Front Edge
Publishing
Your Ideas Take Flight
We’re celebrating a great example of cooperation among publishers, because Joel Friedlander just put us in the center ring of his 3-ring Carnival of Indies. For years, Joel has published this monthly “blog carnival.” It’s a colorful parade of writers sharing great ideas for authors.
Victor Begg is our star example of an author who has seized the idea of making promotional videos—and has run with that idea further than even our marketing director could have imagined. Now, he’s suddenly stepping into the shoes of The Most Interesting Man in the World. You’ll enjoy this column! And these video clips! Take a look …
These days, video clips outperform almost any other form of online marketing. In this column, marketing expert Susan Stitt writes about this powerful trend. She suggests some easy, free-of-charge ways to start producing short videos to promote yourself or your book. She’s even got samples of “free” videos she created—and links to online services. This is a great one-stop introduction to promoting authors and books through video.
One of the hottest topics in the Amazon.com empire, this month, is the mysterious world of Amazon Vine. The New York Times published an extensive report on the “elite” Vine Voices who receive whole truckloads of free merchandise in exchange for pumping reviews into Amazon. Our Editor David Crumm tells the true story of how he was invited into this strange kingdom—and returned to tell the tale.
Clifford Worthy, the great grandson of slaves, was one of the few African-American men of his generation who was accepted and excelled as a Black Knight of the Hudson, a traditional nickname for West Point cadets. Worthy describes his journey to West Point, the many challenges he overcame both in his family and in the U.S. Army.