SUSAN SHAPIRO - Writer, novelist, and teacher with her own groundbreaking method.

Susan Shapiro, a Manhattan journalism professor, has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Newsweek, Salon.com, Daily Beast, The Forward, Village Voice, People, More, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She's co-editor of Food for the Soul and author of the nonfiction books Only as Good as Your Word, Lighting Up, Secrets of a Fix-Up Fanatic and Five Men Who Broke My Heart, which was optioned for a feature film. She recently sold two novels, Overexposed and Speed Shrinking. Sue lives with her husband, a TV/film writer, in Greenwich Village, where she teaches her own "instant gratification takes too long" writing method at the New School, NYU and in private workshops and seminars.

Sue has also written a piece coming out this week in Publishers Weekly, entitled REINVENTION: A Tale of Getting Published.

She can be reached directly at ProfSue123@aol.com.

www.Susanshapiro.net

PETER HELLER - Writer, adventurer, world class pizza deliverer and all-round cool dude

Peter Heller is a longtime contributor to NPR, and a contributing editor at Outside, National Geographic Adventure, and Men’s Journal.  He is an award winning adventure writer and the author of four books of literary nonfiction.  He lives in Denver.

At the Iowa Writers’ Workshop he won a Michener fellowship for his epic poem “The Psalms of Malvine.”  He has worked as a dishwasher, construction worker, logger, offshore fisherman, kayak instructor, river guide, and world class pizza deliverer.  Some of these stories can be found in Set Free in China, Sojourns on the Edge.

In the winter of 2002 he joined, on the ground team, the most ambitious whitewater expedition in history as it made its way through the treacherous Tsangpo Gorge in Eastern Tibet.  He chronicled what has been called The Last Great Adventure Prize for Outside, and in his book Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River.

The book won a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was number three on Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List” of all pop culture, and a Denver Post review ranked it “up there with any adventure writing ever written.”

 In December, 2005, on assignment for National Geographic Adventure, he joined the crew of an eco-pirate ship belonging to the radical environmental group the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as it sailed to Antarctica to hunt down and disrupt the Japanese whaling fleet.

In The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet’s Largest Mammals, Heller recounts fierce gales, forty foot seas, rammings, near-sinkings, and a committed crew’s clear-eyed willingness to die to save a whale.  The book was published by Simon and Schuster’s Free Press in September, 2007.

Heller just published his most recent his book, about surfing from California down the coast of Mexico.  Can a man drop everything in the middle of his life, pick up a surfboard and, apprenticing himself to local masters, learn to ride a big, fast wave in six months?  Can he learn to finally love and commit to someone else? The answers are in Kook: What Surfing Taught Me about Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave. It just won a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, which called it a “powerful memoir…about love: of a woman, of living, of the sea.” He is currently kiting around the country in his Cessna on a barnstorming book tour, the details of which can be found on his website.


www.Peterheller.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DON'T MISS NEXT WEEK WHEN WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAJOR BOOK PUBLISHERS TO SEE WHO ACTUALLY DECIDES IF YOU GET YOUR BOOK DEAL.

YOU'LL BE SURPRISED!

ANN PATTY - Vaunted NYC Publisher and Editor, and bestselling hit-maker

Ann Patty graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1974, Magna Cum Laude in Comparative Literature.  She immediately moved to New York City to work in publishing, which she has done ever since.  She began as a receptionist at Knopf, had a brief stint as an editor with Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press, then buckled down as an assistant at Dell.  In 1976 she moved to Pocket Books as a Senior Editor, where she discovered VC Andrews, one of the biggest successes of the paperback original revolution. In 1982 she became the youngest editor ever to be given her own imprint when she founded Poseidon Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) where she was Publisher and Editorial Director. In 1993 she moved to Crown Publishers, first as Editor at Large, then as Editorial Director.  From 2000-2008, she was Executive Editor at Harcourt. In 2009, she became a freelance editor, co-writer and book doctor.  She lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

Notable debut acquisitions by Ann: Flowers in the Attic (VC Andrews), Downsize This! (Michael Moore), Life of Pi (Yann Martel), The Inhuman Condition (Clive Barker), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Peter Hedges), The First Wives Club (Olivia Goldsmith), Waterland (Graham Swift), Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum).

www.annpatty.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE


Here's a great post from a literary agent on what goes on at Ed Board.

Drew's post-show note:

In only a few hours after the show we received hundreds of emails about our interview with Ann Patty. Without exception they were all lamenting the fact that the bean counters and marketing and PR people, instead of the book people (editors), are in charge of what gets published these days. Ann pointed out in the interview (the entirety of which can be found above) that the business has changed and become much more risk-averse since she was acquiring hits like Flowers in the Attic and Life of Pi.

As a publisher, and a publisher of pretty exclusively commercial works, I feel the need to at least explain why a media platform and some type of publishing pedigree are essential to get you looked at these days... (continued here)

ANNE EASTER SMITH - Reluctant author with 4 Simon & Schuster hits to her credit

Anne spent her childhood in England, Germany and Egypt as the daughter of a British Army colonel.  At her boarding school in Surrey a teacher called "Conky" -- after William the Conqueror -- inspired her passion for history. When in her early 20s she read Josephine Tey's "A Daughter of Time", she became particularly fascinated by Shakespeare's so-called villain, Richard III.

At age 24, after living and working as a secretary in London and Paris, Anne came on a lark to New York with her flatmate just for a "two-year stint." Thirty years, two marriages, two children and five cross-country moves later she's very definitely a permanent resident of the U.S. -- but her love for English history remains.

Anne began writing professionally a few years after she landed in Plattsburgh, NY near the beautiful Adirondack Mountains with her first husband and her daughters, Joanna and Kate. For ten years, she was the Features/Arts Editor for the daily newspaper and wrote articles on every conceivable subject that was not hard news! It proved a wonderful training ground for her foray into authoring.

It was while living in Plattsburgh that she took on another persona as a folksinger, playing in music festivals, clubs, restaurants, and on public radio. When she's not writing, Anne can be found either on the local stage or weeding her garden. Anne is a member of the Richard III Society and the Historical Novel Society.

Anne has published three books with Simon & Schuster, with a fourth coming in 2011.

www.anneeastersmith.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

CHRIS OFFUTT - Award winning novelist and memoir writer and staff of HBO'S TRUE BLOOD & WEEDS

The son of author Andrew J. Offutt, Chris Offutt grew up in a small former mining community in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Kentucky. He quit high school to join the army, but failed the physical. He subsequently attended Morehead State University and graduated with a degree in theater and a minor in art. He then hitchhiked around the country, holding more than 50 jobs, all part-time.

He later attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 1992, he published a short story collection, Kentucky Straight. His second book was the 1993 memoir The Same River Twice and in 1997 he published his first novel, The Good Brother. In 1999, he published his second book of stories, Out of the Woods, followed in 2002 by No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home, about a six-month return home to Rowan County.

