Conv-AreYouPublished2

From: Ken Kalish

Date: July 11, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Rats, indeed!

From: Ken Kalish

Date: July 11, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Thanks, Forrest!

From: Joe Ciokon

Date: July 11, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Rats!
I just reached into my bag of tricks from the last AFCEA convention and I bought a book from the Naval Institute booth, titled: “Fire on the Water” by Robert Haddick about the current Chinese Navy threat in the Pacific.
Joe

From: Forrest Brandt

Date: July 10, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Ken, without reading it, I know it’s well written. You have the gift.
From my limited perspective getting a book published through self publishing is the easiest part of the bargain. You have to do the marketing, put the tent up at the local and not so local art fairs, pass out copies to friends and people who you think might know someone. A much more successful friend of mine puts it this way, “Selling my book is a full time job.”
There are snags I didn’t anticipate - Barnes and Nobel won’t sell books from outside houses (they have their own self pub branch). In my case I assumed that my biggest market would be Ohio State alums coming back for football games and who regularly pass through the university book store. The “university” book store is now managed and operated by Barnes and Noble, so, no, we won’t give you window or shelf space even though it looks like a book our patrons might buy.
Best thing I can think of is to have it published and begin sending copies to every NPR outlet in your neighborhood, to any local radio station that features local talent - back to NPR in most cases. Send a copy to “the big houses” you had hoped would ask you if they could publish your book. Lightening has to strike somewhere doesn’t it? Send it to vet organizations. Our VVA chapter has been visited by two writers to sell their wares in the past two years, not counting me.
Understand that once they print your book the publisher is going to be phoning you and trying to sell promotion packages, how to get you book sold to Hollywood enticements, let us do your marketing and on and on.
The folks who published my book did a fine job of creating a good looking cover and a fairly error free copy. I wish I’d had a stronger editor to tell me which of my many darlings to kill.
As I think of more I’ll pass it on.
Good luck and set a copy aside for me. That guarantees you one sale.
Forrest

From: Mike McNally

Date: July 11, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Ken, within the past two years, Frank Wadleigh, a member of the MACV-DAO Yahoo Group, was asking the Group the same sort of questions about publishing a book. Now his book, Phoenix Mistress, is available on Amazon in both ebook and hard copy versions. He recently notified the MACV-DAO Group about a book signing in Coronado.
If you Google search Phoenix Mistress, you will find the Google abbreviated version. It indicates that his publisher was iUniverse in Bloomington Indiana. It shows an email address of iuniverse dot com. The phone number given is 1-800-authors, aka 1-800-288-4677.
I hope this helps.

Good luck......Mike McNally

Are You Published?

July 2015

From: Forrest Brandt

Date: July 11, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Mike, Bloomington and the phone number “authors” made me think iUniverse is a part of Author House, the publisher I used. Looked it up, and sure enough they appear to be. Ken, read the Wikipedia post on iUniverse.
FB

From: Ken Kalish

Date: July 10, 2015

Subject: Are You Published?

Friends:
I have asked three local veterans to read all of my book, Fire on the Water. Two combat veterans thought it was a great read, and one said it was good. The “good” came from a guy who really liked the character sketch of HMC Coolidge, but prefers westerns. I’ve also run it by half a dozen SEALS, and all of them want to see it become a book. The problem, of course, was a combination of lack of knowledge and lack of resources. Last week at our usual Tuesday night trivia session, one of the guys who thought it was a great read offered to back me for publication costs.
So … I know there are a few folks here who have published their work. I need some guidance. I’ve read website info, bought a book on self-publishing, and even talked with one company about getting the thing published. It’s a pretty murky mish-mash of competing claims out there. Any suggestions will be most gratefully received. You can reach me privately at lamaken@paulbunyan.net if you are willing to help me get this Studebaker running.
Thanks, ever so much.
Ken

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