. (ASA Section 13.3)

9. Additional Revenue Models. The Amended Settlement now limits the potential new revenue models to the following three additional Revenue Models, which must be approved by the Registry:

1. Print-on demand (“POD”),
2. File download (formerly “PDF Download”), and
3. Consumer subscription.

The Amended Settlement limits POD, if approved, to Books that are not Commercially Available. In addition, the Amended Settlement specifies that the revenue split between Google and Rightsholders as to the additional Revenue Models will be the same as for the existing Revenue Models.

Finally, the Amended Settlement provides that Rightsholders of claimed works (and the fiduciary for unclaimed works) will be given timely advance notice before an additional Revenue Model is launched, with an opportunity to exclude works from that model. (ASA Section 4.7)

10. Agreeing to Different Revenue Splits for Commercially Available Books. For Commercially Available Books, the Amended Settlement provides that either Google or the Rightsholder will have the ability to request renegotiation of the 63/37 standard revenue split for any or all revenue models. If they cannot reach an agreement, then neither of the parties is obligated to offer the Rightsholder’s Books in the revenue models. (ASA Section 4.5(a)(iii))

11. Discounting off Consumer Purchase List Price. Google will now have an unlimited right to discount the List Price of Books for Consumer Purchase, so long as it continues to pay 63% of the undiscounted List Price to the Registry for Rightsholders. The Registry may also authorize Google to make special offers of Books for Consumer Purchase at reduced prices from the List Price and pay 63% of the discounted List Price to the Registry for Rightsholders. Claiming Rightsholders (and the fiduciary for unclaimed Books), however, will be notified of this reduced price proposal and can disapprove it for their (or unclaimed) Books. (ASA Sections 4.5(b)(i) and (ii))

12. Resale of Consumer Purchase. The Amended Settlement requires that Google allow third parties to sell consumer access to Books offered through Consumer Purchase, with the reseller receiving a majority of Google’s 37% share of the revenue split. (ASA Section 4.5(b)(v))

13. Non-discrimination Clause (i.e., “Most Favored Nations” clause). Section 3.8(a) of the Original Settlement has been eliminated from the Amended Settlement.

14. Settlement Controlled Pricing. The Amended Settlement clarifies that the Pricing Algorithm used to establish the Settlement Controlled Prices for Consumer Purchase will be developed to simulate the prices in a competitive market and that the price for a Book will be established without regard to changes to the price of any other Book. The Amended Settlement also clarifies that the Registry will not disclose the Settlement Controlled Price for a Book to anyone other than the Book’s Rightsholders. (ASA Sections 4.2(b)(i)(2), 4.2(c)(ii)(2) and 4.2(c)(iii))

15. Modification of Feature Restrictions. Rightsholders may authorize Google to modify or remove the Amended Settlement’s default restrictions on Revenue Model features, such as copy/paste and print. (ASA Section 3.3(g))

16. Registry Support for Alternative Licenses (Including Creative Commons). The Amended Settlement provides that the Registry will facilitate Rightsholders’ wishes to allow their works to be made available through alternative licenses for Consumer Purchase, including through a Creative Commons license. For information about Creative Commons licenses, visit http://www.creativecommons.org. The Amended Settlement also clarifies that Rightsholders are free to set the Consumer Purchase price of their Books at zero. (ASA Sections 1.44, 4.2(a)(i) and 4.2(b)(i)(1))

17. Public Access Terminals. The Amended Settlement authorizes the Registry to agree to increase the number of public access terminals at a public library building. (ASA Section 4.8(a)(i)(3))

18. Pictorial Works. The Amended Settlement no longer includes children’s book illustrations in the definition of Inserts. (ASA Section 1.75) The Amended Settlement, however, does not change the inclusion of pictorial works, such as graphic novels and children’s picture books, in the definition of Books and provides that the Amended Settlement only authorizes Google to display the pictorial images in such Books if a U.S. copyright owner of the pictorial image also is a Rightsholder of the Book. The Amended Settlement also clarifies that comic books are considered to be Periodicals and that Periodicals (as well as compilations of Periodicals) are not included in the definition of “Books,” and thus are not in the Amended Settlement. (ASA Section 1.104)

