On Marketing

Robert J. Wynstra Wins the Gettysburg Round Table Award forfor The Rashness of That Hour

2012-02-02T09:16:00.001-08:00

PRESS RELEASE: Robert J. Wynstra Wins the Gettysburg Round Table Award for The Rashness of That Hour

The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson
By Robert J. Wynstra (Savas Beatie, 2010)

The Rashness of That Hour by author Robert J. Wynstra was selected as the winner of the Gettysburg Round Table Award for the most noteworthy information on the Gettysburg Campaign.

The Gettysburg Round Table Award is presented annually by the Civil War Round Table of Gettysburg to the most original outstanding work on the Gettysburg Campaign.

"We have three criteria for a presentation,” says Civil War Round Table president David Collins. “The book has to be about the Gettysburg campaign, the Retreat, or the memorialization of the battlefield. It has to be published in the preceding year, and it has to contribute significantly to the existing amount of knowledge we know about Gettysburg. The book committee thought that this book was the most significant addition last year to our knowledge about the battle. "

The Rashness of That Hour is a deeply-researched brigade and battle history about the defeat of Iverson's brigade at Gettysburg on Day 1, one of the most popular topics Gettysburg students and readers discuss.

"I am pleased and gratified to receive such a prestigious award. I would like to thank the award committee and the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table for selecting my book. Best of all is the confirmation that others find the story behind the demise of Alfred Iverson just as fascinating and informative as I do,” said Robert J. Wynstra.

Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered and previously unpublished sources, the book explores the story behind one of the Civil War’s most notorious blunders. An in-depth analysis of the events at Gettysburg is balanced with an insider’s examination of a brigade that was in turmoil long before its final rendezvous with its July 1, 1863 destiny.

The Rashness of That Hour also recently won the 2010 Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History as well as the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for the most original outstanding work on the Gettysburg Campaign.

About Author Robert J. Wynstra

Robert J. Wynstra recently retired as a senior writer for the News and Public Affairs Office in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and a master’s degree in journalism, all from the University of Illinois.

Rob has been researching Alfred Iverson’s role in the Civil War for more than ten years. He is finishing work on a study of Robert Rodes’ Division in the Gettysburg Campaign.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the Rashness of That Hour page.

Get Hey Buddy for $1.99 on Kindle!

2012-01-31T08:43:00.000-08:00

From January 24-February 6 Hey Buddy by Gary W. Moore will be available for download on your Kindle for ONLY $1.99!

FINALIST: The Indie Book Awards, For General Non-fiction and Memoir, 2011

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list! Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music
by Gary W. Moore

Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music is a warm and intimate chronicle of the author's personal journey to discover more about Buddy himself, his music, his influence, and the times in which he lived. A rollercoaster ride of emotion, Hey Buddy offers a surprising examination of our culture and how the young man from Lubbock brought us from where we were five decades ago to where we are today.

Click here to get your copy today.

Visit the book's website. Watch the book trailer.

Get The Maps of Gettysburg Kindle Edition for only $3.99!

2012-01-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

From now until the end of January, The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 by Bradley Gottfried is available for download on your Kindle for only $3.99!

We've had so many inquiries from customers asking how the maps in our Military Atlas Series look digitally, we took our map book for the most popular Civil War campaign (The Maps of Gettysburg, with 146 full color maps) and set up an exclusive deal with Amazon to show you what these maps look like digitally, for a very limited time download price of $3.99. Download the book on your Kindle,, try it out, and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear!

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list! Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

p.s. Don't forget - If a publication is available through Amazon/Kindle Store, then you can access it with the Kindle app on iOS and Android systems.

eBooks Infographic: Publishing Industry Statistics

2012-01-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ebook statistics abound, but I thought that this information and the graphic way in which it was presented was educational and aesthetically enjoyable: ebook infographic.

Tireless promotion at its finest

2012-01-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

Savas Beatie is fortunate enough to have wonderful authors who promote their books tirelessly. Here is just one example of authors working on gathering contacts and increasing book sales no matter the time of year or location. With their permission, I am including an excerpt from a recent email by Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason authors David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften.

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This Sunday I should be having breakfast with Newt Gingrich (along with probably a few dozen others) at the Maccabee Deli in Des Moines. I plan on giving The Speaker a copy of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason. Will also mention Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason if I have the chance and if it fits the conversation.

Meanwhile, Dan is in Washington.

DAN'S Washington DC Summary:

Politics and Prose - I stopped at Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC, and spoke with Lissa Muscatine, one of the co-owners. Lissa served in the Clinton Administration as a Presidential Speechwriter and later as Communications Director to the First Lady. She was Senior Adviser and Director of Speechwriting in the State Department with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I gave Lissa a copy of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, and told her about Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. The first question she asked me was, "Have you discussed this with Jon Favreau?" [President Obama's lead speech writer]. I said no, and then told her I'd demarcated over 70 of President Obama's speeches into the elements of a proposition. She will take a look at Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason.

Paul Begala - I stopped by Paul Begala's office at Georgetown University, where he is a visiting professor. I'd noticed that Begala, who writes for Newsweek, had selected Eric Foner's The Fiery Trial as his favorite read for 2010 (page 56 of the December 19, 2011 issue). Apparently Begala won't be back at Georgetown until the second week of January. I left a copy for him of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason with the administrative assistant. I explained Lincoln's system to her, and she was very interested. She told me she would make certain Begala got the book, and that he would be interested in it. I sent an email to Begala at his Georgetown email, but as directed by the assistant, I included an email copy to her.

National Archives Bookstore on Constitution Avenue - I stopped at this bookstore to see if they had copies of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason. They did not. I introduced myself to the woman who seemed to be the manager that shift, gave her an explanation of Lincoln, plus Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence (showed her my laminates, which I carry with me). She checked, and said they did have the book at one time (possibly after David's talk in March at National Archives II?). She will check with their book buyer. I noticed they had a good number of Lincoln books, but generally only one copy of each book. Also, they had about ten Obama books, generally five to 10 copies per book.

New York Times Washington Bureau - I stopped at the New York Times Washington Bureau on I Street (not that far from the White House). Since it was between Christmas and New Years, there were a lot more empty desks than people (only about six people). I spoke with an assistant, gave her my card. She said no reporters were there right then to talk with me. She asked me when the Obama book was coming out. I told her the Savas Beatie web site said January 2012. She seemed interested in our web site, in Lincoln, more interested in Obama. I wrote my cell phone number on the card I gave her.

CSPAN - I stopped by the CSPAN office near the Capitol. The guard put me through to a receptionist, who gave me an email to contact Book TV (which I will do). She also forwarded me to a person's voice mail - I left a voice mail with a short summary about Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, and also Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason.

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We will be publishing the second book by this dynamic duo shortly, an exclusive ebook titled Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. Visit their informative website.

Local TV Station Pitch for Authors

2012-01-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an author thinking outside the box for you! The New Civil War Handbook author Mark Hughes will be interviewed on a local cable TV channel in North Carolina to discuss how to get a book published. What a great way to give an informative segment to the station's viewers. And, even though Mark won't be discussing his book directly, the book will be mentioned as part of his credentials and he will be using examples from his promotion of it in his suggestions and explanations. Authors, if you've already been on your local TV station to talk about your book, why not try an approach like this?

Two important articles: Marketing Mistakes and Twitter Tips

2011-12-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

Authors:

One of my favorite book marketing newsletters that I receive is from Book Marketing Expert. Their newsletter from December 22 titled “The Best of Book Marketing Expert 2011, Part 1” had two article links that I thought were important to share:

1. Top 5 Marketing Mistakes Authors Make, by Shennandoah Diaz

Short and to the point, this article might be a wake up call to new authors. To other authors in the publicity trenches, it should make perfect sense. Yes, we require you to market your book. Authors who understand this, and “help us help them” are the ones who stay on our radar and the ones whose books sell the best.

and

2. Strategic tweeting for authors, by Alan Rinzler

If you have been ignoring Twitter, now’s the time for a 2012 change. Big and small publishers expect their authors to be using social networking for book promotion, Twitter included. There is a helpful list of Twitter tips here. See also my Part 1 and Part 2 posts on the subject.

A Happy New Year to You All.

Playing with the Enemy - 99 cent eBook!

2011-12-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

For the next two weeks only (December 24 - January 5) Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams by Gary W. Moore will be available for download on your Kindle for ONLY 99 CENTS! View the official ad here.

Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams
by Gary W. Moore

Inspired by true events, Playing with the Enemy is the riveting story of a depression-era youth and his brush with destiny. Author Gary Moore, Gene's son, did not learn of his father's remarkable odyssey through World War II and the hardships of minor league baseball until the day before Gene's death. Read more.

Click here to get your copy today.

New Book ‘National Guard 101’ Debuts for National Guard’s Birthday

2011-12-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE: New Book ‘National Guard 101’ Debuts for National Guard’s Birthday

National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses
By Mary Corbett (Savas Beatie, 2011)

On December 13, the National Guard will celebrate 375 years of protecting our country. What better way to celebrate than with the release of a book detailing this unique group?

When author Mary Corbett’s husband, a National Guard member, deployed in 2002, she spent a lot of time searching the internet looking for information to help her understand the role of a Guard spouse.

Finding that much of the information available was targeted toward active-duty spouses who lived on military bases with a completely different lifestyle, Corbett saw a need for a book, and went about writing it.

“Although I had family members who had served in the military, I had zero experience with military protocol or culture. The only thing I knew about the National Guard, at that time, was ‘one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer,’” recalls Corbett. “That perception changed for me—and most Guard spouses—immediately after 9/11. For the first time, I realized I was a ‘real’ military wife.”

National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses is a book written specifically for the National Guard audience. Corbett’s book covers a broad range of topics, from practical knowledge about the history of the National Guard and understanding rank to softer subjects like social life in the Guard and family programs.

National Guard Association of the United States President MG Gus L. Hargett Jr. (Ret.) said, "National Guard 101 is more than just a handbook for spouses. It's a go-to guide for anyone new to the Guard's portion of the profession of arms, even those in uniform."

Corbett is ready to get the book into the hands of the 162,000 National Guard spouses living in 2,700 civilian communities across the United States and its territories.

“While the Army takes care of Soldiers during deployments and provides resources such as Family Readiness Groups and Family Assistance Centers to connect families with military resources, it is really up to individual families to secure the day-to-day, practical, local support they need,” Corbett says. “I hope my book will do just that.”

About Author Mary Corbett

Mary Corbett is a professional writer and National Guard wife. She has appeared on The Today Show, Fox News Channel, local television affiliates, and nationally syndicated radio. Her first book, The List: 7 Ways to Tell if He’s Going to Marry You in 30 Days or Less was published in 2005. Corbett lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, with her husband Major Jon Roscoe, ARNG, their children Holly and William, and their dog Rumsfeld.

Did You Know?

- The National Guard is the oldest component of the U.S. military. It began in Massachusetts when it was established that able-bodied men between the ages of 16-60 were required to join the militia.

- The Army Guard and Army Reserves make up more than half of the total Army.

- Since 9/11, virtually every unit of the National Guard—a force the size of the entire active Army—has served on active duty for one or more of the deployments at home or abroad. The last time that the entire National Guard had been mobilized was for World War II.

- There are 3,000 National Guard armories in the U.S.

- Currently, there are nearly 50,000 Guardsman serving on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses
By Mary Corbett
List $18.95
ISBN: 978-1-611210-68-2
Published November 2011 by Savas Beatie LLC
Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit www.marycorbett.com

Media review copies, ebook, high resolution photographs and interviews available upon request. Contact: Sarah Keeney, 916-941-6896, sarahs@savasbeatie.com.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the National Guard 101 page.

Robert J. Wynstra Wins the 2011 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for The Rashness of That Hour

2011-12-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE: The Rashness of That Hour by author Robert J. Wynstra was selected as the 2011 winner of the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for the most original outstanding work on the Gettysburg Campaign.

The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General
Alfred Iverson
By Robert J. Wynstra (Savas Beatie, 2010)

The Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award is presented annually by the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey to the most original outstanding work on the Gettysburg Campaign.

"Robert Wynstra's seminal The Rashness of That Hour is well deserving of this prestigious award, and we are pleased that his efforts are being recognized by the historical community," explained Managing Director Theodore P. Savas, "We are looking forward to publishing Robert's future books."

The Rashness of That Hour is a deeply-researched brigade and battle history about the defeat of Iverson's brigade at Gettysburg on Day 1, one of the most popular topics Gettysburg students and readers discuss.

Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered and previously unpublished sources, the book explores the story behind one of the Civil War’s most notorious blunders. An in-depth analysis of the events at Gettysburg is balanced with an insider’s examination of a brigade that was in turmoil long before its final rendezvous with its July 1, 1863 destiny.

"I am pleased and gratified to receive such a prestigious award. I would like to thank the award committee and the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table for selecting my book. Best of all is the confirmation that others find the story behind the demise of Alfred Iverson just as fascinating and informative as I do,” said Robert J. Wynstra.

Organized in 1990, the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table is dedicated to the study, preservation, and discussion of the events and people that were part of this period in our nation's history. As the largest Round Table in New Jersey, the 200 members are presented with interesting and informative presentations and tours of the sites at which the war's events took place.

The Rashness of That Hour also recently won the 2010 Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History.

About Author Robert J. Wynstra

Robert J. Wynstra recently retired as a senior writer for the News and Public Affairs Office in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and a master’s degree in journalism, all from the University of Illinois.

Rob has been researching Alfred Iverson’s role in the Civil War for more than ten years. He is finishing work on a study of Robert Rodes’ Division in the Gettysburg Campaign.

The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson

By Robert J. Wynstra

List $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-932714-88-3
Published September 2010 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the The Rashness of That Hour page.

An Inside Look at the Savas Beatie Author Newsletter

2011-11-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

View the Fall Author News!

