Publishing Opportunity or Marketing Technique?

“Do something. If it doesn’t work, do something else. No idea is too crazy.” – Jim Hightower

Move over hardbacks, paperbacks, soft covers, Kindles, and e-books! Clear the shelves! We need room for toilet paper books. Yes, you read that right—toilet paper. Sorry to be a bit indelicate here, but if the new literary experience being launched in Japan succeeds, carrying reading material into the bathroom may no longer be necessary.

According to a recent article on news.yahoo.com, “Horror Story Printed on Toilet Paper in Japan,” a Japanese company is now selling a nine-chapter novella printed on bathroom tissue. Click here to see a photo of the packaging.

The novella, Drop, is written by Koji Suzuki. He’s a best-selling author and has been described as Japan’s answer to Stephen King. Being promoted as “a horror experience in the toilet,” the roll sells for about $2.20. The story takes up about three feet of a roll and requires only a few minutes to read. Appropriately, the setting is a public restroom.

I’d like to know if Suzuki’s royalties are paid by the sheet, roll, or Costco size bundle. Read more about Koji Suzuki here.

Will the trend catch on here? If so, perhaps we’ll soon see an American version with Stephen King’s A Very Tight Place, which for the most part, takes place in a portable bathroom. Personally, I find visiting public restrooms scary enough. I don’t really want to read more horror stories about them.

What do you think of this idea? Are toilet tissue books a new avenue in the publishing world or are they an ‘outside the box’ marketing idea?

Thanks for stopping by.


Tags: Jim Hightower, Koji Suzuki, Stephen King, novella on bathroom tissue, A Very Tight Place, Drop,

The Many Awards of Blogging

“To have a little recognition, that is very nice, you dig. It is good for the ego, for the psyche.” – Dexter Gordon

I have received an honor from Liyana at LiyanaLand. My blog was included on her list of 100 blogs to receive the One Lovely Blog Award, Let’s be Friends Award, #1 Blogger Award, Flower Bear Tagging Award, You Don’t Say Award, Splash! Award, and last but not least, the 2009 Friendly Blogger Award. There are cute pictures to go along with all of these, but I am lazy and Liyana has them posted for easy viewing.

I don’t deserve this honor because I have never done well with these awards, also known as memes. It’s not that I’m not appreciative. I am. VERY. Acknowledgment from fellow bloggers means a lot to me. However, memes remind me of the old fashioned chain letters and I’m not comfortable passing them along. Therefore, they end up dying on my end and that makes me feel bad (but not bad enough to pass them along). The last one I killed was The Lemonade Stand, and I love lemonade. Now seven more have reached a dead end. So sorry.

Thank you, Liyana. I am in awe of the work that went into your blog. Think about it—100 links! Whew. I am pleased that you thought enough of my blog to include it. I hope you won’t hold it against me that I am a meme party pooper.

I do hope all of you will stop by Liyana’s site and take a look at my beautiful awards and admire her hard work. Plus she has other interesting things going on over there. If there’s anyone who would like to receive one or all of these awards, let me know. I’m happy to oblige when I know they are going somewhere where they are wanted and will be passed along as they should.

Thanks for stopping by.


Tags: Dexter Gordon, memes, LiyanaLand, chain letters,

Memorial Day Facts

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” - Maya Angelou

My family, at one time or another, has had members in every branch of the military except for the Coast Guard. Yet, the only thing I knew about Memorial Day was that it was set aside to honor Americans who died in battle. That’s a bit embarrassing, so I decided to dig deeper. Here are a few things I found out:

It was originally called Decoration Day.

Proclaimed by General John Logan on May 5, 1868, it was first observed on May 30 of that year by placing flowers on Union and Confederate graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all northern states.

The South refused to acknowledge the day and honored their dead at a different time until World War I. At that time, the day was changed from honoring those who died fighting in the Civil War to Americans who died fighting in any war.

There are disputes over which town first came up with the idea, but in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day.

In 1915, Moina Michael came up with the idea of wearing red poppies on Memorial Day after writing the following poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps."

