• A Mall-Sized OBCZ in Malaysia

A Mall-Sized OBCZ in Malaysia

We recently heard from 1 Utama, one of the largest shopping centres in Malaysia. The fine folks there love the BookCrossing concept. They've decided to make a section of the mall an official BookCrossing Zone (OBCZ). Their aim is to both encourage the culture of reading and to increase awareness of BookCrossing among Malaysians. MPH Bookstores, is now a part of this venture, providing 50 books (new releases) to be released at the Zone complete with cozy furniture, bookcases, lamps and sofas. "We are extremely excited to be part of BookCrossing, and this is a small role on the part of MPH to support the government's continuous efforts to cultivate and promote reading habits among Malaysians," explained Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan, Chief Executive Officer of MPH Group of Companies Malaysia.

1 Utama is telling shoppers about BookCrossing via posters, flyers, emails and media announcements. Ballycumber, the BookCrossing running book logo has taken prominence in all the communication materials. Mall foot traffic has been an estimated 2.16 million visitors a month. Heather Pedersen, BookCrossing Co-Founder said about the project, "We are thrilled to grow BookCrossing's community in Malaysia. Through this partnership, BookCrossing continues to build its global vision of providing local communities with a forum and platform for book sharing. Together we can help shape a better world through literacy." And we're sure the over 2,000 BookCrossers in Malaysia will agree.

From a Steer point of view I know we are still far from having our own, meanwhile we fill such goodness at the best corners of our shopping mall.

The Three Quickest (and Easiest) Ways to Improve Your Writing

by Debra Koontz Traverso

Copyright 2002-2009 Debra Koontz Traverso. All rights reserved in all media.

The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for not-for-profit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For all other purposes, contact Debra Koontz Traverso at Debra@DebraTraverso.com

Want to improve your writing? Then set your goal to be to express, not to impress. To get you started, try these three easy tips:

1. Be brief

Robert Southey said, "If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is as with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn."

And oh, as writers, how we do want our words to burn — into the souls of our readers.

Unfortunately, we often think that the more words we give, the greater that burn will be. Fact is, just the opposite is true — tightly written, colorful, descriptive, and pared-down prose will burn into readers' hearts and minds more quickly than rambling, redundant and unnecessary text. Why? Several reasons: The shorter your writing, the better chance it has of being read. And, people enjoy prolific people: saying the same thing with fewer words as opposed to many words brands you as prolific, not the fact that you know a thousand multi-syllabic words. And finally, it's easier to remember three pithy words than it is 10 that wander about.

The concept that "less is more" may have started in architecture but could not be more appropriate in our writing.

2. Be clear

Be aware that many words carry both connotative and denotative meanings, which can mean subtle, yet significant differences between what you meant to say and how readers interpret your meaning. As the following delightful poem points out, your positive denotative words may carry with them some negative connotative interpretations. What words might you be using that confuse your readers?

You can call her a duck, cannot call her a goose;
You can call her a deer, but never a moose;
You can call her a lamb, but never a sheep;
Economic she likes, but you can't call her cheap.

(Note: And by the way, this is one of those millions of little ditties that skip around cyberland without accompanying attribution or contact information. If anyone can verify the author/origin of this poem, please let me know as I would love to give appropriate credit.)

3. Be a storyteller

If you want to grab attention, then tell a story. Whether you're writing a brochure to sell leather, a Web site to discuss water-proof rain gear, or a book about a famous podiatrist, tell a story rather than merely listing rote facts, such as the features of the boots that a foot doctor would recommend.

Instead, tell readers how these same boots were worn, thanks to a trusted doctor's recommendation, by a weary bush pilot in sub-zero Alaskan weather and how they saved him from certain frostbite after his plane crashed in the remote northern-most portion of the state.

Stories grab and hold attention. And, they intrigue readers to keep reading until the story's happy — or bittersweet — end.

Bottom Line: If you write to express rather than to impress, then your writing will automatically be more impressive.

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Debra Koontz Traverso, M.A., is a creative and commercial writer, public speaker and consultant, having published several books and hundreds of articles. She also serves as a guest instructor at Harvard University and as adjunct faculty at her local community college. She can be reached at Debra@DebraTraverso.com.