19. Music Notation. The definition of Book was amended in the Amended Settlement to better achieve the parties’ goal of excluding books that are primarily used to play music. (ASA Section 1.19) Also, “music notation” is no longer included in the definition of Inserts. (ASA Section 1.75)

20. Deadline to Claim Usage and Inclusion Fees. Usage Fees will now be held for Rightsholders who have not yet claimed their Books for at least ten years and Rightsholders will now be eligible for Inclusion Fees if they claim their Books or Inserts within ten years of the Effective Date, instead of five years, in both cases as had been provided in the Original Settlement. (Plan of Allocation Sections 1.1(c), 1.2(c) and 2.2)

Your Rights Under the Amended Settlement Agreement

Members of the Amended Settlement Class have the following options:
If you… Then… Deadline
Wish to remain in the Amended Settlement Class (if you did not previously opt out of the Original Settlement) You need not do anything at this time. N/A
Wish to remain in the Amended Settlement Class and wish to be eligible to receive a Cash Payment for any Book or Insert scanned on or before May 5, 2009 but haven’t yet claimed your Books and Inserts You must submit a claim by using the Claim Form, available at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com or from the Settlement Administrator. March 31, 2011
Have already claimed Books and Inserts using the Claim Form You need not take any additional steps at this time with respect to those Books and Inserts. N/A
Opted out of the Original Settlement, and wish to remain opted out of the Amended Settlement You need not – and should not – opt out again. Your opting out of the Original Settlement will serve as an opt-out of the Amended Settlement as well. N/A
Did not opt out of the Original Settlement but wish to opt out of the Amended Settlement You may do so by following the instructions in the original Notice and at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com. January 28, 2010
Opted out of the Original Settlement and wish to opt back in to the Amended Settlement You may do so by notifying the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel or by filling out the “Opt-Back-In Form” at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com. January 28, 2010
Wish to file an objection to the terms of the Amended Settlement If you have not opted out, you may file an objection by following the instructions in the original Notice and at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com .

At this time, you may only object to the provisions amending the Original Settlement.

All objections filed in connection with the Original Settlement are preserved unless withdrawn and should not be refiled. January 28, 2010
Wish to appear and be heard at the Fairness Hearing and have not yet filed a Notice of Intent to Appear You must file a Notice of Intent to Appear by following the instructions in the original Notice and at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com. February 4, 2010

Rescheduled Date of the Fairness Hearing

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on February 18, 2010 at 10 A.M. in Courtroom 11A of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, to consider whether the Amended Settlement, as set forth in the ASA, is fair, adequate and reasonable. Please review the original Notice for further information concerning participation in the Fairness Hearing.

If you have any questions concerning this Supplemental Notice or the Amended Settlement, please contact Class Counsel, or the Settlement Administrator, whose contact information may be found in the original Notice or at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com. You may also contact the Settlement Administrator at:

Google Book Search Settlement Administrator
c/o Rust Consulting, Inc.
PO Box 9364
Minneapolis, MN 55440-9364
+1.612.359.8600 (Tolls may apply. Toll-free numbers are available at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com.)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

I can't save the world from Climate Change

I tried when I was twenty eight years old. I purchased an acre of Rainforest. Well, I dare say that was about as much of a scam as if --instead-- I'd bought a star and named it after myself!

No doubt, my certificate of ownership of an acre of rainforest wasn't worth diddlysquat even then, and the locals burned down "my plot" long ago.

Sigh.

However, if President Obama's administration is determined to use American taxpayer dollars to save the planet... here's how the might of America might work where my little plot failed.

In Copenhagen, do not give money to people or governments without strings. Buy Rainforest acres from some of them. Buy enough that it can be observed from satellites, every day, from orbit. If it starts to smoke, send in the troops to defend our purchase and our lawful, paid-for property.

