How I Fought the Amazon Wars and Won

Guest Post by Jim Musgrave

When I wrote my first historical detective mystery, Forevermore, I had a clear goal in mind: I wanted to write the best story for my reader to enjoy. This is the goal of every independent author out there, and the reason I want to communicate this fact of indie publishing is that many of the "big publishing houses" are not publishing the best stories for their readers. Please allow me to elucidate.

I have been published by a big publisher. It was called "Harcourt-Brace," and it was the small professional arm of the corporation, "AP Professional Press" that published my book, The Digital Scribe: A Writer's Guide to Electronic Media. Notice the quaint reference to "electronic media." Back in the late nineties, we were still bedazzled by the newness of digital technology and its "multimedia" aspect. Today, digital multimedia is part and parcel of most of the "packaged novels" that get submitted by the big agents out there. They've already looked ahead to all the money to be made on movies, computer games, translations, Chinese edited versions, ads on the walls of urinals, and on and on with the corporate merchandising aspect of business. This was 1996, so publishing had yet to go through the gigantic and tumultuous war with the Amazons (coming soon to a screen near you!), and I was too much of a rookie to see the writing on the Amazon wall, so to speak.  Amazon, after all, was also a "big corporation."

Flash forward to 2013, and I am completely entrenched in the "indie publishing movement." Yes, I am politicizing this because there is a grassroots "political" movement going on that dares to stand-up to the big publishing giants and call them on their intrigues and misrepresentations. I wrote a "little mystery" that I was proud to say was a "big publisher's worst nightmare." Why? First of all, it was short (114 pages in paperback, 12 pt. font); it was not padded with description and useless back story; it was, in short, the best short mystery I had ever written, and it was meant to grab the readers' interest and keep them entertained for the entire 114 real pages and 2415 Kindle pages. I used the simple and straightforward distribution method of Amazon's (there's that creepy name again) Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). This method allowed me (ME, ME, ME, a thousand times ME) to control all of the content, all of the revisions, all of the covers, all of the entire blasted book! Oh my God! It was if I had been re-born! I now had a direct line to my reader! No longer would I have to haggle with an editor about using a drawing of a male monk in the Middle Ages on my book's cover because, she said, "Eighty percent of readers are female, and they would not want to see a male monk."   But, I argued, monks were male in the Middle Ages!  Anyway, I had to "compromise" and use the "hands of the monk" holding a feather pen! With KDP and those lovely Amazon ladies, I was able to make all of these big, "executive decisions" about my own book! What power! All of that concentrated energy infused my body!  (Or perhaps too much caffeine?)

Of course, I must give a spoiler alert to all you would-be indie pubbers out there. Unless you know what goes into a really good story, and you've consulted with other indie authors about how to set-up your book, you had better stay away from the wild forest where the Amazons roam. They will capture you, possibly castrate or dismember you, and put you in a pot for Mah Jong hors d'oeuvres later that day. Suffice it to say, get somebody to "have your back" when you go down the indie road into the dark Amazon forest of KDP or even the seemingly "friendlier" places where they Smash Words or read together with Sluggo and Little Lulu. I suggest you check-out places like Indies Unlimited. They have some crusty old buggers who have been down many of the self-publishing roads, and they are really friendly to newbies! Don't, under any circumstances, fall for the scams out there! You thought Amazons were tough? You haven't experienced anything until you've been raped by Author Solutions and its vast minions of corporate goons!

Okay, where was I?  Oh yeah, me (my favorite topic).  So I wrote this tiny little mystery that began to receive some favorable reviews on Amazon (up to 11 so far) from my readers.  These weren't reviews from some paid author who publishes his books at the same big publisher as I do, or some "computer harvested mass of reviewers" who are paid by big publishers to receive some other "reward."  No, these were actual readers of the book (the best kind for reviews, by the way).  I know they are the best kind because I have been hoodwinked by so-called "professional" reviewers who never read my book.  In fact, my favorite short story is "Bullet in the Brain" by Tobias Wolff.  In this story, the protagonist, Enders, is a professional book reviewer of this ilk, and he receives his just desserts!

The final bullet in my brain came from my hero detective author, Lawrence Block.  He was saying how he recommended all would-be mystery writers to become independent if they want to bypass the "screwing over" that was becoming the norm in big publishing.  This is a gentleman who could practically "name his advance" in the detective mystery genre, so when he barked I sat up.

Are there independent author success stories?  I'll let you be the judge.  This ain't a war for nothin', ya know!

Jim Musgrave is an author, English Professor and business owner who lives in San Diego, CA.  His most recent historical mystery series features Detective Pat O’Malley in Forevermore. 

Perhaps This Is The Age

Guest Post by Hal Manogue

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.

Confucius, the Chinese politician, teacher, moral reformer and philosopher, wrote the symbols for those words five hundred years before anyone thought about Christianity. Confucius liked to be called as a transmitter who invented nothing. He urged his followers to study the ancient Classics. The Classics revealed solutions to the moral problems of the present by analyzing past political issues and events. He also wanted students to study the reflections of noblemen, and how those thoughts impacted working class individuals.

