by Sherrie Wilkolaski
While looking at what new movies are out I noticed that there is a new Star Trek movie in 
theatres. It got me thinking about how things keep coming back around. Remakes of old movies or TV shows, or even books. More importantly, it got me thinking about how authors should look at their surroundings and take advantage of what the media is promoting and tie their books to the buzz.
With Star Trek Into Darkness out in theatres, I thought I would check out the Infinity Publishing catalog and see if I could find any books on the subject. Turns out, there is a Star Trek book at buybooksontheweb.com called What Is It About Star Trek? by Russell Hany.
This is a wonderful opportunity for author Russell Hany to market and promote his book. To ride the coattails of the movie promotion and reignite interest in his book. Introduce his title to new and old Trekkies alike.
To learn more about What Is It About Star Trek? check out the book excerpt.
What about authors who don't have a connection to Captain Kirk or Spock? Keep your eyes open and find other media connections. They are everywhere. You just have to look.
Tell us about how you’ve connected your book to a recent media story below and inspire other authors to do the same!
Book Excerpt: What Is It About Star Trek? by Russell Hany
What is it about Star Trek?
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A television series in the 1960s was written about a starship called Enterprise, which was on a five-year mission to explore the galaxy. The different episodes consisted of stories about the 430 crew members and their adventures among the stars. The captain of the ship was James T. Kirk, "the youngest man ever to be assigned a starship command, and a brilliant, irresistibly attractive and hard-driving leader who pushed himself and his crew beyond human limits."* His first officer, Mr. Spock, was half Vulcan (and half human), which meant that he was very logical and rarely showed his emotions. The rest of the crew was very diverse in ethnic background and showed great loyalty to their captain. This series, created by Gene Roddenberry, was called Star Trek.
Ever since the first episode of Star Trek was broadcast, on September 8, 1966, its presence in the American culture has been growing. That original series lasted three seasons and consisted of 78 episodes. The third season was originally canceled, but due to a tremendous amount of fan mail it was saved. Although new episodes were not being produced, Star Trek was still being watched. Syndication had taken over and reruns of the original episodes continued to be broadcast. In 1973, another resurrection occurred when 22 cartoon episodes were created for Saturday morning programming.**
For a series that existed only in reruns the number of fans and their continued dedication to the show was unprecedented. Fan clubs, Star Trek conventions, books, and magazines were all evidence in support of an uncommon occurrence. A Star Trek letter writing campaign instigated by two fans, Bjo and John Trimble, succeeded in getting over 500,000 letters written to President Gerald Ford, who in turn changed the name of the first space shuttle to Enterprise.** The legacy continued on with further Star Trek sagas being told through nine motion pictures and four additional television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation (7 seasons), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (7 seasons), Star Trek: Voyager (7 seasons), and Star Trek: Enterprise. Something about these shows continues to attract countless fans - even in re-run form.
The motivations behind fans' devotion to watch Star Trek will be one area of focus of this study. These motivations will be examined through a uses and gratifications process. Uses and Gratifications is used to examine the effects that television has on its viewers and also attempts to determine what motivates people to watch. The differences between viewers' desires to watch Star Trek and their desires to watch other programs will be the second area of focus. A determination will be made as to whether Star Trek has a different value to people that watch it than general television does.
To learn more...
Welcome to our Author Interview series.
Today we're featuring an interview with Dennis B. Sullivan, author of The Senior & Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty. Our author interview series provides an opportunity for our readers to get to know our authors on a deeper level and also learn more about the types of books we're publishing.
Dennis B. Sullivan, Esq, CPA, LLM has over 25 years of service helping people and their families. With people living longer, it is important to plan for what can happen in the years 
ahead. Attorney Sullivan founded The Estate Planning & Asset Protection Law Center of Dennis Sullivan & Associates, a team of caring professionals dedicated to helping people protect their home, spouse and life savings from increasing medical and nursing home costs, taxes, and the costs and time delays of probate. We also prevent people from losing control over their own health care and financial decisions. Our unique education and counseling process puts people in charge of their planning so that they are able to understand where problems may exist as well as opportunities for improvement as they plan for a protected future.
Synopsis: The Senior & Boomers Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty
Many Seniors and Boomers are concerned because home values and savings have declined while there is continued uncertainty in Washington as well as with the economy. In Massachusetts, one-month in a nursing home costs an average of $12,000-$15,000 per month. There have also been a number of significant changes to the health care system. As a result, Seniors and Boomers are very concerned about how the Affordable Care Act will impact their lives, futures, finances, and health care.
The Senior & Boomers Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty was written to help people understand what Health Care Reform means for them and also to show Seniors and Boomers how they can plan ahead to avoid nursing home poverty!
Author Interview:
Here's your chance to market your book. Describe it. Why should readers pick it up?
Medical and long term care costs continue to rise. In Massachusetts, one-month in a nursing home costs an average of $12,000-$15,000 per month. Additionally, there will be a number of significant changes to the health care system in the United States. Seniors and Boomers, are concerned about how the Affordable Care Act will impact their lives, future, finances, and health care.
