Amy Shojai's Blog, page 149

Monday Mentions: Cat Art, Dog Sperm Detectors & PhD Sheep

Bernadette captures the essence of cat-ness in her illustrated calendar.

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and blogs and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. To start off the blog right (or is that write?), I've two books to feature of the pet persuasion.

My colleague Bernadette Kazmarski has published her first book Great Rescues Calendar that sings the praises of the many cats she's met over the years. As an artist specializing in cats, Bernadette certainly has a purr-fect eye for feline beauty. She writes, "It falls under the category of things created via feline muses. I'd hardly have published this, or done all those portraits that are in it, or done any artwork at all in fact–who knows what I'd be doing–if it weren't for my cats and their guiding, inspiring presences in my life." Each picture includes the cat's rescue story, year the portrait was done, artistic medium and size of the finished portrait. For instance:

Christie's happy ending story.

Bernadette continues to do feline portraits so AFTER you purchase her gorgeous calendar, see about contacting her for a portrait of your special feline friend (maybe it'll be included in a future book!).

I met Robert Scott–virtually met him–over at KindleBoards and Smashwords while bringing my backlist pet care books back to life as Ebooks and POD. Folks, pets touch us all in many marvelous ways and the legacy they leave behind can be powerful indeed. You can read about Robert's journey that lead him to write about losing his beloved canine companion and perhaps his book will help others going through the same experience.

Today's list of Mentions covers all kinds of furry, weird and writerly topics, so browse and enjoy. And remember, those who have a new book, blog, article, fill-in-the-blank that might be a fit, please email me (amy AT shojai.com) with the particulars of your book/work and I'd love to feature you on a future blog. Hey, it's all about helping each other out, right?

I suspect thriller writers (including those with an artistic or spiritual bent) appreciate some of the biting tidbits in today's blog. Enjoy and share.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

My colleague Sara Basore has been named Editor-In-Chief of G.IS.G Heavenly Publications. She writes, "We are taking submissions for an anthology called Spiritual Awakening: Stories of Praise and Redemption. We want a variety of stories from all genres, from Young Adult to Nostalgia to Horror to Romance and all in between." She also says her cat Ginger will help by walking across the laptop keyboard.

WEIRD & KEWL CRAP

Will an Antibody Profile replace DNA identification? Great blog post from my fav forensics expert D.P. Lyle (who writes great thrillers, by the way…)

Rapist caught by sperm-sniffing K9 officer–folks, you can't make this stuff up!

New study reveals sheep are smarter than monkeys! That's to baaa-aaa-aaaad.

FANTASTIC FURRY CONTENT

Another of my favorite artists, Kim Santini, offers portraits of dogs, cats, horses, cows–you name it–and even has a newsletter Painting A Dog A Day, check it out.

The myth of the "hypoallergenic dog"  What do YOU think? One of the email lists I'm on has had quite a spirited discussion about the topic.

Cat Wisdom 101 blog from my colleague Layla Morgan Wilde covers all-things-cats, from book reviews and SQUEEEE! lovely kitty pictures, to interviews with experts, rescue matters, and a variety of fun to serious subjects. Check it out–tell her I sent you!

Like kitty TV? Sally Bahner's awesome Exclusively Cats blog kibbles about the good, the bad and the so-so meowy programming.

What exactly does "human grade" mean in pet food? Excellent explanation from my colleague Kim Thornton over at Pet Connection.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Howls & Hisses, Monday Mentions, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, Bernadette Kazmarski, books, cat behavior, cat books, Cat Wisdom 101, Crossing the Rainbow Bridge, dog books, dog sperm detector, Dr. DP Lyle, fiction, GISG Heavenly Publications, Great Rescues Calendar, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, hypoallergenic dogs, Kim Santini, Kim Thornton, Kindle, Layla Morgan Wilde, Painting A Dog A Day, pet books, Pet Connection, Robert Scott, Sally Bahner, Sara Basore, sheep intelligence, writers, writing

Feline Friday: Got Herb? Kitty Catnip Delights

Honest, I didn't inhale...well maybe a little..."

