How to Sell E-books at Author Readings

E-books have freed many writers from many of the niggling details of selling physical books at author readings: making change ahead of time, schlepping the books around, having someone watch the table while you read, and worrying about taxes and receipts.


Last week at Barry University, I tested this method at my reading from Bob Marley and Bradford's iPad--a story about a writer whose health and work problems are solved when Bob gives him some sage advice.


Like everything else, it takes a little prep work, but it's worth it. Here are the steps:


1. Let the audience know ahead of time that you'll be reading from an e-book and encourage them to turn on their smartphones with the ringer on vibrate.


2. Set up an e-mail account with a memorable name. I chose: bradfordsipad@gail.com. Try it and see if it works.


3. Once I set up the account, I went to Settings and clicked Vacation Responder on.


4. Then, I copied this text into the Message Box:
 
Greetings!


Thank you for supporting my work. For indie writers like me, word of mouth/blog/tweet/e-mail is crucial for success.

Here is the link to Bob Marley and Bradford's iPad @ Amazon:
http://amzn.to/nrg1Kg

Of if you prefer, @ Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/JeiiHm

My e-book is also available in any style to match your e-reader @Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/JeiDtE

So thank you, thank you, thank you.

& remember, to tell a friend or two *wink wink*.

1Love,

Geoffrey

Blog: http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/

Visit my Amazon page: http://amzn.to/A7oZgU

Follow me on Twitter: @geoffreyphilp

Then, I invited the audience to send an email to bradfordsipad@gail.com, so they could buy the book and read along with me. With the vacation message on, the purchase details were delivered automatically to them.


I also encouraged audience members to live tweet the event. The more audience participation, the better.


The students at Barry University responded positively to the story. So far, I've seen some movement on sales at Amazon, but more at Smashwords because most of the students had Nooks.

Let me know about your success!








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If you enjoyed this post, check out my page on Amazon. I’d also be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.





Thank you!

Caribbean InTransit: Live!

Caribbean InTransit is a dynamic, new platform for artists and academics. It is the only open access academic journal focused on the Caribbean Arts. Open access is the concept of making published material available in full via the Internet, by removing the price barrier for readers. With its open access stance and its commitment to the Arts, it is fitting that Caribbean InTransit launches with a focus and dialogue on Art and Access. The notion of open access, however, is not without its challenges. Access is not uncomplicated or easy. If the price barrier is removed then how can the project of gratis availability be sustained? And what of the language barrier? If material is truly accessible then it ought to be so in various languages. Access to information technology is also an issue. The digital divide keeps many offline and therefore without access. Caribbean InTransit is interested in engaging these issues, among others, in relation to art. How can art – broadly defined – have reach or impact on societies? What should impact look like? How might we rethink and employ technologies to make art more available? Can access come without commercial/financial suicide?

Google has partnered with some of the world’s respected museums to bring their artworks online (www.googleartproject.com). Using Street View technology you can get free access inside galleries and can view art in high resolution. The Google Art Project also lets you share the artworks you like across social networks like Facebook and Twitter. In the Caribbean, we can look to Trinidad for examples of efforts to consider art in relation to public access. Alice Yard is the backyard space of a house located in the island’s capital (aliceyard.blogspot.com). This informal space hosts artists, writers and musicians and serves as an alternative arena to the formal art galleries, for making artworks available to people and for fostering art’s impact on the society. During the country’s recent state of emergency with an imposed curfew, the organisers of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival instituted Curfew Cinema: entire films were available for viewing online during the stipulated period for remaining indoors, free of charge (www.ttfilmfestival.com). And, when local recording artist Isaac Blackman launched his new album in mid-2011, some of his tracks could be freely accessed and downloaded (www.isaacblackman.com). These are but a few illustrations of the dovetailing of art with the matter of accessibility. Join the Caribbean InTransit conversation about “Art, Technology, Availability and Impact” as we set in motion our efforts to foster a community of artistry, research and entrepreneurship through a unique journal format.

Visit us at Caribbean Intransit on Facebook to share your views and kick-start our celebrations and subscribe to access your free e-copies of our journal at www.caribbeanintransit.com

***


If you are searching for posts about Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey, Rastafari, or Dennis Scott, please check the archives.


Also, if you enjoyed this post, check out my page on Amazon. I’d also be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. 


Thank you!

Maddie’s Story: The Power of Social Media

We’ve all heard about how protestors in Tahrir Square and in the Occupy movement have used social media as a tool to achieve their goals. And some of us might have concluded, “That’s great for big political causes that excite others, but that doesn’t affect me at all. Social media can never be used in my small circle.” But you would be underestimating yourself and the power of social media.