The information in the Senior & Boomers Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty has been gathered and assembled by our team of caring, dedicated professionals, with Seniors’ and Boomers’ needs in mind.
Today’s Seniors find themselves asking questions that were unheard of only a generation ago. To help alleviate confusion and provide some guidance in a very confusing area, you will have a valuable resource in The Senior & Boomers Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty.
Why do you think your readers are going to enjoy your book?
People will like the Senior & Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty because it provides answers to common questions, solutions to common problems, and lets people know that help is available in these confusing times. People will also like the book because they will discover:
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How Health Care Reform will impact your family, health care, Medicare coverage and Medicaid coverage.
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Hidden Benefits to Help Reduce the Out-of-Pocket Costs of Long Term Care
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Alternatives to Nursing Homes; and
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Steps you should be taking now to avoid nursing home poverty
How long did it take you to write your book?
While this book took 6-8 months of researching, reviewing, writing and editing a large portion of the book, however, is the result of our experience gained over 25 years of dedicated service helping people and their families.
What are you doing to market your book?
One thing we are doing and feel great about is donating proceeds to a worthy cause. We have pledged $5 from every sale of the Senior & Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty to the American Red Cross, to help them in their Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
Can you tell readers something unique about your book?
This book will help you understand the Affordable Care Act’s impact on Seniors and Boomers AND how to plan to avoid rising long term care costs while protecting your spouse, home and life savings. The information in our book is CRITICAL for anyone who would rather preserve their life savings for their family than spend it on long term care. The book is unique because it helps Seniors and Boomers become better educated so they can prepare themselves for the changes in their benefits from programs like Medicare and Medicaid, as well as how this will affect their health care, taxes, and life savings.
Who inspires you?
Our inspiration comes from the people and families that we help every day. Their questions and concerns around the Affordable Care Act, long term care planning, and the future of programs like Medicare and Medicaid inspired us to write the Senior and Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform and Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty.
The Senior & Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty was written to help people and their families that are concerned about their future and want to protect themselves.
Have you written your entire life? Have you always considered yourself a writer?
We are professionals dedicated to helping people and their families. One of the ways we help people is by educating our community through workshops, guides, reports and books. This is our 6th book, which we hope will be a very helpful resource for the people and families we serve.
Our mission as Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys is to help people and their families to identify and prevent potential problems that will threaten the family’s lifestyle if they do not take action to protect what they have worked so hard for.
What is Long-term Care?
Long-term care refers to a wide range of medical, personal and social services. You may need this type of care if you have a prolonged illness or disability. This care may include help with daily activities, as well as home health care, adult daycare, nursing home care or care in a group living facility. Long-term care insurance is one way to pay for long-term care costs. However, the costs and eligibility requirements mean this type of insurance may not be for everyone. In our experience, most people do not have or want long term care insurance. There are a number of other choices available that allow people to protect their spouse, home and life savings. One such choice is to plan ahead to protect your home, spouse and life savings from the rising costs of nursing home care.
Can you explain to readers why planning for long term care is so important?
Yes, I recall an example illustrating the importance of planning ahead that comes to mind.
Mr. and Mrs. M came to us for help with their estate planning at a time when Mr. M was already in declining health. We proposed a plan to protect their home and other assets from nursing home costs (ranging from $12,000- $15,000 a month and rising rapidly), but the family said they needed to “think about” the plan.
The M Family knew they wanted to take steps to protect themselves from the increasing costs of nursing homes but their indecision proved costly. Unfortunately, before they took steps to protect their assets Mr. M needed nursing home care. Mrs. M took emergency steps to protect her home and some assets, but it was too late to fully protect all of their life savings from the cost of Mr. M’s care.
The family is now paying the cost of Mr. M’s care at $14,000 per month, $5,000 from income and the remaining $9,000 from their assets. The M’s were pleased that they were able to protect some of their life savings through “Emergency Planning” but were sorry that they had not taken steps well in advance to protect more of what they had. With more baby boomers reaching the age of 65 each year, planning ahead will become even more important in the years ahead.
Do you have any examples where planning ahead was successful?
There are a number of examples I can share, however there is one example of a family who planned ahead and was well prepared for their long term care needs that comes to mind.
Mr. and Mrs. V came to us for help with their estate planning and to protect their life savings from nursing home costs. We put together a comprehensive plan to avoid probate, protect their home and other assets, minimize taxes and protect their children’s inheritances. Our plan even allowed their their youngest daughter with special needs concerns to continue receiving special needs benefits and care.
Mr. V passed away a year later and when the family came in, we were able to help them complete the process and provide the family with complete access to their investments within a month, rather than being tied up in the court’s probate process. During a meeting, the family mentioned how pleased Mr. V would have been because it was so important for him that things go smoothly for his family.
The different experiences of these two families clearly illustrates why planning ahead is so important.
Are there any common questions you get?
There are a number of people that have Revocable trusts. They often ask if their home and investments are safe and secure.
While there are many great reasons for having a Revocable trust, the answer is quite simply, NO! Assets in a Revocable trust are open and available to you, therefore they are also open and available to pay the nursing home. What would make sense for long term care planning purposes, including Veterans Benefits and nursing home planning, is a different type of trust. We call it a “Protective Trust”.
