http://www.willamettewriters.com/pdf/BrochureWebFnl.pdf

Reserve your spot with agents and publishers now!

From the brochure:

August 7 – 9, 2009

Pre-conference Activities 5 – 9 P.M. Thursday, August 6

Sheraton Airport Hotel

Portland, Oregon

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

~ George Eliot

www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651500.html?rssid=192

Met with as much fury as the sales rank fall of “innocents”, is the new intended policy that will permanently change the ranking system for what Amazon deems “gay and adult themed books”.  

May I say Amazon PR nightmare, train wreck now?

In response to a request for comment, Amazon went on record with the LA Times and explained the disappearing book/sales ranks a “glitch”.

I hope that’s the truth since I have always seen and experienced Amazon as an ally and asset for book sales and author promotion efforts.  

Authors check your accounts immediately to be sure you were not innocently included in the sales rank fall and be advised, Amazon may take a while to address your concerns, if any. In my dealings with Amazon I’ve learned don’t have the staff to field and resolve real time author requests to say nothing of the overload this current public outcry must be creating. It’s best to contact your publisher if you have concerns with your titles, each  has an Amazon account rep. that can deliver more timely responses to your concerns.

Want to see the trend in action at Twitter? #amazonfail: http://tinyurl.com/cmg4vg

Here the LA Times story: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c630a53ef01156f202135970c

 Keep your finger on the pulse of your books, let’s hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

UPDATE: 

4/13/2009 The New York Times updates the #Amazonfail story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html?_r=1&ref=business

Time management tip: set aside 30 minutes per week to post and update your book and author profiles to the many websites that are springing up all over the internet. Create a one page working document that you can utilize to copy and paste the information.

To your success!

Laura

Turning a Page for the Economy 

” We’re inundated right now with  stories about the death of publishing, the demise of the book, and the woes of the author. Print publishing is suffering, and no amount of DRM (digital-rights management, for the happily uninitiated) can bring us back…’”  

Here’s the full link: http://bethannethebookmaven.typepad.com/stilllifewithbookmaven/2009/02/tk.html

-Laura

A few details from the website: 

Welcome to the 7th SFWP Literary Awards Program. 

1st prize: $1,750
2nd prize: $1,000
3rd prize: $1,000

Welcome to the 7th SFWP Literary Awards Program, offering $3750 in cash awards and the opportunity to be considered for representation by the Irene Goodman Agency. The 2009 Program will run from January 1st, 2009 through July 15th, 2009. The grand prize is $1,750, with two runner-up prizes of $1,000 each. Winners will be featured on our online literary journal. 

Heres the link to the website:

http://www.sfwpawards.com/

Good luck and good writing!

Laura

Let the world know with excitement and vigor about the upcoming release of your ebook, and tell them exactly the how’s and when’s your product will be available for purchase.

Send press releases, share your reviews and endorsements with your readers.

The better the buzz the better your media and marketing results will be.