Recently, my daughter was brought face to face with animal cruelty. She posted her experience on Facebook and shared it with her family and friends.

“Hello, Facebook! Sending out feelers: we need someone who is willing to foster the dog we found yesterday at my school. Her medicine would be taken care of, but I need someone with the space and most importantly, time, to help get this girl back to full speed.” 

28 January at 19:40

Then, she did a Google search for  American Bulldog Rescue, Florida Chapter. In between posts, she cared for Maddie’s ailments:

Calling yourself an animal lover during the daytime is sweet and all. But, at three in the morning, it's money where your mouth is time, LOL

29 January at 03:37 via Mobile ·

Maddie’s Story soon circulated around the net and was picked up by our ABC affiliate:

WPLG Local 10
Just received this from a Local10 viewer. Incredible case of animal cruelty.

I work at an elementary school in North Miami and yesterday, I and a few other teachers happened across a dog that we suspect someone was trying to hang from the fence. I ended up in primary care of her and took her to the vet.

They’ve told me in very simple terms that she has a very bad case of demodectic mange and probably be put down upon admittance at any shelter.

The money isn't that huge of a barrier, as I, and two of the other teachers will be pooling to pay for treatment for her, but none of us (myself included) have the time or the space to foster her for the time it would take for her to be back at 100% (three weeks).

Even if she weren't an incredibly sweet animal, I would struggle with just taking her to a shelter, and was wondering if anyone on the site could help.

Thanks for reading, and even if the answer is no, I appreciate your time in responding with any haste you can spare. :)

30 January

The post on the WPLG Facebook had 80 shares and 32 LIKES, and that’s not counting the shares of her friends and family. My daughter became so attached to Maddie, she worried that if she took the dog to a local shelter, the dog would be euthanized. 


Then, the miraculous happened:

MADDIE'S GOT A HOME!!! Details to come.
30 January at 16:01

Which was quickly followed by:

So, here's the story:

On Friday, I had e-mailed the American Bulldog Rescue Chapter in Florida and waited Saturday and Sunday for a response. Today, they not only contacted me, but also contacted a local news station who put the pup's story up on their Facebook.

I didn't get one, or two, but a couple DOZEN e-mails from people who wanted to help, even just by sharing the story with friends.

But the best part of the story is that the pup got placed! She will be going out (hopefully soon) to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Wellington where she will be rehabbed and then placed in a forever home.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented, liked and texted me about the situation. Her situation was a sad one, but tonight, it's infinitely better, thanks to you. ♥

30 January at 18:59

On Tuesday, she took Maddie to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Wellington. Maddie and my daughter lived happily ever after.

Still think you’re powerless? Find your passion and share it on the web. You are not alone.

Blogger Dynamic Views

If you haven't visited this blog in a while (shame on you!), there are 7 (yes, count them) SEVEN new ways of enjoying the posts via Dynamic Views:

1. Classic (Gmail): A modern twist on a traditional template, with infinite scrolling and images that load as you go
2. Flipcard (M loves M) - Your photos are tiled across the page and flip to reveal the post title
3. Magazine (Advanced Style) - A clean, elegant editorial style layout
4. Mosaic (Crosby’s Kitchen) - A mosaic mix of different sized images and text
5. Sidebar (Blogger Buzz Blog) - An email inbox-like view with a reading page for quick scrolling and browsing
6. Snapshot (Canelle et Vanille) - An interactive pinboard of your posts
7. Timeslide (The Bleary-Eyed Father) - A horizontal view of your posts by time period

So, why not take a stroll over to the blog? All is forgiven. You can always come home....




Source Credits:  Official Google Blog: Dynamic Views: seven new ways to share your blog with the world

We've Got An App For That!

I've just created an Android App for this blog. You can download it here:

 http://www.freeblogapps.com/d/a5ca25/geoffrey-philps-blog

Alternative Downloads

USB Computer Download (Advanced)

Step 1: Prepare your Android phone to download your app by opening Settings > Applications and check the checkbox for Unknown Sources.

Step 2: Download the Geoffrey Philp's Blog application APK file.

Step 3: Connect your computer to your phone and transfer the file over USB.

Barcode Download

Step 1: Prepare your Android phone to download your app by opening Settings > Applications and check the checkbox for Unknown Sources.

Step 2: Using your Android phone, get your barcode reader app and scan the QR Code on the left. Don't have a bar code reader app? Download this one.

Step 3: Open the url and download the APK app file. Then click the downloaded app file to install. If you've done step 1 correctly it should install successfully.