There are many other important questions and topics covered in the Senior and Boomer’s Guide to Health Care Reform & Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty. It is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNobles.com and BuyBooksOnTheWeb.com. You can also find more information online at www.DSullivan.com.
We hope you and your family find the book to be a valuable resource for you and your family.
You can learn more by visiting:
Infinity Publishing introduces the following new titles to our publishing family.
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Morning Mists An emeritus academic describes more episodes in the rural West, educational plateaus, years of involvement overseas, dynamics of university life, work for social justice, spiritual quest and challenges of aging. read more by David Youmans ~ 0-7414-8471-4 ©2013 Price: $14.95
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Let's Take a Walk: A Soulful Journey of Empowerment Let's Take A Walk… A Soulful Journey to Empowerment is a collection of poems and spiritual messages concerning relationships and psychological barriers; many unique to African Americans. You will find that with faith and God’s unconditional love, you can overcome any obstacle! read more by Cynthia Johnson ~ 0-7414-8387-4 ©2013 Price: $10.45
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Mosby: The War Years Colonel John S. Mosby is known as the “Gray Ghost.” Follow his war experiences and adventures while leading his Confederate partisan rangers to glory from their formation until the end of the Civil War. read more by CW Whitehair ~ 0-7414-8438-2 ©2013 Price: $16.95
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Foundation Rocks of Christianity Christ, his apostles, disciples, early successors and willing martyrs during, the dawning of Christianity, are the "Foundation Rocks of Christianity". This story is of the struggle of these heroes. read more by John P. Shanley ~ 0-7414-8443-9 ©2013 Price: $13.45
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Everybody [Sheppard Williams’]poems about serving others in a dementia ward are especially beautiful. There the surprise comes in discovering the living core of humanity inside a person silenced by disability. read more by Marie Sheppard Williams ~ 0-7414-8235-5 ©2013 Price: $12.45
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by Sherrie Wilkolaski
With the excitement of the end of basketball season upon us and the start of baseball season, it got me thinking about how important teamwork is. Not just only in sports by in other areas of life. It’s more than having a good coach; you need good players and the right conditions to succeed. The mystery factor is determination. I do believe if you put your mind to it, you can achieve almost anything.
When it comes to publishing, Infinity Publishing is all about supporting our #1 athletes...our authors. Our Author Advocates coach each and every author into identifying the right “play” (or publishing program) for their title. No matter what your "game" (or book genre) we're all working together and cheering for your title, both on and off the court.
Who is on your publishing team? Find out why Infinity Publishing is right for your book today. Play ball!
In the spirit of my sports analogy, here are a few of our bestselling books on everything from basketball, to baseball, golf and everything in between.
Tell us what your favorite sport is below!
Golf Talk
GOLF TALK –eliminates a golfer’s negative, swing-sabotaging thoughts and demonstrates how to manage self-talk while driving, in the fairway and around the green. read more
by Daniel Stewart Acuff, Ph.D. ~ 0-7414-1727-8 ©2003
Price: $11.95
18 Ways to Play Better Golf A book designed to help you achieve peak performance using step-by-step instructions on how to improve your mental game and gain an edge over competition!
read more by
Antoine Nguyen ~ 0-7414-1410-4 ©2003
Price: $19.95
Finding Greatness Within: Ice Skating Finding Greatness Within: Ice Skating shows you how to find personal greatness on and off the ice.
read more by
Tom Mitchell, Ph.D. ~ 0-7414-1550-X ©2003
Price: $13.95
Muscle: A Minor League Legend read more by
George Stone ~ 0-7414-1507-0 ©2003
Price: $17.95
Mommy, Daddy, Can I Get A Horse?" A Getting Started Guide for Parents of Horse-Crazy Children This book covers everything you need to know to introduce your child to the sport of riding.
read more by
Frances Wilcox Muir ~ 0-7414-1772-3 ©2003
Price: $14.95
Diving the China Wreck Divers descend to an unknown shipwreck that has been sitting on the ocean floor for over a hundred years.
read more by
Michael S. Bullard ~ 0-7414-1737-5 ©2003
Price: $13.95
Remembering to Breathe: Inside Dog Obedience Competition Honeybear and Skippy share a life-defining adventure in pursuit of the "Holy Grail" of dog sports. Remembering to Breathe is a dog story, a sports story, a cliffhanger, a love story. And a "must read" for dog sports enthusiasts.
read more by
Willard Bailey ~ 0-7414-1860-6 ©2003
Price: $24.95 
The Old Ball Ground: The Chronological History of Westfield Baseball: Volume One A chronological narrative with game-by-game coverage, amusing stories, fascinating facts and the missing pieces to the puzzle of baseball history as it traces baseball beginnings in a small industrial New England town
read more by
Daniel L. Genovese ~ 0-7414-1999-8 ©2004
Price: $17.95
Hank's Comeback An eye injury halts Hank’s climb to heavyweight champion. Fearing blame in the death of a friend, he moves, uses an alias, and waits for his eye to heal.
