The Morbid Letter
I wake up to the shroud of mist
Encircling my bed..
My failed attempts..
All goin thru my head
The scathed skin
The burning ash
The achin chill
The horrible gash
Feebly I fumble
Thru my room
Searchin the shambles
The morbid letter
The blood drippin
As I wander
Searchin for answers as I ponder
The morbid letter
The blood drippin
Down the floor
goin thru the heap of clothes
Searchin for…
The morbid letter
The blood drippin
From my gashes
As I found
Near some ashes
The morbid letter
The blood dripppin
Strength weakening
As I cluthched
The morbid letter
The blood drippin
The world spinning
My mom screamin
My soul leavin…
As my world turned black..
Source: www.isnare.com
The Recent Popular World of DVD Players
DVD recorders are able to be used with a digital telly to record your favourite language programmes and films as well as to view pre-recorded TV. Amazing picture and sound quality, although the recording facility makes them noticeably more pricey than players and furthermore they are also harder to understand than VCRs. The mixture of recordable models available at present can also add to the customers’ confusion.
Having the correct connections between your DVD recorder and your TV & personal hi-fi system can without a doubt make a substantial dissimilarity to the whole quality of the sound and picture.
These are the DVD connections to think about:
S-video connection: This is the next greatest thing to component video and is an option on all DVD Players that don’t boast component output and also tellies that don’t include component input. You may perhaps need another cable despite this the picture difference should ought to be worth it. Amazing deals on Panasonic DVD Recorder at Sound and Vision!
SCART leads: A common sort of DVD connection used in the United Kingdom items is the SCART lead. This carries both audio & video signals. SCART connections are commonly found on DVD players and more up to date televisions. Gold coated SCART leads offer a significantly better connection. A SCART connection will without doubt give you a substantially improved image than S-Video and is near to component standard. SCART cables are not commonly added inside players. You may likely be expected to shell out in the region of £25.
Audio connectors: DVD recorders, predominately the more dear items, are traditionally likely to have several sound outputs. Outputs are likely to consist of phono, digital coaxial and digital optical. If you are attempting to connect to a separate hi-fi system this may possibly be by far a very vital characteristic.
Progressive scan is the newest word in the Digital Versatile Disc recorder business and even though considerably more expensive recorders include it, it can’t truly be used except if you have a digital telly. With it your picture can be refreshed at 60 times every second thus helping to make a wonderful more or less flicker free image and is far more superior to anything that is made available by the alternative interlaced scanning ways
Teach Me Who You Are
We all have a privately held belief system that defines who we think we are. This belief system is composed of ideas that we have accumulated over time that we think describe us accurately.
These ideas came from sources that varied widely in quality. Most of the ideas we have chosen to label ourselves with have come from origins that would be clearly absurd to us if we encountered them for the first time today. Many others have origins that can longer be recalled because they are too old, or trivial, or have been suppressed. Yet these collections of labels are still maintained as part of our self image despite their murky history.
We mistakenly believe that only we can know what our true assessment of ourselves is, because only we have access to our private thoughts. The reality is that our speech and all our actions teach everybody around us about our internal model of ourselves and our world. There is no way to be alive without constantly teaching others about our belief systems.
What we believe is true about ourselves completely determines how we interpret the things we see, the sounds we hear, and the meaning of the events that take place around us. Our beliefs act as filters that serve to reinforce our internal models - we selectively focus on evidence that supports our point of view and ignore evidence that does not. This selectivity of perception takes place on a level that only occasionally enters into our conscious awareness.
A classic example: a child is labeled by parents, teachers or peers as “stupid”, and hears it often enough that it is incorporated into that child’s description of self. This child then begins to process experiences in a way that selects for continuing evidence of the label of “I am stupid” (or ugly, fat, or any other pejorative). A different child of equivalent intelligence is labeled “smart”, comes to believe it internally, and filters experiences in a way that reinforces that label and rejects its opposite. They go on to have widely different experiences in life based on accepting these labels about who they are.