I have no doubt that catnip prompted the Cheshire Cat's grin. My cat Seren wears the same expression when she indulges. But why do cats find this nondescript herb so attractive? Is it a kitty aphrodisiac, a harmless pleasure or something more sinister?

Nepeta cataria, or catnip, is a strong-scented mint that contains a volatile oil that's easily released into the air. Biting or rolling on the plant crushes the leaves and releases the oil so cats can get a good sniff. It doesn't take much. Cats can detect catnip oil in the air at saturations as low as one part per billion. Seren-kitty (in the picture above) can ferret out fresh herb through several layers of shopping bags. I never knew she liked the stuff until some really potent catnip came home with me from the Cat Writers Conference and she went wild.

Do your cats react to catnip? What about other substances? I've known some cats that show the same reaction to honeysuckle slices–pieces of the wood–or to other mints, and even a few who rolled and yowled for olives! Here's more about how catnip works like LSD detailed in my latest Paw Nation article about catnip. And here's a repeat of an Ask Amy that fits right in with the them.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Ask Amy, Bling Alert!, Feline Fridays, Video Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, cat behavior, cat training, cat writers association, catnip, cats, Complete Kitten Care, dog books, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, kittens, Paw Nation, PawNation.com, pet books, pets, why cats like catnip, writers conference

Thoughty Thursday: Do "Breastfeeding Baby Dolls" Suck?

Snuggle up to the milk bar! (copr esagirl via Flickr)

Now from time to time my writing certainly scores pretty dang high on the suck-icity meter, but today's blog may just send you into the screaming into the OH-MY-GOLLY-WOMPERS heebie jeebies. We've had "nursing" baby dolls for kids for years, of course. I'm old enough to remember the "Betsy Wetsie" doll Grandma wrapped up for me one Christmas.

Aside: After having two sons, Grandma was delighted to have me to dress up in frills and spoil with dolls. Sad for her, I hated playing with dolls and even as a youngster, preferred stuffed animals when the real thing wasn't around. That said, I inherited Grandma's taste in bling!

Back to the subject at hand–I was delighted some year's ago to discover the Snuggle Pets when I lectured at Tufts Animal Expo and I still have the Snuggle Kittie. There's still a Snuggle Puppy available, but at the time the company even offered Snuggle Ferrets and bunnies and parrots. These plush toys include a battery powered heartbeat, heat element, and pocket for a nurser and serve as surrogate mom-objects to very young kittens and puppies. The idea isn't new. Orphaned critters often "adopt" stuffed toys. Heck, the Magical-Dawg still uses his "bears" as doggy pacifiers (yuck! soggy misshapen heads on the things…)

As someone who adored playing make-believe with stuffed animals as a kid–hey, I had a flying cat named Snowball and a talking dog named Fluff–I can understand the appeal for children to use their imagination. And I suppose this first video might be a nice alternative to parents wanting kids to experience the fun of newborn puppies without the mess or hassle of poopy pick up or (horrors!) death. After all, a dead puppy just ain't a fun gift. But what do you think about having a toy dog that actually NURSES the toy puppies? Check out that first video.

It sorta kinda made me go "ewww" but then I thought–people in my field constantly preach to the choir (and wish the rest would listen!) to spay/neuter, don't breed, too many pups and kittens are born . . . so heck. Would this be a good alternative? Or should they also create a toy doggy that gives birth or a toy kitty that brings headless mice to your pillow? Hmnn.

So what sparked this deep thinking? Well, the Twitter-verse is a wondrous place, filled with amazing flotsam and jetsam and Wednesday I happened upon a Sweet Tweet with a link from CNN about a new doll for little girls. WordPress would let me embed that video so I searched YouTube and found another covering the subject. The doll comes with a little vest that allows children to mimic breast feeding.

Does that go off the scale in the OOOOK factor? Or is it a natural thing for little girls to mimic their moms and want to play-pretend this normal function? Heck, we encourage them to diaper babydolls or fill 'em full of water until they turn into leaky faucets. Is this so different? I'm asking y'all, because I only have the 4-legged kind of kids.