read more by
Hub Broyles ~ 0-7414-2513-0 ©2005
Price: $15.95
Legendary Coaches of the Gridiron Eighteen brilliant coaches led their gridiron teams to the pinnacle of college football since the 1950s. Their bios, their records, and their photographs/portraits are presented in their tributes.
read more by
D. K. Schweigart ~ 0-7414-2920-9 ©2006
Price: $22.95
Magic City: Team of Destiny Magic City is a fictional novel about 5 sets of twins that come together to play for the same high school basketball team and strive to fulfill their goal.
read more by
Daniel J. McNeil ~ 0-7414-3195-5 ©2006
Price: $11.95
Have fun selling your book - and sell your book while you’re having fun.
by Steve Carter
My wife and I have a very well-organized marketing plan for our book, No Fret Cooking. Here is our video: Organizing a Marketing Plan:
We've discovered that "Marketing By Wandering Around" can also be effective. In business management, "management by wandering around" refers to an approach that encourages managers to get out into the workplace and interact with workers, more or less an random, rather than sitting in their offices and waiting for status reports. For writers, it means getting out there and taking advantage of every opportunity to promote our books, and not just sitting home waiting for our books sales reports to roll in.
To better understand how our approach works, it will help if you know a little about us and our book. Marilynn is the author of the cookbook, No Fret Cooking; she’s also a holistic health practitioner, as well as a health and environmental awareness guide. I’m a musician — I composed and performed the music on the two CDs, “Music to Cook By,” and “Music to Dine By,” that are bundled with No Fret Cooking .
We are both self-employed; when we travel for our work, we travel together. While Marilynn is
teaching or attending a class, or working with a client, I might be writing or composing in a coffee shop or a bar. While I'm on a gig or in a business meeting, Marilynn might be reading in a coffee shop, or browsing in the local stores. We often find opportunities in these situations to tell people about our book.
Here's an example. Shortly after our book was published, I had a business meeting in a town about an hour south of our home. Marilynn came along with me. I dropped her off downtown, and while I was in my meeting she had tea in a coffee shop and then went browsing in the stores. In one store she struck up a conversation with the owner, and the conversation turned to the subject of our book. The owner said she'd like to see the book. Marilynn did not have one with her, but she said she was meeting me later, that we have some in the trunk of our car, and she would stop back later with the book. After my meeting I met Marilynn at the coffee shop and she told me about the store owner's interest. We grabbed a book from the trunk and went back to the store. The owner liked the book so much that she said she'd take some on consignment. I went out to the car and grabbed a half dozen copies, and so we got our first consignment agreement. After this, Marilynn made it a point to have a copy of our book with her whenever she visited a new town or went wandering around a familiar town.
Sometimes my wife and I wander around together looking for venues for music gigs, as well as venues where we can present our No Fret Cooking events - a combination of book signing, food samples and live music and more. Recently we visited a brew pub near our home to check it out. The pub was in a business complex that included a conference center where Marilynn 
had previously presented at holistic conferences. We grabbed a book from the trunk of the car and headed for the pub, but Marilynn suggested we drop in to the conference center first. Walking in, we noticed a poster about an upcoming event, "Cocktails and Crafts." We peeked in to the business office and a young woman there said, "Can I help you? " We told her that we were headed for the pub to inquire about a possible book and music event, and on the spur of the moment we'd decided to drop in to inquire about events at the conference center. Marilynn showed the woman the cookbook, explained about how we combine food and music, and the woman took quite an interest. She told us about the upcoming "Cocktails and Crafts" events and I asked her if she had live music for the event. She said she hadn't booked the music yet. To make a long story short, it turned out that she was also the marketing manager for the pub, and not only did she arrange for us to present the cookbook and music at the conference center "Cocktail and Crafts" event, she helped me get a solo gig at the pub. Wondering around paid off big 
time that day!
So my advice is this: when you go into a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, shopping mall, or just wandering around. take along a copy of your book. It has an eye-catching cover and a title that stirs curiosity, doesn't it? Let it spark a conversation with people you meet and you too can do some marketing while wandering around!
Marilynn & Steve Carter (Author)
ISBN: 0-7414-7449-2 ©2012
Price: $29.95
Book Size: 8.5" x 11" , 298 pages
Category/Subject: COOKING / General
Welcome to our Author Interview series.
Today we're featuring an interview with Nancy L. Preston, author of After Sybil... From the Letters of Shirley Mason. Our author interview series provides an opportunity for our readers to get to know our authors on a deeper level and also learn more about the types of books we're publishing.
With degrees from Rio Grande and Ohio State, Nancy L. Preston was a teacher for many years
in central Ohio. Now retired and a free lance writer with many published articles, she writes a monthly column for a national magazine. Warner Brothers interviewed her about her friendship with Shirley Mason and included that interview in their 30th anniversary DVD edition of the movie Sybil. Besides traveling, her husband and she enjoy spending time with their daughters and grandchildren. Dissociative Identity Disorder remains a primary interest of hers and she is in contact with many who live with it every day.
