tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296202812024-03-13T04:22:56.094+02:00Cobwebs Of The MindReflections about the world of writing, publishing, literary agents and books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-37943284443311111802014-08-23T11:43:00.001+03:002014-08-23T12:07:19.992+03:00Samuel Roth, Infamous Modernist<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iJGyaurn5ws/U_hZo8IVPtI/AAAAAAAAAqs/2A5oy3OP8KA/1408784728989.JPG cursor: pointer;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iJGyaurn5ws/U_hZo8IVPtI/AAAAAAAAAqs/2A5oy3OP8KA/1408784728989.JPG"></a><b>Jay A. Gertzman</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">My name is Jay A. Gertzman. In April my biography of one of the most interesting Jewish American publishers was released by the Univ. Press of Florida. Its title is <u>Samuel Roth, Infamous Modernist</u>. The Press publishes a lot of James Joyce studies, and Roth was the first (unauthorized) publisher of <u>Ulysses</u> in the U.S.</p>
<p dir="ltr">My book’s genre is non-fiction, biography.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Describe your </b><b><u>book</u></b><b> please.</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">Samuel Roth (1894-1974) <u>was</u> an example of the American Dream as a tragi-comedy of commercial success causing a split between the spiritual and secular aspects of being a Jew.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As for the secular, money-making, side, Roth was very successful as a distributor of prurient borderline books, sold by mail order, as well as classical pornography, distributed through various underground sources.  Not even two consecutive jail sentences, and bankruptcy during the Depression, stopped him. </p>
<p dir="ltr">and a self-promoter.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ostracized from the profession of letters, because of his unauthorized excerpts from<u>Ulysses</u> and <u>Lady Chatterley’s Lover</u>,   he became a pariah to the literary profession and also to moral crusaders. However, Roth claimed, with justification, to be one of America’s most important fighters against censorship (<u>Roth v U.S.,</u> 1957).   If it would not have been for his appeal to the <br>
Supreme Court for a conviction for sending “obscenity” (Beardsley’s <u>Venus and Tanhauser</u>, with his classic Art Nouveau illustrations), the famous decision allowing the Grove Press to publish people like D H Lawrence and Henry Miller would not have happened.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>What is the Jewish related theme in  your book?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">Born in Galicia (now the western Ukraine), and immigrating to the Lower East Side at age 10, Samuel Roth grew up in poverty. Had he not left his shtetl, he would have become a rabbi. His father and his melamed agreed he was bright and intense enough. In the late 19<sup>th</sup> century, Hassidic Jews did not send their sons to a public school to learn German, because they wanted the focus of their education to be Jewish, not secular. In New York, he did not do well in school; the family was so poor his father wanted him to quit, and go to work.  One reason he signed up with a matchmaker (<u>shadchan</u>) was so that he would be invited to a meal at the home of a prospective bride.  But he overcame poverty with his skills as a writer.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Good at self-promotion, The latter, in the form of a letter to his first employer, got him a job in a drug store, from which location his observations of the life around him resulted in early stories. He published them in <u>The Jewish Child</u>, <u>The Menorah Journal</u>, and <u>The Jewish Exponent</u>. His early poetry, secular and religious, brought him commendations from Louis Untermeyer, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Marie Syrkin, and Israel Zangwill.</p>
<p dir="ltr">His final work was his own version of the Psalms of David. Roth’s last prose work was a visionary novel (1962) about his being present at the last visit of Yeshea (Jesus) to Jerusalem. Many Jewish writers confronted this subject, the most important being Sholem Asch, in a series of novels. It took courage to do so.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Messiah tells him his destiny is to bring Christians and Jews together after 2000 years. What he has to say about the Jewish experience, about God’s call to humanity “Where art thou,” about the “Evil Inclination” as Hassidic mysticism defined it, and about how to restore the world to prepare it for the Messiah, are all very well thought out and should be acknowledged as the modernist Hassidic ideals they make clear, in the language ordinary folks speak.</p>
<p dir="ltr">His most recent appearance in print was in Chabon’s <u>Cavalier and Clay</u> (p.614).</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>What do you write, what have you published, and what are your reasons for writing?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">My writing is scholarly in nature. I have published three previous books, and about 25 articles in journals. This book is different. Samuel Roth’s story is an important Jewish American one.  It is a good time to be reminded of the materialistic and spiritual resources of Jewish immigrants in the early twentieth century. Jewish people are now integrated into post-Holocaust, post-industrial American society so completely that the character and passions of their grandparents are often lost to them. So my motivation for writing this biography includes telling American Jews about the kind of choices our people had when they were distinctly not assimilated into American society.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>What formats are your book in?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">So far, it is only in hardback. I hope it will be in paperback in about a year. Meanwhile, if you would like a copy at $30 (less than half the published price), email me at<font color ="#0000ff"><a href="mailto:jgertzma@earthlink.net">jgertzma@earthlink.net</a></font></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>What do you like and dislike about writing and publishing?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">My career is in academic publishing. I love the challenge of researching and orgainizing important but little-understood issues related to literature and cultural history, My pet p[eeve is the absurdly high price of university press books, the market for which is conceived as being for research libraries.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>What prizes has you book won? Has it been reviewed yet?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"> It has won the "Pick of the Month" award for May 2013 by <font color ="#0000ff"><a href="https://abffe.site-ym.com/?page=Bookshelf">American Booksellers Federation for Free Expression</a></font>. Roth’s career is of the first importance in the story of our first Amendment freedoms</p>
<p dir="ltr">There are several reviews, all positive, to which I have added links on both my websites (listed below).</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Websites for </b><u><b>Samuel Roth, Infamous Modernist</b></u><b>can be found at</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color ="#0000ff"><a href="http://members.authorsguild.net/jgertzman/index.htm">http://members.authorsguild.net/jgertzman/index.htm</a></font></p>
<p dir="ltr">and</p>
<p dir="ltr"><font color ="#0000ff"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SamuelRothInfamousModernist">https://www.facebook.com/SamuelRothInfamousModernist</a></font></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
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<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jerusalem, Israel31.7542637 35.1989476tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-77742530528763899922013-07-03T10:24:00.000+03:002013-07-03T10:24:27.322+03:00HaRav Yehuda Amital z"l - To Dance With The AngelsIt is hard for me to even comprehend that three years have gone by since the death of Rav Yehuda Amital. His shadow lives on in many facets of my life and certainly in the life of thousands of students who studied under him. And yet, as in all things, time seems to try and heal the pain, lessen the tears, and cause us to move on.<br />
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During this time of the year, the three weeks as they are known, the three weeks of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, my first thought when they begin, is that soon the anniversary of the death ("yuretziet") of Rav Amital will be upon us. I equate the two now, as both are a time for mourning and a time for introspection. </div>
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I look around and wonder how things may have been different if this giant of a man would still be walking among us. How our thoughts and collective conscience may have been led along different pathways. How our actions and beliefs may have taken a different turn with his tutelage, guidance and certainly his need to express what was "right" - no matter what the cost.</div>
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I was recently asked by someone who read one of my short stories, "A Pot Of Gold", in a cynical tongue-in-cheek manner if I truly believed in angels. I answered that while I cannot prove the existence of angels, I know I have danced with them many times. The person gave me a look as if I had totally lost it, laughed, and said "Okay, I will bite. When did you dance with angels?" I smiled and said, "Every year, on Yom Kippur when I was in Yeshivat Har Etzion and listened to Rav Amital during Musaf, and the students burst out in song at "Mareh Kohen" - I danced with the angels."</div>
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Obviously the person thought I had truly lost my mind. Perhaps I have. Yet if I was ever asked again, the answer would be the same. I have danced with the angels because of Rav Amital. Such is the gift he left behind. Such was his legacy. </div>
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Below I have taken the opportunity of reprinting a piece I wrote when Rav Amital died. It remains as true today as it did three years ago. I place it below, not only to honor his name and his legacy but perhaps for those who did not know him, to understand the loss of such a great man - one who knew how to call upon the angels and God himself and force the heavens themselves to listen to the pleas, prayers and tears of all of mankind.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Clinging To The Divine</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Over the past week I have spent most of my waking hours in grief and mourning. I am no stranger to grief yet the depth of this specific pain has left me speechless and pleading with the Divine for some solace. And though mourning at this time of year should be reserved for the destruction of the Temple during these nine accursed days, I mourn for a man who for many years was in all ways a father to me. I have truly experienced the repercussions of the horrendous destruction of the Temple Mount.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Devouring all the words and eulogies one could find on the person, Rabbi and leader known to all as “Rav Yehuda Amital” has not eased the pain. Most covered Rav Amital’s history, his long journey from the Holocaust to the land of Israel and the huge and incredible accomplishments - social, religious, political and moral - this great man made during a lifetime of eighty‐five years. This is important for the “historical record” as it were. Yet to me and many others, there was also the person, the individual, the human who defied and still defies categorization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Those of us who grew up in the shadow of the yeshiva he built, known as Yeshivat Har Etzion and drank from its waters, underwent a metamorphosis. We watched, listened, heard and studied Rav Amital’s words and actions over the years. Paradoxically, the thoughts, ideas and philosophies of Rav Amital were never written in stone. He was a constantly moving stream ‐ evolving, moving forward, striving to find what was right in all situations. Rav Amital never took the easy path. Indeed, the term “easy” was an anathema to him. He sought not only what was best for the State of Israel, but was guided by a profound inner‐ethic which demanded the best for all Jews and indeed for all mankind, no matter where they lived, be it in the Diaspora or in Israel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">One factor, one focal point steered Rav Amital. It was his belief that the Divine Hand was apparent in all things and it played a part in each and every individual in their own private and public lives. “Hashgacha Peratit” as it is known in Hebrew. He could not explain the “why” of it, as he himself was left with the terrible burden of knowing he had survived the Holocaust while all his family, community and friends had been murdered. He only knew that once the Divine Hand showed a path, it must be acted upon. Rav Amital was a man of deep introspection and a man who never faltered when he believed action must be taken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yet beyond words, which are so limited in trying to describe this giant of a man whose likeness is granted to our people perhaps every few generations, there was a living, breathing soul, which, if it touched you, it stayed within your heart of hearts forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was one of the lucky ones who was deeply effected and influenced by Rav Amital. The magnitude of his personality was not limited to his vision and foresight. Rav Amital’s greatness emanated from his true love for even the most simple Jew. Indeed, in another era, in another time, though he would have shunned it like a plague, Rav Amital could have easily become one of the great Hassidic leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">There was a time, oh‐so‐long ago it seems, when we as a people had faced the demons of the Yom Kippur War and found ourselves not so many years later embroiled in the First Lebanon War. This time, specifically painful for Rav Amital, was a moment in history that changed a great deal in his outlook and thinking. The stream within him became an ocean raging in the tempest of a great hurricane and Rav Amital with courage beyond most normal humankind, allowed it to evolve. But I will leave this aspect to his biographers and those who can explain these events in a more cogent way than I ever can hope to achieve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">During this time of war I asked Rav Amital a question. I do not know what I expected from my Teacher and Mentor, as it was a question that no human could possibly answer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">When I asked the question of Rav Amital in the Beit Medrash in the Yeshiva, he looked up at me and said (and I translate this from the Hebrew):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><b>“Teddy, I do not hold the keys to understanding the universe in my coat pocket. It is not the answers you should be seeking. It is the right questions to ask.”</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It took many long years and a great deal of personal pain to gain enough wisdom to understand the answer Rav Amital gave me on that day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Make no mistake. The world of Religious Zionism as Rav Amital tried to build it, tried to teach it, tried to explain it, tried to influence it, is in grave danger without his soul and teaching to lead and guide us. We have not only lost a leader, but a person who is truly beyond description, even if we write volumes about him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The younger generation, my children among them, who understand the loss of Rav Amital more than most because they knew him, will and must find their own path within our people and in our homeland. Yet they will be denied access to this man who was beyond and greater than life. They will be forced to rely on a lesser wisdom, which pains and scares me in equal measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Again and again this past week, between waves of tears which come at the most unpredictable times, and memories long buried, somehow fight their way to the surface, I wonder at our future bereft of this great man and leader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On Yom Kippur, thousands would converge on the Yeshiva to listen to Rav Amital be the “Chazan”. The experience, which anyone who has ever been there will tell you, was beyond description. If there was any place on this earth where one could truly feel and understand the meaning of Yom Kippur and dance with the angels, it was in the Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Before Neilah every single year, Rav Amital would give a five minute speech. Every single year it was the same thing. Every single year it was the same words. Every single year he quoted from the same Talmudic piece and Midrash. And every single year, we drank it in as if it was the very first time we ever heard it. He began in tears and ended in tears. Indeed the tears never stopped flowing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>“I am asleep but my heart wakes: My Beloved is knocking saying, Open to me, my sister, my dove, my undefiled.” (Song of Songs 5:2)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>Upon this the Midrash comments: “Open to me. Rabbi Jassa said: The One, blessed be He, said to Israel: ‘My sons, present to me an opening of repentance no bigger than the eye of a needle, and I will widen it into openings through which wagons and chariots can pass through.”</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">After quoting the above Rav Amital would say:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>“It is our duty, during Neilah, while the gates of heaven are closing to our prayer to forcibly keep a gate open. We must not only pray for ourselves but for all of our people and all of humanity. We must pray for those incapable of prayer. To make our tears and prayers heard so that we can guarantee for ourselves, our families and all of our people a year of blessings and peace.”</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As Rabbi Yoel Amital, (Rav Amital’s son) has said again and again, this became almost a code. It was the essence of the man who became Rav Amital. It was and will always remain the focal point of his teachings. To rip just a pinhole in the heavens so that God will stretch that pinhole and allow chariots to pass through. But first <em>we </em>must rip that pinhole open. First, <em>we </em>must act and grasp the moment. <i>First and foremost we must be whom we were truly meant to be.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">And at the end of Yom Kippur before Maariv thousands of people would join in song singing:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“<em>Min Hametzar</em>” – “<em>Out of my distress I called upon God, and God answered me with liberation</em>”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">For those who knew him, this was the essence of Rav Amital. He taught a generation of thousands upon thousands of students, and the number is no exaggeration, to cry from the depths of our souls. To split the heavens open with a small pinhole. To call upon the Divine demanding to be heard. To cling to the Divine. This was the right and more importantly, the <em>responsibility </em>of all those who dared to follow along a path which was fraught with obstacles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><em>To cling to the Divine.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In his passing from this world, the legacy that Rav Amital left us, if we prove wise enough, should not be forgotten nor ignored – if only for the sake of our children and our children’s children. That legacy though so complicated and multi‐faceted is also very simple. To always attempt to tear open that pinhole in the heavens and place our tears before the Throne of He Who Hears All Prayers – for all Jews no matter what they believe and practice or don’t believe and practice. For every single person be they wise, erudite, simple or tainted. All deserve our tears and our hope. All deserve a kind word and a helping hand. This was Rav Amital’s message. A simple one. Yet one so deep, so incredible, so full of love it should leave us shivering in awe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>“A Song To Thee On High. From the depths (of my soul) I call upon you God”.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May we all be granted the wisdom not to seek the answers, but the right questions to ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Of all the eulogies written it is time for someone to say with respect, total devotion and great sorrow the simple words:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“We loved you Rav Amital.“</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Through the tears, mourning and sorrow ‐ <i>Yihi Zichro Baruch</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We, your people, your students, and those who never knew you, desperately need your guidance and wisdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May God in His compassion, truly allow for the following words written on all gravestones to be realized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May Rav Amital’s soul be bound in the bond of everlasting life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Tiheyeh Nismato Tzerurah Bi’Zror HaChaim.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ted William Gross</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">4th of the month of Av, 5770</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thursday, July 15, 2010</span></div>
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Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-43464628665630041292013-06-19T07:07:00.000+03:002013-06-19T07:07:25.651+03:00Israel After 30+ Years - A Very Personal Perspective<div>
Over the years I have from time to time ruminated on the wisdom of moving to Israel from NYC. If I count from the time I first came to Israel and stayed to study I have been here for over 40 years. If from the date of Aliyah, the day I moved to Israel, it is over 35 years. No matter how one looks at it, it would be fair to say such a time period does offer perspective.</div>
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Recently, a best friend came to visit, which he does fairly often, and in one of our discussions he mentioned his surprise that after speaking with at least 4 other friends of his who have been living in Israel for 30 years or more that we all expressed a desire to "get the hell out of the country for a while". More surprising none of us were talking about a vacation of 3 weeks. We were all talking about the need to simply "leave" for an extended and very prolonged period. A sort of "cabin fever" which was surprising and certainly for him, came out of left field.</div>
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Many of you who read this may know me or have known me over the years and such a sentiment of "wanting to get out" may come as a surprise. Yet the Israel I moved to so many years ago, the Israel in which all my children and grandchildren have been born in, the Israel where I have lived through war and its destruction, the Israel which lay at the center of all my personal and professional decisions, the Israel where my heart had rested - that Israel seems to slowly have faded into a mist-filled memory of the past.</div>
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I am not talking about the deep social, economic or religious change to the very fiber of this country. This, though radical, when looked upon in the perspective of history, and certainly swift, does not really make a dent upon myself or others like me. Nor do I think, though it is possible that this is true, that I am somehow facing suddenly a "life crises" of identity. What I personally have sacrificed in my lifetime, and what others who read this have sacrificed - well we all know every person has their own baggage and their own bag of sorrows. Therefore talking about specific personal experiences, sorrows and horrors will serve no purpose nor would I feel comfortable in doing so.</div>
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I am certainly not sorry nor if given a chance to redo it would I do so, that my children were born and raised here. I thought and still do believe, Israel was the best choice and indeed a blessing in that area. </div>
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When I came to Israel, there was no Nefesh Bi'Nefesh, and indeed the only support system for Aliyah was a very lose and antiquated system of Jewish Agency Aliya Counselors. I was lucky to have landed with one of the best at the time, but even so, over 30 years ago, a few days after coming to Israel, I had written off the Jewish Agency which at the time had full control over Olim. Even today, the name of the Jewish Agency just mentioned brings up cynical thoughts, and the absolute useless and even detrimental experience it caused for many Olim. I was one of the few of the lucky ones, in that I did not have to move into an Aliyah Center, and I was spared at least part of the ordeal and thus got out from under the heavy and useless arm of the Jewish Agency as fast as I could. Indeed, I ran from it and thank goodness I did. The Jewish Agency along with Rishut HaShidur (Israel's Official News agency) which is just another tool to tax people for no reason, are two examples par-excellance of arcane, useless and even destructive institutions which should be shut down and relegated to history.</div>
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However, despite the mini-rant above, none of this effected or effects the present. These were just bumps in the road, bumps to be traveled over and to move on. Life has a way of leading us and allowing us to lead. It can be beautiful and cruel, For some the path is hard and difficult, for others a bit more easy, for others brutal and devastating, for even others destructive and full of horror. Sometimes it is our choice - other times it is not the path we decide but the path that chose us. Mistakes are made and if we are lucky we get to correct them. Choices are presented. They usually are never black and white but in shades of gray. And to make such choices wisdom, knowledge, compassion and kindness are required or else we lose our own selves within a black pit which often more than not leads us straight to an Abyss which can only be imagined by Dante.</div>
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Great joy is to be had as well - make no mistake. War, change, death and life all mix together, and over the years one must to stay even remotely sane, seek out the moments of peace, joy and happiness. Yet this is true of life all over not specifically in Israel per-say, so why in many of my friends and myself do we suddenly have and no longer fear to express this deeply embedded need to get the hell out of here. Is it disappointment? Is it age? Is it just an "itch"? Or is it something more perhaps sinister and depressing which goes to the very root of the society that we all have given a hand in creation. Do we see what others do not see yet? Do we view the world with different glasses, and find that Israel, the one we thought existed, the one we fought for should exist - no longer does exist?<br /><br />Has the world passed us by as we grew older? Have we become so out of touch and so unable to adopt anymore that we are simply unable and lack the strength to continue? </div>
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Many feel that Israel is a modern, culturally adept and fair country. Until you fall into the pit of dealing with a myriad of arcane laws and realize we live in a state which when needed will flex almost a "police state" mentality against its own citizens. And no, I am not talking about terrorism or war. I am talking about the day to day life and existence. We are taxed beyond any measure of sense or economic justice; the poor are left to their sorrows; the rich live in their own reality; laws which by all means should actually show enlightenment ad understanding are created to support and help the "have's" and not the "have-nots". This is on all sides of the spectrum in politics. I have long ago realized, at least for myself, it makes absolutely no difference whether the "right" or "left" run the country. In the end once in power they all do the exact same thing in terms of social inequality and injustice.</div>
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There are days when I feel it is time to leave. Even with my entire family here, it is time to leave. To set up home far away from here, in a place where not every decision has to be weighed and days can flow one into another in moments of peace. There are days when I feel the fight is not over. Where all that love and desire to create a country worthy of our people and heritage is worth the fight and worth all the deprivation and sacrifice. And there are days where I simply no longer care. Those days scare the hell out of me. The days where I can no longer care, where I am totally withered and bereft of dreams which carried me so long and so far. </div>
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Maybe it is time to go. And I am sure those of you with the flame of ideals still lit in your eyes and soul, will say to me "then just go. Get out. Who needs you?" and perhaps you are right. Perhaps on these things one should stay silent and one should just move "quietly into the night". Or perhaps if this is truly how many feel who have come here years ago, some red lights should go off. Alarm bells and sirens should sound loudly and the question must be asked, "Why? Why do all these people suddenly want to leave their home? Why do they feel after so many years betrayed and abandoned by the country they fought for and devoted their entire lives to?"</div>
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There was a time when I believed all should come and live here. I can no longer give the Aliya speech with any sort of conviction. I can no longer look into someone's eyes and say "You should live in Israel". Indeed, if asked, I stay silent on the matter these days, terrified, truly and totally terrified that if I do answer, what will come out of my mouth will be a scathing and cynical attack on the country that for so long stood at the center and apex of my belief system. Indeed, I sometimes feel sorry for those planeloads of Olim coming from the US and Canada, and think to myself that they have no idea what they are truly getting themselves into. And yet, that is the beauty of life. In that we do not know what the future holds in store for us.</div>
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As the sun rises on a new day, I can still see, to my utter surprise and even joy, a Jerusalem of Gold - a precious jewel I had thought lost to me long ago. I can see it shimmer and flicker as it always did. And for some unknown reason I feel it pull at me - weaker I grant you, than it pulled at my heart so many years ago, but still the pull and attraction is there. It cannot be denied. </div>
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I sigh. I look away. I search deep inside. And I pray for the strength to ignore the rubble and find the gold. Another day has come to the country I helped in a very small way to build. Another day has come in which I will see things which I no longer want to contemplate. Another day has arrived where perhaps I will finally decide to leave. Or perhaps I will look up and the mist will be lifted.</div>
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It is a complex reality brought about by a dream of thousands of years. And it comes down to leaving or staying. Or as I truly have come to believe the choice is not even mine to make. As life will lead me upon another path and road. And all I can do is hope that I will have time to take a breath, to think and look forward to those ever-rarer times when the sun will smile upon my face, and the golden tint of the magic of Jerusalem and Israel will shine through.</div>
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Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-22120132231192948482012-10-23T15:03:00.000+02:002012-10-23T15:04:26.216+02:00A Wonderful Review For "Love In A Cafe"<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do admit patience is not a virtue of mine. But many months ago, I discovered a blog, written by Alain Gomez, called "<a href="http://bookbrouhaha.blogspot.co.il/" target="_blank">Book Brouhaha</a>" which actually reviews short stories. I sent an email to Alain at the time, asking her if she would review one or more of my short stories in the "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a>" Collection. After a while I truly forgot about it or let us say it was way in the back of my mind. Then a few days ago an email suddenly appeared in my inbox from Alain, that she would be posting a review on "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LPVMX6" target="_blank">Love In A Cafe</a>". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So being me, and always assuming the worst, I knew Alain had a rating system of 1-5 stars (or maybe 0-5 stars). So I was hoping for maybe a 2 or 2.5 star rating as she does not give them out easily. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_isb_PLOLP0q00JAOcreivvtsqiUHbTxMW2_vrlafBVcfVNKW9R2l-h3qofP2E-KnoAGnx0iLMyNQjSteBD268PeauCobBCJTB-PO3uWdrGaLJSoAe21Ae1LG8aT0b4f7Yq9_GQ/s1600/hopedemotivator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_isb_PLOLP0q00JAOcreivvtsqiUHbTxMW2_vrlafBVcfVNKW9R2l-h3qofP2E-KnoAGnx0iLMyNQjSteBD268PeauCobBCJTB-PO3uWdrGaLJSoAe21Ae1LG8aT0b4f7Yq9_GQ/s1600/hopedemotivator.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Poster from Despair.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was pleasantly surprised (actually shocked would be a better term) to see she had given "Love In A Cafe" 4/5 stars and a wonderful review. I am quoting the review below but you are welcome to click here and visit </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><a href="http://bookbrouhaha.blogspot.co.il/2012/10/review-of-love-in-cafe-single-story-in.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Book Brouhaha</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" review of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LPVMX6" target="_blank">Love In A Cafe</a>". </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Review:</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Much like a good cup of coffee, this is the type of story that makes you sit and savor the moment. At first I was a little thrown off by the structure of "Love in a Cafe." The author divides it up into chapters which is unusual for a story this length. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But nothing about the plot feels rushed or "wannabe-novel" (i.e. didn't feel like writing a whole novel so everything is crammed into low word count). Yes, there are large gaps of elapsed time between chapters but Gross does an excellent job adding just enough details to make you feel like you're in the now.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The result was a beautiful love story with a perfectly bittersweet ending. As with many short stories, this tale doesn't fall clearly into any one genre. It's a romance but really it's more of a reading experience. Highly recommended.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">4/5 stars</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Reviewed by Alain Gomez</i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you write short stories check out "<a href="http://bookbrouhaha.blogspot.co.il/" target="_blank">Book Brouhaha</a>". And Good Luck with the Stars!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<center>
Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-56470011715605213842012-10-22T14:01:00.000+02:002012-10-23T14:37:15.568+02:00Interview: Cyndee Schaffer and Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, co-authors of “Mollie’s War: The letters of a WWII WAC in Europe”<br />
<div style="border-bottom: solid #4F81BD 1.0pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 4.0pt 0in;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s1sqX2rbMWo/UIUzNuZW9LI/AAAAAAAAAdM/s59rZ1nvyeI/s1600/Mollie_and_Cyndee_at_the_park,_11-11-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s1sqX2rbMWo/UIUzNuZW9LI/AAAAAAAAAdM/s59rZ1nvyeI/s320/Mollie_and_Cyndee_at_the_park,_11-11-11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">“Mollie’s War,” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">is a memoir weaved around the collection of letters that Mollie wrote home to her family during WWII along with historical commentary concurrent with the letters.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Published by McFarland Publishers in August 2010, Mollie’s War documents the human side of life during the war – a life that alternates between fear and romance, exhaustion and leisure.</span></b></div>
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<b>Genre: Non Fiction, memoir</b></h2>
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<b>Published by McFarland Publishers</b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Why did an average Jewish-American
woman become a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) during World War II and place herself
in peril?</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Mollie’s War,” answers
this question and more. It is a memoir
weaved around the collection of letters that Mollie wrote home to her family
during WWII along with historical commentary concurrent with the letters. Published by McFarland Publishers in August
2010, Mollie’s War documents the human side of life during the war – a life
that alternates between fear and romance, exhaustion and leisure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It took many letters
home, sharing everything from daily challenges to exciting experiences (when
the censors allowed) for my mother’s story to emerge. What was it like to be in England while the
country was under constant bombardment by unmanned German missiles? Imagine
being among the first WACs to enter Normandy after the D-Day invasion. Consider
using your French foreign language skills from high school, as my mother did in
Normandy, and when she was transferred to Paris serving as informal interpreter
in both work and social situations.
