I'm putting together a workshop on the Why and How of Book Talks. I believe giving a talk about your book is one of the most sure-fire ways to create sales based on the people who attend. They are self-identified as book lovers, book buyers who have an interest in the content of your book. In this workshop I will share the how-tos of putting together a talk and where to obtain opportunities. If you are interested, post in my Comment/Contact section on my website with contact info and I will let you know where and when it's happening.

I'm a Bookshop affiliate. Bookshop was launched about the time the pandemic started to help bookstores across the U.S. stay in business. Anyone can buy books off this site and the orders are fulfilled through your local bookstore. As an affiliate you list your book, a bibliography of books related to your title, and send everyone you know to Bookshop to buy books. Everyone wins!

The dance group below is typical of Hungarian folk dancers at the Fall harvest celebration from the "old country." As the book mentions, my mother participated while she was growing up. I even participated one year when I was in junior high.  It was great fun to whirl around the floor and then gather the grapes hung overhead. The costumes are highlighted with red and green ribbons and a red velvet vest.

Hello to all my author friends in these challenging times. I think this new Zoom workshop I'm offering through the ASU Piper School of Writing will give you some ideas on how to evaluate your self-publishing plans to meet today's realities.  Visit https://piper.asu.edu/classes to register. Starts September 15

Self-Publishing (especially in a pandemic)
Ready to self-publish? It’s a challenging job, but this workshop will guide you through it. First tip? You’ll need to profile the target audience for your book. That information will drive everything about getting your book into the hands of potential buyers. Then we’ll discuss the steps to self-publishing a print book, and establishing distributors. We’ll consider both brick-and-mortar options and print on demand (POD).  You’ll need an effective query letter or book proposal to contact these folks. Next, we’ll talk about producing an e-book. We’ll create a workable budget and other helpful tools to market your book to self-publishing sources.  We will leave time to discuss the effects of the pandemic on the publishing industry and sales for your book.

Fresh out of the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, my dad's crew mates pose around the gun they used in these battles.  Thank goodness they made it through. My dad called his gun crew "the best shooting crew aboard the ship."