Synopsis: After Sybil...
“I’m Sybil.” Thus, Shirley Mason shared her secret identity with Nancy Preston, former student. That disclosure cemented an enduring twenty-eight year friendship between the two via phone calls, visits, and letters. From Shirley’s first letter to her last phone call to Nancy, After Sybil is a revealing glimpse into the daily life of the woman whose sixteen personalities were merged into the one Nancy knew and loved. Letters, photos, and quotes offer insight to Shirley’s view of her parents, her therapist, and the bestselling book and subsequent movies about her. Interspersed in the book are examples of Shirley’s art, including a unique self portrait.
Author Interview
Here’s your chance to market your book. Describe it. And why readers should pick it up?
The bestselling book Sybil, by Flora Schreiber, ended in 1965 with the integration of Shirley Mason’s 16 personalities. My book picks up there and uses quotes, photos, art, and Shirley’s letters to me to reveal how one of the most famous multiples of all time lived her life, right up until death claimed her in 1998. Shirley’s letters to me over the course of twenty-eight years cannot be disputed as to the truth of the story behind the real Sybil, not the fictional one. As good friends do, we shared a lot. My book in turn shares with readers Shirley’s thoughts about her parents, her therapist, and her art. My book also includes an amazing self portrait that is unlike any of Shirley’s other art.
How did your book come to life?
I attended an art exhibit featuring Shirley’s art in 2004. As I viewed her paintings, my friend seemed to be walking beside me. I could hear her voice talking about her art and when I returned home, I grieved her loss anew. As I sometimes did, I reread her letters to me and thought, “These deserve to be shared so others can come to know the Shirley I knew; the real woman behind the fictional Sybil.” That was my impetus to start After Sybil.
Why do you think your readers are going to enjoy your book?
By headlining pertinent information at the top of the page and adding additional information in blocks at the bottom of the page, the reader can easily get an overview of Shirley’s thoughts and ideas. There are valuable insights as to DID, dissociative identity disorder, as well. And of course, the samples of Shirley’s art are amazing. I’ve also included little tidbits and trivia about various topics that Shirley has referred to in her letters.
How long did it take you to write your book?
I began my book in 2004, finished it, revised it, revised it, and revised it, ad nauseam per my agent’s requests and my own obsession with getting it right. I finally said, “Enough!” in 2011 and ended my agent’s contract. I contacted Infinity Press in 2012 with a goal of publication as soon as possible.
Who designed the cover?
I used one of Shirley’s original paintings for the cover of After Sybil so I guess Shirley Mason did, with help from Infinity Publishing. Although Shirley did not title this particular piece of art, I call it Doves for obvious reasons. The two graceful doves are entwined, flying in perfect alignment. To me, it is evocative of two friendships – the one between Dr. Wilbur, Shirley’s therapist, and Shirley; and the one between Shirley and me. The book cover invites potential readers to open the book and find out more about this intriguing artist who was primarily known for her multiplicity as Sybil, but who was a wonderful friend to me.
What are you doing to market the book? Are you using social media?
I have had a website, sybilsfriend.com, for years. It has information about Shirley, her art and personal life. Also therein is a page for others who have dissociative identity disorder. I also have a Facebook page and occasionally use Twitter. I have a Pinterest board about multiple personality disorder, and I am a member of Linked In. Then, over the years I have built personal contacts and friendships with some wonderful people who are helping me with my marketing.
Have you written your entire life? Have you always considered yourself a writer?
I believe writers are born with that inner craving to put multiple words on blank pages. I remember loving my high school writing assignments and getting much positive reinforcement from my teachers. After I met Shirley Mason, my college art professor, she became my mentor and encouraged me to write and share my writing with others through publication.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing verses traditional publishing?
Most writers try the traditional route first; some even get agents to represent them. I had an agent for four years, but couldn’t get a contract with a publisher. Mainstream publishers want a track record of proven sales to ensure they make money from the authors to whom they offer contracts. I don’t blame them, but new writers have the odds stacked against them. People who are already famous have the inside track as well as those who have been in the headlines for either good or bad reasons. The self publishing industry is not what it used to be with the advent of print on demand and other technological advances. It is an affordable means to an end for those of us who believe we have something to say that others would enjoy reading.
If you were told your stories were unbelievable and not written very well, would you continue to write? What would your response be?
The best way to improve one’s writing skills is to write. We’ve all heard that before. If I were told my stories were unbelievable, then I would consider different types of writing where my skill set would be better utilized. It takes a special brain to craft a story, imbue characters with life, make them believable, and come up with a plot. But there are many other types of writing for which authors are needed. I would review my assets and assess what type of writing I enjoy the most, and then pursue those avenues of writing. I would also try to improve my craft by asking professionals where and how my writing is weak and work on improving those areas. It would be impossible for me to stop writing regardless of any criticism I receive. If the criticisms were consistent, I would change my mode of writing, work on improving my editing skills, and keep trying. I would build on my strengths.
Where did you grow up? How did your hometown (or other places you have lived) inspire your writing?
