New Book Out NOW

Jon Severson's fantastic railroad book about the history of the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railroad is now available. What a sweet book. Totally cool. 240 glossy pages of fantastic information, stories, photos, old newspaper articles, facts, and figures. And priced at only $24.95, it is a true value. Tell your pals about it, please.

Rinse and Spit People

Sometimes you wonder if publishing a book has any effect on the wide world out there. The good news is, good news travels far. Lee Andresen, author of Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War wrote recently to say that his book has been selling in South Africa. Not too long ago, Jeff Lower, author of Kat's Magic Bubble informed us that his book had gone to Russia...with love. These advances for individual books remind me of the saying, "I worked thirty years to become an overnight success." One day at a time, little by little, good books find their way to appreciative readers. Teddy Roosevelt said, "Do what you can with what you have where you are." This is what Savage Press books are doing every day wherever they are. They're saying what the author intended by speaking to the readers they find regardless of place. When you get a chance, wherever you are, by whatever means at your disposal, mention a Savage Press book to someone, tell someone to visit the website, promote a specific title, spread the news! Pretend your words of praise are peanut butter on bread, spread it on thick and often!

You could say, "Geeze, I read this great little children's book about a duck and a dog and doggone it if my kids didn't love it."

You could say, "You know, I was fishing around for a present for my husband and caught a great trout fishing book by a guy from Wisconsin named Jay Thurston."

While waiting for a dental appointment you could say, "I heard about this great new thriller out that has a powerful anti-hero named Frank Kane in it. Written by a dentist from Greensboro, North Carolina."

Rinse and spit people...spit it out about Savage Press, Savage Press authors, and Savage Press books.

And...THANKS!

Complain Your way to Riches?

I've been hearing some complaints about the state of publishing these days. "Too many books being published." "Too much competition" "The quality of contemporary writing is too low." Well, what would you complainers prefer? The old days when only a handful of writers were published? Publishing is a pendulum. We're on the far end of a huge swing in the direction of everyone with a computer can be published. Forget books. It's the Internet, the Web, Blogging. Cell phone publishing. If you want to "be published" start a blog, get your website up. If you want your deathless prose ensconced between the pages of a physical book, fine. Get thee to a POD publisher and have at it. But realize that, "being published" does not mean your book will be bought. As I said in the previous post, if somebody doesn't sell it, it won't be sold. As the MaD Goddess pointed out in her comment on the previous post, just because you "build it" (self publish), they may not come a runnin' with their wallets/checkbooks open and the cash flying magically into your hand. I say, get it out there any way you can and let the customers (readers/viewers/listeners) decide if they want to reward you in some way. Silent praise may be all you get in return for opening your vein and your wallet to "be published." Good luck, have some fun along the way, and, if you must, complain away because complaining is good for the soul, but not necessarily good for the bank balance.

The Difference Between Marketing and Selling

Selling a book is different than writing a book. Marketing a book is different than selling a book. Do you know the difference between selling and marketing? Marketing a book is telling someone about it. You can send a flyer to bookstores telling them about the book. This is simple sharing of information. Once you've informed the bookstore manager, buyer, (make sure you're sending the info to the correct person) not the vice president of dingle-berry procurment, then someone has to call on that person and make a sale. It's called closing the sale. "How many copies can we send you?" "Are you interested in buying any copies today?" "If you buy today, we'll knock off the shipping cost." "Just don't hang up...please! Please buy some books from me today. If you don't my wife is going to leave me and move in with the woman she has been having an affair with...please, Please, PLEASE, buy some books from me today!" You know, the subtle approach. Good luck. Remember the difference between marketing and selling and don't go super-depressed if your book doesn't sell. Remember, if nobody sells it, it won't get sold.

