12-10-09 meeting. 6 present (MoonPie, Kathy Palmer, Ray Edwards, Ann Chambless, Jerry Tidwell, Ann Moody.
The main purpose of this meeting was to get together to have some cake and coffee and celebrate the release of Jerry’s book! Jerry took some copies of his book to the Heritage center and they are selling there for $29.95. Judy Weaver is the lady who helped him there. He will have a future interview with the Daily Sentinel and a book signing also! Stay tuned for details. The book is also for sale on the Internet. He is happy with his publisher and said to pursue printing through Lulu would have cost him twice as much. He now has a Facebook and Myspace page created for advertising for his book.
Short stories read today were:
“Lana and the Chicken Hawk” by J. Tidwell
“How to Become a Published Author” by MoonPie
“Bitter Sweet Autumn” (a lovely poem) by Ann Moody.
Other business: MoonPie said with the approval of the group she would be donating a gift basket at the May Heart Of Dixie Romance Writer luncheon in Huntsville. She would have Jerry’s book in there, plus information on her writing and Senior Center information/activities. It would be good advertising for the group. She also gave out flyers for her new book, Color Of The Flame by Red Rose Publishing. Ann C. will review Jerry’s book at the Historical Board meetings she attends. Bobby Atkins (Scottsboro resident) is using the same publisher Jerry did for his book. The next scheduled meeting will be 1-14-10.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
November 12 meeting
11-12-09 Writer Group meeting
Attendees: MoonPie, Kathy Palmer, Ray Edwards, Harold Hambrick
MoonPie read a short story titled “Diet of the Month.” She said she had been contacted by Red Rose Publishing, her Navy SEAL book will be up for sale on their Web page 11-19. She and Ray discussed their AVG anti-virus software they currently use on their personal computers and what other free software options they have on the Internet. Ray will check names of software he has used in the past and Moonpie will contact Computer Solutions to ask Danny for recommendations.
We discussed the meeting schedule for the remainder of 2009.
11/26 – Thanksgiving day (NO MEETING)
12/10- regular meeting wil be replaced by Christmas get together at June and Mike Kennamer’s house on River Ridge Circle. (more details to follow??)
12/24-Christmas Eve (NO MEETING)
I will post the 2010 January meeting schedule when I get a new calendar. Kathy and MoonPie discussed ways to increase attendance.
Attendees: MoonPie, Kathy Palmer, Ray Edwards, Harold Hambrick
MoonPie read a short story titled “Diet of the Month.” She said she had been contacted by Red Rose Publishing, her Navy SEAL book will be up for sale on their Web page 11-19. She and Ray discussed their AVG anti-virus software they currently use on their personal computers and what other free software options they have on the Internet. Ray will check names of software he has used in the past and Moonpie will contact Computer Solutions to ask Danny for recommendations.
We discussed the meeting schedule for the remainder of 2009.
11/26 – Thanksgiving day (NO MEETING)
12/10- regular meeting wil be replaced by Christmas get together at June and Mike Kennamer’s house on River Ridge Circle. (more details to follow??)
12/24-Christmas Eve (NO MEETING)
I will post the 2010 January meeting schedule when I get a new calendar. Kathy and MoonPie discussed ways to increase attendance.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Meeting notes Oct. 8, 2009
October 8, 2009 meeting.
We had six present at our first meeting of the new fiscal year. MoonPie , Ann Chambless, Sarah Walls, Leah Wilson, Cathy Palmer, and Linda Jackson.
Stories we shared today were:
MooPie: “The Melungeons”
Sarah: “Huey Life Story/Obituary”
Linda J.: “The Triangle”.
Miscellaneous notes: Ann had been approached by a Scottsboro resident, Bobby Atkins, about finding a typist/publisher for a first book he has written, The Last Trail of Tears. The book was two years in the making and from reports is very good. She said there is a family in Fackler who are Melungeons. The group Christmas party will be a June Kennamer’s house. Another group member, Ann Phillips, probably will not be attending any more this year. MoonPie said she is finished with edits of her Navy SEAL romance.
We had six present at our first meeting of the new fiscal year. MoonPie , Ann Chambless, Sarah Walls, Leah Wilson, Cathy Palmer, and Linda Jackson.
Stories we shared today were:
MooPie: “The Melungeons”
Sarah: “Huey
Linda J.: “The Triangle”.