Envision a young Jewish woman in Frankfurt, Germany, on Rosh Hashanah,
1945, and walking with other soldiers and officers to the rededication of the
only standing synagogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cyndee-Schaffer/e/B004VMYE8C/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oGhnp5h7qro/UIUzu1jGK-I/AAAAAAAAAdU/5vJEyC5f_B4/s640/Schaffer_cover_for_Mollie's_War.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The collection of
letters vividly depicts my mother’s experiences from her first train trip to
Daytona Beach, Florida, for basic training in October, 1943, to the dramatic
image of her seeing the illuminated Statue of Liberty in the midst of darkness
as her ship approached the U.S. shores when she returned home in November,
1945. This book may be the first collection
of letters published by a Jewish American WAC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did you ever wonder
what it would be like to work with your mother and learn about her life; and in
doing so discover a completely different person? My mother, Mollie Weinstein Schaffer was a
WAC during WWII stationed in Europe. Like
most of her generation, she did not talk about her service. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In October 2007, my
mother received a letter from the daughter of her last surviving WAC buddy that
her mother, Mary Grace Loddo Kirby, had passed away. This unfortunate event gave me the impetuous
to begin this project and see it through to the end while my mother was still
alive. I knew I was living on borrowed
time……after all my mother was 91 at the time.
My job contract ended in December 2007; so I had the time to collaborate
with my mother. Timing is everything in
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This project began in
earnest in January 2008. I had a
suitcase of letters that my mother wrote home as a WAC stationed in Europe
during WWII. For some reason her family
did not throw out her stuff. Included in
that suitcase were lots of memorabilia—over 350 letters, photos, and newspaper
clippings. My mother had labeled all of
the pictures with names, dates and location which helped to make my task easier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing a book based on
letters from the 1940’s is a formidable task.
In order to actually be able to use these letters in a book, I needed to
read them and to transcribe them---about 1000 pages typed. Some of the original
letters were typed, some hand written and some V-mail—reduced in size and very
difficult to read. I also needed to be
familiar with the content for the book so I would have a general idea of what I
could cut out since no one would read a 1000 page book of letters. It became a family project as my husband,
sister, daughter and son all helped in the transcribing of letters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My mother was always cognizant of her
being Jewish and this is a theme throughout the book. She grew up in a Kosher home but being in
the army changed her dietary habits.
Eating bacon for breakfast became a staple for her. On a lighter note, she was aware of the men
that she dated and was most pleased when she could describe the young soldier
as a M.O.T., member of our tribe. When
she arrived in the newly liberated Paris in September 1944, she used some Nazi
stationery to write to her family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yep,
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;">we are finally in Paris and you can see
that the Americans took over the situation. Can you imagine—ME—with the
“handle” that I’ve got using Hitler’s stationery?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;">And
then </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">she
sent another letter home describing how she was spending her first Yom Kippur
away from home</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;">“This is
the eve of Yom Kippur and I somehow felt that you would want to know how I am
spending Yom Kippur. I am spending it just like any other day in the army—work
day. I really could have gotten time off—but I felt that I would rather work.
It’s the first time you know for me, but I feel right about it. I also decided not to fast—which is also
unusual for me—but there is no sense in attempting to work on an empty
stomach.—So there you are, and I feel right about the whole thing. Even this
moment at the office I feel just as if I were home—there is a soft reflection
of a light against my window with the grayness of a September day—and it’s
almost as if I were home and Mom had lit the candles on the living room table.
I don’t think I will go to the synagogue as it would make me homesick—and I
don’t want that to happen.…”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In sharp contrast, she was
in Frankfurt, Germany on Rosh </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hashanah
1945 and witnessed the rededication of its only standing synagogue. The only reason this synagogue was not
destroyed during Kristallnacht was because of it close proximity to Nazi
buildings and the Germans did not want to risk destroying their buildings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Orrin-Regular;">“The services were certainly well
attended by our Army and Navy personnel. There were a lot of high ranking
officers there, too. As for the civilian Jews, there were very few left to
attend from this once large community of 34,000 Jews. Beck, these Jews were not
dramatic, nor did they <i>carry-on</i>, but one could discern readily the
untold suffering they had experienced these many years. They held their heads
high—and we were all proud to be a part of them. Yes, the Germans watched us
walking in the synagogue and out—they were hanging out of their windows eyeing
us carefully. Not one remark was passed; nor did they even speak amongst
themselves, that is, while we stared back at them. This was a great day and one
I shall never forget. Although I really didn’t want to come to Germany, it was
worth it just to see all this. …”</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Collaborating with my mother on this
project was a very strange experience.
It is impossible to know what your parents were like before they married
and became parents, but using my mother’s actual letters and photos felt like
being transported by time machine to another era. Reading and seeing my mother as a young
carefree woman who made decisions for herself and traveled the world during this
most treacherous time made me realize the full life that she had before she had
a family. My mother was so excited that
we were actually working on the book and writing her story because she always
wanted people to know about the role that women played in the military in WWII.
We were offered a contract in 2009 with
a traditional publisher, McFarland Publishers, who were planning on launching a
series about women in the military. Our book was published but they never added additional
books to their series. Using the actual wording from my mother’s letters
made “Mollie’s War” a first person account of World War Two in Europe. Seeing
the smile on my mother’s face when she held her book, “Mollie’s War,” in her
hand was priceless. Peppered throughout
her letters was the fact that she wanted to write a book… and it happened—only
65 years later!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mollie’s War</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">” won first place in
biography/memoir at the 2012 Royal Dragonfly Book Contest, a bronze medal in
autobiography at the 2011 Stars and Flags Book Awards and was a finalist in the
2011 Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year contest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My mother passed away on April 8, 2012 during Passover. We remember and are thankful for the courageous "call to duty" that the Mollies and others of her generation felt so that we could all be free.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.mollieswar.com/" target="_blank">Author's Website</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mollies-War/135816976476914?ref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cyndee-Schaffer/e/B004VMYE8C/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_1" target="_blank">Author’s Page On Amazon.com</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mollies-War-Letters-World-Europe/dp/0786447915/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_1" target="_blank">To Purchase Mollie's War @ Amazon Click Here</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4791-6" target="_blank">To Purchase Directly From The Publisher Click Here</a></span></div>
<hr />
<center>
Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
</center>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-53423934819007065082012-10-22T13:28:00.000+02:002012-10-22T13:28:57.494+02:00An Apology On DelaysI know it has been a long time since I have posted on this blog, though this was due to other matters which required 100% of my time and concentration. I was astounded by the amount of kind and concerned emails that have piled up in the Cobwebs email in-box and I want all to know they are greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
I do hope to be able to return to a more normal publishing schedule, and get my feet wet, yet again, in the world of words and publishing and learn and see just what has been going on during the time of my forced absence. Reviews will start to be published again, (I even hope to get to one later today), and you can once again start by sending in your request for reviews as well.<br />
<br />
To all the authors out there, I wish you only success and great achievements. To all those who follow my musings on writing and publishing, I hope to make you smile and laugh again. And of course to all those who have never bought a short story or book of mine "BUY MY BOOKS!". (See I told you - I am back!)<br />
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Seriously, thank you for your concern and wonderful emails, and now back to our regularly scheduled program.<br />
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Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-58938786199701059902012-05-07T14:40:00.005+03:002012-05-07T14:40:52.045+03:00Interview: Barbara Froman - Shadows and Ghosts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Haunted by the past, trapped in a hospital bed and forced to face what you have been trying so hard to forget. A great read from author Barbara Froman in Shadows and Ghosts</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Genre: Fiction</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve always loved movies. There’s something magical about sitting in the dark, watching stories unfold on a large screen, something transformative. But I realized, a number of years ago, that my fondest and bitterest memories of movies were not triggered by plots or characters; they were triggered by single images. So, I decided to use that idea as the foundation for a novel that would give readers a cinematic experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The result was Shadows and Ghosts which was published by Serving House Books in December of 2011 as a result of my winning the Fairleigh Dickinson University/Serving House Books First Book Contest in Prose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The novel, which is framed with famous film images and screenwriters’ directions, is set in the fictional upstate New York town of Willow Bend, and is about a critically acclaimed Jewish filmmaker, named Ida Mae Glick, who suffers a near fatal heart attack when she tries to live on the same meager rations as a group of homeless people she is filming. When she winds up in the hospital at the mercy of a neurotic psychiatrist who believes she’s unstable, she is forced to confront not only the events leading to her arrest, but also a troubled past of substance abuse and failed love affairs, as well as her relationship with the uptight, estranged identical twin sister who wants to see her committed. To make the situation worse, Ida Mae’s ghostly mother appears at her bedside determined to air old gripes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u8BkF7rhktHtXyq7p0Fo1CO4HMRIlufFzH3uDE5LLHH4iwh6TR9zM4BTY7_OTsRrNcd4B2-Ex4_vVLznY_tqpz84FonJVRgJpV-HO_NO8Zc-XgfJmfaCHCx1l_v2nwAGup-wUA/s1600/BFroman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u8BkF7rhktHtXyq7p0Fo1CO4HMRIlufFzH3uDE5LLHH4iwh6TR9zM4BTY7_OTsRrNcd4B2-Ex4_vVLznY_tqpz84FonJVRgJpV-HO_NO8Zc-XgfJmfaCHCx1l_v2nwAGup-wUA/s320/BFroman.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ida Mae’s mother, Edna Glick, is the Jewish heart and soul of Shadows and Ghosts. Her appearance and observations are a constant reminder of the importance of culture and family. Ironically, it is Edna’s ghost that brings Ida Mae face-to-face with the past she’s been trying to forget since moving to Willow Bend, a town in which she seems to be the only Jew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The prize and publication of Shadows and Ghosts were tremendous honors, coming after approximately ten years of working on the book and going through over half a dozen revisions, first with writer-colleagues, and then with my editor, Walter Cummins at Serving House Books. I feel very blessed by their support and the generous way in which they shared their gifts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just hope that readers will experience as much joy from reading the book as I did from writing it, and perhaps, contact me to share some favorite film images of their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Web site: <a href="http://www.barbarafroman.com/">http://www.barbarafroman.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog site: <a href="http://www.redroom.com/member/barbara-froman">http://www.redroom.com/member/barbara-froman</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bafroman">http://www.facebook.com/bafroman</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BAFroman">http://www.twitter.com/BAFroman</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazon Author Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Froman/e/B006RORALU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1">http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Froman/e/B006RORALU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1</a></span></div>
<br /><hr />
<br />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
</center><br />
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<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-22534272232091256592012-04-23T12:59:00.002+03:002012-04-23T13:00:25.194+03:00Interview: Phyllis Zimbler Miller - MRS. LIEUTENANT<div>
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<a href="http://www.mrslieutenant.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LUv3Rb7P2Wo/T5Um5plj4KI/AAAAAAAAAcA/QgzSVWlQ_C0/s400/Mrs-Lieutenant-book-cover-250h.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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<b>MRS. LIEUTENANT: A Saga to Publication and Beyond</b></div>
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<b>The following is the author's own story of her writing and her journey to publication of MRS. LIEUTENANT. An incredibly interesting read!</b></div>
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My novel MRS. LIEUTENANT is based on my experiences as a new Mrs. Lieutenant in the spring of 1970 right after the Kent State shootings. </div>
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I met my husband on the editorial staff of Michigan State University’s daily newspaper when he was already in Army ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps). A few months after we were married we arrived at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, in May 1970. There we found ourselves in an alien culture both because we were Jewish and because we were unaccustomed to the military life.</div>
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What ensued in the nine weeks that my husband attended Armor Officers Basic at Ft. Knox was an eye-opening experience that I felt should be preserved for its slice of women’s history. Years later two women producers also thought so, and they optioned the story and asked me to write a book.</div>
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By the time I wrote a novel (to protect people’s identities) the producers had moved on. And then I spent years and years rewriting the novel. Finally, when POD (print on demand) publication eliminated the need for hundreds of books in my garage, I self-published the novel.</div>
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And although it had been turned down by agents and publishes as no longer being relevant, the novel was named a semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. (This honor led me down the rabbit hole into the world of social media, where I have stayed ever since.) </div>
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Kindle had only arrived in November of 2007, but I did have the novel converted into the Kindle format in April of 2008. Of course, at that time not many people were buying ebooks. </div>
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Recently I had the book re-converted into Kindle (more up-to-date software) as well as the format for the Nook, iPad, etc. and uploaded onto Smashwords. (I used Chris O’Byrne of http://www.ebook-editor.com/ for the format conversions and uploading.)</div>
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I was already on Amazon as the co-author of the 1992 Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION, written with Rabbi Karen L. Fox. Even though that book was published by a traditional publisher, Karen and I had to do the marketing for the book. Thus I was not concerned that I would have to do the marketing for a self-published book.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlq15f7mcVURpb0irI_oGFBGIWteNBBTLvfdR-4zLXlV4bn-D4h8Rk5uVyZ1oJoCw1T_2zzuNRUAgwRVDCCTvvF5u2F33KSerjHXnOwrw_bzQcXo0L6Jn4K-pGiBNAbbfBdXfzoQ/s1600/phyllis-zimbler-miller-100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlq15f7mcVURpb0irI_oGFBGIWteNBBTLvfdR-4zLXlV4bn-D4h8Rk5uVyZ1oJoCw1T_2zzuNRUAgwRVDCCTvvF5u2F33KSerjHXnOwrw_bzQcXo0L6Jn4K-pGiBNAbbfBdXfzoQ/s200/phyllis-zimbler-miller-100.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I joined several social media sites, started the LinkedIn Book Marketing group (which today is thriving – see www.LinkedInBookMarketing.com), and reached out to the national headquarters of the Jewish sorority I belonged to at MSU – Alpha Epsilon Phi. (The sorority magazine then featured me in an article.)</div>
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The one market I really wanted to reach – the military one – I could not reach because the book is not returnable and thus could not be sold in the U.S. Army’s PX system.</div>
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Also, when I first self-published, BookSurge (now part of CreateSpace) insisted on a price too high for a paperback. Recently I have been able to lower that price. I decided on the ebook price of $2.99 after much reading about different ebook price points. </div>
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The novel MRS. LIEUTENANT focuses on four women – a Northern Jew (based on only some aspects of myself), a Southern Baptist, a Puerto Rican and an African-American. The four women must learn to overcome their prejudices against each other in order to adapt to their new roles.</div>
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The novel has received many positive reviews on Amazon, and I am always particularly pleased when a military wife tells me how much she liked the story.</div>
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I am part-way through a sequel – MRS. LIEUTENANT IN EUROPE – about when my husband and I were stationed in Munich, Germany, only 25 years after the end of World War II. Currently I am considering changing from a novel to a memoir in order to better tell the story of what it was like to be Jewish in Munich at that time and stationed with an occupying force.</div>
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I have all my original documents from that time, including a copy of the letter I typed to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam sending a donation from the few Jews associated with the U.S. military in Munich. (The reason for the donation is because, at that time, the Anne Frank House was in such short supply of funds that it risked being closed down.) </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Links:</span></b></div>
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Ever since my novel was published, I have been very active online supporting our troops in general as well as Jews who serve in the U.S. military (see <a href="http://www.operationsupportjewsinthemilitary.com/" target="_blank">www.OperationSupportJewsintheMilitary.com</a>). </div>
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The novel’s website is <a href="http://www.mrslieutenant.com/" target="_blank">www.MrsLieutenant.com</a> (created by my younger daughter and Miller Mosaic LLC business partner Yael K. Miller). This site has links to Amazon, etc. where the novel and the ebook formats are sold. </div>
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My overall author website is <a href="http://www.phylliszimblermiller.com/" target="_blank">www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com</a> and my author Facebook Page is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor</a></div>
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I can be followed on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/ZimblerMille" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/ZimblerMille</a>r and on Pinterest at <a href="http://pinterest.com/ZimblerMiller" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/ZimblerMiller</a></div>
<br />
<hr />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
</center><br />
<hr />
<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-89338169215548965272012-04-15T10:42:00.002+03:002012-04-15T11:32:58.604+03:00Book Marketing: The Holy Grail - "The Initial Seed Element"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.despair.com/" target="_blank">Poster from Despair.com</a></div>
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There are so many blog posts, web posts, twitter posts, LinkedIn posts, Facebook Posts and on and on telling you just what to do to market your book. Many of these are very good for the writer/author. Many of them are on the mark, many are very specific to the author who is writing the post. You may be tempted to get carried away. There is no doubt that in search of that all elusive goal of selling ever-more books (and possibly even "illusive" as well) - to this as King Solomon wrote in Proverbs "there is no end". However, all seem to be missing a very critical aspect, and this is the <b>"Initial Seed Element"</b>. In this post I will try and explain what that means, and just what is involved in the search to find it.<br />
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Some authors and bloggers approach the whole issue of publishing a book with a "master plan". This is actually something that should be done all the time. They take their time, they build up a following in their blogs and they slowly get to the point where they release a partial and then the full book. By that time they hope that many of their avid followers will purchase and read the book. This is certainly a very smart and sane way on how to go about initial marketing of a book. It takes time, lots of it, not exactly writing, but in marketing, and a great deal of planning.</div>
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Recently a friend of mine, had a book published in non-fiction by one of the Big 6. I met him by chance in the street, and he showed me the hardcover of which he was very proud and should have been, and we started discussing what he was happy about and what he was very unhappy about. It turns out he was extremely happy with the way the book turned out, but was totally beside himself on the "marketing" end. He had been made a world of promises by the publisher, none of which came to be, (which I told him straight and to the point - they won't come to be so do not rely on it), and he was extremely worried that the book would now languish. He told me he had hired a book publicist, which just took his money and accomplished nothing, (again not a surprise), and even when he mentioned the name of this "famous" publicist I was not surprised as just like the publishers they are swimming in a new sea and still have not caught up with the market. In other words, he finally got an important treatise out there in non-fiction, he had the creditably as a reporter with major newspapers, and his book was now stuck. </div>
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I told him what he did not want to hear. I told him it was up to him now. He had to market his own book. And like me, it was not something he really wanted to spend time doing. Like me, he was incredibly reticent about trying to get people to buy his book, saying it should be the job of the publisher and agent and publicist. I totally agreed on the "should be" part, but there is a world of difference between the words "should be" and "what is". He listened with a frown, and I could see the wheels turning, and the frustration on his face. It was not a pretty sight as it mirrored my own frustration almost every day.</div>
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When I got home from this chance meeting, I realized that we are all are missing something. Even if we make maximum use of Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Klout, Pinterest and all the rest. We are all missing something incredibly critical here and incredibly simple. Unfortunately this specific missing link is not up to us. It can be pushed by us, it can be promoted, but in the end it is karma, fate, luck, God - whatever you believe in which plays a huge part. Not something you want to hear I know, but it is the basic truth.</div>
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I come from the world of high tech. In technology, among us nerds and techies, there is something known in the release of any new piece of software as the <b>"initial seed"</b>. This actually is the backbone of all viral technology and social networking. So let me try and explain in a layman view.</div>
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If you are old enough, you know the game of "telephone". One friend would whisper to another to another and to another, until at the end we would hear the "actual message" which almost always was far different than that original message. The human condition is to amplify, change and put our own mark. It is called "gossip". It is called "talking". It is called "telling a story from your point of view". The effect is the same. Once someone says something, it gets repeated and repeated.</div>
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Now on to a bit more sophisticated stuff. Let us say I write a chat system. Now in order for that chat system to work I need people to actually join up and join in. Otherwise my chat system can be great but if there are no users, it is destined for oblivion. So I send out emails and ask people to sign up. I send out 100 emails. 10 people sign up. A couple of those test the system. One of those people, without knowing it, without even having the slightest idea that they are the "initial seed" sends out an email to friends saying "try this system." The email then is spread in a viral method. In other words those that do receive it then in an exponential rate of discovery send it out and the people that get it also send it out, and people start signing up to the chat system. This is what is called viral - in very very simplistic terms.<br />
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Believe it or not, FB, Twitter and all the rest had that one seed as well. The one person when they began, without knowing, that at the right second the right place the right moment the right words sent out or phone call or <b><i>word of mouth</i></b> and said "try this". Once that initial seed is started the momentum begins. Of course there can and should be multiple "initial seeds" in the perfect world, but even if there is only one, if placed with luck, chance, karma or the kiss of an angel at the right time, the "object" goes viral.<br />
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If you work with any of the social networks you will know exactly what I am talking about. The search for your posts and information to go "viral" is the holy grail of any author. This is what brings people to read what you wrote. It establishes followers. And it helps in a very big way to sell the next thing you write.<br />
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I know of no way to force something to go viral. There are literally thousands of great ideas and programs who have long since died because they could not manage it. There are I bet, hundreds of thousands of books that did not make it. Great writers who mostly live in oblivion because they were not "kissed by the angel of word of mouth".<br />
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In other words all efforts at all social networking and author marketing are aimed at one thing --> <b>word of mouth</b>. Amazing how some things even with all the technology do not change. Without it you are doomed. With it even if your writing is mediocre, you will succeed.<br />
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The frustration of many authors, both traditionally published and not is that we do not go "viral". We do not manage to find that luck of finding that initial seed to create a viral path to our books. We read about authors who write fairly decent but certainly not earth-shattering material who are far more successful than we are. And we all wonder how they do it? The answer of course is they managed somehow to go viral. To have their book(s) spread by word of mouth in an extremely swift manner.<br />
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But the "initial seed" is not enough. The step afterwards is to make sure you can "sustain" the viral network. Let us call this <b>"sustainability"</b>. Here the power of social networking comes to the fore. Because if you are viral and you have and are building up a following social networks allow you to "reach out and touch your following". Blogs allow you to post ideas. Creating more interest. Creating an ever increasing spiral in your viral network.<br />