A difficult but essential exercise in transcending the limitations we believe restrict us is to carefully examine the labels we carry inside us about who we are. We will discover that we need to let go of the vast majority of the ideas we use to describe ourselves! An indicator to know that we are doing the exercise correctly is a physical and mental sense of lightness and profound relief at the thought of believing we can truly be free of the old labels that we carry so wearily from birth to grave.
Another reason to carefully monitor what we think about ourselves is this: what we think is true about ourselves is what we will expect to be true of other people as well. If our internal model of ourselves includes the image of cheating others when possible in order to gain a financial advantage, we will expect others to try to cheat us when they have the opportunity to do so. If we think of ourselves as basically trusting and honest, we will generally expect that behavior from others we meet. Our internal expectations will selectively color our perceptions of the world around us in order to match our models of who we really are inside. In short - we believe that others will treat us the way we believe we have treated them.
We’ve now come back to the beginning. If you want to know what people really think of themselves internally, look at what they seem to expect from the world around them. People teach us who they think they are in everything that they do. When we see attack and defense in a person’s behavior, we can be sure that they inwardly picture themselves as vulnerable - no matter what external bravado is displayed. When we see another serene in the midst of chaos, we can know that their view of themselves transcends a sense of vulnerability in that situation.
Be sure of this - those things in life that we tolerate because we believe we have no power to change them perpetuate a false image of ourselves as limited in our abilities. By inviting in new thoughts about what we are, we literally increase our power to create solutions, and our entire world changes along with us.
What things in life do you tolerate because you do not have an image of yourself as powerful enough to create a positive solution?
Who would you have to be instead to make what would bring you joy instead of pain?
Why can’t you be that other, more powerful person instead of who you think you are now?
What story and labels go with the reasons you give for not being that other, more empowered you?
What has to happen for you to unconditionally love yourself and make it O.K. for you to be happy?
What are you waiting for?
Timothy J. Dey, M.D. is a professional coach, speaker, and educator who makes a unique combination of educational assets and life experiences available to people through his coaching, consulting, writing, and workshops. He is a certified comprehensive coach, a graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, a workshop and teleclass leader, an adjunct professor of pharmacology, and creates and conducts health-related courses that address fundamental issues in society today. For more information or to contact Dr. Timothy Dey, you may visit him on the web at: www.deygroup.com.
Saunas - The Best Way To Get Away Toxins
Thousands of years ago there were saunas too. The purpose of a sauna is to give relaxation and cleanse the body from unhealthy elements. Modern technology brought about improved and enjoyable saunas. In most famous world hotels saunas are heated by electricity or infrared, but Finnish like it the traditional way. Saunas did not originate from Finland, but have become so much a part of the Finnish culture. It is said that there are 2 million saunas in Finland for a population of 5 million. The first saunas were holes in the ground, with a fire pit in the center and a roof to cover the fire, keep the heat inside and protect everything against rainfall, wind and snow. Traditional saunas are heated by wood, burned in a chimney or in a stove. Chimney or smoke sauna, the original sauna, is believed to be the best.
Sauna is a pleasant and also an amusing way to detoxify. Saunas make us perspire and sweating removes toxins in our body. For the all-natural super detox program one can use the traditional sauna and the infrared heat sauna. Staying in a sauna enhances blood circulation and provides more oxygen to our tissues. Exposure to it opens our nasal passages to drain our sinuses. Sauna is considered the best natural detox solution for heavy metals toxicity and it also helps to provide arsenic removal from our body. You should take a shower immediately after you get out of the sauna to wash off the toxins that seep through your pores.
Saunas not only offer natural detoxification, they are also relaxing after a hectic week and help reduce pain. You can relax and relieve stress and tension in a sauna. Pamper yourself more and experience at the same time an exquisite detoxification process… Enjoy the warmth of sauna!