His work has received awards from the Lannan Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Whiting Foundation. Offutt was also named one of the twenty best young American fiction writers by Granta. His non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Men's Journal, Oxford American, and on National Public Radio. His work is widely translated, and taught in high schools and colleges. His stories are included in many anthologies, including Best American Short Stories, four appearances in New Stories of the South, and twice on Selected Shorts on NPR in New York City. He has also presented more than 100 public readings of his work in the USA and abroad. In 2005, Offutt made his comic book debut when he wrote "Another Man's Escape" for Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist. A second comic is included in the anthology "Noir," from Dark Horse Comics.

To finance his sons' college education Offutt began writing for Hollywood. In 2008 he joined the staff of HBO's True Blood, as Executive Story Editor and wrote Episodes 7 and 10 of Season One. In 2009, he became a Co-Producer/writer for Showtime's Weeds and wrote Episode 10 of Season Five. He is currently Creator and Executive Producer of Tough Trade, a family drama shooting in Nashville. Tough Trade is the first original content programming for Epix.

Offutt has been a visiting faculty member at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of Montana, the University of New Mexico, Grinnell College, Morehead State University, and Mercer University.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

Want to hear why Chris Offutt doesn't ask his buddies to read his writing, or Hollywood writer/producer Tom Sawyer's foolproof method for never feeling rejected (it's brilliant), or the secret to writing 'bad guys'? LISTEN TO THE POST-GAME SHOW, unproduced, unscripted, unpredictable, here

SARAH DICKMAN - Now's your chance to ask a vaunted (but very nice) literary agent what it takes to break into publishing! Email questions to show@bookbizradio.com

As Director of Foreign Rights at The Nicholas Ellison Agency, Sarah successfully places non-fiction, bestselling authors, and first-time novelists with international publishers who are committed to promoting the longevity of an author's career and to developing audiences abroad.  Sarah is dedicated to the long-term success of the agency's authors and meets regularly with foreign publishers in New York and at the international book fairs (the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and Book Expo America).  Sarah has had the pleasure of selling foreign rights in over thirty countries for Alan Weisman's international bestseller The World Without Us, as well as helping to make Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series a worldwide phenomenon. Sarah also works with Nelson DeMille and Christopher Moore week to week in many capacities editorially and in the disposition of all rights.

In addition, Sarah represents authors domestically in the U.S. and works with both experienced and first-time authors.  She is drawn to a variety of literary and popular fiction as well as non-fiction projects including business, politics, health, music, memoir, science, and culture.  Sarah graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English Literature and is fluent in Spanish.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

Post-show note:

Our conversation with Sarah included a discussion of pre-published writers needing a media platform to get an agent because that's what publishers want, and publishers want a media platform (or publishing pedigree) because that’s what offsets some of the risk publishers are taking when they’re looking to invest in a writer. Naturally that generated some email... [more]

SNEED COLLARD - Award winning and prodigious children's book author who took being rejected by publishers into his own hands. He joined them.

In mid-2010 Sneed's agent pitched over a dozen publishers for this non-fiction book The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale and was rejected each time. This was just the excuse he needed to do something he had been thinking about doing for a few years, and start his own publishing company, Bucking Horse Books. While he warns this isn't for everyone ("You should have spent at least 10 years in the industry as an accomplished writer I would say"), Sneed's story has become one of encouragement for the tens of thousands of unpublished writers who yearn for the day when they can turn their backs on the publishing establishment and go it on their own.

Sneed B. Collard III has written more than fifty-five acclaimed books for young people including Pocket Babies, Science Warriors, Wings, Reign of the Sea Dragons, and his newest release The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.

Before beginning his writing career, Sneed graduated with honors in marine biology from the University of California at Berkeley. To research and write his nonfiction books, he has traveled to Australia, Costa Rica, Southeast Asia, and the deep-sea floor.

More recently, Sneed has also focused his attention on fiction. His three novels include Dog Sense, winner of the 2006 ASPCA Henry Bergh Award, and Flash Point, winner of the 2007 Green Earth Book Award. His third novel, the thriller Double Eagle, is busy making state reading lists across the country.

Sneed lives in Missoula, Montana and was the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Washington Post—Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for his writing achievements. His books are regular fixtures on the Junior Library Guild selection lists, the NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books lists, and many other ‘best of’ lists. He is an outstanding public speaker and makes frequent appearances at IRA, ALA, NCTE, NSTA, and other major conventions.

www.sneedbcollardiii.com

He can also be found on FaceBook.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

PAUL J. SULLIVAN - Prodigious short-form writer reveals the secrets of writing long-form, and how to succeed under pressure.

Paul Sullivan writes the Wealth Matters column for The New York Times.

His articles have appeared in Conde Nast Portfolio, The International Herald Tribune, Barron’s, The Boston Globe, and Food & Wine. From 2000 to 2006, he was a reporter, editor and columnist at the Financial Times.

His first big story for the FT was a profile of the author Kurt Vonnegut based on a train ride they took from Springfield, Massachusetts to New York City. His last piece for the FT was Vonnegut’s obituary.

Paul has been interviewed on radio programs across America and has appeared several times on Fox News.

Paul lives in Stamford, Connecticut, with his family—two members of which are former guide dogs. He received degrees in history from Trinity College and the University of Chicago, and has taken a not insignificant amount of money on the golf course from the host of The Book Biz radio show, which begs the question (which will be asked), how do you write a book with a one-year old in the house and still play single-handicap golf?

www.pauljsullivan.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DAN POYNTER - The Lord of Long-Form discusses the publishing industry, self-publishing, ebooks, walking out of perfectly functioning aircraft, and more.

Dan Poynter fell into publishing. He spent eight years researching a labor of love. Realizing no publisher would be interested in a technical treatise on the parachute, he went directly to a printer and "self- published." The orders poured in and he suddenly found he was a publisher himself.

In 1973, he became interested in a new aviation sport, couldn't find a book on the subject so he sat down and wrote one. After four months of writing and intense research that took him from coast to coast, he delivered the manuscript to the printer. So far, Hang Gliding has sold over 130,000 copies!

Continuing to write, Dan has produced more than 76 books and revisions so far, of which some have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Russian, British-English and German. Over the years, Dan has developed a system of writing that makes it all so easy and fun. His books are loaded with facts and figures and contain detailed inside information. They are always up-to-date because he revises them before going back to press. Dan has sold millions of his books, including several best sellers, for ten of millions of dollars in sales. Many of his books sell at the rate of 10-20,000 copies per year, every year.

For many years, Dan ran Para Publishing all by himself. In fact, he was often billed as the world's largest one-person publishing company. As a one-man show, an author/publisher who handled all the writing, publishing and promotion, office management and shipping himself, Dan is in the best position to advise a first time self-publishing author who is on a limited budget. Today, Dan has staff, a number of products and services (books, reports, tapes, disks, seminars, etc.) and a large suite of offices with a 360 view of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Dan has traveled to more than 40 countries and he has even skydived into the north pole. He has written several technical books on parachutes and popular books on skydiving. When you have your own business and control your own product, you can pursue your dreams.

Dan's work for publishing was recognized by the Publishers Marketing Association when they gave him the Benjamin Franklin Award. He was given the Irwin Award for the best electronic promotion campaign by the Book Publicists of Southern California. He is a past vice-president of PMA.