Great fiction writers have the ability to put in just enough reality to tell the story and create worlds of entertainment. Too much detail gets in the way. Is that what's happening with these kinds of kid toys? Or is a six-year-old play-nursing her dolly more healthy than the kids killing zombies with transformers (or whatever the hell it takes to nullify the undead). What do you think?

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Howls & Hisses, Thoughtful Thursdays, Video, Wags & Purrs Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, breastfeeding baby doll, cat behavior, dog behavior, dog books, dogs, dolls, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, kittens, kittens nursing, pet books, pets, puppies, puppies nursing, puppies.About.com, snuggle kitty, snuggle pets, snuggle puppy, stuffed animals, too much reality, video, writers

Woof Wednesday: Translating Animal-Speak, There's An Ap for That

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!" means "@#$%^&*(!!"

About a week ago the Woof Wednesday featured a bunch of information about translating dogma and what all the woofs, wags and growls mean. Imagine my embarrassment to discover we don't need any of that anymore.

Want to understand donkey-talk? In a flap about what all the chicken clucking means? Yearning to ferret out furry translations? No worries, Grasshopper, there's an AP for that!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Wags & Purrs, Woof Wednesdays Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, cat behavior, cat books, cat communication, dog behavior, dog communication, dog training, funny video, Google Translate for Animals, http://puppies.about.com, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, pet books, pets, puppies

Tuesday Tips Kindle-ization #9: Shout About It–Sorta Kinda Ina Way

"It makes me wanna SHOUT!"

Welcome to my series with tips based on my DIY Kindle-ization Journey. For those who just found this blog, you can take a look back at previous installments: Why Do It? and The Challenges.   Tuesday Tips #4 covered the various platform options and what's required for each.  Formatting For Kindle was followed by Picture This! a how-to primer on including photos, tables and illustrations in your Ebook.

If you're like me and write nonfiction, chances are you have photos, illustrations or boxed/tabled information included in your format. And last week covered–well, the cover in The Cover Story. Last week's #8 installment covered the upload of your book to create your Kindle edition AND some insights on indy publishing from an amazing panel at Thrillerfest. Today's installment applies to self-published as well as traditionally pub'd books. Everybody's gotta self promote!

Hold everything together . . .

REVIEWS, REVIEWS…did I mention REVIEWS!?

Reviews really do drive sales. This chicken-egg challenge proves daunting for every author, though. As mentioned in previous blogs in the series, for re-published backlist books it's valuable to ensure the updated version becomes "linked" to the first edition and its positive reviews. About half of the current reviews for Complete Kitten Care imported from the original New American Library edition, and that garnered readers and more reviews for the updated Kindle and POD book. The Cutting Edge book had even more.

For new books/authors it can be even more challenging. The book content MUST be good–you won't get a second chance–but to drive eyes to your work think outside the kitty-litter box. Most writers/authors hang out with other writers and authors and while they may be part of your audience, a world of readers exists that has no interest in the intricacies of publishing and writing.

They just want good stories and great content.

For nonfiction authors, some of these readers may find you if your "platform/presence" allows for google searches on your particular niche. For fiction authors, don't expect the world to google your name to find a new novel to read and review. YOU must go to the READER. And once you find readers who might be interested in your work, do NOT give 'em a hard sell–instead, become part of the community, show what you have to offer as an individual, be real, be likeable, be accessible. Your book isn't you–it's an afterthought that these potential readers want to find out about AFTER they realize what a neato-torpedo-kewl person you are!

There are several places readers hang out. These are just a few that I've found productive, and others' milage may vary.

www.KINDLEBOARDS.com

This board primarily serves READERS–authors must remember this or they'll get wrist-slapped pretty quickly. Various forums discuss published books, offer opinions, include reviews of Kindles and aps, and — well — LOTS of indy authors as well as traditionally pub'd authors hang out and promote books on the forums. There are a couple of specific threads that allow this, with restrictions of posting once a week per book, to prevent spamming.

