Miami Writers and Books

9/12/24

South Florida Writers Association has created a literary anthology that's going to the moon as part of the Lunar Codex. This incredible accomplishment was spearheaded by Mort Laitner and Howard Camner, whose drive and determination successfully brought the whole SFWA team into action. Congratulations all!

Samuel Peralta had this to say at Facebook:

The SEA OF TRANQUILITY anthology is one of only a handful of literary anthologies commissioned by the #LunarCodex, to be archived in our POLARIS collection.

In addition, this anthology has now been accepted in the archives of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, and the archives of the American Space Museum & Space Walk of Fame.

Excelsior!

SEA OF TRANQUILITY - A Literary Anthology

- Edited by Howard Camner and Mort Laitner

- With thanks to Monica DeZulueta, Travis Laitner, and Neil Crabtree

- Cover illustration by Regine Fisher

- Preface 'Mare Tranquillitatis' by Samuel Peralta

- Introduction by Howard Camner

- Epilogue by Mort Laitner

- Featuring works by

Jonathan Rose

Cathy Lowen (art)

C.V. Shaw

Mark Bonaparte

Barbra Nightingale

Linda M. Campbell

Cynthia Uzzolino

Dale Alan Young

Brian Shaer

Mark Lew

Jen Karetnick

Keiana Morgan (art)

Lenny DellaRocca

Jo Avent

Joanne Sherry Mitchell

Mary Greenwood

Mikaelo Perez

Raining Deer aka Jeanette Stephens-El

C.V. Shaw

Susana Jiménez-Mueller

Ricki Dorn

Jonathan Rose

Carla Albano

Richard J. Frost (art)

Gail S. Tucker Griffith

Carolyn McBride

Joanne Sherry Mitchell

Cara Nusinov

Swati Bagga

Geoffrey Philp

Charles Maxim Bernstein

Cynthia Uzzolino

Mort Laitner

Anita Mitchell

Richard Frost (art)

Beverly Melasi-Haag

Howard Camner

Neil Crabtree

Billy Jones

Gladys A. Barrio

Howard Camner

Charles Maxim Berstein (art)

Steve Kronen

Christina Moss Mayo

Connie Goodman-Milone

Pat Bonner Milone

Monica DeZulueta

Geoffrey Philp

Meg Nocero

Richard Frost (art)

Mort Laitner

9/5/24

Ripped-Off Writers

The more book marketing I learn about, the more scams and rip-offs I find. With so many writers trying to self-publish and market their books, it seems like the predators are sharks finding easy pickings in this large school of fish. I myself feel ripped-off. The $3000 I spent for an Amazon Bestseller Campaign has not sold a single book. The hundred or so books I've sold have been bought by friends and family and those with the natural curiosity to read something new. The promise of 500 books sold in the first five months is the hook I fell for. Optimization of my Amazon ranking never happened, and the website I once admired is now down again at Wordpress.

The marketing company claims to be part of Amazon KDP. As I was warned, to publish on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is free and any company charging money is not part of KDP at all but using their name and likeness to mislead clients. Amazon does nothing to inhibit these fake companies and offers no help in recovering any lost funds.

How many other writers have been burned this way? I'm told SEO services is another way to spend money and get zero results. More people want to promote my book than want to read and review it. If I had my original investment back, I could spend more time writing and less time trying to do what I paid KDP Publishers to do.

9/4/24

For a writer, choosing to self-publish is like deciding to become a prostitute because you like sex. The fun wears off really fast, and the money is not worth the effort it takes to acquire it. But still…you wait for that Pretty Woman moment, when love and big bucks come along to take you off the street.

8/29/24

I have been trying to find an effective way to market my books and I finally found real help.

Steven Pieper's AMMO-V4 answers my question and makes so much sense. Author Marketing Mastery through Optimization (AMMO)

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8/28/24

Nice to be Noticed!

Check THIS

The website Floridaneil.com is now upgraded and looks marvelous, with the strong women characters of Smuggler's Return now appearing beautiful and bold, just as I hoped. Click the hyperlinks to see.

Paula and her baby on the cover

Paula and her baby

Paula—p.81

“Arriving passengers came down the walkway toward them. They both stopped to look at a beautiful young woman with long straight dark brown hair pushing a lightweight stroller where a toddler sat waving a plastic bag of cookies at everyone. She wore a tan suede skirt and boots and a black pullover light sweater that showed her figure. She waved at Rooster, smiling, talking to the baby.”

Alicia, Rooster's ex and a key player Alicia

“Not beautiful in the movie star sense, she had the strong features and smooth unblemished skin of a model. She was sexy the way intelligent women are sexy, middle age empowering her looks by removing the frivolity of youth and replacing it with the regal appearance of a woman used to getting her way. Slender and tall and in excellent shape from years of exercise and diet, she looked great, like she had lots of money and spent it on her sense of style and poise.”