Dan Poynter's seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in U.S. News & World Report. The media comes to him because he is the leading authority on book marketing, promoting and distributing.

Dan was prompted to write The Self-Publishing Manual because so many publishers wanted to know his secret to selling so many books. Dan is one of the publishing industry's most energetic, experienced and respected leaders. He lives in Santa Barbara.

www.parapublishing.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

GLENN YEFFETH - Operating from the Conglomopub-free confines of the DFW Metroplex, commercial book publisher Glenn Yeffeth talks about why self-publishing isn't really just like traditional publishing, why people in NY publishing need to lighten up on the doomsday talk (or do something about it), why it's a fallacy that every author should blog, and whether he gets mistaken for Mark Cuban on Greenville Ave.

Glenn Yeffeth is Publisher of BenBella Books. Before BenBella, Glenn was a corporate strategist and marketer who ran companies in Chicago, London and Dallas. BenBella Books, named after Glenn’s children Benjamin and Isabella, was created in a fit of hysterical optimism about the potential for an independent publisher in Dallas. Glenn has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago and a BA in History from Oberlin College. His favorite book is The DaVinci Mole, a little-known work by the eminent philosopher Dr. Ian Browne. More about Glenn can be found at LinkedIn.

www.benbellabooks.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

ANN PATTY - Vaunted NYC Publisher and Editor, and bestselling hit-maker

Ann Patty graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1974, Magna Cum Laude in Comparative Literature.  She immediately moved to New York City to work in publishing, which she has done ever since.  She began as a receptionist at Knopf, had a brief stint as an editor with Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press, then buckled down as an assistant at Dell.  In 1976 she moved to Pocket Books as a Senior Editor, where she discovered VC Andrews, one of the biggest successes of the paperback original revolution. In 1982 she became the youngest editor ever to be given her own imprint when she founded Poseidon Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) where she was Publisher and Editorial Director. In 1993 she moved to Crown Publishers, first as Editor at Large, then as Editorial Director.  From 2000-2008, she was Executive Editor at Harcourt. In 2009, she became a freelance editor, co-writer and book doctor.  She lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

Notable debut acquisitions by Ann: Flowers in the Attic (VC Andrews), Downsize This! (Michael Moore), Life of Pi (Yann Martel), The Inhuman Condition (Clive Barker), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Peter Hedges), The First Wives Club (Olivia Goldsmith), Waterland (Graham Swift), Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum).

www.annpatty.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE


Here's a great post from a literary agent on what goes on at Ed Board.

GLENN YEFFETH - Operating from the Conglomopub-free confines of the DFW Metroplex, commercial book publisher Glenn Yeffeth talks about why self-publishing isn't really just like traditional publishing, why people in NY publishing need to lighten up on the doomsday talk (or do something about it), why it's a fallacy that every author should blog, and whether he gets mistaken for Mark Cuban on Greenville Ave.

Glenn Yeffeth is Publisher of BenBella Books. Before BenBella, Glenn was a corporate strategist and marketer who ran companies in Chicago, London and Dallas. BenBella Books, named after Glenn’s children Benjamin and Isabella, was created in a fit of hysterical optimism about the potential for an independent publisher in Dallas. Glenn has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago and a BA in History from Oberlin College. His favorite book is The DaVinci Mole, a little-known work by the eminent philosopher Dr. Ian Browne. More about Glenn can be found at LinkedIn.

www.benbellabooks.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

STEVE BERRY -NY Times bestselling thriller author is embarking on a USO Tour with four other thriller heavyweights to entertain and educate overseas troops. He'll also be talking about his dozen years of publishing rejection and subsequent triumph.

Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor's Tomb, The Balkan Escape, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. He has 11 million books in print, which have been translated into 37 languages and sold in 50 countries.  Steve's road to publishing was long and arduous, spanning 12 years (1990 - 2002) and 85 rejections over 5 separate manuscripts.  He's also an accomplished instructor, having taught the concepts of writing to audiences across the globe.  

When Steve's not writing, you can find him either on a beach, or a golf course, or traveling --- discovering more things lost --- thinking of the next novel.  He lives in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida.  

Steve and his wife Elizabeth have also started a foundation, History Matters, dedicated to aiding the preservation of our heritage.

www.steveberry.org

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

STEVE ROSS - From conglomerate publisher (of such mega-hitters like Barrack Obama, Derek Jeter, Ann Coulter and Spike Lee) to agenting trailblazer, Steve Ross talks about where the book business is going and how we can keep up.

Steve Ross was recently appointed Director of the Book Division at Abrams Artists Agency. In his new role, he is expanding the talent agency’s involvement in the book agenting and publishing field, and at the helm of the newly formed Abrams Author Services, expanding under Abrams’ aegis the wide range of consulting services he’s been providing to a select list of clients.

He was previously the President and Group Publisher of the Collins Division of HarperCollins and Publisher of Random House’s Crown Division. A 22-year veteran of the industry, Ross has been involved in publishing such bestselling authors as Barack Obama, Arianna Huffington, Ann Coulter, Russell Brand, Joni Mitchell, Gene Simmons, Erik Larson, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Pete Sampras and Spike Lee. He received a James Thurber Award for the publication of Our Dumb Century by The Onion, was named by New York Magazine as one of seven “Influentials” in Books in 2006, and he is a faculty member of NYU’s Graduate Program in Publishing.

www.abramsartny.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

STEVE ROSS - From conglomerate publisher (of such mega-hitters like Barrack Obama, Derek Jeter, Ann Coulter and Spike Lee) to agenting trailblazer, Steve Ross talks about where the book business is going and how we can keep up.

Steve Ross was recently appointed Director of the Book Division at Abrams Artists Agency. In his new role, he is expanding the talent agency’s involvement in the book agenting and publishing field, and at the helm of the newly formed Abrams Author Services, expanding under Abrams’ aegis the wide range of consulting services he’s been providing to a select list of clients.

He was previously the President and Group Publisher of the Collins Division of HarperCollins and Publisher of Random House’s Crown Division. A 22-year veteran of the industry, Ross has been involved in publishing such bestselling authors as Barack Obama, Arianna Huffington, Ann Coulter, Russell Brand, Joni Mitchell, Gene Simmons, Erik Larson, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Pete Sampras and Spike Lee. He received a James Thurber Award for the publication of Our Dumb Century by The Onion, was named by New York Magazine as one of seven “Influentials” in Books in 2006, and he is a faculty member of NYU’s Graduate Program in Publishing.

www.abramsartny.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DAVID SAENZ - An intellectual property attorney from global powerhouse Greenberg Traurig (in 2000 GWB's team retained them only minutes before Team Gore called), David Saenz explains what constitutes 'fair use,' why you may be already protected without doing a thing, and why you can't copyright sticking broccoli in brownies.

DR. JOHN MURRAY - The scourge of all writers, 'writer's block,' will be examined by one of the world's leading sports psychologists Dr. John Murray.