Solid SoundBites Blurb

Kathy Kerchner's book got this solid review on Hotel Resource:

A great job of giving the inside scoop I don't know the author, so this is a real review. She's done a wonderful job helping me to understand and work with the media. This book is easy to read, well written and offers sound advice. I've already gotten my money's worth and I'm only half-way through it. If you're looking for a book on dealing with the media - this is the one to get!

Click:
http://www.hotelresource.com/bookstore/asinsearch_1886028303.html
see more good comments about SoundBites.

New Book Soon

Geeze, here it is September already and no posts since way back in August. Larry's gonna be mad. Anyway, we're working hard and long on getting the new book for fall out. Delivered With Pride: A Pictorial History of the Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific Railroad by Jon A. Severson of Esko, Minnesota. John is a working railroad man who puts his shifts in at the Cloquet Transfer Railroad and then spends some free time working on railroad history. This is his first book. 240 pages of period and contemporary photos, historic newspaper accounts of the DW&P and his own current commentary and reporting. It is going to be a doozy. Check it out and tell your friends who are history and/or railroad buffs.

Rinse and Spit Steven! REVIEW in Winston-Salem Journal

The Last Spartan
By John F. Saunders
Savage Press
218 pages
Reviewed by Steven B. Beach

As I read the last sentence of The Last Spartan, a chill ran down my spine - AGAIN. In the day I spent reading this relatively short novel, my pulse had accelerated, my emotions had stirred, and my engrossment meter had repeatedly pegged to red-line. But mostly, I’d simply enjoyed a wild ride trying to keep up with the reckless pace of this story featuring Frank Kane, ex-enforcer for the Spartans motorcycle gang. Upon learning that the author, John F. Saunders, is also a Greensboro dentist, I decided to look him up and ask the question that has been asked of authors since time immemorial:

S.B. “What possessed you to write such a novel?”

J.S. “I was complaining to my wife, Lynn, about paying hard earned money for a book, spending irretrievable time reading it, only to be disappointed by the whole experience. I told her I believed I could write a better novel than many that are being published today. Lynn responded with: ‘Then why don’t you?’ Next thing I knew I was spending evenings doing just that. The Last Spartan is the result.”

S.B. “Okay, it’s a novel about biker gangs, prostitution and efforts toward redemption of one biker with a particularly violent history. How did you come up with the Spartan theme?”

J.S. “Besides studying dentistry, I also majored in Greek history while attending UNC Chapel Hill. I’ve always been intrigued by the Spartans. They were unique in that they were a culture of warfare. Unlike their neighbors at the time, they didn’t farm, weave, or make pottery, they were all soldiers. They had slaves and the spoils of war to supply all that other stuff. There’s never been another culture so centered on warfare. It made sense to write about modern times for a modern audience; it was a small step, then, to connect the Spartan backdrop to modern-day people who also use violence to achieve their goals. Outlaw bikers fit the bill.”

S.B. “In my experience as a motorcycle enthusiast, I’ve attended biker rallies and known some pretty rough bikers. It’s easy for me to imagine a gang called the Spartans, and it’s easy to imagine a guy who could be so fixated with actual Spartans that he would base his life on them. But for an entire gang to be so taken by the idea as to address each other with the names of the Greek gods and to sit in carved thrones during the big meeting – well, I felt like you were stretching it a bit. What do you say to that?

J.S. “Rinse and spit, Steven, everyone else loves that part. Seriously, I felt that…”

S.B. “Fair enough. Overall, I must say I enjoyed your novel and most of it was very realistic. I liked the fact that Frank Kane lives in Greensboro and much of the action takes place in Atlanta, where I grew up. What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to write any more novels?”

J.S. “I hoped you’d ask that question since I’ll be at the Winston-Salem Barnes and Noble book store in August for a book signing, and I want everyone to know I’ll have plenty books to sign and sell. After that, it’s back to work on the next book in the Frank Kane series, which I hope to finish soon.

S.B. “Well, based on how much I enjoyed The Last Spartan, I look forward to reading it. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Oh, and thanks for the floss.”