Every couple of months, the Savas Beatie marketing department puts together a newsletter that is sent to our authors. It contains tips on how authors can help market and sell books, publishing industry updates, and news on fellow authors. I thought you might be interested in taking a look at this newsletter. And who knows, if you’re an author maybe you will find the tips helpful as well!

Are you tech savvy?

2011-11-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Book publisher Savas Beatie has been talking about QR codes a lot recently, those funny looking black and white square symbols. Not exactly sure what one is yet? Well, once you know what they are, you'll start seeing them pop up all over. Keep an eye out for Savas Beatie's traditional book ad in the November issue of the Civil War News, where they will be featuring a QR code with a special free book offer. You won't want to miss this contest, so keep your eyes peeled and have your phone ready! If you are not a subscriber to the Civil War News, click here to view the ad.

New Project: "The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Final Official Reports Filed by Union Civil War Generals"

2011-10-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some news about an exciting project we are working on, a digital collection of official reports filed by Union Civil War generals after the war. This project has been in the works for many years (I remember hearing about it years ago when Savas Beatie was just a baby!), and the digital platform is a perfect way to present the compilation. All of the details can be found on Ted Savas’ recent blog post. We will keep you posted as the work progresses.

Also be sure to cast your vote in the poll on the left hand side of the page linked above.

Robert J. Wynstra Wins the 2010 Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History Award for The Rashness of That Hour

2011-10-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE: The Rashness of That Hour by author Robert J. Wynstra was selected as the winner 2010 Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History award.

The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General
Alfred Iverson
By Robert J. Wynstra (Savas Beatie, 2010)

Chairman Lawrence Korczyk says, “Our prize committee selected Mr. Wynstra's volume due to the superb level of research, rich detail, and lively writing. We, at the Robert E. Lee Civil War Library & Research Center, congratulate Savas Beatie for publishing this excellent study. We would also like to extend our personal congratulations to Mr. Wynstra.”

The Rashness of That Hour is a deeply-researched brigade and battle history about the defeat of Iverson's brigade at Gettysburg on Day 1, one of the most popular topics Gettysburg students and readers discuss.

Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered and previously unpublished sources, the book explores the story behind one of the Civil War’s most notorious blunders. An in-depth analysis of the events at Gettysburg is balanced with an insider’s examination of a brigade that was in turmoil long before its final rendezvous with its July 1, 1863 destiny.

"I am pleased and gratified to receive such a prestigious award. I would like to thank the award committee and the Robert E. Lee Civil War Library and Research Center for selecting my book. Best of all is the confirmation that others find the story behind the demise of Alfred Iverson just as fascinating and informative as I do,” says Robert J. Wynstra.

The Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History award is named for Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor in History at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Founded in November 1997 and funded by corporate, foundation, and individual donations, the library is staffed entirely by volunteers and is open to the public. It features one of the largest single collections of Civil War material in existence.

About Author Robert J. Wynstra

Robert J. Wynstra recently retired as a senior writer for the News and Public Affairs Office in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and a master’s degree in journalism, all from the University of Illinois.

Rob has been researching Alfred Iverson’s role in the Civil War for more than ten years. He is finishing work on a study of Robert Rodes’ Division in the Gettysburg Campaign.

The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson

By Robert J. Wynstra

List $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-932714-88-3
Published September 2010 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the The Rashness of That Hour website.

Why surveys are important, and how to best use them

2011-10-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows what a survey is and most have taken at least one survey in their life. But what actually makes a survey valuable? A survey is a means for a business to collect data about their products and their customers likes and dislikes. Surveys allow a business to quickly collect data from consumers and put a plan in action to improve products.

Of course the goal is not just to administer the survey as quickly as possible. It takes some time to weed out questions that aren't important. When creating a survey, always ask yourself if the questions will benefit you. In other words, don't ask questions that won't give you valuable feedback. Ask questions where customers give more than a simple "yes" or "no" answer. In some cases, a one word answer is fine, but you should always offer a place for comments. One good comment out of a hundred could make the difference in selling a particular product or not.

Savas Beatie recently released a customer survey. The goal of the survey is to improve upon our books in general and the Savas Beatie website in particular, in order to meet customer's needs. All feedback from SB patrons, whether positive or negative, is valuable. We always want to know what we are doing right and what we can do better. The goal of our survey was to encompass a wide range of topics that customers can think about, but the questions mostly pertain to the Savas Beatie website.

Take a look at the survey here, or simply scroll down to the last post. Stay tuned for a results update!

Take our website survey for 50% off any one title!

2011-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Savas Beatie. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to complete this survey. Your thoughts and suggestions are very important to us. Please feel free to use the "Other" field after each question for your comments, additional information, and explanations.

As a way of saying thank you, within 48 hours of completing the survey, you will be emailed a coupon code for 50% off any one title that we have in stock and receive free media mail shipping as well as an author signed bookplate! Thank you very much! Take our survey here.

Mark Wilensky Awarded 2011 Gilder Lehrman Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award

2011-09-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Watch the Common Sense book trailer!

PRESS RELEASE: Mark Wilensky Awarded 2011 Gilder Lehrman Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award and is in Top 5 Finalists for National Award by Sarah Keeney, Marketing Director, Savas Beatie LLC
Monday, September 19, 2011

El Dorado Hills, CA, September 19, 2011 -- The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine author Mark Wilensky was awarded the 2011 Gilder Lehrman, History Channel, and Preserve America’s Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award.

The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages by Mark Wilensky (Savas Beatie, 2008)

"I am so thankful to work for a school district that allows teachers the freedom to teach meaningful history curriculum in creative and individual ways," said Wilensky, a teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History awards the National History Teacher of the Year title each year in its effort to promote the study and love of American history. State winners received a $1,000 prize and an archive of classroom resources and all state winners are finalists for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award. The national winner will be announced in fall 2011.

Mark Wilensky teaches 5th Grade at Wheat Ridge 5-8. The award ceremony will take place October 6th at 6 pm at the Jefferson County Board of Education Meeting.

“Mark Wilensky provides a rich classroom learning environment that includes authentic learning activities and differentiation. He is successful in having his students meet and exceed our district curriculum standards as demonstrated by academic growth. Students are highly engaged in learning and students feel welcomed and supported. Students and parents know that Mr. Wilensky will be their educational advocate and that he is there to help them succeed,” said Warren Blair, principal at Wheat Ridge 5-8.

Wilensky's interactive Common Sense offers an array of colonial history sprinkled with audio, video, and text graphics linked to a dynamic online website. This adaptation includes the original Common Sense, a new adapted version in plain language, an extensive chronology of pre-revolutionary events leading up to the publication of Paine's pamphlet, and adapted versions of the Olive Branch Petition, A Proclamation For Suppressing Rebellion And Sedition, and the Boston Port Act. Wilensky also includes a wide variety of insights on colonial coins and mercantilism, and many humorous illustrations designed to convey the important concepts of independence and liberty.

About the Author: Mr. Wilensky is a fifth-grade teacher in Jefferson County, Colorado, where he has been accused of teaching his Colonial America and Revolutionary War classes with enthusiastic zeal. Mark holds a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He has taught expelled and court-ordered students in coordination with the District Attorney's Office, and worked with the Colorado Department of Education on a national study to find ways to eliminate gaps in education for homeless and highly-mobile children.

The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages

By Mark Wilensky
List: $18.95
ISBN: 978-1-932714-36-4
Published September 2008 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the Common Sense website.

The Mason-Dixon Report

2011-09-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Mason-Dixon Report, March 30, 1861 from William Rabkin on Vimeo.

We recently received some contact from the group behind the Mason-Dixon Report. Check out the website, the introductory video above, and some of their other clips online. I hope this is being used in classrooms throughout the country over the next few years for some fun and creative lesson planning!

Twitter Tips: Part 2 of 2

2011-09-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

If you have trouble setting up an account, visit Twitter’s help center at https://support.twitter.com/. Here are some tips for your first foray into the Twittersphere:

1. Pick a good name. If you already have a presence or a fan-base online, use a name that your fans will recognize, such as JKRowling, DanBrown, or the name of your blog (TheCivilWarExpert). Use proper capitalization, but without spaces. If you use something like war_nerd223 or number1mommy, you may not be taken seriously.

2. Fill out your profile. The first thing your peers will do when you follow them is look at your profile. If your purpose for being on Twitter is not clear and compelling, they may discount you. List your blog URL, the title of your book, and any expertise or titles that will convince users that you are worth following. Keep it concise.

3. Include contact information. Supplying your ‘public’ email address is a good way to court connections from fans and useful contacts. Do not include your phone number or any physical address.

4. Use a relevant picture. Obviously the author’s photo from your dust jacket/website is an ideal choice, but the cover of your book or any icon you might use on your blog is also acceptable. Something with bright colors, non-blurry, and with readable text is helpful. Users with blank photos are quickly ignored. Do a web search or visit Twitter’s help center if you aren’t sure how to upload a profile photo.

5. Follow everyone. Begin by using the Twitter ‘search’ feature to look for users who are discussing topics that are relevant to your book. Perform multiple searches with different search terms and look for anyone who seems to be posting intelligent, original information. Good candidates are: popular independent bookstores, history magazines, celebrated authors in your field, bloggers, news media, literary event coordinators, book marketing or PR firms, and niche publishers. Look for users who seem to get a lot of @ Replies directed at them, or who are included in many different conversations. The more users you follow, the more opportunities you will find to join in relevant conversations.

6. Read your Timeline. This is where the most time is spent. The more users you follow, the more unread tweets you will get in your timeline. After following a few hundred users, you will find it impossible to keep up. That’s ok, as you can begin “unfollowing” unimportant users, or simply skimming your timeline occasionally to look for important news.

7. Join in conversations. Whenever you see a user asking a question that you know the answer to, or a conversation that you can contribute positively to, tweet! Remember to use any # hashtags that are being used in the conversation, and to include @ Mentions to key users (or if you are replying to someone’s tweet). Remember that the goal is to promote yourself and your expertise to entice followers, not to advertise your book. That comes later.

8. Tweet original content. Once you have a stable base of followers, you can market your book to them by tweeting interesting quotes or excerpts, discount coupons or special deals on your book, times and places of events that you will be attending, and URL links to your blog posts. If you can, tweet daily, or at least two or three times a week. Remember that you can tweet from most cellphones - search online for instructions on using Twitter with your specific cellphone.

9. Stay connected. Keep an eye on your Direct Messages and @Mentions, and promptly answer any questions directed your way. By staying connected and involved with your fans, you will remain in the forefront of their minds when they are giving book recommendations to their friends and family!

10. Keep it up. Twitter is not a tool that can be honed overnight. You must develop a bevy of followers in order to get your message out. Once you are established, there are many marketing strategies available to making the most of your Twitter network. For example, offer discounts to followers who Retweet your important announcements. Add your voice to current events conversations to attract new fans. Use the “trending topics” list on the right side of Twitter to see what people are talking about, and keep an eye out for topics that are relevant to your book.

Like Facebook, Twitter is all about cultivating a network of contacts, both fans and peers. Like any social network, you can only get out of it as much as you put in. By tweeting original content, news, and incentives like coupon codes or limited-time deals, and by participating in discussions, you will be able to connect with readers and peers alike. Happy tweeting!

SB and QR (Read on if puzzled)

2011-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

A QR code, also known as a “Quick Response” code, is the newest innovation in product marketing. These codes are popping up all over the media, including magazines, restaurants, and of course the book industry. These codes are squares with a unique pattern made up of black components on a white background. This code can then be scanned by smart phones. It works similarly to a regular barcode found on any and all merchandise, but is exclusively for smart phones that have a camera with the ability to identify the code.

Generating these codes is relatively easy as we found out here at Savas Beatie. You simply need access to a QR code generator such as Qurify or Delivr. All you have to do is plug in the URL you want to advertise. So in our case, if we want to advertise a specific book and want to direct people to the book page on our website, we just need to input the URL that is specific to that book and hit submit. It really is that simple! Then a pixilated square is generated for you to download and use however you wish.

These codes are also great because they have the ability to be tracked. We found out that Delivr allows you to generate your QR codes and then save them in a database to be tracked. Then, when the QR code begins to circulate and people start scanning the code, we can go in to see how effective the code is in producing awareness about our titles. As an example, here is a code that leads to our website homepage:

*Special thanks to Lindy Gervin for her early work with QR codes in the SB office!

Introducing Twitter: Part 1 of 2

2011-09-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Twitter is sometimes an enigma to the web-savvy and the web-illiterate alike. It’s part chat-room, part message board, part news feed, and part incomprehensible social network, all fueled by text message-style 140 character “tweets,” complete with odd punctuation and a “secret language” of abbreviated words and acronyms.

Twitter, like Facebook, can be a powerful tool in your Internet marketing toolbelt, but like other Internet marketing techniques, it requires some dedication and time to develop a network that’s actually useful. The first thing you should know about Twitter is that simply creating an account and posting tweets about your book will get you nowhere. Like any good cult, you must first cultivate a network of followers. This is done by participating in topical discussions on Twitter, by following other users in your field (and hoping they follow you back), and by adding a “follow me” link to your blog, Facebook, email and forum signatures, and in any other online communication that you participate in. Furthermore, you must keep the interest of your followers by posting regular updates that relate to your field of expertise. Users are more likely to follow someone who has a history of informative and regular tweets.

Communication on Twitter is entirely done through public text messages called “tweets.” A tweet is an individual 140-character (maximum) message which is visible publicly and which is distributed instantly to anyone who follows you. Once sent, a tweet cannot be edited, so compose and proofread your tweets carefully. A tweet can be as simple as a notification of an upcoming event, a web link to a recent blog post, a response to another user’s tweet, or a repetition of another user’s tweet that you believe your followers would like to see (a “retweet”). Tweets can also incorporate special words that have special meaning. These include hashtags (like #JapanEarthquake or #Obamacare) which describe the content of your tweet, mentions (like @JKRowling) that indicate to whom you are addressing, and retweets (a message preceded by the letters ‘RT’) which are tweets that you repeat for the benefit of your followers.