The foundation for his teachings was firmly rooted in moral and ethical correctness, self-cultivation and skilled judgment rather than knowledge of controlling rules. His methods were often executed indirectly using tautology, innuendo, and allusions. Confucius was never short on thoughts. Almost all of them require attention in order to be understood. Over the years, Confucius developed a knack for expressing humanism in a very unique way.

The significance of attention in relation to what is important to us in political affairs has suffered a major setback. We get a failing grade for giving our attention to the methods of politicians. We pay more attention to what we are thinking rather than paying attention to what they are doing. We pay homage to the original idea or suggestion, and neglect to focus on how that suggestion is manipulated in the minds of our elected representatives. When we focus on the original idea and overlook how it has been turned in some manner by this group, we open the doors of control. And when the altered suggestion is accepted en masse, it can become what no one wanted except the few that push the buttons of control.

When those buttons are pushed, the individual becomes unimportant. Unimportance opens the door of fear. There are countless examples of working people giving their attention to a good idea and losing freedom and individuality in the process.  History is filled with examples of how we fail to understand the ins and outs of political economic games and gains.

Perhaps this is the age when we all pay attention to the idea as it evolves in the political arena. Perhaps we will wake up and begin to focus on our collective freedom and individuality. Perhaps we should start to use Confucius tactics on our elected officials. Perhaps then we can adjust their attention to our wishes instead of our gullibility.     

Hal Manogue: Short Short Bio

Hal Manogue’s 2013 award winning novel, The Butterfly Ball, is available in bookstores everywhere. Hal is also the author of the 2012 award winning book: Living Behind The Beauty Shop. 

Born in Philadelphia, Howard (Hal) (Howie) Thomas Manogue spent the first twenty-one years of his life conforming to rational beliefs and rituals. He spent the next twenty-six years of his life rebelling against those beliefs and rituals in one way or another. For the last seventeen years he has been studying and writing about consciousness. His journey has taken him through the history of religious thought and the intricacies of philosophy as well as other associations and influences that impact the human belief system.

Reader Views Update – Welcome Jennifer Full-Time!

Post by Susan Violante

The process of taking Reader Views and its affiliates to the next chapter has been very interesting, to say the least. Although I had been working next to Irene for a few years, I only had a general vision of the business as most of the details were handled directly by her. Needless to say, how overwhelming and nerve-wracking I felt at the beginning as I second guessed all of my ideas and actions.  Slowly but surely, I kept moving forward motivated by Irene’s memory and my own goals, and here we are almost mid-2013 and still going!

It took a while to figure out where the pieces of the puzzle fit. One piece at a time things started working out, and key people began to emerge. I had announced Jennifer as the Director of Social Media and Posting, and Juliana as the Director of Contests. I am now happy to welcome Jennifer permanently as she joined us in our journey going from part-time to full time!

Jennifer has been part of our team as long as myself, and having her expertise, dedication, and fun personality aboard full-time is exactly what Book By Book Publicity needs to push Reader Views and our affiliates to the next level.  Here are some of the new things having her full-time made possible:

• Reader Views and RebeccasReads Social Network Revival! We are now 24/7 on Facebook and Twitter interacting with all of you wonderful authors & readers! So come to our page, “Like us” and be interactive. Things do happen when we all get together! Don’t be surprised if you all of a sudden find one of the copies you sent us being recycled as a Book Give-Away to put your name out there!
• We are establishing a relationship with our community airwaves radio to pitch our authors for interviews by invitation only as we pitch according to what the programming needs are. This means if we have you on our data base you could get an invitation. It is happening! The first interview has been booked for this summer!
• Blogger Reviews are up and running and we are now going further with this as we plan full blown Blog Tours!
• The Literary Contests have gone Digital, and with Juliana’s help soon we’ll be able to fill our participants with perks through Social Media Campaigning, and Book Giveaways.

This is just the beginning.  Many new ideas are flowing in our office, so keep reading the newsletter as we develop them into affordable publicity for your books! We will be here, as always, dedicating our time to find new ways to get your books out there while fitting in your budget…with PR perks for being our favorite Authors. I hope you all help me to welcome Jennifer as a full-time member of our family…Finally!

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Bullycide: Is It A Fad Or A Growing Epidemic?

 Guest Post By Normandy D. Piccolo

I will be but a memory is what I’ve been told

My locker will be emptied, my clothes will be sold

No one will miss me, or so they type

Sure my death will be news, until the next hype

Stupid, dumb, ugly, fat, slut, lame

You should die they said, imagine the fame

Newspapers, Television, Facebook, Twitter

Problem is, my parents said they didn’t raise no quitter

Miss me, don’t miss me, suppose that’s your choice

Will your heart even break, will your eyes become moist?

Do it…..Don’t do it…Not sure which will win

Die before it’s time….Heard that’s a big sin

Stupid, dumb, ugly, fat, slut, lame

How I wish I could start over

How I hate this hurtful game...

