Book Fair Time Coming September 17th

by | Aug 8, 2016 | Articles | 0 comments

Most of my blog posts are related in one way or another to the business of being an author – expanding your author platform, improving your book marketing, and so on – and not strictly self-promotional. However, every once in a while, I’ve got a radio interview or book fair that needs mentioning, and the event coming up on September 17th is a big one. It’s the second annual On Point Executive Book Fair, and it’s going to be my first book fair to promote Miles of Files, Brothers’ Hand, and Jana. I’ll have my own table there with copies of all three novels available for sale.

One thing that’s really interesting to me is how many other people will be there who I either already know, or know about from their presence online. The main page of this website has a little video testimonial from Dr. Ed Whittle, who I helped with editing his first real estate-themed book, Thanks, No Banks. Ed is planning to be there, so that should make it a fun day. I’ve known him for about 20 years, and he’s good people. There are going to be quite a few local authors and publishers I’ve met through work or networking.

I’ve also invited quite a few friends and former colleagues, so I’m looking forward to seeing some of them too. I’m not taking a ton of books with me, but I know there are some people who would like a signed copy of one of the novels. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, come say hello. Again, it’s the On Point Executive Book Fair at WestShore Plaza on September 17th. I hope to meet some old friends, and maybe even make a few new ones! For more info, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/onpointbookfair.

Who Are Your Greatest Connections?

When it comes to networking, making connections with people who have a greater influence in your industry can be beneficial in ways that go on and on. This has proven true for many people, I'm sure, and I know I've seen it in my own experience. Two recent examples...
writer

Are You The Kind Of Writer Who Reads A Lot?

When I was in high school, I had a real dilemma: I loved the books the teachers assigned us, and as a result, the teachers loved me. Naturally, that meant some of the other students hated me. Now, I should clarify this by saying that I didn't always love what I was...
serial

If You Don’t Write in a Serial Format, Good Luck With Amazon Classifications

This week’s topic is one near and dear to my grizzled, cynical old heart—adjusting to the nightmarish landscape of book classifications. Some writers have no problem with this stuff, and hey, more power to you. But as I wrote in What I’ve Learned In Six Years of...
IngramSpark KDP

Using IngramSpark and KDP Print For Your Paperbacks

This week's post is about using two different companies for Print-On-Demand publishing—IngramSpark and KDP. Ever since Amazon began offering services to authors, there's been a question in the indie author community: should I use them? My answer, initially, was a...

Indie Authors & Literary Fiction

Back in July, I posted an interview with fellow indie author Jay Lemming.  Jay has a terrific ongoing project simply called “Survey: Indie Writers of Literary Fiction.” In his survey, he asks fellow lit fiction authors about one of their novels, and in particular,...
artists

Calling All Artists

This week's blog post is going to be super short: if you've ever read the blog, you’ll know I'm posting often about my upcoming book launch. I’m releasing my fourth novel in 2019, and I’m putting a lot of emphasis on finding artists first. I put out a call for graphic...
platform

Platform-Building for Authors

A while back, I wrote a LinkedIn article on platform-building for authors, a frequent topic for my speaking gigs and for online posts in general. Today I thought I'd revisit some of that for the blog, discussing how speaking can help an author. Building a platform...
president

Vote Like Your Life Depends On It—Then Let It Go

​In 1994, I wrote a novel called Brothers’ Hand, in which the titular character mentions that someday working class people might very well use billionaire “Duncan Scrump’s” name as a curse word one day. Of course, I never imagined such a person could become our...
catholic school

I Survived Catholic School

This post isn’t meant to be provocative, though I understand my readers who also happen to be good Catholics might see it that way. No, it’s something else altogether.Years ago, it wasn’t unusual to hear someone talking about how the nuns hit their knuckles with...
drivers

Florida Drivers, Beware

This weekend I had to run out for essentials, which I’m only doing when absolutely necessary. But it seems like plenty of other people were out there, too, and I can’t help believing some of them just didn’t want to be bored at home. So when it came time for me to get...
hiatus

Another Hiatus

This blog has been around a while: it's been over ten years since I first embarked on the journey of keeping a blog running in addition to all my other writing projects and responsibilities. I went on a "blog hiatus" a few years ago as the result of a combination of...
Memorial

Why You Shouldn’t Say “Happy Memorial Day”

I don't have a vested interest in Memorial Day. Although I have had many veterans in my family—father, both grandfathers, an uncle—none of them died in combat. However, in recent years, I've become aware of a troubling trend: that of treating every holiday with a...
boost mood

Simple Steps to Boost Your Mood on Tough Mental Health Days

Every once in a while, I get an offer from a fellow writer who would like me to share a guest post. Today turns out to be a great day for that, so without further introduction, here’s Davis Jameson on how to boost your mood on tough mental health days:   Busy...
punch

More On Misandry and The Dangers of Toxic Feminism

"All men should start off in jail and prove their way out." —The dizziest broad on the internet   I didn't think I would ever write a follow up article to last year's post, Misandry, Hypocrisy, and Understanding Toxic Feminism's Failure. After all, the title of...
syzygy

From The Shadow Side to the Syzygy

Anima rising, Queen of queens Wash my guilt of Eden Wash and balance me - Joni Mitchell, Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow   I’ve always enjoyed learning new words—or, as is more likely at my age, relearning words I’ve forgotten—so I was pleased to put syzygy in the...

Finding a Good Designer Is Like Finding Gold

Are you feeling grumpy today? Well, sure, it's Monday, so why not? So I'm posting some grumpy cats that I hope will give you a smile. These aren't just any grumpy cat cartoons. These are one of many features in the logo and branding portfolio of Mr. Ari Ombesi. Ari...

Book Launch Time: The Biggest Day In A Writer’s Life

Over the past few weeks, I've been posting a few hints about my upcoming book launch: Hot Scenes, available for preorder before its May 7 publication. Anyone familiar with my work most likely knows I have some humor in most of my books. However, this launch marks the...
drum

“I Want to Bang on the Drum All Day”

Ever have an old song pop into your head and then it’s just there all day?  For those of you reading this who are old enough to get the reference, today’s blog post title comes from a Todd Rundgren song from the early 80s, “Bang the Drum All Day.” Todd Rundgren was...
passive income

How Freelancers Can Build Passive Income Streams for Steady Growth

In recent months, I’ve opened up the blog to guest posts from fellow writer Davis Jameson. This month’s post is about how to add passive incomes to a freelance business, always a timely topic. Without further ado, here’s Davis: Freelancers who rely on client work,...
money

Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow…Right?

Recently, I was reading a post from an online trainer who coaches authors and other professionals. This trainer discusses the contrast between writing for money and writing for passion. In other words, the age-old conundrum: if you do what you love, will the money...