For more information on the types of tweets, see Twitter’s excellent help pages. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.

The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook Book Trailer

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

To follow up on my recent book trailer post, here is our latest creation! If you are familiar with Savas Beatie book trailers, we hope you enjoy the new features that we added to this one.

Curious why we make book trailers and what we do with them? Check out this book trailer Q and A with Ted Savas.

Thanks to designer David Van Dusen for another great job.

Case Study: Tracking sales leads to positive ad info results

2011-08-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Watch the book trailer!

We track internal and trade sales numbers closely, always keeping an eye out for upward trends, surprising returns, and low inventory.

Here’s an interesting example from our book Military Education Benefits for College:

Sales figures per month from January to June were steady. In July, the number of copies of the book that we sold through the trade increased dramatically. I thought maybe it was due to a summer month and people gearing up for another school year. Or perhaps an article about the book was recently published (although I hadn’t remembered seeing one come through on my Google Alerts recently). I emailed the authors to see if they had participated in an event recently that I was unaware of, or if they knew where this increase in sales might have stemmed from. Here is part of their response:

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We spent latter July and early August conducting experimental advertising on Facebook. It was working significantly well on the Facebook front, because it enabled us to increase our "likes" by about 70 in a week. I am confident this may have led to some of the spike in sales you noticed, coupled with appearances we made locally.

We decided to re-apply the same method for the end of August as well, and chose to use Saturday as our most aggressively budgeted day since that's when we saw the biggest spike in our user activity. This proved successful this weekend as we increased activity to the Facebook site again and added another 30 "likes" to our stable. We now hope to be over 500 by the middle of September at the latest. Our goal is to double that by November.

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We’ll track sales closely to see if this continues to pay off, and then urge other authors to replicate this on their Facebook pages. Do you have a similar success story, or an example of stagnant results using Facebook ads?

‘Once a Marine' Added to the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Reading List

2011-08-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Watch the Once a Marine book trailer!

PRESS RELEASE: Once a Marine by award-winning author Nick Popaditch was selected as a “must read” for Marines for capturing “the history, culture and evolution of the Marine Corps.”

The development of the “Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Library” shows the value the service’s top enlisted leader places on reading, Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett said in an Aug. 11 interview in his office. He said he reads frequently and gives Marines copies of books he has enjoyed while traveling.

“Yeah, I’ve got my coin, and there’s a time and place for giving coins,” he said. “But, do you know what I’d rather give a Marine? Something they can actually use. I’m one of those guys who likes practical gifts.”

Once a Marine publisher Savas Beatie is pleased with the selection. “Nick Popaditch, also know as ‘Gunny Pop,’ is a stand up guy. We are so happy his book continues to be so well received by readers and reviewers,” says Theodore Savas, Savas Beatie managing director.

In Once a Marine, Nick fights to remain in the Corps, to help his brothers in arms. Facing the inevitable following a medical retirement, he battles for recognition and compensation for his permanent disabilities.

Once a Marine is a behind-the-scenes tale of the day-to-day life of a career Marine noncommissioned staff officer. Nick's portrayal is: a husband and father, as well as a warrior and a molder of young warriors. He reveals himself completely including an introduction to his wife April, together with dozens of others.

Once a Marine was selected for the Commandant of the Marine Corps' recommended professional reading list for all ranks. It is also the Military-Writers Book of the Year for 2009 and was a national book club selection.

About Author Nick Popaditch: From East Chicago, Indiana, Nick Popaditch enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1986. While commanding a tank, he was wounded in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. Nick was medically retired from the Marines in 2005 at the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. Residing in San Diego, he and his wife, April, have two children, Richard and Nicholas.

Mike Steere is an author and freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. His most recent book-length collaboration is Brothers of Iron (Sports Publishing LLC) and he has written for Outside, The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Wired, and many national publications. He also writes for television.

Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander's Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery

By Nick Popaditch
List $25.00
ISBN: 978-1-932714-47-0
Published September 2008 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit http://www.onceamarine.com/

You Have a Book Trailer. Now What?

2011-08-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

We produce book trailers for many of our titles, and are producing more per season each year. (Visit the Savas Beatie homepage to see ours.) Creating a book trailer is good, but the question is, how can you make it work as a marketing tool for your book? Here is a list of steps that we take when we have a book trailer completed:

1. We post the trailer on Facebook, Twitter, and in the next issue of our monthly newsletter. Whenever possible, embed the video so a thumbnail screen appears instead of just a link. People are more likely to click on a visual as opposed to a text link for viewing.

2. Pass the file on to the author. Ask them to distribute it to all their contacts via social networking sites, email, etc.

3. Send the trailer to those in your database of contacts who would be the most interested in it. For example, when we have a Civil War book trailer, we email it to our database of Civil War bloggers, authors, and publications. Have this list ready to go so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel for each release.

4. In addition to sending the file out to your regular contacts, seek out genre and topic-specific blogs and other media who would be interested in this trailer in particular. For example, we are working on a book trailer for our new Indian War release Dakota Dawn by Greg Michno now. We don’t publish as many Indian Wars titles as we do Civil War books, so we are expanding our database in this genre now. For a cavalry book trailer, find cavalry blogs, for a Lincoln book trailer, find Lincoln blogs.

5. We also email each trailer to our distributor Casemate for posting on their website and YouTube channel.

6. If the book is a selection of a book club, such as the Military or History Book Club, send them the trailer for posting on their site. We even take it a step further and create a version of the trailer with a different final slide, complete with their ordering info.

7. Enter the trailer into book trailer contests. Here are two: You Gotta Read Reviews Book Video Contest and The New Covey Trailer Awards. We’ve even had a couple books win book trailer awards!

8. Post the video on sites such as YouTube,Vimeo, and Daily Motion. More hits, more clicks, more views, more orders!

9. Have the author post the video on his or her Amazon Author Central page. If you are an author and you don’t have an Author Central page, create one!

I hope these steps are helpful. Stay tuned for a peek at our latest trailer, for The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook, coming soon.

Author Interviews Lead to Great Book Coverage

2011-08-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

We have had a slew of author interviews posted on various websites and blogs recently. Here are just a couple examples:

The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook author J. David Petruzzi on Greg Caggiano’s From New York to San Francisco

A Little Short of Boats author James Morgan on Harry Smeltzer’s Bull Runnings

As you can see, these were both exclusive back-and-forth Q & As between the blogger and the author. Savas Beatie also interviews authors and posts these on our website (such as Mary Corbett’s discussion of her upcoming National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses). We share these with reporters and bloggers before they interview an author and we also offer these pre-done interview transcripts for media to use verbatim. It’s a great way to provide content in an easy-to-read and, more importantly, easy-to-use format for the reporter.

Savas Beatie Books Earn Literary Awards

2010-06-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Savas Beatie is proud to announce that three of our authors and titles have recently been honored with fantastic historical awards:

The Complete Gettysburg Guide: Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries, Field Hospital Sites, and other Topics of Historical Interest by J. David Petruzzi, with cartography by Steven Stanley won the The Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award, for Reference, 2009. Also,

Sickles at Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg by James A. Hessler won the The Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award, 2009 Given by the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey.

Please see the press release for more information.

A huge congratulations to everyone involved!

Book Expo America 2010, Part 4

2010-06-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the remaining photos from our trip to Book Expo America. We had a great time, and I’m sure the next one will be here before we know it!

Veronica gets her first book signed at BEA, for her kids.

Veronica meets with The Rights Agency, Savas Beatie’s foreign rights agency in Canada.

Casemate author John Sparry signs copies of his new book (Mark Alexander) Jump Commander: In Combat with the 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, 82ndAirborne Division in World War II.

Book Expo America 2010, Part 3

2010-06-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Day Two at Book Expo America – Military Education Benefits for College authors David Renza and Edmund Lizotte took the train in to New York from their jobs at Post University in Connecticut for their first book signing. The authors have created a wonderful website resource for anyone wondering about education benefits. Be sure to check it out here.

Veronica, Sarah, and David Renza at the Casemate Publisher booth, holding copies of Military Education Benefits for College.

Ken Hudnall, author of The Veterans Practical Primer and Blog Talk Radio show host, talks about military benefits with Veronica and David Renza.

David and Ed Lizotte appeared on Ken’s radio show last week to discuss their book.

David signs his first copy of Military Education Benefits for College for a book buyer.

Sarah and David talk with a recent vet about accessing college assistance.

Ed Lizotte and David Renza at their book’s debut event.

The authors signed copies for many people whose son, nephew, neighbor, etc. was in the military.

Many high school and public school librarians asked for autographed books to be made out to their libraries so students and patrons could learn about the benefits available to them.

Victor gets his copy signed.

Veronica, Sarah, Ed, and David at the end of the day.

Book Expo America 2010, Part 2

2010-06-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

After a morning at Fox and Friends, Fighting Words author Richard Miller headed over to Book Expo America for a signing at the Casemate booth. Richard’s blog, where he posts “Snap Analysis’” of current news items is fantastic. If you aren’t following it, you are missing out.

Richard signs a copy of Fighting Words for the first people in line.

Richard and Ellen Ratner converse with a book buyer.

The line for a signed copy of Fighting Words grows.

Richard verifies the spelling of a librarian’s name as he personalizes a copy of Fighting Words.

Richard and Ellen Ratner talk to Mark Kuta, author of Think Like a CEO, who was getting a copy of Fighting Words signed for his friend, Alan Jilka, who is running for Congress in Kansas. Richard will be commenting on many political and campaign speeches in the Fall campaign season.

Richard with Mark Kuta, author of Think Like a CEO.

Richard gets his photo taken by press at Book Expo America. The photographer said the bowtie caught her eye, and she came over to snap a few shots!

Veronica holds a copy of Fighting Words at the Casemate booth.

Sarah, Richard, and Ellen Ratner after a successful signing.

Richard and Ellen, posing for two different cameras with a copy of Fighting Words.

Book Expo America 2010, Part 1

2010-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since Ted and I made our East Coast trip to New York, Book Expo America, and Gettysburg. (See here for a recap of that great trip.) It was that time of year again last week! Veronica and I had a wonderful trip to New York (minus the awful flights and cab drivers!) where we reconnected with a lot of great people, met some new contacts, and enjoyed time with some great Savas Beatie authors. I’ll be posting pictures from the busy two days in a few upcoming posts. First up – our time at Fox News Channel with Fighting Words author Richard Miller . . .

Fighting Words author Richard Miller and Savas Beatie Marketing Assistant Veronica Kane in the Green Room at Fox News Channel on May 26.

Richard Miller gets a sound check before his Fox and Friends appearance.

Richard Miller, with Andrew McCarthy (The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America) and Penny Lee, former Adviser to Sen. Harry Reid, chat with Fox and Friends host, Brian Kilmeade. The panel discusses the current plans for a mosque being constructed at the site of the World Trade Center bombing.

Host Brian Kilmeade asks the panel what they think about President Obama celebrating Memorial Day in Chicago rather than Arlington National Cemetery.

Me on the set of Fox and Friends, picture snapped quickly during a commercial break!

Later that day, Veronica and Richard headed back to Fox for his appearance on Strategy Room. Host Eric Bolling holds up a copy of Fighting Words, released that week.

Richard posing with Eric Bolling after the Strategy Room appearance, where the panel discussed the news of the day. One viewer tweeted in to the show that Richard should definitely be back on again! Over Memorial Day weekend, Richard was invited back to the FOX studios for another interview which can be viewed here.

Win a FREE Book by Voting for your Favorite Savas Beatie Cover

2010-06-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

It’s the Battle of the Savas Beatie book covers! Check out the article in the June Savas Beatie Libri Novus newsletter. Which will it be: The Maryland Campaign or Valley Thunder? Cast your vote today! http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs034/1102618901901/archive/1103420367491.html#LETTER.BLOCK38

The Maps of Gettysburg book trailer

2010-04-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our second Spring book trailer, this one for The Maps of Gettysburg in full color, hardcover is out. Enjoy, and please share the link with whoever you know who enjoys quality military history titles. (We received some advanced copies of the book in the office and they look amazing.)

An Interview with Author Jim Hessler

2010-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Our first Spring 2010 book off the press was the paperback edition of Sickles at Gettysburg. The hardcover edition sold very well in Gettysburg and is also a finalist for the Army Historical Foundation's book award. In honor of our first Spring book rolling off the line, we asked author Jim Hessler some questions about Sickles and his book marketing efforts.

Q: I know you live in Gettysburg, PA. How is it helpful to live near the battlefield that you wrote a book about? What opportunities arise that might not otherwise?

A: It is enormously helpful. Terrain drives battles and you can't write these books without understanding: 1) the terrain and 2) what the battle participants could actually see (to the best that we can re-create today). By living near Gettysburg, I can visit the field weekly as opposed to only a few times a year. As a Battlefield Guide, I also get the opportunity to interact with interested members of the public who sometimes provide their own unique perspective on the battle.

Q: What's the best opportunity that has come from the many book signings you have done in bookstores throughout Gettysburg?

A: Meeting people in general has provided numerous opportunities. I've made connections with prominent authors, historians, and retailers that did not exist before I wrote the book. Each one of those relationships leads to more potential word of mouth and referrals down the road. I can't say that one stands out over any others, because they may all lead to something positive, but certainly meeting fellow Savas Beatie authors JD Petruzzi and Steve Stanley, along with the (former) crew of the American History Store (Jim Glessner and Eric Lindblade) clearly paid dividends for me this year. And hopefully these are relationships that will continue into the future.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I am still promoting the Sickles book, both in hardcover and the new paperback edition just released. Officially I am not presently working on anything else; but unofficially I am researching a little bit of this and that. Having tackled many of the problems within the Army of the Potomac, I feel my next book (should there be one) would have to tackle comparable problems within Lee's army.