Dr. Murray is a Florida licensed clinical and sports psychologist, author and speaker in Palm Beach, Florida. He earned a BA from Loyola University New Orleans, and two Master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Murray examined the stress of injury on the 1996 national champion Florida Gators football team for his doctoral dissertation. He works with amateur, Olympic and professional athletes and teams, business executives and corporate groups, and individuals seeking general counseling too. He is perhaps best known for helping American tennis pro Vince Spadea overcome the longest losing streak in pro tennis history and return to a Top 20 world ranking. He’s consulted and spoken all over the world. Examples include all four major tennis tournaments (Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open, Wimbledon), the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and at sports academies, hotels, universities, and conventions nationwide and overseas (e.g., Egypt, Turkey, Germany, Austria). Dr. Murray is the author of the top-selling “Smart Tennis: How to Play and Win the Mental Game” published by Jossey-Bass/John Wiley in 1999, and will soon release “The Mental Performance Index: Ranking the Best Teams in Super Bowl History” (to be published by World Audience in early 2011). Murray has been described as “arguably the most famous sport psychologist in the world” (Topeka Capital Journal), “one of the major psychologists in sports” (Fox Sports), “the Freud of football” (Washington Post), “the Roger Federer of sport psychologists” (Tennis Week Magazine) and “the most interviewed psychologist over the past several years.” He has written hundreds of column articles and contributed to thousands of news stories. Articles have been written about him in many such as ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Writers and Authors, the Detroit Free Press, the South Florida Business Journal, the Palm Beach Post, the National Post of Canada, the Wall Street Journal, and a cover story in Canada’s top tennis magazine Ground Strokes Canada. He’s appeared as an expert on several popular television shows including “NFL Films Presents” with Steve Sabol, the longest running television series in history (and shown on the NFL Network and ESPN2 last November), Fit to Hit on the Tennis Channel with Hollywood actress Danielle Dotzenrod (2010), and Tenis America Latina with tennis legend Jose Luis Clerc on the Pan American Sports Network. He’s been a guest on many radio and television shows including ABC Good Morning America, Fox (both Neil Cavuto and John Gibson), MSNBC with Allison Stewart, BBC, and on radio with NPR’s “All Things Considered” with Lynn Neary and hundreds of shows too numerous to mention.

www.johnfmurray.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

PETE GOODMAN - Casting your character after yourself, and other observations on the craft of writing a series.

Pete Goodman is a member of the Mystery Writer's of America and the Maya Research Program. As a jounalist in the U.S. Air Force, he wrote news releases and feature articles that were published in the national and international media and also penned classified archival material. Smoking Frog Lives! is his first mystery.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

TOM DAVENPORT - The author talks about how being stuck between executives and the employees can be a thankless (and impossible) job.

Thomas O. Davenport is a senior practitioner in Towers Watson's Talent Management practice, providing consulting services on human capital strategy, employee and organization research, and leadership strategy. In addition to Manager Redefined, Davenport is the author of Human Capital: What It Is and Why People Invest It (Jossey-Bass Division of Wiley, 1999). Tom also leads the development of Towers Watson's methodologies for improving the effectiveness of supervisors and line managers. He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

PAUL J. SULLIVAN - Prodigious short-form writer reveals the secrets of writing long-form, and how to succeed under pressure.

Paul Sullivan writes the Wealth Matters column for The New York Times.

His articles have appeared in Conde Nast Portfolio, The International Herald Tribune, Barron’s, The Boston Globe, and Food & Wine. From 2000 to 2006, he was a reporter, editor and columnist at the Financial Times.

His first big story for the FT was a profile of the author Kurt Vonnegut based on a train ride they took from Springfield, Massachusetts to New York City. His last piece for the FT was Vonnegut’s obituary.

Paul has been interviewed on radio programs across America and has appeared several times on Fox News.

Paul lives in Stamford, Connecticut, with his family—two members of which are former guide dogs. He received degrees in history from Trinity College and the University of Chicago, and has taken a not insignificant amount of money on the golf course from the host of The Book Biz radio show, which begs the question (which will be asked), how do you write a book with a one-year old in the house and still play single-handicap golf?

www.pauljsullivan.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DR. JULIE SILVER - Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications talks about publishing, agents, and tweeting what you had for lunch.

Julie Silver (www.JulieSilverMD.com), an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, is a noted expert in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is on the medical staff at Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women’s, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals in Boston. Dr. Silver is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, and she is the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications. She directs the popular Harvard CME course Publishing Books, Memoirs and other Creative Non-fiction, which will take place in Boston from March 31st through April 3rd. For more information and to register, visit www.HarvardWriters.com.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

PENNY SANSEVIERI - Book marketing guru weighs in on Twitter-building, honing your hook, and the future of traditional publishing.

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME), is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book social media marketing, book marketing, and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most leading-edge book marketing
campaigns. Her company researched, developed and implemented the first comprehensive Internet publicity campaign called The Virtual Author Tour™. In 2008 AME had ten books hit the bestseller list (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today). In Spring of 2010, she taught the first ever self-publishing class for NYU, this six week (one night a week) program was a culmination of her years of experience in the publishing and book marketing field. The class will return in Spring 2011. She is also a Blogger for Books, Book Marketing, and Publishing on the Huffington Post.

Penny began her career in the publicity, book marketing, and literary field over 15 years ago. During that time she has been an author, freelance writer, publicist, and instructor. She has been instrumental in creating several highly successful marketing, social media market, and publicity campaigns for author events and book launches. Penny is also President and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. and has developed and implemented countless marketing and publicity strategies. She has worked with such high profile clients as Marci Shimoff, John Assaraf, world renowned psychic and ghost buster, Jane Doherty, Barney Rosenzweig creator of "Cagney & Lacey," Fred and Kim Goldman, owners of If I Did It, Jac Flanders (of the original Fantastic Four) and Tammi Menendez, wife of Erik Menendez and the first eBay auction of a Princess Diana gown (lot “9” from Christie’s New York). Her firm has worked with numerous bestsellers including: The Answer, Happy for No Reason, The Go-Giver, The Laws of Thinking and such high-profile books as Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul. Her clients have been featured on The View, CBS The Early Show, The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, MTV, CNN, CNN Showbiz Tonight, National Public Radio, Something You Should Know, E-Entertainment Television, The Heloise Show and in Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Essence Magazine, More Magazine, The Bridal Guide, Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC… and many others. Penny's diverse background enables her to bring a multitude of talents to the table as well as a myriad of marketing techniques.

Penny’s innovative social media and marketing strategies have been featured in MORE Magazine, Marketing Sherpa, Writer’s Digest Magazine, Book Marketing Update, The Publicity Hound, The San Diego Union Tribune, Working Writer Magazine, Vision Magazine, Writer’s Web, New Book Reviews, Romance Writers of America, RW of Europe and many more. She is also Editor for the e-newsletter "The Book Marketing Expert," which has a subscriber base in excess of 17,000. Penny has also presented her social marketing seminars, specifically on Twitter, for organizations such as Hearst Media. Penny successfully marketed her first book, The Cliffhanger, which was released in 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign, it soared up the ranks at Amazon.com and held the #1 spot for three months. Her most recent book, Red Hot Internet Publicity, has been called “an indispensable guide to leveraging the Internet for success.”