Many people today think of Memorial Day only as a chance to have a cookout and celebrate a three-day weekend. A movement, Help Restore the Traditional Day of Observance, is an effort to bring respect back to the day.

For more information visit usmemorialday.org. There’s also a touching video. Unfortunately, it’s preceded by a brief commercial but still worth watching as a reminder of what so many men and women have gone through for our country.

One can only hope that there will come a time when people of the world can live together in peace and future generations will only know about war from what they read in history books. In the meantime, my wish is that the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan stay safe and return home soon.

Thanks for stopping by.


Tags: Maya Angelou, Memorial Day, General Logan, Decoration Day, Moina Michael, poppies,Arlington Cemetery,

Not the Usual Kindle Discussion

"Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” – Stewart Brand

We’ve all heard the arguments about what the Kindle and other electronic book readers will do to the publishing industry. However, have you ever thought about some of the more atypical effects? Joanne Kaufman has in her humorous article, “With Kindle, Can You Tell It’s Proust?” from nytimes.com. Here are a few excerpts:

“The publishing world is all caught up in weighty questions about the Kindle and other such devices: Will they help or hurt book sales and authors’ advances? Cannibalize the industry? Galvanize it?”

“Please, they’re overlooking the really important concern: How will the Kindle affect literary snobbism?”

“The practice of judging people by the covers of their books is old and time-honored. And the Kindle, which looks kind of like a giant white calculator, is the technology equivalent of a plain brown wrapper.”

“But for the purpose of sizing up a stranger from afar, perhaps the biggest problem with Kindle or its kin is the camouflage factor: when no one can tell what you’re reading, how can you make it clear that you’re poring over the new Lincoln biography as opposed to, say, “He’s Just Not That Into You”?”

“And as books migrate from paper, it means the death of the pickup line, “Oh, I see you’re reading the latest (insert highbrow author’s name here).”

Read the entire article here.

I’ve always enjoyed attempting to see what books people were reading or carrying. I will miss this ability to snoop as the electronic readers continue to gain in popularity. To date, I have no desire to own one, but I think I said the same thing about a cell phone.

How do you feel about electronic book readers? Do you own one? Have you ever used a book as a way to start a conversation with a stranger?

I'm going off topic here but I wanted to share what I consider exciting news. Because part of The Ride takes place on Route 66, it caught the attention of Route 66 News and was featured on the site on May 20.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Stewart Brand, Kindle, electronic book readers, Joanne Kaufman, nytimes.com,The Ride, Route 66,

Tackling Time Issues

“It was really just a hobby that snowballed.” - Dominic Knight

I believe my problems with time issues stems from the fact that I had a very different life before I became a published author. In that other life, writing was a hobby. Hobbies are fun activities you do in your spare time when your work is all done.

Switching gears in my mind that writing is now work and everything else is a hobby hasn’t been an easy transition. I’m not complaining. Seeing my manuscript turned into a book has been a dream come true. It’s simply that changing from hobbyist to professional is a bit more daunting and time consuming than I ever imagined.

However, the response to Monday’s post made me realize I was not alone in my need to develop better time management skills. Therefore, I planned use today’s blog to write about helpful time management tips.

Obviously authors have a huge issue with time because Googling ‘time management for writers’ resulted in 15 million hits. I’m no pro on this subject, but even I figured out wading through all these sites would not be in my best interest or a valuable use of my time.

I checked a few sites and found mostly common sense rules, such as keep a ‘to do’ list, work at the time of day you are most productive, designate a workspace and set realistic goals. These are things I do already, so maybe I don’t really have a problem.

After reading “Time Is Not on Your Side: Time Management Tips for Writers,” by Michael Stelzner on copyblogger I realized I have a big problem. Step one in the article was a test to find out if you are a time waster; step two, a time log to help keep track of your activities and the time they take; step three, a form to help you set goals.

I took the test. I’ll never reveal my score—I’ll only admit that I qualified as a time waster extraordinaire. I printed out the time log and goal setting forms. I am ready to take the plunge and begin to change my bad habits when…well…as soon as I have the time.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Dominic Knight, time management, hobbies, Google, copyblogger, Stelzner,

A Writer’s Most Valuable Assets

“You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won't be able to take a break from being a writer.” - Stephen Leigh

In 2007, I posted my personal list of the top ten assets I thought a writer needed. At the time, I had signed a contract with ArcheBooks Publishing and had been waiting, rather impatiently, for the production process to begin. Therefore, the number one item on the list was patience.