Q: What's the best marketing tip that you would give a new author?

A: Get out there and meet people. People are not going to buy a Civil War book in large numbers just because we think the topic is endlessly fascinating. You need to meet people to get those incremental sales.

Q: Thanks, Jim. We appreciate your time.

A: You're welcome.

Making Surveys Work for You

2010-03-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here’s a great tip from author J.D. Petruzzi. He is using Survey Monkey to ask Civil War enthusiasts which book they would like to see next in the “Complete Guide” series, following his popular book The Complete Gettysburg Guide.

It’s a free service and easy to use. J.D. posted the link widely, on Civil War sites, his social networking accounts, and on The Complete Gettysburg Guide Amazon discussion page. The number of votes and comments have been overwhelming, sometimes surprising, and many people are taking the time to write some thoughtful suggestions for the series that J.D. and cartography Steve Stanley are taking into consideration.

Feedback is very important to us too. We appreciate every email we receive about customer service, every suggestion we get on how we could improve our monthly newsletter, and thoughts on what titles our readers want to see. Stay tuned for our first survey question in an upcoming newsletter.

Authors, what survey question could you ask around your new or upcoming book? And don’t forget to cast your vote on J.D. Petruzzi’s question.

The Maps of Chickamauga Book Trailer

2010-03-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is the newest Savas Beatie book trailer, for the newest book in the Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series. We were very pleased with how it came out, and designer David Van Dusen did a great job. Producing these trailers is a great way to create an "ad" for our books that we can use again and again, for different purposes and in different ways.

We will be working with David to create a trailer for The Maps of Gettysburg (the full color, hardcover edition) next. Stay tuned for trailers for our other Spring 2010 releases in the coming months.

Radio Interview Channel on YouTube

2010-02-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here’s a good tip for radio hosts, regardless of if you have a show on an AM/FM station or internet radio: Post recorded audio interviews with your guests on your YouTube channel for additional exposure. Recently we started working with KBMW and host Doug Groff does this. They upload interviews to the radio show’s YouTube channel after accompanying the audio with some simple visual elements. As you listen to the interview, you see photos of the author, his or her book cover, additional photos, and links. You can check out their channel here.

Examples from three recent Savas Beatie author interviews:

Confessions of a Military Wife by Mollie Gross

Playing with the Enemy by Gary Moore

The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln by Larry Tagg

It’s a convenient way for the station to get more listener hits, and for the author to be able to share the link with family and friends, post on his or her website, and use as a sample to generate additional radio spots.

Getting Partners for Your Book

2010-02-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

I listened to an interesting teleseminar offered by Steve Harrison yesterday, titled “How to Get Major Companies and Nonprofits to Sponsor the Promotion of Your Book, Product, or Service to Millions of People. . . FREE!!”

Like many of these phone calls, there is a call-to-action to sign up for a pricey seminar to get the whole package and additional info, but there are some good tips and advice that anyone can implement after listening to the free phone call.

I also watched a video featuring Brendon Burchard (who was interviewed on yesterday's call) today listing nine different areas that one can explore for sponsorship and partnership, embedded below. They are:

1. Live events
2. Educational programs
3. Corporate programs
4. Product buys/launches
5. Promotions
6. Websites
7. Services
8. Causes
9. Tours

The video gives good examples or explanations of each, and even mentions a phrase that was unfamiliar to us here until last week: “financial literacy.” Stay tuned for more on that subject, and how we are incorporating it into one of our titles this year soon . . .

Top 10 Book Promotion Strategies for 2010

2010-01-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

Interesting press release out this month titled “Top 10 Book Promotion Strategies for 2010 Revealed by Survey.” The results go hand in hand with what I spent a lot of my week working on.

According to Smith’s late 2009 survey, here are the top 10 book promotion methods that authors and publishers plan to use this year:

1. Social networking and social media: 94 percent
2. Blogging: 84 percent
3. Seeking book reviews: 75 percent
4. Seeking testimonials and endorsements: 73 percent
5. Press releases: 68 percent
6. Ezines or email marketing: 62 percent
7. Radio and television talk shows: 62 percent
8. Speaking or teleseminars: 60 percent
9. Article marketing: 57 percent
10. Book signings: 56 percent

You can read the entire press release here.

It’s interesting because when Savas Beatie started in 2004, not every author had a website. Those who did, stood out. MySpace and Facebook existed, but weren’t used for book promotion the way they are now. And who had heard of Twitter yet? No one, because it started in 2006.

Today, we expect a lot more from our authors, and as the findings of this survey confirm, so do other publishers. This month I have been working closely with all of our Spring 2010 authors on creating and maintaining their online presence. All five new authors started (or are in the process of developing) their websites, blogs, and Facebook accounts. Even our Saratoga author who was born in 1922 started his blog today. Now that’s a dedicated author.

Before each author’s book comes out this Spring, they will have an established online presence and social networking skills. They will have followers, commentors, and a “fan base” (for lack of a better term) that looks forward to seeing their online updates and who will be interested in reading their books.

Radio interview tip for the day: Repetition in Message

2010-01-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

I talk to our authors a lot about radio interviews. Prepping them on what to say, what not to say, keeping their answers short, making sure they work the title of their book and website url into the conversation, etc.

There’s one thing that I often forget, though, and it’s very important to keep in mind: thousands of people are tuning in and out of your radio interview every minute. They are punching the scan button on their car radios trying to decide what to listen to. They are turning the car off when they pull into work and missing the last half of your interview. They are turning the radio back on after running into the post office.

To overcome these obstacles and constant fluctuation in listenership, make sure to work the title of your book and pertinent information into the interview THROUGHOUT the interview, not just in the last baton pass the host gives you before thanking you and signing off. Get your message about your book out there no matter what part of the interview listeners hear.

A Basic Blog How-To

2010-01-14T14:05:00.001-08:00

How do I start a blog? What do I write about? Who will read it?

Common questions for an author to have. It is important that an author have his or her online presence established with a blog prior to book release. Here is some simple information on set up, content, and format.

Structure and Basic Content:

- Choose a blog domain name that is short, easily remembered, and directly connected to your book (This can be part of your website or you can set up one with a site such as Blogger, Word Press, etc.)
- Add your picture and short biography
- Add image of book cover and internal pictures
- Include side list of relevant links and related blogs

Ideas for Blogging Content:

- Book Excerpts
- Extrapolate on interesting concepts, events, or details described in book
- Book Reviews (of your own book or your reviews of books on related topics)
- Comment or feature on other related blogs
- Trends in the research and study of your area of expertise
- Comment on recent news events and articles connected to your book’s topic
- Interview people with perspectives relevant to your book
- Something controversial to spark debate and comments

Additional Tips:

- Link Twitter and Facebook widget boxes to your blog page
- Add video clips and other multimedia content to blog posts

Examples:

http://www.jdpetruzzi.blogspot.com/
http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/
http://ultimatebasictraining.com/blog/

It is important to set up your blog and actively post before your book comes out so your blog will have content, followers, and comments. You will be ahead of the curve. We consider this mandatory for our authors, and absolutely critical today.

(Note: This post is based on an email to our Spring 2010 Authors.)

2010-01-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

January and February are not book signing season months, but in keeping with the “New Year, New Start” tradition, below are some helpful tips on book signing events. They are from Sandra Beckwith’s newsletter Build Book Buzz. Additional tips and programs can be found on her website here.

1. Don't approach a bookstore to discuss a signing unless you've written your book for a wide consumer audience (vs. an industry or other type of niche - lawyers or rock climbers, for example). Many bookstores won't host signings when it's clear that the audience for the book is too narrow. Ask yourself if there's a better place to meet your niche audience face-to-face.

2. Plan an event, not a book signing. The book signing where you sit at a table and try to make eye contact with shoppers is increasingly passé and often a waste of time. You need an event where you can speak to and engage your target audience, whether your book is fiction or nonfiction. My goal buddy Marcia Layton Turner is doing a Barnes & Noble book signing later this month for her newest title, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vision Boards, but she won't be sitting at a table near the entrance. She'll be in the function room teaching people how to create vision boards before they try it themselves with materials Marcia and the bookstore provide. "I'll share the message of the book and show how to apply it," she says.

3. Consider non-bookstore locations. Go where you'll find your audience - it might not be at a bookstore. When Irene Levine introduced her community to Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend, Irene's hair stylist hosted a book signing at her salon. They invited lots of friends - who brought friends. Borders was on hand to sell books to about half of the 150 attendees. Be creative - if your book is a vegetarian cookbook, schedule an event at a natural foods market or the produce section of a supermarket. Your new mystery takes place at a museum? Talk to the most popular museum in your area about hosting a presentation and signing.

4. Market to warm. Are you an active member of a supportive group? Jackie Dishner, author of the regional travel book Back Roads and Byways of Arizona, sold more than 60 books at her signing at the weekly meeting of her businesswomen's group. Members knew she was writing the book and welcomed the opportunity to celebrate its publication with her. Do you belong to a similar group that might support you? For whatever reason, people like to say that they know an author. A signed book is proof of that connection.

5. Do your share to get the word out. Don't expect your event host to do all the promotional work - collaborate so you reach as many people as possible. Contact the press, send an e-mail to locals in your address book and ask them to forward it, and use social networking tools such as Facebook events and Twitter to spread the word.

6. Don't just sign your name. When I sign copies of my humor book about men, WHY CAN'T A MAN BE MORE LIKE A WOMAN?, I write the person's first name, add "It's all true!" and sign my name. For Publicity for Nonprofits," I use "I'll see you in the news!" People like that additional touch because it feels more personal.

7. Be prepared to invest time. Planning, promoting, and executing a successful book signing takes time, thought, and effort. It will all be worth it, though, as you watch those cases of books under your table empty and your hand gets tired from writing with your favorite pen.

Reporter Connection Launches

2009-12-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

We’ve been using HARO, Help a Reporter Out, for quite some time now. Three times a day, I get an email with a list of requests from reporters looking for sources, segment producers looking for guests, bloggers looking for products to review, etc. I scroll through the list to see if any of our authors are experts in subjects that match up with a request. If so, I send the HARO contact an email with more information on our author and his or her book. It’s led to some good coverage for books such as Flying Drunk, Surviving Military Separation, and The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine in newspapers and on radio stations, websites, and blogs.

Bradley Communications, who we turn to for lots of book marketing and publicity help, recently started a service called Reporter Connection. It’s in BETA now and I receive one email a day with a similar list of reporter requests for sources. That might increase to three emails a day as the program grows. So far the only differences I’ve noticed between HARO and Reporter Connection are:

With HARO you send an email directly to the people who make the request (sometimes with a blind email address, like Craigslist uses). Reporter Connection uses an online contact form where you submit answers to general questions in a few different fields.
The user interface for Reporter Connection seems better, easier to read but still basic enough to scroll through the requests quickly.

Will keep you posted as I compare the two.

Happy New Year to All!

If Alton Brown Can Make a Book Trailer in His Own Home . . .

2009-12-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

. . . So Can You!

For those of you who aren’t “foodies” Alton Brown is the host of the successful show Good Eats on The Food Network, as well as the author of food and cookbooks.

His new book, Good Eats: The Early Years, came out this year. Watch the book trailer that is prominent on the publisher’s website and on You Tube.

It’s a different style than the book trailers that we normally produce. Ours usually have voiceover and music coupled with photos, video, and text. For authors who don’t know how to create this type of book trailer on their own (or don’t know somebody who can), try this Alton Brown model instead. Here are a few of the benefits:

Script – write and rehearse your script (note how the last half of the trailer is a huge plug for the book, what it includes, and why you should buy it, complete with repetition of the title and where you can find it)
Shot on location – from your very own home (use a library bookshelf as a background for a scholarly work)
Cameraman – a video camera, tripod, and swivel and you are set
Actors – there is one author on camera the whole time - you just need yourself!

You can produce your own book trailer. Tuna man optional.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Savas Beatie (Sarah, Veronica, Alex, Kim, and Ted). Here's a short video of our company Christmas party, for your viewing pleasure. =)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/eFyOKPz3Ql6B9fvQ?cmpid=ey_fb_self

Some "helpful" advice

2009-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

This article from The New Yorker is a couple months old, but I received it from a second family member the other day, and I thought it was too good not to post.

I would like to think that Richard Lowry's sound advice below, coupled with the help we give our authors, resonates better than this intern's email.

Funny, just the same.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner

Success in the publishing world

2009-12-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

Please excuse such a lengthy absence on my part. Richard S. Lowry, author of our Spring 2010 release New Dawn, wrote the article below for the Savas Beatie Author News, a monthly newsletter we send to our authors with ideas, tips, and suggestions. I think it is relevant here as well, and I am posting it as a guest blog post.

----------------------

Success in the publishing world requires 10% writing and 90% marketing skills. Don’t get me wrong, authors need to produce the best possible book they can write: that 10% is extremely important. Unfortunately, many very good books languish on the bookshelves and never achieve literary success.

Authors are usually introverts—observers of the world around them. They are precisely the wrong personality type to market their work. To be successful, we need to climb out of our shell and shout to the world that our work must be read. Today, we have all the tools we need at our fingertips. We can actually shout from inside our cocoon. Today, we have the internet.

In today’s internet jargon, we must do everything we can to take our message ‘viral.’ We can use the internet to acquire needed exposure in ways never possible before. I have built my own website at www.RichardSLowry.com and I am constantly adding to my blogsite at http://blog.RichardSLowry.com. Before I started my own blog, I befriended an administrator of a successful blog (web log – say it fast three times) www.op-for.com. He was eager to have my writing support as it added content to his site and I was happy in that I did not have to administer my own site. It was a way to get my feet wet in the ‘blogosphere.’

