Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 216

Word of Mouth and Book Promotion ~ Virtually Amazing!

Ever been in a virtual world, like Second Life?

That's where I do 99.9% of my Book Promotion…

It's also where I have fun and fascinating relationships, deal with people's hang-ups and foibles, and, quit often, hang-out on my houseboat and Chill :-)

Joel Friedlander asked me to do a guest post for him about my experiences on Book Island in Second Life.

Hop on over to, Second Life: Virtual Book Promotion and Word of Mouth, give it a read, and perhaps leave a comment; and, if I'm real lucky, you'll also come back here and comment :-)

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Tagged: Book Island, book marketing, book promotion, Joel Friedlander, Second Life, The Book Designer, Virtual reality, Word of Mouth [image error] [image error]

Who Tells You What To Read?

"Nobody tells me what to read. I make my own decisions."

Sure, so do I, but how do I know about the books so I can choose from the selection?

Of course, the traditional production of books has agents, editors, and marketing folks making decisions before you get a selection of books from which to choose.

And now, there are also self-published authors being enabled to add to the possible choices…

So, who "helps" you decide what to read?

Friends?

Bookstore clerks?

WebSite writers?

Social Media?

Just you, prowling the swiftly-vanishing bookstores?

How about Amazon?

And, how about Amazon eliminating the agents, editors, and marketing folks?

In a recent article in the The New York Times, Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal, we have this:

"'Everyone's afraid of Amazon', said Richard Curtis, a longtime agent who is also an e-book publisher. 'If you're a bookstore, Amazon has been in competition with you for some time. If you're a publisher, one day you wake up and Amazon is competing with you too. And if you're an agent, Amazon may be stealing your lunch because it is offering authors the opportunity to publish directly and cut you out.'"

From Dystel & Goderich, a literary agency, in their article, Moneyball, Amazon and the end of publishing as we know it, we have:

"In this week's death watch, the publishing business is going the way of the Edsel.  E-books have won.  Traditional publishers don't know what to do with themselves or their lists.

"Agents are unnecessary.  Anarchy reigns among authors.   And, oh, yeah, Amazon is getting closer to world domination (tricky bastards).  There is no leadership.  The darkness is encroaching.  The center cannot hold!"

And, in an article from The Atlantic, What Would Happen if Amazon Ruled Publishing?, we have:

"When one company holds the keys to the kingdom for what content consumers can see on its device, it has a lot of power as to what kind of information reaches people. For example, Apple can kill off an app that criticizes Apple. If Amazon consolidates its power in the publishing industry, what would become of a book criticizing Amazon?"

So…

Is it going to be Amazon (plus a possible few other, smaller giants) "keeping the gate" between the Author and Reader?

I imagine, even with the outlandish success of ebooks, Amazon would still publish ink on paper… Maybe?

What are your thoughts and feelings??

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Tagged: Amazon, Gatekeeper, New York Times, publishing, read, reader, reading, The Atlantic [image error] [image error] [image error]

How To Use This Site

The most important part of this site is the Comments folks make. There's a link to the comments in the upper-right of each post; and, if you want to give a comment privately, you can send an email to amzolt {at} gmail {dot} com.

Since there are hundreds of posts here, finding the ones that interest you most has three main aids:

Top Posts & Pages – In the right side-panel, shows the past few days of posts that readers found most interesting.

Top Tags – Right under Top Posts & Pages, shows topics that have received lots of coverage here. The larger & darker the words, the more posts on that topic.

Search: type, hit enter Box – Up near the top-right, also uses the tags on posts but you pick which ones you want to see. Just enter all the words you're looking for, each word or multiple-word-phrase separated by commas.

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The Nine Tabs At The Top of The Site:

Home – Takes you back to the "front page" for the latest posts.

Free Book of Poetry – Let's you receive a free copy of or purchase the book, Is Your Soul In Here? ~ A Poet's Struggle With God.

Our Author Interviews – Has links to interviews with over 20 authors of different ages and experience.

Reviews – This page has links to reviews of Alexander M Zoltai's books.

Special Links – Here are links to Special Documents and Web Sites dealing with Peace.

What Are Words? – Links to posts that form a body of speculation on the origin and nature of words.

Alexander M Zoltai ~ The Author of This Blog – Stuff about me and what I'm up to on this site :-)

Can We Create Global Peace? – Has a list of topics and issues from the book, Notes from An Alien. Also, links to where these issues are being discussed…

The Book ~ Notes from An Alien – Let's you receive a free copy of or purchase the book, Notes from An Alien.

RSS Feed – The little yellow circle in the right side-panel under the Search Bar.

There's Much More:

Scroll the right side-panel for many more Resources :-)

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Tagged: Alexander M Zoltai, blog, How To Use, Notes from An Alien, peace, Site Map, Website, Writers Resources [image error] [image error] [image error]

Of, By, For… The People…

I have a video to share but it needs a bit of explanation.