Having Trouble?

How do I prepare my phone to download?

Please view this Youtube video for a demonstration of how to prepare your phone to download an app. It's quite straightforward and can take less than a minute.

My phone doesn't have the Unknown Sources option?

Some phone providers such as AT&T do not allow you to install third party applications which would include apps like the one you have just made. To see if there are any alternatives methods, try a google search for ways to install third party apps on your specific phone model.

***

A New Way of Thinking: Social Media

I woke up this morning to the true meaning of social media.

The online petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey, which began on May 28, 2011 now has over 900 signatures from all over the world, and Marcus and the Amazons, my children's e-book,  is now a #1 Hot New Release at Amazon.

This would not have been possible without social media. That means you, my friends, who have blogged, shared and tweeted for these two things to happen. Really and truly, I've learned that if "we"--whatever tribe or community to which you currently belong-- put our minds together through social media, we can accomplish great things.

It has also changed my ideas about how ideas will spread. In the past, I used to worry about those who wouldn't like my work, and I'd try to win them over. No more.

*"Wasted waters's all that is
And it don't make no flowers grow"

As of today, I am giving thanks for those who do support my work and moving with that "positive" vibe:

"Say you just can't live that negative way…/Make way for the positive day."~ Bob Marley

Even as I write this, I realize how much I have been living in that "negative way" without realizing it.

The "positive day" is here. No matter what happens after this, I am going to live in that "positive vibration." I am letting go of those who won't support me and moving with those who do.

What I'm also saying is that you, my friends, should do the same. Free yourself of the tyranny of the "good opinion" of "certain people."

That may even include me. Don't worry about that. Do it for yourself.

For as Brother Bob would say, "If ah so, ah so."

Selah

*"Just the two of us" by Bill Withers

“Put Your Vision to Reality”:Citizen Journalism at Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot

About four years ago while listening to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry,": "In this great future, you can't forget your past," I wrote my first post: "Why Do I Continue to Write?" Little did I know, 1176 posts later that my blog would become the "premier [blog] on Caribbean book and literary events."

The relative success of the blog has been surprising. In those early days, I thought the Internet’s promise was to be lauded, especially within the Caribbean where cultural gatekeepers decided who would be published, but there were also some dangers with the of the democratization of data. I realized that the media revolution would alter every relationship in publishing and blur definitions that had been taken for granted: publisher, journalist. And as with all revolutions, there were going to be winners and losers. But how would the "winners"--the voices to be preserved/privileged--be decided?



These were just some of the concerns that I had when I began my journey as a citizen journalist. For as a former book reviewer of The Miami Herald and Miami Times, I had seen the work of Caribbean writers disappear, column inch by column inch, from the pages of newspapers in Miami and the Caribbean. And coming from a region plagued by poverty, earthquakes and the yearly round of hurricanes that threaten to erase memory, and which had already lost so many writers either because of their inability to support themselves financially or who had given up because of critical neglect, I didn't want the voices of the elders or my generation to be silenced, for them to become the "losers" in the media revolution.



So before I wrote my first post, I began reading other book blogs, especially those written by author/bloggers, and I made critical choices that would distinguish my blog within my niche. And after attending the We Media Conference in Miami under the auspices of Global Voices, I initiated several innovations that would affect the direction of the blog. 


Unlike other sites which charge a fee for a subscription and thereby prohibit the free flow of ideas, I decided that the blog would be a transparent data repository which would connect readers and writers in the community. Given the literacy rates in the Caribbean, it would also have to convince the occasional reader that writing was an important endeavor. Another strategy would be to use book reviews to introduce these readers to lesser known writers who did not have the support of multinational publishers. However, I didn't want the blog, although it bore my name, to be merely a list of by biases. I wanted to initiate a dialogue with readers that would broaden the scope of Caribbean writing and bring in as many voices as possible--even if I disagreed with the opinions or aesthetics. "Make it new," said Ezra Pound and I have always followed his sage advice in every aspect of my work. But where would I begin?


The first step was to make the design of the site as welcoming as possible and to transform the negative stereotype about bloggers: a lonely male geek dressed in a sweaty undershirt typing away in the basement of his mother’s home. For this, I had to learn basic JavaScript so that I could create a sidebars for sites such as The Caribbean Review of Books  and to publish a wide range of articles about Caribbean life in the hope of attracting newer readers to the rich vibrancy of our literature. The second step, as I described in “Blogger and Me: A Three Year Journey” and “Caribbean Publishing in the Internet Age,” was to overcome the “digital divide” that still exists in the region and the resistance that many older Caribbean writers have toward technology.


