Archive for Arizona
Self publishing success story
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New guide features history and details of the trails in the Arizona Superstition Mountains
At the Arizona Book Publishing Association annual Glyph awards event last weekend, I sat next to Jack Carlson and Elizabeth Stewart, authors of the “Superstition Wilderness Trails East.” This hiker’s guide won several awards that night, and here is the story of their road to self-publishing success, in Jack’s own words:
How did the idea for the book begin?
When I left Motorola in 1992, I combined three of my interests–engineering, writing and hiking. Our Hiker’s Guide to the Superstition Wilderness book is somewhat like a technical document with lots of maps and diagrams, calculated distances and hiking times, and research into the historical aspects of the trails. I have a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and also a MBA degree, so the business part of book publishing also attracted me to the project.
What resources did you use to help yourself along?
Elizabeth was the only source of help at first. Motorola provided editorial assistance on one writing project where we wrote two small pamphlets on engineering techniques. After Elizabeth and I started the Hiker’s Guide to the Superstition Wilderness book project, we joined the ABPA (for publishing help), and the Arizona Authors Association (for writing help). Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual was our guide to everything. Read More→
Want to get in the paper? Do something interesting
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If you happen to subscribe to the Arizona Sunday edition, or visit the travel section at www.azcentral.com, you may have read about the father/daughter team, Mike Hayes and Maureen Nowland, who have hiked the complete Arizona Trail from Mexico to Utah.
That’s one way to get into the newspaper - when you or one of your clients accomplishes an unusual feat. [Side note - that's also the theme of an excellent post on Techipedia about how to get the attention of influencers - 'be epic,' says one]
It all started in April 2004 when Mike and Maureen saw an article in the travel section about a father-son team who had hiked the Arizona Trail. Growing up, Maureen and her family often went car camping for vacation. She continued this tradition with her husband Steve, and on a Labor Day camping trip with her dad in 2004, they started talking about the article. Mike threw down the gauntlet by saying, “If you’re serious, let’s put something together.” Read More→
New to social media? This conference is for you.
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MADCAP Theater, Tempe, AZ
The agenda is now up for the Social Media for Business event that will be held Monday, January 25th, at the Madcap Theater in Tempe. You can check it out here.
Organized by Fred von Graf, #SMAZ was first held in Tempe last August. It’s an informal conference where you have a veritable fish hatchery of people in AZ who are involved in social media. You should attend if you:
- are new to social media and have questions – sit in on the panel I’ll be moderating Monday afternoon 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., which welcomes questions from the audience
- want to hear the latest trends in social media
- like mingling with others who are interested in twitter, blogs, Facebook, search marketing, web analytics
- want to learn how to use social media to build brand evangelists
- are interested in how to make social media pay
By the way, the food is fantastic – breakfast and lunch are included in the fee. And parking is easy. And no restroom lines!!!
To get 45% off the ticket price, use the discount code VPRB.
AP opening hub in Phoenix for better regional coverage
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If you’re in public relations and want to learn how to work more closely with the Associated Press, there is an upcoming panel in Phoenix featuring Pauline Arrilaga and Josh Hoffner from the new Phoenix AP hub.
By placing writers in regional areas, they are increasing AP’s ability to break overnight news and get content to clients faster.
You can find more info on the panel here, including registration. It is sponsored by the Arizona Book Publishing Association and will be held at the Radisson Hotel near Sky Harbor Airport.
Arizona Book Awards – publicity for your books
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The Arizona Book Publishing Association is calling for entries for the 2010 Arizona Book Awards. Submissions must be postmarked by Saturday, January 30th, 2010.
The goal of the annual awards is to promote and support quality work created by Arizona authors, produced by Arizona publishers, or written about Arizona and are meant to recognize excellence in craft and creation in the Arizona book industry.
My book, “Press Releases are not a PR Strategy,” won in 2008 in the business/career category. Think of the state lottery – you can’t win if you don’t play.
Entries have to have been published between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. For information about judging criteria, application form, and fees click here. You’ll also see the list of 2009 winners.
Holiday gifts – buy books, and buy local!
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You don’t need to go out of Arizona to find great books. Here’s a list of some of the local authors I’ve read and like, in no particular order:
- Dine Out Phoenix – Where to Eat from Chic to Unique – by Pamela Swartz
- Life as a Mother-in-Law – Roles, Challenges Solutions – by Olivia Slaughter, Ph.D. and Jean Kubelun, Ph.D.
- The Art of the Fresh Start – How to Make and Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions for a Lifetime – by Glenna Salsbury
- Arizona Gun Owners Guide – by Alan Korwin
- The Braces Cookbook – by Pamela Waterman
- Women Who RV – and Their Kindred Spirits – by Marion Orem
- Laid Off? Don’t Stress! How to Get from Mad to Glad – by Kitty Wiemelt
- Twilight - by Stephenie Meyer
- Steering by Starlight – by Martha Beck
- Escape from Cubicle Nation – by Pamela Slim
I believe these are all available on Amazon, so one-stop shopping and your holiday gift-giving is done.
Scottsdale Society of Women Writers
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You don’t have to live in Scottsdale to become a member of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers (SSWW). Founder Patricia Brooks told me that the society has members all over, including two out of state.
I presented to the group last night on the topic of “Press Releases 101,” and how the way we write and distribute releases has changed in the last three years. Credit Todd Defren at Shift Communications for crystallizing the changes in the 2006 proposed social media release template, which is constantly being updated to reflect ongoing developments in social media. Read More→
Check out local authors at Bookstreet this weekend
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As part of Scottsdale ArtFest’s Bookstreet, the Arizona Book Publishing Association will be featuring several local authors. Stop by their booth this weekend and check them out! Here’s a partial list of publishers and authors, covering everything from local Arizona attractions to gun laws, memoirs, self-improvement, murder mysteries, children’s books, house remodeling. I will be there as well, with my book, “Press Releases are not a PR Strategy.”
Acacia Publishing – Karen Gray
American Traveler Press – Bill Fessler – including Pete Chasar, Marshall Trimble, and Clay Thompson Read More→
Arizona book events next week
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If you have a client who plans to write a book in the future, or promote a book they have already written, there are two key events next week that can help out.
Dan Poynter – speaker – Thursday, Nov. 19 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
“Opportunities: Book Publishing Past, Present & Future” - everything you’ve heard about book writing, publishing, distributing and promoting is obsolete. Dan will describe the changes in book publishing and share with us how to take advantage of them. Read More→
The magic of finding your own tribe
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I presented this morning to members of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, an event hosted by Sonoran Bank. Both the chamber and the bank are committed to helping minorities grow and improve their businesses. I thought of how many similar meetings there must be going on all over Arizona, little tribes or communities of people supporting and encouraging each other.
There’s magic when you find your own tribe. Do you feel like a fish out of water? Keep searching. They’re there. As Seth Godin points out in his book, “Our role today is to find, connect and lead tribes in order to make change happen.”