Fact is, every post you make on Kindleboards promotes your books–all of them–without you ever having to say a word. All you need to do is include the appropriate signature with each post.  The signatures include thumbnails of your book titles with hot-links to the amazon sale page. Have a mystery that features a knitting maniac? Join a thread discussing needlepoint and readers who see your fantastic book covers on a subject near/dear to their hearts just may give you a click.

Amazon.com topic/forums

RED FLAG WARNING HERE! Yes, these threads attract readers but they are VERY intolerant of any sort of self promotion. Consider yourself warned.

http://www.KUForum.co.uk

This is the UK version of Kindleboards and also has a specific thread that allows weekly book bumps. In my experience, this board is not quite as active as the US version, but I do have moderate sales from the UK and maintain a presence there.

FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs

Social networking today replaces book tours and print advertisements. Think about it–why spend huge $$ schlepping physical books and author-bodies around the country to kissy-face with fans UNLESS that author already has a huge following? A virtual book tour with a blog-hop created by fiction authors also worked great for my senior pet books nonfiction blog tour and it stays LIVE forever as a promotion. And–it was FREE.

You'll want to learn the right way to blog to build your brand and following, though. Kristen Lamb, the Wizard of All-Things-Blogging offers a fantastic book and blog on the subject you NEED in this writing journey. Trust me on this. You won't be sorry.

Most folks have a presence on Facebook (please like me!) and this site has great potential for promotion and for time-suck-isity. Know the difference and what you want out of the place. For me, it's bidness. I will flat-out BLOCK your ass-terick should you post porn, games, spam, virus-links . . . . and I will LOVE-LOVE-LOVE and promote/LIKE/share and sing your praises to the world when you offer great content. I don't post advertisements on other folks' "walls" and resent it when they do it to me–but when I see something you've posted that's fantastical-jump-up-and-shout-keen, I will explode fireworks on your behalf.

THAT'S how Facebook works. You get back what you give. TWITTER works the same way. Kristen Lamb has terrific info on maximizing Twitter as well so I won't repeat it here.

LinkedIn works a bit differently. I'm no expert but have made progress thanks in large part to LinkedIn genius Jenny Hansen. You'll want to subscribe to her Needs More Cowbell blog for more fantastic de-mystification (is that a word?) of techie stuff like should writers use Excel. You'll want to check out the first blog in the series that includes LOTS more helpful links valuable to self-pub'ing authors and writers of every ilk.

New to self-pub'ing? Learn as ya go ...with help from friends.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Some folks have asked me to continue with the "Kindle-ization Series" but really, I don't have a lot more to say. Guess I should give you a ballpark on my sales success so you can better judge whether to follow this advice or not. I could lie–but I'm not a JA Konrath selling thousands or making 6 figures. Yet. Self pub'ing sales start slow and grow, so I'm happy with the progress. Currently I'm selling about 100 Kindle copies a month at $5.99 each and it goes up each month–that doesn't take into account other Ebook platforms or POD. I just got a royalty statement from my awesome publisher WhoDaresWinsPublishing with lovely news. These books were dead–and now have a new audience and based on reader response, the info has saved dozens of pet lives/relationships. So it's worth it to me.

Tuesday Tips will go on–next week I'll post video from Thrillerfest panels with some great writerly insight on the craft. And down the road there may be future Tuesday Tips about cat behavior. Or dog health care. Or stained glass crafting. Or who-knows-what.

It'll be a surprise!

Here's the deal, folks. As writers, we create worlds out of words and use them to connect with other like-minded souls. In today's world with so much hand-waving ME-ME-ME-LOOK-OVER-HERE! attention-grabbers the stand outs are those who instead take a quiet step back and say–

How can I help YOU?

Think about it. Instead of approaching readers as what they can give to you (buy-my-book-already!), offer them the most valuable gift anyone can provide–yourself. The. Real. You. Connect in a real way, offer real value in terms of information, story, friendship, similar values/shared interests and you won't sell just one book. You'll create a relationship.

Relationships are the GOLD of the world who say–"I know and like ——-> (NAME) and so will you, buy his/her book."