Luckily, with a little help from my friends, I began a series based on John Baker's blog, Five Questions I interviewed Kwame Dawes, Marlon James, Adrian Castro, Sandra Castillo, and Barbra Nightingale. Then, I expanded the idea to include individuals such as Erika Waters, the founding editor of The Caribbean Writer, who had played an important role in developing Caribbean writing in the late twentieth century. I also interviewed bloggers who were expanding the boundaries of Caribbean blogging: Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik, Fragano Ledgister, Tobias Buckell, and Karel McIntosh. Another improvement was to offer the writers from nearly every Caribbean island an opportunity to speak about their work without the filters of editors or critics. Several writers such as Cyril Dabydeen, Diana McCaulay, Sasenarine Persaud, Opal Palmer Adisa, and Kamau Brathwaite responded to the invitation for In My Own Words.


Kamau Brathwaite's support from the inception was very important, for it gave the blog instant stature. From the first time I met him at the University of Miami, his example of reaching back to help unpublished writers demonstrated his engagement with the Caribbean and his efforts in his generation's mission: the "decolonization of the mind." And as an educator who had worked in Miami, the heart of the Caribbean diaspora, I had seen the effects of those soul/self destroying memes of racism/colonialism on my generation and "The Children of the Matrix."



"If it doesn’t exist on the Internet, it doesn’t exist," argued Kenneth Goldsmith in his post at Harriet. This is especially true for the Millennials. Their cultural amnesia became clear to me after a discussion with a group of high school students about the poetry of Félix Morisseau-Leroy. Even though a street in the middle of Little Haiti was named after the old griot, the students did not know who he was. This prompted me to write another birthday post for Morisseau-Leroy and I published "Boat People," one of his better known poems from Haitiad & Oddities. But the more I talked with children at other schools, the more I realized that they knew very little about their cultural heritage. Some had never heard about Anancy. Caribbean children who did not know about Anancy? Something had to be done.


Based on the interplay, I wrote a children's book, Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories, and read at various book fairs and elementary schools. For everything in my writing life would have been in vain if it did not benefit the children, who face daunting challenges even as they try to cope with being caught between cultures. Frequently they adopt novelty over the wisdom of the "older" culture. During the readings, I talked about Anancy, the Middle Passage, and writing. One of the biggest surprises for the children was when they discovered that I was the author of the book. They never imagined that an author who looked like them was writing about kids who looked like them. This was even more pronounced when I had the opportunity to speak to high school and college students about essay writing, the work of Caribbean women writers, and the use allusions. For another aim of the blog is to convince readers that the new "flatness" of the world affords opportunities which had previously never existed—that to the call, of ancestors such as Marcus Garvey, they are the answer.


As had become the pattern, live discussions led to posts that engaged the virtual community. One post led to another and soon the blog had become a learning resource for students as far away as India, Australia, United Arab Emirates, and South Korea who wanted to know more about writers such as Mervyn Morris, Olive Senior and Derek Walcott.


Pam Mordecai helped me to respond to the requests with "Letter to A Young Writer." And based on private e-mails from teachers, I posted critical readings of Walcott, Olive Senior, and Dennis Scott. I also hosted original podcasts by Kamau Brathwaite, Ramabai Espinet, Lawrence Scott, Deborah Jack, and Joanne Hyppolite, author of author of two popular middle-grade novels for children Seth and Samona.

This is another aspect of the blog about which I am extremely proud: the Caribbean children author series which has featured posts by Summer Edward and Joanne C. Hillhouse. I am also proud that this blog was the first to publish digital photographs of Dennis Scott and Anthony McNeill. Tony's sister, who had been searching the web, found my post about her brother and donated the photographs to the blog when she found out that her brother's image did not exist on the web. I could tell about similar stories, especially the ones having to do with Don Drummond, and other musicians from the Caribbean.

And this, perhaps, is one of the noteworthy contributions of the blog--the exploration of the connection between literature and music of the Caribbean with a special emphasis on reggae and Bob Marley. 

However, my interest in Marley is not merely as a celebrity pop icon. Marley, as an adherent of Garveyite principles, owned his own recording company, Tuff Gong, and used legal and extralegal methods to safeguard his publishing rights, and any discussion of Bob Marley and reggae would be incomplete without the mention of Marcus Garvey and Rastafari. Again, writers such as Colin Grant, author of Negro With a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey, have been more that gracious with their time and have written excellent guest posts, free of charge to the community.

