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Family Legacy Is Becoming Real to Me Now

By Scotty Cottell

As my years advance towards age seventy, I am now taking the word LEGACY, to heart. What I think is most important is not money or land or stuff but the fact that I did try to reconnect with my wife and daughters and grandkids. I admit to being reclusive, a bit of a hermit. I am constantly looking for ways to break out of this prison I create for myself.

When my wife and I travel, we reconnect. We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and it set a great pattern for us later on. Decades later we always look forward to ‘getting out of town’ and escaping the urban frenzy. Sometimes this is just a short one hour roadtrip and sometimes it is to the tropics. It’s all good!

Then there are the three daughters to reconnect with. We are all close, but in different ways. One daughter plays guitar. I have always played guitar so this is a great way to reconnect if we have grown a bit distant. My grandaughter, that is her daughter, has now learned to play guitar so there now is a good feeling of legacy that warms my heart.

Another daughter loves to talk about rock bands like U2 and Led Zeppelin. This how we reconnect. Just lately, we took her to an amazing concert starring Paul Simon and Sting. This was on her birthday and we could tell she was really into the music!

Our oldest daughter also loves music, but more like Abba and Supertramp. I love these bands too! My grandson, her son, plays electric guitar. Cool! This daughter loves to eat fish and chips with her old dad, on occasion. This is a very yummy way to reconnect, if you ask me.

If I let myself become a hermit, then I will turn into a hermit crab. This is what my inner child is wisely saying. I am trying to heed this warning and break out of my shell. Maybe soon I’ll try some social media or just stick to writing articles. It is all helping me to emerge as a person. It also helps that I walking a lot on sunny days and playing a lot of guitar and mandolin. If I permit myself, I might even attempt fiddle or string bass. I am on a roll!

Even thinking about RECONNECTING is having positive effects on my psyche. I will move forward with this new positive attitude, seize the moment, and continue to write article after article!

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The Secrets of Book Publishing Everyone Needs to Know!
By T. R. Locke

One of the most difficult parts of writing a book used to be getting it published. When you write a book, you rely on your own ideas, your own research and your own words. However, when it comes to getting a book published traditionally, you have to rely on others. Not anymore.

There are three ways that you can get your book published-through self-publishing, through a publishing company or as an e-book.

Getting a Book Published Through a Traditional Publisher

Getting a book published through a publishing company will guarantee a large distribution, slightly better legitimacy, a better chance for being stocked in bookstores and a better chance for reviews. Publishing companies have large marketing resources to help make sure their books are given the best exposure to the market. Publishing companies also offer editorial services, book design, and target audience marketing to make sure your book has the best chance for success.

The hardest part about getting a book published through a publishing company is getting them interested. Most publishers are looking for the easy sell. What that means is that they chose to publish books by authors who have a demonstrated platform. A platform is a word for audience. When a publishing company considers a new author, the main thing they want to know is who will buy this author’s book. A writer with a demonstrated platform gives the publishing company confidence the book will make a profit. The types of platforms publishers generally look for are authors who are nationally known and can command media attention–this is why so many celebrities are able to write books. Other platforms include large mailing lists or newsletter subscribers, being the head of a large company, having a very active speaking schedule before large audiences, being a TV commentator or radio commentator, being in a high-profile position, being considered an expert in your field, etc.

The second thing a publisher looks for is whether the author has something significant to say. Is the information the wants to communicate timely, unique, interesting, new, fresh, insightful, funny? In the case of fiction, is the story well written, are the characters new, exciting, marketable?

Finally a publisher will want to know what the author is willing to do to help sell the book. Have a marketing proposal ready when meeting with the publishing company. The more you sell your book and make it seem interesting, and profitable, the more likely the company is to publish it.

Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Branch out to many publishing companies. The more companies you target, the more likely you are to get your book published. Fourteen agents rejected Stephanie Meyer’s blockbuster vampire book before one took a chance. To date the book has sold well over 17 million copies. Not everyone will get your vision for your book. The key is to keep trying anyway.

Self-Publishing Your Book

The other method is to publish the book yourself. There are many self-publishing sites available on the web that offer most of the same services of traditional publishers but at a fee. Some offer more detailed services than others, but all are able to produce a book that looks every bit as good as a traditionally published book. Fair warning, some of these services are known rip-offs so do your research, but know that just because a traditional publisher has passed on your book, it does not mean your dream of being a writer has passed too.

Publishing Your Book as an E-Book

Finally with growth of e-books, it is also possible to write your book on your computer and sell it directly in e-book form online. Each of the various readers–Amazon Kindle, I-pad, Nook and Sony e-book reader all have software to convert your computer’s word processing files into a book that can be viewed on their reader. You can then upload and sell your book directly on Amazon. All that you need to do is market as you would a hard copy book–get the word out to everyone with a link to buy it.

Getting a publisher for your book used to be the hardest part of writing a book. In today’s publishing word, that is no longer true. Call today or click here for a more thorough examination of your options and a free, no obligation consultation on the best book publishing option for you.

T. R. Locke is a screenwriter, author and book ghostwriter. For a free consultation on your book (regularly $100), visit http://www.YourGhostwriterOnline.com, click on the “Free $100 Book Consultation Link” and fill in the form.

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