Do that, and you won't have to "sell" your book. You'll just need to write the best damn book you can. You can do it. I'm telling you as your *virtual* friend–yes, you can!

Don't forget the most important part. Pass it forward. No, I'm serious. Send this to every single person you know. I'll wait . . . some of 'em are bound to have a cat or a dog, or like furry thrillers. *eg*

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways! Check out all my titles plus great writing books and thriller novels at WhoDaresWins Publishing.

Filed under: Kindle, Tuesday Tips, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, Bob Mayer, books, cat, cat aggression, cat behavior, cat books, cat health, cat training, cat writers association, cats, Complete Kitten Care, dog, dog behavior, dog bites, dog books, dog training, dogs, fiction, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, Jenny Hansen, Kindle, kittens, Kristen Lamb, old dogs, pet books, pets, puppies.About.com, Thrillerfest, writers, writing, www.whodareswinspublishing.com

Monday Mentions: Plague, Spam & Writers

I wrote these!

Welcome to all the new followers! After last week's Monday Mentions after the amazing Thrillerfest weekend, lots of folks "discovered" the blog. Turns out that folks who read (and write) thrillers often have a furry muse in the background–and also may be considering the pros and cons of continuing the traditional pub route vs "going rogue." *ahem* I mean, 'indy.'

More on specific writer-icity tomorrow as the weekly Tuesday Tips Kindle-lization Journey continues with tips on self promotion. This blog focuses on furry stuff usually on Woof Wednesday and Feline Friday. Monday Mentions–hey, that's today!–offers a mash up of awesomeness, some of the great blogs, articles and other assorted WOW schtuff that makes me sit up and take notice. So I figure it'll wag some other writerly tails, too.

To that end, those who have a new book, blog, article, fill-in-the-blank that might be a fit, please email me (amy AT shojai.com) with the particulars of your book/work and I'd love to feature you on a future blog. Hey, it's all about helping each other out, right?

I suspect thriller writers (including those with a fantastical bent) appreciate some of the biting tidbits in today's blog. Enjoy and share.

MINI BOOK REVIEW

Got a copy of "the Things That Keep Us Here" by Carla Buckley (Bantam) as a freebie at the Thrillerfest banquet. Started reading on the plane flight home. Couldn't put it down, read straight through and finished it late that night. OUTSTANDING!

It's what I'd call a "quiet" thriller, one with such internal tension and driving characterization that you nearly explode waiting to see what happens next. It's "Hot Zone" meets "Ordinary People" and is awful and heartrending and scary-bad in just the way a thriller should be–with brilliant writing. Oh, and a dog appears in the story with a pivotal role.

WRITER CRAPPIOCCA NEWS

Rejections-R-Us: 30 Famous Authors' Rejections–plus some more Well Known Self-Pub'd Authors and now they're thumbing their collective noses, doncha think?

Spam Hits Kindle  Okay, this is old news to self published folks, but others may not be aware of the latest get-rich-quick scheme to "aggregate" content (legally? illegally?), roll it into a ball and self-pub for big bucks. Uh…nope. IMO readers are smarter than that. But it does create lots of crappiocca.

CANINE CURIOSITIES

AMAZING pictures and story that purports to be the dog SEAL that cornered Osama Ben Laden

Seeing Eye-To-Eye: How Dogs REALLY See the World, a fascinating look at eye structure and debunking past ideas about canine sight.

New AKC Therapy Dog Title — it's about time! Dogs that have met the criteria can be awarded the AKC Therapy Dog title (THD)

FANTASTIC FELINE FACTS

Should You Get Your Cat From A Pet Store? My colleague and outstanding cat writer Christine Church has an excellent examiner.com column you'll want to check out

Where Does Kitty Roam? A study of free-ranging ferals and housecats, covers some amazing ground. All you folks writing about were-cats and suchlike might want to take a look at how real cats do it.

SCARY SCH*T & LOL!

Bubonic Plague Affects Pets–And People!  It affects cats most often because they hunt critters infested with disease-carrying fleas, but dogs also can catch the disease. That "cat fight abscess" might instead be a bubo! (Anyone else thinking "medical thriller plot?")