Wholesale Television Receiver: 100% Verified Wholesale Worldwide Suppliers
The advent of the Internet has enabled small retailers, flea market vendors, and eBay sellers to find wholesalers from across the country. Many times these wholesalers can be located on the opposite end of the country, making a warehouse visit impractical. But since the wholesaler is located far away from the retailer, is difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible to inspect the wholesale merchandise. While this situation might discourage many stores, flea market vendors, and eBay sellers from dealing with far away wholesalers, there are steps that can be taken to make these transactions safer. The best way to ensure that the wholesale deal is legitimate is to make sure that the wholesaler is reputable. So how do you ensure that a wholesaler is reputable? For starters, see what kind of treatment they extend to you over the phone.. Get Wholesale Television Receiver at Salehoo wholesale directories, see how Salehoo can help your business. To make a profit he must pass these costs on to you. Read on to find out more about Wholesale Television Receiver and Salehoo Wholesalers. They are making a profit on these clothes that they bought at wholesale prices. More on Wholesale Television Receiver at Salehoo wholesaler directory.
Security Measures- Despite all the fears of identity theft, online transactions account for less than 4% of identity theft. There are numerous software programs available (some for free) that the user can download to protect themselves from viruses and spyware. Worried about spyware? Download a free spyware program at safer-networking (called SpyBot Search & Destroy). Read on about Wholesale Television Receiver and how Salehoo wholesale directory can help you. They have also done some homework and revisions of the goods and products on offer. More on Wholesale Television Receiver below.
OK, so what types of businesses can you start or purchase? Well, there are many types of businesses that involve the wholesale trade, here are some examples: Manufacturing– After you manufacture goods you have to sell them to wholesalers, retailers or directly to the public. This involves wholesale or distribution, or both. Find out more about Wholesale Television Receiver and how Salehoo wholesale directory can help you start your own business from home. If you’re a really frugal person borrow yesterday’s paper from your neighbor; that way you won’t have to spend a dime to find out what liquidation events are coming up in your town. Wholesale Television Receiver: Find out how Salehoo wholesale directory can serve YOU!
Get: Wholesale Television Receiver at Salehoo wholesale directories, and get a head start in your own startup business. The only way to thrive in your startup business is to get quality products cheaply, and from 100%, weekly verified wholesale suppliers from all over the world. CLICK BELOW for FULL DETAILS Inside
What You Need to Know about the Pastimes Gambling Fans Revel in: Gaming Room Games of Chance
Assuming that you have little understanding of gambling saloon games of chance, please read on.
A valid description of a betting saloon is a structure that features gaming. Clients will take a wager handling the one armed bandits or a slew of other pastimes of luck. Gaming establishment games most often include mathematically determined probabilities built in which guarantee the casino possesses dominion over the clientele.
Very many betting establishment games can incite you into being dependent rapidly. A case in hand is the simple 1 armed bandit, an electronic contraption with three plus cogs which spin if a handle coupled to it is wrenched. The instrument normally will compensate punters in accordance with a range of designs presented on the display of the appliance. Sadly, gaming room games put forward a hallucination of manageability, thus conning the guest — the victim is ceded choice, but in reality these cannot hope to truly eliminate the patron’s overall disadvantage. That is brought about by the the gaming hall never refunding the entire wager as expected. This scheme is often noticeable in famous casino games like seven-card stud, dice, roulette or blackjack.
Five card stud is really an immensely trendy casino game. The gaming devotees, meticulously guarding their partially obscured hands, are betting in the pot that is then granted to the prevailing participant possessing the winning hand. (As everybody knows, the shameless bluffing hand may well prevail)
Similar to five-card stud, blackjack too is an immensely fashionable casino pastime. A considerable amount of its is a result of its particular mix of luck and smarts and choice making, and a praxis termed “card counting”. This is an approach by which gamesters can turn the chances of the game to give them the upper hand both by wagering & systematic decisions in correlation to the hands dealt.
“Craps” is another well known casino wagering game making use of the roll of two dice. Clients have to risk their money on the result of one spin, or on a succession of rolls of two dice. Contrary to blackjack, there can’t be a possible winning strategy you could exploit to bend the odds.
