NEW AUTHOR

Excited to announce that Borderline has signed best-selling author John Selby. His book Conscious Capitalists will be coming out this year.

"Psychologist John Selby has spent over thirty years practicing and teaching meditation and its benefits and has studied medative techniques and traditions all over the world. Selby has sold over half-a-million copies of his books worldwide. His books have been translated into eight languages."

I'll definitely be keeping you posted on his work...

BIG OL' BORDERS BOOK-SIGNING

Come meet a group of Borderline authors at Borders on Saturday, April 24 from 1:00-3:00. Whether you are interested in buying a story set in Idaho or you want to ask the authors about their publishing experience, this is a great opportunity to do so. We will have all kinds of books available from middle-grade mysteries to non-fiction self-help to redneck humor. Please visit our website for more information on any of these titles:

1. Creative Writing for Counselors and their Clients by Steve Flick
2. Puzzle Bones and Mystery in Dark Island by T.A. Smith
3. The Last Confederate Battle by John J. Cline
4. The Little Black School House by Sylvia Griffin
5. A Father's Advice by Kelly Ready
6. Mystery at the Log House Restaurant by Brad Epperly
7. Poor Fishermen With Boats and others by Jim Schwartz

These are the kinds of events we are planning to offer our authors quarterly. Hope to see you there.

WEBSITE DESIGN

As an author, it's imperative to have a website. There are lots of options for doing this, but I'll just rave on my website designer Gabe Heter for a second. He's economical and creative. If you're not sure which way to go, he can help give you direction. He's been great to work with.

I'm in the middle of a site update right now, but you can visit me at www.angelameuser.com. Having your name as your web address is really the best way to go. It doesn't have to be anything fancy at first. Just start with your homepage along with a bio page and a page for your book. You can always add to it later. Things to add include a blog and a way to sign up for your mailing list. Then keep these pages current.

So that's your writing prompt for the day. Not exactly writing, but it still takes creative energy. And it will make you and your work more markteable.

AUTHOR TALK

Congratulations to Borderline author Michael Sessions who received the Judge's Choice Award for his short story "Chance" in this year's Idaho Magazine Fiction Contest. And good luck to him with his nomination for Stump in the Idaho Book of the Year Contest.


We are proud to be located in Idaho and to work with local authors. Because of this personal relationship we develop with them, they are even able to help print the first copy of their books. Here is author George Dickerson awaiting his first copy of Percy Flats.

ROCKIN' RESEARCH

I could never write a historical novel--too much research. Just check out the filing system my friend Deeanne Gist needs to create her award winning historical romances. Intenational suspense also takes a lot of research, but author/editor Jeanette Windle knows her subject so well that she was interrogated by the FBI because of all the classified information she had. I admire that. But I would never want to do it. Here's my kind of research...

I wrote a book about a white water rafting guide in Sun Valley, Idaho. So I found a rafting company in Sun Valley and sent them an email to see if they could help me out. They offered to let me interview their guides and tell me their history. Plus they invited me rafting!

This experience will make my story more authentic. I've rafted the Rogue and the Deschutes in Oregon and the Icicle in Washinton, but never the Salmon--which is supposed to be one of America's most sought after rafting locations.

So here is your challenge for the day: Find something new to research for your writing. Interview a cop, follow a doctor around for day, or try riding a mechanical bull. As for me, I think I'm going to set my next book in Hawaii.

BORDERLINE GLOSSARY

Publish America once published a book that only had the same sentence printed over and over. This is not what we do. We are here to work with you and make your book the best it can possibly be. I'll just define a few of the things that set us apart in case there is any confusion...

Short-run publishing: We print no less than 100. This is more cost efficient than print-on-demand and more practical than printing thousands with a vanity press.

Editing: We set authors up with a freelance editor if they so choose. If they have an editor of their own, this is not required. But all Borderline books must be edited.

Cover design: We offer freelance cover design, and we also have an in-house designer who can help enhance your own design. If we don't feel your cover meets our standards, we would print your book through Treasure Valley Digital Printing but not under the Borderline name.

Interior Design: We are very thorough in prepress--setting your book up with clean borders, flattering fonts, and an elegant layout.

Quality: Our covers have UV coating. Our pages are creamy instead of stark white so it's easier on the eyes. Our binding includes scoring the book cover so that the pages will not pull away from the glue.

Distribution: Barnes and Noble has picked up some of our titles to sell in their stores. Others are sold on the Borders website. This is better than even a lot of the small traditional publishers can offer.

Marketing: We help plan your book launch party, schedule book signings, send out press releases, arrange radio interviews, organize school visits, and secure endorsements.

Like I've said before, we are honestly not for everybody. But if you think we might be a good fit for your work, please visit the Borderline website for more information, and give us a call to set up an appointment.

SUCCESS BY ASSOCIATION

Just renewed my membership to American Christian Fiction Writers today. Joining them was one of the best things I've ever done for my writing. Probably the coolest thing about them is their Yahoo group where you can network with most of the big names in the industry. It's a great resource for anything from asking questions about research to finding out the latest news on publishers, conferences, and awards. There are also tons of book give-aways and marketing ideas. Plus, they have a newsletter that I actually got to be featured in when I sold my first novel. It's a wonderfully encouraging community.

Now not everybody writes Christinan fiction like I do. But I'm sure there's an association for your genre, as well. One other group I've joined was Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. They offer similar opportunities, including scholarships to their annual conferences in California and New York.

If you want to know where to start with your writing and publishing dreams, these are good kinds of memberships to have. Include them on a cover letter to agents and editors and they'll know you have actively pursued the improvement of your craft.