Small Press Month - Seminar

March is Small Press Month. It is a great chance to use this ‘official month’ to promote your small press, your books, and your friends. Most of these events are great promotion for authors. They will help raise the exposure for small publishers among bookstores and libraries, as well as build author’s careers.

The Publishers Marketing Association has a list of great promotion events. There are a few things on the list that every author should be doing all year around.
Over this month I will expand on them and help writers learn how to use them to promote their work.

#3 Hold a How To Get Published Seminar

It may be late to get into the larger libraries, but small bookstores, small libraries, churches, and community groups are always eager to have an author give a how to get published seminar.

The trick is to create a fun seminar that encourages new writers. Tell them how small publishers support and train authors. Tell funny stories, interesting facts, and things you learned along the way.

This seminar should be more than a step-by-step guide to winning a publishing contract. Instead, it should be an interesting glimpse into your journey as an author.

There are two ways to hold an event like this. The first involves charging $10 - $20 for attendance. When doing this, you want to print out a ‘pack’ for the authors to take. It should include a sample synopsis outline, query, formatting guide, a list of ‘common mistakes,’ and a few pointers on how to talk to publishers. You may even want to include a list of places where writers can learn how to write good books, and a short list of publishers.

A free seminar will draw more people. You may use these events to sell tickets to a paid seminar, or sell signed copies of your book. A free seminar may be held in conjunction with other authors in your area.

Don’t forget to call the press and tell them about your event, when it is over ask for a ‘tear sheet’ of the article, as well as a link to the article, for your collection. Never host an event without calling the press. They may not always attend, but even if they do not print the article, a picture of you talking to the press is great ‘PR’ for your website and blogs.

Return to this blog daily, or subscribe to our RSS feed, for more tips and advice on promoting an author's event. All our suggestions will be easy to plan, and possibly 'free' to host.




Writer's Online Courses
My Main Website
Enspiren Press

What is the Classic Detective Fiction Novel ?

Among good reads, the classic detective fiction novel should come in somewhere near the top, mixed with various other genres. Such collections as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is still a good seller and can be found at nearly any bookstore due to the still common popularity. Such readers may occasionally have to special order some items though; due to the length of time those novels have been in existence. If there were more good fictional detective novels gracing the shelves of the bookstores today, there would not still be the demand for those fantastic pieces that were created so many years ago.

The reader requires constant entertainment and most of these classic detective fiction novels can provide that to them easily. Although some of the terms and phrases are now somewhat outdated, it is still a most interesting read for the well versed reader to pick up and follow. The books that aren't exactly highlighted or featured any longer always pique the interest of the most self respected reader. To find such books, one must simply do the research and ask if need be since there are many that are still in print.

In these stories, the reader embarks upon an interesting journey through time to a world where things are still much simpler than the life of today. There are still crimes however, since that is what the book focuses on in depth. A theft may have occurred and subsequently caused a murder. The hero is, of course, the detective. This character is proficient in the means of detecting crime. His attitudes and morals can be described by the author in several different ways, but the general view of the detective is intelligence. If the detective is not perceived as intelligent, how should he be able to solve the crimes that the police cannot? The author makes it interesting of course, using clever phrases and great character descriptions to involve the reader as much as possible in the storyline. The reader often thinking or trying to figure out who the culprit is that committed this crime.

This is why a lot of these novels are referred to more commonly as the "Who Done It" type of book. The author creates an issue, a crime, and the reader is ultimately trying to figure out who committed the crime all throughout the book. If it is written in any great detail whatsoever, the reader will be roped into the book in no time flat; desperately reading on to try to figure out which character committed the crime and exactly how it was pulled off by that character. Doyle was definitely one of the leading writers of the fiction detective novel with his amazingly unusual novels portraying crimes that some would not have thought about being committed.

But Doyle could not have accomplished the worldwide recognition of such stories without his leading character, Sherlock Holmes, gracing the pages and solving the crimes at just the right point in the story. This is one of the reasons that his character is so loved, and has to rate today as the classic detective in the classic detective novel.


Chris Haycock is an information publisher, and a real fanatic about early detective fiction. Having amassed a large collection of early detective/mystery novels. A particular favourite is Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For more information, and details of an offer not to be missed why not go now to
http://www.sherlockandwatson.com




Writer's Online Courses
My Main Website
Enspiren Press

Putting Off Writing That Novel Until The Kids Are Grown?

If you want to write a novel, but are putting it off until the kids are grown, I have two words for you: Don't wait. It's possible to raise a happy, healthy family and still follow your writing dream. And that's true whether you're single or married. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or work outside the house.

You may think I'm crazy - how can you find time to write when you're already so busy you barely have time to sleep?

It can be done.

J.K. Rowling quite famously penned the first of her Harry Potter series in a coffee shop with her baby napping in a buggy. I wrote my first novel, Flip-Flopped, in two years by setting my alarm for 5 a.m. every day and squeezing in writing before work, and then stealing any other time I could. I'd write a scene while my son built a Lego castle, or do some editing while he was planted in front of the TV for a half hour.

