Monthly Archives: January 2013

Book Promotion Ideas

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I’ve often told new and aspiring authors that just writing a book doesn’t insure its success. No book sells unless it’s promoted. Several of my authors have done just that and been highly successful.

One important book promotion idea is to have someone with like interests who has pull among those most likely to purchase your book do a review, either online, or in a printed publication. Katy Ishee is the author of Pieces of My Heart, a heart-rending true story of a young girl who got pregnant as a teen, then was not only forced to give up her baby, but given electrical shock treatments in an attempt to erase all memory of him. After that, she spent many years of wandering about the country, joining motorcycle groups, and searching relentlessly for her child until she found him. A number of celebrities and writers have endorsed the book. Recently, Toker, a member of the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club did a great story on her found at this site http://ghostridertoker.wordpress.com/pieces-of-my-heart-a-review/. She has also been on television and has traveled around the country doing signings to promote her book.

Another of our authors, Tammy Mentzer Brown, tells her story with great emotion in A Teacher’s Prayer.  Though a vastly different type of writing, there are the common threads of childhood abuse and recovery. Her book has been so successful that she is traveling doing seminars at womens’ groups, churches, and even schools. She was recently on Fox TV in Birmingham, Alabama. That interview may be viewed at   http://www.myfoxal.com/category/240204/video-landing-page?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7954797.

For more ideas to promote your book can begin by visiting our site at http://stclairpublications.com and emailing me at stan@stclair.net.

Writing a book

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As both an author and a publisher for a number of years now, I’ve had a lot of people contact me about writing a book. Most of them feel like they have something to say that they want to tell the world. This is a noble goal, and because a lot of folks have it on their bucket list, it’s paramount to have somewhere to turn for guidance in the process who has the knowledge of not only where to begin, but how to put all the parts together and make the venture all it can be from writing the first line to marketing it.

Writing a book can be a frustrating experience, and one which can confuse even the most proficient writer. Then there is the sticky matter of getting it published. Traditional publishers turn down thousands of good manuscripts each day. Back when I wrote my first book, I was actually getting my manuscript read. Today, even that is highly unlikely unless you get professional guidance and choose a publisher who can get and keep you on the right track. But even more alarming is how much many ‘self-publishing’ firms charge for basic services.

All of these are reasons that if you want to write a book, or if you already have done so, St. Clair Publications is the ideal place to turn. Email me at stan@stclair.net for information…that’s free!

Thanks for the views – and your business

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St. Clair Publications is taking off. We have only had our new web site up and running for just over 1 year (we had another one before that, of course) and already the new one has had 27,775 hits. Every day a lot of folks take a look at our bright young company. Our business is growing and we have sold thousands of paperbacks, and many, many e-books, primarily on Kindle.

Within the past few days more authors than ever have contacted me personally about publication of their books. We have 12 new titles at some stage of writing or preparation for publication with new authors contacting me all the time. At a time when our economy has been at a near-standstill for four years, and when other publishers have folded or closed book stores, this makes me know that we are doing something right, First, we are the least expensive source I know about for a new author to get their work in print. Then we have top-quality books which people want to read. Some of our authors have been on TV, in magazines and newspapers with their books. Some have even received positive feedback from celebrities. And for anyone not wanting a hard copy, we can go straight to e-book format. We are POD (print on demand) so no large stockpile of books is required. In addition, for those desiring reprints of books, hard cover or paperback, within our guidelines, of course, we are your source.

Check out our web site and you’ll understand what we can do for you. It is http://stclairpublications.com or you may contact me directly at stan@stclair.net .

“Small Enough to Listen to the Author, Large Enough to Reach the World.”

British Author Biography was well-writen

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In 2010 we were privileged to publish in the UK and US similtaneously a wonderful biography about a popular nineteenth-century author which has all but been forgotten in modern times.

The author of this book, Joy Dunicliff, has lived in Uttoxeter, East Staffordshire, England, for more than 50 years, where she is the local historian. She is an expert on Uttoxeter’s most famous nineteenth-century resident, Mary Howitt, and has previously published The Traveler on the Hill-top: Mary Howitt, the Famous Victorian Authoress and Mary Howitt, Another Lost Victorian Author, among other works.

Identifying with Mary for many reasons, viz women’s rights, writing and the gentry of the area, the study of these subjects drove Ms. Dunicliff to compose a fresh new biography centered around Mary Howitt’s conversion from the Quaker faith to that of a Roman Catholic not long before her death.

Book Synopsis: 

Quaker to Catholic: Mary Howitt, Lost Author of the 19th Century, is a fascinating look inside the life of one of the most endearing figures of Nineteenth Century England. Best known for her classic children’s poem, The Spider and the Fly. Ms. Howitt was a close friend of such figures as Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth and Mary Barrett Browning. She introduced the English version of Hans Christian Anderson’s tales by translating them from Danish.

She and her dedicated husband, William, helped get many well-known authors of their day into print. A great champion of women’s rights and abolition of the slave trade, she became friends and an associate of Hariett Baker Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Uneasy with the practices of the Quakers in relation to clothing and rights of women, she finally converted to Catholicism before her death in 1888 at the age of 89.

Written in the first person, this unique work gives the reader the feel of living in the Victorian age in England, Europe and Australia, and a shocking look at the hopeless plight of women of the day.

The book is distributed by Ingram Books and is available through stores where better books are sold and at http://stclairpublications.com and a number of other online booksellers around the globe.

Each day brings new challenges

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It seems that to some extent this has been one constant. But that statement in itself is a bit of a paradox. I suppose I’m glad that new projects and puzzles lurk on the horizon of each new sunrise–actually I face them earlier, since I am an early riser. Without something to occupy my imagination I would lack vision. And without a vision people perish.