Like most presentations for a "Cause", there can be misunderstandings or possible misinformation.

The video is mostly about a problem in the United States of America but other countries are not unfamiliar with the issues.

I should make clear that this blog is about Reading, Writing, and Publishing but the video won't necessarily seem to bear on those topics.

What might need to be pointed out is that, if the issues portrayed in the video are not resolved, reading, writing, or publishing a book may end up being luxuries most folks can't afford—either in money or time.

Also, there's a link between the video and the novel I published, Notes from An Alien.

In the book, events are shown that display the worst aspects of corporate control of government.

The last thing I should explain is that the video, which is quite well done from a technical standpoint, does take just a bit of cinematic license in its portrayal of relationships between events—most often the juxtaposition of clips is a powerful aid to understanding—in a few cases, it might be misleading…



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Tagged: Corporate Control, Corporations, Notes from An Alien, publishing, reading, United States, video, writing

Do People Know That You Write?

Everyone writes, at least a little—just because we have to—if only to sign our name at times.

Some folks write a lot, on purpose and on deadline—usually as freelancers, concocting what others want.

Then, there are the "creative writers"—some very business-like, some way around the bend of normality.

Another "class" of writer is the person who isn't writing yet, or has done a little and wonders if they'll ever get back to it.

I call someone who hasn't done much more than sign checks, yet would like to write a lot more, a writer because so much of creative writing happens before, and in between, pen on paper or fingers on keys.

Writing, in a deeply important sense, is all about what's inside the writer. What ends up outside the writer, as a book or a series of essays, is quite often felt by the writer as no longer "theirs"—sometimes to the point where they actually say it came from "beyond them"…

So, sliding back to the point of this post: If you're a creative writer, even if all the words are still inside, do other people know you're a writer?

If they don't, why haven't you told them?

Teralyn Rose Pilgrim wrote a guest post for Nathan Bransford back in May called, Do You Tell People You Write?.

The kind of responses Teralyn chronicles from those who've been told she's a writer could be the major reason many people never utter a word about an activity they invest in with heart and soul…

If I copied them here, I'd be "stealing" nearly her whole post—do go read it, but only if you can answer yes to more than one of these questions:

If you've told folks you write, do you most often wish you hadn't?

If you haven't told folks you write, is it because you fear the reaction you might get?

Is there a particular person you revealed your writing to who made you wonder about your sanity?

Is there a particular person you haven't told your secret to who you think would love to know?

Do you feel you're a writer even though you've never put the words and ideas inside you on paper or screen?

By the way, there's no penalty for answering one of those questions in our comments :-)

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Tagged: creative writing, fear of writing, Nathan Bransford, secret writers, Teralyn Rose Pilgrim, writer, writing, writing help [image error] [image error]

How A Maverick Maintains Their Sanity

I blog about Reading, Writing, and Publishing. And, I'm a maverick when I read, write, and publish.

There's way too much "advice", on just about any topic, on the Internet.

I made a big mistake and read too much of it…

Back in August, I wrote the post, Too Much Advice Can Be Dangerous, that included a link to literary agent Rachelle Gardner's post listing 33 other people's posts about marketing and promoting books. In my post, I said:

"I've already spent over a year reading and digesting advice from more sources than I can remember; but, I will read through all those posts. Even though I know enough from my previous studies that I won't find much new. Even though most of the advice will be things I can't or won't do. Even though much of that advice will contradict itself. Still, I will read them."

Well, I won't be reading them because, like the title of the post that quote is from, Too Much Advice Can Be Dangerous.

As I was scanning various other blogs for a clue to what to write about today, I was reminded of Joe Konrath.

He's one of very few people whose advice I never pass-up checking out.

Another is Joel Friedlander, who I've mentioned often in this blog.

And then, there's Cory Doctorow; also mentioned much in this blog.

So, what about this Konrath guy. Why do I like his advice?

Back to the post that made me decide what to write about today, by Konrath: The Tsunami of Crap.

I want to put a few excerpts here from that post because it will help you see the kind of advice this struggling, maverick author loves—it helps me maintain my sanity in today's BiblioFrenzy.

Take it away, Joe:

"Some people believe the ease of self-publishing means that millions of wannabe writers will flood the market with their crummy ebooks, and the good authors will get lost in the morass, and then family values will go unprotected and the economy will collapse and the world will crash into the sun and puppies and kittens by the truckload will die horrible, screaming deaths."

"So readers aren't the ones perpetuating this stupid myth that the crap will destroy the world. It's the writers–specifically the legacy writers–who keep trotting this one out."

