Theodore Jerome Cohen's Blog, page 11
July 7, 2017
Placing Your Books in Your Local Library System
While attending a community meeting last night I was surprised when a neighbor who volunteers at the local branch of our country library system told me she checked out one of my short-story anthologies to a reader that morning. I didn’t know the country library system even had a copy of the book!
Feeling generous, I drove over to the branch this morning armed with a box of my books, including my Antarctic Murders Trilogy, the Young Adult (YA) novel I wrote under a pen name (The Hypnotist), and copies of all of my illustrated children’s storybooks, including the foreign editions.
Alas, the branch’s resource manager would not accept them, though she spent a lot of time reading the anti-bullying storybook (Pepe Builds a Nest) and talking about the county’s anti-bullying program. (Alas, the children’s reading specialist, who she called over, could not have cared less, took one look, and walked away.)
While not yet in the “no good deed goes unpunished” category, the resource manager did hand me a pro forma “congratulatory” printed statement from the county library system, indicating their interest in county author’s books, an e-mail address to where information on such books can be sent, and the type of information they sought. Here’s what they were looking for:
Reviews: Was your title reviewed in Booklist? The New York Times? Local county newspapers? If so, they wanted to know details.
Media Coverage: Was your book on a “Best Book” list? Were you doing any author events, nationally or locally?
Publisher: Legacy or self-published? They were open to both.
They were specific about NOT wanting to see copies of your books. But they did say that they were happy to support local authors and that if they decided your book was right for their collection, they would gladly purchase a copy.
The bottom line (literally) is this: contact your local library system regarding their procedure for submitting information on your books for their consideration.
Feeling generous, I drove over to the branch this morning armed with a box of my books, including my Antarctic Murders Trilogy, the Young Adult (YA) novel I wrote under a pen name (The Hypnotist), and copies of all of my illustrated children’s storybooks, including the foreign editions.
Alas, the branch’s resource manager would not accept them, though she spent a lot of time reading the anti-bullying storybook (Pepe Builds a Nest) and talking about the county’s anti-bullying program. (Alas, the children’s reading specialist, who she called over, could not have cared less, took one look, and walked away.)
While not yet in the “no good deed goes unpunished” category, the resource manager did hand me a pro forma “congratulatory” printed statement from the county library system, indicating their interest in county author’s books, an e-mail address to where information on such books can be sent, and the type of information they sought. Here’s what they were looking for:
Reviews: Was your title reviewed in Booklist? The New York Times? Local county newspapers? If so, they wanted to know details.
Media Coverage: Was your book on a “Best Book” list? Were you doing any author events, nationally or locally?
Publisher: Legacy or self-published? They were open to both.
They were specific about NOT wanting to see copies of your books. But they did say that they were happy to support local authors and that if they decided your book was right for their collection, they would gladly purchase a copy.
The bottom line (literally) is this: contact your local library system regarding their procedure for submitting information on your books for their consideration.
June 13, 2017
Interview with Me in New York Literary Magazine
You might enjoy this interview with me that was just published by New York Literary Magazine:
https://nyliterarymagazine.com/author...
June 4, 2017
Pepe Builds a Nest Wins Pacific Book Award
Pepe Builds a Nest
Winner: Best Children’s Illustrated
4th Annual Pacific Book Awards 2017
May 31, 2017
Flash Fiction Competition - Need YOUR vote! Again!
Hey, Guys and Gals,
If you have a moment and want to have some fun, here are two more pieces of Flash Fiction, one from me, and, well, another from me writing as Alyssa Devine.
They are as different as they can be. Both have been entered into this week’s Flash Fiction competition. So please vote for your favorite.
The “prompt” was a picture of old missiles arrayed in the desert (probably some place in Arizona, the boneyard for things of flight). But I’m thinking out of the box…missiles, arrows, slings…going back to the true definition of “missile.” You get the picture (at least in my mind).
For some reason, the prompt evoked thoughts of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: ”slings and arrows”…“outrageous fortune”… “troubles.” (see below) Thus was born the short (250-word) story I (Ted) posted for this week’s Flash Fiction competition. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Alyssa’s story takes a completely different path. See of you can figure out who (what) the suitor is, and who (what) is the object of the suiter’s attention before you get to the tragic end. If you like this story better, then give Alyssa your vote.