In addition, I became proficient enough to start my own facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/rslowry and my own Twitter site too http://twitter.com/rslowry. It is surprisingly easy to start these pages. My only advice is to start small and add posts, followers/friends, and content as you become more familiar with the media. And, be careful to not put too much personal info out to the entire world.

Here is one more useful tool. The Google Alert is very powerful. You can sign up with Google and they will send you an email anytime any of your selected words/phrases are used on the internet. Best of all—it’s free. I use terms like USMC and Fallujah. When you receive an alert, it will direct you to the original post, where you can learn more about the subject, find websites devoted to your subject matter, and even post a comment to help gain even more exposure.

Lastly, I want to give you a place to write and gain exposure that requires little to no internet experience. I recently became a writer for Examiner.com. Check out my articles at http://www.examiner.com/x-30068-Orlando-Military-Headlines-Examiner. I can help you and you can help me. Please visit my posts, comment and subscribe. This will help me expand my exposure on Examiner.com and if you contact me through Savas Beatie, I can submit your name for consideration as one of their reporters.

If you have any questions, or need any assistance, please feel free to contact me through Ted Savas or Sarah. Next time I will talk about going out in public.

- Richard S. Lowry, author of New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah, http://www.richardslowry.com/

Game Time

2009-10-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday, so I thought I’d make this post a little more fun. Match the four quotes below to the people who said them.

1. “A book is 10% writing and 90% marketing.”

2. “Book publishing would be so much easier without the authors.”

3. “You were right about social networking; I think it’s helped our marketing enormously.”

4. “Writing a book and selling a book are two very different things.”

--------------------------

A. Gunny Pop, author of Once a Marine

B. Richard Lowry, author of the upcoming book New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah

C. New York editor Jonas Faukman, in The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

D. James Hessler, author of Sickles at Gettysburg

One is obviously not connected to Savas Beatie. The other three were said to me by some great Savas Beatie authors, all in the last week! As we say time and time again, we are very lucky at Savas Beatie to work with some great authors.

I wish I could post this upsidedown, but I’m not sure how to do that. =)

Answers: 1.B; 2.C; 3.D; 4.A

Stay tuned next week for posts on each of these points.

Selling Author Copies – A How-To

2009-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

It is very important to us that our authors sell copies of their book at service club events, library talks, and conventions. It’s a great way for the author to get exposure and earn some extra money. We have authors who go through hundreds of copies of their books this way each year. Also, each copy they sell themselves will lead to a sale through another source down the road, so it’s beneficial all the way around.

I’ve received a lot of questions from authors lately about the process so I made a Tip Sheet that we will be giving to each new author. I’ve included the contents of it below for anyone who may find it useful.

Always bring a cash box with you to an event. Keep this close to you on the table, away from customers and people browsing or, ideally, under the table.

Have change (lots of $1s and $5s and some $10s) in your cash box before the event so you can easily make change in the correct denominations for customers. Write down this starting amount beforehand so when you count your money at the end of the event, you can verify you aren’t short.

Print out a small sign that says “Make Checks Payable To __________” and prop it up on the table for people who are writing checks. This will save most people from asking you who they should make a check out to, or at least give them something to refer to as they write your name or company name on the check.

Count the number of books you have before the event starts. Bring a receipt book or tally sheet so you can track how many copies you sell. After the event, count the number of books you have left and your earnings and refer to your receipt book/tally sheet to make sure that everything reconciles.

Only keep a few copies or a small stack of books nicely displayed on the selling table. These are copies that people can pick up and flip through. Keep the rest of the books that you are selling under or behind the table. Hand these to customers after they make their purchase so that their copy is brand new, and people aren’t walking off with unaccounted for copies.

If you have a long line of customers, it helps to have two lines: one where customers purchase the book from someone who is helping you collect money and a second line the customer gets in after making their purchase to get the book signed by you. This keeps everything moving smoothly and avoids a jam at the table when people want to chat as you personalize their copy.

If you are selling books in the state where you live and that state has sales tax, you need to charge state sales tax. Find out that amount. The easiest way to collect sales tax is to add tax into the price you are selling the book for. For example, if you live in California with 8.25% sales tax, sell a $32.95 book for $35.67 in California.

If you can, always bring an extra person or two along with you to help manage the table (collect money, answer questions, take photos, etc.) so that you can spend the most time possible with customers signing their books.

October Events – Please Join Us!

2009-09-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

There are two great Civil War events west of the Mississippi in October. For us out here in California, that’s saying something! =)

Here are the events details. Each link provides information on the schedule, speakers, registration info, etc. I am pleased to say that Savas Beatie has a presence at both events.

When: October 3
What: Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable Symposium
Theme: Lee Invades the North
More info: http://rmcwrt.blogspot.com/ and http://savasbeatie.com/ProgramV7.pdf

The panel includes a slew of Savas Beatie authors: Russel Beatie, Bradley Gottfried, Lance Herdegen, and Timothy Smith. Many Savas Beatie titles (including special signed editions of a few!) will be for sale.

When: October 23-25
What: West Coast Civil War Roundtable Conference
Theme: 1863 Campaign for Chattanooga, Tennessee
More info: http://www.chattanooga2009.com/

Ted Savas will be attending as the conference book dealer, and The Maps of Chickamauga will make its debut this weekend.

If you attend, please email me some photos after the event and we will use them in a future newsletter.

Old Cornerstone Bookstore

2009-09-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to New England a few weeks ago, and we spent a nice (but very hot and humid!) day in Boston. Here I am standing in front of the former site of the Old Cornerstone Bookstore. My photo of the plaque posted on the building came out very blurry, but there’s some background info on the old bookstore here.

Built in 1712, the bookstore is one of Boston’s oldest surviving structures. Many famous books such as The Scarlet Letter were published here when the building was occupied by a publishing company/bookstore. I wonder who is turning over in his grave knowing that it is now an “Ultra Diamonds”? =)

Summer Intern's Final Post

2009-08-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Parul, who wound up her last week at Savas Beatie. Her final blog post is on SB Insider here.

We really appreciated all her work and help this summer, and wish her the best of luck with the start of a new school year.

Where did the summer go? . . .

Interview with Ted Savas

2009-08-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our summer intern Parul is winding down her time with us. She conducted an informative interview with Savas Beatie Managing Director Ted Savas, which you can read in full here.

Authors - Be your own promoter while traveling

2009-08-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here’s an example of how one author has promoted his own book effectively.

Mark Hughes, the author of "The New Civil War Handbook," notified us in early June that he would be vacationing and could make stops at various locations where he could do book signings.

One of his destinations was California, so he and his family were able to come by and visit our office. It’s always nice to meet an author, and we don’t get too many visits up here in Northern California. It was a definite bonus for us to meet the Hughes family. While in California he also visited the Nixon Library and mentioned to us that they sold Civil War books in their bookstore. We followed up on that lead and now the bookstore is placing an order for the Handbook.

Some of the venues that he planned on visiting included Chickamauga, Chancellorsville, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Harper’s Ferry, Ford’s Theatre, Antietam, Gettysburg, Fort Sumter, and Kennewsaw Mountain. Quite a trip! We were able to schedule book signings at about half of these places resulting in the pre-sale of 193 books. You read that correctly. Those stores that weren’t able to have Mark in for signings did accept review copies of his book and are in the process of approving the book for their inventories. Mark also spoke to the rangers and bookstore managers of the places he visited but at which he didn’t do signings, and that has also resulted in his book being considered at those locations.

Of the locations where he did signings, more than 80% of the books sold and those bookstores are placing re-orders. Mark Hughes has referred us to some of the other places he visited including the Clara Barton National Historic Site. He has also set up signings on his own including one at the Mauney Memorial Library near where he resides. All of Mark’s efforts have increased the visibility and sales of his book.

Quick Tip for Radio Interviews

2009-08-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

Today we listened to Flying Drunk author Joe Balzer’s interview on The Don Shelby Show on WCCO out of Minneapolis. He did a good job, and the host had definitely done his homework. Don was very familiar with Joe’s story, and was clearly a big fan of the book

Near the end of the interview, Don said, “I’d fly on a plane you were flying any day, Joe. That’s how much I trust you. I recommend that everyone read Flying Drunk.” I was surprised to hear such high praise from an interviewer, and quickly grabbed a piece of paper to write the endorsement down.

I emailed the producer a thank you after the show (as we always do) and included a copy of the quote, asking for her permission to use it on the Praise page of our website, and to help us book more radio interviews. She checked with Don, he approved it, and now it is up on the Flying Drunk website here!

Keep an ear out for similar words in your interviews, ask the host for permission to reprint them, and then post wherever it would help. A quick and simple way to add prestige to your book.

WOW books vs. Wastes

2009-07-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you a nice phone call I received the other day from the editor of a large Civil War newsletter. We are lucky enough to have great, established relationships with a number of Civil War reviewers who write reviews for popular blogs, newsletters, and newspapers.

One newsletter editor called me the other day to check in. He had requested a number of our Spring 2009 Civil War releases in early 2009, and was anxiously awaiting his copies of books such as The Complete Gettysburg Guide and The Maps of First Bull Run. He called to thank us for his recent package, and to say that Savas Beatie published “wow books.” Paraphrasing, he said, “Every one of the Savas Beatie books I review is in a category I like to call Wow Books. Frankly, I receive some great books, some mediocre ones, and others that are just a waste of a tree.”

It was nice to hear, and we appreciate the continued support of all of the people who review our books.

Our New Newsletter Friend

2009-07-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

I think I was so busy reading Parul’s blog, I forgot to post on my own. =)

It’s been a busy summer here so far. One of the things that we are most excited about is our new format for our newsletter. We are now using the program Constant Contact to mail out our monthly updates. The program is easy to use and the end result is very professional looking. One of our summer interns, Alex Savas, has done a great job setting it up. I hope you all enjoy it. If you don’t receive our newsletter now, please make sure to sign up on our website here, in the box on the right here.

We also started a new newsletter that we are sending out to our authors a couple times a month. In the past when I have had information that I have wanted to share with all of our authors, I would send out a mass email. Now, using Constant Contact to send out Author News, we have a new way to get our authors updates and advice of things they can do and implement to help sell their books. I hope our authors will find it useful.

Stay tuned as I brush up on the frequency of my blog posts . . .

Lists, Mixed Martial Arts, and a little bit of Baseball

2009-07-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

A few quick notes and updates from today. Not many phone calls. I guess everyone’s sleepy today. (I know I’m ready for bed.)

I’ve been searching through Civil War blogs and compiling a list of e-mail addresses (if you received an introductory email from me, you know who you are!). I also added the finishing touches to my blog page.

What’s Exciting: FIGHT! magazine will feature a review of Mixed Martial Arts (by Daniel J. Brush, David Horne, Marc CB Maxwell, and Zac Robinson) in their August issue. This is another one of those Sports by the Numbers books, a series for sports aficionados.

The cool thing about this book, other than the fact that it has four authors , is that the picture on the cover is of none other than Ted Savas’s son’s former Taekwondo teacher.

“We wanted somebody posed in a fighting position on the front cover who was familiar with MMA, but many photos like that are licensed,” Sarah told me this morning. “So we called D.T.’s old instructor, Robert Barge, and asked him if he’d be willing to pose.”

Barge now sells copies of the book at his local studio, Overcome Training.

Interesting Books: Remember yesterday I told you I’d let you know if something on the bookshelf caught me eye? Well here it is: Playing with the Enemy by Gary W. Moore. The story is about a farm boy (from a town in Illinois “so small even map makers ignored it”) headed for the big leagues. The Brooklyn Dodgers became interested in the 15-year-old prodigy, but unfortunately Pearl Harbor interrupted the boy’s baseball career. The boy and his (Navy) team are sent on a top-secret mission: to guard captured German sailors. Gene convinces his commander to let him teach the enemy to play baseball.

Another one of those wishy-washy poignant baseball stories? Nope. What’s remarkable is that this story is true. Plus, the author is the boy’s son. Who knows? Maybe Homer actually first heard the Odyssey from Telemachos.

Well, it’s time for me to head home. Check back tomorrow to see what else Savas Beatie has in store for me.

SB Insider Blog

2009-07-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

We’ve been receiving a lot of great feedback via emails on Parul’s new blog, SB Insider. Because of its popularity so far, we decided to set up a separate blog for it. Here’s the direct link so you can follow SB Insider. I’ll continue to copy her postings here for awhile, but be sure to check out the link directly. Parul welcomes feedback, questions, and post suggestions so please don’t hesitate to send them her way at admin@savasbeatie.com

Back to Work

2009-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

It’s Monday morning after the Fourth of July Weekend. Most Americans still see sizzling burgers and dazzling colors every time they close their eyes. Offices are full of languid, yawning employees, trudging half-heartedly to their next meeting.

But Savas Beatie is engaged and active as usual. Here are a few snapshots of what went on today:

11:21 a.m.: I finish my first batch of Savas Beatie filing. (So, I actually do have to take a walk in the average intern’s shoes once in a while. On the bright side, the filing only took me 18 minutes!)

11:54 a.m.: Ted announces two new enthusiastic five-star reviews for Sickles at Gettysburg. Check out amazon.com to see what readers have to say about James A. Hessler’s book.

12:22 p.m.: The Sacramento Kings book just shipped.

12:36 p.m.: I overheard Ted telling Sarah that the second paperback edition of The Maps of Gettysburg (by Bradley M. Gottfried) is bound today and ships from the printer tomorrow.

12:47 p.m.: Ted shuts his door to give Mr. Beatie an update on what’s going on in the office this week. (And I finally learn where the “Beatie” part of Savas Beatie comes from.)

1:40 p.m.: Ted’s getting confused. Facebook troubles. (Parents start texting, and Facebook’s used for business. What’s next?)