Miscellaneous notes: Ann had been approached by a Scottsboro resident, Bobby Atkins, about finding a typist/publisher for a first book he has written, The Last Trail of Tears. The book was two years in the making and from reports is very good. She said there is a family in Fackler who are Melungeons. The group Christmas party will be a June Kennamer’s house. Another group member, Ann Phillips, probably will not be attending any more this year. MoonPie said she is finished with edits of her Navy SEAL romance.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Bob Hodges guest speaker 9/24/09
By Kendra CarterThe Daily Sentinel
Published September 29, 2009Former Jackson County Circuit Judge Bob Hodges held a creative writing workshop for the Writing Group last Thursday at the Jackson County Senior Center.Using writing samples from famous authors, Hodges discussed point of view, character development and imagery with the 11 attendees at the workshop.Hodges is a published author himself, having written “Dusty: Journey of a High School Coaching Icon,” a biography of Scottsboro coach Dusty Carter. He has also written several short stories.
As part of the exercise, Hodges put a transparency of the work “Christina’s World” by painter Andrew Wyeth on a projector and had the group write a few sentences of how they would begin a story based on what they saw in the paining. Many members of the group read their pieces aloud.Hodges also talked about a new novel he’s working on, which is loosely based on a case he presided over many years ago here in Jackson County.
The Writing Group meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. inside the Jackson County Senior Center. Interested writers of all ages and writing styles are welcome to attend meetings.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
910-09 writer group meeting
9-10-09 meeting notes. We had a small meeting today, just six people present.
MoonPie, A. Moody, A. Chambless, R. Edwards, S. Walls, and L. Jackson.
MoonPie gave handouts on “Where to find bargains on books” from the Chattanooga Times. Ann C. said the county-wide reading program will use the book Three Cups of Tea. This can be purchased for $5.00 from the Impact Learning Center, in the old high school on Martin Street. There will be a kick-off program soon at North East Community College Lyceum. We had a short discussion on The Night Café book which Mr. M. Foster gave when he was guest speaker. Also Ray recently had read the book The Eagle and The Raven,which was about Santa Anna and Sam Houston. This book was written by J. Michener when he left over reseach material from his book Texas.
Stories read today were as follows:
MoonPie- “Doggy Pedicure”
Linda J.- “Fishing/The Pits”
S. Walls - “The Day After” (about a time in her life 1983) and “The Chocolate covered Station Wagon.”
MoonPie, A. Moody, A. Chambless, R. Edwards, S. Walls, and L. Jackson.
MoonPie gave handouts on “Where to find bargains on books” from the Chattanooga Times. Ann C. said the county-wide reading program will use the book Three Cups of Tea. This can be purchased for $5.00 from the Impact Learning Center, in the old high school on Martin Street. There will be a kick-off program soon at North East Community College Lyceum. We had a short discussion on The Night Café book which Mr. M. Foster gave when he was guest speaker. Also Ray recently had read the book The Eagle and The Raven,which was about Santa Anna and Sam Houston. This book was written by J. Michener when he left over reseach material from his book Texas.
Stories read today were as follows:
MoonPie- “Doggy Pedicure”
Linda J.- “Fishing/The Pits”
S. Walls - “The Day After” (about a time in her life 1983) and “The Chocolate covered Station Wagon.”
Monday, August 31, 2009
8/27/09 Writer Group meeting. We had 13 present. They came to hear our guest speaker, Ray Zimmerman, from the Chattanooga Writers Guild. Mr. Zimmerman brought along a friend, Mr. Lantz Powell also from the CWG.
Attendees were: Moon Pie, Lantz Powell (CWG), Ray Edwards, Mary Dolberry, Claudie Ellard, Ann Moody, Ann Chambless, Cheyenne Duncan, Jerry Tidwell, Sarah Walls, Trish Watson, Cathy Palmer.
Mr. Zimmerman’s day job is working in Marketing in the Chattanooga area. His current client is Rock City. He started the meeting by reading a poem, “Glen Falls Trail”. This is a prize-winning poem and has been electronically published. Next he read the poem “Hair” which was based on his experience with heart bypass surgery. He read this poem at the Beatnik Council meeting in Trenton. Three other nature poems he shared with us were “Mercury”, “Cranes”, and “Screech Owl.”
We then moved on to the next area of discussion which discussed the trials and tribulations of getting published. He showed us a book titled Bird by Bird by Anne LaMont. He told us Anne was a fan of using index cards when she wrote. An excerpt from the book he read was called “Moral Point of View.” Ms. LaMont said you must be passionate about your subject to be successful.
