Terena Scott's Blog, page 39

My One-on-One with Marion Gropen

Who is Marion Gropen, you ask? Marion is a publishing-business expert with a website and blog every small publisher should bookmark and read. She just posted a piece on her blog Publishing for Profit about why she thinks publishing companies should be an S-Corp. Here is a snippet so you can see how she writes:

The old “I’m just publishing my book, not starting a business” fallacy has reared its head again. So, if you already know all there is to know about founding your press, go away. You’re go

The Northern California Publisher's and Author's Conference

Every writer knows how lonely being a writer can get. You spend hours by yourself, playing with imaginary people on paper. Luckily, most of us have writing groups or writing buddies who we can "talk shop" to about how dreadful being a writer can be. And there are plenty of writer's conferences out there, even in Hawaii.

Publishers aren't so lucky. I can talk to my writing friends about my slush pile and how much shipping costs are impacting the long term growth of my business, but all they can d

A You Tube Video About Book Promotion

This video made me laugh! Called "Paperback," it shows a conversation between a writer and his agent in which he explains what he's planning to do to promote his book.

It made me laugh because it is so true!

How will you promote your book?

Um... well... my neighbor's book club is going to discuss my book. Website? I um... sort of haven't gotten to that yet.

"I will work on my smile." That line kills me!

(I want to give a shout-out to my pal at Inked-In for turning me on to this video).[image error]

Why I Revised My Fulfillment System

Recently I had to take another look at my book fulfillment system because it just wasn't working for Medusa's Muse anymore. In a publishing company, fulfillment is when book orders are processed and shipped. It doesn't have anything to do with sexual fulfillment, or the sense of fulfillment you enjoy when you get what you want. Nope, book fulfillment is much duller, but seeing as selling books is the reason you started a publishing company, filling book orders can feel pretty good.

Unfortunately

Amazon Fail

Right now, there is a storm of anti-Amazon.com protests flooding Twitter and the blogosphere,called Amazon Fail. The uproar is due to Amazon.com's new policy that excludes "adult-subject matter" books from it's ranking and search system. The problem is that their criteria for what constitutes adult content is biased. While bodice rippers full of "heaving bosoms" and "throbbing members" are still ranked and promoted, anything related to gay and lesbian stories are now labeled "adult." That includ

So, you want to publish your book. What's the very first thing you should do?

You've just completed your 300 page masterpiece and now you're trying to decide how to go about publishing it. Do you want to go traditional and find an agent? Would you rather submit your book directly to a small press? Or do you want to take full control of your book and do it all yourself?

All of those options are viable and each has its pros and cons. But before you decide how to publish your book, you need to step back and look carefully at your writing career dreams.

What kind of writer do y

Unsigned Musicians Can Create and Distribute a Demo Without Stigma, so Why Can't Writers Self-Publish and Distribute their Writing?

A few weeks ago, JL Powers wrote in the blog for Catalyst Books about the stigma around self-published authors, comparing their self promoted works to demo recordings from unsigned bands. Any fledgling musician with Garageband can make a demo and post it on MySpace. No one looks down on them for doing it, in fact, many great bands have started out underground, collecting a following before being signed to a record deal.

And it isn't just bands who are allowed to self-produce; saying you're writin

Hey Look Ma, I'm on Internet TV

The Book Event on March 19th was filmed by Ukiah Valley TV and you can see a segment on their website here. Just scroll to 2:46 to see my 40 seconds of fame.

If you'd like a free copy of the book, be the first person to leave a comment telling me what color scarf I was wearing (sorry Medusa staff, but you can't enter).[image error]

My Very First Book Event for My Very First Published Book

Last Thursday, March 19th, was the official launch of my book, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro; The Business Start-Up Guide for Publishers. The book has been available since the beginning of March on Amazon and Powell's Books, but this was the first time I officially introduced it to the public. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

Rather than throw a typical book reading, I decided to make it an event by tying my book's launch with Small Press and Women's History Month. I invited four

After an Exhilirating Evening Launching my Book Comes... The Flu!

Sorry there hasn't been an update about the book reading last Thursday. My daughter was sick all last week and she so kindly gave it to me. Isn't that sweet? As soon as I feel like I can formulate more than three words in a sentence I'll update you on the event. It went very well and the other women presenting with me enjoyed it.

I remember when I was an actress and worked crazy hours during rehearsals, then suddenly the show would end and presto, I'd be sick. So would everyone else. As long as