You can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com

and www.authormarketingexperts.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

TOM DAVENPORT - The author talks about how being stuck between executives and the employees can be a thankless (and impossible) job.

Thomas O. Davenport is a senior practitioner in Towers Watson's Talent Management practice, providing consulting services on human capital strategy, employee and organization research, and leadership strategy. In addition to Manager Redefined, Davenport is the author of Human Capital: What It Is and Why People Invest It (Jossey-Bass Division of Wiley, 1999). Tom also leads the development of Towers Watson's methodologies for improving the effectiveness of supervisors and line managers. He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DR. SHELLEY CARSON - Initially interested in the dynamics between psychosis and creativity, Dr. Carson tells us how get more from our brain without going over the edge, and why a good sized ego will make you more creative.

Dr. Shelley Carson received her Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 2001, where she continues to conduct research, teach, and advise undergraduates. Her research on creativity, psychopathology, and resilience has been widely published in both national and international scientific journals, and her findings have been featured on the Discovery Channel, CNN, NPR, the BBC, and Radio Free Europe. In addition, Dr. Carson’s work has been noted in magazines such as Newsweek, Scientific American, and Psychology Today.

While winning multiple teaching awards at Harvard for her popular course Creativity: Madmen, Geniuses, and Harvard Students, Dr. Carson also maintains an active speaking schedule outside of the classroom, talking to such groups as the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus, the National Council on Disability, the Massachusetts Manic Depressive and Depressive Association, and the One Day University lecture series.

Since 2006, she has also served as a senior consultant and subject matter expert for the Department-of-Defense project afterdeployment.org, which provides innovative online mental health assistance to service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Carson also writes the popular Psychology Today blog “Life as Art,” and her new book titled Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life was released by Jossey-Bass in October 2010.

When not engaged in her busy work schedule, Dr. Carson loves to travel, play golf, read suspense novels, and spend time with her grown children. You can often find her walking in the woods near her home south of Boston, where she lives with her husband David.

www.shelleycarson.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

MICHAEL MASLANSKY - Renowned corporate communicator explains how writers can learn from Wall St.

As CEO of Maslansky, Luntz & Partners, Michael Maslansky advises Fortune 500 corporations, industry associations, major litigation practices and non-profit organizations on language strategy and messaging issues. Clients that have sought Michael’s counsel include FedEx, Morgan Stanley, Procter & Gamble, UBS and The Walt Disney Company. He has also worked with a wide range of industry associations including the Financial Services Roundtable, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer’s Association, the Personal Care Products Council, the Direct Marketing Association, and the New Orleans tourism industry.

How CEOs, companies, and entire industries communicate – whether during crises, in advertising and public relations campaigns, or with investors, Congress or the American people – often means the difference between success and failure.  Clients from PepsiCo to eBay to Microsoft to Starbucks turn to Michael to understand the public mood, challenge conventional wisdom and transform not just what they say to key audiences – but how they say it.

Michael shares with clients his in-depth understanding of hot-button issues in banking and financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, corporate social responsibility and non-profits, technology and consumer products, and litigation and politics.  Over the years, he has helped Fortune 500 companies position and differentiate their brands and products during good times, and protect their reputations during crisis.

Michael’s new book, The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics was published on May 4, 2010.  The book reviews the communication challenges that companies and industries face today and offers proven tools for building trust and credibility with consumers, regulators and the general public.

Michael’s strategic analysis builds on insights from his unique combination of expertise: battle-tested communications experience combined with a deep understanding of public opinion.  He has conducted hundreds of research projects in over 20 countries using his firm’s trademarked polling and focus group methodology, lauded by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, “60 Minutes,” “Nightline” and PBS’s “Frontline,” among others.  Michael is one of corporate America’s leading communications and research strategists.

Prior to going to ml + p, Michael founded MarketResearch.com, a leading market intelligence company where he served as president and remains on the Board.  Previously, he led a distinguished career as a corporate attorney with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

 www.maslansky.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

MARTIN SHEPARD - Self-described '30-year overnight success' publishing company The Permanent Press has established itself as the closest thing to a permanent press in an industry in which everyone is going out of business. Co-publisher Marty Shepard talks about how his company is thriving without any of the trappings of the traditional NY houses, and feeling very blessed.

Begun in 1978 by Martin and Judith Shepard, The Permanent Press committed itself to publishing works of social and literary merit and has, over the years, gained a reputation as one of the finest independent presses in America.

Since the inception of the press, individual authors and titles have gained over 50 literary honors, including the American Book Award, Small Press Book Awards, New American Writing Awards, and the Colorado Book Award. They have also been National Book Award, Edgar Award, and Hammett Prize finalists. They've published Halldor Laxness, a 1955 Nobel Prize winner, and have 12 novels in print from Berry Fleming, who, in 1990, was a Nobel Prize nominee.

The press itself has been cited on three separate occasions for its editorial excellence. In 1988, The Permanent Press was a Grand Prize Finalist for The Boston Globe Literary Press Awards. In 1997 we were honored with the Poor Richards Award given by the Small Press Center for "having done much to advance the cause of small press publishing over a period of at least two decades." 1998 marked the culmination of prizes, as they won the equivalent of a publishing "Oscar" for the previous year's list: Literary Market Place's LMP Award for Editorial Achievement - a prize open to every publisher, large and small, in America, and voted on, nationally, by their colleagues in the book industry.

The vast majority of their books are new, and these are published under The Permanent Press imprint. Their sister imprint, Second Chance Press, reprints books of merit that had been out-of-print for at least 20 years. Under that imprint, they've published not only Berry Fleming and Halldor Laxness, but novels by Richard Lortz, William Herrick, and Joseph Stanley Pennell.

Unlike most publishers, TPP has kept almost all of their titles in print, for they feel that their books have a timeless quality and will always be rewarding reading experiences.

 www.thepermanentpress.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DR. HERBERT GOLDMAN - A veteran of the infant nutrition and feeding field, Dr. Goldman reveals, for the first time, his studies that show how anyone can literally prevent their child from becoming overweight.

Herbert Goldman, M.D., F.A.A.P., M.S, (nutrition) Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Albert Einstein College of Medicine has had more than 35 years of experience with the nutrition of infants and children. He served for 12 years as the Physician in Charge of the Long Island Jewish Hospital Premature Nursery and carried out five studies supported by our National Institutes of Health. In 2005 he completed a Masters Program in Nutrition at Columbia University.

Excerpt:

Your book was originally called Wild Animals Never Get Fat...

I always believed that wild animals never get fat, but I wanted to make sure so I went to the Bronx Zoo and met with Dr William Karesh who is an important person in the Wildlife Conservation Society who goes around the world studying wild animals. He stated that he has never seen an animal in the wild who was visibly obese.  However, the same animals in zoos and as pets can become obese. This is because infant wild animals always control their own feedings with no one to help them while in zoos and as pets humans are involved and may interfere with infant control.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

MARC KRAMER - Inc. magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year Marc Kramer tells us to write, write and write, and how writing a book is tough, but very worthwhile work.