Alone in a bedroom closet, a young body sways silently side to side, the question, “Why didn’t anybody ever like me?”, looping over and over inside their head until that final breath escapes their body. Alone in life. Now alone in death. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There is no question that Bullying has become a hot topic in the news, on the television and even in the movie theater. But there is another side to bullying. A side so critical, it leaves in its wake devastated, heartbroken parents who struggle for years trying to understand, “Why?” Siblings carry false guilt for not being a better sister or brother. And friends wonder how they could have missed the signs. It’s called Bullycide: suicide because of bullying. 

For months, children who committed Bullycide grabbed headlines. Many tears were shed and cries of outrage echoed off of posted comments on websites, as more and more people became aware of the painful fallout from severe bullying. Then one day the headlines abruptly stopped. Various media outlets cited concern over creating a “Fad” by appearing to glorify the Bullycide victims. 

“...you should die they said, imagine the fame.” 

Even without the attention grabbing headlines, suicide because of bullying continues. So I have to ask, “Is Bullycide really a fad as feared or has it become a tragic reality that can no longer be ignored?” The time has come to take a hard look at this unpleasant topic and deal with it once and for all.  

Each year more than 160,000 students are absent from school due to bullying. Harsh words, hard slaps, cyber-bullying, social bullying, slut shaming,..the list of mental, physical and emotional abuse goes on.  Some kids opt to fight back physically, while others tell an adult they are being bullied. Some are removed from the troubling school and are either placed in a new school or get home schooled. 

Then there are those who are bullied to the point of choosing to end their lives in order to stop the pain felt deep down inside. 

Those who commit Bullycide most often do so by hanging. From a medical standpoint what they are actually doing is most likely strangulation, a very painful, long-suffering way to die. The cold hard fact is that the victim not only felt severe pain in life, but he or she endured equal pain in the throws of death as well. Alone.

Bullycide is becoming a fast growing epidemic. Not a hip, trendy, cool new thing to do. It’s not a fad, but instead, a tragic solution kids are seeking out as a means to end pain brought about by severe bullying. Bullied victims don’t know or realize that suicide is never the answer to ending their pain. Ever. Suicide is hurtful, ugly, nasty, and a selfish act. Yes, selfish. I’m not guilting, I’m stating the truth.

Law Enforcement and School Officials are struggling to find answers to the bullying problem. So far their efforts appear to have fallen short because Bullycide is on the rise, not the decline. Parents are frustrated more now than before, unsure of what to do, while their children live in constant fear and torment with no answer to this ever-growing problem looming on the horizon. 

Many good-hearted organizations are working hard to bring bullying to an end, but they are selling an unrealistic hope. Let’s face facts - Bullying will never end, but eventually it will be contained with the help of new laws, better education and more awareness. In all realms of the world, whether human, insect or animal, there is always some form of bullying. It’s to what degree the bullying is exerted which begs concern. And with technology today and non-communicating families, the exertion of bullying upon a victim has gotten out of control. A bullied victim cannot get away from the abuse, even if they move across the Country.

Did you know that seven children committed Bullycide in the last 2 weeks? That is seven children too many. Seven shattered families. Seven lives that could have been...if only more awareness about Bullycide had been available. The average age of children committing Bullycide was slated at 13 - 16 years old, but those numbers are changing on both ends. The youngest reported death by Bullycide to date is a five year old boy in England. Five years old. How is that even possible?

There are several new books available on Bullycide, along with many organizations dedicated to bringing about awareness to this specific problem. Until we as a society become better educated about bullying, about suicide, and acknowledge that the two are starting to march hand in hand, more children will kill themselves and more families will grieve a loss that didn’t have to be. 

Instead of focusing on those who are no longer with us, attention needs to be placed upon the issue of Bullycide itself in the hopes of helping those teetering on the brink of making that life or death decision to choose life as the answer and not death.

While many parents prepare to attend their children’s graduation, other parents will mourn the loss of their children who were literally bullied to death during this school year. Instead of, “Congratulations” it will be “I’m so sorry for your loss.” 

A bullied victim once asked, “How Should I End It And If I Did, Would You Care?”

Do we as a society care enough to start dealing with this unpleasant topic or will we continue to ignore Bullycide hoping it will eventually just fade away? 

Normandy D. Piccolo is the author of Bullycide: To Whom It Concerns, a collection of written entries and drawings expressing the painful fall out that comes from being bullied. If you want to know how it feels to be bullied to the point of considering committing Bullycide...this book is Painfully Raw - Real - Honest. Ms. Piccolo has appeared on TV, in magazine articles and has done a radio interview about Bullycide. She has also written ads for well-known Country Music Stars like Charlie Daniels and penned scripts for the cartoon Auto-B-Good. More information about Ms. Piccolo is available at www.bullycidethebook.com , on her blog at http://bullycidetowhomitconcerns.blogspot.com  and her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bullycidetowhomitconcerns  She currently lives in Tampa, Florida.