I revisited the list and decided it needed a little tune-up now that The Ride has been out for about eight months. Here is my latest list of assets I believe every writer needs.

10. A basic understanding of grammar and punctuation

9. The ability to take an idea and turn it into a novel, short story or article

8. The perseverance to revise and edit your work ad nauseum

7. The strength to delete a paragraph that you spent the last eight hours perfecting after realizing it has nothing to do with the idea you were hoping to convey

6. In order to resist the urge to slice your wrists open with any sharp object within reach, you must develop the ability to fluff off rejection notices and not so glowing reviews with a flick of your wrist.

5. The self-discipline to sit down and write or rewrite daily, even during those periods when playing solitaire might seem a bit more productive

4. To keep your publisher happy, you must be able to focus on writing the next book, while trying to arrange signings, interviews and other innovative marketing techniques for your currently available book(s)

3. The skill to set up and maintain a presence on dozens of social media sites—which also means you have the ability to express yourself in 140 characters or less.

2. The knack of retaining all the passwords and log-in info for the numerous sites and forums you’ve joined

And the number one thing a writer must possess: (imagine a drum roll here)

1. The ability to cram at least 48 hours worth of writing, marketing, blogging, reading and networking into a 24-hour day and still have a life

In 2007, patience was my number one concern and today it’s time management. I’m sure if I wait a few more years to re-examine this list, it will change yet again.

What do you consider a writer’s most valuable asset?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: ArcheBooks, The Ride, assets, social media, time management, Stephen Leigh,

Wasting Time

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn

I am in awe of authors who have several major projects going at once, write for a dozen different blogs, market their books, Tweet frequently, stay updated on other social networks, find time to visit and comment on other blogs, yet manage to eat, exercise and spend time with family and friends. Whew! Some do all of this while holding down a full time job. Sadly, I am not one of those authors. After noting my actions one afternoon while ‘working,’ I’m now know why.

I sit down to write and:

A brilliant idea pops into my head and pops out again before I have the chance to put it down on paper. I play a game of solitaire while trying to retrieve the thought. That game may snowball into two, three, or more before I convince myself to give up and move on.

I write down another brilliant thought and read back over it only to find it makes no sense at all. I sulk and play a game of solitaire or two or…

I turn the sound off on my computer but out of the corner of my eye, I see the ‘you have new mail’ icon pop up. I tell myself it can wait. Now I can’t write because I’m wondering what it’s about. I click on my mail. Thirty minutes later I’m still replying to email I meant to answer days ago.

I finally pick up momentum but find I need to do a little research to make sure something I’ve written is accurate. I log on and become captivated by a site or article I run across. I log off and realize that I never got around to finding what I went online for in the first place.

Clicking away on the keyboard like crazy with thoughts coming fast and furious, I grind to a screeching halt. I don’t like a word I used. I try to think of a better one. I can’t. I flip through my Thesaurus. No good. I go to an online source. I find an interesting word but not one that will work in the sentence. I try to write a sentence around the word. It sounds forced. I play a game or two of solitaire, mulling the sentence over in my head before going back and using the word I didn't like.

I write a few more pages before the clock strikes six and I hear my husband announce ‘happy hour.’ I don’t want to miss the news. Okay, I admit it, I don’t want to miss happy hour either, so I glance at my uncompleted ‘to do today’ list, shrug and think, ‘tomorrow is another day.’

Fortunately I do have days of extreme concentration when my characters take over and I’m simply a typist. On those days, an exploding stick of dynamite under my chair wouldn’t distract me and my productivity carries over into other areas. What I want to do is work that efficiently everyday.

I hope by writing my poor work habits down, I'm taking the first step to making them disappear. Any helpful hints on how to stay focused?

Thanks for stopping by.