Learn To Pick Your Battles–A Tale of a Metal Chicken a hilarious blog my friend Judy Gharis sent me, enjoy!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Kindle, Monday Mentions, Tuesday Tips, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: AKC, AKC therapy dog title, Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, belgian malinois, Bobbi Florio Graham, books, bubonic plague, Carla Buckley, cat behavior, cat books, cat writers association, cats and plague, Christine Church, dog attacks, dog behavior, dog books, dog eyesight, dogs and plague, dogs parachuting, expert witness, famous author rejections, feral cats, how far do cats roam, how to self publish, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, K9 military dogs, k9 SEAL, Kindle, kittens, metal chicken blog, osama ben laden, pet books, spam on kindle, The Things That Keep Us Here, Thrillerfest, writers, writers conference, writing

Feline Friday: Translating Kitty Ass-ets

Today's Ask Amy video addresses kitty tail talk, and I've had fun finding a variety of furry models to tell the tale–er, I mean, tail. So give it a shot–what do YOU think the tail semaphore means?  What does Sleepy-Seren's tail (above) say about her c'attitude?

What about this Burmese beauty? Cats talk with their entire bodies, not just meows and airplane ears. What's that tail semaphore mean when held on high? Happy? Agitated? Relaxed?

And here's a couple tails held down instead of up–what's the significance, or is there any? Do they mean the same thing? Seren's tail rarely stops moving, but other kitties only flail tail when upset. Why should you care? Well…sometimes kitties lose their homes when there's mis-communication.

July 15-17, Petfinder.com is joining with over 1,500 rescue groups and shelters across North American for what could be the largest adoption event in history–in honor of Petfinder.com 15th Birthday year! That sweet kitty above, with her tail wrapped around her body, is Bella Luna and she's available–just click on her picture for a link to details. Betcha once she's adopted her tail talk will transform into happy signals . . .

This Paw Nation article on understanding felinese includes some translation, but every cat has his own dialect. Just like people from different parts of the country have funny accents–unlike me, cuz I have no accent at-all, y'all.

How do your cats express themselves with their furry ass-ets? What have I missed in the video? And  what's unique about your furry wonders? Please share!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Ask Amy, Bling Alert!, Feline Fridays, Furry Fridays, Video, Wags & Purrs Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, cat adoptions, cat behavior, cat books, cat communication, cat tails, cat talk, cat writers association, cats, Complete Kitten Care, dog adoptions, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, kittens, Paw Nation, pet books, petfinder.com, pets, shelters, why do cats wag their tails, writing

Thoughty Thursday: Patterson Sells 26 More Books

"It's mine, ALL MINE!"

The Email newsletter Publisher's Lunch reports industry news including highlights about books sold. On Tuesday, this notice was included:

#1 NYT bestselling author James Patterson's next 26 books, including 4 new series for young readers, with 13 titles each for Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown, and Megan Tingley at Little, Brown Children's, for publication through the end of 2014, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly.

I mean–REALLY?

Do publishers even know what publishing will be like in 2014? And what happens if (God forbid!) Mr. Patterson gets kidnapped and held for ransom by a down-and-out wannabe sci-fi author who suctions out his brain-matter and auctions Mr. Patterson's shelf space to ghost writers of celebrity instant-books paid by the word (with a nice "bump" for extra syllables) but Google Panda disrupts the brand-search when spell-check freezes the software and the whole schmear collapses and . . . traditional publishing goes down the toilet?

What if?

I'm jess all a-tingle over the wondrous writer-icity of this announcement. It's sorta like the AKC or Westminster and CFA announcing the next 26 Best-In-Show dogs and cats, without any chance of a BOS or HORRORS! a Premiership. Oh, and those of y'all not in the show world can google those terms for your furry insider's terms.

So what do YOU think? What does this say about the future plans of traditional publishing? Where does that leave you as a writer? Can you hear the ringing of the nails hammered into that publishing coffin or can the undead arise, ARISE and take matters into their furry fists?