The last area of discussion was very important, as far as research. Mr. Zimmerman showed us many good reference books to aid writers. One very popular one was Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. This book tells how misplaced punctuation can ruin your work. Two other books he showed were Strunk and White Manual of Style and the Poetry Repair Manual. All these books are vital to pumping up your writing.
Getting away from book publishing for a minute, Mr. Zimmerman told our group how writers can also be published in other forms and earn money to boot. He showed us a newspaper called the Bloomsbury Review Paper. This bi-monthly paper lists the bi-monthly best seller list. He then told how writers can be published in trade journals. Many journals and magazines also buy photographs.
**
Changing speakers, Mr. Lantz Powell (also from the Chattanooga Writers Guild) shared some insights with us. He discussed the CWG and how they operate under a 5013C tax status. He told us their Web site address which is Chattanooga Writers Guild dot Org. They hold monthy meetings and in September they have their annual picnic. The December meeting is replaced by a Christmas party.
**
The meeting then was opened to discussion. Sarah Walls asked where could a person locate a ghost writer. Cathy Palmer asked Mr. Powell how does the mystery market look? He replied that all publishers base their acceptances on whether a book will make them a profit, not usually if the manuscript is good. Ann Chambless said a good used book store in Huntsville is called “Book Legger”. Mr. Powell then distributed free CWG coffee mugs to all present.
He asked us to Google search the blog of writer Dr. Tom Bibey. He is developing quite a good fan base. Look for “Billy” on the blog listing. He talked about LULU Publishing. Their cost runs about $6.00/book and the author can purchase and then resell their work. Another company is called LIGHTNING SOURCE and is located outside of Nashville. He has visited their printing warehouse and said they are a POD publisher and are used by Doubleday.
Our next scheduled meeting is September 10th. Please bring a short story, reading, or poem to share with the group!
Attendees were: Moon Pie, Lantz Powell (CWG), Ray Edwards, Mary Dolberry, Claudie Ellard, Ann Moody, Ann Chambless, Cheyenne Duncan, Jerry Tidwell, Sarah Walls, Trish Watson, Cathy Palmer.
Mr. Zimmerman’s day job is working in Marketing in the Chattanooga area. His current client is Rock City. He started the meeting by reading a poem, “Glen Falls Trail”. This is a prize-winning poem and has been electronically published. Next he read the poem “Hair” which was based on his experience with heart bypass surgery. He read this poem at the Beatnik Council meeting in Trenton. Three other nature poems he shared with us were “Mercury”, “Cranes”, and “Screech Owl.”
We then moved on to the next area of discussion which discussed the trials and tribulations of getting published. He showed us a book titled Bird by Bird by Anne LaMont. He told us Anne was a fan of using index cards when she wrote. An excerpt from the book he read was called “Moral Point of View.” Ms. LaMont said you must be passionate about your subject to be successful.
The last area of discussion was very important, as far as research. Mr. Zimmerman showed us many good reference books to aid writers. One very popular one was Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. This book tells how misplaced punctuation can ruin your work. Two other books he showed were Strunk and White Manual of Style and the Poetry Repair Manual. All these books are vital to pumping up your writing.
Getting away from book publishing for a minute, Mr. Zimmerman told our group how writers can also be published in other forms and earn money to boot. He showed us a newspaper called the Bloomsbury Review Paper. This bi-monthly paper lists the bi-monthly best seller list. He then told how writers can be published in trade journals. Many journals and magazines also buy photographs.
**
Changing speakers, Mr. Lantz Powell (also from the Chattanooga Writers Guild) shared some insights with us. He discussed the CWG and how they operate under a 5013C tax status. He told us their Web site address which is Chattanooga Writers Guild dot Org. They hold monthy meetings and in September they have their annual picnic. The December meeting is replaced by a Christmas party.
**
The meeting then was opened to discussion. Sarah Walls asked where could a person locate a ghost writer. Cathy Palmer asked Mr. Powell how does the mystery market look? He replied that all publishers base their acceptances on whether a book will make them a profit, not usually if the manuscript is good. Ann Chambless said a good used book store in Huntsville is called “Book Legger”. Mr. Powell then distributed free CWG coffee mugs to all present.
He asked us to Google search the blog of writer Dr. Tom Bibey. He is developing quite a good fan base. Look for “Billy” on the blog listing. He talked about LULU Publishing. Their cost runs about $6.00/book and the author can purchase and then resell their work. Another company is called LIGHTNING SOURCE and is located outside of Nashville. He has visited their printing warehouse and said they are a POD publisher and are used by Doubleday.