Tags: William Penn, solitaire, wasting time, social networks, Tweet, blogs,

Book Signing Venues

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” – Edward de Bono

My post on Monday on innovative marketing techniques and Tuesday’s blog on Straight from Hel, about thinking outside the box for book signing venues, elicited some interesting replies. For instance Marvin Wilson, once held a book signing at a farmer’s market; Morgan Mandel is planning one at a flea market; and, I’ve done signings at my condo’s pool and in a bank lobby.

I decided to do some online research and see if I could find other creative venues. What I found was a great site, BookConnector. The venue categories on this site are: bookstores, cafes, groceries, libraries and non-traditional. You input the city and state, check which categories interest you, and a list appears. This is a helpful aid for anyone planning their own book tour. You do have to be a member to use the site, but membership is free and signing up was quick and easy.

I’d recommend stopping by bcnews (no sign-up necessary) to read about Maryann Miller’s hilarious nightmare talk and signing at a senior center. The story had me laughing out loud. (For more nightmare stories see my January 16, 2009, blog.)

Along with Maryann Miller’s piece, there are write-ups about other non-traditional venues such as Colette Shaw’s signing at a KISS fan convention; or Ann Parker’s event at an upscale restaurant that was once the stomping ground for a high-class madam featured in her book, Silver Lies.

Feel free to share more unusual venues or nightmare signings.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Edward de Bono, book signing venues, book signing nightmares, Maryann Miller, Colette Shaw, Ann Parker, KISS, BookConnector,

The Tedious Task of Editing

“Anything you really want, you can attain if you really go after it.” –Wayne Dyer

Going after it, is what innovative marketing is all about. I’ve written several blogs on unique marketing techniques, such as Tao Lin selling shares of his unfinished second novel, or R.N. Morris Tweeting his first novel.

The latest marketing technique involves the tedious task of editing and was sent to me by Sandy Lender, author of Choices Meant for Gods and, the soon to be released, Choices Meant for Kings.

I don’t usually post videos because I know many people are too busy to take the time to watch them. However, I’m making an exception because The Editing Letter by Lara Zielin is funny and I can so relate to the issues addressed. If you are not an author, this is the perfect opportunity to look into the mind of one.



Unfortunately this is another promotional method I can’t take advantage of because my singing voice is… well… in all honesty, I’m severely ‘carrying a tune’ challenged.

If you’ve heard, tried, or seen innovative marketing techniques, I’d love to hear from you.

Also, I should mention that Sandy has an excellent trailer for Choices Meant for Kings. Don’t miss it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Wayne Dyer, Tao Lin, R. N. Morris, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods, Choices Meant for Kings, The Editing Letter, Lara Zielin,

Fun with an Interactive Map

“A good map is both a useful tool and a magic carpet to far away places.” - Unknown

At ngm.nathionalgeographic.com there is a wonderful interactive map of America featuring, cities, states, mountain and rivers with Native American names. If you click on one of the many choices, you’ll see the literal translation. For instance, the Adirondack Mountains in New York means ‘Tree Eaters,’ the city of Ponchaoula in Louisiana is ‘Falling Hair,’ and Amoxiumqua in New Mexico translates to ‘Ant Hill.’

Living in Florida, I was particularly interested in some of the names around me. They all make sense. Allaputtah translates to ‘Alligator,’ Okeechobee is ‘Big Water’ and Echashotee is ‘Manatee home.’

However, some names made me curious and left me wanting to know, as ‘Paul Harvey’ used to say, “The rest of the story.” For instance, Malibu translates to ‘it makes a loud noise all the time over there.’ Was it the sound of the surf or noisy settlers that brought on such a name? Also I wonder how it’s possible for one six-letter letter word to stand for ten English words.

I’d also like to know why Kupunkamint Mountain in Montana was named something that means ‘shakes himself.’ Or why anyone thought that a good name for a city in California would be Loleta, which translates to ‘let’s have intercourse.’ I’m sure there’s an interesting story there!

Since I have spent so much time at this site, I need is to figure out a way to apply this useless but fun information in the fiction I write. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by. And a special thank you to all of you that who have been leaving comments. I appreciate the fact you have taken the time to let me know you visited. Your informative, kind and funny remarks brighten my day.