I grew up in a tiny place called Pyro in southern Ohio. My parents worked at Rio Grande College and I pursued a teaching degree there. That is where I met Shirley Mason and where we became friends as art teacher and student. If I hadn’t met her, there would be no book called After Sybil.
Why did you decide to publish with Infinity Publishing?
I tried the traditional route and actually was under contract with an agent for over 4 years. I got tired of the snail’s pace of traditional publishers where I waited weeks or months to get an answer to even simple enquiries. Infinity Publishing provides answers as needed and my book was published in a high quality timely manner.
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You can learn more about Nancy L. Preston and After Sybil... by visiting:
If you are writing a book, it’s probably something you’ve been working on for a long time. Some authors can crank out a book in a few months. For others, it may take years, or even their whole lives, to get their story down on paper.
No matter how far away you are from getting your story written, your ultimate goal is to get it published and out there in the hands of readers. Many authors start out with a goal date for when they would like to have the book finished. Often times, it can be difficult to meet that original date, and it can be frustrating to see your goal slip away.
Getting your story just right takes time. First you get your ideas down, maybe write an outline. Then you write a first draft, go back and write some more, and then rewrite. Finally you start editing your writing and realize you need to rewrite again.
Every author has a unique writing process and every writing process takes time, often more time than the author originally planned. Maybe you hit a snag with writer’s block and have to find inspiration for your story or motivate yourself to get started again. Or you discover that books can have a way of taking on a life of their own and often end up much longer than you imagined. The editing process can also stretch on for months, especially if you trust your editing to a friend or family member who has a job and life of his own and can only work through 10 pages of your 300 page manuscript every week.
And then, of course, life can get in the way. One day, your manuscript is coming along at a swift pace and the next day you have a new obligation that takes priority. Whether you are taking on a new family responsibility, a new project at work, or a new position in your church or community, your book can get put on the back burner very suddenly. The trick is not the let it stay there.
Too often I talk to authors who are passionate about their story and excited to finally become a published author. They are ready to get started and then one thing or another gets in the way. One month passes, then two, then three, and their goal slowly slips away.
I want to encourage you to keep your dreams alive. Make your publishing goals become a reality. You can become a published author.
Here are a few ways to help you keep on track:
1. Write at least 20 minutes every day. It can be soothing after a long day and every little bit counts.
2. Make a timeline for your writing goals. Make sure your goal dates are realistic and give yourself a little wiggle room.
3. Start building a social media presence to market you book. Make a Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and GoodReads profile.
4. Check out these blog articles for writing tips:
5. Review Infinity Publishing’s How to Become a Published Author guide book and learn more about our publishing process and options.
6. Give us a call or tell us about your book! We would love to talk to you about your book and help you through the process.
7. Remember these quotes for inspiration:
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Lindsey Huckabee is an Author Advocate for Infinity Publishing. You can email Lindsey at Lindsey@infinitypublishing.com or call her at 610-628-4304.
Book trailers are a wonderful promotional tool for any author. We are asking all of our authors to send us their book trailer videos so that we can promote them on our YouTube channel and on our blog. Email marketing@infinitypublishing.com with a link to your video on YouTube. Here are a few of our authors who have already jumped at our free marketing support.
Tell us which video is your favorite below.
Winner and Final Chairman by Norman Hill
An Expose of an American Corporate Power Struggle and $138 Million Golden Parachute If you read Barbarians at the Gates or followed Enron, you'll enjoy this fictionalized version of a corporate power struggle. It shows how a visionary business plan, not followed through, and never-ending corporate politics, undid a promising turnaround.
Lost Mojo by Kris Sedersten
For six small-town teenagers, the haunting begins with a "ghost hunting" project and the sudden disappearance of two of their own. Their Lost Mojo by Kris Sedersten Lost Mojoresearch into urban legends in their hometown leads them to an isolated farmhouse—haunted by its dark secrets, the discovery of unmarked graves, and paranormal activity that portends something diabolically evil.
Human Interference by Donald L. Reavis
The new air traffic control system is implemented throughout the United States reducing fifteen thousand air traffic controllers to mere monitors. While technology was at work replacing the radar controllers, deep inside the system things were not adding up. Just like a sleeper cell awakens to rain destruction and chaos amongst the citizens, the virus planted within the program of the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System awakens to create destruction and chaos in the skies across America
Blood On His Hands by Mark P. Sadler
A racy thriller that will lead you on a journey to rural Georgia as detective Ian Walker stalks escaped wife killer Mike Renton to a bloody conclusion on the Appalachian Trail.
Tick Tock Stop the Clock by Lois W.Stern
It's nice to know that even in times of economic downturn we can find affordable ways to enhance our beauty. Get pretty on your lunch hour - without the knife.
Which of these book trailers is your favorite? Tell us below...
There are so many reasons an author should consider Infinity Publishing. Here are just a things to consider on how we stand out from the competition:
Freedom of expression
At Infinity Publishing, you own all rights, hold the Library of Congress copyright, and have complete editorial control over the content of your book. We want authors to retain all rights to their content. We recognize that, as the author, you are far more familiar with the content and the target market you wrote your book for than we could ever hope to be. Our experience has shown that when authors own the content they are more motivated to make good things happen with their books.