Roulette is an incredibly popular gambling pastime — a croupier twirls a roulette wheel which encloses a set of thirty-seven (applies to classical roulette) or, respectively thirty eight (as in American roulette) differently marked compartments in which a tossed pellet will eventually come to settle, thus defining the winner as well as the other chances that will come with it. If our player has placed a chip on a single number and makes it, which is to say it’s really enjoying a lucky hand, the set recompense will be thirty five to one, the wager being repaid. Therefore in totality the original bet is increased by a factor of 36.
It's Time To Start That “Swipe” File
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there’s a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes into your writing.
Craft comes first. Art follows.
You learn the craft of writing by educating yourself, by the actual process of writing (the doing), and by reading incessantly. Every successful writer will tell you that reading has been and still is the cornerstone of developing his craft.
Reading presents you with a written illustration of what works and what doesn’t, of what you like as a writer and what you don’t. It helps you understand the possibilities, and offers practical instruction of how the rules of your craft are used.
Most writers, when they start out, mimic their favorite authors. I have a friend who became incredibly adept at writing like Stephen King. For several years, everything I wrote had a Ray Bradbury flavor.
Eventually, we developed our own styles, which were richer for having first gone through this mimic stage.
The point is this: part of any effective learning process is to mimic what has been successful before you.
This is true of copywriting, too. And it’s the reason you need to start a “swipe” file if you want to become a successful copywriter.
What is a “swipe” file? It’s exactly what it sounds like … a file of great copywriting examples that you’ve collected, studied, and can access whenever you’re in need of a little inspiration. These are not examples meant to be plagiarized. You aren’t copying work here; you’re adapting it to your own copywriting needs.
For example … suppose you’re writing a sales letter for an Internet site that sells an expensive men’s wristwatch and you’re in need of a great headline. You search through your “swipe” file and find a sales letter for The Oxford Club (actually taken from my own “swipe” file) with the headline: A Man’s Right To Wealth. How To Master Every Situation And Prosper On A Grand Scale.
You toy around with it and come up with this: A Man’s Right To Elegance. How To Impress In Every Situation With A Watch That Does Far More Than Keep Accurate Time.
See how a good “swipe” file can help?
You can use it to adapt opening sentences. Or the layout of a sales letter. Or the guarantee you or your client offers. Even the pace or the emotional “tug” of a piece.
By using your “swipe” file, your creative juices are instantly flowing. There’s no blank page. You already have something to work with. And as any good writer will tell you, it’s easier to edit than it is to write.
So where do you get the material for your “swipe” file?
The quickest and easiest source is the Internet. Start checking out website sales letters. Print them out. Good or bad (even the bad ones can inspire your work). Study them. And keep them close by in a handy file.
The other great source is from mailing lists. If you’re already on a few lists, then start filing those pitches away when they arrive instead of tossing them out. If you’re not on a list, try purchasing a product or asking for a catalog. It won’t be long before you’re on a number of lists and your “swipe” file is growing exponentially.
Two good places to get started are: Publisher’s Clearing House, 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050; and Nightingale-Conant, 7300 N. Leigh Avenue, Chicago, IL 60648.
Try them both. Try any others that come to mind, as well. Just start building your “swipe” today!
Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. David B. Silva is a professional writer, editor and publisher. For a FREE mini-course on the best way to make writing that novel faster and easier, Click Here ==> mailto:easyway@thesuccessfulwriter.com?subject=TRAArticle
dbsilva@thesuccessfulwriter.com
Absurdity of Absurd: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
What does ‘Absurd’ mean ?When I searched the glossaries ,I found the word to be ‘out of harmony’(1).But yet the definitions trying hard to explain the term , just to end in total ‘Absurdity’ (assuming for a while that we know the meaning of the word),as they talk in total sense, the nonsense about it and of course that means they fail(in their attempt ).But considering the term to be linked with literature (and other forms of art too!),when I searched for more I came across the lines that states that no ‘literary criticism’ [in which I include the attempts to explain the literary terms] can take the literary work itself ,or to be more specific ‘…it [literary criticism]is not substitute for reading the work itself’(2),as it [the piece of work]is the most exactly and precisely ,the thought conveyed or explained.So,I reached the idea that to understand ‘absurd’ .I must view an absurd work by an artist, rather than poring over the talks about it. Hence as a literary student what first came to my mind at this instant is none, but WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett,the so called absurd play structured around ‘Godot’,the axis all absurdity[as till the date none could declare with confidence ‘who’ or ‘what’ Godot is !]
