Here’s a chance to win a really cool prize pack full of books published here in BC – click to The Tyee to enter their contest.

As per their site… (copied from page at link above) “April 19 to 26 is B.C. Book and Magazine Week, a festival that celebrates the province’s rich and diverse publishing culture, of which The Tyee is proud to take part in. Brought to you by the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. along with the B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers, and now in its ninth year, B.C. Book and Magazine Week includes readings, panels and publishing events throughout the province. For event information visit www.bcbookandmagazineweek.com.”

I’m so excited I might lose my line – this coming Sunday, April 6th, 2008, is the official launch party for Rick’s book, the Freshman FlyFisher, ISBN 978-0-9783292-1-1. The response to this book has been incredible. Rick is getting so much press coverage it’s crazy – Urban Rush, Weather Network, BC Outdoors Magazine, and many other magazines and media outlets. Everybody loves Rick!

The launch is a flyfisher’s dream: an all-day party at the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club in south Surrey, on 184th, just north of 8th avenue. (Near the Hazelmere Golf Course.) Join us anytime between 10 and 4 that day for casting lessons, fly tying, knot tying, various roaming entertainment, and let’s not forget a kid-friendly bbq manned by the Cloverdale Rotary Club! Hand me a hot dog!

This launch party will be a bit different from others in the book world. I doubt you’ll see much that looks like this:

But there will probably be plenty of stuff that looks like this:

Which is not nearly as pretty, but just as fun! SEE YOU THERE!

Jeri-Lyn McCrea’s book Words in Action [ISBN 978-0-9809325-0-8] is now available for purchase. I’m extremely proud to be the Editor of this great journal with an undated page for each day of your journey. Click here to order your advance copy. Enter coupon code “PRE-RELEASE” and get $3 off until April 25th, the official release date of the book.

I’m so thrilled about this book now being available, because I can’t think of anyone that wouldn’t benefit from a copy of this. We all need encouragement to reach our goals for change in our lives, and Jeri’s simple book gives us exactly that. She has several more books and products coming in the next couple of years, and this is her first edition.

Here’s some quick info about the book;

Book name: Words in Action – A Journal to Inspire Change
ISBN: 978-0-9809325-0-8
Author: Jeri-Lyn McCrea, of Langley, BC, Canada
Publisher: Essential Wisdom Publishing
Where it’s available: currently at wordsofwisdomjournal.com, humanuspublishing.com (and hopefully soon at Save-on-Foods, Coles bookstores, and Shoppers Drug Mart) as well as a variety of gift and health outlets all over North America.

What’s it about?: It’s about you. This is not a book on how to live your life – it’s a journal that helps you change the way you think, so that you can change the way you act. Each daily page has an area for you to write your thoughts, an actionable word with its inspirational definition, and two quotes. The pages are numbered rather than dated, because everyone starts their journey on a different day. Jeri’s book has already attracted plenty of attention, because rather than preaching a one-size-fits-all solution, Words in Action is about walking your own talk.

What’s the Author’s background?: Jeri is a nurse with a special passion for helping people recover from difficult lifestyle situations. Her Essential Wisdom self-help products are geared to those recovering from the loss of a partner, a serious illness, or those ready to make major improvements for their overall health and happiness. Her positive, “never give up” attitude is contagious, and people put down the book with a better understanding of their own power.

What did you hope to accomplish by writing this book?: When Jeri-Lyn McCrea went shopping for a journal in early 2006, she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Rather than an intimidating blank page, Jeri wanted to be inspired, uplifted, and truly, deeply impacted every time she opened her journal. Cute and pretty was not enough – it had to be real. When she couldn’t find what she was seeking, she realized others were looking for the same thing, so she went out and made it.

What did you find out that surprised you in the course of your research?: Jeri couldn’t believe that something so simple could be made so incredibly complicated. We are surrounded by people that tell us what to think, what to wear, what to weigh, etc. It’s very easy to get caught up in a deep analysis of what’s wrong, instead of what’s right. When she realized that so few people had figured out what she had, by a long hard road, it became much harder to watch people she loved steer their lives in circles. The major theme in the book is so simple: we must each accept responsibility for our own happiness. We can’t look to others to complete us, or give us what we think we need, because they’re struggling to do it for themselves. Our power for happiness lies already within us. So simple, yet so easily confused and misunderstood.

Who do you suggest should read this book?: What Words in Action is really about is change, and experts universally agree that journaling can be a powerful tool for anyone who truly wants to create change. This book is for people who are at a turning point in their lives and need constant encouragement. The first thing everyone thinks of is weight loss, but it’s also perfect for someone who is working hard to start a business, is dealing with addiction, is recovering from a serious illness or injury, who is graduating from school, who has reached a milestone birthday, or anyone who is enduring frustrating times. It would be hard to think of someone who couldn’t benefit from it. It is just as suitable to give to older children as it is for those with plenty of life experience behind them.

This is the kind of book that you give to your brother, your sister, your boss, your friends, and your grandmother. The gift of encouragement is the best gift of all.