Our next scheduled meeting is September 10th. Please bring a short story, reading, or poem to share with the group!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
guest speaker Mr. Martin Foster 8/13/09
9 present today.
Mary Dolberry, Cathy Palmer, MoonPie, Cheyenne Duncan, Paulette Moore, Leah Wilson, Martin Foster, Ray Edwards, Jack Willoughby.
This was a different sort of meeting today. Mr. Martin Foster came from Huntsville with copies of his book, Night Café, which he distributed and personalized for each person present. He also brought two hardcopy books of poetry that his father (also named Martin Foster) published titled Nature Poems. He asked for volunteers to read a poem of their choosing. MoonPie and Paulette Moore did so. MoonPie’s poem was “The Water Trough” and Paulette’s was “Dixie Born.”
We had readings of his short plays. This was unique as none of us had ever done anything like this! He said he had attended Eugene O’Neil workshops in the past in New Hampshire. To participate in these workshops, you wrote plays and read them before judges. Unfortunately, his were not picked as winners. But we felt as a group that they were professional and interesting.
He discussed why he wrote Night Café. It started out to be a play, and then ended up being a book. He mentioned three or four movies he watched to research Van Gogh. One was done by Kirk Douglas. He also visited many art museums to study Van Gogh’s paintings. As an illustrator for his book (both inside art and cover art) he got Don Howard, an illustrator for the Disney movie, The Lion King. This really added flavor to the book! Mr. Foster did not intend for his picture to be on the cover, but Mr. Howard worked it in, with many small details that were pointed out. He had shared parts of his book with another author. This person plagiarized parts of the manuscript that Mr. Foster generously let him look at.
The theme of Night Café was “the Hell of schizophrenia.”
Mr. Foster told us different rankings his book had on the Internet on Amazon and Swapfree. His book is selling quite well in the United Kingdom. He found his publisher, Llumina press on the Internet. He said a lot of people want to write books and will say they want to be published. However, only one out of ten of these people do succeed in becoming published authors.
MoonPie, Paulette, Ray, and Jack read parts in the plays. These were “Dixie rainbow”, and “A Reunion of the Blue and Grey.” These had never been read before in public.
Mr. Foster has written four plays for competition. These are titled, “Rattle,” “Spirit of St. Louis,”, “Hook or Crook,” and “Dr. R.”
Paulette Moore also volunteered to read the Don McClean song, “Starry Starry Night” which was about Van Gogh.
Mary Dolberry, Cathy Palmer, MoonPie, Cheyenne Duncan, Paulette Moore, Leah Wilson, Martin Foster, Ray Edwards, Jack Willoughby.
This was a different sort of meeting today. Mr. Martin Foster came from Huntsville with copies of his book, Night Café, which he distributed and personalized for each person present. He also brought two hardcopy books of poetry that his father (also named Martin Foster) published titled Nature Poems. He asked for volunteers to read a poem of their choosing. MoonPie and Paulette Moore did so. MoonPie’s poem was “The Water Trough” and Paulette’s was “Dixie Born.”
We had readings of his short plays. This was unique as none of us had ever done anything like this! He said he had attended Eugene O’Neil workshops in the past in New Hampshire. To participate in these workshops, you wrote plays and read them before judges. Unfortunately, his were not picked as winners. But we felt as a group that they were professional and interesting.
He discussed why he wrote Night Café. It started out to be a play, and then ended up being a book. He mentioned three or four movies he watched to research Van Gogh. One was done by Kirk Douglas. He also visited many art museums to study Van Gogh’s paintings. As an illustrator for his book (both inside art and cover art) he got Don Howard, an illustrator for the Disney movie, The Lion King. This really added flavor to the book! Mr. Foster did not intend for his picture to be on the cover, but Mr. Howard worked it in, with many small details that were pointed out. He had shared parts of his book with another author. This person plagiarized parts of the manuscript that Mr. Foster generously let him look at.
The theme of Night Café was “the Hell of schizophrenia.”
Mr. Foster told us different rankings his book had on the Internet on Amazon and Swapfree. His book is selling quite well in the United Kingdom. He found his publisher, Llumina press on the Internet. He said a lot of people want to write books and will say they want to be published. However, only one out of ten of these people do succeed in becoming published authors.
MoonPie, Paulette, Ray, and Jack read parts in the plays. These were “Dixie rainbow”, and “A Reunion of the Blue and Grey.” These had never been read before in public.
Mr. Foster has written four plays for competition. These are titled, “Rattle,” “Spirit of St. Louis,”, “Hook or Crook,” and “Dr. R.”