Buy Rainforest for a fair price, like America bought Lousiana and California and other parts of the New World. Moreover, if we want to save the climate, let's encourage homeowners in America to plant trees. Let's encourage businesses, townships, cities, states... Where people cannot live, or where they've abandoned their homes and their lots, (Detroit? New Orleans?) plant trees.

Maybe... like we buy bricks with our name on in a wall at the zoo or wherever to honor someone, we could voluntarily (us citizens of the world) sponsor a tree somewhere, or an acre of an icefield, or a living garden in a coral reef.

If we want to donate, let's make it personal. I don't mind sponsoring a tree or a polar bear, no matter what my opinion of the science.

Rowena Cherry

The Latest IP Crime: "Box-Wrap" Patent Infringement. Copyfight: the politics of IP

I just happened upon this blog, and even if it is from 2005, I think it is an interesting idea. Maybe books should come in shrinkwrap with a contract printed on the foil!


The Latest IP Crime: "Box-Wrap" Patent Infringement. Copyfight: the politics of IP


Shrug!
There are some great articles on this blog.

Rowena

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Blog Hopping is one of 25 Ways To Create Buzz

All authors for the purpose of this article will be considered female. (No sexism intended).

#1. Help the search engines find her. Why? Even if you know where to find your friend, her blog, and her books, “hits” help. The more visitors the search engine spiders find, the more priority the author's website gets. Blog hopping is good. The more visitors, the better.

So: Google her. Ask Jeeves about her. Dogpile her. A9 search her. Use Alexa. Try a Yahoo search. Blog search. Search on Technorati. Even better, set up a Google Alert for her name, also common misspellings of her name, and for her book titles.

#2. Having “Searched” or been "Alerted", Visit… her website; blogs; author pages. If you may comment, do so. Everyone who takes the time to blog or post content is grateful when visitors comment. Human nature leads more people to read a post that has received a lot of comments.

#3 Follow. Favorite. Share. Google's Blogger, Twitter, Facebook "Pages", Squidoo lenses, You Tube videos and more allow you to become a follower or a fan. Do so. Connect wherever you can. It's good for both of you, because follower/fan photos show up.

#4 Click to read (and rate) any reviews she has written, or Lists she has set up. These days, anyone can make an EssentiaList on Barnes and Noble.com, a Listmania on Amazon.com, a Top Ten list on Chapters.Indigo.ca, also Listopia on GoodReads.com/ If you like her reviews or lists, click Helpful.

#5. If you see a good review of a book you've enjoyed—on any bookselling site that allows customers and visitors to comment on reviews-- click Helpful if it truly is a helpful review. Votes help both the reviewer and the author.

#6. Tag her books wherever you can. Amazon isn't the only place (Amazon isn't even one site… there's Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de etc etc) Many book selling sites encourage readers to tag.

What is a tag? It's a search term that a reader might be using to find a type of book she likes, when she is looking for a new author. Some tags might be "Romance", "Fantasy", "Mystery", "Shapeshifter", "Georgian Romance", "Humor" or "Space Opera" or "SFR".

#7. When you are on an admired author's Amazon book page, click on links to:
Put it on your wish list, it’s extra, free advertising for the book. Tell a friend. Scroll down the book page to Tag this product. Or make a search suggestion).

#8. Join in the Customer/Reader discussions on her book page, or on the forums. Ask a question. Start a discussion. Hundreds of eyeballs scan the discussions on Barnes and Noble bookclubs. The search engines pick up on the discussions. The longer a discussion keeps going, the better the PR buzz for your friend. This does not just apply to Amazon and B&N. Discussion anywhere is "buzz".

#9. Review her book… Most people know that a customer can write a review on Amazon.com. There's a purchase requirement with Amazon (and I think with Barnes and Noble, too). However, many sites don't require a reader to have bought a book from them in order to post a review: GoodReads.com, Shelfari.com, LibraryThing.com, E-Bay, Powells, FlipKart, We-Read (on Facebook), NexTag etc etc.