And at its heart this is what the blog has become: a meeting place for the community to be informed about book events, read reviews and interviews with authors, and sometimes to sound the alarm whenever one of our institutions is threatened. But it's also more than that. It has expanded the role of the book blog to include conversations about homophobia, climate change, censorship, and future of publishing in a digital age. Part advocate, cheerleader, and critic, it has provided information to writers about venues for publication, published original poetry and fiction, initiated discussions about topics such as What Does It Mean to be a Caribbean-American and What is a Caribbean classic?

In this respect the blog is not only innovative, it is also useful as the comments of readers attest. And to quote Derek Walcott in "A Letter from Brooklyn": "For such plain praise what fame is recompense?"

***

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Who's Your Daddy @ Nightly Business Report

I'll be appearing on WPBT's Nightly Business Report tonight (7:00 p.m EST) in an interview with Jeff Yastine. We talked about blogging, social media, Kindle, and publishing in the Internet age.

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Update: 11/13/2009:

NBR Transcripts-November 12, 2009 Thursday, November 12, 2009

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• Social media raises the bar on what's required of lawyers in client development (kevin.lexblog.com)
• What The Heck Is Social Media? (newmediachatter.com)

Blogger and Me: A Three Year Journey

Who'd have thunk it? Blogger is turning ten and 290,000 hits later, this blog is almost turning three.

It has truly been a remarkable ride from what started as a lonely post on a Christmas evening to a gathering of so many blogger friends and acquaintances--many of whom I'd love to meet or with whom I'd love to share a cup of coffee or a Red Stripe.

And it's a community from all over the world! Here are the Top 25!

Source: Google Analytics (May 24, 2008 to June 23, 2009)

Some of them are students who needed some more information about my story, "My Brother's Keeper," from The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. Some have been teachers who've used my poetry rubric, list of Caribbean authors and famous Caribbean Americans.

And some have been constant companions, writers and readers, over this journey of give and take, posting and commenting, teaching and learning.

I have learned about the work of so many writers and poets and I've gained so many new readers who've said to me when we've met in person, "I recognize you from the Internet. I never knew about your work until I read your blog."

But more than anything else, blogging has opened the door for me to receive many invitations to read from my work, publish, speak out against injustices, and to share the poems, short stories, essays and novels of Caribbean and South Florida writers whose work I enjoy. This, in turn, as one of my friends at the Caribbean American Book & Art Fair remarked, has also made me a more confident writer.

And it's good to feel that I am contributing in a positive way to the ideas in Caribbean blogosphere. For if there is one idea that I'd love to reach a critical mass in the consciousness of the Jamaican and Caribbean community, it's what I learned from Rastafari: It is up to InI to create the future that I desire.

I have learned that I cannot wait for anyone to do anything for me. Anything that I want to do, I will have to do it for myself. And if I gain a few more friends along the way, then it's a few more rounds at the bar.

Blogging represents a kind of freedom that I've never experienced before. It's the freedom to publish, to say, to do, to express myself in a medium that doesn't have the constraints of poetry or fiction writing. And if I think I've written a good poem or short story, then I don't have to submit (God, I hate that word!) my work all over the place and wait until a few prescient publishers understand my work. I just publish it here.

Blogging the ultimate form of democracy--which is why the abbreviated forms of blogging such as Twitter have gained such popularity. And coming from a place with people who love to decide who should have a voice and who shouldn't, then you can only imagine the level independence that I feel very time I post.

It's a way of whispering in the dark: I am here. I am alive. Is anyone out there?

***

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot on Kindle

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot is now available on Kindle.

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Help Global Voices Advocacy win $3000 by Writing One Post

“I vote for Global Voices Advocacy, because it is a remarkable aggregator that brings bloggers from around the world together and allows us to see multiple perspectives on issues such as online censorship that affect the global community."

Now it's your turn. I 'm tagging:

Rethabile
JDID
Fragano
Jamaican Dawta
Labrish
Stephen

And if you've read this and care about online censorship, you're tagged!
Go forth and spread the gospel!

clipped from globalvoicesonline.org Help Global Voices Advocacy win $3000 by writing one post clipped from globalvoicesonline.org Help Global Voices Advocacy win $3000! The prize money would help us continue to raise awareness of attacks on online freedom of speech, and share tools and tactics with activists and bloggers facing censorship on different parts of the globe. All you have to do is write a post in your own blog, including the following text… “I vote for Global Voices Advocacy, because… (put your own words here). This blog post is part of Zemanta's “Blogging For a Cause” (http://www.zemanta.com/bloggingforacause/) campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about. The deadline is JUNE 6, 2009.