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I always try and use real examples here. I have not succeeded in my book "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" to reach a viral network. I have also watched another author who writes short stories, and is well known, release his collection, with an agent and publisher at the same time, and jump to the top of the best sellers. Is his work better than mine? Is mine better than his? I have no clue that is for readers to decide. But I do know he has a tremendous jump on me in that he has "followers" and without even knowing it, a "viral network" in place. Which means he can get reviews in the major papers - easily. He can be interviewed - without begging and waiting - easily. He can sell simply because he is who he is.<br />
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Frustrating in the extreme. Especially if you are like me, and hate being the marketer of your own work, and hate the idea of having to put yourself "out there" by yourself, for yourself. However, it is also true the publishing world and readers have changed. He who was on top yesterday is not on top today. So if you do believe in yourself, if you do think what you have to say in the written word is worth reading by others, then you have no choice but to seek out the "magical angel in charge of word of mouth".<br />
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Again, I repeat, I know of no formula that will cause your book or books to go viral. I know of no formula that creates "word of mouth". Advertising may or may not help. Book reviews may or may not help. And on and on and on. What is very clear, is that good old simple "word of mouth" the real viral network - that is certainly the holy grail. So all your posts must have that in mind in the end result. Whether they are about your book or not. They need to contain something of import. Something which on a day when you least expect it, that "initial seed is planted".<br />
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But be warned. If your book does go viral, do not rest on that. You will still have a lot of work to do in marketing. When your 10th book goes viral you can rest. Because you will be in a very unique place. It is hard work. It is frustrating. It is very depressing at times. And yes, you just want to scream out at times, "Buy the book and read it - you will see that it is great". But of course that does not work. So you plug on. You may succeed you may not. Chances are and odds are that you will fail. It is simply the odds of the game. But if you are like me, and have this inner drive to leave something of a legacy, to leave the world a little better than the one we were born into, to hopefully make people think, laugh, cry, and understand themselves better - you simply have no choice in the matter. You must write. You must work at it. And one day maybe, with the right combination of time, luck, karma, God or the angels, you will find yourself on top of the mountain.<br />
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<b>The goal is viral. The challenge is sustainability. Remember those terms. Do not be duped into buying into schemes that will get you a zillion followers on Twitter in one week. You need to work hard. You need to write. You need to hope. And possibly at the end, no promises, you may just succeed. </b><br />
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<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
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<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-77477816904136123402012-04-10T10:02:00.001+03:002012-04-10T10:02:08.883+03:00Author Interview: Diane Schochet - "COG STONE DREAMS"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cog-Stone-Dreams-Diane-Schochet/dp/1937781577" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6ZS1UtQq5E/T4PS0jE-VAI/AAAAAAAAAbo/zzAL9YY1Jtw/s320/Cog+Stone+Dreams.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Diane Schochet</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">COG STONE DREAMS</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Genre: Doctor Claudia Alexander, my publisher at Red Phoenix Books, is a scientist. She says my genre is Environmental Fiction. I’m not a scientist. I say my book is Jewish Magical Fiction. (Think Isaac Bashevis Singer. Well I’m hoping.)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">COG STONE DREAMS is a mystical, magical, humorous love story with a murder, 9000 years of history, cog stone induced dreams (the magical mystical part) and wetlands thrown in. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is the Jewish related theme in your book?</i> The main character (like the author) is Jewish. So is her family. So is a character I call Cabel Sturmms who is based on Abel Stearns, who came to California 1829 and became one of its wealthiest citizens. In Cog Stone Dreams Cabel’s story starts when he’s twelve, the oldest of eight children from a happy Jewish family. Then Papa Sturnns drowns in his soup and Mama dies soon after. Cabel gives his younger siblings to non-Jewish neighbors. Though the siblings will be raised as Christians, he promises himself he will stay true to his religion. Until he goes to Mexico and an old lady tells him nobody will sell property to a Jew, he has no trouble keeping his promise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Is writing a full-time job for you? If not what else do you do?</i> Pretty full time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How many books have you self-published or have been published in the traditional manner?</i> This is my first book. I’ve had lots of my magazine articles published. I was paid to write two children’s plays.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Why do you write?</i> I like to write.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you are writing something new do you ask someone's opinion about it?</i> Yep. I’m in two critique groups. And I take lots of classes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you write do you need absolute concentration and quiet?</i> Most of the time but not always</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you believe or have you experienced "writer's block"? If so, when and why?</i> I’m not sure but I am a procrastinator and do everything I can to put off writing. Then when I get into it, I go, fast like an airplane or slow like a snail, but I go.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you incorporate incidents from your own personal life into your works?</i> Yes. In Cog Stone Dreams I put in lots of incidents. Here I’ll name some of the Jewish ones.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was young I told people I was Jewish even if they didn’t ask.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dessa, the main character in Cog Stone Dreams, does the same.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stayed with my Bubbie at a Jewish boarding house at the beach.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So does Dessa.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Simchas Torah I saw a red haired girl’s hair catch fire.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Cog Stone Dreams, Dessa’s hair catches fire on Simchas Torah.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1960 when Kennedy ran against Nixon, I thought it difficult to vote. At the time everybody I knew thought Nixon was a closet anti-Semite (I was surprised when I went to Israel for the first time and heard how well he was thought of there.) I was also told if you voted for Kennedy there was a good chance the Pope would take over our country because Kennedy would tell him all our secrets.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dessa is privy to the same facts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My parents moved into a Jewish neighborhood so I would be raised Jewish.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The same thing happens to Dessa.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you write what you think the public wants to read or what you feel to be your inner-expression and forget about the public? </i> I just write.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you did Self-Publish why did you do it?</i> Here’s what happened. A couple of years ago, I took an on line advanced novel writing class from UCLA. A class mate, Doctor Claudia Alexander, liked my writing. I liked hers. We met and became friends. Then in 2011 she informed me that she was becoming a publisher. Her deceased aunt, Carol Fenner, had left Claudia her literary collection. Carol, who had won Newberry awards, a Coretta Scott King award and two other awards, had one book that hadn’t been published and Claudia decided to publish that book and my COG STONE DREAMS book and some books that Claudia had written. I was delighted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you did or do have an agent, without naming them, tell us your experience on getting the agent and if you are satisfied.</i> In the past I’ve had three agents. All three were very nice. All three were complimentary. None of them sold my books or movie scripts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you market your book what path did you chose? Why?</i> And what has not worked out for you and what has worked for you? I’m just starting and plan to concentrate on two paths. First, I will find people, like you, who are interested in Jewish themes and secondly, find people who are interested in the environment, especially wetlands.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ8oBreWFuE/T4PSxhMdCaI/AAAAAAAAAbg/DXdpsew5wsI/s1600/Cog+Stone+Dreams+Author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ8oBreWFuE/T4PSxhMdCaI/AAAAAAAAAbg/DXdpsew5wsI/s1600/Cog+Stone+Dreams+Author.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time do you spend on marketing your own work?</i> I plan to spend more time. My publisher signed me up for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books as a feature writer on April 21 and 22 . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you self-published tell us in order the route you went, e.g. Kindle to Print to Smashwords or whatever you did.</i> Cog Stone Dreams started with e-books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, simulaneously, then POD (print on demand) with Amazon's CreateSpace followed by Lightning Source.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time and effort did you put into the cover of your book?</i> My publisher made some recommendations, and asked my advice. I wanted Cog Stones to be prominent on the cover and to have the words Wish, Dream, Magic incorporated in three of the stones. So I drew a sample design. Then the publisher and the artist she used came up with a magnificent cover that I love and is so much better than the cover I conceived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you are a Kindle publisher, did you join KDP Select and if so what were experiences there and how would you judge it?</i> My publisher has discussed with me whether to do Kindle Select and provide free downloads for a period of time to boost visibility. We’re studying the pros and cons of this approach by looking at on line blogs on the subject.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Exactly what formats is your book in? </i>(Nook, Paper, Kindle, Sony, Ipad..etc and etc.) I think all of the above. It is also in paperback.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How did you decide on the price of your book?</i> I don’t know how prices were decided and haven’t asked because I’m so excited about my book being published.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What advice would you give other authors or other people starting out?</i> Keep writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you consider yourself a success in writing, a wannabe, a failure or just misunderstood? And of course why.</i> Sometimes I think I’m pretty good. Sometimes excellent. Sometimes rotten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Excluding free giveaways (such as KDP) - have you ever made it into the top 100 of a list and stayed there for over 2 weeks?</i> Yes. Amazon.Com puts books about wetlands under the category of Lakes and Ponds in their Nature and Ecology section. Today under Lakes and Ponds the Kindle Edition of Cog Stone Dreams is the number 18 best selling and the number 2 best rated. It has been in the same place for about two months now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you absolutely hate about the publishing and writing world.</i> I haven’t been in it long enough to know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you love about the publishing and writing world.</i> Everything. I love being published.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is your ultimate dream in writing and having your books published?</i> To keep writing and keep selling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Links:</span></b></span></span><br />
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<li style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;">Website:</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.redphoenixbooks.com/Environmental.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">http://www.redphoenixbooks.<wbr></wbr>com/Environmental.html</a></span></li>
<li style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: redphoenixbooks</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Amazon:</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cog-Stone-Dreams-Diane-Schochet/dp/1937781577/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333314820&sr=1-1" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Cog-<wbr></wbr>Stone-Dreams-Diane-Schochet/<wbr></wbr>dp/1937781577</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Barnes&Noble:</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cog-stone-dreams-diane-schochet/1108161386?ean=2940013726086&itm=1&usri=cog+stone+dreams" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/<wbr></wbr>w/cog-stone-dreams-diane-<wbr></wbr>schochet/1108161386?ean=<wbr></wbr>2940013726086&itm=1&usri=cog+<wbr></wbr>stone+dreams</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Smashwords:</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/116933" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">http://www.smashwords.com/<wbr></wbr>books/view/116933</a></span></li>
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<hr />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-70131805085842476762012-04-04T21:42:00.002+03:002012-04-06T10:53:02.679+03:00Understanding The Difference Between Search Categories & Book Tags @ Amazon (& Other On-Line Book Sites)There seems to be quite a bit of misinformation and certainly many authors get mixed up when trying to find the right way to "categorize" a book. Amazon perfectionists will remind you over and over again to make sure you "create tags" for your book. (This by the way is used on other sites as well.) The tagging system while important, may not be as critical as they make it sound at times. So in this post I am going to try and explain and show the differences between a Category, Search Keywords and Book Tags, without mixing you up too much and the purpose of each.<br />
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I should mention this all came about because of a mistake I made and then discovered a bit late, but better late than never. It also made me further my research into this "muddy" area, which seems to be a matter of debate. This post is <b>not </b>to belittle those who think tags are critical and important and ask everyone to check their tags. It is to explain the difference between Categories-Search Keywords and Tags.<br />
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Both these systems are created to allow people to find your book in an easier manner. Yet both work in entirely different manners, and certainly the "Category" system and its sub-system of "Search Keywords" on Amazon (of 5 search categories in Print and 7 in Kindle books) is vastly more important and demands much more thought than your "tags" and getting people to click on them and agree with them. Amazon has some gotcha's which I am not sure many authors and certainly the readers in search of a book will know about. It also can be confusing without being given real life examples so I will provide one here. If you just replace the category and tag I am going to give in this example, ("Passover"), with your own, it should be simple to grasp the differences. </div>
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My first short story collection, "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" contains 1 story with a very clear Passover motif among other things. This book is available in Kindle (and other formats) and in Print. I also released some of the stories within "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" in singular Ebook format, in other words 1 short story per Ebook, and the story with the Passover motif, was released singularly as well. This story is called "Elijah's Coins".</div>
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Now since Passover is coming up, I went ahead and in both the Paperback and Kindle version of "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" put a "tag" of Passover. I did the same thing with the single Ebook of "Elijah's Coins". What are these tags? Let me show you.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AKeLIAoaExc/T3yIQgS2b4I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Ou9HEVhPPI4/s1600/Tags+on+Amazon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AKeLIAoaExc/T3yIQgS2b4I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Ou9HEVhPPI4/s640/Tags+on+Amazon.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Though the above is not totally clear, I wanted to give you a full screen. On top you can see check boxes with tags. But it does not show all the tags on the book (each person can add or check off to agree). You also can see all the tags by clicking on the "See All XX Tags". You can also "Search Products Tagged With:". It is fairly comprehensive. <b>So one may think that tagging your product as I did with the word "passover" will cause it to show up in search when someone logs in to Amazon and types "Passover" in books. Right? Very, very wrong!</b></div>
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<b>What happens is as follows:</b></div>
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When you tag a book if someone clicks on a tag from another book that you also have, or does a search for a specific tag, in this case "Passover" they will get your book. As follows:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o15J37QwzmM/T3yKEFFtQGI/AAAAAAAAAaY/jiDnVm8e0yQ/s1600/Amazon.com++Products+tagged+with+passover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o15J37QwzmM/T3yKEFFtQGI/AAAAAAAAAaY/jiDnVm8e0yQ/s640/Amazon.com++Products+tagged+with+passover.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the above clicking on the tag "Passover" brings us to a screen where "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" is listed as #10. Now that should make anyone happy, right? Well hold on a second, because even though Amazon experts use tags, most people looking for a book do not. They go about it a whole different way.</div>
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<b>Now, before I go on, I will say that adding a tag to your book is basically instantaneous. It may take a couple of hours for the system to regurgitate your tag, but it is fast both in Kindle and Print.</b> </div>
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<b>Still you have not solved the problem of how to get "normal readers" to see your book. And let me again show you why.</b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pdpwSNnMlus/T3yLPGV3h3I/AAAAAAAAAag/TF-dQ4v-abo/s1600/Amazon.com++Products+tagged+with+passover1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pdpwSNnMlus/T3yLPGV3h3I/AAAAAAAAAag/TF-dQ4v-abo/s640/Amazon.com++Products+tagged+with+passover1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I placed a red box around the Search Parameter. That says "Products Tagged With". <b>However, if you are a customer or you simply go into Amazon with the idea of finding a book you are not going to see in that drop-down list -
"Products Tagged With"!</b> Nearest I can tell is the only way to get to it is to first click on a tag in any book then that option of
"Products Tagged With" will appear. Otherwise it is impossible to get to.</div>
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So say you are a customer looking for books on Passover. <b>You are not an Amazon expert.</b> You call up Amazon on your screen, you go to the Search Books and you type in "Passover". Guess what? That search does not work on tags. It works on Categories & Keywords. <b>And if you do not have a Search Keyword of Passover but just a tag, your book tagged "Passover" will never ever show up for that customer in Search. </b>And how do you think most customers search for books?</div>
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Okay. Now you say, what do I do? Well this takes a little long range planning because changing categories on a Print book or even a Kindle book takes time. In Kindle you will have to go into the screen of publishing and change a Keyword and actually do the whole "review" and "Publishing" routine which will take anywhere from 12-24 hours usually. In Print books you have to change the category and be patient 24-48 hours is the norm. I will show you where to do it.</div>
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In Kindle go to your Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Page under Bookshelf. Click on your book. On the first page you should see this as #3.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNtB5a-YOPo/T3yNvDwcp5I/AAAAAAAAAao/uBMIqaY8RgI/s1600/Amazon.com++Kindle+Direct+Publishing++Edit+Book" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNtB5a-YOPo/T3yNvDwcp5I/AAAAAAAAAao/uBMIqaY8RgI/s640/Amazon.com++Kindle+Direct+Publishing++Edit+Book" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now the Category above is a clear category established not by Amazon but by the Print Industry. The "Search Keywords" is where you have some leeway. <b>These are the keywords that are used in the normal search by the normal customer. So these are the keywords that will cause your book to appear in any search. You have a maximum of 7 keywords here. You can make them very specific or very general. BUT every time you change them you will have to re-publish and wait 12-24 hours for the effects to be seen on the site. As you can see I put Passover in place of another keyword. This will be temporary until the holiday passes. But now what happens? Let me show you again.</b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocFfsjfPC7g/T3yPXr-PfOI/AAAAAAAAAa4/SQ9Vv3bqOqQ/s1600/Amazon.com++passover++Kindle+Store.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocFfsjfPC7g/T3yPXr-PfOI/AAAAAAAAAa4/SQ9Vv3bqOqQ/s640/Amazon.com++passover++Kindle+Store.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see the search term on top is for the Kindle Store and "Passover" and ugh! now instead of being #10 and showing on the first page "Ancient Tales, Modern Legends" is at 75 in Kindle. Not fair! <b>But fair or not, that is how normal customers are usually going to find your book - not with the tagging system.</b></div>
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Now for the print version assuming you used CreateSpace. Log In to your CS account. Click on the book. You should see something like below.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6BVWkWvd24/T3yQrzG3GjI/AAAAAAAAAbI/C_6dW2Om5Lo/s1600/CS1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6BVWkWvd24/T3yQrzG3GjI/AAAAAAAAAbI/C_6dW2Om5Lo/s640/CS1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>We need the Distribute option specifically the "Description". So click on that.</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jz7xflS493E/T3yRYdQpEkI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/l_uwwjsQZcQ/s1600/CS2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jz7xflS493E/T3yRYdQpEkI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/l_uwwjsQZcQ/s640/CS2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The BISAC Category once again is not specific to Amazon. But the Search Keywords are for you to add and you have in this case 5 options. I obviously placed the word Passover there, and then I had to Save, and then it takes 24-48 hours for it to go live. Usually 48. </b></div>
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<b>My mistake was that I did not do this soon enough before Passover, so the book really had no chance to be in the "Passover" Category. But let us now see what happens when I go to Search Books and type Passover, then click on Literature & Fiction.</b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tq0OsxeOzW8/T3ySn2RPqQI/AAAAAAAAAbY/AY-FvsIDwvc/s1600/Amazon.com++passover+Literature+++Fiction+Books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tq0OsxeOzW8/T3ySn2RPqQI/AAAAAAAAAbY/AY-FvsIDwvc/s640/Amazon.com++passover+Literature+++Fiction+Books.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>And Viola. there you have it. Search Literature & Fiction ---> Passover and both books appear in all formats. </b></div>
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<b>So Lessons To Be Learned:</b></div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Tags are important. However, most normal Amazon users will just search and not use the tags to find books. Indeed, you cannot use tags initially to find a book unless you get to the box "Search for products with tags".</b></li>
<li><b>Search Categories and Categorization determine how and where your book shows up in "normal search" in Amazon and most other sites Thus the Categories and Search Keywords are critical to your public finding you.</b></li>
<li><b>Plan in advance. Tags are immediate. Categories and Search Keywords take time. </b></li>
<li><b>Spend some time thinking how much you wish to drill down or keep it general with Search Keywords. Too deep in a tree and a buyer may never type the whole thing in. Too general and you will never be found.</b></li>
<li><b>You need to plan keywords and test them. Go to Amazon type in a keyword you wish to use and see how many hits there are on it. If you are getting in the gazillions you are too general. If you are getting 100 hits, my guess is you drilled too deep down into the category. This takes time and patience. It is not immediate.</b></li>
<li><b>You like tags? Go for them after all you do have 15 of them. </b></li>
<li><b>Make sure you get the keywords as best as you can. In print you only have 1 Major BISAC Category & 5 "search keywords". In electronic you have 2 Major Categories & 7 search keywords So use them with wisdom.</b></li>
<li><b>When all else fails "never sweat the little stuff".</b></li>
</ol>
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<b>Hope all this helped. </b></div>
<hr />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a>
</center><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-83248159553832787532012-04-04T09:11:00.003+03:002012-04-04T09:12:06.568+03:00Author Interview: Dale Stanten - The Hooker’s Daughter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hookers-Daughter-Boston-Familys-Saga/dp/0741464020" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlcbuKRYUUnr71UL8gKY_75tyu7kfXkDaqwqCNRjEQr0jHHYQXkCqs2anE2J4tpNa4iDgMAcOsgoEviZlNJkpPXy7XMvejimcx_NBzYroNBKD3PSg3JJj2PTKS0TgYpXnaUBdlg/s400/Hookers+Daughter+cover.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A surprising title with a more surprising story between the covers. Definitely something worth reading & much fuel for thought.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Hooker’s Daughter- A Boston Family’s Saga</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Memoir by Dale Stanten</b></span></div>
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My name is Dale Stanten and do I have a story for you! </div>
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In 1950s Jewish Boston, my mother established a home-based business as a prostitute to remedy her husband’s inability to provide for his family. At age six, I was answering the front door for johns. Neighbor children were forbidden to play with me and even the Girl Scouts asked me to leave. What a terrible irony, in a family with so many strange and twisted realities, my gay sister, “coming out” at age 16, was the only thing my parents focused on as contemptible.</div>
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My memoir, The Hooker’s Daughter – A Boston Family’s Saga, is a story of survival, driven by a strong will and an ability to extract positive qualities from a dysfunctional life, punctuated by immoral and illegal behaviors. I was able to reconcile the reality of my environment with what I wished it to be. My resulting tenacity enabled me to cope with my terminally ill husband and widowhood at age 37. My unconditional love for my mother challenges the reader to examine beyond that which is socially acceptable and identify that which is universal.</div>
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This memoir could have been a dark book, “A Mommy Dearest.” But, instead of condemnation, this is a story of love, forgiveness, and triumph over one’s demons. To paraphrase the German philosopher, Nietzsche “What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.” </div>
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I grew up in Mattapan, a Boston suburb, which was a highly Jewish populated neighborhood. Like other first and second generation immigrant families, we clustered together embracing our way of life. There were the comforting landmarks and events: lots of synagogues, kosher butchers, delis, bakeries, and holiday celebrations on Rosh Hashana and Passover. Yiddish was spoken on the streets and in homes. However, I felt terribly isolated, a misfit and without a support system</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmgkoVm8bjw/T3vkjT9yO0I/AAAAAAAAAZw/mSNBpJnWX1M/s1600/Hookers+Daughter+Author.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmgkoVm8bjw/T3vkjT9yO0I/AAAAAAAAAZw/mSNBpJnWX1M/s320/Hookers+Daughter+Author.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Torah parsha, <i>"Lech Lecha"</i>, (Genesis) commands us to transcend ourselves to experience our “real self.” As I matured, the time came to “cut the psychological umbilical cord,” in order to discover what I was capable of.</div>
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One day, I read there was a writing group meeting in a back room of Panera’s bakery and decided to go. At first, I wrote the assignments that the leader gave the ten of us, but eventually I asked if I could write my own pieces instead. They were struck with my story and encouraged me to consider it as a serious endeavor to be shared with others. </div>
