Michael Haskins's Blog - Posts Tagged "smokin-tuna-saloon"
Key West author events
OK, it's getting pretty cold up where you are, well it probably is if you're not in or close to the tropics.
On Dec. 7, 2-5 pm, a group signing of Key West and South Florida authors will be held at the Smokin' Tuna Saloon, 4 Charles St., off the 200 block of Duval.
There will be 30+ authors from all genres, mystery, YA, memoires, etc.
So if you're in need of an excuse to escape the cold and visit Key West, here's one.
Next year, for you that like to plan ahead, on June 13-14, the inaugural Mystery Writers Key West Fest, will be held on the island, featuring a meet-and-greet the authors Friday evening, with the mayor proclaiming it Mystery Writers Weekend in KW and maybe even a bar stroll.
Saturday morning there will be two panels of writers and three panels that afternoon, with local law enforcement officials on the last one.
There's a sunset cruise aboard the Fury planned and a noir movie at the Tropic Cinema, that is included in the festival price.
A lot happening and more being added. The website, mysterywriterskeywestfest.com should be up a running any day, but it continues to be a work in progress.
The Double Tree/Grand Key Hotel has set aside a block of rooms at a KW discounted price.
Hope to see you in Key West.
On Dec. 7, 2-5 pm, a group signing of Key West and South Florida authors will be held at the Smokin' Tuna Saloon, 4 Charles St., off the 200 block of Duval.
There will be 30+ authors from all genres, mystery, YA, memoires, etc.
So if you're in need of an excuse to escape the cold and visit Key West, here's one.
Next year, for you that like to plan ahead, on June 13-14, the inaugural Mystery Writers Key West Fest, will be held on the island, featuring a meet-and-greet the authors Friday evening, with the mayor proclaiming it Mystery Writers Weekend in KW and maybe even a bar stroll.
Saturday morning there will be two panels of writers and three panels that afternoon, with local law enforcement officials on the last one.
There's a sunset cruise aboard the Fury planned and a noir movie at the Tropic Cinema, that is included in the festival price.
A lot happening and more being added. The website, mysterywriterskeywestfest.com should be up a running any day, but it continues to be a work in progress.
The Double Tree/Grand Key Hotel has set aside a block of rooms at a KW discounted price.
Hope to see you in Key West.
Why I do a book as well as an eBook
Today’s publish world is changing faster than I can swill a Guinness. I, like many others, have benefited from it. My last three books have been independently publish. Each has gone through the editing and cover design once offered by my traditional publisher. Two differences, I pay for the editing and cover design and like the result much better.
I have to do my own publicity, but then publishers have cut much of the PR budgets, so writers who are not on the NY Times bestseller list probably have to do that too, if they’re traditionally published. It’s time consuming until you get the routine down and then many of the markets still are hard to break into. That will change as more and more bestselling authors become independently published. The upside of going independent is the money. From Kindle I receive 70 percent and the Kindle website gives me daily sales numbers and a 30-day graph of how my sales are doing. Something the NY publishing world says they can’t do.
I still do offer my books on Amazon as POD trade paperbacks. The sales are not worth mentioning.
So why do it?
I have books to give family and friends, books to use for PR purposes and for signings. While some independent bookstores will agree to hold signings for non-traditionally published writers, here in Key West I hold my book release party for NOBODY WINS at the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in Old Town.
I don’t have to give the saloon a 40-percent cut of the sales and that's a big thing. More money for me!
I will also be at the Kilkenny House Irish Pub in Cranford, NJ on the 20th of the month, around 5 pm, and Barry, the owner let me use his pub for a few chapters in NOBODY WINS. It’s an unofficial book signing, but I’ll have a few copies so stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.in my pocket. I will be having a book release party on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2-4 pm at the Smokin’ Tuna, so if you’re in Key West, please stop by.
We’re a small community and everyone knows everyone. In this case, I know the local Budweiser man and he has donated a keg of Mich Ultra. Buy a book and get a free draft of beer. I’m not sure if anyone will be keep track of who gets the drafts, so the curious may also get a free draft. The local rep for Pilar Rum has donated a few bottles and there will be specially priced Pilar Run drinks. All this makes the book release event more of a party, Key West style.
Other than book release parties, I don’t really sell many traditional books. You would think that the big publishers would take notice. More and more writers, like me, are having good sales on Kindle. Writers that the NY publishers weren’t interested in.
While I love books, to hold it while reading, to see its spine on my bookshelf, times are changing and when my kids inherit my book collection, they will probably be inheriting antiques. The same with newspapers. I want to hold it, smell the ink and hear the rustling of pages as I turn them. Not to mention that when I spill my café con leche on the newspaper it’s still readable. Not sure what a Kindle or tablet would do with my coffee soaking it.
I have to do my own publicity, but then publishers have cut much of the PR budgets, so writers who are not on the NY Times bestseller list probably have to do that too, if they’re traditionally published. It’s time consuming until you get the routine down and then many of the markets still are hard to break into. That will change as more and more bestselling authors become independently published. The upside of going independent is the money. From Kindle I receive 70 percent and the Kindle website gives me daily sales numbers and a 30-day graph of how my sales are doing. Something the NY publishing world says they can’t do.
I still do offer my books on Amazon as POD trade paperbacks. The sales are not worth mentioning.
So why do it?
I have books to give family and friends, books to use for PR purposes and for signings. While some independent bookstores will agree to hold signings for non-traditionally published writers, here in Key West I hold my book release party for NOBODY WINS at the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in Old Town.
I don’t have to give the saloon a 40-percent cut of the sales and that's a big thing. More money for me!
I will also be at the Kilkenny House Irish Pub in Cranford, NJ on the 20th of the month, around 5 pm, and Barry, the owner let me use his pub for a few chapters in NOBODY WINS. It’s an unofficial book signing, but I’ll have a few copies so stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.in my pocket. I will be having a book release party on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2-4 pm at the Smokin’ Tuna, so if you’re in Key West, please stop by.
We’re a small community and everyone knows everyone. In this case, I know the local Budweiser man and he has donated a keg of Mich Ultra. Buy a book and get a free draft of beer. I’m not sure if anyone will be keep track of who gets the drafts, so the curious may also get a free draft. The local rep for Pilar Rum has donated a few bottles and there will be specially priced Pilar Run drinks. All this makes the book release event more of a party, Key West style.
Other than book release parties, I don’t really sell many traditional books. You would think that the big publishers would take notice. More and more writers, like me, are having good sales on Kindle. Writers that the NY publishers weren’t interested in.
While I love books, to hold it while reading, to see its spine on my bookshelf, times are changing and when my kids inherit my book collection, they will probably be inheriting antiques. The same with newspapers. I want to hold it, smell the ink and hear the rustling of pages as I turn them. Not to mention that when I spill my café con leche on the newspaper it’s still readable. Not sure what a Kindle or tablet would do with my coffee soaking it.
