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Greetings
everyone,
I
hope you are enjoying the summer months,
finding time to do all those
things you could only dream about during the
winter. My husband and I recently biked the
Katy Trail across Missouri. Being on a bike
all day and stopping to look at turtles,
snakes, birds and other wildlife made us
feel like kids all over again.
In
this issue of the Mind Like Water Monthly,
we'll update you on our "ebooks in
libraries" initiative with Follett,
tell you about the 2004 BookExpo we attended
in Chicago, provide some tips on holding an
author's talk at a library, roll out our new
ISBN service, and feature some great
nonfiction, fiction and kids books.
Read
On!
Diane
Faile
dino@mindlikewater.com
Mind
Like Water-Follett Library Initiative
The
Mind Like Water-Follett Library Initiative
is under full swing! We submitted 69 ebook
titles in June 2004, and libraries can now
purchase them through the TitleTales and
TitleWave catalogs. Our thanks go out to the
authors and publishers who see the future of
ebooks in libraries and helped us to launch
this initiative.
If
you're wondering why you should be
interested in this initiative, consider
this: record ebook retail sales were set in
the first quarter in 2004. eBook units sold
during that quarter were up 46% and ebook
revenues were up 28% over the same quarter
in 2003. According to Open eBook Forum
President Steve Potash, "eBooks
represent the fastest growing segment of the
publishing industry."
It
is not too late to participate in the Mind
Like Water-Follett Library Initiative! Do
you want your ebooks available for public
and school libraries to purchase by the end
of summer? If so, sign up by August 15th.
For more information and to sign up, please
visit: http://www.mindlikewater.com/library_offer.html.
We
also have developed a detailed FAQ page at http://www.mindlikewater.com/Follett/Follett_FAQ.html
that should answer all of your questions
about the library initiative. If you still
have questions after reading that, feel free
to contact me at dino@mindlikewater.com.
2004
BookExpo America
You
may recall that Mind Like Water attended
BookExpo 2004 in Chicago in early June. The
Expo was well attended by librarians, and we
had an opportunity to visit with many of
them, including librarians from the Chicago
Public Library, Evergreen Public Library in
Illinois, New York Public Library, and
Johnson County Reference Library in Kansas.
We spread the word about our "ebooks in
libraries" initiative with Follett, and
gave away hard copies of Mind Like Water's
online eBook
Catalog, which profiles the authors and
publishers participating in this initiative.
Follett
was represented at the Expo's "E-Book
Experience Pavilion," and its division
BWI (Book Wholesalers, Inc.) hosted a
private booth where librarians could gather
and network. The Expo also offered many
sessions focusing on ebooks, such as "eBook
Production Practices for the Author and
Publisher," "eBook Retail and
Distribution Channels," and
"Library Markets for Your eBooks &
Digital Materials." All in all, ebooks
had a presence at this Expo!
Author
Library Talks
One
of our promises to participants of our
library initiative is that Mind Like Water
will provide information in this newsletter
on how to get libraries to select your
ebooks once they are in Follett's catalogs.
I'd like to share with you some of what I
learned while attending a session at the
2004 BookExpo America titled, "Authors
at Your Library: Creating and Marketing a
Successful Event."
To
put this session in context with our library
initiative, you need to know how librarians
search Follett's two catalogs, TitleTales
and TitleWave. These catalogs list books of
all binding types: hardcover, paperback,
ebook, etc. A librarian performs a search by
selecting from numerous criteria such as
author name, publish date, ISBN, reviewed by
a particular source, keyword, etc. From the
search results page, the librarian can then
click on a title and open the pdf file
containing the book.
Follett
will only add a full MARC (MAchine-Readable
Cataloging) record for a title to the
catalogs when that title has been purchased
by a library. MARC is a record format,
developed by the Library of Congress for
library catalogs, that describes an
individual book, journal, or other work,
using a collection of fields and subfields.
Having a MARC record associated with your
title provides more information that is
useful to a librarian in choosing a book for
its library's collection.
Only
a single copy of a title needs to have been
purchased by a library for the MARC record
to be included in Follett's catalogs.
Therefore, one of your missions as an author
participating in the Mind Like Water-Follett
Library Initiative is to facilitate the sale
of just one ebook to a library. Libraries do
not have to have any ebook lending platform
specific to Follett in order to purchase
ebooks from their catalogs. Follett simply
acts as an ebook vendor.
How
can you do this?
One
way is to offer to give an author's talk at
your local library, as this can spark
interest in your book. Librarians listen to
their patrons -- a title is often added to a
collection because a patron has requested
it. Giving a talk also provides you with an
opportunity to network with the library
staff.
Do
your research first. Are there any libraries
in your region that already include ebooks
in their collections? Are there any
libraries that are discussing the addition
of ebooks? If so, these are the libraries
you will want to target. You can get a lot
of information from a library's web site in
order to narrow your list. Some things to
look for include an online ebook lending
program, or a master planning document or
news item that mentions ebooks.
Now
that you have your list, how can you
schedule a talk? For starters, check out Authors@YourLibrary
-- a searchable online database that
connects libraries around the country with
authors and publicists looking to promote
their books. There is a submission form that
publishers can use to add their information
to the database; and a Library Listing that
provides, for each library listed,
information on who to contact, event and
venue details, publicity methods, book
sales, and expenses/honorarium.