"These authors fear loss of income, and are envious of the ease in which indies can self-publish and the money they can earn. But saying that out loud would make them look petty. So instead, they cloak their fear and envy in a poorly constructed argument that says their real intent is protecting readers from crap."

"Newsflash: there has always been crap, and always will be crap. Get over it."

That's Joe :-)

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Tagged: Cory Doctorow, J. A. Konrath, Joe Konrath, Joel Friedlander, publishing, Rachelle Gardner, reading, writing [image error] [image error]

"Success" Is Vastly Over-Rated

We're made to believe we have to succeed or die. We're made to feel not reaching the top is failure.

We're driven toward actions that induce impossible decisions and our fuel is stress.

Well… maybe not all of us…

In 1906, William James said to H.G. Wells: "The moral flabbiness born of the bitch-goddess SUCCESS. That—with the squalid interpretation put on the word success—is our national disease."

Seems like the only thing that's changed since then is the disease is nearly International.

It never ceases to amaze me how words are taken from their natal environs and prostituted for ill-gain and nefarious purpose.

If you check the root meanings of the word success, you find ideas like: result, outcome, an advance, succession, happy outcome, which all come from a deeper root meaning: to come after…

Who twisted the word to nearly eliminate the happy part? Who made it seem success wasn't merely the next stage, from which further action becomes possible, but a pinnacle of achievement that leaves all other contenders breathless on the sides of the conquered mountain?

My father was a perfectionist. I suffered greatly from trying to be like my father.

Yet, in all justice, even though I've finally caught on and taught myself how to enjoy rolling hills rather than challenging breathless heights, I have gained great respect for making sure my ass is covered—learned how to baffle the fates into giving me what I want without surrendering all that I am.

The worst thing about attempting perfectionistic success is that when I fell on my face in the mud stirred up by my relentless provocations, I'd injured those closest to me…

At times, I entertain myself with the nightmare imaginings of the tortured inner lives of those folk who were lucky enough to attain some materialistic mountaintop.

Repeated failure has finally made me humble enough to, very possibly, finish off my remaining years on this planet with one well-attained and widely helpful project—spreading the word about the inevitability of Global Peace…

Let me close this rather high-flying post with an excerpt from Andrea J. Wenger's blog that reveals the valley of rolling hills I'm now wandering with gratitude and patience:

"…when the doubts of my life feel overwhelming, I retreat to the one place where I always feel sure. The one place where struggle is the best teacher and failure the source of deep insight. The one place where I can get it right the fourteenth time instead of the first, and no one will ever know the difference.

"I write."

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Tagged: Andrea J. Wenger, Failure, Materialism, perfection, Perfectionism, Success, William James, writing [image error]

The Power of The Powerless

Feeling powerless and Being powerless are quite different states, yet they're intimately related.

If you feel powerless, the odds of wielding power are severely diminished. Yet, you may still have power to use…

But, if you don't think you can do a certain thing, you probably won't end up doing it.

Still, some hugely important things depend on millions of people who feel powerless being able to take action and use the small portion of power they actually possess—things like Global Peace.

My recently-published book, Notes from An Alien, tells the story of three Worlds' struggle to attain lasting Peace.

I suppose, all things considered and even though it's psychologically dangerous to look back and wonder "What If?", I might have felt my urge to write and publish such a book was a powerless act—wouldn't help the Cause for Peace.

I'm glad I didn't decide I was powerless, since the book May  help and, if it Might, who am I to stop it from doing its part?

Of course, any aid my book may render Global Peace depends on the folks who let fictional accounts inspire them to here-and-now actions.

Real World Examples often have more power to motivate—Examples like Leymah Gbowee has given us.

That last link is to Ms. Gbowee's WebSite which showcases her book, entitled, Mighty Be Our Powers.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, said: "Leymah bore witness to the worst of humanity and helped bring Liberia out of the dark. Her memoir is a captivating narrative that will stand in history as testament to the power of women, faith and the spirit of our great country."

The Los Angeles Times  has a recent opinion piece that gave me the title for this post, Liberia's Leymah Gbowee: The power of the powerless.

One particular excerpt from that article struck me deeply:

"In Gbowee's view, the women of Liberia had been pushed to their limits; pushing back was their only hope for survival. What was there to be afraid of, she asked, when they had already endured the unspeakable?"

Is there something in your life that has made you endure the Unspeakable? Have you reached the stage where there is nothing left worth fearing—a state that often carries within it the Power to fight for Survival?

I fear for our World—I have for years and it's crippled many hopes and dreams that I've let die. But, I'd reached the state where I had nothing more to lose and I wrote my book.

The women of Liberia had nothing left to lose and Leymah Gbowee inspired them to heroic action.