Marc Kramer is a serial entrepreneur and president of Kramer Communications providing Internet strategic marketing, sales and communications, business plan development, and content service strategy and project management. He is also a project faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business Global Consulting Practicum and a professional speaker and lecturer on topics such as Internet marketing, marketing, sales networking, corporate entrepreneurship and turning around distressed companies.

Marc founded Prompt Payment, a financial services company, which provided funding to the suppliers of Fortune 1000 companies and was acquired by Leaf Financial. Marc is also the founder of ExpertSpeakers.net, which marketed business professionals to trade associations and corporations to speak to their members and employees and was acquired by SpeakerMatch.

Marc is a former partner at USWeb, the world’s largest Internet consulting firm, prior to that was president of Mixed Media Works, and an interactive company that produced such web sites for Rosenbluth International and CoreStates Bank among others. Before joining MMW, Marc started the Eastern Technology Council, the second largest business technology council in the U.S., with over 1,000 corporate members.

He also launched and ran Technology Times, the second largest business technology newspaper in the U.S.; the Pennsylvania Technology Transfer Center; the Institute of Biotechnology and Advanced Molecular Medicine; the Penn State Technology Development Center and the Pennsylvania Private Investors Group, the country’s first formally organized investor angels network.

Marc has also served as president/CEO of Business Philadelphia and Seven Arts, two large regional magazines, and is a columnist for Forbes.com and thestreet.com.

Marc has received such awards as the Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year, American Electronics Association Spirit of America Award and was three years in a row named one of the Top Five Business Leaders Under Age 40 in Philadelphia region by the Philadelphia Jaycees and won the Small Business Journalist of the Year by the Center City Proprietors Association of Philadelphia in 2006.

BOOKS:

"Power Networking", published by NTC Publishing in 1997, a division of McGraw Hill, was a Success magazine, NBIA Book Club, Human Resource Book Club and Right Management (largest outplacement firm in the world) selection.

"Small Business Turnaround", published by Adams Media in 1999, was named one of the 30 Best Business Books in 2000 by Executive Book Summaries.

"Financing & Building an E-Commerce Venture" published by Prentice Hall in 2001, was an Ingram, NBAI Book Club and California CEO magazine selection.Two leading regional business publications, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal and the Times Herald, have contracted Marc to write a monthly business column on Internet and small business.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DENIS G. KELLY - Vaunted identity theft expert Denis Kelly joins Book Biz Radio to talk about about his new book THE OFFICIAL IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION HANDBOOK: Your Identity Has Already Been Stolen, Learn What You Can Do About It.

What is America’s top-ranked crime concern? Identity theft. According to a 2009 Gallup Crime Survey, 66 percent of U.S. adults say they worry “frequently” or “occasionally” about being a victim of identity theft, a percentage three times greater than the percentage concerned with sexual assault or murder. Identity theft is a perfect storm, and it has affected everyone. Everyone is a target and the substantially negative consequences aren’t truly understood by many of the victims. The government and corporate America have proven inept at assisting consumers in protecting themselves; they disseminate information and products that can mislead, not help, the victim. The Official Identity Theft Prevention Handbook is the first book to analyze identity theft in its proper context and provide takeaways to minimize the likelihood you will be harmed by identity theft and to mitigate the negative consequences if you become a victim. Identity theft continues to proliferate, and it is tearing the fabric of our society. All understand it’s important, but compelling people to take appropriate action is a challenge. The Official Identity Theft Prevention Handbook provides a tremendous first step towards individual and societal responsibility; we can swing the pendulum in the other direction. In the case of identity theft, the best defense is a good offense.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Denis G. Kelly is formerly an executive and partner of Originate Home Loans and 21st Century Mortgage Bankers (national mortgage bankers) as well as a $1 billion producer at Washington Mutual. He was featured in Broker Magazine for bringing unique and efficient distribution models to the banking industry. He has created software solutions for the banking, credit and identity theft industries. Through his vast experience in all aspects of the banking industry, Kelly witnessed first-hand the horrific effect that identity theft has on both individuals and society. In addition to The Official Identity Theft Prevention Handbook, Kelly wrote “An Identity Theft Paradise,” a whitepaper outlining the dangers and systematic failures regarding synthetic identity theft. Kelly has his Fair Credit Reporting Act certification from the Consumer Data Industry Association, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist certification from the Institute of Fraud Risk Management, and Certified Identity Expert designation from the Identity Ambassador Commission (IdentityAmbassador.org, an identity theft education and training organization he founded). Additionally, he is founder and President of IDCuffs.com, an identity theft prevention company, and TheIDChannel.com, a centralized resource for all the latest news and information regarding identity theft. He’s had numerous speaking engagements and is recognized as a leader in the field of identity theft. Denis G. Kelly lives in Miami, Florida.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

MIKE SPECTOR - Wall Street Journal reporter breaks the story of Borders' imminent bankruptcy filing, and joins us to talk about Chapter 11 and what it means for Borders and the book business.

Bankruptcy and reorganization writer for The Wall St. Journal, Mike Spector talks about what the bankruptcy of the second largest book retailer in the country means for consumers and the book industry in general.

LISTEN TO ENTIRE WSJ INTERVIEW HERE

LINCOLN CHILD - Starting out as an editor with St. Martin's, Linc Child thought it would be easy to get an agent and a book deal. Ten years later it was his collaboration with a non-fiction writer that finally got him published.

Lincoln Child was born in Westport, Connecticut, which he still calls his hometown (despite the fact that he left the place before he reached his first birthday and now only goes back for weekends).

Lincoln seemed to have acquired an interest in writing as early as second grade, when he wrote a short story entitled Bumble the Elephant (now believed by scholars to be lost). Along with two dozen short stories composed during his youth, he wrote a science-fiction novel in tenth grade called Second Son of Daedalus and a shamelessly Tolkeinesque fantasy in twelfth grade titled The Darkness to the North (left unfinished at 400 manuscript pages). Both are exquisitely embarrassing to read today and are kept under lock and key by the author.

After a childhood that is of interest only to himself, Lincoln graduated from Carleton College (huh?) in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in English. Discovering a fascination for words, and their habit of turning up in so many books, he made his way to New York in the summer of 1979, intent on finding a job in publishing. He was lucky enough to secure a position as editorial assistant at St. Martin's Press.

Over the next several years, he clawed his way up the editorial hierarchy, moving to assistant editor to associate editor before becoming a full editor in 1984. While at St. Martin's, he was associated with the work of many authors, including that of James Herriot and M. M. Kaye. He edited well over a hundred books--with titles as diverse as The Notation of Western Music and Hitler's Rocket Sites--but focused primarily on American and English popular fiction.

While at St. Martin's, Lincoln assembled several collections of ghost and horror stories, beginning with the hardcover collections Dark Company (1984) and Dark Banquet (1985). Later, when he founded the company's mass-market horror division, he edited three more collections of ghost stories, Tales of the Dark 1-3.