Just askin' cuz…I mean–REALLY?

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Howls & Hisses, Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized, Writing Tips Tagged: AKC, Amy Shojai, best in show, BIS, book publishing, books, cat books, cat fanciers association, cat show, cfa, dog books, dog show, google panda, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, James Patterson, pet books, Publishers Lunch, publishing, writers conference, writing

Weird Woof Wednesday: Knee-Jerk Reactions & Poopy-Puppies

Puppies often eat schtuff--and then want to SMOOCH you on the lips.

We've had two blogs in a row filled to the brim with writer-icity, so it's time for a bit of SQUEEEE! puppy-licious fun. There are a number of weird behaviors, though, that puzzle even savvy dog owners. One's enough to make you question your dog's good taste–literally.

Coprophagia–sounds all literary-like, right? But that's just a fancy word for eating (ahem) poop.

Ew! You might want to put down your McMuffin while reading this.

Poop eating can be nature's way for mom-dogs to keep the nest clean, and Junior-Dawg simply copy cats the behavior. It's annoying, nasty, and great fun for juvenile delinquent pups. Even the Magical-Dawg indulged in his youth, played keep-away with the crap and one time actually carried some inside the house. Oh yeah, THAT went over well, and reinforced the cat's opinion of him.

Most pups outgrow the behavior. If you have a canine connoisseur of pungent productions (say THAT fast five time!), these 10 tips to stop eating poop will help.  Just take a look at that face (below) and tell me you couldn't forgive that keep-'em-laughing puppy! In fact, read on for some neato news.

July 15-17, Petfinder.com is joining with over 1,500 rescue groups and shelters across North American for what could be the largest adoption event in history–in honor of Petfinder.com 15th Birthday year! That sweet puppy above with the goof-ball grin is Booger-Boy  and he's available–just click on thr picture for a link to details. Betcha once he's adopted (and you could change the name!) he'd promise not to eat anything you don't want him to eat…except maybe a favorite sock that reminds him of his beloved human . . .

A less annoying but still puzzling behavior involves doggy scratching behavior. Does your pooch kick when he's scratched? Is it a certain place if you rub him the right way, or will his leg jitter and jump with any scratch? The Ask Amy video below has some answers–but what have I missed? Why do you think dogs "fiddle" when scratched?

And do your dogs (or pups) eat nasty stuff? How do you handled the problem? Please share!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Ask Amy, Bling Alert!, Howls & Hisses, Video, Woof Wednesdays Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, cute puppy pictures, dog, dog behavior, dog books, dog training, German shepherd, german shepherd puppy, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, pet books, petfinder.com, pets, publishing, puppies, puppies.About.com, puppy adoption, puppy behavior, shelter puppies, veterinary care, weird puppy behavior, why dogs eat poop, why dogs kick their legs, writing

Tuesday Tips #8: Kindle-ization at Thrillerfest

Traditional publishing vs alternate--can't we just get along???

Welcome to my series with tips based on my DIY Kindle-ization Journey. For those who just found this blog, you can take a look back at the Installment #1 Helpful Links,  followed by #2 Why Do It? and #3 The Challenges.   Tuesday Tips #4 covered the various platform options and what's required for each.  #5 Formatting For Kindle was followed by #6 Picture This! a how-to primer on including photos, tables and illustrations in your Ebook. If you're like me and write nonfiction, chances are you have photos, illustrations or boxed/tabled information included in your format. And last week covered–well, the cover in #7 The Cover Story. Today's installment covers the upload of your book to create your Kindle edition.

Before I get to that, just a few thoughts. I'm just back from Thrillerfest--probably the single most amazing writer conference event available today. More than 800 established, best-selling, and aspiring authors gathered in New York for nearly a week's worth of seminars on craft, and panels on technique as well as industry information. Wherever I roamed–seminars, signing events, panel discussions, the bar, in the hallways–the E-lephant in the room was present.

The Ebook.