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I could have put my writings in the drawer but there was something more gnawing at me! I felt that I could offer something to people who are suffering and struggling. I wanted to show that it is possible to overcome dire circumstances and inspire people not to be victims. As the Torah says: “If you save one person, you save the world.”</div>
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Many people have asked me about the process of getting my book published. My experience has been very positive and I had a great story to tell. It took me a number of drafts to understand that a memoir need not be a chronological listing. Instead it should absorb the reader like a good novel while maintaining the truth.</div>
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I had many discussions with my husband about what should or should not be in the book. He said, “There is too much in there. No one will believe it. Decide what is important to make a point and leave the rest out.” But I said “It happened to me. I am telling the story.” Well, it is very hard for an author, especially a memoir writer, to leave anything out. The final product left out a lot.</div>
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The growth of E-books and self publishing has significantly changed the publishing industry. Today, a traditional publishing house requires the author to do the majority of the marketing and publicity. Unless you have a platform and your name is Clinton or Bush, it is difficult to obtain any assistance. Ultimately, I decided to self-publish. This gave me more control of the process.</div>
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Writing the book is only the beginning. Marketing can absorb a great deal of time and effort. I love marketing! I built my original business from nothing and understand that personal contact and follow thru is very important. What I didn’t know was that it should start at least 6 months prior to publication.</div>
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If you get published, I assure you, you will enjoy the journey. The activity will bring you rewards that you never anticipated.</div>
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Print copies of my memoir are available on my web site, <a href="http://www.thehookersdaughter.com/">www.TheHookersDaughter.com</a>, from the publisher Infinity Publishing, and from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hookers-Daughter--Boston-Familys-Saga/dp/0741464020/">Amazon.com</a>, Ebooks are also available for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hookers-Daughter-Boston-Familys-ebook/dp/B0058PRFSM/">Kindle</a>, Nook, iBook from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes and vendors such as Smashwords and Goodreads. I can be contacted by Email at <a href="mailto:TheHookersDaughter@gmail.com">TheHookersDaughter@gmail.com</a> or on Facebook. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hookers-Daughter-Boston-Familys-ebook/dp/B0058PRFSM/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlcbuKRYUUnr71UL8gKY_75tyu7kfXkDaqwqCNRjEQr0jHHYQXkCqs2anE2J4tpNa4iDgMAcOsgoEviZlNJkpPXy7XMvejimcx_NBzYroNBKD3PSg3JJj2PTKS0TgYpXnaUBdlg/s640/Hookers+Daughter+cover.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-86999396413829589282012-03-28T15:00:00.002+02:002012-03-28T15:01:53.751+02:00140 Characters & Your World Is Complete! So Twitter Away<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is no doubt that #Twitter is a fascinating tool of #social #demographics. There I said it all in 79 characters including spaces & hash marks! Or did I? "They" tell you that above and beyond all the marketing you must do for your own book, you have to network in the social manner using all the tools available. "Social Networking" including all the tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and on and on and on, is a critical factor in getting your name out there. So one day you decide Twitter as well has to be in your arsenal. And you load this program, start learning the ropes and begin to twitter away.<br />
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Of course it does not help to Twitter unless people are "following" you. Notice I did not say "reading what you write" I said "they are following you". This is called "followers" in Twitter. How do you get "followers"? Well you have to start "following" people. The viral network has begun for you. So you follow them, and many on Twitter have a deep regard of social grace, so they follow you back. And then of course some of them with even more grace actually "re-tweet" or "RT" what you put out there. And soon you find your list growing. Maybe not the 20,000 followers that others have but you get a few. And you are a happy camper!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73W5faqFEIw/T3LnlxnZu9I/AAAAAAAAAXU/cJ6eA0Lp74w/s1600/hope-handle-encouragement-ecard-someecards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73W5faqFEIw/T3LnlxnZu9I/AAAAAAAAAXU/cJ6eA0Lp74w/s640/hope-handle-encouragement-ecard-someecards.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now of course your writing abilities kick in. You have to express yourself in 140 characters or less. That includes a URL and all the hash marks if you use them. So now you go and sign up with a system like Bitly for free to make your URL as short as possible to keep that 140 limit!</div>
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Okay, you have the hash marks down. You have the following and followers down. You have the etiquette down. You have the URL thing down. You sit and think of the best way to actually "market yourself" on Twitter. So you begin to actually read the Tweets that are coming your way. And you get advice on what and how to tweet. So the other day I sat and actually read for a few hours the tweets coming through my system. It was fascinating. </div>
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Let us go through some of them shall we:</div>
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<li>Buy my book here at Amazon</li>
<li>Tweet Blog posts so you do not look like you are trying to tweet your books.</li>
<li>Do not tweet blog posts because people are sick of reading blogs</li>
<li>Do not tweet blog posts because you do not maintain a blog. After all you wanted to write books not blog!</li>
<li>OMG! You do not have a blog? Where the hell have you been for 8 years? Start a blog they tell you. (You sigh and say to yourself "add it to the list".)</li>
<li>Tweet homely nice things. Like "Love Everyone Today" and every one of your followers will get all mushy and go to your blog and web site and buy your books.</li>
<li>Do not tweet homely nice things, because people just say when they read them "bleh".</li>
<li>Go to the quote of the day site, steal a quote and tweet it. Even if it is a stupid, idiotic, mundane quote. After all it shows you are well-read and you care.</li>
<li>Free Day @ Kindle and/or Smashwords. </li>
<li>My book has 4.8 rating in stars for reviews. You have to see it!</li>
<li>Harry Potter went digital.</li>
<li>Pay me $30 and I will show you how to get 20k of followers in a month. </li>
<li>Pay me $25 and I will show you how to get reviews.</li>
<li>Pay me something and I will RT for you. </li>
<li>GM everyone. I woke up with a back pain.</li>
<li>How is everyone today?</li>
<li>Throw out Writer quotes like "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~G. Fowler" (Actual Tweet). Makes you look well-read!</li>
<li>Have a great picture like <b>@LenoreWolfe. </b>The woman does have a great pic! Worth following. (Especially consider this Tweet - <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Some author photos scare me. What does your author photo say about you?"</span></li>
<li>Be funny.</li>
<li>Do not be funny because no one will get your sense of humor.</li>
<li>Be kind and nice.</li>
<li>Forget kind and nice. Just Twitter what you have to and get out of the system.</li>
<li> For Goodness Sake - Just Twitter! Someone will read it!</li>
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Just a small sample of course. A real small sample. Yet I do admit I have my favorites. These people use scheduled Tweets from a 3rd party program so 24 hours a day 7 days a week they are tweeting. Actually if you look at their numbers it works. Because they are active all the time. But I seriously do not understand how they spend the time setting up such a schedule. However, if it floats their boat it is all great.</div>
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So now you are addicted as well to Twitter. Add it to your list. Because you cannot take your eyes off of getting higher numbers in those who "follow you". And of course you follow them. So you have to think of ways to become even more and more witty and stand out in the crowd. Hey, you are a writer, suck it up and do it! Because if you do not, or if you keep on putting out Tweets which are totally meaningless then still a lot of people will follow you but you sure are not using that time to write your next great best seller which you can then Tweet about. And you join Tweet lists. So people will tweet about you and follow you - and you do the same for them. So you tweet and tweet and forget all about writing. Because those lists can get mighty long. </div>
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I admit, fully and with glee, that I do exactly what the above tells you to do. I do not want to be an existential non-entity on Twitter! I have to do something, anything to pick up sales, to get my name known, to make this blog a 7 in Page Ranking which it once was years ago, before I let it languish. My bad! But then, silly me, I thought you should actually have something to say, in order to be a good blogger and social networker. But guess what? Twitter has proven me totally wrong on that score. You just need to .. well... TWEET!</div>
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And even with all this tongue-in-cheek attitude, I do have my favorites. First of all I use TweetDeck which is from Twitter itself. And I happen to like reading stuff from certain Twitter people (even though they schedule most of their tweets.) <b>@Melissa_Foster and @dcPriya (Ashley Barron) to name two.</b> So I am in Tweet heaven.<br />
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And wow! Every one of my Tweets can go to Facebook and all my Facebook posts go to Twitter. Automatically (once you allow it). So I can flood people with all sorts of information from my head.<br />
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The only thing is well, to be honest, just like all the others, Tweets about your books and your writing, (in the writing-author-reader world of tweeting) usually simply do not work. Because everyone is tweeting to everyone else about their books, their freebies, their blogs and God only knows what else. And the blog posts! I think I have seen every opinion of what should be done and what should not be done under the sun. One person says "Do X" the other "Do not even think about doing X". One famous author will tweet about how they became famous without using any marketing and another one will tell you the only way they became famous and selling oodles of books is to use all the Social Marketing tools available and Tweet away as much as you can. So you see there is really nothing you can actually gleam in terms of the ultimate truth in Tweeting. So why not just lay back and enjoy the fun. You never know what 140 letters with spaces and hash marks can do. And besides, it teaches you to redact your writing into only essential words. So your next book will be titled: <i>"For The #Love Of #Country #Romance"</i> Subtitled <i>"#Vampire #Relationships With #Zombies". </i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">So what is the secret of success in Twitter? How do you really do it and get your name known? Here is your answer!</span></b></i><br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></i></div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/" target="_blank">Poster From Despair.com</a></div>
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<br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> So for pity sake FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!</span></b></div>
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<br />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-45294675729750484062012-03-27T12:24:00.000+02:002012-03-27T12:24:16.914+02:00Interview: Charles S. Weinblatt - Jacob’s Courage: A Holocaust Love Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b><i><u>Jacob’s Courage: A Holocaust Love Story</u></i></b> </span><span style="color: black;"> by </span><b>Charles S. Weinblatt<span style="color: #500050;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(2007, Mazo Publishers, Jerusalem Israel) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a tender love story of two young adults living in Salzburg at the time when the Nazi war machine enters Austria. This thrilling novel explores the dazzling beauty of young love, powerful faith and enduring bravery in a lurid world where the innocent are murdered. Portions of the book are based upon pogroms visited upon my 102-year-old mother and her family in Russia.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a commanding coming-of-age love story.</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About The Book, The Art Of Writing & The Author:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is a tender love story of two young adults living in Salzburg at the time when the Nazi war machine enters Austria. This thrilling novel explores the dazzling beauty of young love, powerful faith and enduring bravery in a lurid world where the innocent are murdered. Portions of the book are based upon pogroms visited upon my 102-year-old mother and her family in Russia. It is a commanding coming-of-age love story. You can read some of the reviews and see the video trailer here: <b><a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://jacobscourage.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</a></b>. </span><a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is available in globally print and as an e-book, as well as from my publisher, <a href="http://mazopublishers.com/welcome/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=26" target="_blank">Mazo Publishers</a>. Currently r<b>anked #5 at Amazon </b>under “products tagged <i>Holocaust</i> for <i>popularity</i><b>,”</b><b> t</b>he novel resides in Holocaust museums throughout the world, including Yad Vashem and the USHMM<b>.</b> Two film companies have expressed an interest in the movie rights. Reviews include <b><i>Jewish Book World</i></b><i> </i>and the <b><i>Association of Jewish Libraries</i></b>. <i>Jacob’s Courage</i> has been required reading for high school students. It’s a powerful love story and a thrilling piece of historical fiction. As one Holocaust center director stated, <i>“<strong><span lang="EN">At the end of the read one feels both hope and admiration for the human spirit.”</span></strong></i></span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the Jewish related theme in your book?</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Young Jewish lovers and their families struggle to survive during the Holocaust. Some survive; but only because of the power of their faith, love and courage.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is writing a full-time job for you? If not what else do you do? </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a happily retired university administrator. Having had to retire at age 51 on disability, I’ve turned to writing and found success with writing and with the book’s sales success.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How many books have you self-published or have been published in the traditional manner?</i> I have produced five books, four of which have been published. I was trade published for <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> and for <b><i><u>Job Seeking Skills for Students</u></i></b> (1987, Kendall-Hunt Publishing). My SP books include <b><i><u>Runaway Ducks</u></i></b> (2011, Smashwords) and <b><i><u>Book Marketing 101</u></i></b><i><u> </u></i>(2009, Smashwords).<u></u><u></u></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Why do you write?</i> Writing (communication) is arguably my only viable skill. I’m terrible with math and dangerous with tools. But I’m pretty good with people. So, in retirement I write. I find the experience rewarding and a viable catharsis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you are writing something new do you ask someone's opinion about it?</i> I do not ask for opinions. Is that wrong? Oh crap. I just asked for an opinion!<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you write do you need absolute concentration and quiet?</i> Not at all. I typically write with classical music playing, or with other environmental distractions<u></u><u></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you believe or have you experienced "writer's block"? If so, when and why?</i> I’ve never had “writer’s block.” That being said, some day it flows sweetly more than other days. When that occurs, I tend to focus more on research or editing.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you incorporate incidents from your own personal life into your works?</i> I tend to incorporate aspects of my personality and a few incidents into characters, especially a protagonist. However, those incidents are rare.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you write what you think the public wants to read or what you feel to be your inner-expression? </i>Thankfully, I write as a hobby. I do not need to derive readers or income from it. It’s a hobby, not a career. So I have the luxury of writing what I like, not what I think the public might enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you did Self-Publish why did you do it?</i> I self-published two e-books. One was a children’s book and the other a self-help book for writers who wish to promote their books. In both cases, it was an exploratory effort in a new market. I prefer using a traditional publisher for many reasons, not the least of which is their capacity to distribute, market and sell books in retail stores globally. Almost half of all books today are still sold on a store shelf. If you don’t use a traditional publisher, you’ll have a lot of expensive work to do. Trade publishers also represent your book at key international book fairs, conferences and conventions. And they have channels for the best reviews from the most compelling and persuasive sources in the genre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you did or do have an agent, without naming them, tell us your experience on getting the agent and if you are satisfied.</i> I currently do not have an agent. In fact, I was successfully published traditionally twice without an agent. Of course, agents can open new doors. But it can be at least as difficult to find an agent as it is a publisher. So, I devote some time to both searches. I had an agent who turned out to be a fraud. Thankfully, one of his employees told me about it and I lost nothing. I am somewhat more selective now.<u></u><u></u></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you market your book what path did you chose? Why? And what has not worked out for you and what has worked for you?</i> I have an inexpensive e-book about author marketing and promotion here: "<b><i><u>Book Marketing 101</u></i></b>" ($1.99, Amazon <b><a href="http://tiny.cc/na2go" target="_blank">http://tiny.cc/na2go</a> </b>and Smashwords <b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2595" target="_blank">https://www.smashwords.com/<wbr></wbr>books/view/2595</a></b>. You can attend key international book fairs, market through catalog distribution, via e-mail and fax blasts, generate media publicity, arrange book tours, create a web site landing page and a Facebook fan page, solicit compelling reviews and arrange book tours and bookstore signings. You can contact local newspapers, magazines and on-line blogs in order to solicit articles and reviews for your book. You can contact local bookstores to arrange for book signings and tours, as well as local radio, TV and print interviews. You can sell books on your own through local organizations. You can obtain reviews and interviews about your book. One of the fastest ways to solicit business for your book is through the media. Since you require positive reviews to sell your book, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and book clubs are a great place to start. When you encounter serious interest, send them a review copy. If your publisher runs out of review copies, send them the e-book as a review copy, or ask them to purchase a preview version for electronic readers. Select a landing page that can present widespread valuable data about your book to visitors, including the video trailer, persuasive reviews, published articles, information about your other books plus a link to TV, radio, magazine and newspaper articles about you and your writing career. Select your landing page carefully. It should also offer a wealth of feedback to you about who visited the page. You’ll want to know who visited the page, from where (referring address) and what they did on your site. You’ll want to know who found your landing page, so that you can contact them with valuable information. Such statistics are important to your future marketing. For viral marketing, use Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, Wordpress, BlogSpot, Goodreads or Facebook and begin building your page.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time do you spend on marketing your own work?</i> I devote about 20-30 hours per week to marketing my books. Frankly, it’s not enough. But I review books for several organizations, including The New York Journal of Books. So, I always have a stack of books to read and review. That’s in addition to writing and researching my next books. For someone who is retired, I find myself very busy.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you self-published tell us in order the route you went, e.g. Kindle to Print to Smashwords or whatever you did.</i> I self published with Smashwords and Kindle (KDP) almost simultaneously. I receive terrific royalty checks from Smashwords, but not from Amazon (KDP).With a premium membership at Smashwords, they will format all of your books for every type of e-reader, tablet or smart-phone for free. I highly value my relationship with Smashwords.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Which publishing sources would your recommend? And which would you not recommend?</i> I could fill several pages with this question. But I’ll reduce my answer to this. There are two iconic sources to determine if a publisher or a literary agent might be a fraud or conducting a scam. They are: Predators & Editors (<a href="http://pred-ed.com/" target="_blank">http://pred-ed.com/</a>) and Writer Beware (<a href="http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/alerts/" target="_blank">http://www.sfwa.org/for-<wbr></wbr>authors/writer-beware/alerts/</a>)<wbr></wbr>. Use them. They can save you from being a scam victim and losing thousands of dollars.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time and effort did you put into the cover of your book?</i> LOL Thankfully, my daughter is a professional artist. She has plenty of experience with designing book covers. That is very lucky for me.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you are a Kindle publisher, did you join <b>KDP Select</b> and if so what were experiences there and how would you judge it?</i> I haven’t joined “select” yet. Frankly, I’m receiving excellent royalties from Smashwords.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Exactly what formats is your book in? (Nook, Paper, Kindle, Sony, Ipad..etc and etc.)</i> Thanks to my Smashwords premium membership, my books are sold in every possible format for all e-readers, tablets and smart-phones, including Amazon, Apple, Diesel, Kobo, Sony Scrollmotion, Barnes & Noble, Baker-Taylor, etc.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How did you decide on the price of your book?</i> Include decisions if applicable for E-book and Print books. Or tell us how your publisher decided. My publishers decided on the price. One book was a short fiction how-to book on job seeking skills. The other was an epic fictional account of young Jewish lovers who became Holocaust victims and their families. I think that my publishers prices the books as well as they could. The Holocaust book, <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a>, is 524 pages, which certainly costs more to produce than a 200-page fiction. I priced my two self-published books as low as possible (“Book Marketing 101” sells for $2 and the children’s book (Runaway Ducks) is $3. Again, I don’t write for income. I don’t need more money. So, I try to keep the e-books competitive.<u></u><u></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What advice would you give other authors or other people starting out?</i> Construct web sites and blogs that can be used to attract the public to your book and accomplish the sale with a few mouse clicks. Distribute reviews, articles and related information by creating several attractive and concise web pages, by using appropriate key words in those web sites to attract search engines and by implementing an effective e-mail marketing campaign. You can accomplish all of this right from your own computer - and it is virtually cost free. Marketing a book can be time consuming and frustrating. But do not count on your publisher to accomplish everything, particularly if you are a new author. Be willing to implement your own marketing campaign with web sites, blogs, by writing articles and with an effective e-mail blitz. The harder your effort, the larger your royalty checks will become.<u></u><u></u></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you consider yourself a success in writing, a wannabe, a failure or just misunderstood?</i> A publisher picked up two of my books, including my debut novel. Many people have told me that my SP book on author promotion and marketing <b>is </b>very helpful. To that extent, I am far more successful than I ever <b>imagined</b><b> </b>possible.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Excluding free giveaways</b> (such as KDP) - have you ever made it into the top 100 of a list and stayed there for over 2 weeks?</i> I don’t check lists. <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> has vacillated on the Amazon sales chart from about 80K up to 1M. For the past year or two, <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a>’ has been ranked #5 for books tagged “Holocaust” for “popularity. It has also been ranked in the top 15-20 for books tagged “Romance novel.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you absolutely hate about the publishing and writing world.</i> I do not hate anything about the publishing and writing world. I try to learn how to play the game successfully. But I do not compete for success. I just write and serve it to the public as best I can.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you love about the publishing and writing world.</i> I love the opportunity to publish traditionally and to self-publish. I love the chance to learn how to promote my books. Mostly, I just love being able to write and to place my writing in full public view. I never imagined growing up that I would be a published author, especially for an epic novel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is your ultimate dream in writing and having your books published?</i> My ultimate dream would be to become a best-selling author. But I have already exceeded my dreams. Just being trade-published twice has been an experience far beyond my dreams. I recently completed a poignant science fiction novel. My current task is finding a publisher for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Add anything else here you feel is pertinent to your book.</i> There are a hundred things pertinent to <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a>. It tells the story of the Holocaust from ground zero. The fact that many of my maternal extended family perished in the Holocaust made the project that much more urgent and necessary.<a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> rises like a phoenix from the ashes of my ancestors. Unless you have lived through the Holocaust, one cannot really imagine the depth of daily terror, mindless brutality and degradation. One cannot imagine how it feels to starve to death or to be forced into cruel slave labor. One cannot imagine how it feels to have everyone that you have known and loved murdered. Hitler not only wanted to exterminate all Jews; he wanted to erase the memory of Judaism from the world’s recollection. But<a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob’s Courage</i></b></a> is also a tender coming-of-age love story, filled with the thrill and excitement of powerful love. Thus the novel explores the very worst and best of human nature and the dynamic power of the human spirit. Just visit <a href="http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b>http://jacobscourage.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</b></a>.</span>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
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<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-90628186178518261762012-03-20T19:37:00.000+02:002012-03-20T19:39:17.559+02:00Interview: Delin Colón - Rasputin and The Jews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VQ5IH-4W46EqyeNux0XdBqHVqR0SGKwIui0Ty6c_Y3rFBkgqFt0jh6czKTjMcHqc-T3ktLelEsf0DRBKwSHtBB0hSUIQez4g_PRq_lVKq1J1-hvItk_1bMBE96CrCNzUhH6ryA/s320/RJDrkBkCvr.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<b><i>This non-fiction work covers the famous or "infamous" Rasputin, documenting little known facts about his efforts to help the Jews of Russia at the time gain </i></b><b><i>equal rights.</i></b></div>
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<i><u><br /></u></i></div>
<b><i><u>Rasputin and The Jews: A Reversal of History</u></i></b></div>
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<b><i>by Delin Colón</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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“Rasputin and The Jews: A Reversal of History” is a work of historical non-fiction, debunking the myths surrounding Rasputin and offering a humanitarian image of him. Rasputin, the spiritual advisor to the last Czar and Czarina of Russia, advocated equal rights for the severely oppressed Russian Jews who were deprived of all rights and were subject to torture and slaughter, at the whim of the military.</div>