A mother of two small children, Allison Pearson turned her frustrations as a mom into the best-selling novel, I Don't Know How She Does It. She's admitted that being a mom and trying to write a novel is difficult - "like having a secret third child in the house that you have to go and play with when the other two have gone to bed," she's said. Still, she managed to finish in a year, even with holding a job part of the time.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to sweep aside everything in order to write. There's this assumption that writing a novel means countless hours of uninterrupted time-just you alone in a cabin somewhere with nothing but pen and paper and maybe a plate of Oreos. That's not only impossible for most people, it's not even preferable. Some of your best writing inspiration will come from life. If you make writing a part of your day-to-day routine, you're far more likely to stick with it.

Some tips for combining motherhood with a writing career:

1. Schedule it in. A friend of mine has a regular 8 - 9 p.m. date with her computer. Barring a broken leg or the house burning down, she never misses it, and she rarely goes over. Knowing she has a limited time spurs her to be productive.

2. Lower your standards, at least when it comes to housework. Could the floor go one more day without sweeping? Could you use bottled pasta sauce instead of making it from scratch? Yes, June Cleaver always did everything perfectly, but she didn't write a novel. She also wasn't real.

3. Involve your kids. Plunk them down next to you with crayons and paper while you write. Dub it your "creative time."

4. Be the tortoise. Forget every story you've ever heard about how this or that author wrote a book in a month. Writing your novel will take as long as it needs to take. If you stick with it, you'll eventually get to the end.

5. Delegate. Women often get stuck with the housework because they feel they're the only ones who can do it "right." Give jobs away to your husband or kids, and resist the urge to re-do them - even if the towels aren't folded right or the stove doesn't gleam the way it should.

6. Consider starting small. If writing a novel seems overwhelming, start with a short story or even some of the super-short "flash fiction" that's popular right now. The bonus: It's easier to get short pieces published on the Internet, so you can amass clips.

7. Banish guilt. As women, it's hard for us to take time for ourselves. If you're feeling guilty about spending time writing, remember the saying, "kids learn what they see." What your children will see is you plugging away at making one of your dreams come true. Isn't that at least as important as a perfectly clean house?



Jill Smolinski is the author of the novels THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST and FLIP-FLOPPED and the mom of a 15-year-old. Find out more about her books and get tips for writers at her daily blog at http://jillsmolinski.com


Writer's Online Courses
My Main Website
Enspiren Press

History Books Can Lift You To Be Serene Warrior Powered by Bliss

Ancient warriors were the most powerful, and as societies grew more complex, the warrior class either were at the top, such as Alexander the Great who overpowered Darius of Persia. Alexander had been trained by Aristotle to believe in God and a good life if one lived a good life. Since then, warriors have used their wits to find their ways to power. Such warriors rarely end their lives in a state of bliss or happiness.

It has been such a changed world since the English secret agent James Bond first opened at the cinemas in 1962 and we all lined up to see this exciting new old adventure. I recall it well. We had read of it first, that our inspiring new President, John F. Kennedy, had admitted, as only an offside in an interview, that at the moment his favorite bedtime reading was about James Bond. Again, a warrior, but one who playfully fought on the side of good over evil.

I and millions became eager to find out what inspired this great man, who was a true war hero himself, and his own life story was on the screen. So why would he need to admire James Bond? Aha, this was his other secret life. We all wanted in.

A World War Two heroic figure, admired by our heroic new President, was soon coming to the screen. He was apparently suave, licensed to kill, a lady killer, in behind enemy lines against impossible odds each time. And yet. This man who created James Bond had been James Bond, and he died soon into this series, and his words were carried forth by others, many times more.

President John Kennedy had made an instant hit of the book in an off hand remark to a reporter on what his latest bed time reading was. JFK mentioned how he was enjoying the wartime exploits of an English secret agent given the name James Bond.

The sensation that this created I recall well, which then soon created the movie that made an instant star out of Sean Connery.

And during that permissive age, with each movie, James became less forever with each diamond of a woman he met. Now, today your rather cavalier ways James, causes most of us to wince.

The issue now coming around after all those years of permissive self indulgence is now seen among our grand children. They curl their lips at such folly, and more likely enjoy an even balance, or where the right is more to the point, rather than the sexual dalliance.

And not so long after James Bond came the Beatles and meditation and the search for a deeper meaning to life. And many, including myself, have meditated while studying psychology and thriving in business until now, God willing.

And now studies by University of California have confirmed that there are eight common factors in those who live longest and report highest rates of personal contentment and a sense of satisfaction with their lives. This is science confirming ancient history wisdom.
The keys are
1-Count Your Blessings.
2-Acts of kindness, practice them.
3-Savor the Joys of Life.
4-Thank a Mentor.
5-Learn to Forgive.
6-Friends and family, keep them close.
7-Take Care of Your Body.
8-Develop Strategies to Cope with Stress, Hardships

So whether you behave like Alexander of Napoleon at times, allow these softer values to enter every pore of your being, until you Tarzan and you Amazon Jane still remember to show your godly examples: kittens, puppies and small children will be the first to notice.



Derek Dashwood is fascinated how heroes of democracy from Hercules to James Bond have faced evil and won. Now we can also evolve from good warrior to loving person.We can enjoy seeing how small acts can lead to healthy changes we later take for granted. You see examples at http://www.antiquehistorybooks.com Antique History Books

Writer's Online Courses
My Main Website
Enspiren Press