The topic came up everywhere. My pet colleagues know that if there are 3 dog trainers in a room, you'll get 5 opinions on the good/bad/ideal on training and the same applies to opinions on Ebooks. The first thing Friday morning, I attended the only panel that addressed the issue directly: "What's First, The Chicken or the Egg? Alternatives to Traditional Publishing"

David Hewson was the Panel Master, and started off the session by "banning" the term legacy publishers from the discussion. He also seemed to dislike the term social networking but that was harder to avoid–all this said with good humor, of course.

A.J. Hartley described the unheard of turn-around process of going from "idea" to "published" in less than a year with his book co-authored with David Hewson of "Macbeth, A Novel." Alternative publishing makes that possible.

Daniel Slater oversees Author and Vendor Relations for Amazon Kindle. He said that Ebooks offered great opportunities for authors, and has "given power to the audience/reader."

Lou Aronica also was on the panel–click on his name for more on his insights, as he's a best selling author, former publisher of Avon and Berkley Books and now is president/publisher of The Fiction Studio. On the panel he said, "Virtually all the profits now exist on the digital side," but that traditional publishers must keep a print presence, and that "they're very confused." Traditional publishing has built in constraints that dictate a different pricing model which can tie publisher's hands in the market. He noted that readers will pay $13 or more for digital bestsellers–BUT that the next crop of bestsellers that come from somewhere else (outside the traditional model) will emerge with different pricing.

He also said, "There's always been bad books. There's more now. But in the digital space, that mess is not as visible. Customers figure out how to distinguish the good ones. The whole job has become more holistic than in the past. And authors must dedicate significant amount of time to marketing . . ." to be successful.

Steve Feldberg is Senior Director, Editorial Business Development, for Audible.com and prior to that spent more than 25 years in network TV news. ITW has worked with Audible on The Chopin Manuscript and the Copper Bracelet among other projects. He said, "It used to be the question was can I get published? That's gone away." He noted that the marketplace doesn't make a distinction on how it's consumed–it's ALL published.

Joel Fishman is a former Doubleday editor, literary agent and ghostwriter and recently founded an authors' consortium that will publish his thriller PRIMACY this September. In answer to questions about judging quality of self-published books he said that people have always read what others recommend. Self publishing has opened up opportunities for authors, but also forces authors to do more themselves. He said that you can self publish almost as well as traditional, but it costs [if you want to do it right], noting that a professionally designed book cover easily runs $1000-2000.

So–are you ready to DIY? Traditional publishing takes longer and sales/returns are expected almost immediately–if that doesn't happen, the book goes away. Ebooks publish very quickly and initially sell few with sales that grow over the lifetime of the book. In both cases, author marketing must happen or the book dies.

A book is a book is a book . . .

KINDLE-IZATION

Amazon has made the process nearly dummy-proof. Here are the basic steps.

Input title, author(s), publisher, edition, rights–YOU can be the publisher or create your own name/publishing entity. If this is a revision of a backlist title, include that you're publishing a 2nd edition.
Book description (back cover copy/reviews/etc.). This is the information that appears on your book page on Amazon, so get it right–think flap copy, back cover info, what sells books.
Choose territory distribution & royalty rate.
Assert your ownership/permission to pub content; if this is a backlist book, you'll likely get a message requiring proof of rights reversion (PDF of the letter, etc).
Price the book—depends on book size, and the price dictates the royalty. Remember that Amazon will LOWER your book price if it finds another copy priced lower.
Click "publish"—visible on amazon.com in 2-5 days
Can revise/update anything anytime (price, description, royalty) but takes 2-3 days to update
Contact KDP Forum for technical help

Next week we'll tie everything together with marketing tips specific to Ebooks in the last DIY Kindle-ization installment.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Kindle, Tuesday Tips, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: AJ Hartley, Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, books, cat behavior, cat books, Dan Slater, David Hewson, dog behavior, dog books, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, indy publishing, Joel Fishman, Kindle, legacy publishing, Lou Aronica, Oklahoma Writers Federation, pet books, publishing, self publishing, Steve Feldberg, Thrillerfest, traditional publishing, vanity publishing, writers, writers conference