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The book details specific incidents of Rasputin’s aid to Jews, as well as his efforts to persuade the Czar to grant them equal rights. The Russian aristocracy was rabidly anti-Semitic and Jews were considered traitors. Consequently, providing any aid to Jews was on a par with treason. This was a major reason for the aristocracy’s campaign to discredit Rasputin. In addition, he was anti-war, which was not a popular stance in a pro-war era.</div>
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Most books about Rasputin only briefly mention his aid to Jews, whether with admiration or derision, but this is the only book that focuses on the specifics, including his attempts to nominate cabinet ministers who were for equal rights for Jews and who were anti-war. Several historians have noted that, had Rasputin been a noble, the aristocracy’s hypocritical accusations of womanizing and alcoholism would have been disregarded, since they themselves consumed French champagne and vodka by the case, as well as being rife with venereal diseases due to their own promiscuity. It is unfortunate that the gossip and myths fabricated by the nobility and bureaucracy entered the history books, but it is an example of history being written by the powerful (and literate) and not by the common man.</div>
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Writing has always been a staple in my life, whether to express myself through poetry, short stories, articles, or opinion pieces. Stream-of-consciousness writing has also been my method for resolving any personal issues or conflicts within myself. I’ve been a technical writer for Sociological Abstracts, have edited other writers’ works, and once had a business pairing writers with clients, for commercial, creative, technical or industrial projects. I also create minimalistic collage art.</div>
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Research, however, has equally been a passion of mine, which makes historical non-fiction the perfect genre for me. The impetus for writing my book on Rasputin was spurred by having read the published memoirs of my great-great uncle who was Rasputin’s secretary. It was the first time I’d read about his aid to Jews. I felt the need to correct the historical view and my decade of research turned up a treasure trove of information substantiating his activities.</div>
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Writing historical non-fiction is, in some respects, easier than writing fiction. The ‘characters’ and ‘plot’ already exist, so half the work is done, rendering verisimilitude a moot point. All that is left is to present the material in an appealing narrative for the reader. Writer’s block is also eliminated because the facts and focus are clear. For someone like me who loves research and writing, it is more fun than work.</div>
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The process of writing is, for me, a solitary activity. I don’t discuss it with others until it’s in finished form. The research takes longer than the writing process. As I read, I use post-it markers on pages with information I want to incorporate. I create an index card for each bit of information, with the source, and file it under the one of the categories created by my chapter outline. Before writing, I order the index cards in each category in such a way that each subject segues easily and logically into the next. The narrative then flows naturally. </div>
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I decided to self-publish because I didn’t want to spend months waiting for responses, and I felt, given the specificity of my subject, that I could easily target my audience for marketing and promotion purposes. I chose Createspace, for the paperback version, because there is no cost other than the books you choose to purchase (at a very reasonable price), and because of their connection to Amazon. I’ve been very happy with them. Sales reports are updated with each sale and easily accessible. And, they pay promptly. Putting the book on Kindle and Nook was a no-brainer. There’s no cost and it widens your market.</div>
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My first post-publication act was to garner as many reviews as possible. Targeting Jewish periodicals, as well as local ones, my pitch was enough to pique the curiosity of a number of editorial reviewers. In nearly a year that my book has been on the market, I’ve only received glowing reviews and was gratified, recently, to have Charles Weinblatt publish his review of my book in The New York Journal of Books which does not review self-published work. Such book reviews, in addition to generous book bloggers, such as Ted Gross, have contributed to a steady sales record.</div>
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As, I think, most writers will admit, writing a book is a relatively easy and finite task, as compared to marketing and promotion, which are never-ending. Selling the book is an ongoing task and requires a lot of perseverance. It can be exhausting, consume your life, and prevent you from writing further works, if you don’t confine it to a finite portion of your day. It’s best to outline your marketing goals, prioritizing your targets for reviews, interviews, author signings, speaking engagements, etc. About half my work day is spent marketing; the other half is for research/writing. I also share my leads with online communities of writers, who generously do the same. </div>
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I don’t give advice to writers because it’s such an idiosyncratic process. Everyone has his or her own method. The only dictum I ascribe to is not to worry about the <i>business</i> of writing before one’s done with the <i>process</i> of writing. The process requires total commitment and concentration. Fretting over publishing, marketing and sales can only distract from the process. There’s plenty of time for the business end, once the book is published.</div>
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The feeling of success, for me, came with holding the first published copy of my book. After a fifteen year journey, the book in my hands was a huge feeling of accomplishment. The reviews and comments I’ve received since then are the icing on the cake. Currently, I’m in the research process for my next book which, hopefully, won’t take nearly as long. I seem to be on a mission to make the public more aware of little known aspects of history.</div>
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<u>Delin Colón on:<u></u><u></u></u></div>
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Website: The Real Rasputin - <a href="http://therealrasputin.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">http://therealrasputin.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</span></a></div>
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Facebook: <a href="http://on.fb.me/uNAT7j" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">http://on.fb.me/uNAT7j</span></a></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/delincolon" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">https://twitter.com/#!<wbr></wbr>/delincolon</span></a></div>
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LinkedIn: <a href="http://linkd.in/xMXCp8" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">http://linkd.in/xMXCp8</span></a></div>
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Fine Art America: <a href="http://delin-colon.artistwebsites.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">http://delin-colon.<wbr></wbr>artistwebsites.com/</span></a></div>
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<u>“Rasputin and The Jews: A Reversal of History” is available on:<u></u><u></u></u></div>
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Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461027756" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">http://www.amazon.com/gp/<wbr></wbr>product/1461027756</span></a></div>
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Kindle: <a href="http://amzn.to/udec9z" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://amzn.to/udec9z</a></div>
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B&N Nook: <a href="http://bit.ly/wAIBch" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/wAIBch</a></div>
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Createspace: <a href="https://www.createspace.com/3584659" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0060bf;">https://www.createspace.com/<wbr></wbr>3584659</span></a></div>
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It can also be ordered through any chain or independent bookstore.<br />
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<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-69119404403015290852012-03-19T14:46:00.001+02:002012-03-22T14:10:23.348+02:00One Story @ A Time Series<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>"One Story @ A Time Series"</i></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> introduces various short stories by Ted William Gross, as separate editions in electronic E-Book format. Each electronic version contains one (1) short story, taken from the short story collections of Ted William Gross. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a></span></div>
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<b>Each book contains one story and they are appropriately priced as well if you wish to read just one or a couple of the stories.</b> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LZ0DYA" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><i>A Tapestry Of War</i></b></a>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LZ0DYA" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>A Tapestry Of War</i></a>” is based upon a real story which took place during the most recent Israel-Lebanon War. Having been a battlefield medic for many years, the events within this story do closely resemble the truth of war and the impact it has upon society and soldiers in particular. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LZ0DYA" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>A Tapestry Of War</i></a>” is an edited and re-written excerpt from a longer novel which has not yet been published. This story has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it as much as a story of war can be “enjoyed”.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYCXV2" style="color: #4d469c; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYW_PZENK2lwm8Z6yt0uWX1Lw9q9snazhNY5bZ6EUpjXXAXf5leG5-lY1r-uBpavh7Fl0qvWcP2prA1maN67zHvynL3MFcm1Zb-sv1lOxQhpJbxS4hxtNHht0LXwdssi8oofZ1w/s640/Addiction+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="404" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYCXV2" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><i>Addiction, Obsession, Love</i></b></a>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYCXV2" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Addiction, Obsession, Love</i></a>” is about the fragility of love and a story of love lost, gained and lost again. It has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it and it will remain with you long after you have read it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LS0PWC" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6TJ32Q1acgjnq3wtTJuFjjrBy7uiSym4MgweXKK0xwG2LKiHPO40vW9QoiGdX27WA0G-OeNU6am1I3wQmei0yUFT_96gyGbuGmHjF8UEI07umTZr4enUUJVQB4n753-kvOHpUg/s640/Elijahs+Coins+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LS0PWC" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Elijah's Coins</b></a>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> is part of the short story collection </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">. </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LS0PWC" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Elijah's Coins</a>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> is a historical fiction story in which the biblical Elijah appears in more recent times to grant those who wish the ability to change the course of their lives. This story has received quite a few rave reviews. I do hope you enjoy it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0G85W" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoEUQIhfQbliIvZE6WqCZj0yAMnuLjQoQ1h2fNxqXZrnJMbA3J3QEJUrHDBZEBOolDgxMbmwUkEWB9kxiRu5YDRe_2nbIQ-uzHpyN9rqg4684fDdcu_n_Y1O1tMzwR7RiByPN1Q/s640/Jacobs+Ladder.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0G85W" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><i>Jacob's Ladder</i></b></a>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. What happens when man and arch-angel meet and are forced to take action without any command to do so? What decisions must they arrive at despite the eons old silence of the One who rules them? How do they react to evil and good in their own way? How do they interpret the silence of the heavens? This is the story of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0G85W" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Jacob's Ladder</i></a>” which is a mythical, fable-like discourse between man and angel. This story has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it. </span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0OKI4" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRyYwrT1j5w-0wFb9YeK26BNpqbRFO46q4zzH-l2QModnrInmwv7yYQIjyE51-65H3GgbJucPpAr0Nw4Md4Zt999YN8ux3N8VJLcokOQfMGsRl9jsVrG3UiF1wT0lj7OkFRpJoQ/s640/Kapparot.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0OKI4" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Kapparot</i></a></b>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. What happens when one man is allowed to view the most intimate of discussions between another man and his God? How does one react when hearing another judge God in the same way he judges himself? How does one truly atone for deeds they wish they had not done? The legendry Baal Shem Tov sought justice and compassion. He would settle for nothing less. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M0OKI4" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Kapparot</i></a>” is a story of that long lost world where humility, compassion and honesty are crucial to the discovery of oneself. I do hope you enjoy it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LPVMX6" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9q7rKGtTrkoAh5wn4FGcS2R3FCaWuiJmWfP3Ag9TzxK9jrQEUmckCKksS3pbYZuXKreyRqnpbtZDT23WVjPUyk4oK2rcjDauUZfDuf__s-ae_sYhEioxTwvhja51oYQVARDzOnQ/s640/Love+In+A+Cafe+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LPVMX6" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Love In A Café</a></b>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> is part of the short story collection </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">. </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LPVMX6" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Love In A Café</a>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> is a romantic love story with a twist. This story has received quite a few rave reviews. I do hope you enjoy it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXLDEQ" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNIu24kt4JEimsJJ7BCZDHDBGo13FfHqa-kUH4uHB1loNXryQGMBKlrMgbLypxIRfKCVrf7UH7I1Uy6594xSRaK-3LhNZIW9UdUJZs-58vQfk9Ft50OaHXMH9QgFqfYf4zwlanQ/s640/Reverieing+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXLDEQ" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Reverieing</i></a></b>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXLDEQ" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Reverieing</i></a>” is a story of the slow descent into depression, loneliness and sorrow by one man who has been destined by luck or fate to experience the purgatory of existence. This story is not for the light-hearted and will hit you with a sledgehammer of emotions. It has received quite a few rave reviews. I do hope you enjoy it but beware it will remain with you long after you have read it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXUS6A" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQovlY2pPebKCvp7icTYl5rbvTrQaj56pifh4r21_ow5-OVpB6T1Rk1SZfae3WvSPeNFxo1-gNhl5VPPIz3k4Ife4YZ1ID5DU6fW2bmMTdDh9gEGk2ZZjtrbUaeac7hlO6IZJtw/s640/Sunflower+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXUS6A" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Sunflower</i></a></b>” is part of the short story collection “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</i></a>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LXUS6A" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Sunflower</i></a>” is a story of the effects that terrorism can have upon those that have been touched by it. It uses imagery and allusion to portray the seed of hate which propagates itself endlessly. It has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it but beware it will remain with you long after you have read it.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYTG3U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmHeXG24UU4JPndNFPIkhgGBVPGe1nZjaau1K39h01JziBH9GtZ-ALTXRedsxgvi_mc471br6U7Ixe-ma8KM6uvyMppBcBv4W0duWvoYOgyJ8FFX_Q_-KM2Lb6wnLH9-JUst6aA/s640/The+Heretic+101.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYTG3U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><i>The Heretic</i></b></a>” is part of the short story collection “<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></i>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYTG3U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Heretic</i></a>” is about faith and the questions it imposes upon the believer. It is up to you, dear reader, to decide who truly is the heretic within this short story. It has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it and it will remain with you long after you have read it.</span> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYY95U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCckEZP57B8k1iNfFMRFgC4LJ6qTHlgLKvvDdCdiiAGHKi1Yl5Fp-SCi1mdFLPhV03dWu4E3rxFgiDAdAPkwSFIKc2FUqCmpOvLNKWR2RqSxKkdkbq2PuH-8x3J2tO9GgrmtpRcA/s640/Tiny+Slivers.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="406" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">“<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYY95U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn</i></a></b>” is part of the short story collection “<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></i>”. “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007LYY95U" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn</i></a>” is a fable or legend if you will, about Unicorns, mankind and the stars. It presents a message of hope though it forces upon those who dare to hope even during the darkest of times, a choice which will have dire consequences no matter which road they choose to embark upon. It has received quite a few rave reviews over the years. I do hope you enjoy it and it will remain with you long after you have read it.</span> </div>
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<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tedwgross" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">If you wish to purchase the books at Smashwords click here.</a> </div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-52711202511995953172012-03-15T09:13:00.004+02:002012-03-16T09:55:23.369+02:00Interview: Bryna Kranzler - The Accidental Anarchist: From the Diaries of Jacob Marateck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Accidental Anarchist: From the Diaries of Jacob Marateck written by </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Bryna Kranzler</i> is a story of surviving and living despite great suffering. This award winning book is definitely worth the read, both as a historical document and a story of one man's fight against oppression. </span></b><br />
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<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Accidental Anarchist is the WINNER of The USA "Best Books of 2011" Award </span></span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in the Biography:Historical category</span></b></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finalist, ForeWord Review's 2011 Book of the Year: Biography</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> "The Accidental Anarchist is a profound testament to the power of faith, and to the continued survival of the Jewish people." -Elie Wiesel</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About The Book:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Genre: Historical Biography</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Accidental Anarchist, is the true story of Jacob Marateck, an Orthodox Jew who was sentenced to death 3 times in the early 1900s in Russia -- and lived to tell about it. He also happened to have been my grandfather. The book is based on the diaries that my grandfather, whom I never knew, began keeping in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. That was when he decided that he needed to help overthrow Czar Nicholas II (the last of the Romanov dynasty), which led to his 3rd death sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are characters and a uniquely Jewish situation, namely persecution and oppression. The book takes place at a time when anti-Semitism was the official government policy throughout the Russian-occupied territories, which included Poland. All Jews (who couldn’t buy their way out) were conscripted in the brutal anti-Semitic Russian army, which happened to be one of the Czar’s vehicles for conducting pogroms. So you can imagine what life was like for Jewish soldiers. In fact, even when my grandfather received a battlefield promotion (because the army had a problem with the Russian officers deserting their men during battle), the man under his command wanted to kill him at least as much as the enemy did. Yet Jacob Marateck survived poverty, starvation and the horrors of war with his sense of humor intact, and it is from his wry and ironic perspective that he shows what life was like for Jews in the early 1900s when it was always “open season” on persecuting Jews, as well as during the disastrous war in the incompetent Russian army.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">About the Author, Writing & Publishing:</span> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Is writing a full-time job for you? If not what else do you do?</i> I write, but I also handle the other responsibilities of a mother, even one with sort-of-grown children. In other words, I handle their insurance problems, manages bills and taxes, keep kitchen appliances that are past their usable lives in mostly working condition, and so on. I am also taking online classes toward a certificate in Copyediting, and whenever I feel like I’ve lost focus, I bake. I love to bake healthy versions of decadent desserts, and just this weekend decided to learn cake decorating (though I won’t take that up until I have a few things off my plate). I spend a lot of time pursuing speaking opportunities and book reviews in the hopes of creating some momentum for the book so that I don’t have to spend so much time promoting it and can go back to writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How many books have you self-published or have been published in the traditional manner?</i> The Accidental Anarchist is not the only book I have written, but it is the only one I have published. I have two other novels in boxes or on the computer. One I would like to resurrect as a YA novel, but it’ll be a while before I have time to focus on that. The other one has a very important theme, but I want to figure out a different way to tell the story. I used to write short stories, but the more I read, the less confident I felt that I knew what a short story was supposed to be, or do; so many of them seemed to stop rather than end, and I felt that until I understood why the author stopped, I felt unequipped to write them any more. I like writing essays and articles, most of which I’d put into the category of Creative Non-Fiction. In other words, they’re based on reality but I enjoy a little flexibility with my version of events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Why do you write?</i> I write to know what I think. Although I’ve become comfortable as a speaker, there have been many times where I was not quick on my feet with a response, and honestly didn’t know how I felt until I sat down and wrote about it. In fact, I seem to be constitutionally unable to read without a writing implement in my hand (which, as you could imagine, made my kids unlikely to show me anything they wrote because I couldn’t help but make comments – not edit – in the margins.) even when I read published works, I rewrite the authors’ sentences in my head, which you can imagine slows me down as a reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you are writing something new do you ask someone's opinion about it?</i> I’m sensitive about talking about projects until I have my ‘elevator speech,’ because I’ve learned that until I can summarize my project in one sentence, I’m really not ready to write it. And there’s nothing more destructive to creativity than getting a tepid response to an idea you think is wonderful. When I have my ‘elevator pitch’ I know I can communicate it consistent with my thinking, and in general I’ll get a positive or at least a respectful reaction to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you write do you need absolute concentration and quiet?</i> I need either absolute quiet, or I need noise that has nothing to do with me. For several years, I wrote in Starbucks, Panera and other public places where I was under no obligation to talk to anybody. (When you get to the point at which people know you by name, it’s time to move to another spot or you’ll never get anything done). But I sought out those environments because when I worked at home, I realized that I’d hear the laundry of dinner calling me whenever I got to a touch spot in my writing, whereas if I committed to sit at Starbucks for 8 or 10 hours a day, I had to do something, and that something was writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you believe or have you experienced "writer's block"? If so, when and why?</i> I don’t experience writer’s block; I experience “writer’s distraction.” I take on too many projects at once, and all of them feel URGENT. That tends to make me jump from one thing to another, whether it’s contacting people regarding speaking opportunities, offering book excerpts to magazines, soliciting reviews of my book, writing reviews (I write book, movie and theater reviews for my Facebook page), writing an editorial (as the result of participating in the OpEd project), writing articles about aspects of the time in which my book is set that I plan to send to History publications, writing new talks for different audiences, and dealing with the ‘business’ of publishing, ie., how can I accomplish more without spending anything other than my own time. Fortunately, I and other people keep coming up with new ideas for me to pursue; I just don’t have time to do it all, but I don’t foresee running out of opportunities for a long time to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you incorporate incidents from your own personal life into your works?</i> In The Accidental Anarchist, I remained true to my grandfather’s experiences, but there was one point where I felt he would have, or must have, had a powerful emotional reaction, though he didn’t write about it. Maybe it was too overwhelmingly emotional for him to share, though he was remarkably honest with his feelings about other sensitive topics. In that case, I extrapolated from my own feelings and how I believed, from what he’d written about so many other incidents, how he would have responded. But aside from The Accidental Anarchist, virtually everything else I write or have written draws from some personal experience, even if I don’t realize it at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you write what you think the public wants to read or what you feel to be your inner-expression and forget about the public?</i> If I wrote what the public wants to read, I’d be a lot more successful. I have a lot of respect who can apply their talent, or skill, or craft, to a mainstream story (and by mainstream I include vampires). But at my current stage, I can still only write about things that have meaning for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you did Self-Publish why did you do it?</i> My grandfather began keeping his diary in 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War, when he decided that he needed to help overthrow the Czar. He wrote until he was distracted by people shooting at him, by being sentenced to death repeatedly, and being sent to, and escaping from Siberia. When he returned home for Warsaw, his family urged him to flee to the U.S. (but only after taking a wife, because who knew what kind of women he would find in the U.S.?) where he retold his stories from the war, as well as what life was like for Jews living under Russian occupation, with the same sense of humor and irony with which he wrote. His listeners urged him to finish writing everything down, but he didn’t have time to do so – at least not until the Depression. And once he started writing again, he didn’t stop for the next 20 years. On the day in 1950 that he finished writing, he asked my mother if she wanted to help him translate the diaries since he wrote primarily in Yiddish, with a little bit of Russian and Polish thrown in. She was delighted; she had grown up hearing her father’s stories as every Sunday he read to her and her siblings the stories he had written that week. They made plans to start the very next day, but he died that very night. Years later, my mother was dating my father who was the first Orthodox writer in Hollywood. Her mother whispered to her to “Show him Papa’s Diaries.” My father was from Germany, so he, too, was fluent in Yiddish, and was just as captivated as my grandfather’s audience’s always had been with the remarkable tone with which he told his stories about very difficult experiences. After my parents married, they spent many years translating the 28 handwritten notebooks that constituted my grandfather’s diaries, and in 1976, they published a portion of the stories under the title, The Samurai of Vishigrod. My father had always intended to publish the remaining stories, be he, too, passed away before he could complete the task. Then a few years ago, my mother, who was already in her 80s, made it clear that she wanted to see her father’s story told within her lifetime. And I knew that if I went the traditional route, with an agent and a publisher, she might not live to see the finished product, whereas by choosing to self-publish, she has been able to enjoy hearing me talk about the long history to publication (over 100 years and 3 generations) and enjoy people’s reactions to her father’s experiences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you market your book what path did you chose? Why? And what has not worked out for you and what has worked for you?