Introducing new 4RV illustrator and children's book

     Matthew Hughes joined 4RV as a new-to-us illustrator, and his first project is a book written by Wayne Harris-Wyrick, If You Swallow That Seed ...  The book will be released early in 2015, and the rough sketches Matthew has revealed are as eye-catching as the art work for the cover.

     I'm sure authors of children's books will be asking for Matthew to do their books. We're excited that he joined our staff. We now have three excellent illustrators other than Aidana WillowRaven. When I promote another book being formatted, I'll introduce that illustrator.

     Posts about other books recently released and some soon-to-be will be appearing in the near future. We're trying to get everything back on track with editor-in-chief changes from Harry Gilleland to Paulette Henderson to Vickey Kennedy, all in less than four months. We've also added another designer who does some of our covers, too. Hopefully we'll be close to catching up on the schedule and have several new books out.

Giving Thanks, Even in Times of Sorrow

 
     Today, most Americans from the United States celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Some are living or visiting out of the country, some live here, but wherever we are, we have much for which to give thanks.

     For many, this season has shadows of sorrow because loved ones have passed on to, hopefully, a better place. For us who have suffered the grief of loss, we had to learn how to be thankful even in times of sorrow. Easy? No, but we can still smile and feel a peace even if left in grief.

     Our world and nation suffer from trouble and tribulations, but if we try, we can still be thankful for what we do have: loved ones, freedom, hope, friends, a roof over a heads (hopefully), and life. We may have to struggle to find anything for which to be thankful in our nation's time of sorrow. We may have to "dig deep" to be thankful. However, when suffering or in pain, we need to thank God for what good we do have and what we will have. We can be thankful, if for no other reason, for memories of what was and for hope for what can be.

     Today, I hope everyone can give thanks with a grateful heart.

Happy Thanksgiving from 4RV Publishing

Book Marketing - To Niche or Not to Niche

By Karen Cioffi

Book marketing and marketing in general is all about focus. Knowing who you’re writing for or who your service or product is for is a key element to success. As an author/writer online platform instructor, I was recently asked about having a marketing niche. The writer wanted to know what a niche was and if it was important.

This question may seem basic and matter of fact to many, but there are just as many who don’t know the answer and need help. So, along with my reply to the writer, I created an article to address the topic.

A marketing niche is simply a specific topic you’re focusing on. One writer may write for children, another may write business content. Then there are also more specific niches: writing children’s picture books or writing specifically on business incentives in the business arena.

And, there are niches within niches. In the writing arena, you can be a children’s author, a romance author, a nonfiction writer, a biographer, a ghostwriter, or copywriter, among a number of other niches. So, to say you’re a writer, while it may be true, it’s not specific enough. It doesn’t give the reader or viewer enough information about you and what you have to offer.

Having a specific niche is important so you can create the element of expertise in it. This doesn’t mean you can’t have more than one niche, but if they are different, you do need to keep them separate and promote each separately.

For an example, I’m a children’s writer of picture books and middle grade books. I’m also a nonfiction health, business, and marketing writer.

If I had one website for all these niches, I wouldn’t be focused. And, when marketing, who would I market to? I wouldn’t want to bring people looking for health information to a children’s book site or vice versa.

You can’t market to everyone; you need to decide exactly who you will focus your marketing efforts on. And, that audience needs to be brought to a site that focuses on that niche.

The adage, ‘jack of all trades, master of none,’ comes into play. You don’t want to be known as someone who knows a little on a lot of things. You want to be known as a master, or expert, in one or two specific fields or niches.

~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author and online platform and website optimization instructor. Check out her blog at: http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com

What does an Editor do?

by: Stephanie Burkhart

As a writer, I can honestly say there's no reason not to treat an editor with kindness and respect. There's several different types of editors, but everyone of them have the same goal: to make the author's novel or story shine.

Publishing a novel of any genre is a team effort and the editors involved are vital members of the publishing team.

When it comes to publishing a story, there are several (or should be) types of editors involved:

The Acquisitions Editor

Writers and agents submit their work to this editor. This editor finds new authors and promotes writers that will be profitable for the publishing company. This is the editor that tells the writer that the publishing company will offer them a contract.  Ideally, this editor will have read the entire manuscript.

The Developmental Editor or Substantive Editor

This editor reads the manuscript and focuses on helping the writer improve the book. They look at plot, characterization, dialogue, order of scenes, word choice, setting, point of view, character voice, syntax, pacing, and sentence construction. Generally, a structural editor and author will go through several drafts/edits before producing a polished manuscript.

The Copyeditor

This editor reads the polished manuscript specifically looking for grammar, spelling, punctuation, checking facets, word choice, repetition, and consistency. An author may only have one or two drafts/edits with an author.

The Proofreader

This is the last person to check the manuscript. Their job is to make sure the work is completely free of errors.

Editors:

Polish.

Love words.

Have a good eye for detail.

Biggest Myth:

Many authors think that editing involves only correcting spelling and grammar. There's much more to it.

Authors Behaving Badly:

Don't reply to an editor with irate comments about how they are "butchering" your baby. Be professional.

Don't reply to an editor with cuss words. That just shows you have no respect for the teamwork required and the hard work an editor does.

Question for you: As an author, what have your interactions with editors been like?  Do you have any comments or feedback to share?

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She loves chocolate, adores coffee, and likes to walk. She's also the den leader for her son's cub scout den. Her 4RV releases include "The Giving Meadow," and "First Flag of New Hampshire."