What’s Interesting:

* Last Thursday I met Larry Tagg, author of The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln. (Tagg was a musician, author, and high-school teacher . . . These days you’re behind if you’re only on your second career.) I was lucky enough to sit in on a marketing meeting for Tagg’s book, and I picked up some cool business/marketing secrets. Sorry, I won’t be discussing them online (not today, at least).

* Tagg wrote an article on Lincoln in the Civil War Preservation Trust’s magazine Hallowed Ground. It should ship to subscribers the third week of July.

* Today I set up my own blog page. Since you’re reading this, then you obviously found it. Please be sure to share this link with others you know interested in books, military history, publishing, and marketing http://savasbeatieinsider.blogspot.com/

Well, I think I’m going to head over to the bookshelf to browse and then call it a day. I’ll let you know tomorrow if something catches my eye. Also, I welcome any ideas you may have for future blog posts. Let me know by commenting here, or send me an email at admin@savasbeatie.com

SB Insider: Settling In

2009-07-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Only Day 2 and I already feel at home in the Savas Beatie office. Ted succeeded in scaring me this morning when he asked me where my suit was. (By Day 3, I’ll be comfortable enough to recognize jokes right away.)

Today’s been extremely busy, so please excuse my lack of detailed observation (I forgot to check on those plants). From counting and organizing signed book plates (the company does something really cool with these; I explain more about them farther down), posting events on the web (check out BookTour), sitting in on a meeting, and editing an interview transcript, I was served a full plate today.

Things to note:

Did you know publishing companies print out “advanced copies” of books before they’re released? Sarah (our marketing director) showed me one of these. The ARC’s (Advanced Reader Copies), also called “galleys,” usually look just like (albeit unedited) finished paperback versions of the books. These are for editing and reviewing purposes. I was under the impression all of the reviewing was done on word documents, not on a printed and bound version of the book. (I guess, being a Harry Potter fan, I’m too used to J.K. Rowling’s secrecy.)

Savas Beatie is working to immerse itself in the social networking environment. Today I sat in on a meeting between Sarah and Alex and was amazed to hear the different ways sites such Facebook and Twitter can be used as marketing and business tools. Who knew Facebook wasn’t just for showing your friends prom and birthday photos?

Interesting Books: The Wars Against Napoleon by General Michel Franceschi and Ben Weider is another book that exposes misconceptions about a historical figure that have become canonical. According to Weider, who passed away last year, his motivation for writing this book with Franceshi was “correcting history and enabling Napoleon to gain the respect he deserves.” Be sure to read the late Mr. Weider’s interview for more information. We’ll post it on our website soon.

Today’s big events:

Sacramento Kings book by Daniel J. Brush, David Horne, and Mark C.B. Maxwell (from our Sports by the Number series) is shipping from the printer today!

Now I still need to ask Ted about the two plus two equals ten theory of his . . . Stay tuned!

- Parul

SB Insider: Two times two equals ten

2009-06-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

First impressions: “Two times two equals ten.”

I had no idea where he was going with this when Savas Beatie’s managing director Theodore P. Savas first said it. I’ll admit, after a couple of hours as an exclusive observer (a 16-year-old summer intern, actually) of the Savas Beatie publishing environment, I’m still not completely sure what he meant. (Stay tuned later in the week for an explanation.) Nevertheless, I do know a lot more about what goes on in a publishing company than I did before I walked into this quaint little office in El Dorado Hills, an upscale and quiet suburb east of Sacramento, California.

This morning I was fretting about what I should wear to my first day of work. I envisioned an office with briefcase-carrying, business-suit adorned men and women typing away and answering calls in their cubicles. I didn’t think anything I owned was nearly formal enough. Nor did I imagine that I would be doing anything other than licking envelopes and filing papers.

What a surprise I was in for . . . not a cubicle in sight! I have my own work area: a big round conference table stacked with various Savas Beatie books, a green plant in the corner (there are many of these in the office; I’ll get back to you about whether or not they’re real), and a large whiteboard keeping track of future books by title, author, genre, publishing date, editor, and so forth.

I didn’t expect to see all these bookshelves and book displays. I’ll admit in the back of my mind I was hoping I’d glimpse one of those old-style printing presses in some lonely room. There are a lot of Civil War paintings adorning the not unattractive beige walls, and a “300” Spartan movie poster in Mr. Savas’ office. I guess I should have expected so much, considering it is a historical book publishing company.

Overview: So, eight to ten books each season (publishing seasons are fall and spring), a lot of marketing, and some shipping (most books ship from a central warehouse outside Washington, D.C.) Not too big of a place. . . several offices and lots of open space, with four people working today when I first came in. No one gets bored here.

Interesting books: After looking around at the bookshelves and stacks throughout the office, one book that jumped out at me was Larry Tagg’s The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln. Who knew “Honest Abe” wasn’t venerated by his contemporaries!?

Today’s big events:

A little bit of concern over whether or not J. David Petruzzi’s signed copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide were sent out. (Don’t worry, it’s all settled now, and they are going out tonight.)
We got a call from Manassas National Park about Bradley M. Gottfried’s new The Maps of First Bull Run, which they just started carrying. We are working with the buyer on positioning the book in their store and setting up a time for the author to sign copies around the battle anniversary.

I am looking forward to tomorrow . . . and finding out why two times two isn’t (always) four . . .

- Parul

Summer Intern

2009-06-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

It’s been a whirlwind of a month. Ted Savas and I had our trip to New York and Gettysburg as you know. Then I went on vacation just a week after getting back. I finally feel like I am getting settled back into a routine now.

We have some exciting news regarding our summer schedule. Today we welcomed Parul Guliani, a high school student who will be interning at Savas Beatie this summer. She will mainly be working under me in the marketing department this summer, but also contribute to our social networking efforts and help with various things as they come up.

One of Parul’s tasks will be maintaining the Savas Beatie Intern Journal, a behind-the-scenes look at our company from someone who is learning about it and experiencing the book publishing world for the first time.

I will post the first entry on my blog later today. We think it will be a great experience for all of us to have her here this summer.

Part 3 - Gettysburg

2009-06-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

And now off to the final leg of our trip – Gettysburg! This was my first time to a national park battlefield and it was great. Ted and I arrived Sunday night and met up with J.D. Petruzzi. It was so nice to finally meet one of our authors who I have communicated with only via email and phone for the last few years. And, I couldn’t have had better guides for the trip. The three of us used The Complete Gettysburg Guide (first final copy I had seen!) and started my tour at the location where the first shot was fired. We got many important stops in that evening including the Bloody Railroad Cut, Little Round Top, and Devil’s Den, and even caught the tail end of the sunset.Ted and I in front of a very familiar looking image backdrop . . . =)

Steve Stanley, Jim Glessner, and J.D. Petruzzi at O’Rorkes Sunday evening, with one of the first copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide signed by the authors.

Monday Ted and J.D. and I spent the morning visiting with stores in the downtown area. It was nice to put faces with the names of people at so many of the stores we enjoy doing business with. It was also very exciting to see many of our titles while browsing through the book selections. I look at the spines of the same books on the bookshelf in my office every day, but something about seeing them beautifully displayed in the stores gave me a new appreciation for what we do. J.D. and I are here with Tammy Myers at the Gettysburg Gift Center. Tammy works with us to set up some great book signings on busy weekends, and we are looking forward to some good signings at their store July 4 weekend in particular.

Here, J.D. is signing a copy of One Continuous Fight in Gallery 30. Gallery 30 is a very well laid out store with lots of beautiful artwork and gifts. The first thing I noticed when we walked in the door were copies of The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln and The New Civil War Handbook right in the middle of their front table!

Monday afternoon we got a tour of Willoughby Run by Eric Lindblade, Sickles enthusiast, American History store employee, and our guide for the afternoon. He kindly put up with my naivety and even Ted got to see a section of the field he hadn’t visited before.

And then off to Pickett’s Charge, or should I say the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge? (See guys, I’m learning!) We walked Pickett’s charge with Jim Glessner, who does a great job with the book section at the American History Store, and his son Jacob, who provided some good laughs and even showed off some impressive field knowledge for a five year old!

Monday evening we had our Savas Beatie author dinner including Kyrstie, Steve Stanley, Ted Savas, George Newton, J.D. Petruzzi, Jim Hessler, me, and John Hoptak. It was nice to meet the Savas Beatie Gettysburg authors, and two before their books even come out!

After dinner we headed to the Reliance Mine Saloon for our final beers of the trip. And I got to see firsthand where the infamous photo of DT, Ted’s son, holding an (empty?) glass bottle was taken. Steve Stanley, Jim Hessler, John Hoptak, me, Ted Savas, William Frassanito (whose books were fantastic for this battlefield-newbie), Jim Glessner, Eric Lindblade, and Duane Siskey.

Jim Hessler signing an advanced copy of Sickles at Gettysburg for Jim Glessner. Good practice for the book’s debut at the Butternut and Blue Booth at the Civil War Collector’s Show on June 27!

Thank you to everyone in Gettysburg and especially J.D. (who made the long trip an additional time, for my visit) for making it such an enjoyable and memorable trip. I truly appreciate it.

Part 2 – Catskills, New York

2009-06-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ellen Ratner, Ted Savas, and Bob Ney prepping for dessert!

Bob Ney, Ted Savas, Ellen Ratner, and Richard Miller at "the most beautiful spot in New York." Hard to top that view.

Ted on the Ratner farm with Pavo the turkey.

Ted and I left Book Expo America early for a trip to the Catskills area of New York. We were guests at Ellen Ratner’s house for the weekend, along with soon-to-be Savas Beatie author Richard Miller and Bob Ney, political analyst for Talk Radio News Service.

Saturday night we all made a delicious dinner together, including steak, fish, grilled corn and asparagus, salad, and a Savas Beatie Apple Pie for dessert! (Are you hungry yet?) Sunday morning we had a marketing meeting to strategize for the 2010 release of Fighting Words by Richard Miller. We followed this with a beautiful walk AND an ATV ride around the property, a trip to visit the Ratner farm (bunnies, turkeys, goats, and all!), and more good food.

It was a great mix of business and pleasure, and a weekend to remember.

Part 1 - Book Expo America

2009-06-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

A meeting at the Casemate booth with David Farnsworth.

Ted Savas, Ellen Ratner, Richard Miller, and Sarah Keeney after taping of The Strategy Room.

Filming of The Strategy Room on Fox News, the Friday, May 29 show.

Ted getting a copy of the new Steve Barry and Ridley Pearson audio book signed for his son DT.

Well, we are back from our six day whirlwind trip. Part One took us to the Javits Center in New York City for Book Expo America. We were only there for about half of the show instead of our usual three days, but we crammed a lot into that day and a half.

The set up at our distributor Casemate’s booth was great. They displayed books and had posters set up in a new format which made the booth and whole area much more open and inviting for meetings and attendees walking past. People walking by would slow down because the large posters had caught their eye. Ted and I had some productive meetings with representatives from Penguin and Barnes and Noble, Oasis Audio regarding audio rights for a number of our titles, Brian Jud’s book specialty sales team, and the Military and History Book Club editor. (More on some interesting info from those meetings in later posts.)

Friday afternoon we were in for a treat. We are publishing a book by Richard Miller in Spring 2010, a follow up to his most recent book In Words and Deeds: Battle Speeches in History. Richard and his cousin Ellen Ratner (White House Correspondent and news analyst) were slated to be on Fox News Channel’s Strategy Room that afternoon. We headed over to the studio, saw Geraldo Rivera in the staging room, and watched a taping of the show. My mom even saw me on camera. =)

Friday evening we had a nice dinner with the Casemate and UK crowd at an Irish pub. Saturday morning and early afternoon we finished up at the show. There was lots of talk and articles written pre-show about a toned-down version of BEA this year, after such low attendance in Los Angeles last year and with the present state of the economy. Although a lot of European companies didn’t send representatives and some big author names were missing from the line up, Savas Beatie had a very successful show - it was another great BEA! Part Two . . . to the Catskills.

Off to Book Expo, upstate NY, and Gettysburg

2009-05-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

As it is late and I am not done packing yet (of course!), refer to Ted Savas' recent post about our upcoming trip to Book Expo America, New York, and Gettysburg. It will be a great time.

And yes . . . I have my The Maps of Gettysburg and The Complete Gettysburg Guide copies ready for personal tours. =)

More next week.

Results of Email Frequency Poll

2009-05-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Although taken from a small sample, the results of my recent poll are as I expected – half of the people said that they want to receive news and info from a company that they gave their email address to about once a month. This is how frequently we send out our e-newsletter. Occasionally we send out a special blast about a particular book or a time-sensitive offer, but we usually stick to the once a month model.

I understand the benefits of increasing contact with our customers though. Soon we are going to use a new program to send out our emailed newsletters. Using this program we will easily be able to track how many people clicked on which links in our newsletter to see what people are the most interested in reading. We plan to send out more tailored emails to customers based on their book preferences using this information.

Emailed updates and information – when is it too much?

2009-05-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

I received a video link from Steve Harrison this week. He offers a lot of free phone seminars, video clips, resources, etc. Some of them are helpful, some are just pushes to sign up for their classes and programs. The 13-minute video I watched this week is posted here.

The title is “Steve Harrison reveals the most costly website mistake to avoid plus how to get his web designer to build you a better site.” If you don’t have 13 extra minutes, he says the most costly mistake is “expecting people to buy the first time they visit your site.” And then if they don’t, not having a way to follow up with them. The video goes on to explain some important website features, such as having a sign up form for a newsletter or offering an incentive (such as a list of tips or a packet of resources) to the viewer if they fill out a contact form.

Steve Harrison also explains how important it is to frequently send potential customers information. My question is, how much is too much? I know I’ve unsubscribed to newsletters, or found myself clicking delete on emails before even opening them, if I think I hear from the company too often. I’m following Ted Savas’ quiz model by posting the question on the left.