According
to the session I attended, tying your book
to a current event issue or an issue that is
important to the library's community is a
great way to introduce yourself for an
author's talk. You might also want to see
what your library has planned for National
Library Week (each April), National Poetry
Month (each April), or any other
national/regional/local event associated
with your book's topic. For ideas, look over
the Library and Book Calendar at http://www.libraryhq.com/calendar.html.
I'll
address this marketing idea some more in
next month's newsletter. In the meantime,
think about planning your own author talk,
and then get started using the ideas
discussed above!
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Order
ISBNs from Mind Like Water
ISBNs
are now available for purchase
through Mind Like Water! If you
are a self-published author, or
are responsible for providing
your own ISBNs, Mind Like Water
offers a more affordable
alternative to purchasing ISBNs
than through Bowker. While
Bowker only sells ISBNs by
factors of 10 (i.e., 10 ISBNs
for $225, 100 ISBNs for $800,
etc.), you can order
individual ISBNs from Mind Like
Water for only $30 each.
If
you haven't heard of ISBNs, or
you would like more information,
visit http://www.mindlikewater.com/marketing/ISBN.html.
Basically, an ISBN is a 10-digit
number that uniquely identifies
books and book-like products. An
ISBN identifies one title or
edition of a title from one
specific publisher and is unique
to that edition, allowing for
more efficient marketing of
products by booksellers,
libraries, universities,
wholesalers and distributors.
Order
your ISBNs online by visiting
Mind Like Water's home page at http://www.mindlikewater.com.
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Nonfiction
Corner
Rx
365
author: William Henry Ziering, M.D.
genre: Health Care
Rx
365 is a primer for both physicians
and patients. It is a guideline for
establishing a patient centered practice.
Yet its principals are applicable to all
transactions between a caregiver and a
care receiver, between all consumers and
suppliers. There is joy in serving. Rx
365 is a list of "one
liners," a series of
"pearls" suggesting approaches
to improve the wellness and welfare of
patients and consumers. Doctors will
welcome the sound advice. Mostly, however,
the book is dedicated to we the people,
who should be better able to choose a
caretaker who cares, as well as to better
understand the background and business of
a medical practice.
http://www.allergiesdirectory.com/medical_practice.html
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
Get
A Job! Put Your Degree To Work
authors: Tara Maras and Donna Kozik
illustrator: Ron Maras
genre: Employment -- job search
Get
to work on getting work with this
practical job-finding resource. Get A
Job! Put Your Degree To Work helps
readers create an organized command
center, use precious time wisely, develop
a network of associates, conquer the cover
letter and resume, master the art of the
interview, conduct salary negotiations and
much more. Featured alongside today's
effective job-finding strategies are top
suggestions from dozens of company
leaders, human resource professionals and
career experts -- people in the know who
want to help others find employment.
Discover secrets from the best -- those
who hire and those who work to get people
hired. With its down-to-earth strategies, Get
A Job! Put Your Degree To Work
provides information readers can benefit
from immediately -- and land the
professional job they want.
http://www.getajobbook.com/order.htm
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
Zollocco:
A Novel of Another Universe
author: Cynthia Joyce Clay
genre: Science Fiction: ecological
A human woman finds herself
transported from a dying Earth to the
forest world of Ipernia, a place where
plants and trees walk and forest life
behaves as a collective consciousness.
Hunted as a beast by an interplanetary
corporation, she embarks on a magical
adventure, traveling between cities,
continents and worlds, embracing alien
cultures and languages, yet always longing
to return to the Forest Zollocco. As she
proceeds on her journey, she begins to
uncover a secret that may yet save Earth
from destruction.
http://www.bookbooters.com/b00017.asp
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
Royal
Flush
author: William Dennenberg
genre: Romantic comedy adventure
This
is the tale of a truly uninhibited English
princess pursued by terrorists finding
refuge in Arizona, and solace in the arms
of an American cop and his lover. Written
as a gentle, affectionate parody of
Hollywood's romantic comedy-adventure
genre, this is a must for all royalists
and for everyone who enjoys a racy read
that exposes high life for what it
undeniably is.
http://www.baronage.net/banneret/RoyalFlush.html
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
Freddie
Brenner Mystical Adventure Series: Book 1
- The Door to the Secret City
author: Kathy J. Forti
illustrator: Robert Owen Jones
genre: Children's Adventure Series
The
Door to the Secret City open the
series with a tree house accident causing
Freddie Brenner to have an amazing
out-of-body near death experience. Freddie
meets Daniel, his very own angelic spirit
guide, who takes him to another world
where he learns about his true mission in
life.
Read
the entire series! Book 2 -- The Team
Dream, and Book 3 -- An Everyday
Miracle.
http://www.FortiBooks.com
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
The
Merryvale Adventures, Book 1: A Very
Strange Land
author: Steven D. Fisher
genre: Children's Fiction: fantasy
A
Very Strange Land is the first of a
set of books designed for pre-teen girls.
The first story takes place at a riding
school in a land called Merryvale, a realm
of oddities, flying horses, and
wonderfully bad puns. There is a very
strange riding instructress, encouraging
parents, and a lesson to be learned: that
with confidence, one can do anything,
particularly if you use considerable style
and grace!
Read
the entire series! Book 2: Seeking
Sarah, and Book 3: Mud, Muck &
Myer.
http://www.writeronlinebooks.com/book/averystrangeland.htm
Visit Mind Like Water's eBook
Catalog for more information.
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