Another 4RV Book Wins Award

    For the third time in its history, 4RV Publishing has a book receive a Silver Seal Award from Children's Literary Classics: I Like Pink by Vivian Zabel and illustrated by Ginger Nielson. Below is an excerpt from the press release from CLC Awards:


October 15, 2014
Literary Classics
pr@clcawards.org

Literary Classics Announces Youth Media Top Book Award Recipients

SOUTH DAKOTA – 2014 was a record year for entries in the Literary Classics International Book Awards. With entrants from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and many more places around the globe, competition was tremendous. The extraordinary selection of books for young readers gave our reviewers and judges quite a lot to consider as they worked their way through impressive piles of books (and eBooks) for deliberation in this year’s awards. Included was award winning children’s book I Like Pink by Vivian Zabel of Edmond, Oklahoma, published by 4RV Publishing, also of Edmond.
Literary Classics announced its 2014 selection of top books for children and young adults today. Award recipients were selected from entries received from around the globe. The Literary Classics selection committee is proud to recognize the following titles in children’s and young adult literature which exemplify the criteria set forth by the Literary Classics Awards committee.

A list of the 2014 recipients follows (edited for this post):

PRESCHOOL/EARLY READER:
General Infant / Preschooler GOLD - Benjamin Jay was a Bully, Emma Glover - Guardian Angel Publishing
General Infant / Preschooler SILVER - I Like Pink, by Vivian Zabel - 4RV Publishing
Picture Book / Preschooler GOLD - Even Poop Has a Purpose, Uncle Paul - PerBook Publishing L.L.C.
Picture Book / Preschooler SILVER - Without Me?, Kayleen West - Wombat Books
General Early Reader GOLD - Deputy Dorkface, How Trutherton Got its Honesty Back, Kevin D Janison - Stephens Press
General Early Reader SILVER - A Creepy Nothingness Came Crawling, Gideon Maxim - Dot and Odd Press
Picture Book Early Reader GOLD - Odie the Stray Kitten, Kristen Mott - Author House
Picture Book Early Reader SILVER - CougaMongaMingaMan, Nancy Scalabroni - Mascot Books

Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in literature, takes great pride in its role to help promote classic literature which appeals to youth, while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations.  Judging is based upon the criteria set forth by Literary Classics’ highly selective awards committee which honors books promoting character, vision, creativity and learning, through content which possesses key elements found in well-crafted literature.

The Literary Classics judging committee consists of experts with backgrounds in publishing, writing, editing, design, illustration, and book reviewing.   To learn more about Literary Classics, visit their website at www.literaryclassicsawards.com. 

     Other CLC winners from 4RV Publishing include Walking Through Walls by Karen Coiffi  and Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure.

Don’t be Taken to the 'Website Design' Cleaners - 5 Tips to Creating an Author Website as the First Step in Your Online Marketing Strategy

By Karen Cioffi

There is an abundance of website design and hosting services on the internet. You can get services that handle both the design and the hosting, or services that provide one or the other. Whatever your needs, there is a service out there for you. But . . . consumer beware.

Some design/ hosting website services prey on unsuspecting and naïve authors or individuals and charge to not only create a site, but they keep control of managing the site. The customer is only allowed to add or edit content on the site.

This means the author can’t add links, change images, or tweak the site for SEO optimization, such as page title optimization.

I get upset when I hear of occurrences like this. There is no reason why a design and hosting service needs to control website functions and features to the point that an author or individual needs to pay the service to add or delete a simple link. And, some services charge a monthly fee. They’ll set up your website for free, but you have to pay monthly to keep it going.

Authors need to be aware. There is so much information online advising the basic dos and don’ts of creating a website, but you do need to do a bit of research to find it. There are plenty of legitimate and reasonable services out there also. If you’re confused or uncertain, ask around.

Here are 5 starting tips to create an author website:

1. Choose an effective domain name. Think about it carefully. You want a name that will be search engine effective (keyword optimized), reflect what the site is about, and is able to grow with you (unless you are creating the site for a specific book). You can also use the subheading to elaborate on the domain name.

2. Decide if you have the skills, or want to learn them, to create a website of your own. If you have the time and patience you can do it!

3. If you decide you need help with creating a website, look for someone who wants to establish himself as a website builder, or someone who does it in her spare time, or a writing/marketing service that does it as more of a courtesy to clients. You will pay much less. And, try to make arrangements that will include the designer teach you how to manage your own site. This will make updates, changes, and posting much easier, and cost free.

4. If you feel you can create your own, you can choose a free hosting site, such as WordPress, Weebly, or Blogger. On the flip side, if the thought of having to create a website feels daunting, go for Blogger.com; it’s very user friendly and good for beginners. And with its updates, it has a number of features much like other websites.

5. Keep in mind that down the road you may want to have a website that can be effectively optimized and that’s more SEO versatile, so you may want to have a paid WordPress site from the beginning. The prices range from around $3 and up per month – depending on how long you sign up for and the service.

While these five tips are the starting point for your author website, they will hopefully help you from being taken to the website hosting/design cleaners.

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Want to know if your website is performing optimally? Karen Cioffi is an online platform and website optimization instructor and offers website audits. Visit http://www.karencioffi.com/website-services/ to learn more.

4RV Receives 2014 Best of Edmond Award

EDMOND September 11, 2014 -- 4RV Publishing LLC has been selected for the 2014 Best of Edmond Award in the Book Publishers category by the Edmond Award Program.
 

Each year, the Edmond Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Edmond area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Edmond Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Edmond Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Edmond Award Program:

The Edmond Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Edmond area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Edmond Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.
 

SOURCE: Edmond Award Program