I encourage you to read the full article from the Los Angeles Times  but let me leave you with another excerpt that quotes Gbowee:

"Movements begin with people who can imagine the possibility of change and communicate that vision. How did a movement of 'ordinary' Liberian women change history? Listen to Leymah: 'You can tell people of the need to struggle. But when the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing can quench the fire.'"

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Tagged: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, global peace, Leymah Gbowee, Liberia, Mighty Be Our Powers, Nobel Peace Prize, Notes from An Alien, The Power of The Powerless [image error]

Blogging Rule #1,207

I've already admitted I'm a maverick. I've already posted about how I've disengaged from "social networking".

Now, I want to admit that I'm human and often feel like not writing my self-imposed five blog posts a week.

Last night, I got into a new space trading/colony-building game and stayed up till the wee hours. I work hard on this blog and on Book Island and I need something to do periodically that doesn't "matter"—something that relaxes and lets my unconscious slow boil my next creative burst…

Thing is, when I stay up till four in the morning and don't set an alarm clock, I tend to get up at around Noon.

Did that today. When my brain made full-engagement with reality, it thought, "Damn, it's too late to write a post today."

My mind (which is different from my brain) said: "Who the hell imposes the rule that your post must be done before Noon? And, why would you want to deprive yourself of an activity you love?!"

So, I knew I'd write a post anyway. >>> What to write? >>> Check the email >>> Ah, new post from C. M. >>> Oh, my God!  Synchronicity!!

For those not familiar with that last term, checkout this link to the Psychology Wiki…

After I'd clicked-through my email link to C. M. Marcum's blog, I found her post entitled, Reality Bites.

OK, so here I was barely properly connected to reality, hazy still from an argument between my brain and my mind, and that post title floats into my consciousness—something was up, the universe was speaking to me…

If you read the whole post, you'll see how "spookily" I was being given a reason to write the post you're reading now.

And, for those who never click-through on links in blog posts, and who also may want their own excuse to go ahead and write a blog post anyway, in spite of certain realities, or time conflicts, or emotional distress, or Brain/Mind Wars, I give you C. M.'s latest advice for writers:

1.  move away from that mountain of work.

2.  short and easy, kick the formality to the curb, but try to be aware of the rules that you are breaking.

3.  tight formation.  (less is more)

4.  honesty is the best way to avoid clichés.

5.  don't be coy, be provocative.

6.  you're looking for that tiny flicker that crosses the reader's face, not necessarily a big chuckle or handkerchief full of tears. 

7.  educational and humorous pieces always get an A+ from me.

8.  try to follow grammatical rules, but don't turn it into a task.  (As my son once told me:  Gee Mom, lighten up.  We're only chatting here.)

OK, it's now 1:30pm, I've nearly written the post I thought I wasn't going to write, I've linked to a friend's blog, and sprinkled a couple other useful links into the blogosphere…

My work is done here—till tomorrow.

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Tagged: blog advice, blog post, blog writing, C. M. Marcum, social networking, Writers Resources, writing, writing advice

Words ~ They Can Harm or Heal ~ Why?

Whether you're reading a novel  on the beach or the side-panel on a box of cereal, words are out to get you…

Right where it matters most—in your mind and heart.

Of course, the way words get you (or, get to you) can range from euphoria to horror and understanding their power would seem to be something we all could afford to appreciate more.

In a previous post on this blog, What Happens When We Read? ~ Part One, I gave a simple example of the power of words that brought up parts of our mind we don't often pay attention to:

"Let's say the word-symbols on the screen/page are: 'John walked down the dirt road, happy that he had no idea where he was going'.

"'John walked down the dirt road…', will more than likely call up images stored in the personal unconscious, though, if you asked a thousand readers to describe that dirt road, you'd have a thousand different dirt roads, depending on the individual reader's experience. {imagine for a second a reader who had never seen or read about a dirt road…}

"Of course, if a reader had been down some dirt roads, the image would be colored with some blend of those experiences. If they'd had a scare while on a dirt road, that feeling-image may come to mind and they may worry about John.

"If they'd been on a dirt road as a child and had an adult molest them, as well as having consigned that memory to their Shadow, they may break out in a sweat and have an anxiety attack…"

So, the human mind seems to work in tandem with the bare words to cause the often-surprising reactions we have to these written or verbal symbols.

In fact, I have a series of posts, What Are Words?, that explains more about these aspects of our minds that carry the actual power of words.

Have you ever had a surprising or shocking reaction to a set of words?

Do you think it helps to know more about the workings of the mind in order to protect yourself from words?

Do we need protection from words?

What about folks who are rigid about never using certain words?

What about the effects of words that don't obviously cause consternation but still wield great power we're not consciously considering?

And, the ultimate question about words, one we may never have a complete answer for: Why do words have such power?

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Tagged: Carl Jung, Effect of Words, Personal Unconscious, read, reading, words, Words as Symbols, writing