#10. Smak her. Have you ever noticed the "Add This" or "Share" or "Recommend" widgets on online pages and on You Tube? If you think your author friend's blog, or news about her is interesting, syndicate the news to Digg It, Reddit, Technorati, Stumble Upon, Furl and as many of the other 40 or so sites as you have time and energy for. It's self promo when she does it. It's news when someone else does it.

Smak is SmakNews.com. News for women, posted by women.

#11. If the author has a reminder on a public calendar (Amazon has one, other sites have the function, too) for a booksigning near you, click on Remind Me Too. Booksignings are nerve-racking. Support is always appreciated, even if you don’t buy a book.

#12. If she lists an "Event", which one can on Facebook, GoodReads, and too many other places to mention, be sure to RSVP with a kind comment about the book.

#13. Make her a top friend on MySpace, Bebo etc, Give her book cover image as a "gift" on Facebook, with her permission, make her cover into a widget or tile it as a background, or keep it on the top page of your Shelfari/GoodReads/MyB&N display of what you are reading.

#14. If you have a MySpace page or Bebo.com, or Twitters, or Clasmates.com, or facebook.com, or theyack.com (and if you don’t, but really want to help, get one… it’s free) invite your author friends to be your friends there. Write a bulletin about your friend or her book. Add a comment on their profile page’s comments section. Your comment is their opportunity to say something about their book without the appearance of soliciting. Review their book on your MySpace blog. Or on You Tube!

#15. If her publisher has a forum, join it and ask her questions. For instance, Dorchester Publishing (home of Leisure and LoveSpell authors) has http://forums.dorchesterpub.com/

Again, your comment will be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, and it will give your friend a reason to post something interesting and quotable about her book without seeming to be self-promoting.

#16. If you have a blog or website, (and you should always secure your own domain name before you become famous yourself) publicize your friend’s upcoming signings/author talks/workshops on your blog. Mention her website URL. Link to your author friend’s website or blog on yours. Put her book as a 'must read' on your own site, or in your own newsletter. Have a list of links to authors you like, and blogs you enjoy.

#17. If you belong to readers’ group sites, or book chat sites, or special interest sites, post what you are reading. Plugs never hurt. These are also picked up on RSS feeds and the search engines.

#18. Join your favorite author’s yahoo group, let her know where you’ve seen her book in stores, or where you’ve seen discussions of her book, or reviews of her book.

#19. Drop in on her online chats to say how you enjoyed her book. Supportive friends at chats are cool because chats can be chaotic, and typing answers takes time.

#20. Tweet on Twitter about how much you are enjoying the book. Retweet or reply to any comments you see that promote the book, or the author.

#21. Offer to take a bunch of her bookmarks to conventions, or conferences, and make sure they are put in goodie bags, or on promo tables. Or simply visit her table at a convention, and sign up for her newsletter, or pick up her bookmark and tell someone else how good the book is. Offer to slip her bookmarks into your own correspondence when you pay bills, taxes, etc.

#22. Instead of quoting Goethe in your sig file, try quoting a line from your friend’s blurb in the week of her launch.

#23. Ask for her book in your local library. If they don't have it, maybe they will order a copy. If the library won't do that, ask if they would enter the book in their system if the author were to donate a copy to them. Once a book is in one library's system, it gets into the database for other libraries.

#24. If you see your favorite author’s books in a supermarket or bookstore: face her books (if there is room), turn one so the cover shows. Tell store personnel how much you like that book, or that the author is local. If you don’t see her books, especially when they ought to be there, ask about them.




If you see an E-Book version of her book on a pirate site, or on EBay, or a Facebook group, or a Yahoogroup, tell her about it, with link. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not understand (or do not agree) that a copyright owner has sole and exclusive rights to control the reproduction and distribution of her novel or short story. It is absolutely untrue that a reader "owns" an ebook, or that a reader may copy an ebook onto a CD and sell it.
They may not.

#25. If you are connected on LinkedIn.com and your author friend is listed as "Author" or "Freelance Writer" or similar, consider "recommending her" on the strength of her writing. Recommendations on LinkedIn are intended to be for professional purposes.