A free excerpt will be available here shortly for download as a .pdf file.

I have had these three rules taped to my wall for many years. The note is in my own handwriting, but I can no longer remember what midnight crisis prompted me to write it down on a yellow post-it in red ink. The sticky back has long since worn off, and there are three dusty layers of tape, two clear and one of yellowed masking tape, because this reminder is valuable enough to travel with me wherever I go.

The rules are simple.

1. Always delete your first paragraph. It always sucks. It’s full of rushed, unsorted data that exists because of your rush to get the good stuff on paper. The first paragraph is your brain dump. Nobody wants to read at the dump.
2. Don’t explain too much. The most difficult part of writing in any style is to really understand what your audience wants. (It’s never what you think.) They don’t always want or need to know why a thing is the way it is. Don’t withhold anything – but don’t use more words than necessary to sell your message. Remember what you’re there to do.*
3. Try to be original. Remember, humans have been on this planet a long time. Somebody has probably already figured out what you’re about to write before you ever got here. But if you can spin the concept in a new and devastatingly clever way, you’ll be remembered for that.

See? Not hard at all.

*This is not original to me. (See item number 3.) I might be flattering myself to suggest that I independently came up with the same idea that also appears on page 75 of the fourth edition of The Elements of Style, but since I’ve already disclosed to my readers that I love Elements more than the bible, I’m sure I just adopted it into my own philosophy.

I’m always amazed at what will turn up on eBay. While shopping for something as incredibly shallow as shoes on eBay this evening, I found this fundraising auction for teenage amputee Joe Alexander. The auction is for the right shoe to a pair that Joe can no longer use.

Check out news video about the accident here.

19-year old Joe’s story is heart-wrenching, as his leg was torn off when he was dragged by a train near Webster Groves, Missouri, USA, on February 28th – not even a month ago as I write this entry. He managed to make his way alone from the middle of nowhere to a more visible area 50 yards away so that he could get help. This is not a guy starting out with too many advantages in life, and the family that loves him is trying to help him avoid worries about money, on top of everything else.

With my recent research into social media marketing, it strikes me that there’s a HUGE opportunity here for the blogging community to generate some traffic to either Joe’s right shoe eBay auction, or to the website setup to help him by getting donations, at www.WeLoveJosephAlexander.com. (This URL redirects to http://www.freewebs.com/welovejosephalexander/.)

Like blog traffic, every little bit helps.

 

 ISBN Numbers Easier for Self-Publishers: Interview with Andy Weissberg of Bowker USA [33:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bowker, the USA ISBN agency, is making plenty of changes that are especially helpful to self-publishers and small presses. I was very lucky this week to be able to get Andy Weissberg, a recently appointed GM at Bowker, on the phone for what turned out to be a rather lengthy interview.

Andy is a great guy, and his job is to head up the Identifier Services division, which is the office responsible for issuing ISBN’s and similar products. Andy generously gives us a gut-spilling interview that is a full walk-through of the entire process for a self-publisher or small publisher.

Andy has brought a fresh, digital marketing-based approach to an old organization that has plenty of credibility and stablility. From the standpoint of anyone who is self-marketing their information product, it’s a match made in heaven. Thanks to features that make the best use of meta-data that publishers insert for their titles, the playing field is becoming more level between large and small publishers.

Key changes include;
- enhanced meta-data optimization for top search engines
- social media enhancements
- self-management of issuing ISBN’s via the web (coming soon)
- dramatic changes to the pricing structure, especially to reduce costs to users who only need a single ISBN (coming soon)

I was particularly impressed with Andy’s statement that it is at least partially the self-publishing movement that is prompting Bowker’s changes. Books, they are a-changin, and Bowker is keeping pace nicely.

Watch for more interviews like this in April, and I’ll be meeting up with Andy at Book Expo America in Los Angeles between May 29th and June 1st for a video podcast. Thanks Andy – it was a real pleasure.

This podcast can be re-distributed without royalties provided that appropriate credit and cross-linking is given. To link back to this podcast, please use the direct link for this post, which is here. (Or, just copy what’s in your browser’s URL bar right now.)

You can also download the MP3 and host it elsewhere, using the tiny “audio mp3″ link right next to the player built into this page. The cross-link must use the link referenced in the previous paragraph. Credit must be given as “All content copyright Humanus Publishing, Inc., 2008. All rights reserved.” Thanks!

Sir Arthur C. Clarke died this week. It was incredibly difficult to hear, even though it’s clear that he lived a long and fulfilling life. I learned many lessons from him, and I continue to learn them as I read more of his vast life’s work.

Clarke was 90 when he passed away from the effects of Post-Polio Syndrome, a disease from which my father also suffers. Polio is a disease that only the tough ones can survive. My dad had polio as a teenager, and it caused permanent damage to his trachea. In the days when physiotherapy was more magic than science, my Dad self-re-habilitated his affected left leg by his own sheer willpower and determination. Clarke was also a guy of real character and vision, and his approach to writing revealed this in many ways.