</i> What I didn’t realize was that writing the book was the ‘easy’ part; the hard part is selling it. While Amazon is a great equalizer, simply having the book available for sale or download doesn’t let people know what it’s about or why they should buy it. Even marquis authors give book talks and lectures for that same reason. So the hard part has been trying to get the word out without spending a lot of money (though if you calculate the opportunity cost of the time I spend marketing it, it adds up to a lot of money). I didn’t know that it was necessary to develop an author platform before publishing, and made all sorts of other mistakes. But those mistakes, as well as what I should have done, are actually the topic of my next book: “Everything I Did Wrong When I Self-Published My Book, and How You Can Avoid Making the Same Mistakes.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time do you spend on marketing your own work?</i> Probably 50 hours a week, when you exclude the time I spend on other pursuits or necessities as I described earlier in this interview.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you self-published tell us in order the route you went, e.g. Kindle to Print to Smashwords or whatever you did.</i> I published the paperback first, and within about a week made the download available through Smashwords and Amazon. I went through Smashwords because they could convert the book into each of the download formats at the same time (once you figured out why the file was rejected; they may be good at doing the conversion, though they’re terrible about communicating what formatting problem you need to correct in order for the conversions to be done properly)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Which publishing sources would your recommend? And which would you not recommend?</i> I went through Lightning Source, which does a good job, although it drives me crazy that they don’t work on weekends. When you’re counting the number of working days to get your book printed, not working on the weekends really slows things down. I have, however, been concerned that Amazon is making it difficult for some authors to sell their books unless it has been printed by CreateSpace. I don’t want to be forced into that arrangement, but If the trend of Amazon listing books not printed by CreateSpace as “Availability: 2-3 weeks” (though this has not yet happened to me) continued, I may have to have my book available to Amazon through CreateSpace, but depending on cost, may continue to order my inventory through LightningSource (though it seems as if LightningSource or someone else would file a Restraint of Trade suit – wouldn’t you think?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How much time and effort did you put into the cover of your book?</i> I firmly believe that people do just a book by its cover, so I decided that that was an area where I would spend money. I advertised on Elance for an experience book jacket designer. Half the people who responded had never designed a book cover, so I tossed those resumes. The remainder all had created covers for non-fiction books, which made me realize that I wanted a book jacket that made The Accidental Anarchist look more like fiction than non-fiction, and I wrote it to read that way. Only one of the applicants had done fiction covers, too. He also happened to be in Russia, which was a nice coincidence since most of the book is set in Russia. Although I never spoke to him directly, we exchanged a lot of emails, and I had a very good feeling about him. When he presented me with 4 covers from which to choose, I knew I had made the right decision to hire them. All of them were excellent, and it was difficult to choose among them. I took a poll among my family and friends, and conducted one online, from my blog. Two covers got about equal votes. I was also choosing between two titles: The Accidental Anarchist or This Way to the Firing Squad. So I printed two mockup covers, each with two titles, and took the four mockups to my local independent bookstore. I showed the covers to the booksellers and asked what they thought. The booksellers preferred The Accidental Anarchist for the title, but they were split on the cover design. They suggested that I consult another bookseller across the street from them, a guy who sells used books, but brings in amazing authors to speak. I laid out the covers in front of him and asked what he thought. He looked at all them, moved them around, thought some more, and then pointed to the one. He was so certain in his choice that I went with the one he picked, and I’m glad I did. It’s mysterious in a way that makes you take a second look. It conveys a sense of the era in which the story takes place, and has an element about it that makes you a little uncomfortable, but intrigued enough to turn it over and read what it’s about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you are a Kindle publisher, did you join KDP and if so what were experiences there and how would you judge it?</i> My book is available as a Kindle download, though I did that before KDP was set up. Although I like the breadth of how they can market your book, the 55% discount is onerous. When I started, I gave Amazon that 55% discount, but then they cut the price of my book so dramatically (which they told me was “the publisher’s decision,” not knowing that I was the publisher) that I was concerned it looked like they didn’t think they could sell it. When I scaled back the discount to 40%, Amazon began selling the book at the retail price, which I feel gives it greater credibility in the marketplace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Exactly what formats is your book in? (Nook, Paper, Kindle, Sony, Ipad..etc and etc.)</i> My book is available in paperback as well as for the Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo. Aldiko, Palm; also cell phone applications and HTML for reading online.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How did you decide on the price of your book?</i> Just as you would do when selling a house, you look at “comparables.” In fiction, most paperbacks seem to sell for $14.95, so that’s the maximum price a self-published author, in particular, should probably charge. The Biography category had a much wider price range, and I chose $18.00, for chai, figuring that it was a number with which Jewish readers would feel comfortable (though to date no one has pointed out the that price is chai, so I guess I was wrong about that).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What advice would you give other authors or other people starting out?</i> To people starting out writing, I would say, “Start young!” If you’re a teenager or young adult, publish in your school newspaper, and start sending out stories to magazines that are open to submissions from young people (such as Stone Soup, if you’re very young). And keep sending out pieces until you start getting personal rejection letters; that’ll let you know you’re on the right track, and have an opening. If you’re older when you start out – well, that’s tougher. That’s the way I did it since I couldn’t afford to keep writing once I finished college; I needed a job. I should have made time to write at night, but I was newly married, and writing wasn’t how I wanted to spend my evenings. It did make things a lot harder when I restarted my writing career. But if you’re starting out later, write for free; write for non-profit organizations, or any entity that will accept what you’ve written if they don’t have to pay you for it. Get a lot of experience and feedback that way so when you do submit to a publication that may actually pay you $25, you can say “I’ve published at least 50 articles in such-and-such,” or “each of my posts on such-and-such.com get over 2000 hits, each.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you consider yourself a success in writing, a wannabe, a failure or just misunderstood?</i> Among the people who’ve read The Accidental Anarchist, I’m definitely a success, and I feel very good about what I’ve accomplished, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Excluding free giveaways (such as KDP) - have you ever made it into the top 100 of a list and stayed there for over 2 weeks?</i> I’ve made it into the top 100-selling Jewish biographies, and have been the #3 or 4 download in Japanese History and #5 or 6 download in Russian history quite a few times</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you absolutely hate about the publishing and writing world.</i> I can’t say I hate it because it’s a fact of life, but the skills it takes to be good at promoting your book are exactly the opposite of the nature of a writer. Fortunately, during those years that I had to focus on making a living and wasn’t writing, I was working in marketing and public relations, and those skills have come in very handy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Name one thing you love about the publishing and writing world.</i> Writers probably discount this fact, but the vast majority of people can’t imagine sitting down for a year or more and writing something that people will read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is your ultimate dream in writing and having your books published?</i> I don’t mind traveling and speaking; it’s actually energizing. However it will be nice when more people contact me to speak than my having to contact them. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: large;">To Contact Bryna Kranzler & Reviews Of The Book:</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/brynakranzler/the-russo-japanese-war-in-the-accidental-anarchist/" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Pinterest </span></b><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">with historical photos thatillustrate scenes from the book)</span></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://xsnerg-accidentalanarchist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a> </span></b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Twitter: </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">@BrynaKranzler</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.bookoftheyearawards.com/books/9780984556304/" target="_blank">Book of the Year Awards</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10122395-the-accidental-anarchist" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://barnard.edu/headlines/accidental-biographer-bryna-kranzler-80" target="_blank">Barnard Salon</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewKranzlerTheAccidentalAnarchist.html" target="_blank">Reader Views</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-the-accidental-anarchist-by/" target="_blank">Blog Critics</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Links To Buy The Book: </b><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b>The Accidental Anarchist: From the Diaries of Jacob Marateck:</b></span></span></span><b style="line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://teddygross.blogspot.com/p/book-reviews-interviews.html" style="background-color: white; color: #4d469c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">If You Wish An Author Interview As Well Click Here & Read This Post</span></b></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
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<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-45998713084313313642012-03-09T15:46:00.000+02:002012-03-09T16:02:28.852+02:00Interview: Michele Rubatino - The Origin of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Michele Rubatino has actually combined an incredibly interesting concept in the world of Jewish Themes. Who would have thought that the Wizard Of Oz has Jewish themed influences within it?! Read On & Enjoy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">About The Book:</span></b></div>
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Genre: Literary Criticism</div>
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The meaning of home and the implications of not having a heart or brain, or courage are metaphoric questions that remain in heavy rotation in popular culture and popular fiction. Yet in an un-fictitious twist, this new book depicts one aspect of Baum's story that was not metaphorical but, in fact, actual - the origin of the maps found in Tik-Tok of Oz published in 1914 by L. Frank Baum. Rubatino provides the evidence to show the source of the Oz maps found in the Oz books, 40 of them in all, were derived from drawing blueprints taken from the text of a King James Version Bible, dating from around 1611. Baum himself is credited to admitting that these maps were derived from discovery, and not penned from his own imagination. Rubatino suggests that this information found by Baum formed the foundation for the creation of this fantasy series. Rubatino sees her research as a step forward to understanding Baum's work specifically, and artistic expression generally. "The book reveals the source and foundation to the Oz story, leading to newly discovered knowledge concerning the core of our humanity process via imagination," she explains. "Humanity as a whole can benefit in understanding the process of their imagination, and how it affects all aspects of living relating to our human emotions." </div>
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The process of the story of Oz is derived from the blueprints of the bible story known as, the twelve tribes of Israel. The foundation, first appearing in the Torah. Revealing what jewish scholars already know, and have been teaching for 1000's of years, concerning our human nature.</div>
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Oz enthusiasts, psychology scholars, theologians, and all interested in the works of Baum will find much in Rubatino's book to decipher the many facets Baum included in this stories. Helping fans gain a better perspective on the mysteries still to be found in the Bible and Oz series.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author, Writing & Publishing:</span></b></div>
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<i>Is writing a full-time job for you?</i> If not what else do you do? Rubatino is the Vice President of Rubatino Maintenance, and has worked in finance 27 years.</div>
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<i>How many books have you self-published or have been published in the traditional manner?</i> One book, self published</div>
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<i>Why do you write?</i> To share the knowledge I have discovered with humanity, as well as a creative outlet in writing short stories and poetry.</div>
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<i>When you are writing something new do you ask someone's opinion about it?</i> Oh yes, I seek many to guide me, as it helps to know how the reader is perceiving the words I have chosen. </div>
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<i>When you write do you need absolute concentration and quiet?</i> Oh yes, and without interruption or I lose the flow of creative inspiration.</div>
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<i>Do you believe or have you experienced "writer's block"? If so, when and why? </i>Oh yes, I have discovered I can only write three hours a day, and then I must play to reactivate my imagination processes by filling my brain senses with something other than the story I am working on. In some cases, I see writer's block as simply emptying all ideas, I found this to be true when I was finished writing, there simply was no more to say on the subject.</div>
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<i>Do you incorporate incidents from your own personal life into your works?</i> Oh yes, I pull many experiences from my own life as I write, that is to say, when I write short stories and poetry. However, writing technically, I base it on the facts and ensure I have not included any assumptions based on my own personal experience.</div>
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<i>Do you write what you think the public wants to read or what you feel to be your inner-expression and forget about the public?</i> Oh I write with my inner expression and forget the public while writing short stories and poetry. But writing technical, I am focused on the public, and highly concerned with not writing data that can not be proven, so research and facts weigh heavy.</div>
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<i>If you did Self-Publish why did you do it?</i> Rubatino attempted to find a writing agent, and go through the process of writing this book through a publisher. However, due to the nature of the story, The Wizard of Oz is coined as a US fairytale, a national treasure, and the copyright is owned and protected by the US Government. Comparing it to the bible text, publishing agents did not believe this could be true, regardless of the evidence she presented in the maps. Rubatino could not write about the movie, due to it's national protection. However, the books by Baum are now in public domain, and not held under the protection of copyright. So Rubatino focused her research on the first book, The Wizard of Oz. (Rubatino's attempts to get an agent were unsuccessful. )</div>
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<i>When you market your book what path did you chose? Why? And what has not worked out for you and what has worked for you? </i>Rubatino self published through iUniverse.com. At publishing this data went out to 27,000 book stores, world wide. Sales have not been high. Upon further research, the politics of publishing were changing. Rubatino was informed that agents and publishers were no longer taking new writers, due to the risk, and that they were focusing only one writers that had previous success, to ensure the publisher would get a return on their investment. Currently, Rubatino is now going to the media, newspapers, radio and television, set to launch spring 2012.</div>
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<i>How much time do you spend on marketing your own work? </i>Rubatino spends about 3 hours a day working web sites, about 15 in all, to promote and spread the news of her book. I also spend countless hours creating machinima (video made in a video game) to help visualize the evidence published in my book, that is published on my youtube link below.</div>
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<i>If you self-published tell us in order the route you went, e.g. Kindle to Print to Smashwords or whatever you did.</i> Rubatino went through iUniverse.com. They were very helpful in setting up all the sites, and marketing plan for the book. The most money to be made in self publishing is through kindle.com. You have total control over the text, and upload it yourself. If you need to make changes, you simply do it yourself without any fees. However, to alter the printed version, they charge you money, because of the printing machines, and the data transfer involved in correcting.</div>
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<i>Which publishing sources would your recommend? And which would you not recommend?</i> I recommend iUniverse.com. Some say they are too expensive, but their experts and editors are top notch. They know what their doing. They also advertise heavily on the internet and now the media. They hope to lead the industry in the future for anyone who wants to self publish, as they believe this is the path of the future. Where agents and publishers will no longer decide or control who can get published and who can not. This is a great era were entering for the creative writer.</div>
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<i>How much time and effort did you put into the cover of your book?</i> Several hours, and the first three choices we scratched. Once they get all the other data that needs to be on there, it can take some time for you to arrive at a cover everyone is pleased with.</div>
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<i>If you are a Kindle publisher, did you join KDP and if so what were experiences there and how would you judge it?</i> KDP was helpful, and the software to create the ebook was free. Rubatino had some issues with the photos, but their tech support was quick to assist and get my book ready for sale. Furthermore, if anyone buys a book and their are flaws, KDP will correct and resend the correct version.</div>
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<i>Exactly what formats is your book in?</i> So far I have hard back, paper back, and kindle ebook. </div>
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<i>How did you decide on the price of your book?</i> The publisher decided on the price, based on the word count of the book.</div>
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<i>What advice would you give other authors or other people starting out?</i> Due to the nature of my book, being scientific, technical, and scholarly, in the genre of literary criticism, I needed the utmost care and strict adherence to using the evidence I could prove. If any facts were off, or used from a source that is not credible, like wikipedia, then my book would not be recognized by literary academics. If I was writing in another genre, I do not believe one has to use the same steps I used. One could self publish at a much lower cost, it really depends on your audience.</div>
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<i>Do you consider yourself a success in writing, a wannabe, a failure or just misunderstood?</i> Rubatino believes her writing is a success, perhaps not yet in monetary gain, but the reviews so far have been outstanding. The readers were highly skeptical prior to reading the evidence, but once read, they became believers. Which to me is success, because to explain this connection has been the biggest obstacle Rubatino faced.</div>
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<i>Excluding free giveaways (such as KDP) - have you ever made it into the top 100 of a list and stayed there for over 2 weeks?</i> Not yet, but Rubatino has hope to. </div>
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<i>Name one thing you absolutely hate about the publishing and writing world.</i> The cost of marketing. With more and more websites coming online, that will go down. Kindle has just joined twitter and Facebook to give authors a free place to market, now if readers will use these sites to look for information on books, it will be great for self published authors.</div>
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<i>Name one thing you love about the publishing and writing world.</i> Self publishing was a good experience for me, because as the author, Rubatino was in charge of her work, and her detail to the facts that she might not have been able to do through a traditional publisher. It can take time to be recognized, and from what I have heard, publishers will often usurp the author's wishes on what should be written.</div>
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<i>What is your ultimate dream in writing and having your books published?</i> Rubatino hopes to present humanity a new perspective on the meaning of Israel, and how it relates to the entire world concerning our human nature through the process of our emotions as man and woman. There has been much speculation, and many books written about the source of Baum's fairytale. However, no book written to date has revealed the source of his mystery maps that appear in Tik-Tok of Oz, the 14th book, the last book penned by Baum. There are a total of 40 books, but another author took over his story design. So to discover that it is based on our design, as a human species, could impact the world in a very positive way. It is the hope of Rubatino to bring peace to the literal and mental land of Israel, to the Jewish people, and help the world understand why Israel is so important to us all.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">To Contact Michele Rubatino:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/michele.rubatino" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Facebook</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Twitter: @eyeonoz</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.eyeonoz.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Website Eye On Oz</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=20793281&trk=tab_pro" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Linkedin</span></a></div>
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<a href="mailto:michelerubatino@yahoo.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Email</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/AmbitiousVisionary?feature=mhee" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Youtube</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://theoriginofthewonderfulwizardofoz.wordpress.com/wp-admin/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Wordpress - The Origin Of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/myfeeds;%20MySpace:%20http://www.myspace.com/538596554" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Feedburner</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.librarything.com/home/michelerubatino" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">LibraryThing</span></a><br />
<a href="http://michele-rubatino.hubpages.com/hub/Eye-On-Oz" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Hubpages</span></a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Oz" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Wikipedia</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cambridgepublicrelations.com/Michele-Rubatino" target="_blank">Cambridge Who's Who</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Links To Buy The Book: The Origin of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Wonderful-Wizard-Oz/dp/1450228003" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Amazon</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/michele-rubatino" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">B&N</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/michelerubatino" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/CategoryCenter/LIT!009/Childrens-Literature.aspx" target="_blank">iUniverse</a> </span><br />
<a href="http://thewizardofoz.info/aisle6.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Wizard of Oz Bookshop</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Wonderful-Wizard-Oz/dp/1450228003" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseMHFAlIEn1QtAnJkYWDm5fz_O2CFIaElXv3YPUWq0OwIGcWQv2QkebCdAVWPwjEaRRaFMYjVZBSoL720MjCtrvBV38TV9Iz92dZZB6m3ouZ-GEdc18DNj6IHE4v-2Jv2eu9Qew/s640/Rubitno+Origin_Cover_8x10.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://teddygross.blogspot.com/p/book-reviews-interviews.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">If You Wish An Author Interview As Well Click Here & Read This Post</span></b></a></div>
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<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
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<div class="tag_list">
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-79659752312443098182012-03-06T15:18:00.000+02:002012-03-06T15:25:46.832+02:00Limited Free Kindle Book Offer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In preparation for the release of more books over the next few months, the beginnings of a major campaign, and the release of the books below in Nook & IPad & and other electronic formats, I am offering this free offer as follows:<br />
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25 copies in PRC format will be given to the first 25 people for each title. <b>This means you must have a Kindle or Kindle reader on your computer or in your IPad or Android Tablet. This file will be delivered to you via email. </b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The obvious purpose of this is to garner "honest" book reviews from readers. </span></b></div>
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<b>The two titles are:</b></div>
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<li><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006P2XF4K" style="font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends - Short Story Collection</b></a>
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<li><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0000ee; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QD2634" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series</a></span></span></b></li>
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<b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends is a short story collection and for the literary lovers.</b><br />
<b>The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven is an Epic Fantasy (above Vol. 1) and for fantasy lovers.</b><br />
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<b>The "gotcha" is as follows:</b></div>
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<li>Those who ask and receive the free Kindle book, will do all in their power in a timely manner to read the book they requested and received. </li>
<li>You must have the ability via Amazon to leave reviews (in other words an active Amazon account) or in B&N (the books currently are available in B&N only in Paperback). The review should be honest. I am not telling you what to write or how many stars to put in the review (if any.) The review is up to you and what you feel about the book you requested. <b>A fair and honest review is all that is expected.</b></li>
<li>I am also requesting that you "Like" the book (button on top) and check the topic/category tags or add your own as you see fit (in Amazon). </li>
<li>You agree not to give away the "free copy" or post it anywhere on line or pass it to friends. All Copyright restrictions still apply.</li>
<li>Yes, this does open the door for people who just want to trash books and/or for those who have an ax to grind, as they say. So I must reserve the right to deny requests as well.</li>
<li>If you wish a free copy please feel free <b>to use the links at the end of this post</b> either in email or by PM in Facebook or LinkedIn. You can also leave a comment, however I will need your email address so it is up to you if you wish to leave that in a comment or not.</li>
<li>I would really appreciate if you are an "addicted freebie hunter" and just want to load up your Kindle then please wait for the final day of these books being offered Free in KDP (within then next 2 weeks) and not to request them here.