What I found in the dustbin of my memories about this godot is:
“On 19 Nov 1957, a group of worried actors were preparing to face their audience . The actors were members of the company of the San Francisco Actors’ Workshop . The audience consisted of fourteen hundred convicts at the San Quentin penitentiary . No live play had been preformed at San Quentin since Sarah Bernhardt appeared there in 1913 .Now ,fourty four years later ,the play that had been chosen ,largely because no woman appeared in it , was Samuel Beckett’s WAITING FOR GODOT’(3). …”Beckett real triumph ,…came when WAITING FOR GODOT which appeared in book form in 1952,was first produced on 5 January 1953 , at the little Theatre de Babylone (now defunct ),…’(4)
And I found also some lines of this play:
“…
ESTRGON:Didi.
VLADIMIR:Yes.
ESTRGON:I can’t go on like this.
VLADIMIR: That’s what you think.
ESTRAGON:If we parted?That might be better of us .
VLADIMIR:We’ll hang ourselves tomorrow.(Pause)Unless Godot comes.
ESTRAGON:And if comes?
VLADIMIR:We’ll be saved
…”(5)
It is said about Beckett that when he was asked that what he meant by Godot he answered “If I knew ,I would have said so in the play”(6).’WAITING FOR GODOT does not tell a story ;it explores a static situation ‘(7).So it is clear from the very beginning that Beckett tried to create a ‘character’ with out a character’ as he himself doesn’t know him [Godot], and again the movement of plot tends to zero ,i.e. there is absolutely no plot . Previously it was taken for granted that if there exits a literary piece then there must be either a story( or plot) to tellor any character to be represented .But did exactly opposite to revolutionize his concept .He presents a ‘character’ whom he himself does not know and tell a plot which is nothing but variations in arrangements and sequences of few events with negligible movement or action :’nothing happens , nobody comes nobody goes …’ (8).
But can be the term ‘Absurd’ assigned to merely these qualities of the play? No, there are still more as mentioned by critics .In an essay on Kalfka ,Ionesco defined his understanding of the term as ‘ Absurd is that which is devoid of purpose…’(9).And the purposeless becomes evident when ‘ the more things change , the more they are the same ‘(10).And this is done by creating uncommon situations in the play by Breckett . For instance the boy who carries message of Godot to Estragon and Vladimir fails to recognize them on each day of his reappearance .”The French version explicitly states that the boy who appears in the second act is the same boy as the one in the first act , yet the boy denies that he has even seen the two tramps before , and insists that this is the first time he has acted as Godot’s messenger’(11).And this is done while ‘waiting’ which is interpreted by Martin Esslin as ‘Waiting is to experience the action of time , which is constant change . And yet , as nothing real ever happens , the change is itself an illusion .The ceaseless activity of time is a self defeating purposeless…’(12).
And thus by this purposelessness Beckett tries to prove the absurdity of his play .But is this really absurd ? If we view it from some different point of views we can suddenly find something contradicting . It is because we know the fact that ‘ truth is never real’ ,and what we define for a situation becomes a truth for us , for that moment . So is the case of abnormality or normality of a situation . When any action is most common that becomes ‘ normal ‘ for us and this is the very base of our understanding .We understand what is most common and general .We understand something uncommon by referring it to some common things or actions we understand .So our very base of understanding is based upon some general truth or common events ,the state which we call normal .Now when we something out of order in a play (e.g. WAITIG FOR GODOT) ,we interpret it in terms of those ‘ commons’ of our memory .But on this view we analyze , can uncommon or absurdity be perceived by us directly without any aid or reference to our definition of ‘normality’ ? It is similar to what Rene’ Wellek tried to explain in his essay ‘ATTACK ON LITERATURE’ by citing an example of Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME .Becket has portrayed a character in END GAME who was ‘ looking for the voice of his silence ‘(13).’The artist’s dissatisfaction with language can only be expressed by language .Pause may be a device to express the inexpressible ,but pause can’t be prolonged indefinitely ,can not be simply silence as such . It needs contrast , it needs a beginning and an end…’(14).