In 1987, Lincoln left trade publishing to work at MetLife. In a rather sudden transition, he went from editing manuscripts, speaking at sales conferences, and wining/dining agents to doing highly technical programming and systems analysis. Though the switch might seem bizarre, Lincoln was a propeller-head from a very early age, and his extensive programming experience dates back to high school, when he worked with DEC minis and the now-prehistoric IBM 1620, so antique it actually had an electric typewriter mounted into its front panel. Away from the world of publishing, Lincoln's own nascent interests in writing returned. While at MetLife, Relic was published, and within a few years Lincoln had left the company to write full time. He now lives in New Jersey (under protest--just kidding) with his wife and daughter.

A dilettante by natural inclination, Lincoln's interests include: pre-1950s literature and poetry; post-1950s popular fiction; playing the piano, various MIDI instruments, and the 5-string banjo; English and American history; motorcycles; architecture; classical music, early jazz, blues, and R&B; exotic parrots; esoteric programming languages; mountain hiking; bow ties; Italian suits; fedoras; archaeology; and multiplayer deathmatching.

www.prestonchild.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DOUGLAS PRESTON - The vaunted bestselling author explains how you can still be successful if you suffer from verbosity in your writing, and why getting arrested while researching your latest novel is just part of the gig (just don't tell your thrill-averse writing partner).

Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)

As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.

After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.

In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.

Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.

Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.

Preston is a Research Associate at the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, a member of PEN New Mexico, and a board member of the School of American Research in Santa Fe. He counts in his ancestry the poet Emily Dickinson, the newspaperman Horace Greeley, and the infamous murderer and opium addict Amasa Greenough. Preston and his wife, Christine, have three children, Selene, Aletheia, and Isaac. They live on the coast of Maine.

www.prestonchild.com

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

MARC WEISMAN, M.D. - From the brilliant mind of an accomplished physician in Detroit comes a book that warns of the dangers on the horizon, just in time for Congress' controversial hearings.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Re-United States is written in plain and non-partisan English for the average reader. It answers these three questions: Where are we? How did we get here? How do we get back? Early in the book, the case is clearly made that we are at war with Islamic extremism and that these Jihadist’s exist in two distinct forms; violent and non-violent. Violent Islamic extremism is, of course, terrorism where non-violent or “stealth” Jihad is the slow transformation of America and the West’s mostly Christian culture with one more and more Islamic in nature. This book is anything but an indictment of Islam, rather it is an indictment of radical Islamism. Re-United Sates is endorsed by leading Muslim and Arab activists who are out in front of this epic battle between Islamic fundamentalism and the West. What makes this book so valuable and unique is the way that it provides just enough background to allow virtually any reader to easily answer the first two questions above. This is achieved through a “pocket history” of the major religions followed by a synopsis of the geo-political circumstances in America, Europe, Russia, China, and the Middle East responsible for creating this dangerous era. Next is an honest, fresh, and revealing analysis of today’s America independent of the agendas of any side, be it conservative, liberal, Democrat, or Republican. American’s will appreciate the lack of partisan politics combined with the unique candor and highly educational nature of this book. Finally, in the “Solutions” chapter, from the author’s perspective as a physician, and mindful of our nation’s preoccupation with “rehab,” he offers a “prescription” for national rehabilitation. This 12 x 12-step plan encourages Americans to revise our collective mindsets, embrace our similarities, and finally, focus our national attention squarely on the challenge of Islamic extremism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Weisman has co-authored several medical research papers, a book on geriatric medicine (one of his specialties, along with family medicine), dozens of position papers as a primary care representative and physician leader, and articles for popular magazines in both health care and terrorism preparedness.  He is also a contributing writer at Andrew Breitbart’s BigPeace.com.  He deeply believes that ordinary people can effect extraordinary change in the world, particularly in divisive times such as these. Consistent with the spirit of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, an inspirational 1775 pamphlet that helped spark the American Revolution, this book is written with the belief that sometimes an average person can be more credible than the pundits and leaders. He harbors a deep patriotism and a hope for this nation despite the flaws that it, like all nations, struggles with. Americans are caught in what seems to be a perpetual state of obstructive, rather than constructive, national dialogue. Through education, books such as Re-United States will advance our national dialogue on Islamic extremism that will bleed into the psyche of our nation. Then, finally with renewed unity, purpose, and vigor, we will effectively combat this danger.

www.asonenation.com

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LONZ COOK - A 20 year veteran of the Marines explores relationships between the sexes, with a few wiseguys thrown in for good measure. (And it doesn't hurt being compared to Tyler Perry.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Marine Corps veteran, educator, and technology professional Lonz has written professionally for years. His creativity helped fellow service members passionately communicate with their loved ones during deployments. His technical writing abilities were instrumental in the training of many service members. Lonz wrote scripts and narrated training tapes for military personnel. As a sports coach, his talents were used to transcribe game highlights as a military battle. Along his career, friends and relatives pushed him to write creatively. His second novel WHEN LOVE EVOLVES is being published in April 2011. He loves family, traveling, and sports. He resides in the southeastern United States.

www.lonzcook.com

JONATHAN MATUSITZ - A response to the immensely popular BUSHISMS? Florida educator Matusitz tells us why he couldn't listen to the President's speeches without grimacing. And why he had to write a book about it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Matusitz, Ph.D. (b. 1976), is an Assistant Professor in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. Born and raised in Belgium, he earned a B.A. in Translation of Foreign Languages at the International Interpreters’ School in Mons (Belgium). In 2000, he moved to the United States and pursued an M.A. in Professional Communication at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2006, he earned a Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Oklahoma. He has published over 40 academic journal articles on communication, pop culture, and globalization and taught speech analysis and logic.

ABOUT THE BOOK

OBAMANATIONS: The Fanciful Follies and Frightening Foibles of our Forty-Fourth President by Jonathan Matusitz, is a collection of over 200 strange, scary, funny, bizarre and factually inaccurate statements made by America’s Jedi Master of the Prompter, our country’s 44th President, Barack Obama, over his past 40 years in and out of public office. More than just a collection of verbal bloopers as provided by the perpetually misspeaking George W. Bush and chronicled in the bestselling BUSHISMS, OBAMANATIONS conveys a more serious message: that while one can forgive shocking statements uttered by mistake, it’s the outrageous things said on purpose that are perhaps the most hypocritical, offensive and downright dangerous.

The book is organized into four broad sections. The first section, called "Oops!", lists his flubs and hilarious statements. The second, entitled "Say What?", compiles his incomprehensible and nonsensical utterings. The third section, entitled "(Fact) Check Please", provides a list of his non-factual statements, and the fourth section is entitled "Flip-Flops", which document the President’s history of hypocrisy for all to see.

There are multiple books dedicated to George W. Bush-isms, one to Clintonisms, and yet not one book about Obamaisms. OBAMANATIONS is intended not only for Obamaphobes ready for a single repository of Obama trivia, but also for the average reader (yes, even Obamaniacs) who might find the President’s own words and beliefs at times troubling. Pick up a copy of OBAMANATIONS and prepare to be amazed at what the mainstream media has been glossing over for years now; that our mighty Emperor’s clothes might be a little more threadbare (and oil stained) than they would have you believe!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

DANE NELLER - Co-founder and CEO of the company that makes that crazy machine you've seen in bookstores (or maybe just heard of), Dane Neller talks about the Espresso Book Machine, why the bricks-and-mortar business is doomed (it's not because of ebooks, he says) and why books in their physical form aren't going anywhere.