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The links and short description to the books are as follows (so that you may get an idea of what they are before you request them.)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006P2XF4K" target="_blank"><b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends - Short Story Collection</b></a></span></div>
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Description:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">, a short story collection by Ted William Gross presents the reader with engaging and thought-provoking stories spanning the ages. Covering subjects of love, loss, pain, desire, need, frustration and hope these stories are meant to entertain as well leave an indelible impression upon the reader. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Ted Gross cleverly combines ancient lore in his "Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn" weaving Unicorns, the story of Adam & Eve and the modern world into a tale of lost wisdom and gained hope. "Love In A Cafe" moves the reader within the soft aura of love until the surprise ending. "Elijah's Coins" leaves us wondering about the great "what if" of life and just how blessed or cursed it would make us to change the future. "Reverieing" is a glimpse of the slow descent of one individual into his own personal hell. "Addiction, Obsession, Love", "Tenuous Webs" & "And So They Danced" look upon love and loss from different perspectives. "A Tapestry Of War" is a real war story and the consequences of war upon the psyche of the soldier. "The Sunflower" portrays how hate can insidiously seep into the heart of man while "The Heretic" will leave you wondering who the real heretic actually is. "Kapparot" will let you delve into the mystical world of Hassidic philosophy while looking upon man's relation to God. "Jacob's Ladder" will introduce you to a world of angels and their mission of silence.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /><b>The Following Short Stories Are Contained Within Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</b><br /><b><i>Love In A Café<br />Elijah's Coins<br />Reverieing<br />The Sunflower<br />Tenuous Webs<br />The Heretic<br />Kapparot<br />A Tapestry Of War<br />And So They Danced<br />Jacob's Ladder<br />Addiction, Obsession, Love<br />Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i></i></b><br />This is not a book to dismiss easily. Enjoy it. Grow with it. You will in turn, be haunted by it and the stories will remain with you long after you have closed the pages.</span></div>
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<span id="btAsinTitle"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QD2634" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series</a></span></span></h1>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"It was an era when the beginning was at an end, and the end served as a beginning."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So writes Kitviel, the Keeper of The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven in his introduction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Satan and his minions are determined to have their long awaited prize. The Angels are determined to thwart them. Plans within plans are prepared. Heaven & Hell are in constant planning and flux. And Mankind was caught in the middle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />To prevent the coming of the dominion of the rule of darkness, Seth sets out on a dangerous journey. To find his long lost and banished brother, and then to seek the Cherubim knowing full well one wrong word will destroy him forever. Yet he is determined. For Seth instincitively knows this is the last chance of mankind to redeem itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Lilith watches and plans carefully. Satan remains assured of his prize. The Angels and Arch-Angels decide upon a defense. And upon the earth it is up to but one determined pair, Seth and Aklima to find the lost garden and change the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The Epic Fantasy "The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven" was originally written by the Meyal, Kitviel, who is a Sharret of Nogah. The series begins with Adam & Eve and continue until the Flood, (known as "The Great Deluge" to the Meyal). What takes place upon the Earth during these first years of Mankind's existence is the major concern of books within The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven. Subsequently the activities of the Meyal and the Techas, as well as the great confrontations and wars between them, is portrayed. Mankind must decide its own destiny or be ruled by the power of evil.</span> </span><br />
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To request a Free Book In Kindle (PRC) Format:</div>
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Email: tedwgross at gmail dot com</div>
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Twitter: @tedwgross</div>
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Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tedwgross">http://www.facebook.com/tedwgross</a></div>
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LinkedIn: <a href="http://il.linkedin.com/pub/ted-gross/35/55/897" name="webProfileURL" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #006699; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="View public profile">http://il.linkedin.com/pub/ted-gross/35/55/897</a></div>
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Thank you.</div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10px;">All illustrations above are from the <a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>. All hyperlinks on the posters will take you to their original page @ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (A Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
<hr />
<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-15246196705684855052012-02-29T16:22:00.002+02:002012-02-29T17:24:40.085+02:00OMG! I Really Have To Do All This To Publish A Book?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post is a continuation from <a href="http://teddygross.blogspot.com/2012/02/indie-publishing-what-not-to-do-what-to.html" target="_blank">Indie Publishing - What Not To Do & What To Do</a> - So if you have not read that yet it would be a good idea to read it first.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89oZ2VQ7vnVVjLv1Qutw_Zji6xNfgQjd8uAGnQKZ4dLweaec4_GcVsvzmP6EXDJYrej8SCR1Vv0PnDGIrrWbS6yI6Au61WowW89HzgPQ95jOp30TAsSPxVMYXneM7g9ENYVyKtg/s1600/planning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89oZ2VQ7vnVVjLv1Qutw_Zji6xNfgQjd8uAGnQKZ4dLweaec4_GcVsvzmP6EXDJYrej8SCR1Vv0PnDGIrrWbS6yI6Au61WowW89HzgPQ95jOp30TAsSPxVMYXneM7g9ENYVyKtg/s640/planning.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">So let us get down to some basics.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Writing The Book</b></div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>You have to write. Think I am joking. Think again. You first and foremost have to write. Interesting concept there. You have to plan out your book, know where you will start from, understand the message you want to convey, and have an idea of who or whom your audience is. That is not a simple task.</li>
<li>Then You have to actually sit and write the book. Or stand and write it. Or watch TV and write it. I do not really care. You do have to write the book though. Spending time in forums asking for names of characters and other such things, may be fun, but it is not writing.</li>
<li>You need to familiarize yourself with tools. Like www.dictionary.com for one. You need to understand the nature of a sentence, a paragraph and when to break things up and yes, even when to break the rules. </li>
<li>Going into this part too deeply, if you do not understand it already, is futile. Obviously, if you want to publish a book you know you have to write it first.</li>
<li>This part of the process, believe it or not costs you the most money in many ways. Why? Because if you are writing you are not doing other things. Like work, like paying attention to the family, little things like that. <b>It can have a great cost both in monetary means, friendships and in relationships. You need to be prepared and actually committed to the sacrifice you are going to make. If you are not prepared to do it, do not start it. Bad Karma that one.</b></li>
<li>Some tools that may help you. 1. Chicago Manual of Style or another accepted style book. 2. A spell checker 3. A Grammar checker. 4. Grammerly (but that costs money). Dictionary.com and its companion Thesaurus.com. <b>USE THEM.</b></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
Now you say, "Okay big mouth, Teddy. Now I really have finished my book. So now all I need to know how to upload and get it into Kindle and/or Smashwords and/or some other places. Right?" And I smile sweetly and say, <i>"Oh so wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong."</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Planning your next stages:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>So now you finished the book. You probably read it over once or twice. Good. Now make a backup copy and put it away. <b>That is right. You did not misread that. Put it away for 10-14 days. Do not look at it. Do not show it to anyone. Do not tell anyone you just finished your book. Do not start anything on that book. Not yet. Do not even get into a forum and say "OMG I am so happy. I just wrote my last paragraph!" Keep your mouth shut and your eyes away from the book and use your computer for other things or your next book.</b></li>
<li>Now you need to be ready to spend some money.Take a deep breath. Because this is reality folks not a world of wishes and dreams. You will have to be ready to spend that money. In this article and the one that comes after it the amount of money will be up to you and exactly what you expect from your book and your writing. But despite everything you have read it is my contention, and this is based upon research, that you will not get away with a decent book and even mediocre sales if you are not going to spend what is needed. (And please do not fall for all that BS and hype of I wrote my book, I self-edited it, I made my own cover, and I gave away 15,000 copies for free on Amazon and it is now a best-seller. Do not fall for it, cause it just in the end will not be true.)</li>
<li>But now you say "I do not have the money to spend on anything." Fair reaction and probably true. Most Indie authors do not have money lying around. So in this case you have a few options.<br /><ul>
<li>You can go the route of reading all that well meaning material of how to become famous and great and sell a zillion books through the use of Social Networking (rolls eyes here), put up your FB page, get on the twitter lists which will twitter your posts to authors in your position (kind of worthless), get into LinkedIn join the proper groups, post there, start a blog, start a web site, join 10 forums, and spend the next year trying to get people to buy your book. After all you have nothing better to do than marketing all day - like writing another book. Right?</li>
<li>Or you can just skip over all the other information here go to Kindle and/or Smashwords and upload your book and say your prayers</li>
<li>Or you can face the facts and realize being an author and publishing your book is just not for you </li>
<li><b>Or you can figure out how to get that money that you need to continue. And this depends on how much you do believe in yourself and how much you believe in the Fairy Godmother.</b></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
Now comes the part where you have divide your mind into a few compartments. And depending on your capabilities and your past writing experience and financial wherewithal will determine just what has to be done and what you need to plan on.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So let us deal with them one at a time shall we?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Edit & Proofread:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you think you do not need an editor, I just throw my hands up. You prove everything that has been said about the "bad" in the Indie industry. If you think you can write, self-edit your own material, and create a great book cover and then sell it, why the hell are you not on the top 10 best-seller list already?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you do not know the difference between the stages of Editing and Proofreading ask around. Look it up. <b>You need both.</b> So when you are looking for that editor make sure they know you are requesting an edit and a proofread.<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you have an editor that you know, trust and already used then schedule a manuscript to be sent to her 1 month from the time you finished your book. Remember we put away the book for 10-14 days. <b>Then go open your computer and start writing your next book.</b></li>
<li>If you do not have an editor, do research on the net and in all the forums you already belong to. Remember there are scams out there. You need to get people who will recommend the editor and not just read what is on their website and the testimonials. You need to garner a list of at least 2-3 editors. You need to send them an email with who you are, your book, word count and ask what the process editing with them entails. You need to wait for all the answers. READ THEM. Because a lot of your choice will depend on how long it will take for someone to get back to you and how professional their answer will be.</li>
<li>You must be incredibly careful if you belong to a forum where you are known, if you wish to pick an editor in that forum. If something does not work out, if even you both are not on the same page, or the editor does not like your work or you think they destroyed your book...kiss goodbye to that forum and that friendship. So be really sure you want to go that route if the editor is in your forum or even worse, someone you know in real life. Be real careful. MHO - your editor is not your friend, just like your literary agent should not be your friend. If a friendship develops that is wonderful. But this is not something to pick based upon friendships or witty comments in a forum. This is serious business, and should be treated that way.</li>
<li><b>Money does matter. This will cost you.</b> Some people offer to edit for free. But free also means that you are on the back-burner if something else happens in their lives. Take out your calculator. Do a word count by the charge per word. And then add like 10-20%. Why? Because there are always the fixes you did not think of which cost even more.</li>
<li>Some people like the "farms". These are a business with professional editors and proofreaders and quite a few good ones out there. There is some personal contact but not a whole lot. They do work fast. Some others like the "personal touch". An editor you can write to or call, and expect an answer from. Also quite a few good ones. This all depends on you and how your personality works. <b>In both cases, make absolutely sure they are not scams.</b></li>
<li><b>Make sure that your editor also understands you want a proofread as well as that costs more money. (I will get to these in the next post and tell you not such a funny personal story on that one - cause yours truly decided once to skip the proofread step.)</b></li>
<li>As "snobby" as this may seem, an editor should actually have finished some type of University or have some type of degree that is not related to "underwater swimming". I will even accept here self-educated. But I would not rely on it for my own books. Editors need to know language, grammar and proper constructs. They are not just readers. They are editors. Education here is a must as well as the eye for editing. (Shoot me later for saying this, but this is what I believe.)</li>
</ol>
<div>
Remember your book is still tucked away. You have not yet looked at it again. Right? Right! Next planning stage:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Book Cover:</b></div>
</div>
<div>
At the same time we are looking for that editor, we are also going to look for the book cover artist. But a few words of introduction.<b> I have seen in my short time, more discussion on book covers than content of books. That is very sad and even creepy to me.</b> Yes, a book cover needs to be decent. Yes it needs to express something. No, it does need to be the Mona Lisa. No, it does not justify hundreds of posts in 10 forums asking for ideas and compliments and critique. No, it does not justify spending more time on the cover than you did on your book. And certainly, it does not justify nor prove that a book is judged by its cover. So you sucker in 500 people to buy your book based upon the wonderful cover. And one of those people just happens to know a legitimate and influential book reviewer. And that book ends up in the hands of a book reviewer. Guess what happens next? Beautiful book cover, no more suckers buying your book. Or even more realistic, 10 of those 500 people absolutely trash your book in reviews on Amazon & B&N. So yes, <b>"we do NOT judge a book by its cover"</b>. Despite what you read on all the wonderful forums touting the "stunning" book covers.</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you plan on doing your own book cover, you can and should start working on it. Whatever you chose here, that too will have to sit once you think you are done, so you can come back to it with some perspective. </li>
<li>If you plan on finding a book-cover artist once again there are many ways to go. Research, email, price, and see real book covers this person has done. Price is really crazy here. Some people will charge you $50. Some $1500. Depends on what you want and what your tastes are.</li>
<li>If you have any plans of producing a Paperback or Hard Cover, a book cover is NOT a simple picture. There is a spine and a back. Believe it or not the spine and back are your big problems if you are not a graphic artist. So make sure the quote you get is for what you need.</li>
<li><b>Make sure you own the full rights to that cover. Period. NO ands, ifs, or buts about it.</b></li>
<li>You can also use Create Covers in Amazon, or use their service where you put out an idea and have people bid on it. The choose. You can pick a private person. </li>
<li>A lot of what you do should have also thought involved as to if you can lay out your book yourself for either Ebook or Paper publishing. If you cannot do that, you are going to need to plan on that as well (but that is the next post!)</li>
<li>Your book cover is important. It is not your book. It is a cover. This is not rocket science here. Spend what you can or create it yourself. Do not delude yourself into thinking that if your book cover looks nice in a thumbnail you will have a best-seller.</li>
<li>Once your decision is made on who will do your book cover, then just go ahead and do it. If you have a spine, you will need to know roughly the approximate of pages that will be in the printed book. That may demand you lay it out for print beforehand. If you do not know, or cannot lay it out, you will need another service to do that as well. So you will have to hold off on the book cover.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Now your 10-14 days are up. Now go open up your masterpiece and start reading. And then read it again and start correcting. By now you should have a date from the editor you chose. You have that much time to do the best reading and editing you can on the book. Use it well. Do not try to read 500 pages in one day and edit them. You need perspective and sleep. <b>You need to make that book as good as you can BEFORE it goes to the editor.</b> Like cleaning the house before the cleaning crew arrives. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>So far we have covered just two topics. The next posts will deal with what else needs to be done. Scared yet? If not, you should be. This is serious business. You can, if you wish, ignore all the advice here. But remember:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjTwqI9Zd36-Ck68f_PAIGuxiHV6PinVnaIP2eeOdIDbtTHnm_Wadm29Tzq4D7bxzwz-e-6tJA4Ee1Wdu09Y3zey7ZSmF4mJoV67TZVJxs06h2OACjQP9fHVE9iHX-g3ESBGCCg/s1600/ambition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjTwqI9Zd36-Ck68f_PAIGuxiHV6PinVnaIP2eeOdIDbtTHnm_Wadm29Tzq4D7bxzwz-e-6tJA4Ee1Wdu09Y3zey7ZSmF4mJoV67TZVJxs06h2OACjQP9fHVE9iHX-g3ESBGCCg/s640/ambition.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">All illustrations above are from the <a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>. All hyperlinks on the posters will take you to their original page @ </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>.</span>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Don't like what I said here? Leave a comment. Trash it. Prove it wrong. My next posts will be be a continuation of the steps of what you should be doing in the process of getting your Indie book to succeed.</b></span>
<br />
<hr />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross</center><center>Available in Paperback & Kindle Formats<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends (Short Story Collection)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
<hr />
<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-20694006334070623312012-02-27T12:17:00.001+02:002012-02-27T13:04:04.130+02:00Group Mentality - Dissenting Opinions Are NOT Allowed!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promised to continue in my last post from <a href="http://teddygross.blogspot.com/2012/02/indie-publishing-what-not-to-do-what-to.html" target="_blank">Indie Publishing - What Not To Do & What To Do</a> - the actual process of what you really need to do to get your book published. However due to something that occurred...we interrupt the regularly scheduled program to bring you this post.<br />
<br />
Before I begin let us throw up a picture.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHPwHTQ2IpwHslFl4AkORje3aChGseWs6U5ro6xZQax-gSHe9JP6JslvvI56WQY3D_jOdaFKJyjaG-pEQJsl3dwQalLnDXm0e5sisbAmUySj7CPm_Af7jMuh3FtWuKVbYajR-3w/s1600/conformity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHPwHTQ2IpwHslFl4AkORje3aChGseWs6U5ro6xZQax-gSHe9JP6JslvvI56WQY3D_jOdaFKJyjaG-pEQJsl3dwQalLnDXm0e5sisbAmUySj7CPm_Af7jMuh3FtWuKVbYajR-3w/s640/conformity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a></div>
<br />
Now down to our story folks, and what you should really be aware of. There will be no names mentioned here. I will not give you any names in email either. As I mentioned while researching out the Indie market, on purpose I sought out some of the groups and forums out there to see what people were saying about this market. Most of these forums and groups are fairly good for information, and again, I repeat, you should not waste too much time in them.<br />
<br />
One such group is owned and run by a wonderful woman, who really does it for the good of the community. She is cordial, nice, professional and she is <b>not</b> a writer. What her motivations are to put oneself into a position like that is beyond me, but I am sure she is well aware of all the pitfalls and problems involved. It makes no difference how I found this group, but in the course of natural events I did find it, and was invited to join it.<br />
<br />
This group has many members. Around 50-100 are really active (that is truly being above fair with the numbers.) They are a group of Indie authors, (though the group is open to all authors), and like most groups has its own rhythm and movement. <b>It is also well-run by the administrator mentioned above.</b> Most of the posts are not up my alley so I read and ignore. There are of course the posts that you will find in every group:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Name My Character</li>
<li>Do you like my book cover?</li>
<li>Is this a good first paragraph?</li>
</ol>
<div>
The reason I ignore such posts and those like them is simple. My immediate reaction would be "name your own character - it is your book for goodness sake". <b>You have to like your book cover</b> - not 300 other people who all have different opinions. (Unless of course you are a book cover designer, but then again they do not usually throw out book covers and ask if people like them.) And if you need opinions on your first paragraph you need to go back and take a creative writing course. But those are cynical and sarcastic statements - true - yet cynical, and thus I just ignore such posts, and do not comment. I also do not comment on posts like the above that are clearly just put up in very "clever" ways to get people to download a book. </div>
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Of course there are the ones that make you spit coffee over your keyboard. Like the "book reviewer" who said "I never bought an ebook in my life". Makes you wonder just how "literate" this book reviewer is. Would you want your book reviewed by someone who knows how to put up a blog, but does not buy books but only reviews those they can get for free? I do not know about you, but that is some scary stuff. You are comparing the writing to what, may I ask? I was tempted to ask the person who said that, if he had a University Degree, but I desisted. Because, well, in a group you have to be real careful what you say. Right? Right!</div>
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I also ignore those authors and people who call themselves "publishers" who rave about YAVB and YAZB. (You get 10 gold stars if you figure out those acronyms, but they should be added to the official Oxford English dictionary.) Not my thing.</div>
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Now to the part of the story which I must share with you. Indie authors are sometimes a "pack". What seems to have happened is since Amazon has done some amazing things with publishing, and allowing people to put out their own books (a good thing), they are feeling their oats. Now they feel it is time for revenge on the literary agents and publishers that would not look at what they wrote if they got down on their knees and begged. And let us face it folks. Time for the truth. To be sure, some wonderful authors have been discovered with this route. To be sure, there are many more who will be discovered. And to be sure the "some" here makes up maybe 5% of what is written by Indie authors is worth the electronic symbols they use up. (Some of you may say 10%, some may actually quote the correct statistic of 1.8%, but I will happily agree to any statistic you chose for your own measuring stick.) I want to make this clear. Not all books published the traditional route should be published either. They do not deserve the paper they are printed upon. But we are talking about Indie authors here. </div>
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Amazon of course, in its marketing genius (and it is genius no kidding) to goad on more and more people to write hangs up the "success stories" for everyone to see. And of course, every Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally and Jane are sure they are the next great success story. That is fair to be honest. It is important to believe in yourself. What they do not take into account is a very well-known statistic.</div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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Amazon also recently introduced a KDP program. A lot of discussion has gone into the plus and minus of this program. But one very specific aspect of this program is as follows:</div>
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If you join KDP in a period of 90 days you are allowed to offer your Ebook for FREE on 5 days of your choice. In other words within 90 days you can chose 5 days in consecutive order or 5 days on a calendar and the book will magically be offered for FREE. Not only that but Amazon in another piece of marketing genius, now places two Best Seller Lists. One is Normal paid for books (which you can guess are 95% occupied by non-Indie authors,) and another list which the FREE Best-Seller list.</div>
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Many people use the Free days to get themselves known to readers. I have said this in 2 previous posts, and it is a legitimate and smart way to make use of this perk. For the most part you will get compulsive addictive freebie hunters (such as the "book reviewer" above) who will download anything and everything as long as the word "FREE" is attached to it. Others claim that once they offer their book for free then people go ahead and buy it when it is off the free days. (Possible, maybe even probable, but the statistics they claim, let us just say do not make sense. More on that later.)</div>
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Now up until this point it is clear. Where I come from, and in the English language that I learned, the word "Free" and the word "Sale" are two different animals. If you get something for free you did not pay for it. And if you pay for something you did not get it for free. That seems to be fairly logical, at least to my mind. </div>
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So along came a post where the OP ("Original Poster") asked about this practice of free and did it not hurt other writers who were trying to "sell their books". This is a fair, logical and important question. Something I would think every single Indie author should want to look at, think about, and discuss. <b>This was the only post I saw. I did not look down the page, (my mistake), and find that a few posts before someone had posted that they are a "best-seller" because they had just given away a few thousand books for free and posted a picture of the Amazon page to boot. My bad! </b><br />
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So I gave my opinion and here it is:<br />
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<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4f4b49499a1678048319973" style="display: inline;">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="background-color: #edeff4; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I just do not know how to say this in a more clear manner:</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="background-color: #edeff4; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">Free Books are simply NOT sales. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">I challenge anyone who puts out their book for free and even hits #1 to paste the same exact book and its position in Amazon KDP - 7 days late</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline;">r. In other words let us see how far your book "dropped" in the "real" world. It is getting real old to see people claim "best sellers" based on freebies. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">If you bother looking at the lists, either Amazon or NYT best sellers, you will find a great many Kindle books priced at anywhere between 2.99-9.99 and people are buying them at a rate that keeps them in the best seller lists. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">The one thing a Free giveaway will you, is possibly acknowledgment of your name as an author - which I admit is important and critical. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">If you want to give your books away for free and claim best-seller status, open a blog, post a download of a PDF and then voila, it is free. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">If you are serious about writing, and maybe have the ability to break into the big leagues, prove it with "real sales" not with 5 free days on Kindle. (And to be clear I have used these days as well, but am dropping out of KDP after the 90 days are up.) </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent;">To prove a free giveaway works you must show the stats a week and 2 weeks and a month later. And your "real sales". I apologize for being "cruel" here but again, giving away something for free is simply NOT selling it. And there are tens of thousands of people who hunt free stuff all over, almost as a compulsive addiction. So telling us that if you give away 10,000 books that 2,500 people will read them...is in my opinion malarkey. I would say maybe 500 people MAY just open the book and maybe 50 people will try and read it. And that is on a good day with the angels smiling at you.</span></li>
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<b>You do not have to agree with the above. That is the point of a post. You offer your own opinion.</b> Well, dear people, <b>all hell broke lose. </b>It seems pack mentality took over. How dare I imply that giving away free books does not make you a best-seller? I was called a "pompous ass" and other such nouns, adjectives and adverbs for daring to suggest that something like giving away books is not sales. A publisher of Indie books, even claimed 10,000 free downloads which of course helped with their YAZB. And then the attacks came. I stood on the side and laughed. And I realized these people are truly headed for oblivion. It did not stop for 24 hours. The same people over and over again, <b>who did not even bother reading the original set of posts,</b> showing how giving they were to the Indie community, how they edited books for free, how they wrote book reviews, how they did this and did that. <b>But interestingly enough not one person was willing to publish their statistics! Not one person was willing to show how their book did and where it dropped to AFTER they had stopped giving it away for free. Not one person was willing to say my check after the free giveaway for that month was $X which means that I sold Y amount of books. NOT ONE!</b><br />