This statement suggests the importance of contrast and this is as true in case of absurdity and non-absurdity as it is true in the case of silence and music .
In this light we can reach decision that there is no sense of absurdity with out the normality . But how this is true in case of Godot can be analysed as follows :
Beckett tries hard to achieve absurdity by doing through his characters , the abnormal things (or at least normal things in abnormal sequence ), still there remains the elements of non-absurdity in every corner of the play . The boy who doesn’t recognize the two tramps bring message from the same Godot (It never happens ever that Godot brings a message from the boy ;or the tramps bring message from the boy to godot ;or tramps speak out the message that the boy brings from the Godot for them ;or Godot never receives message from tramps and so many can be the absurd case ).It was only one angle of interpretation of the situation .Other interpretations can be many in numbers :Godot waits for tramps ;or tramps don’t wait for Godot while they say they waited. etc. etc.
When I mean to say is that whatever action is done in the play has there fore the elements of non-absurdity .We could have recognized them if what we call absurdity would be the most normal and what we now feel normal would have been absurd .In fact we can’t express absurdity itself and this is the deceiving nature of ‘Absurdity’ , because the moment we speak out something it becomes a little different from what we originally meant to express . ‘Words , the medium of fiction ,are a fabrication of man’s intellect .They are a part of human lie ‘(14).And for this reason any literature needs that medium to be expressed , that becomes deceptive .So Roland Barthes of France says therefore that ‘Literature is a system of deceptive signification…emphatically signifying ,but never finally signified ‘(16).
There fore what ever actions Beckett tried to fabricated in to the play , stands till today between in the limits of absurd and non-absurd and how this action is nearer to any of these two limits depends on what words are used and how they are used to define the limits .
That’s why the play ‘..of the supposedly esoteric avant-grade make so imidiate and so deep an impact on an audience of convicts…’(17),where as the critics could not easily accepted the play as an art in the beginning .
Martin Esslin writes : ‘ because it confronted them [the prisoners] with a situation in some ways analogous to their own ? Perhaps . Or perhaps because they were un sophisticated enough to come to the theater without any preconceived notions and readymade expectations ,so that they avoided the mistake that trapped so many established critics who condemned the play for its lack of plot ,development , characterizations , suspense or plain common sense ‘(18).And of course this is what we see as the attempt to define absurd with non-absurd .Similarly many other attempts have been made in the past and present to create uncommon out of common .For example the Dadaist Movement . ‘Attempts have been made not only to widen the realm of art ,but to abolish the boundery between the art and the non-art . In music , noises of machines or the streets are used ; in painting, collage uses stuck-on news papers , buttons , medals and so on , or ‘found objects’ –soup cans , bicycle wheels , electric bulbs , any piece of junks—are exhibited . the newest fad is ‘earth works’ , holes or trenches in the ground , tracks through a corn field , square sheets of leads in snow . A ‘sculptor’ , Christo wrapped a million square feet of Australian coastline in plastic . At 1972 Bicnnale in Venice , a painter ,Gino de Dominicis , exhibited a mongoloid picked up from the streets as a work of art .In poetry poems have been concocted by the Dadaists by drawing news paper clippings from a bag at random ; more recently poems have been produced by computer and a shuffle novel (by Marc Saporta ) has appeared , in which every page can be replaced by another in any order …’(18).
Similarly we can cite the example of Pop-Culture now so popular by the young generations ,which was once considered as absurd .So what conclusion we reached can be seen in the light of that contrast theory of silence and music told in this essay in the beginning , that what ever we want to express (may it be ‘Silence’ or ‘Absurdity’ ) we need words to express . But ‘a word can never be a thing ‘(20).So we can either achieve a situation or express it , but we can not do both because , if we try to do , the situation won’t be the same .This is what we can imply when we speak of absurdity ; i.e. we can’t be totally absured in expression as there is no proper medium exists .