Author phone call

2009-04-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

This video is hilarious. It’s an author on the phone hashing out ideas with his publisher, and getting a bit of a reality check.

The video was posted in the most recent issue of the newsletter Publishing Poynters, Book and Information-Marketing News and Ideas from Dan Poynter with the following caption:

“Whether you sell out to a publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Publishers do not promote books. The challenge is that most authors don’t.”

At Savas Beatie we are lucky to have some great authors who work tirelessly to promote their books. Still, this is . . . hilarious. =)

Goodreads Giveaway

2009-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Goodreads is a great website and resource for book lovers. While browsing the site the other week I noticed there was a section on their Help page titled “Tips for Book Publishers and Authors” their Giveaway program looked interesting. Using it, publishers can list upcoming books that they will donate to a drawing and Goodreads users can enter to win free copies of the book. The publishers can submit whatever title they choose, how many copies they want to give away, the length of the entry period, and where they agree to mail the books to (within the United States, within North America, etc.) I submitted our upcoming book The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln to give it a try last week and so far almost 500 people have entered to win a free copy! This seems like a great program to increase pre-publication notice about a book and it will surely lead to some people buying the book who wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.

Summer Schedule

2009-04-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Are you an author who is going to be traveling for business or pleasure this summer? If so, make sure to let your publisher know now to see if you can latch any bookstore or museum gift shop discussions and/or book signings onto your trip. Some bookstores will schedule table book signings on short notice. All they need is enough time to order additional copies of your book from their warehouse. Other bookstores that do a lot of promotion for events by posting the listing on their website, adding it to their newsletter, and creating fliers need more advance notice. For example, Community Relations Managers at Barnes and Noble bookstores usually work three months in advance. In other words, they have to turn in their July event line up calendar in April.

Radio interview recordings

2009-04-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

When you are going to be interviewed on a radio show, there are a couple questions you should ask ahead of time.

1. Can people listen live online? Many radio stations have a “Listen Live” button so anyone anywhere can listen to the station’s programming live from their website. If you are going to be interviewed on a station with this capability, then be sure to send out an email blast to your contacts with details on when and where they can tune in online.

2. Will the interview be archived on the station’s website? If yes, then ask for a link to where it can be found. Make sure to download the file so you have a copy that you can use as a sample and to post on your website. Some radio stations only keep programming archived for a certain amount of time (such as a day or a week) so make sure you do this quickly. If you want the producer to email you an mp3 file of the interview, make sure to ask if this is possible BEFORE the interview. Once you hang up the phone, the host and producer are on to the next thing. You and your interview are probably long off their radar ten minutes later. (Even so, make sure to send them a thank you note!)

Article on Amazon Reviews

2009-03-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

I recently posted a couple of ideas on how authors can increase the number of Amazon reviews for their books. Here’s an interesting article in The Economist about writing and reading reviews of products, such as books, on retail websites, such as Amazon. I found this link in the informative Dan Poynters’ Para Publishing newsletter.

Authors – continue to encourage people to post reviews of your book on Amazon. It's worth it!

Encourage Amazon Reviews

2009-03-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

I know I’ve said it before, but Amazon reviews are really important. Whenever I look up a new book that I am curious about on Amazon, the first thing I check is to see how many reviews it has. The more reviews (and good ones) your book has, the more important it looks.

Here’s something you can easily do to encourage readers to leave a review. Make up a sheet of copies of the same note thanking the reader for their purchase, and asking them to leave a review of the book on Amazon. Print off a bunch, cut them into strips, and tuck them into the front of each book before you do a book signing at a bookstore, museum, or rotary club.

You could also get this information printed on a bookmark or business card inexpensively at Kinkos.

Authors’ Blogs Pre Book Pub

2009-03-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here’s a nice example of what an author can easily do to generate interest in his or her book pre-publication. The Complete Gettysburg Guide by J. David Petruzzi with maps by Steven Stanley is at the printer now. It is stunning, with more than 60 full color photos and 70 full color maps. J.D. Petruzzi recently posted a sample map from the book on his popular blog here. Check out the Comments section – 16 comments and counting. Posting brief excerpts, sample maps, and updates on your book before it is released is a great way to increase buzz around your book in advance.

If you are an author in the pre-publication stage and posting about your book on your blog, here are some questions you can ask yourself that should lead to plenty of posts, and good content for your readers!

- If you are still conducting research for your book, did you recently come across an obscure source or new material?

- Did you receive an update from your publisher regarding a release date?

- Do you have a sample cover for the book? (This is important because the minute people start seeing your book’s cover, it starts branding the book.)

- Did someone prominent in your field agree to write the Foreword? Did you just receive some nice advanced praise for the book from another author or expert that your publisher will be using in their promotional material?

- Do you have any material you can post from your book such as an excerpt, map, or new photo that readers will find of interest?

HTML Tip

2009-03-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

For those of you who maintain your own book’s website or blog, here’s a quick suggestion you can implement to keep readers on your website.

Whenever you link to another website from your website or blog, make sure it opens up in a new window in your browser. If you know basic html code, you can write it in like this:

<a target=_blank href="websitelinkurl">websitelinkurl</a>

instead of this:

<a target=_parent href="websitelinkurl">websitelinkurl</a>

In other words, “parent” opens the link in the same window and “blank” opens the link in a new window.

I always fear that when I post a link to a different website and it opens up in the same window, we might lose that viewer, and they won’t go back to our website. Of course they can use the “back” button, but every click they make poking around the new site takes them further away from our site. If they have two windows open, when they close the new window, ours is still accessible. If you have a webmaster who maintains your site, suggest this as well.

Help a Reporter Out, Help Yourself Out

2009-03-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

We came across a great resource from an article in SPAN Connection, the newsletter of the Small Publishers Association of North America.

It’s an email list service titled Help a Reporter Out Pretty self explanatory, and a great concept. I registered to receive Peter Shankman’s emails three times a day listing requests from reporters who are looking for sources to complete their articles and producers looking for guests for their tv and radio shows. Each time an email comes in, I scroll through the list of requests. Each is just a short phrase. If I see a lead that one of our authors could potentially help with, I read the reporter’s full description of exactly what they are looking for. Each requests includes the reporter’s name, a paragraph of what they need, their deadline, and contact info.

We’ve been receiving the updates for a couple weeks now and have made some good connections. Ted Savas replied to a reporter who is working on an article about ghost writing. He is now working with her as a source. Today I came across a reporter who wanted stories about cigars for a piece he is working on. It just so happens, our Once a Marine author Nick Popaditch is in one of the most famous cigar photos around. I immediately replied to his request suggesting he might want to check out Once a Marine and interview Nick as a source. I heard from the reporter within the hour. Turns out his brother is a Marine and he’d like to interview our author for his piece.

This looks like it will be a great resource. I’ll keep you posted.

Social Networking as an Additional Tool

2009-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Mike Volkin is the author of our very successful Basic Training book series. He is always looking for new and beneficial ways to reach his target audience, those interested in the military or about to enter basic training. He works endlessly managing his website, creating content for Military.com, and hosting a popular Blog Talk Radio Show on basic training, and does a great job. His newest effort is a social network titled Military Basic Training. It is a great portal for anyone wanting to learn how to prepare for boot camp. The site includes audio links, photos, video demonstrations, a forum, and much more. These are all elements that your website should have anyway, so check out some social networking options to see if one of them might fit your needs, or work into your existing website.

Report a Deal on Publishers Marketplace

2009-02-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

There is a nice daily newsletter called Publishers Lunch from Publisher Marketplace. On their website they have a Report a Deal page where you can submit information on recent rights deals your publishing company has made such as paperback rights, foreign rights, etc. We started submitting our recent rights deals, Playing with the Enemy in Chinese and Hunt and Kill and Steel Boat, Iron Hearts in German, for possible inclusion in their newsletter. They mentioned our U-505 book deals in a newsletter this week and just today we received an inquiry about rights for one of the titles in South America. Be sure to check this newsletter out and submit information whenever possible.

Author website content and timing

2009-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

I received an interesting question via email the other day from an author regarding her book and website. She asked if 1.) it was as important for her to have a website for her historical fiction book as it would be for an author with a non-fiction book and 2.) should she wait until her book is released to create her website. The short answers to each question are YES and NO. In more detail,

1.) YES. A website is just as important for a fiction book as it is for a non-fiction title. As I was replying to her email, I realized there isn’t much (or any) difference between websites for different types of books. The components that I always tell an author his or her website should have are:

- a description of the book
- sample material from the book, such as excerpts, photos, extra information, etc.
- praise and endorsements for the book
- an author interview
- a list of author upcoming events and appearances
- info on where someone can purchase the book
- a blog and/or forum where the author frequently posts new information, making a reason for viewers to continue coming back for fresh content

2.) NO. All authors should have websites up and running before their books are released. For our Spring titles released in May, some of the authors have their websites done and others are completing them now. That way you have a place to point people who you know or who are interested in your book. Send your book website’s link out to people in blogs and forums pertaining to your subject matter and start getting hits to your website to build interest before your book’s release. Another great way to capture email addresses and potential readers is to have an online sign up form on your website. “Click here to be notified when this book is released!”

Another New Amazon Feature – helpful?

2009-01-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Amazon has a lot of great features for publishers and authors to use such as Amazon Marketplace, Amazon Connect, Tags, and Listmania.

We came across a new one recently, Author Stores. It is a new way to search for books by featuring all the books by a particular author on one page. There is also some additional content on many of the pages such as an author photo, biography, and links to that author’s favorite books.

There is a directory of all the authors who currently have pages here. Here’s the J. K. Rowling page as an example. Authors can create their own pages too. Directions are posted here.

It will be interesting to see if the Author Store pages take off. It’s nice to have all the info on one page. When you search for a book by an author’s name on Amazon the regular way (in the search bar), you are bound to get a lot of unrelated material written by authors with similar names. However, I don’t like how some of the content on the Author Store pages opens in a new pop up window, darkening out the page you were looking at behind it. Try it out and see.

Savas Beatie in the National Enquirer?!

2009-01-22T17:00:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe I forgot to post this last week but . . . we made the National Enquirer! Who would have ever thought!? There is a nice full page spread on Nick Popaditch and his book Once a Marine, with the catchy headline SEMPER EYE. I’ve copied the text below. It’s a great article and depicts Nick perfectly.

This week we have been using it as a promotional piece, emailing it to bookstore managers at stores where Nick Popaditch has had book signing events, to people we have set up speaking engagements with at service clubs and military posts, and to radio station hosts and producers.

It’s a great way for us to check in with each person with a quick update on Nick and his book. We will remind the bookstores to order more copies of Once a Marine if they are out of stock, see if the clubs have suggestions of other venues where Nick can speak, and remind the radio hosts that Nick is always available for another interview.

-------------------------

National Enquirer – January 19, 2009

Semper Eye!

It’s plain to see that this former Marine is devoted to the Corps.

Retired Marine Sgt. Nick Popaditch sports an eye-catching reminder of his devotion to the Corps.

On his prosthetic eye – the result of a war wound in Iraq – he has emblazoned the Marine Corps’ eagle-globe-and-anchor logo.

As spares, the former tank commander has two other eyes – one with the gun sights of a tank gunner and one with the logo of the 1st Tank Battalion.

“The Marines made me the man I am,” Nick told The ENQUIRER. “I’ll always be grateful to the Corps, and this is one way I choose to show it.”

The heroic 41-year-old veteran has spent most of his life as a Marine, including war service in Iraq – ending when he was hit in the head by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Earlier, his picture flashed around the world when a photographer snapped him grinning hugely and smoking a cigar atop his tank as the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in the center of Baghdad.

“It wasn’t even my cigar. I was just taking a few puffs. The next thing I knew, my picture was everywhere,” Nick told The ENQUIRER.

The brave patriot has written a thrilling memoir, “Once a Marine,” which details his amazing battlefield exploits.

A year after the fall of the evil dictator, Nick was nearly killed by the grenade that hit his helmet. The blast destroyed his right eye and left him with only eight percent vision in his left one. He also ended up deaf in one ear and without a sense of smell.

Does he pity himself?

“Hey, I’m a lucky man,” he says. “I’m happy to be alive.”

Now out of the Marines and living in San Diego with his wife April and 15-year-old son Nicholas Jr., Nick is once again setting an outstanding example.

Although he is legally blind, he enrolled at San Diego State University to become a high school history or social studies teacher. The decorated veteran reads with magnifying devices – and makes almost perfect 4.0 grade point averages.

“I’ve been a drill instructor, and I’ve been in combat,” he says, laughing. “I figure I can teach high school!”

by James McCandlish

tips@nationalenquirer.com

Planning 2009 Civil War Events

2009-01-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

In this month’s issue of Civil War News, we received the Calendar of 2009 Events. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this publication, it is a wonderful newspaper for, as they say, “People with an active interest in the Civil War today.” In their January issue, they always include a fantastic calendar of events. It’s 28 pages this year and includes dates, times, locations, and contact info galore for reenactments, lectures, conferences, etc. We will be using this as a resource when planning our author book signing events for the year. If you are a Civil War author, make sure to get your hands on this special pull-out section. See what events are in your area that you can attend. See about setting up a book signing with a Civil War bookseller attending the event, or offer your services as a speaker to event organizers. Happy booking!

Author Interview - Get Your Book Published

2008-12-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

Playing with the Enemy author Gary Moore was recently interviewed by Marla Tabaka on Inc.com. You can read the interview here.

It contains some great advice for first time authors as they look for a publisher, prepare for their book’s release, and sell their final product. Gary Moore is a wonderful and hardworking author—consider the information and tips in this interview a gift!

I’ll be home for Christmas . . .

2008-12-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

. . . but not only in my dreams. Gone next week and back on December 29.