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Around 10 posts later (in the same section which is around 15 minutes) when I realized that people simply would not think for themselves or allow a dissenting opinion this is what i wrote:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">But enough is enough. I respect your right to totally disagree, and I understand your position, completely. You made your point clear and I made mine. Let us just agree to disagree and see a year from now if the market proves you right.</span></blockquote>
But you cannot beat the pack. You really cannot. But then of course the person who had posted the picture of their book in the best seller list (FREE best seller list) - decided that I had something to do with them, <b>even though my post was not even in their original post, </b>and went into a long speech about support and help of each other and pulled out the "drama queen" act and said they would leave the group. Rolls eyes. You got to love drama queens.<br />
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Now if you are halfway familiar with a computer mouse, you do know how to click, find the person's book, look it up on Amazon and see its current standing. So why did I not do that? Because it would have embarrassed the hell out of the people who were claiming such numbers. Because it would have just added fuel to a fire and would have proved futile. Because that is "flaming" and I do not flame or call names.<br />
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So I stayed away. Why waste time? I offered an opinion, not a popular one, but a legitimate opinion. Pack mentality took over. Why? Well I have my suspicions that I did hit a very raw nerve. That these authors are not as successful as they want everyone to believe or they are deluding themselves, (and their stats in Amazon lists do prove my point fairly well.) I also think that they know deep inside that if the playing field were level, and they had to vie for the "real" best-seller list, where people actually read books and buy them and download them, or buy the paperbacks, they would no longer be writing especially those YAVB and YAZB.<br />
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So what are the lessons to be learned:<br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Groups & Forums should be approached by those who want to write with a great deal of caution.</li>
<li>If you are looking for popularity, nod and keep your mouth shut. And a forum or group is not the place to look for popularity but for information.</li>
<li>If you are looking for knowledge - read, absorb, and try not to drink anything while you are reading (otherwise you may need a few new keyboards.)</li>
<li><b>Pack mentality is scary and dangerous. It is something that has been written about often, and exists within groups and forums. So chose if you are a member of the pack or you are an individual with your own brain, and then act accordingly.</b></li>
<li>Indie people have a lot to learn about publishing and the real reading public. Putting up a blog does not make you a book reviewer. Writing words does not make you an author. Being a best-seller means you "sold" those books, you are being reviewed in traditional areas and your major area of concentration is - <b>Writing Not Posting.</b></li>
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Oh and one more lesson! How did I forget?</div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a></div>
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<b>Don't like what I said here? Leave a comment. Trash it. Prove it wrong. All comments will be published except spam. Because I happen to respect dissenting opinions!</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">All illustrations above are from the <a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>. All hyperlinks on the posters will take you to their original page @ </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>.</span>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
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<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-39471739537027089552012-02-23T16:53:00.002+02:002012-02-23T18:03:02.198+02:00Indie Publishing - What Not To Do & What To Do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a></div>
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There is change in the air that is for sure. The lists at Amazon grow larger. The lists at B&N grow larger. Names like Smashwords have even gotten their own initials - SW - which everyone understands. Kindle, IPad, Nook, CreateSpace, LSI... the list goes on and on. A whole new lexicon has been created for the Indie Author.<br />
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For a month now, after purposely initiating myself into this community, I have listened, watched and taken notice of forums, chat boards, Facebook pages, Facebook Groups, Twitters and God only knows what else. I have also carefully watched, sometimes even sneakily trolled and checked Indie authors claims of success (which to no surprise were almost 95% false.) I read the blogs, read the web sites, made a list in my head and in One Note, wanting to know what is right and wrong.</div>
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The next articles will be what I have learned. I have no doubt they will be controversial. I have no doubt the Konrath lovers out there will beat me down with their proverbial stick for even suggesting some of the things I will suggest. I also have absolutely no doubt anymore that Indie authors are doing something very wrong in a market that is ripe for change and ripe for what they may have to offer. In short they may ride the wave for a bit, but they sure as hell are heading towards being torn apart by the jaws of defeat.</div>
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So here goes some very preliminary thoughts:</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>0.01% of Indie Authors will have the luck of not having to do a thing and putting books out there and having them bought up by the public at a rate they can make any living off of.</li>
<li>Indie Authors may think they do not have to check Grammar, syntax, spelling, proofread and other such "mundane" things .. but they are making a grave mistake.</li>
<li>Putting out books because they are made of words and sentences and paragraphs in no way makes you an author. It makes you someone who can type.</li>
<li>Vampires and Zombies do not deserve their own genre.</li>
<li>Book covers are critical. But actually, what you write between the covers will make you or break you.</li>
<li>One great book cover will sell your book until a few people come along and say WTF? and then have the nerve to trash it in a review.</li>
<li>Twittering and Facebook your page and book and links 10 times a day .. pisses people off. </li>
<li>Giving away free books on Amazon KDP is NOT selling your book though it is a good way to try and "brand" your name as an author.</li>
<li>However poor and destitute you are, if you have put out a book, you have an internet connection. Save some more money and hire an excellent, - not good not mediocre not free - editor and proofreader. Your "Significant Other" does not count. Neither do your children or friends. Too bad.</li>
<li>Spend 100X more time on what you have written than how your book cover looks.</li>
<li>Do not put down traditional review sites.</li>
<li>Do not put down book publicists who are good.</li>
<li>Do not jump on the "I hate traditional publishers" bandwagon just because they would not look at your book.</li>
<li>Do not plan that Amazon will always be on top of the market (did I actually say that?) Oh my gosh - I did! Someone (probably a lot more that just one person or company) is out there right now watching and planning and figuring out ways to beat Amazon. They may not do it, but all eggs in one basket is really just making it easy for someone to come along and step on the basket and smash all the eggs at once.</li>
<li>There is a process if you want to succeed. That process will cost you money. It will not come easy or free. Unless of course, you are touched by angels and have the fairy godmother on your side. (Which has happened to some - I admit it.)</li>
<li>Research and have fun in forums. BUT forums for writers are not going to get your name "brand" or sales. They are there for information sources, and maybe friendships. </li>
<li>Use traditional and non-traditional ways of getting your book into hands of people. Believe it or not, the very old and traditional network of friend-tells-friend actually does work. </li>
<li>Do not offer anyone who can afford to pay for it - your book for free. Period. Would they give you their CC for free? (This obviously does not include book reviewers, book interviews and all areas where you need to get your book out and read and discussed.) --> KDP I discussed above. But the scenario of a friend saying "Oh Wow! You published a book! Can I read it? Can you give it to me?" Say "Sure. Here is the Amazon or B&N Link." and smile sweetly.</li>
<li>Think past Indie. Yes think past Indie. Think about actually writing a book worth reading and preserving. You succeed and want to stay on the Indie path...Great! You want to move to traditional publishers...Great! Do not disallow something just because they ignored you at first. The traditional publishers are going through slow, painful and radical change. You snooze - you will lose.</li>
<li>Decide if you are writing to actually say something, entertain, or make money or a combination of all. Then decide how much your self-esteem and self-respect is worth. Then decide just how you plan to do it. </li>
<li>As much as I believe in Peter Pan..wishing just is not going to make it happen. </li>
<li>If you build it...99.99% of the people will not even know it is there.</li>
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As I said, I am real new to this whole Indie market. I lived by agents and traditional publishers. Indie has a lot to offer. It also has a lot to lose.</div>
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Don't like what I said here? Leave a comment. Trash it. Prove it wrong. But check your spelling first. And my next post will be what actually you should be doing in the process of getting your Indie book to succeed.</div>
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Good Luck!</div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">All illustrations above are from the <a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>. All hyperlinks on the posters will take you to their original page @ </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Despair.com</a>.</span>
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<center><br />Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-37664064162219612252012-02-16T12:42:00.001+02:002012-02-16T22:49:50.210+02:00Ancient Tales, Modern Legends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Free Today THURSDAY 02/16/2010</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">KINDLE VERSION - PICK UP YOUR COPY</span></b></div>
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<i><b>"Ancient Tales, Modern Legends"</b></i>, a short story collection by Ted William Gross presents the reader with engaging and thought-provoking stories spanning the ages. Covering subjects of love, loss, pain, desire, need, frustration and hope these stories are meant to entertain as well leave an indelible impression upon the reader. Ted Gross cleverly combines ancient lore in his "Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn" weaving Unicorns, the story of Adam & Eve and the modern world into a tale of lost wisdom and gained hope. "Love In A Cafe" moves the reader within the soft aura of love until the surprise ending. "Elijah's Coins" leaves us wondering about the great "what if" of life and just how blessed or cursed it would make us to change the future. "Reverieing" is a glimpse of the slow descent of one individual into his own personal hell. "Addiction, Obsession, Love", "Tenuous Webs" & "And So They Danced" look upon love and loss from different perspectives. "A Tapestry Of War" is a real war story and the consequences of war upon the psyche of the soldier. "The Sunflower" portrays how hate can insidiously seep into the heart of man while "The Heretic" will leave you wondering who the real heretic actually is. "Kapparot" will let you delve into the mystical world of Hassidic philosophy while looking upon man's relation to God. "Jacob's Ladder" will introduce you to a world of angels and their mission of silence.</div>
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The Following Short Stories Are Contained Within <b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</b></div>
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Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</div>
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<b><i>Love In A Café</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Elijah's Coins</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Reverieing</i></b></div>
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<b><i>The Sunflower</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Tenuous Webs</i></b></div>
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<b><i>The Heretic</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Kapparot</i></b></div>
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<b><i>A Tapestry Of War</i></b></div>
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<b><i>And So They Danced</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Jacob's Ladder</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Addiction, Obsession, Love</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Tiny Slivers From A Silver Horn</i></b></div>
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Read it. Enjoy it. Grow with it. You will in turn, be haunted by it and the stories will remain with you long after you have closed the pages.<br />
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As almost all authors will tell you, their work in writing is a labor of love. "<b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends"</b> is a collection of stories that were written over many years, sometimes in great pain, sometimes with great joy and certainly is a labor of love for both the author and the reader. As colleagues read them, and some were published, I was prodded to publish the rest. I am the first to admit some of these stories are not "quick reads". It is my hope that they will make you, the reader, stop and think, perhaps just about they waywardness of life. They all are short stories in the pure art form of this genre.<br />
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In the case of a short story, the rule "less is better" should most definitely apply. Here too, I will apply that rule and let you peruse the description to get a feeling for the stories contained within "<b>Ancient Tales, Modern Legends"</b>. I do hope you enjoy them. </div>
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From the Reviews:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Each of these stories are an incredible gift. They will remain with you long after you turn the last page and I believe this book is one you will read again and again. When we were children, many of the books written for our specific age group, came with a lesson or something to reflect upon. Many of those stories remain in our hearts forever. Ancient Tales, Modern Legends will do this for you, in an adult fashion."</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Lyrical and moving, these short stories open a window into various lives and situations, allowing the reader to feel the depths of emotion of the various protagonists. It presents a broad spectrum of life written in a clear and precise literary style. I look forward to reading more by this author."</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>With the completion of each story, I couldn't wait to begin the next. </i><i>My favorite, "And So They Danced", filled with so much hope and pathos. </i><i>Kudos and five stars to the author."</i></blockquote>
<div>
PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<hr />
<center><br />Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
<hr />
<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-83085202113018076592012-02-12T13:41:00.001+02:002012-02-12T13:41:40.737+02:00Writing & Despair Happy Hour (Part 9)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been a couple of years since I presented my last Writing & Despair Happy Hour (previous ones can be found here on the blog: <a href="http://teddygross.blogspot.com/p/writing-despair-happy-hour.html" target="_blank">Writing & Despair Happy Hour</a> . So I think it just may be time for another installment.<br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
The saga must continue....<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
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Welcome to <span style="font-style: italic;">Part Nine</span> of the Writing & Despair Happy Hour!</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Where We Present<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">So You Decided To Self-Publish </span><br /><br />subtitled:<br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Who Put That Idea Into Your Head!</span></div>
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So there you were, 400 query letters had gone out, some by email, some by snail mail. You waited four years for the answers to roll in. After all everyone told you to have patience and knowing you were an impatient soul, you let time go by. Meanwhile you kept on writing and found yourself with no less than 30 books, all of which you could not get an agent to read.</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Being a positive person full of the joy of life and writing you knew that this too was just a small obstacle in the road to becoming a famous author. So what if out of 400 queries, only 10 agents bothered to answer you? So what if your sent email folder had tons of emails which had no "continued conversation". These were just small, petty, little footprints in the map of your life. You will overcome!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Hey, Nutcase. Obstacles are there for a reason and guess what?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoamoLNTE4Bt5x89PTRfKZrOWSFgeA1hkUhMmVnPXzhldWVqOXAlUwJluWXeDBCkyYGLaBBr4YrkkbH5frfnLAyf5W27EjQ6ivL5QUj3pNy7TM71r8_i-jJf4DV3yjIz5hUf1Blg/s1600/obstaclesdemotivator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoamoLNTE4Bt5x89PTRfKZrOWSFgeA1hkUhMmVnPXzhldWVqOXAlUwJluWXeDBCkyYGLaBBr4YrkkbH5frfnLAyf5W27EjQ6ivL5QUj3pNy7TM71r8_i-jJf4DV3yjIz5hUf1Blg/s640/obstaclesdemotivator.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/obstacles.html" target="_blank">Despair.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And so you searched and searched. What you found out was that today you can actually publish the book you have written yourself, without having to wait for an agent and publisher. The Forums were full of authors who claimed to have made a killing and become best-selling authors at that. The secret? All you had to do was believe in yourself. All you had to do was regain that self-respect. "Believe in yourself," they said, "and you shall overcome!" </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Yeah, right! And exactly what planet are you living on?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPW62gJ5qF6TV2IOHHsO5lkGUXrXDbby4mQcRkbkVhZYnrnuRrCWyWofP1jbPm-iiWQcTPsd9CiT8DFrtgRNWQglBwTedEey0xlWhnbldkBNRzUy9HImIgnzIncnfXMDKpSC9Ag/s1600/believeinyourselfdemotivator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPW62gJ5qF6TV2IOHHsO5lkGUXrXDbby4mQcRkbkVhZYnrnuRrCWyWofP1jbPm-iiWQcTPsd9CiT8DFrtgRNWQglBwTedEey0xlWhnbldkBNRzUy9HImIgnzIncnfXMDKpSC9Ag/s640/believeinyourselfdemotivator.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.despair.com/obstacles.html" style="font-size: 10px;" target="_blank">Despair.com</a>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">You also knew you had something unique. A new story to tell the world. After all, you told yourself, every writer has a special, unique and diverse style. And it was just a matter of bad luck that you have not been able to enter that vast pool of published authors until now. You were unique! You had an amazing ability to be different. You knew you stood out among the crowd of all that came before you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So diversity was your friend. You knew how to overcome it. You would succeed and show them all just how great your writing is. </span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">You painted words with colors of the rainbow! And boy, was your rainbow ever messed up!</b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuh4wXSl85ABhP8mUDi7sCzKogSg_TJ2LylRzaYf0oSQyUCXuGe9lDET1d_U_bjEzug_coiWgVzbTTQJ-Ezd7zgX7I6Sxvw1Om7yGKg9B9dau9SC8ZwV6akB8n6rtaSKPO3svtw/s1600/diversitydemotivator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuh4wXSl85ABhP8mUDi7sCzKogSg_TJ2LylRzaYf0oSQyUCXuGe9lDET1d_U_bjEzug_coiWgVzbTTQJ-Ezd7zgX7I6Sxvw1Om7yGKg9B9dau9SC8ZwV6akB8n6rtaSKPO3svtw/s640/diversitydemotivator.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a></div>
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And there you were. Knowing that it was just a bit more work to get that magnum-opus out to the world. You were full of rejuvenated energy. To hell with agents. To hell with publishers. To hell with reviewers. Hope was your friend. You felt your whole soul fill with it. You basked in the light of hope. You reveled in the new found feeling. Your family and friends saw your face turn into one big smile all day long. You were full of renewed hope! </div>
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<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b>Umm, I really do not want to rain on your parade here, but...</b></div>
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<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So you decided to do it right this time. You went to the forums and listened carefully to what your fellow authors had to say. They discussed their problems of writing, submissions, publishing, covers, design and all the rest openly and softly. There was wisdom. They wanted you and everyone else to persevere. They were a very motivated group of people. Each with a story to tell. Each with determination and fortitude. So you all joined together offering advice and tips and hints on how to reach the best-seller list. On how to grab the reader. On how to write that opening sentence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Problems were surmountable. They became opportunities!</b></span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So you went ahead and took your stand. Oh boy, was it fun. This time you would do it. This time you would burst out into the wondrous air of glory and fame. This time you were smart and who needed all the other garbage anyway? You designed your book. You uploaded it. You proofed it. And then you had to just "click" to make it available. That little voice inside of you, the only one left with a bit of doubt, said "Yes" then "No". It did this a couple of thousand times, before you just clicked and that was that. You released your book to the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>You finally took your stand!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Well, the first few weeks did not work out like you thought. Even when you offered your book for free there were very few willing to take a chance. But take heart! Because you have another 30 books inside of you and on your hard disk. One of them has to succeed. One of them has to throw you into the limelight. One of them will surely make you the famous author sitting on all the talk shows. It will just take time and patience of which you have a great deal of. It will work. You will leave your legacy to the world. It will remember you just for who you are.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">There is hope. There are possibilities. The great and the famous have done it before you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>You will Persevere!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://despair.com/">Despair.com</a>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Stay tuned for our next installment to the Writing & Despair Happy Hour!</i></b></span></span></div>
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<hr style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;" />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 10px;">All illustrations above are from the <a href="http://www.despair.com/">Despair.com</a>. All hyperlinks on the posters will take you to their original page @ </span><span style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.despair.com/">Despair.com</a>.</span></div>
</div>
<hr />
<br />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
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<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620281.post-81900921339851061562012-02-10T09:04:00.002+02:002012-02-10T13:07:17.975+02:00The Free-For-All Mess In Authors, Books & Publishing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The other day I was perusing a forum and then a few blogs of some "Indie" publishers. I looked at their profiles, tried to guess their ages, and then looked at how many books they have published. Now either a great many of these people are simply whizzes at the keyboard and in their own minds, and have no need to edit a book or even go over what they wrote, or else they are up 22 hours a day just writing. I mean, come on. 10-15 books to your credit in 2-3 years?! Something is off here, and sadly enough this time it is not the agents nor the publishers nor the market. It is the authors themselves.</div>
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What many of us fail to take into account, especially authors, is that market is in flux and re-birth. The amount of "formats" out there for books, the way people will read books, the future of the actual book store, the need for more and more technology to be ingrained in an author's head so they can get a book or the need for the author to lay out more and more money to those that do it for a business is astounding. Don't think for a moment this is more expensive than going the "traditional" route. It is not. Couple the time, the seeking for an agent, the publisher, the ulcer, etc and etc well you do have the same investiture if not more into writing. Of course afterwards there is a marketing as well. A whole new can of worms.</div>
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But let us return for the moment to the authors. The world of POD and self-publishing opened up and with it a tiny trickle of words and ideas turned into a river and then an ocean of books. (Actually I believe technology historians will point straight back to the "invention" of the blog for this phenomena.) And what an ocean it is. A vast sea of words and ideas put out day after day in the form of books. And the question is just how much is worth reading? Just how much is worth putting into the brain?</div>
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As in all discussions of this type there are many answers. However I really find it hard to believe that a person can put out 10 books in 2 years unless they are writing from some type of format laid out next to them. And in that case there goes literature and originality.</div>
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However, let me be the mean guy on the block and beg authors to do the following:</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Edit what you wrote. </li>
<li>Spell Check it.</li>
<li>Grammar check it.</li>
<li>If you can in any way afford it give it to a professional, well-respected editor, and pay them. Not every word you write is gold. Not every sentence is correct. Not every paragraph is set up correctly in tenses and sentence structure.</li>
<li>READ IT for all that is holy. Read it and figure out if anyone else would want to read it. </li>
<li>Published it? Gave it away for free on KDP or on some other site? I dont want to bust your bubble, but giving away books does not mean you have hit any best-seller list or that people love your writing. It means simply that freebie hunters are in every part of society. Some may read your book. Some may even like it. But until you actually "sell" tens of thousands of copies, please resist the temptation of calling yourself "a best-selling author". Because you are not. You are a whiz at handing out free products. (Yes, I know you hate me now for this. Shrugs.)</li>
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If you are going to use your book to present your "originality" to the world, then don't you think it deserves a reading and re-reading and professional edit? I have seen much more discussion on what a book cover should look like, than on what your words should convey to the reader. That is sad, and a sign of the times as well.</div>
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I do not imply that editors at the traditional houses are all great either. Sometimes you fall into the hands of a great editor, and sometimes into the hands of someone who is in that position because his Uncle knows the boss. But a good editor is something every single one of your books needs.</div>
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And let us face it. Not everything you write should be published. Not everything is worth reading. So if a manuscript is not going anywhere, or it does not feel right, file it away or junk it. You may find a few out there who will read it, but you have to learn to be honest with yourselves as well. And that honestly is, I admit, very hard, very unrelenting, and very difficult on the ego.<br />
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Or you may not be cut out to be an "author". That too is something one has to consider. That too must be looked at from all possible angles. That too must be faced. The moment I see some author who has self-published 10-20 books especially fiction books during a period of 1-2 years, I have to admit I am very suspicious. Either you have been writing from the age of 5 until 60 and then published all your books at once, or you simply are throwing out first edits to the public. Shrugs. I guess it is all sales in the end or you have an incredible gift at the keyboard, and should be publishing with the Big 6.</div>
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I do rest assured that sooner or later the market will find the correct balance between formats, books, suppliers, publishers, agents and all the rest. It will look like nothing it was 3-4 years ago that is for sure. It will be interactive, prettier, more entertaining. Will it produce great literature? Will it produce decent if not great writing? Only time will tell, but I think the market too will somehow find a way to weed out the bad from the good. At least I hope it does.<br />
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<b><i>Because I find it hard to believe that my children and grand-children will look at the million books on "vampires" that have been published and think, "Wow, Dad. Your generation really knew how to write!"</i></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<br />
<center>Books by Ted William Gross<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469901714" target="_blank">Ancient Tales, Modern Legends</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1469940310" target="_blank">A Tale That Is Told - Part 1: The Chronicles Of The Children Of Heaven Fantasy Series (Volume 1)</a></div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/teddygross/cobwebs/learn.png" /></center><br />
<hr />
<div class="tag_list">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Tags: <span class="tags"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/books" rel="tag">books</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/novels" rel="tag">novels</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary" rel="tag">literary</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/agents" rel="tag">agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+stories" rel="tag">short stories</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memoirs" rel="tag">memoirs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy+literature" rel="tag">fantasy literature</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/legends" rel="tag">legends</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tales" rel="tag">tales</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/erotica" rel="tag">erotica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/short+story" rel="tag">short story</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/romantica" rel="tag">romantica</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/publishing" rel="tag">publishing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writers" rel="tag">writers</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fantasy" rel="tag">fantasy</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/literary+agents" rel="tag">literary agents</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogs" rel="tag">blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing+blogs" rel="tag">writing blogs</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/writing" rel="tag">writing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/freelancing" rel="tag">freelancing</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/non-fiction" rel="tag">non-fiction</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fiction" rel="tag">fiction</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Cobwebs Of The Mind
One author's musings about the world of writing, publishing, agents, books, & musing about the great what-if's of life, love, relationships, work, and the pursuit of happiness - what else is there?
Other Blogs by Ted Gross also available For RSS:
<a href="http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8