By concluding this I think I have reached at the ‘ right place at the right time’ , because if I am right then I will reach the right thing , but if I reach the wrong (as I will get non-sense)that will be rather a right thing due to our context . My attempt of criticism , ‘ is an attempt to make us more reasonable’
About The Author
Samir K. Dash
Presently Samir is Director of an animation firm www.anigraphs.com
For more articles by him visit www.samirshomepage.zzn.com
How to Research Your Information Product
After being an affiliate and selling other people’s products for what seems like an eternity, you are finally ready to write your own information ebook. The first step is going to be research. No matter what your ebook is going to be teaching people, you want to know exactly what kind of information they are looking for and would be willing to pay for.
For instance, if you are writing an ebook that shows how to budget and save your money, you want to find out what problems and concerns people have and need information on. Things like how to save money on utilities, cutting your grocery bills, best ways to invest and so on.
You want to be very organized in your research because this is a very important process in developing your product. If you follow these simple steps, you can obtain all your information and turn it into a very successful information product.
Step 1 - Gathering Information
In this step, you want to gather information and data that will help you decide on the relevant content of your ebook. There are several ways you can do this:
Discussion Lists: Ask questions to the members of all the discussion groups that you are a member of. See what concerns them in regard to the subject matter of your ebook. With most of these groups the members are very happy to help a fellow group member.
You can find all kinds of discussion lists here: http://www.topica.com http://www.yahoogroups.com
Ezine Subscribers: Write up a little survey and ask your subscribers to fill it out and see what you come up with. Of course, if you do not publish an ezine, this will not work for you. 
Message Boards: Visit message boards and again ask the members what information they would like to have access to and would possibly pay for. You can find boards of all kinds here: http://www.ezboard.com/ http://www.delphi.com/dir-delphi/
Popular Ezines: Subscribe to and read some popular ezines and see what information they are publishing. Expand on it and provide a more in depth study in your ebook.
Surf the Internet: Find out everything possible that you don’t already know about your subject matter so you can provide even more information for your readers. I find a lot of my info here: http://www.excite.com http://www.google.com
Step 2 - Recording Information
As you receive or find pertinent information, you want to be saving it on a floppy or CD and also in folders in your email or on your desktop or wherever you would prefer. This will help make your research easy to get at and having a backup disc will provide insurance against losing all your work.
Step 3 - Organizing Information
After you have gathered and recorded all of your information, it is time to start organizing. Go over all the data and group it together in separate files or categories. For instance, if several people commented on wanting to find information on how to make a weekly budget and tips and tricks for sticking to that budget you could categorize all this type of data as budget keeping.
Step 4 - Outlining Information
Once your data is all organized you can begin outlining and separating into chapters. This is the beginning of your ebook. Making an outline helps you organize and develop your ebook by providing an easier way to format all the information you have gathered. When you have finished your outline, you can fill in each chapter with all the details and content.
Example of an Outline:
What is a budget? a) why do you need a budget b) how can a budget help you How to make a budget? a) how to figure your expenses b) how to figure your income c) comparing income with expenses Tips for sticking to your budget. a) how not to impulse buy b) allowing for fun & entertainment What to do when you run short. a) rearrange your budget for extra cash b) trim the excess Ways to save money. a) saving on utility bills b) cutting your grocery bill c) having fun without spending a fortune Where and how to invest your money. a) safe investing b) mutual funds c) stock market Hey, I think I have an ebook here!
Add as many categories and subcategories as necessary. The more you organize the info, the easier it will be to fill in the blanks. So, use what you are interested in and know about, expand on it with some research and you have the makings of a money-making ebook!
Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com MyOwnEzine.com is a website, ezine and service which provides the resources, tools, guidance and more to help you start, publish and promote your own ezine. You can contact Terri at mailto:ter02@newnorth.net Subscribe at mailto:subscribe@myownezine.com or visit http://www.myownezine.com for lots more info.
Distribute Your Self-Published Book - Part 2
Distribute Your Self-Published Book - Part 2
Judy Cullins ©2005 All Rights Reserved.
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or, did it already die an early death after a few months?