To our authors and the other authors who read this, thank you for all your hard work promoting your books. To others out there who read and comment on my blog, thank you. I appreciate it. Merry Christmas to all.

Sarah

Importance of a website for your book

2008-12-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

I know we stress the importance of this over and over again, but every author should have a website for his or her book. Many of our Spring 2009 authors are hard at work getting theirs up and running before their books come out. Here is one such website, for our book The US Army’s First, Last, and Only All-Black Rangers: The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in the Korea War, 1950-1951 by Edward L. Posey. Website designer Val Laolagi has created websites for many of our books, and knows what the important components are for a website specifically designed for a book. Check it out here.

Special Free Book Offer

2008-12-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

For those of you who subscribe to our monthly newsletter Libri Novus, you already know about this free book offer. For those who don’t, I thought I would share it here as well. (By the way, check out the recent newsletters here and sign up by entering your email address in the small box on the right hand side of any page on our website.)

-------------------------------

We have a free book offer for you--just in time for Christmas.

We recently found about 40 mint new copies of the following title:

Lost for the Cause: The Confederate Army in 1864, by Steve H. Newton
(Savas Publishing, 2000)
$29.95, 398 pages, photos, maps, tables, and Orders of Battle

Newton reevaluates Confederate strength from Gettysburg through the end of the war--and comes up with some very surprising and provocative conclusions. (And he is a great writer.)

While supplies last, order any hardcover book from our website and type in the coupon code "Newton" when placing your order.

If you (or anyone you slip your holiday wish list to) use that code, we will send a copy of this outstanding book to you FREE. And you do not pay a penny more in shipping. You can browse our online catalog here.

Happy shopping!

Tips to make your radio interview pay off

2008-11-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

Once a Marine author Nick Popaditch is being interviewed on numerous radio stations weekly. Every host is different and without a doubt, every interview will go a different direction. Authors can prepare, though, by knowing what message they want to get across ahead of time.

We received these helpful tips for authors in a recent email. Please note the writer’s information below.

Top 10 Telephone Tips to Make Your Radio Talk Show Pay Off Handsomely --- a gift from Joe Sabah

More valuable tips and info at go to http://www.sabahradioshows.com (now with 1,000 Radio Talk Shows needing guests daily)

1. Have a glass of water handy (room temperature). When your throat is lubricated it's easier to talk. Plus the water serves as a "cough button" if needed.

2. Stand while speaking. Pretend you're presenting a seminar. Your voice will carry further. And you'll sound more animated.

3. Have a copy of their state map on your wall. Refer to cities in the radio station's surrounding area. This helps make you feel like you are "one of them." I once made the mistake of referring to South Bend as "South Bend, Indiana." The host reminded me that I was talking on a radio station in South Bend, Wisconsin. Oops!

4. Listen to their weather and traffic report. This allows you to personalize your presentation. For example: When I was being interviewed on WHIO in Dayton, Ohio I noticed during the breaks they were referring to their metro area as "the Miami Valley." So it became a natural for me to say "I believe we can help some folks in "the Miami Valley" get their perfect job this afternoon." What a difference the right words make.

5. Get your listeners involved. For example, before the last commercial break I ask them to get pencil and paper to write down the three tips I guarantee will turn every job interview into a job offer. Then they have pencil and paper ready when I later give out my 800 number.

6. For those who are driving around without writing tools handy, ask your host if the listeners can call the station for the 800 number. As soon as you're off the air, you call the station's receptionist and give her or him your 800 number plus the title of your book.

7. Give the host some quotes from your book to use as segues. I offer quotes like: "Are You Singing The Song You Came To Sing?" And "If You Do What You've Always Done, You'll Get What You've Always Gotten. Is That Enough?"

8. After the host uses these Inspirational Postcard Quotes on the air, I also offer them to listeners who order my book. Another bonus to increase orders.

9. Always thank both the host and the producer for the good job they are doing. After the show, also send each of them a handwritten note of thanks and an offer "Let's do it again."

10. You may also want to record your show by using a device available at most phone center stores, that will record both sides of the interview. Then listen to your show to see how you can improve the next one. Keep on learning.

Joe Sabah, author of How to Get On Radio Talk Shows All Across America Without Leaving Your Home or Office more valuable tips and info at go to http://www.sabahradioshows.com 303-722-7200 * Fax 303-733-2626 * 1-800-945-2488 PO Box 101330 * Denver CO 80250 * Joe@JoeSabah.com

Author website sales through Amazon

2008-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

Many authors link to Amazon on their website so they get a small percentage cut of any Amazon sales that originated from their website. Our Sports by the Numbers authors recently sent out the following email to all of their family and friends. The Amazon link is part of the Amazon referral program. Perfect timing for the Christmas shopping season! Would this help your website?

Hi everyone-

If any of you are going to do X-Mas shopping through Amazon or shopping on that site at all for anything at anytime, we want you to go through our site to link over to Amazon. www.sportsbythenumbers.com

** You will NOT have to buy our books AND will be raising money for some fine charities.

If you go to our website, you will see all our current and upcoming books.

The four titles that are on the market right now are Oklahoma, Yankees, Georgia, and NASCAR.

Here is what we need you to do IF you are going to shop on Amazon anyways. Not just X-Mas, but anytime from here on out.

1. Go to www.sportsbythenumbers.com

2. Click on the link under the OU Football book cover.

3. Click on the "Add to Shopping Cart" button.

4. Click on the "Proceed to Checkout" button.

5. Then you will be directed to an Amazon checkout page. Hit the "Continue" button".

6. If you want the book, great, go to "Proceed to Checkout" or just continue shopping. If not, hit the "Delete" button on the left hand side.

7. If you hit "Delete" then you should have a "Continue Shopping" button that pops up on the next page. Go for it!!!! And now you can just shop as usual.

8. Once you check out, because you started your shopping experience from our site, we will get a referral fee from Amazon. it's that simple and of course, like most of our books, a portion will go to one of our many charities!!!!!!

9. Most important thing is that we can not see who ordered what. It's all PRIVATE!!!!

Thanks AND please pass this email on to all your friends and family. This is a great way to raise money for the many charities we support, Mostly for kids, THON, Bob Stoops Champions Foundation, and the Denny Crum Scholarship Foundation to name a few.

Have a great day!!!

Marc

Marc CB Maxwell
www.SportsByTheNumbers.com

Trailer for books

2008-11-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop had James McPherson on Virtual Book Signing to discuss his book Tried by War. The Bookshop now has ads between the segments of their live discussions. Savas Beatie submitted an ad which ran live on the program. For those of you who missed it, the show will be archived on their website shortly here.

Thanks to designer David Van Dusen for creating a great ad. (David also made the Once a Marine book trailer.)

You can check out the ad, and get a sneak peek at our Spring 2009 books, on youtube here. The add will also be posted on our website soon.

We believe that high-quality video advertising, with a musical score and proper Internet distribution, is the key to success going forward. If you have a blog, website, or other access to the internet, we here at Savas Beatie--and all of our authors--would appreciate if you would take the time and trouble to share this video link with others who have similar interests.

Setting up Civil War Round Table Speaking Engagements

2008-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post written by Savas Beatie author Larry Tagg. We are publishing his book The Unpopular My. Lincoln in May of 2009. The author has been working to set up talks to Civil War Round Tables and has had a lot of success getting bookings so far. Below are Larry Tagg’s tips on how he set up the events.

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Early on, I decided to make speaking engagements at Civil War Round Tables an important part of the publicity campaign for my book published by Savas Beatie, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln (May 2009). I looked for all the Civil War Round Tables within driving distance of my house, which in my case included the Civil War Round Tables in California, plus Las Vegas.

I am more comfortable using email than the phone (are most writers like me?), and looked around for websites that might have the email addresses of the California CWRTs. I found them at two addresses:
http://www.civilwararchive.com/RNDTABLE/webtable.htm and
http://www.civilwarriors-wsfv-ca.org/cwrtlink.html

These websites gave me a contact address for the dozen or so of CWRTs I was after (the first has links for CWRTs all over the country). I composed a generic request to each, with the subject line, “May I speak to your CWRT?” The text was the following:

Hi Mr. _____,

My name is Larry Tagg. I had a book out a few years ago, The Generals of Gettysburg. Some of your members might have seen me speak at the West Coast CWRT Conference at Harris Ranch back then.
I have a new book coming out, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln, which will be published by Savas Beatie next May. I was wondering if we could set up a date next summer for me to talk about the book with the ________ CWRT.
The book tells the story of how reviled Lincoln was, even in the North, during his presidency. Although it is unequivocally pro-Lincoln, it runs against the grain of Lincoln-worship, of which we ought to be getting an earful in the Lincoln bicentennial year.
Savas Beatie has a video of me giving a talk on the book, and if you would like, I’m sure they would be glad to send you a copy. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Larry Tagg

I received uniformly affirmative replies from the chairmen of the CWRTs, telling me when their CWRT met—usually a Wednesday evening once a month, but sometimes a Tuesday or Thursday. I kept a careful log of the replies, and made a folder of the CWRTs in my email “Contacts.” I committed to speaking engagements on a first-come-first-serve basis, although I tried to schedule the southern California ones—the ones farthest from my Sacramento home—so that I could do a “swing” and schedule a couple in the same week.

The one problem with this method was that the contact address listed in the online links above was obsolete for some CWRTs. In all cases, the persons I initially contacted emailed me the correct, current contact. If you would like to get a current list of the contacts for California CWRTs, you may email me at larryrtagg@yahoo.com and I will email you a current list, for a small percentage of your book sales. Ha ha, just kidding.

Photo sections on your website

2008-11-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Once a Marine webmaster Brian King put together a nice photo section on the book’s website with pictures from Nick Popaditch’s recent speaking engagements and events. You can view it here.

The Playing with the Enemy website also has a fantastic photo section. Gary and Arlene Moore took pictures of everyone who purchased a copy of Gary Moore’s book at bookstore events, library talks, etc. with Gary signing the book during his book tour. Gary’s wife Arlene, the photographer, wrote down names and email addresses after each photo, and told everyone to check out the Playing with the Enemy website in a couple of days to see their photos. This was a great way to get people hopping to the website, looking around, and sharing the link with their friends. “Hey, check out this picture of me at a local book signing. I think you would really enjoy the book . . .” This process set up a great feature of the website, increased website traffic, and led to more book orders.

Author Nick Popaditch Visits

2008-10-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my not-so-short “short break.” It’s been busy.

October 1 we released our highly anticipated Fall title, Once a Marine by Nick Popaditch. Last week, Nick and April Popaditch and their son, Nick, were up in the Sacramento area on their book tour. Nick had some great events at Borders in Folsom, two local community colleges, American River College and Folsom Lake College, and the El Dorado Hills and Placerville Rotary Clubs. I’ll be sure to post a link to the photos on the Once a Marine website when they are available.

Here are a couple to tide you over. While he was here, Nick signed copies of his book. Here he is in our office, with me and Veronica Kane. We have been collecting advanced orders for signed copies of Once a Marine for months, ever since we announced the publication of the book at Book Expo America. We have been processing lots of orders for the book and the cases and cases of books that Nick signed are almost gone!

We really enjoyed having Nick and April up here, and are already planning events for their next trip.

Short Break

2008-09-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know I’ll be taking a short break from the blog. We’re going to Disneyworld! Back in the office on September 30 and catching up like crazy, I’m sure.

Once a Marine book trailer!

2008-09-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

We’ve been reading a lot lately in publishing and book marketing newsletters, magazines, and blogs about the importance of creating a book trailer. We’ve seen some great ones, and some not so great ones. Wanting to work on one for a long time, we had the perfect opportunity with our book Once a Marine by Nick Popaditch. You can read more about Nick and his book on our website, on the author’s website, and on Ted Savas’ recent blog post. We will be adding the trailer to our website shortly. For now, please check it out on YouTube here and let us know what you think!

How to Turn Media Interviews into Book Sales

2008-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

We came across a great resource to help authors prepare for media interviews. It’s a free audio recording with tips for authors offered by WildFire Marketing. Their website also has some great information under Free Resources for authors, speakers, and authors who are speakers!

Author websites: Create an interactive community, Part 1

2008-08-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

A number of our authors have great websites which they use to inform the public, provide information, and, of course, promote and sell their titles. One such website is the Basic Training website Sergeant Michael Volkin has for his books The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook and The Ultimate Interactive Basic Training Workbook, found here.

Sergeant Volkin has incorporated just about every website feature you could imagine: book sales, e-newsletter, forum, blog, articles, a radio show, and more!

One of the obstacles he faced was how to get his website higher up in search engine page rankings. (Type Basic Training into Google and you get more than 35 million hits.) Who digs through more than a few pages when looking for something? The author has done some great search engine optimization work to get his website higher in search engine results with a good outcome.

Volkin’s website and the additional content he offers are perfect examples of how to create a website community where users go (and come back to) for information.

Upcoming Review of Once a Marine in ForeWord Magazine

2008-08-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you not familiar with it, ForeWord magazine is a great publication that reviews books by independent publishing companies. We were pleased to hear recently that they will be reviewing Once a Marine by Nick Popaditch in their September/October issue. This is our second book to be reviewed in their publication. (They reviewed our upcoming Major League Baseball book in the Sports by the Numbers series for their baseball section in the Spring.)

If you don’t submit your books for review here, you should start. Here are their submission guidelines.

They also have an award program and ForeWord Connections where you can create a database of your titles, submit books for awards, and more.

Armchair General magazine interviews Ted Savas

2008-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

We received a nice surprise when we opened the September issue of Armchair General magazine: an interview with Ted Savas in their “10 Questions” section. We knew it was coming, but of course it is always nice to see the final product in print form. =) In the interview, Ted Savas discusses his background and passion for history, how he entered the publishing business, the conception of Savas Beatie, and where the company is headed. You can read the full article here. Thanks to Armchair General for such a nice piece.