Copyright 2002-2009 Debra Koontz Traverso. All rights reserved in all media.

The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for not-for-profit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For all other purposes, contact Debra Koontz Traverso at Debra@DebraTraverso.com

Services

Pathway’s services are covered by a flat fee based on net sales. There is no set-up fee (aside from a nominal start-up fee to get the client’s books into the Pathway system), no per-pallet charges for excess inventory, no monthly fees vs. dollar value of active inventory, and no ‘in and out’ fees, etc. Subject to credit references, a security deposit may be required, refundable upon satisfactory payment record. The flat fee does not include shipping charges which, normally, are paid by a client’s customer and, therefore, are a ‘wash’ nor the bank’s credit card validation charges. And, for now, an energy surcharge has to be added. Bottom line, no surprises.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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The BEBOOK is an ereader that lets you read digital content anywhere as you do on paper. Now you can take along as many books, magazines, news and documents as you like, on a device small, portable and light as a single book.

Read any pdf*, mobi, lit*, epub*, html, txt, prc, fb2, jpg file and over 300.000 of free rss newsfeeds from your BeBook. Including Mobipocket Digital Rights Management support. (*non-drm)

Why BeBook ereader is amazing!
- Unique paperlike display, read even in bright sunlight
- Longlife battery, one charge will last 7.000 pageturns!*
- Fit your entire bookcase into just 1 BEBOOK
- Use it anywhere: at home, vacation, study, work, travel
- Use it to read: books, studybooks, papers, news, catalogs, workdocuments, reference guides/book, ebooks, training papers, any document!

Features
- Easy accessible book library menu
- Supported file formats: pdf, mobi, prc, epub, lit, txt, fb2, doc, html, rtf, djvu, wol, ppt, mbp, chm, bmp, jpg, png, gif, tif, rar, zip, mp3.
- 512MB internal memory, enough for at least 1.000 books
- SD memorycard slot included
- Built-in menu language support: English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, Greek, Ukraine, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Bulgarian, Estonian, Polish
- Change fonttype while reading
- Increase/decrease font size of ereader display
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* Actual batterylife will decrease playing mp3 files on your BeBook ereader.

The Essentials New Publishers Need to Know

So you’re ready to publish your first book? Keep in mind the following tips, and you’ll find the path to success much smoother!

• Bookstores don’t buy POD books. Rather than taking on all the details of self-publishing, many wanna-be publishers are opting for the heavily-advertised Print-On-Demand companies, which promise publication at low fees. For the right project—a niche book with an easily-found audience, such as a church cookbook—POD can indeed be a great option. What the POD companies won’t tell you, however, is that neither bookstores nor libraries will generally buy a POD book. So if you’re planning to sell your books directly through a website or via speaking engagements, POD may be a fine option. For writers who are hoping to see their book in bookstores and libraries, however, better stick with true self-publishing.
• You can judge a book by its cover. And that’s what most people do. So if you’re not going to spring for a professional, polished cover, you might as well not bother self-publishing the book. You can get a decent cover for as little as $500 and a fantastic cover for around $1000 and up.
• Don’t use a Ma and Pa print shop. Use a printer that specializes in printing books. Not only will you have fewer problems with production, but the prices will be much less expensive. (You can find a good list of printers in my book, The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days.) You should be able to print 3000 copies of a 250-page softcover book for under $2 per copy.
  • Get 100 ISBNs. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and every book sold in bookstores or on Amazon must have an ISBN. In the U.S. ISBNs are available only from Bowker.com, and you can buy them in blocks of ten, 100, or 1000. The fewer you buy the less it costs—but buying just a block of ten marks you as a one-book publisher. And everyone in the publishing industry can figure out how many ISBNs you’ve purchased by looking at your ISBN number. So be a player; spring for the $800 block of 100.
  • Don’t wait to start marketing. Many first-time publishers focus on the nuts and bolts of the publishing process, and put off thinking about the marketing until they have books in hand (or garage.) Bad move. Your book will succeed or fail on its marketing plan. So before you start your self-publishing project, sit down and figure out who your audience is, and where you will find them. Only once you’ve mapped out the marketing should you move forward on a publishing project.

Self-publishing can not only be extremely lucrative, it can be a lot of fun. But follow these five simple rules, and you’ll be enjoying the publishing game. Good luck!

Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She is also the Director of the International Association of Writers (http://www.AssociationofWriters.com) providing publicity vehicles to writers worldwide. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm. And definitely sign up for her Facebook Writing and Publishing group at harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6138914001.

Copyright © 2009 Fern Reiss

The Future of Publishing

The Future of Publishing
by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com

In the same way that it’s always easier to parent other people’s children perfectly, it’s easier to criticize the publishing industry from the outside and see what needs to be done. Still, as an ‘outsider’ who’s been in various segments of the publishing industry for over 25 years, here’s my top five list of changes the publishing world needs to implement in order to survive the current economic downturn--if the industry is to emerge at the other end intact.

Give up on returns
It’s ironic that the policy of bookstore returns started during the last economic Depression, when Simon & Schuster decided it was a great way to allow bookstores to take chances on books because there was no downside. Today, however, the cost of allowing returns is strangling the entire publishing industry. Now’s the time to introduce economic incentives for booksellers who are willing to forego returns—or just eliminate the option unilaterally, across the industry. Like gravitating away from hardcovers to soft, eliminating returns will bring book prices way, way down—and change the economics of the entire business.

Put galleys online
Distributing hard copies of advance galleys four months before official publication date is a practice that should have died out with the advent of instant printing several years ago. Why should publishers do headstands to get advance galley copies of books (books that are already in final form, mind you) into the hands of opinion makers four months before the books are officially released? It’s time to put galleys online where they belong. Not only will this save mega bucks and mega time, it will eliminate the fake ‘four month window’ during which you have to sit on your books, as well as the plethora of galleys available for sale on Amazon. Done correctly, it might even generate advance buzz amongst readers.

Market the books, dammit!
When McDonalds introduces a new burger, they do a PR campaign. When the Hilton introduces new amenities, they do a PR campaign. It’s hard to even think of an industry where products for the general public are not marketed. But usually the publishing industry only markets books that seem to be taking off already. As an industry pundit once said, publishers would wait to see whether the infant survives before bothering to feed it…

And market the books online, too
The publishing industry hasn’t evolved most of its practices in decades, but the rest of the world has changed. Most particularly, where potential readers congregate and buy has changed. Newspapers are dying; magazines are going out of business; and it’s not just the independents, but all the brick and mortar bookstores too that are in trouble in this economy. For publishers to really thrive and compete, they need to be where the readers are. And that means Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs. Hire some literate college kids and let them loose, but do something with social media and and Web 2.0 and do it fast! With bookstores dwindling and without an online fan base, it’s hard to see how even the biggest publishers will survive the decade.

Rethink the whole book model
It’s not only the publishing industry that needs to change. Books have to, and can, change in several fundamental ways. One hundred years ago, a book had a beginning, middle and end. Today, books can be sold in smaller increments profitably (think: cell phones). Books can be tailored to specific niches, or even specific individuals (think: Michelin Guide replaced by three page guide to restaurants near my business meeting in the North End; or 200-page tome on knitting replaced by a single-page summary reminding me just how to cast-off.) Also, consumers today, perhaps sadly, watch and listen more and read less. They crave interactivity. Smart publishers will find ways to deliver that. Supplement your books with audio, video and new media. Think out of the proverbial box.

There’ll always be writers and (I hope) there’ll always be readers. The smart writers and publishers will figure out some way to propel their stuff into the world. But if large publishers don’t start making some radical changes, the publishing landscape may have to continue without them. And that would be a shame.

Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She is also the Director of the International Association of Writers (http://www.AssociationofWriters.com) providing publicity vehicles to writers worldwide. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm. And definitely sign up for her Facebook Writing and Publishing group at harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6138914001.

Copyright © 2009 Fern Reiss

Wired for Books: Celebrating Books, Reading, and Literature

"Literature... news that stays news" - Ezra Pound

For many years, most of the best writers of the English language found their way to Don Swaim's CBS Radio studio in New York. The one-on-one interviews typically lasted 30 to 45 minutes and then had to be edited down to a two-minute radio show. Wired for Books is proud to make these important oral documents publicly available for the first time in their entirety. Listen to the voices of many of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Visit the Wired for Books Don Swaim Page.

Select Don Swaim Interviews