Book Sales For a Cause: Tales of Beedle And Bard Sales To Help Fund Children's Charity

Now I know we're not all rich like JK Rowling, and we don't have that great American Novel (or a tween version like Twilight whichever turns you on), but nevertheless doing something for a good cause is always uplifting.

I just read that sales of the volume of five fairy tales, with eight million copies in print worldwide, will help fund the Children's High Level Group (CHLG), a charity Rowling co-founded for Eastern European children vulnerable to autism.

What spurred this?

Four years ago JK Rowling was so shocked by a newspaper photograph of a small boy staring from his caged bed in a Czech care home that her first reaction was to turn the page. But, haunted by the image of Vasek Knotek (who was suffering from autism), the Harry Potter author went on to spearhead a multi-million-pound campaign to transform his and other children's lives across Eastern Europe.

It's nice to know some authors look for some meaning beyond personal gain. Darn! Now I have to go buy that book too.

Publishing a Collector's Edition: Learning From JK Rowling's Tales of Beedle and Bard

JK Rowling's "Tales of Beedle and Bard" started selling last December 4. The book soared to the top of the online bestsellers lists on Amazon.com and the Barnes&Noble Web site.

Rowling originally created only seven copies for friends, bound in Moroccan leather and embellished with silver talismans and mounted moonstones. One was put up for auction in 2007 and sold for $4 million to Amazon.com. Now it's available for public consumption. Yey for us!

Tales of Beedle and Bard was mentioned in the final installment of Harry Potter, the seventh book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and contains five fairy tales that helped resolve the last book as well as commentary (including extensive footnotes) by the great, late and gay Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard's-eye perspective to the collection.

Discovered "among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives," the venerable wizard's ruminations on the Tales allow today's readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that "Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles" during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led "a certain Beatrix Bloxam" to cleanse the Tales of "much of the darker themes that she found distasteful," forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through "Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump" that "many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead."

The book retails for $12.99, but a $100 collector's edition has been offered exclusively on Amazon.com skyrocketed from 778,576 to 22 on the site's "Movers & Shaker's" list, which tracks the biggest gainers in sales rank.

This Collector's edition idea is great for authors and publishers. Once your book has gained enough momentum, the next best thing would be to offer it in "Collector's Edition." You can sell it for about ten times higher than the usual price. Here are some of Tales of Beedle and Bard's special features as a collector's edition:

• Exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling's handwritten introduction
• 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition
• Velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature
• Embellished book cover complete with metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones; and emerald ribbon
• Collector's edition also includes a set of 10 ready-for-framing prints of J.K. Rowling's illustrations
  

Philippine Local Book Pubilshing (RBS) Partners With Google Book Search

It's nice to know that the Philippines is managing to expand its knowledge base by partnering with Google Booksearch. Rex bookstore, one of the Philippines leaders in the industry, has joined the Google Book Search Publisher Partner Program.

The move will see thousands of titles published by RBS digitized and indexed on Google’s search engine in the months to come. That's so nice to know considering there are very few online resources that are available concerning Philippine heritage, particularly the local language/ dialects.

Google has been very kind about it too. "It’s an honor for Google to work with one of the most reputable publishing houses in the Philippines and a leader in local educational publishing," Erik Hartmann, head of Google Book Search Strategic Partnership Development for Southeast Asia, said.

"The ability to discover locally published titles, in both English and Filipino languages, when searching on Google is really important for our millions of users in the Philippines," Hartmann added.

Why Stephenie Meyer is such a good writer

I'm reading the "Twilight" series and I have to admit that I am impressed with Stephenie Meyer's writing style. I read it and go, "I know exactly how that feels!" You see being a wannabe author, also means I like to dissect how other authors put their thoughts together and how they spill them on the page.

With Stephenie Meyer though, it's like reading through a girl's head it's amazing. She's written about stuff that all girls have felt but most girls can't even begin to explain. She has put to words feelings and scenarios that play everyday in a girl's head about love and life and the what-ifs of what's to come. This makes her such a great writer.

Sure "Twilight" reads more like juvenile fiction because it features high school kids (not to mention high school age vampires and werewolves), but it's so easy to read that just makes it even better.

I read "Harry Potter' because I felt it was such a recreation to read it, and this is why I'm reading "Twilight" as well. It's not comparison though. People shouldn't compare them too much. Harry Potter was made for kids and adults just ended up enjoying it because it became such a big hit and a power tale. Twilight on the other had is first and foremost a love story rather than a fictional one. That would explain why most of the readers and fans are girls.

It's nice to read about this wonderful guy (or guys - if you like both Edward and Jacob) and about this supernatural kind of love, it gives me an escape from reality. That is the mark of a great writer -- being able to take your readers where you want them and enthralling them in the world of your creation.

Holiday Promotions From Self Publishing Companies - Xlibris And iUniverse

Here are some holiday promotions from two of the biggest self publishing companies to-date - Xlibris and iUniverse.

• Xlibris is going all-out with a "Christmas comes early" theme. All their publishing packages from their basic at $499 to platinum used to be $12,999 are now being offered at half price. That's 50% off publishing services this month.

• iUniverse is providing authors with an option to get a discount or free books with an election theme, zooming in on the great political debacle of McCain and Obama.

Book Publishing In Trying Times

I have to admit, I've put the breaks on getting anything done in terms of book publishing. Somehow it just doesn't seem as important as paying the bills on time. The seems to happen a lot during trying times, we put off our dreams and aspirations so that our necessities can take precedence.

I'm all for that, but we still have to move forward with life. Deprivation isn't the solution. Book publishing after all can still be a money-making venture. If you work hard enough, and invest smart instead of investing a lot, then you could break-even or better yet, make a profit.

If writing is your passion then by all means write to your heart's content. The economy is bad enough as it is, we don't need suicides and human tragedy to add to that. Book publishing is now more affordable than ever if you decide to publish your work.

If you're looking into self-publishing, it can be done for free, provided you have some time and effort and skill to spare; it can also be paid if you'd like supported service from companies like Xlibris and Authorhouse. Just always think about the value for your money.

The key is to keep on writing.

Writing For A Cause - Xulon Press "Support The Troops"

In a very stirring way, Xulon Press has captured my attention with this really nice anthology dedicated to American troops overseas. Going by way of marketing "for a cause" Xulon Press is looking for approximately 500 writers to pen a short, 150-word letter to men and women serving overseas this Christmas season.

Whether a it's a letter of inspiration and encouragement, a short prayer or poem, Xulon press will compile them and send copies to military chaplains serving in Iraq Baghdad, Taliban, Pakistan and in Afghanistan.