Dane J. Neller has extensive operating experience in the retail sector as a former owner and CEO of Dean & Deluca for over 8 years. Under Mr. Neller’s leadership, Dean & Deluca experienced substantial increases in sales and profitability and became a premier multi-channel specialty food brand with international brand recognition. Between 1993 and 1997, he was Chief Investment Officer of the Leslie Rudd Investment Company, a private equity fund based in Aspen, Colorado. Prior to this, Mr. Neller held various positions in private equity and investment banking firms, beginning his career at Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. from 1984–1987. He graduated from Yale University in 1979 (B.A.), 1980 (M.A.), and Yale Law School in 1984 (J.D.). He was enrolled in the M.Litt. program at Oxford University in 1980. Mr. Neller was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1985.

www.booksondemand.com

BO BENNETT - Building primitive ebooks as a child in 1995 Bo Bennett is a recognized leader in new technology, both in and out of publishing. He explains what a good ebook producer and distributor can do for a first-time author, and the hazards of making the wrong choice.

Robert (Bo) Bennett is a business man, author, programmer, philanthropist, martial artist, motivational speaker, amateur comedian, and most of all a husband and a father devoted to improving the lives of others. He is a graduate of Bryant College with a Bachelors degree in Marketing.

By age 10, Bo started listening to and reading personal development tapes and books. Twenty years and hundreds of books later he is considered by many to be one of the leading experts on success.

Before beginning his lifelong quest to shape the lives of others, he had to prove to himself that his theories, beliefs and convictions worked. At age 10, Bo started in business by creating and selling wooden key racks in his father's workshop. Since then, he has started several companies and sold them for anywhere from $1 to $20,000,000.00.

Today, Bo remains active CEO of iGrOOps, LLC. After selling his first company of significant value, Bo began writing Year To Success, the most comprehensive book ever written on success, based on his experiences, thoughts, and timeless success principles. Year to Success is a book Donald Trump calls, “an inspiration to every person who reads it.”

Bo's passion for programming started with the commercialism of the World Wide Web back in 1995 when he submerged himself in programming books. With no former programming education, he has created one of the first Web Hosting user interfaces as well as modern day Web-based affiliate programs. Today he continues to program for iGrOOps.

At age 13, Bo started studying the martial arts. By Age 18, he earned his first degree black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate. Since his first black belt, he has also earned a second degree black belt in Tae-Kwon Do and continues to study several different styles, as well as teach. When starting the martial arts, Bo also began a lifelong commitment to fitness and heath, realizing the importance of the mind-body connection. Bo and his wife Kim created a not-for-profit organization called “Bellado” (bellado.org) to promote kindness, respect, generosity, forgiveness, honesty, and patience – much of what Year To Success is about. Bo is also a major supporter of Toastmasters (toastmasters.org), an organization established in 1924 to promote communication and leadership through public speaking. Bo and his wife, Kim, reside in Massachusetts with their two young children and their faithful dog.

www.ebookit.com

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JACQUELINE CHURCH SIMONDS- Traditional book publisher and distributor talks about the future of the printed book and what it means for pre-published writers.

Jacqueline Church Simonds is a publishing consultant/book shepherd with a focus on start-up presses. She is the co-owner of Beagle Bay, Inc http://www.beaglebay.com/   a publisher of award-winning books, author of “The New Self-Publisher’s FAQ” http://www.creativemindspress.com/newbiefaq.htm , blogger on Small Press World http://smallpressworld.com/blog/ , and co-List Mom on the Yahoo Self-Publishing Discussion List http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Self-Publishing/5.

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JAMES SHERIDAN- Bestselling author of THE PANDORA PRESCRIPTION reveals how writers can create a story that "makes others want to pick up the phone," and what you must do to make up for retailers and publishers lack of participation in the marketing process.

James Sheridan is an award-winning copywriter, speaker and writer, and a former airline pilot who currently holds an airspeed record for experimental aircraft. As an unofficial US government contract pilot, Sheridan once flew the still secretive diplomatic mail flight between Miami and Havana, Cuba. What he learned during these missions changed his life forever.

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NOTE: Please excuse the technical difficulties at the end of the interview.

ANDREW GROSS- NY Times bestselling author and co-author of James Patterson, tells The Book Biz why he's "all for eliminating big publishers" despite his 9 book deal with HarperCollins, and why self-publishing has "brought a lot of garbage into the marketplace." Don't miss this outstanding interview with a gifted author who says it like he sees it.

FROM ANDREW'S WEBSITE:

OKAY, SO I WASN'T ALWAYS A THRILLER WRITER

Who was? I actually did major in English at Middlebury, but after an MBA from Columbia, and a stint at the Leslie Fay Companies, a women's clothing firm started by my grandfather, I went into the sports apparel field. I ended up president of HEAD Ski and Tennis (to brag: we grew to #1 in America in both businesses while I was there) and later, le coq sportif, a French sports fashion line. It was one-too-many turnaround situations or more precisely--one that didn't turn around, that hastened my writing career.

SO HOW'D YOU MEET JAMES PATTERSON?

Truth is, he called. Out of nowhere. An editor had given him the manuscript of a novel I was hoping to publish, HYDRA. At that point, I would have been elated if my gate guard (we live in a gated community) dialed in with a little praise. Jim said he had read the book and asked if we could meet for breakfast. He said he had several projects he wanted to write and not enough time to do them. I had the incredible foresight to say yes.

SO WHAT'S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH PATTERSON?

It was like a combination MFA and MBA rolled into one. He knows what kind of stories he wants to tell, has a keen sense of what will appeal to his readers, especially women, what's vital in a scene for it to succeed, knows exactly when the scene needs more--or generally, less! And he's an even better editor than he is a writer. Hopefully, I've learned a few things from him along the way.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

I figured we'd do one book. It led to six in seven years. The Women's Murder Club Series became one of the leading crime series of all time! My personal favorite was The Jester set in the thirteenth century in France. If you missed it, I really recommend you go back and take a read. Lifeguard had a great, likeable hero with the odds all stacked against him. Judge & Jury, our last together, is coming out July 31, 2006.

HOW DOES A WRITING PARTNERSHIP LIKE THAT WORK?

We alternate every word.

(Jim's line, actually.) To be honest, we always began with a concept and an outline that came from him, which we fleshed out into a detailed chapter- by-chapter outline. (Some chapters longer than in the actual book!) No writer's block here, the roadmap was always there. Every day, I knew exactly where I was going. That call from Jim changed my writing life!

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

My last three books have featured the Greenwich detectve Ty Hauck, but I'm putting him on a beach or a ketch somewhere for a couple of books to tell you two very personal and chilling stores. EYES WIDE OPEN, out July 12, combines two real life events from my own life: the tragic suicide of a young and troubled nephew; and the chance encounter years ago with an infamous cult killer from the Sixties-- you'll have to read the bgook to find out who! I promise, it's the richest, most terrifying one yet. And followed in 2012 with a wild tale of an event from one of my book tours gone crazily wrong! Then Ty fans-- he'll come off that beach!

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