Here’s where you can read the stories:
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2017/0...
And here’s where to vote:
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2017/0...
Voting opens to the public on Wednesday, 5/31/2017, and will remain open until 8:00 PM, EDST, Thursday.
I’ll let you know what happens!!!
Thank, as always, for your support of independent writers.
Ted (and Alyssa)
PS Here’s some background for consideration:
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
The story on which Hamlet is based was an ancient one; versions of it are found in Byzantine, Greek, and Roman myth*. The Danish story probably came to Shakespeare through an earlier play, now lost.
Rorik was real enough, a viking who (among other things*) was King of Jutland. But Rorik's grandson, Amleth, was a figure of legend rather than history, a heroic avenger who outsmarted his rivals and ended up with two wives. Rorik's daughter, Gerutha, was given in marriage to his favourite, Horwendil, whose son was Amleth (Hamlet). . . and the legend begins.
Act III, Scene 1
Elsinore. A room in the Castle.
Hamlet. To be, or not to be- that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer 1750
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep-
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks 1755
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
By the way, regarding Alyssa’s story, can you figure out who the suitor is and who is the object of his affections?
May 28, 2017
The Two Worse Words a Writer Can Use
I was thinking this morning about Anthony Bruno (He wrote The Iceman, among many other fine books.) He was my wife's step-brother-in-law and a damn good crime/mystery writer to boot. He died way before his time, on August 28, 2014, leaving behind a beautiful wife and daughter...and his blog, which every aspiring writer should read.
It matters not which genre piques your interest; Bruno, as he liked to be called, had something to say about everything. And today, as I was looking through his many blog entries, I stumbled upon this one, which I commend to your attention:
https://anthonybruno.net/2014/06/06/2...
This piece struck a chord with me because the two words he mentions happen to be two I find myself using from time to time in my own writing. They are terrible! And yet they sneak in like a thief in the night, stealing the quality from my efforts. See if you don't agree they are the worst!
I think you will enjoy what he had to say.
It matters not which genre piques your interest; Bruno, as he liked to be called, had something to say about everything. And today, as I was looking through his many blog entries, I stumbled upon this one, which I commend to your attention:
https://anthonybruno.net/2014/06/06/2...
This piece struck a chord with me because the two words he mentions happen to be two I find myself using from time to time in my own writing. They are terrible! And yet they sneak in like a thief in the night, stealing the quality from my efforts. See if you don't agree they are the worst!
I think you will enjoy what he had to say.
Flash Fiction: A Thank You
I want to thank everyone who voted for my story this week in which the photo of the bridge was the prompt. I was fortunate enough to win the competition, the first time that has happened.
goo.gl/4gnRgE
goo.gl/4gnRgE
May 26, 2017
Dull Colors on Book Covers and Other Illustrations
Earlier this year I published an illustrated children’s storybook (Pepe Builds a Nest) in paperback through CreateSpace (CS). I’ve used this Amazon publishing service for many years and have always been pleased with the quality of their print-on-demand (POD) products. You can imagine, then, how disappointed I was when I saw the proof copies of this book for the first time. The almost totally royal-blue cover I developed in the Red-Green-Blue (RGB) format—which was absolutely brilliant on my computer screen—arrived with a dull, gray-blue cover.
I redid the cover art several times, thinking the problem was “cockpit error,” but subsequent proofs still arrived with color errors, some with dark blue covers. Quality control aside (there were differences in the hue of the covers printed by CS’s plants in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina), an explanation eluded me.
Until today, when a search of the Internet yielded this site:
https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.c...
To make it easy, here’s the equivalent, small URL:
https://goo.gl/nkeuLj
In a nutshell, what is submitted to CS is converted by them to the Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key (or black) format for printing. Technically, this means that instead of using an additive process for printing your cover, CS uses a subtractive process. And the result, according to the author of the article is: “When you work in RGB and then convert in CMYK, you often have to make some tweaking on some colors because the automatic conversion (like changing the color mode) sometimes makes the colors even more dull than they should be.” You can see this in the example below for the color I used. Other examples are given in the article. It's pretty ugly, believe me! And perhaps it explains some of the things you've noticed in your covers.