Paulette Moore also volunteered to read the Don McClean song, “Starry Starry Night” which was about Van Gogh.
Friday, July 24, 2009
7-23-09 writer group
7/23/09 writer group meeting. We had 9 present, and some of these were repeat visitors from the last meeting! It was great seeing some new faces and hearing them read their stories! We will be glad when Ann returns from her summer off. She ran the group smoothly by rustling up guest speakers and giving writing assignments. Now that Moonpie and Dr. Letson are “fill ins” they see what the leader’s job really is! On to the notes. Attendees were: C. Palmer, L. Jackson, MoonPie, Chelsea Yates, Ray Edwards, L. Letson, Trish Watson, Claudie Ellard, and Mary Ellen Thornton.
Stories read today were:
*) “ShamWow” by Moonpie
*) “Serberus vs. Basilisk” by Chelsea Yates
*) “Anna” by Trish Watson (this was from a book her writers group assembled when she lived in Ireland)
*) “The General” by Claudie Ellard
*) “Patient at Bin Bah Island” by L. Letson
*) “My school teacher friend in Memphis” by L. Jackson
Our stories ran the gamut from humor to fantasy to true life. I always enjoy what everyone writes and the variety is astounding. I find out so much about everyone from what they write and share with us. Chelsea is our youngest member so far, at age 14. She has been writing since age 4! Our next scheduled guest speaker on August 13th. is Mr. Martin Foster from Huntsville. He will tell us about his book, Night Café. If you wish to check it out ahead of time, he has donated a copy to the Scottsboro Public Library.
Stories read today were:
*) “ShamWow” by Moonpie
*) “Serberus vs. Basilisk” by Chelsea Yates
*) “Anna” by Trish Watson (this was from a book her writers group assembled when she lived in Ireland)
*) “The General” by Claudie Ellard
*) “Patient at Bin Bah Island
*) “My school teacher friend in Memphis” by L. Jackson
Our stories ran the gamut from humor to fantasy to true life. I always enjoy what everyone writes and the variety is astounding. I find out so much about everyone from what they write and share with us. Chelsea is our youngest member so far, at age 14. She has been writing since age 4! Our next scheduled guest speaker on August 13th. is Mr. Martin Foster from Huntsville. He will tell us about his book, Night Café. If you wish to check it out ahead of time, he has donated a copy to the Scottsboro Public Library.
Friday, July 10, 2009
July 9, 2009 writer group meeting
An exceptional meeting with 18 present! As guest speaker, we had Debra Webb, originally from Skyline Mountain and Paint Rock Valley. She told us how she began writing as a girl, and ended up a successful romantic suspense author. She told us about the New York publishing world, finding an agent, and also how she gets ideas for her novels.
Monday, July 6, 2009
6-25-09 meeting notes
Five present! Moon Pie and Linda Jackson read their selections for the group. We had visitors today, Mr.and Mrs. John Baty from Mentone, Alabama. Mr. Baty wrote, edited,and self-published a fine book, Fox Hunting in Dekalb county.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
6-11-09 meeting
5 in attendance today. MoonPie reported on her findings for future guest speakers. These included Ray Zimmerman (Chattanooga)and Ray Foster (Huntsville). She will email June Kennamer about making speaker announcements on Scottsboro cable television.
L.L. read "On The Meaning Of Power."
Moonpie read "We Will Bury You!"
Linda Jackson read "Allegory- circus ringmaster"
Cathy Palmer read "Some Say Love Is a River" which was the beginning of a short story.
Other notes: L. L. suggested a good blog about Scottsboro. The tile is "Penny's Purse" and you can Google search it.
L.L. read "On The Meaning Of Power."
Moonpie read "We Will Bury You!"
Linda Jackson read "Allegory- circus ringmaster"
Cathy Palmer read "Some Say Love Is a River" which was the beginning of a short story.
Other notes: L. L. suggested a good blog about Scottsboro. The tile is "Penny's Purse" and you can Google search it.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
4/23/09 COA meeting
12 in attendance today. The writing group celebrated their first anniversary in March! We do well for having no elected officers and no dues!
Angela Broyles was the guest speaker, from Blue Water Publishing Company. She has owned the company since 2001. Angela self-published a book, and in this process, became acquainted with William Lindsey McDonald, a historian in Athens, Alabama. Deciding to set production aside temporarily, She studied marketing for two years. Blue Water currently has 80 books in print. Angela speaks to many genealogy groups. Some of her key points were:
.> Write down what you think.
.> A good editor makes a great difference.