Bonus Tip:
If you are an author buy colleagues' autographed books from them at booksignings to use in your own giveaways instead of always giving away your own books.


Rowena Cherry http://www.rowenacherry.com



What makes Rowena Cherry tick?
My goal as an author is to give good value…to entertain. I expect to provide my readers with six to eight hours of amusement, a couple of really good laughs, a romantic frisson or two from the sensual scenes, a thoroughly satisfying Happy Ever After, something to think about when the book is finished.



My books are:

Forced Mate (2004)
Humorous, futuristic take on "abduction" Romances


Mating Net (e-book, short, politically incorrect)
The prequel to Forced Mate.


Insufficient Mating Material (2007)
A "SURVIVORMAN" endorsed, castaway romance


Knight's Fork (2008) Political satire.
Helen of Troy in outer space seeks reluctant sperm donor.



BIO

Rowena Cherry is unreliably psychic. She has exceptionally good hearing, an eye for detail, and a near-photographic memory. And, she’s lurked and observed from some of the world’s most glamorous and privileged vantage points. Of course, she’s also incredibly discreet!

Friday, December 04, 2009

If I were Jobs Czarina, I'd save the world

In the British island of Guernsey, it used to be that if the state paid you unemployment benefits, you worked for it. You did what needed to be done, whether it was cleaning the roads or the hedgerows.... whatever you were capable of doing.

Well, President Obama's economy needs Jobs. And they want to save the Environment, and Polar Bears. And, he wants a Healthier America.

Here's what to do.

Pay able bodied men and women who are unemployed to move snow this winter. Use no chemical de-icers on coastal roads or roads in watersheds. Use manpower and woman power. Keep de-icer and salts off our roads, out of our storm sewers, out of our streams and rivers, out of the lakes and seas and oceans.

CMP won't like it. Maybe the unemployed won't like it, but the exercise will be good for them (obviously, those with heart conditions will not shovel snow), and they will be helping to save the planet.  Maybe we should all shovel a little more, and sprinkle a little less.

While we are about it, for those in warmer parts of America, clean the rivers and the beaches. Put the trash where it belongs, where it will not go out to sea and poison the fish, choke the turtles and the whales, and kill the coral reefs.

Now.... that would be a job worth doing.

Sea Change

Sea Change is what we should be talking about. Not Climate Change. Not Global warming.

The problem is the sea, and what we are putting into it. Like.... we're dumping tons of de-icer into the sea. OK, it's dirty, second hand de-icer, but what do we expect de-icer will do to ice?

De-icer comes in several chemical formulas, but it all ends up in our drains, ditches, watersheds, storm drains, runoffs, streams, rivers, estuaries, and the seas and oceans of our world.

Copenhagen should focus on the rivers and coastal settlements of our world. We need to stop putting chemicals, fertilizers, sewage, plastics, metals and other trash into the seas if we are going to save the ice at our poles.

Also, something should be done about the continent of global garbage that's too big to clean up, and that's floating in the middle of our largest, loveliest ocean. Surely, we can contain it... stabilize it.... sink it... stop it growing.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

SFR first chapters of many authors



Authors in this sampler include:
Joy Nash, Jade Lee, Deborah Macgillivray, Beth Caudill, Rowena Cherry, Susan Grant, Linnea Sinclair, Dawn Thompson, Cindy Spencer Pape, Charlotte Boyett Compo, Robin T Popp, C L Wilson, Nina Bangs ... and more.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Samplers of the best in Science Fiction Romance

If I've posted these links before, I apologize. I'm responding to some reader comments from GoodReads.com

http://www.freado.com/book/4645/The-Best-of-Futuristic,-Fantasy,-and-ParaNormal-Authors-#1


http://www.freado.com/book/4647/The-Best-of-Futuristic,-Fantasy,-and-ParaNormal-Authors-#2

Readers need convenient ways to read a variety of first chapters from different authors... free, without having to search all over the internet.