New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker & Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the “brick and mortar” bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this–what I call the “traditional publishing nightmare” of inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author only gets around 15% royalties. So many hoops, some give up. So many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage space. Talk about discouragement.
Part one is available at article-69@bookcoaching.com.
Whether you have a Print on Demand (POD) book, traditionally printed book, or an eBook (eDocument), you can become your own distributor these Online ways:
2. Distribute through your own ezine.
Write your own ezine if you want to attract more credibility, trust, and sales. Because your potential clients and customers expect a lot of free information, include useful content such as a feature article, editor’s note, resources, and tips. You’ll get to be well known as the “expert” in your field. In each ezine, add your sales messages for your products or service. Keep your ezine regular-once every two weeks or once a month to start. Keep it short–a real challenge to many of us.
3. Distribute by submitting how-to free articles to top opt-in ezines.
Online readers love free information. They subscribe to ezines to which you can submit your well-written article. After learning acceptable article formats from a bookcoach, start subscribing and submitting them. Collect 5-10 edited articles before you send. After you subscribe you can start submitting your articles to each ezine who has a thousand or more subscribers. These potential buyers will see your article with your sales-powered signature file on it every time you submit it, leading them to your Web site.
Be sure your product is up on a Web site. Many Web publishers will take your e or print book, sell it, and distribute it for you for a commission of 60% or so. This is great for people who do not have their own site.
4. Distribute through your signature file on every email you send.
Be sure to include at the bottom of each email or article submitted your signature file. Include your name and title, your top benefit, a free offer, a link to where your book is sold, your email and Web address, and your local phone number. Aim for seven lines or less. Everyone on the net accepts this subtle promotion form. If you do not include it, you are passing up an easy way to draw attention to your book.
5. Distribute through your own Web site.
Create your Web site with marketing pizzazz. Don’t call the Web Master until you have your plan, the home page sales copy and other sales copy right. Some Web people are good with colorful graphics and whirling things, but these don’t sell your book. Be sure your sales letter gives enough information for your potential customer to decide to buy. Ask a book or copywriting coach to guide you.
6. Distribute through someone else’s Web site.
Other ePublishers want your books–both print and eBooks. They want you to write a 100 word or less blurb (including benefits and testimonials). They will sell, distribute, and keep track of your sales, sending you a check every few weeks or so. Most give you royalties of 30-50% depending on whether it is a print or eBook. For more information on where these sites are contact a bookcoach.
7. Get an ISBN number.
When you put an ISBN number on your book you are listed in “Books-in-Print.” Libraries, bookstores, and Amazon.com require ISBN. You pay $225 for 10 or $800 for 100 today. Another path to take is to contact a publisher who works with authors who will put in time to promote their books. I recommend www.yowbooks.com. Marshall is taking three of my titles to Amazon and more.
For the money and amount of work this can be, you may do better by putting your money and time into other Online venues, because you don’t need an ISBN number when you sell from your own Web site.
8. Distribute through a sales letter straight from your email.
Every time I want to promote my books or teleclasses, I send a sales letter. You may already have your ezine subscribers in a list. Collect all kinds of lists of emails to include satisfied customers, teleclass participants, ePublishers, or fellow networkers.
Send sales letters that promote your books, your classes, or your service. Once I learned this follow-up method of staying in touch with my target audience, sales rose from $75 a month to $3000 a month in only eight months–much more the following years. Each month, count profits, not numbers of books sold. Internet marketing authors get to keep all the money!
After several years of research and submitting to traditional publishing and distribution venues, I got discouraged and decided to become an author’s advocate. When I turned to the Internet four years ago, I found that with a little delegation, a little study with a knowledgeable coach, a little attention, and a little money, my top-selling 10 eBooks earn enough for me to make one-half of my income each month.
I encourage you to try this kind, gentle, and easy way to get your print or eBook into your audience’s hand.
About the author:
Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell, she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, “The BookCoach Says…,” “Business Tip of the Month,” blog Q & A at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtmland over 170 free articles.
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Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com
Phone: 619/466-0622 — Orders: 866/200-9743