Promote your book the way you want.
Infinity Publishing offers a variety of free marketing support to all of our authors and we encourage all of our authors to take control of their own marketing. We are supportive of our authors’ efforts to promote their books.
The opportunity to profit from your work.
Infinity profits as you do—from the sale of books. It is our firm belief that our authors deserve a large share of the profit when their books sell, and the opportunity to earn higher royalties for the life of a book that never goes out of print. Learn more about our great royalty program here.
A non-exclusive publishing agreement.
As an Infinity Publishing author, you have the freedom to publish anywhere you please. If you get a better offer or if you become unhappy with Infinity for any reason, or no reason, you can move forward without a hassle…however given our support, royalty program and our marketing resources, we think you’ll find it hard to leave us.
An author-friendly environment.
After more than a decade of open communications with our authors, Infinity Publishing has earned an exceptional reputation
Broad distribution for every version of your book
Book distribution is key to sales success and we offer the broadest distribution possible for all version of your book including print, eBook and audio. Our state-of-the-art print-on-demand technology makes it possible to fulfill book orders in a timely manner, meaning your readers never have to wait long to receive and read your book.
Custom book cover design.
Cover design plays an increasingly important role in sales and have been shown to increase with a compelling front and back cover and professional interior design. Infinity Publishing’s unmatched custom cover and design capabilities provide real impact and are unequaled in quality, affordability, and optimization expertise.
Print-on-Demand—an educated choice.
When you publish your book with Infinity Publishing you make an educated choice—to be part of the changing dynamics sweeping across the publishing industry.
Marketing and promotional support.
We recognize the importance of our authors’ promotional efforts to spread the word about their books. We have a skilled marketing department that is there to support our authors via free marketing support and the ability to upgrade to paid marketing services. No other independent publisher offers as much free support as Infinity Publishing.
Bookstore Returnability.
Interested in getting your book on bookstore shelves? Infinity Publishing offers the return policy that bookstores require before even considering placing an order. Isn’t that just another reason to say, “YES!” to Infinity Publishing?
Stay tuned for more on our Infinity Publishing Difference series. Make the right publishing decision today, contact one of our Author Advocates for more information.
Welcome to our Author Interview series.
Today we're featuring an interview with Gary L. Watts, author of 100 Marketing Trade Secrets. Our author interview series provides an opportunity for our readers to get to know our authors on a deeper level and also learn more about the types of books we're publishing.
Gary L. Watts works as a marketing consultant to a variety of clients. He has developed my award-winning marketing and communications expertise through local, regional and national marketing activities and has served in high-profile staff positions with or consulted for world-class companies, such as Walt Disney World, PBS Washington, Buena Vista Television, Hilton Hotels, and Kraft Foods. In early December 2012, he launched his first book: "100 Marketing Trade Secrets for any Business."
Synopsis: 100 Marketing Trade Secrets
“Marketing is not as complicated as you think – once you look behind the curtain.” -Gary L. Watts
Over the years, I have amassed thousands of techniques, strategies, and communication plans for my clients and now have narrowed down the best-of-the-best ideas into a 43-page book: www.100marketingtradesecrets.com. I worked for Disney World and consulted for some of America’s top companies using my best-kept-marketing secrets to customize innovative techniques. I developed and launched award-winning marketing communications programs, that delivered an array of “world-class” results through “secret-weapons” – most of which are still highly guarded trade secrets in the industry.
“The book demystifies marketing and features a concise and easy-to-read guide for those who want to understand the simple, basic steps to market a business, product or service. It’s a must-read for those just starting a business that have no experience in marketing or business pros looking for new and “fresh” marketing ideas. Even if you plan to hire a marketing agency, this book will help you get the most from their services.” Susan Howard, Corporate Communications Director, A. Duda & Sons, Inc.
Here’s your chance to market your book. Describe it and tell us why readers should pick it up?
I’m really glad you asked me this question. One of my trade secrets is called the "elevator pitch."
Basically, you have about 25 seconds, before you get to your floor, to tell someone why they should buy your product or service. In business this happens all time. You have 30 seconds to pitch your idea, or the busy executive loses interest. Here we go. Start the clock: “My name is Gary, and I’ve worked with some of America’s best companies: Disney, PBS, Kraft and others. I just wrote a book: 100 Marketing Trade Secrets for any Business – What if I could show you how you could possibly double your revenue with one simple task? Plus I’ll tell you the second most important thing you will ever do for your company! Would you buy my book? It’s just under $10.
Why do you think your readers are going to enjoy your book?
For a couple of reasons: most of the marketing techniques I discuss are real examples of programs that have been proven to work. They are new, fresh and creative. They will work for any size business with a product or service to offer. If I had read a book such as mine when I was young, I would have been a “shooting star”. Marketing is an idea business, packaged with salesmanship and persuasion. If you come up with great ideas and can pitch and execute them, you become a “golden-boy”. This is especially true in the Advertising Agency business. If you are lucky enough to land some big companies with big budgets; your job is safe, even in this very volatile business. He who controls the big clients rules the world.