What to do? Well, obviously, it would have been better to avoid this color to begin with! The cover of another of my storybooks, Rufus Finds a Home, though created in the RGB format, is almost cyan in color, and it skated through untouched. Ditto my cover for my third storybook, Fuzzy Wuzzy, which just happened to be yellow.
That said, I decided to try another technique available in my version of Photoshop (PS Elements 9 (yes, I know…I’m a bit behind the times)). Under “Edit,” I selected “Color Settings,” and then, chose “Always Optimize for Printing.” Using this technique, I redid the cover for Pepe Builds a Nest and now await the results. At the least, I’m hoping I can obtain a printed product with the cover rendered in something closer to the royal blue I originally intended for the book.
Keep your fingers crossed!
I redid the cover art several times, thinking the problem was “cockpit error,” but subsequent proofs still arrived with color errors, some with dark blue covers. Quality control aside (there were differences in the hue of the covers printed by CS’s plants in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina), an explanation eluded me.
Until today, when a search of the Internet yielded this site:
https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.c...
To make it easy, here’s the equivalent, small URL:
https://goo.gl/nkeuLj
In a nutshell, what is submitted to CS is converted by them to the Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key (or black) format for printing. Technically, this means that instead of using an additive process for printing your cover, CS uses a subtractive process. And the result, according to the author of the article is: “When you work in RGB and then convert in CMYK, you often have to make some tweaking on some colors because the automatic conversion (like changing the color mode) sometimes makes the colors even more dull than they should be.” You can see this in the example below for the color I used. Other examples are given in the article. It's pretty ugly, believe me! And perhaps it explains some of the things you've noticed in your covers.
What to do? Well, obviously, it would have been better to avoid this color to begin with! The cover of another of my storybooks, Rufus Finds a Home, though created in the RGB format, is almost cyan in color, and it skated through untouched. Ditto my cover for my third storybook, Fuzzy Wuzzy, which just happened to be yellow.
That said, I decided to try another technique available in my version of Photoshop (PS Elements 9 (yes, I know…I’m a bit behind the times)). Under “Edit,” I selected “Color Settings,” and then, chose “Always Optimize for Printing.” Using this technique, I redid the cover for Pepe Builds a Nest and now await the results. At the least, I’m hoping I can obtain a printed product with the cover rendered in something closer to the royal blue I originally intended for the book.
Keep your fingers crossed!
May 25, 2017
Flash Fiction Competition - Need YOUR vote!
Hey, Guys and Gals!
I just entered a Flash Fiction competition (both under my own name and under my pen name, Alyssa Devine) with two, 250-word pieces of fiction. The ‘prompt’ was a picture of a bridge.
This is an important contest because not only does winning it depend on votes from the public (YOU!), but also, because a group of professional literary critics also weigh in with their opinions.
Winners will have their work included in an annual anthology to be published early next year.
I would sincerely appreciate your vote. Just go to the URL below, click on my name or Alyssa Devine’s name (that’s my pen name), and hit the VOTE button…and we’re done. No need to sign in to the site. Just vote!!!!!
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2017/0...
If you want to read the entries, you will find them here:
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2017/0...
Voting ends at 8 PM, EST, Thursday, May 25, 2017.
Thanks for helping!!!
Ted (aka Alyssa)
PS These stories are pure fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. T
May 24, 2017
French Edition of Pepe Builds a Next Now Available
The French edition of my illustrated children’s storybook on bullying and making the right decisions, Pepe Builds a Nest, is now available. Titled Pepe Construit un Nid, the book, in paperback, just went “live” on Amazon. It can be found here.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546453237
It joins the English and Spanish editions of this delightful illustrated storybook for children K-3 about Pepe, a penguin, who confronts a bully, Otto, who is stealing the stones Pepe is using to build his first nest. (The English edition also is available as an eBook for Kindle.)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546453237
It joins the English and Spanish editions of this delightful illustrated storybook for children K-3 about Pepe, a penguin, who confronts a bully, Otto, who is stealing the stones Pepe is using to build his first nest. (The English edition also is available as an eBook for Kindle.)
May 22, 2017
Interview on Pepe Builds a Nest and Bullying
https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co...
If you like the interview, please give it 5 STARS!
Thanks, Ted
Special, this week only:
The Kindle edition of
Pepe Builds a Nest
is on sale for 99¢
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAQ9IDZ