Remember the generation that Clarke grew up in during post WWI – when a quiet, gentle life was such a great desire of the British people. The young Clarke must have been considered a dreamer who hid in his fantasies of life in outer space. I’d bet his mother really wanted him to be normal.

When a writer has a vision of a work that is vastly different than anything else out there, it can be hard to explain that vision to an objective person. But perseverance will reward a great idea with recognition and profit. Clarke was a spearhead for an entire generation. I think nothing of encouraging my daughter to break new ground, and to ignore her critics if she’s sure of herself.

Clarke paved the way for all authors with fresh ideas – not just sci-fi freaks, like me.

Here’s a great example of getting bloggers and other online social media users to talk about your new product – otherwise known as a “meme”. This is social network marketing at its best.

Being such a huge fan of the James Bond films (Brosnan was my favourite, until the last one…), I was thrilled to see a teaser (embedded below) for Quantum of Solace, the new Bond movie currently being filmed in various locations.

Notice the handy little button at the lower right corner of the screen, labeled “Link/Embed”? This code allows you to quickly share this content with anyone you choose, and in a multitude of ways, thereby increasing your page views exponentially. The link/embed feature travels with the video, as you can see. And they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on…

The only question left for me is whether or not Daniel Craig appears sans trousers again in the new film. Yummy.

Why might you possibly need a UPC code plus an ISBN code for your book product? Read on to find out. This seems to be a confusing thing, when it’s actually quite simple. It’s all about using each term correctly, rather than interchangeably.

An ISBN number stands for International Standard Book Number, and when you are assigned one for your book product, each number is totally unique. A modern ISBN has 13 digits, as of January 2007. Embedded in each number is a code that identifies your country, you as a publisher, and the unique publication. (See a future post for nerdy details.)

There is one ISBN governing body for this entire planet, and each country has an agency devoted to administering it for their country. In Canada, this is Library and Archives Canada – an office in our Federal Government, and in the USA, along with a few other countries, it is run by an organization called Bowker.

A bar code is really a computer font. When you enter a series of numbers and convert them to this font, it appears as a series of lines of varying widths (or dots, or whatever – this technology had matured recently) which can then be read by a computer with the appropriate hardware, a bar code scanner.

An ISBN can be used to create a scannable bar code for your book, making it uniquely identifiable to booksellers who subscribe to the ISBN database. Your ISBN is a totally unique number, making it very easy to convert to a totally unique bar code using the special font.

A UPC code, or Universal Product Code, is a type of bar code, but the core number which is used to create the scannable code is derived from an entirely different source than the ISBN number. A UPC code has 12 digits rather than 13, and is grouped into two sections of 6 digits each. There is one large UPC organization that tracks and issues all the codes for the USA, called the G1-USA. They are part of the G1 organization worldwide, who also has a representative in Canada.

Why have a UPC code plus a bar code on your book? If your book is a product with wide appeal, and is likely to be sold outside of bookstores in venues like giftshops or consumer stores, a UPC code guarantees that any retailer can scan your book successfully. Not all retailers can scan an ISBN bar code, because there are more digits, and they may not have the ISBN database to relate it to.

So to sum up, both ISBN scannable codes and UPC scannable codes are types of bar codes. An ISBN is only assigned to a book or similar product, while a UPC code can be assigned to a book or virtually any product that is meant to be scanned in a retail store. My recommendation to clients is typically that they have both on the back of their books, in order to maximize market expansion options.

AND, always make sure you TEST your bar code before your book goes to press to make sure it scans properly! Your printer may offer to do this for you.

Do you have a book that only you could write? If you have some sort of specialized knowledge or skill, my belief is that it’s not just “nice” to share it, but that you are really obligated to share it with others who can also benefit. Teaching is wonderful, mentoring is better, but you can reach a lot more people with a well-crafted book than you can almost any other way.

The more people I talk to, the more I’m convinced that everybody, everybody has a book in them. Even if I only counted the people who would write in my niche of non-fiction business and lifestyle topics, there’s no way I could get to everybody who could produce an incredible book that could change the course of history.

For every person I encounter that has a vision of their book, I ask them what’s stopping them from publishing it. The answer is almost always one of the top three: 1) I don’t have time, 2) I don’t know how, or 3) I don’t think anyone’s interested.

OK, Let’s address each of those objections.

1) I don’t have time. I know all about lack of time. After plenty of discussion with a variety of people, I’ve come to think that saying that one doesn’t have time really means that there are other things that are more important. I respect that – without setting our priorities, nothing gets done in this world. But when were you planning to make writing a priority?

2) I don’t know how. No problem: I do. (Watch out, I smell a plug somewhere in here…) I consult to authors who are ready to write but want to know what they’re in for. Let’s talk before you really get started, OK?

3) I don’t think anyone’s interested. If people are interested in a guy in a chicken suit that obeys your commands, people are interested in your book. Self-publishing is all about niche marketing. You’re not trying to sell fridges to Eskimos – we plan your marketing in advance so that we know who really does want your product, and then target them very specifically.

Do you have a book in you? It doesn’t hurt to remove it. Really.