Today I am dealing with a mix of circumstances regarding pubilcation at some level with five books. Receiving the Kindle version of a classic from an associate and setting it up to go on Amazon; receiving in the mail two proofs of other books and likely a hardback history book which I am examining for scanning and reprinting because the original publisher has gone out of business; and conducting an interview with a new author regarding publishing her book of poetry. And, oh yes…,likely spending time inserting some edits which come to me from another associate on my own new book. Certainly a busy day, and this is not all I am dealing with.

But if I didn’t feel that it was all for the greater good I would be enjoying retirement from my previous profession rather than spreading myself thin like this. Yet even in so doing, I always am concerned with each individual author and each particular book, and do not get off focus while handling them.

Our motto is Small Enough to Care about the Author, Large Enough to Reach the World.

Today marks another historic milestone

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After a hotly contested presidential race and a narrow miss of going over what became known as ‘the fiscal cliff,’ America’s eyes today are turned toward the second public inaugaration of the first American President of African descent. It is also, coincidentally, Martin Luther King Day, celebrating the legacy of the most beloved non-violent leader for Civil Rights in America’s history. 

Yes, our nation is sharply devided, perhaps on a scale not equaled since the Civil War, a schism, like that of Dr. King, involving Civil Rights. Now, however, the sharp divide is more about other weighty matters.

My book, A Place in Time, available on Amazon.com, chronicles the divisions still existing in the reconstruction era, in a short, easy-to-read novel which puts you in the picture from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the first downfall of the Ku Klux Clan. Order your copy today.

Book Signing this Saturday

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Everyone in the area of Middle Tennessee is hereby invited to attend the book signing to be held this Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Coffee County Public Library on Hillsboro Rd. in Manchester. Ron Cunningham and I will both be in attendance to sign copies of our true crime books, Conspiracy in the Town that TIme Forgot, Conspiracy, Book II, in Search of Justice, and Reflections of an Investigator, In Search of Justice, Book III. Ron spent over thirty years in law enforcement and at one time had a contract out on his life.

I will also have some copies of On the Origin of the Cliches and Evolution of Idioms. Several other authors will also be in attendance. Hope to see you there! 

 

Setting the Standard in a Genre

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Watching the Golden Globes and other such award shows gives me a prospective of what is relavent in a particular marketplace and enriches my personal understanding of the various categories being judged.

Most motion pictures are based on books, of course, and only those catching the eye of producers are considered for such distinction. Then only the best of the best are the recipients of awards.

In not only writing, but publishing books, I understand more than the average person, that quality and desirability of a certain book is imperative in order for it to sell. At St. Clair Publications it is our desire to publish books, both in hard copies and e books, which will be appreciated and purchased by a fair share of individuals who are interested in or have need for that subject matter.

Our variety of genres runs a large gammet. We publish anything from poetry to sci-fi; from romance and time travel to religious publications and self-improvement; from true crime to dictionaries.

It is our desire to set the standard, which is not that easy in today’s wide market. And speaking of dictionaries, my phrase origin books have been some of the best-selling ones online. On the Origin of the Cliches and Evolution of Idioms with its quirky style of humor, has been near the top of Amazon’s best-selling cliche origin books for the last two Christmas seasons since it was released in September, 2011. The second volume of this is On the Origin of the Cliches, All New, Volume Two. It has held it’s own as well. But my ultimate and final effort in this field is now nearing publication. It is called Most Comprehensive Origins of Cliches, Proverbs and Figurative Expressions. It takes out the humor and competes with the dictionaries produced by the major New York companies in this field. In fact, in it I prove many of the earliest citations and some very origins of phrases published previously to be incorrect. In short, It is almost 800 pages in small print, and I plan on setting a new and impressive industry standard. It is due out this spring.

If you have a manuscript which you feel can set a standard in its genre, please contact me at stan@stclair.net . Of course, we reserve the right of rejecting any manuscript. But you never know till you try… and you may be pleasantly surprised.

(St. Clair Publications is a POD publisher)

Moments that take our breath away

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There’s a proverb that says, Life is not measured by the nember of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. How true. With all of the ugliness we see on the news one might think that all is bleak–that no one cares–but that is not true. God cares for us all, and we are all in His hands.

If we paid less heed to media hype and spent more time on positive matters, we would see that there is much good to behold. So absorb yourself in your blessings today, not the evil which lurks in the dark corners of the minds of those who see no hope.

Think of the beauty of nature–the purple mountains’ majesty, the unconditional love of a mother for her child and that of the Creator for His creation. Read some inspiring poetry; watch an uplifting film.

The beauty, love and hope are out there for free. Inspiring poetry may be found in many places. One good source are books from St. Clair Publications like my Reflections on Life, Inspirational Poems of Encouragement by Philip C. Vinson and Apprentice on a Journey.by Canadian poet and music teacher, Susan Flemming.

Lose yourself today in a moment which will take your breath away.

Michele Doucette books now on Kindle

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This Christmas, the number two most popular gift was tha Kindle Fire.  Spiritual author and novelist, Michele Doucette, has just included four of her insightful works in those avaliable on Amazon Kindle. Some have wonderful color illustrations which will show up brilliantly if you own a Fire.

Her current Kindle e books are her first novel, A Travel in Time to Grand Pre; The Ultimate Enlightenment for 2012: All We Need is Ourselves; Turn off the TV:  Turn on Your Mind, and Veracity at its Best. Michele’s e books start at only $2.99, and are sure to keep your interest. Send a copy of one of these inspiring titles to your Kindle today and find out why she is so popular among young aspiring adults.