Jean Harkin's Blog - Posts Tagged "writers-mill"
In Time for Christmas Gifting!
“Beyond Yesterday,” the 2019 Writers’ Mill Journal (volume 7) has just been released in time to place orders for Christmas giving! The collection of fiction, essays, and poetry by twelve authors is now available online for $5.99 and wherever books are sold. The Kindle version is available for $2.99.
The contents are inspired by the prompt, “looking backward and forward.” Several of the pieces have won awards in the Writers’ Mill monthly contests. Writers’ Mill is a group of writers who meet every month at the Cedar Mill Library near Portland, Oregon.
At our November meeting, leader Sheila Deeth, directed us through a demo of formatting and publishing our book. Using her laptop and the library's AV equipment and screen, she projected the entire process for the group's participation.
A few decisions were needed by the 13 members present: Book title, cover image, and cover design (including colors and print styles.) The KDP website worked well, with the exception of some glitches with cover dimensions. But voila-- the book is read-ready!
Both Kindle and print versions of “Beyond Yesterday” include illustrations and photographs that appear in color in the Kindle version, black and white in print edition.
I’m honored and delighted that the cover photograph (in color) for both editions is one of my photos, selected by the Writers’ Mill members. Some of you will recognize the scene, snapped at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon. See the book cover in my book list above; it is third from the top.
Royalties from book and Kindle sales go to the Cedar Mill Library, the group’s helpful and gracious partner.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Read!
The contents are inspired by the prompt, “looking backward and forward.” Several of the pieces have won awards in the Writers’ Mill monthly contests. Writers’ Mill is a group of writers who meet every month at the Cedar Mill Library near Portland, Oregon.
At our November meeting, leader Sheila Deeth, directed us through a demo of formatting and publishing our book. Using her laptop and the library's AV equipment and screen, she projected the entire process for the group's participation.
A few decisions were needed by the 13 members present: Book title, cover image, and cover design (including colors and print styles.) The KDP website worked well, with the exception of some glitches with cover dimensions. But voila-- the book is read-ready!
Both Kindle and print versions of “Beyond Yesterday” include illustrations and photographs that appear in color in the Kindle version, black and white in print edition.
I’m honored and delighted that the cover photograph (in color) for both editions is one of my photos, selected by the Writers’ Mill members. Some of you will recognize the scene, snapped at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon. See the book cover in my book list above; it is third from the top.
Royalties from book and Kindle sales go to the Cedar Mill Library, the group’s helpful and gracious partner.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Read!
Birthday Surprise and New Releases
You could have pushed me down with a bookmark when my grandson Andrew Harkin announced he was narrating an audiobook of my 2016 short story anthology, “Night in Alcatraz and Other Uncanny Tales”! He finished the entire book, chapter by chapter, on Youtube.com in time for my birthday in late October.
To find it, go to youtube.com and search the book title or Andrew Harkin.
Another exciting new release is the ninth annual anthology by The Writers’ Mill. “The Floor Above” is freshly published in time for Christmas gifting at a special holiday rate on Amazon.com. The book’s brightly illustrated cover (by my granddaughter Gwenyth Harkin) would look great under any Christmas tree. The pages are filled with eclectic writings by the Writers’ Mill group of local Oregon and international authors, and fully illustrated with apt photos and drawings.
“The Floor Above” just might be the Writers’ Mill’s best volume yet! Royalties from book sales will go to the group’s sponsor, the Cedar Mill (Oregon) public library.
Happy holidays to all and a happy reading New Year!
To find it, go to youtube.com and search the book title or Andrew Harkin.
Another exciting new release is the ninth annual anthology by The Writers’ Mill. “The Floor Above” is freshly published in time for Christmas gifting at a special holiday rate on Amazon.com. The book’s brightly illustrated cover (by my granddaughter Gwenyth Harkin) would look great under any Christmas tree. The pages are filled with eclectic writings by the Writers’ Mill group of local Oregon and international authors, and fully illustrated with apt photos and drawings.
“The Floor Above” just might be the Writers’ Mill’s best volume yet! Royalties from book sales will go to the group’s sponsor, the Cedar Mill (Oregon) public library.
Happy holidays to all and a happy reading New Year!
Permissions and Persimmons--Bah Humbug!
Christmas season has passed, and so has the December release date for my debut novel! Now that it’s 2023, a whole year of possible release dates stretches forward. Publishing has involved delays and glitches, agonies of editing and revising, but now the ball is in the publisher’s court. As a fellow author astutely commented, “the best moment is definitely when you get the contract offer. All the rest is an uphill battle with knuckleheads.”
One of my biggest hurdles was the obtaining of copyright permissions. I wanted to use a mere two lines of lyrics from each of two 1940s popular songs and a couple of stanzas from a 1919 poem by Robert Graves.
To use the lyrics, two music companies required, among other things, the following: 1) the number of books in the initial print run, and whether my novel would be distributed digitally; 2) a synopsis of the publication and a PDF excerpt of the lyric reprint with surrounding text to show context; 3) a complete list of all songs and writers that would be reprinted in the novel; 4) the title of my book and territories where it would be distributed; 5) my postal address.
And after all of that, I assume there would have been a price tag. I decided to write my own song lyrics! *
As for the poem, it is in public domain in the USA but not worldwide. So I chose not to quote the poem, although it would have been a perfect fit for a critical scene in my novel. Instead, one of my characters paraphrases the poem to another character. I think it works OK.
A bump in the road that could lie ahead: Collecting royalties. My oft-quoted fellow author related that he had to sell about 160 books on Amazon to make the same profit from directly selling 14 books himself.
So, WHEN my novel “Promise Full of Thorns” is released and IF you wish to purchase it, please order directly from me. I will accept pre-orders any time. Thanks. And Happy New Year of reading and writing!
PS: The Writers’Mill 2022 anthology, “Millworks framing life,” is now for sale on Amazon!
*PPS: Song lyrics prior to 1926 are in the public domain.
One of my biggest hurdles was the obtaining of copyright permissions. I wanted to use a mere two lines of lyrics from each of two 1940s popular songs and a couple of stanzas from a 1919 poem by Robert Graves.
To use the lyrics, two music companies required, among other things, the following: 1) the number of books in the initial print run, and whether my novel would be distributed digitally; 2) a synopsis of the publication and a PDF excerpt of the lyric reprint with surrounding text to show context; 3) a complete list of all songs and writers that would be reprinted in the novel; 4) the title of my book and territories where it would be distributed; 5) my postal address.
And after all of that, I assume there would have been a price tag. I decided to write my own song lyrics! *
As for the poem, it is in public domain in the USA but not worldwide. So I chose not to quote the poem, although it would have been a perfect fit for a critical scene in my novel. Instead, one of my characters paraphrases the poem to another character. I think it works OK.
A bump in the road that could lie ahead: Collecting royalties. My oft-quoted fellow author related that he had to sell about 160 books on Amazon to make the same profit from directly selling 14 books himself.
So, WHEN my novel “Promise Full of Thorns” is released and IF you wish to purchase it, please order directly from me. I will accept pre-orders any time. Thanks. And Happy New Year of reading and writing!
PS: The Writers’Mill 2022 anthology, “Millworks framing life,” is now for sale on Amazon!
*PPS: Song lyrics prior to 1926 are in the public domain.