How long did it take you to write your book?
Seventy percent of the book was written about a year ago, just after I retired from my full-time VP of Marketing job. I couldn’t finish it, because the last chapter dealt with the internet. Web-site marketing was changing so fast; that by the time it got to print, it would be outdated. I rediscovered the book in November of 2012 and decided to go all digital for two reasons: 1) I could write the last chapter and make revisions quickly, as it is in eBook format; and 2) I built a website to promote it and bring it to life. A digital eBook is exceptionally cost effective. I didn’t have to send out manuscripts to publishing houses and wait for rejection notices. I just did it and, like Frankenstein, lighting hit me and my book came to life!
What are you doing to market the book?
www.100marketingtradesecrets.com contains several excerpts from my book’s trade secrets to give you a feel for the innovative approach to providing 100 creative, easy to use marketing ideas.
In addition, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are up and running and providing me with 24-hour, 365-day promotion for the book. Many companies (some quite large) make a common mistake. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars building an innovative and creative site, but invest very little in driving traffic to it. Therefore, no one is aware of their site, which makes it almost useless. It’s like selling your house, but putting your For Sale sign in the living room. This, by the way is Secret # 69 in my book.
In addition, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical. Today, the front page real estate on search engines is primarily based on a popularity contest. Before buying a product, billions of people search the Web on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others. Ninety percent of those people only go as far as page two in their Web search. A remarkable 84 percent of consumers now use the Internet for research, before they purchase a product or service. Comprehensive SEO is what separates the Web site heavy hitters from the Web site wimps.
I have an opportunity to market this book in a really fun way, drawing from my nearly 40 years of marketing with some of America’s best companies. These experiences allowed me the freedom to develop and create high-end impactful marketing, advertising, promotions, public relations, client acquisition and retention programs that really work. I’ve also worked with startups and hundreds of products and service companies.
So, I’m really lucky to have an expert on staff – me. I can draw from all the new social media, website SEO (online and off) optimization tactics. I must say though; it is never too late to learn something, and that has been reflected by the Infinity marketing staff. Sherrie and company have guided me to initiate some new and innovative marketing strategies that I never would have considered. That’s why I am so happy with my working relationship with Infinity Publishing. Conversely, I come at marketing my book from a different perspective.
Here is a simple marketing example (that I’ve used), that will create a lot of ‘back-link” traffic from high ranking sites. I developed an ad from graphics I used on my website, and then I posted on some high- ranking web sites. I put my website link in those ads and posted them free in “classified ads” on Craigslist, EBay Classified, etc. Those ads are out there working for me 24/7 and generating traffic to my site and book. And as we know per Google: “Webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that “backlink to their pages.”
In two sentences or less can you tell readers something unique about your book?
That’s easy! When you buy my book, you are getting a Marketing Consultant’s advice that will give you an easy-to-understand creative roadmap to increase your sales and revenue. That advice normally would cost you $200 an hour.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing verses traditional publishing?
I have a nephew, Doug, whose wife wrote a wonderful children’s book and published it via the traditional route. Both are well educated and were extremely excited after it was published. I don’t see them very often; and when I started my book, I called and told him what I was doing. I asked if he had any suggestions on the publishing aspect or lessons that he had learned. He said, “Don’t ask me. We have several hundred copies sitting in the basement that we will probably never sell.” As I digested that, it became clear that a digital eBook was the way to go. I see it as the new wave with more and more people using tablets and devices. I just read that eBooks now represent 23% of all books sold. In addition, digital books are very cheap to bring to market, which will pull in a lot of first time authors. I’m a digital guy, having worked in and around TV and Radio all my life; so I am really comfortable with the eBook concept.
Why did you decide to publish with Infinity?
This is my first book, and Infinity’s staff is professional. They made the process so easy, cost effective and fast; which has prompted me to start on my next ebook.
While writing how many times do you go back and rewrite?
My book was written with lightning bolts shooting out of my head. As I remembered interesting and unusual events that had been extremely successful and unique, I wrote them down. Then at the end, I asked a friend I knew and respected for help with formatting. The best analogy I can give you is that the book was like a giant puzzle that needed to be assembled. My friend is Carolyn Baily, who is a PhD and teaches at Ohio University. We, by chance, had not talked for over 40 years and discovered each other again through LinkedIn. We had worked together at a television station, and she was always highly organized. As fate would have it, she accepted the challenge of assembling the parts and pieces into categories and proofing. So I rewrote only once or twice.
Do you like to travel?
Yes, very much so. When you get older you think about how aging will affect you. My wife and I would never want to become a burden to our kids. The appeal and money needed for an assisted living facility is ridiculous, but I have an alternate plan. When the time comes that cooking and cleaning the house are burdens, this is what we’re going to do - cruise around the world! For approximately $100 a day, you can have all your meals and your room cleaned daily with crisp new sheets; and you get to see places you only dreamed of. If we get tired of the same ports, I’ll “cut a deal” with another cruise line. Try to find an assisted living facility with meals, house cleaning, etc. for $100 a day. They don’t exist.