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Showing posts from May, 2013

Priceless Personalities

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Leave it to radio personality January Jones to round up ten people who have a legitimate reason to whine but choose not to. In her new book, Priceless Personalities, Jones finds the inspiration behind the tragedy www.januaryjones.com Readers will meet people like Tawana, a woman born without arms. Tawana shares her story about how JFK came to her rescue and the challenges that she has faced since that time. A guest named Jeannie uses the gift of laughter to help her recover from sexual and mental abuse. And then there's Sydney, also known as the Mayflower Madame, who found a way to move beyond the scandal to become a business coach. Jones is no stranger to trauma, having become a widow with two young children when she was just 25 years old. Rising above the grief, Jones has authored many books including Thou Shalt Not Whine . . . The Eleventh Commandment http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=thou+shalt+not+wh

Are Virtual Blog Tours Worth the Money?

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Like many authors, I'm constantly searching the web for new opportunities to promote my audio books. I decided to try something called a virtual book tour. I found several companies who offer these tours, most of them at a very low cost. The first thing I discovered is that it was my responsibility to provide content to the websites that signed up for the tour. This entailed me composing five lengthy blog pieces on subjects not necessarily related to my audio book. In addition, I was required to fill out a Q & A form that had twenty items. Although this was a lot of wok on my part for a service that I was paying for, I do understand the need for blog owners to pick and choose what they put on their websites. For the sake of comparison, I booked virtual book tours with two different companies. I was treated differently by both groups, but ended up with pretty much the same results. The first company was headed up by a woman who obviously books a lot of

Should You Turn Your Novel Into An Audio Book?

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As the owner of an “indie” recording studio called Straight to Audio Productions, I'm often approached by writers who want to know if they should turn their novels into audio books. The popularity of audio books is on the rise so there is definitely an audience for this form of media. However, there are a couple of things I would encourage writers to consider before heading down this path. Authors who are working with an agent or publisher should consult with their representatives before making any plans to produce an audio book. For self-published writers or those who don't have a broker, there are a few key matters to deliberate. First, decide who your audience is. This might sound like a silly issue, but the answer will give you a better understanding of how to best proceed. For example, if you have written a short story which may only be of interest to a small group of listeners, you might want to record it yourself. If you believe your story ha

A Few of My Favorite Things

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Books and audio books have always played a big role in my life.  Here are a few of the titles I've enjoyed most. Young Adult Genre The Great Brain Series by John D. Fitzgerald These stories offered everything that appealed to me as a child – humor and unique adventures, all beautifully illustrated by Mercer Mayer. I was so intrigued by The Great Brain Series it made me want to visit Utah – now I live here! The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis These stories by C.S. Lewis were delightfully intriguing! The Magician's Nephew was my favorite, although I read each book several times. I was happy when they stated making some of the books into movies. Favorite Novels Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell I was in high school the first time I read this book. I was enamored by the love story between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. I didn't get a chance to see the movie until after I had read the book at l