An analysis of U.S. ISBN data by Bowker has revealed extraordinary growth for self-published books, 391,000 titles in 2012, which represents a 59% increase over 2011. Ebooks comprised 40% of ISBN numbers. Eight companies produced 80% of the print & e-book titles, including: CreateSpace, Smashwords, Lulu, Xibris (Div. of Author Solutions), AuthorHouse (Div. of Author … Continue reading
Great opinion piece by author Ken Budd in the November 30, 2013 NY Times called “When Writers Expose the Dead.” How do we handle the painful truth in our memoirs? Budd answers.
I was intrigued when “From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: G. Fox in the 1950s” appeared on Monday’s agenda for the Newtown Historical Society lecture series. G. Fox was a department store chain when I was growing up in the 70s, but seemed to disappear in the 80s by my teenage years. What was G.Fox? … Continue reading
Having moved from California back to my hometown of Newtown, CT, a few months ago, I find myself writing a few more updates to friends than usual in the form of personal emails or Facebook posts. My California friends want to know what I’m doing and it’s hard to connect regularly by phone when there … Continue reading
I recently attended a presentation hosted by the Stratford Historical Society by Keith Miller, who spoke of the roughly 1000 men who served in the Civil War from Fairfield County, Connecticut. There were probably about 50 people in the audience and it was clear that many of them wanted to discuss Civil War topics with … Continue reading
For three and a half years, Kenneth Stroud of the RAF was a Japanese POW during World War II, having been captured when Japan conquered Singapore and imprisoned on an Indonesian island. Ever since then, he’s lived with the memories of hunger, illness, and the brutality of a particularly cruel enemy. Amazingly, he harbors no … Continue reading
I’m not proud of it, but I’ve gone to the copy shop twice this week to get a paper version of my manuscript printed. At 400 pages and $0.10/page, it cost $40 to print once – yikes! Why can’t I just learn to edit on the computer? It just seems easier on paper. I can … Continue reading
This is a list of memoirs that I’ve read since I began writing my own memoir, as well as a few I’ve read before my project and a few that are still on my bookshelf. Some are better written than others. Recommendations welcome! Me Melvin ‘N Andy by Andy Anderson Nautilus 90 North by William … Continue reading
I recently attended the reading of a new play by Jan Neuberger at the Newtown Arts Festival. The three-character cast sat/stood on stage with music stands to hold their scripts. The play was great, but I was more impressed with the actor and actresses who “read” their parts. To me, it seemed as if they … Continue reading
Are we all destined for oblivion without name recognition? Check out the August 31, 2013 article in the New York Times titled “Long Odds for Authors Newly Published.”
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