Tags: National Geographic, Adirondack, Ponchaoula, Okeechobee, Malibu, Florida, Native American names, interactive map, >, Paul Harvey,

Renting a Book

“Today convenience is the success factor of just about every type of product and service that is showing steady growth.” –Charles G. Mortimer

For the movie buffs, there’s NetFlix. You select a movie, it’s delivered to your door, and you return it when you’re finished. Now someone has taken that same concept and applied it for book lovers. It’s called BookSwim. The books are shipped to your home in recycled packaging and you keep them as long as you wish.

BookSwim cannot be good news for bookstores or online booksellers. I’m torn as to whether this service will help or hurt authors. On the one hand, there’s the added exposure. On the other, like a library, the book is borrowed—not purchased, although there is that option.

Because I couldn’t find The Ride listed, I assume the selection is not as great as on Amazon.com. However, they did have many titles from which to choose, including textbooks.

I haven’t signed up because I’m a bookstore fan. I love browsing. I also enjoy owning the books I read. But, I do think it is a very clever idea and offers a valuable service to readers, especially for anyone who doesn’t live near a library or bookstore.

Would you use a service like BookSwim?

Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: NetFlix, BookSwim, The Ride, Charles Mortimer, Amazon

When to Give Up on a Book

“I firmly believe every book was meant to be written.” – Marchette Chute

Recently I ran across When to Put a Book Down on wsl.com. The article addressed the question of how many pages to invest in a book that you aren’t enjoying before giving up. For me this is a dilemma.

I have only given up on a few books before reaching the end. Maybe knowing firsthand the amount of work involved in writing makes me feel as if I have to give every book I pick up a fair chance. I convince myself that if I keep going, the story or characters will eventually grab me. When I’m having trouble getting into a book that comes highly recommended, I feel as though I must be missing something and keep reading in search of what that something is.

Nine times out of ten, if I don’t like the book by the first fifty pages, I’m not going to like it period. Yet I continue to slog through it and upon reading that last page, I want to throw the book across the room and scream, “Why did I waste my time on this!”

Of course, there’s that one in ten that comes along and I reach the end and think, “Wow, that was a good book, after all. I’m glad I stuck with it.”

Cynthia Crossen, the author of the article, expressed my own feelings very well when she said, “But I never feel good about stopping. Whoever's to blame—the author or me—something has failed. It's especially dispiriting when the book has been pressed into your hands by a trusted friend.”

She suggested an interesting exercise, “Some educators ask young readers who want to stop reading a book to fill out a "Stop Reading Form," explaining what they don't like about the book. I think this would be a good exercise for everyone—to devote a few minutes to analyzing why you and the book are parting ways. You might start seeing a pattern.”

How many pages do you give a book before you give up? If you stick with one you don’t care for are you usually glad or disappointed?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Marchette Chute, when to put a book down, getting into a book,

Working Toward 70 Exposures

“Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.” – Olin Miller

In the new issue of The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, Penny Sanservieri has written an article “Is Anyone Listening? Eight Tips to Help you Market in the Age of New Media.” The tips are helpful but what caught my attention was:

“With all of these increased ways to get our news, it also means that the marketing "Rule of 7" is now around 70. An old marketing adage suggested that it takes 7 exposures to your book, message, or product to hook a new consumer. Now, with all of the things that we consume on a daily basis, the rule is considerably larger. Is it 70 exactly? I don't know. But it's certainly well beyond the seven exposures.” (Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques http://www.amarketingexpert.com.)

This is not good news for new authors from small publishing houses, who are expected to do 99.9% of their own promotion. After all, there are only so many hours in a day. Therefore, I am always grateful when an opportunity to showcase the The Ride comes along.

Today (May 1), my showcase opportunity is on TheBookCalendar 2009, where The Ride is the book of the day. I hope you will visit often and support this site that not only helps authors, but also provides potential readers with valuable information on the many wonderful books that are available.

Also, if you don’t receive The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, I thoroughly recommend signing up for your copy.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, Penny Sansevieri, The Book Calendar, marketing exposure, The Ride, Olin Miller,