.> There are differences between editors, agents, and publishers. Agents market YOU. Publishers market the BOOK.
.> Please send your manuscript to the correct department at the publishing house.
.> Don't tell the editor how GREAT your book is and how ALL your friends love it.
.> Respect the editor's time and do follow ups to them after a few weeks.
.> Angela believes in multiple submissions being OK.
.> John Grisham self-published A Time To Kill after being rejected by 38 publishers. He sold out of the trunk of his car.
.> Blue Water prefers paper submissions. It is easier for AB to review the manuscript and pass around.
.> There is a need for clean, wholesome books for YA (young adult) male readers, written by men.
.> If you send AB partial manuscripts, please send her a table of contents.
.> Many publishers won't return your manuscripts, so keep a copy. Do not send your original/only copy.
.> Publishers don't want arrogant writers because they are a pain to deal with.
.> AB strongly suggests that her writers create a MySpace or FaceBook web page.
.> Services they provide are: custom covers, indexing, editing, transcription service, various book layouts, bound books, hardback books, ISBN numbers, barcodes, paperbacks
.> They have national and international distribution
.> Each manuscript is edited 4 times.
.> Their printers are located in Tennessee.
.> Their web page is BLUEWATERPUBLICATIONS COM.
.> The cost of printing varies from book to book. Color is very expensive.
.> She has an illustrator on staff. Most publishers charge per picture.
.> They spend 120 hours indexing a book.
.> They make $2.00 profit/book. They look for volume sales.
.> New York Times best seller list books sell 5,000 books per week.
.> Publishing "free reads" of short stories on your Web page is a good idea.
.> She does radio interviews over the telephone with her writers. Great marketing!
.> Bluewater books sell on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
.> Most publishers pay 5-15% royalties. She pays 10% off retail sales.
.> She does not prefer racy or suggestive writing. However, she will work with the writers on their preferences.
.> Twitter is hot on marketing right now.
.> Bluewater might hold a 2-day conference soon on publishing. The tentative location/date might be
in Huntsville at the end of July or beginning of August.
Angela Broyles was the guest speaker, from Blue Water Publishing Company. She has owned the company since 2001. Angela self-published a book, and in this process, became acquainted with William Lindsey McDonald, a historian in Athens, Alabama. Deciding to set production aside temporarily, She studied marketing for two years. Blue Water currently has 80 books in print. Angela speaks to many genealogy groups. Some of her key points were:
.> Write down what you think.
.> A good editor makes a great difference.
.> There are differences between editors, agents, and publishers. Agents market YOU. Publishers market the BOOK.
.> Please send your manuscript to the correct department at the publishing house.
.> Don't tell the editor how GREAT your book is and how ALL your friends love it.
.> Respect the editor's time and do follow ups to them after a few weeks.
.> Angela believes in multiple submissions being OK.
.> John Grisham self-published A Time To Kill after being rejected by 38 publishers. He sold out of the trunk of his car.
.> Blue Water prefers paper submissions. It is easier for AB to review the manuscript and pass around.
.> There is a need for clean, wholesome books for YA (young adult) male readers, written by men.
.> If you send AB partial manuscripts, please send her a table of contents.
.> Many publishers won't return your manuscripts, so keep a copy. Do not send your original/only copy.
.> Publishers don't want arrogant writers because they are a pain to deal with.
.> AB strongly suggests that her writers create a MySpace or FaceBook web page.
.> Services they provide are: custom covers, indexing, editing, transcription service, various book layouts, bound books, hardback books, ISBN numbers, barcodes, paperbacks
.> They have national and international distribution
.> Each manuscript is edited 4 times.
.> Their printers are located in Tennessee.
.> Their web page is BLUEWATERPUBLICATIONS
.> The cost of printing varies from book to book. Color is very expensive.
.> She has an illustrator on staff. Most publishers charge per picture.
.> They spend 120 hours indexing a book.
.> They make $2.00 profit/book. They look for volume sales.
.> New York Times best seller list books sell 5,000 books per week.
.> Publishing "free reads" of short stories on your Web page is a good idea.
.> She does radio interviews over the telephone with her writers. Great marketing!
.> Bluewater books sell on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
.> Most publishers pay 5-15% royalties. She pays 10% off retail sales.
.> She does not prefer racy or suggestive writing. However, she will work with the writers on their preferences.
.> Twitter is hot on marketing right now.
.> Bluewater might hold a 2-day conference soon on publishing. The tentative location/date might be
in Huntsville at the end of July or beginning of August.
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