MSI Press Blog

  Types of Publishers and Choosing among Them Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties Publishers differ in size and readership. Some of the ways in which size and readership cause publishers to differ include the following:   advances;   royalties;  financial investment;  author discounts and complimentary copies;  editing of books;  Books in Print (Bowker/ISBN);  Library of Congress (LOC): copyright and the LOC number;   book reviews;  wholesaling & distribution; bookstores;  advertising;  marketing & sales; and  keeping books in print.  Small presses will handle many of these items differently from large presses. Vanity publishers take a very different approach; of course, with self-publishing much does not apply because you are on your own.  The question as to how long it will take from the time you contact a publisher, get a contract, go through the preproduction and production proce...

  Carl and I lived in Jordan for a few years. One thing we especially liked about Jordan were the figs. Figs were round, unlike the more pear-shaped ones in the US, and they were, in our opinion, considerably sweeter. Regardless, they were an important of everyone's daily diet, including ours, and they were oh, so sweet! So, why are figs good for preventing cancer? Figs provide polyphenols and carotenoids, which are two phytonutrients, found to help detoxify  carcinogens  that can lead to cancer. These two phytonutrients help repair DNA and other tissue damage. And how do figs treat cancer ? First, if you have cancer, ask your doctor about eating figs. If s/he says yes (there seems to be no negatives to figs), then here are the benefits: Colon cancer: a source of needed fiber Breast cancer (post-menopausal): provide a layer of protection for hormonal imbalance, fight free radicals Brain cancer: restrain cancer cell growth Liver cancer: restrain cell growth; speed up the c...

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Frederic Craigie . BIO: Frederic Craigie Jr., Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, consultant, educator, speaker, and writer. His passions and areas of expertise include spirituality in health and health care, healing relationships, clinician well-being, and resiliency and positive mental health. Fred attended Dartmouth College during the tumultuous Vietnam ...

  This is a series of Caturday posts on the topic of taking in  feral cats .  General information (from pervious posts): For a few decades, we have rescued feral cats. In fact, with only one exception, our "domestic" cats have been ferals that we brought inside to join other ferals, already domesticated, as part of a bonded cat family. Right now, we have five cats (alas,  Murjan , the single non-feral cat we had, died from cancer last fall), all of whom get along pretty fabulously. Of course, all of that is easier said than done, and the bonding took time -- lots of it. Here are some of the things we did to create our cat family, some of which is not at all typical of what others have done, but it has worked for us. We don't trap the feral cats at all; we win them over and invite them in. We do this by feeding them a distance from the house and walking away, then moving the dish closer and closer to the house and walking less and less far away, until they are eating ...

From Franki Bagdade, author of I Love My Kids But I Don't Always Like Them. Taking care of myself, the dreaded "self-care" topic has been on my mind a lot this week. I say dreaded, because if you are anything like me, sometimes when I hear "self-care" I groan. Self-care can feel like another item on my to-do list that I never seem to get to. It can feel like a burden. I believe this is closely connected to my tendency to have "all or nothing thinking." For example, "a productive workout should raise my heart rate and should last at least an hour. I don't have an hour a day to dedicate to that, so I won't work out at all..." This sounds a lot like negative self-talk, doesn't it? I'm guessing if this "find your calm" challenge appealed to you, you may struggle with all or nothing thinking as well or maybe a child in your home or professional role does. So how does this pertain to self-care? Ex. "I don't...

  Poliplumas writes:  Shekhtman gives some excellent advice on learning a foreign language, focusing on conversational techniques to improve learning and confidence. I find his approach helpful for any foreign language student at any level.  Read more here . For more posts on Boris and his book, click HERE .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

It may hard to imagine it, but summer vacation for schoolkids is just around the corner. With that in mind, take a look at an article to which MSI Press author, Cindy Alder, contributed, " How to Keep Kids' Skills Sharp over the Summer. " Read more posts about Cindy and her books  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic  addresses a widespread misconception by new authors: print runs. Frequently, a new author will ask how many books will be in a print run. Clearly, they have read somewhere or heard somewhere about print runs for offset books. Offset printing is becoming less common though at one time it was the only way to print books; print-on-demand is becoming more common though at one point it was looked down upon as not being the professional way to do things. Let's examine both of these to help understand the concept of "print run." Offset printing: books are printed from physical plates, an older for...

  Cancer needs money -- for research, for support of patients, for training, for informational materials. There are many ways to give to cancer funds. Here are some: Team Beans: child brain cancer; click HERE for information about the CNN reporter's family story behind the fund The Jimmy Fund (connected to Team Beans): click HERE for information about Run for Dana-Farber Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) Foundation -- an important one for me personally St. Jude , the children's hospital founded by Danny Thomas that provides free care to children can always use funds American Cancer Society , of course There are MANY more funds and foundations in need of donations. Just do a search for the kind of cancer or the kind of support you wish to make and the word, donate. You will find many opportunities. And know what? Even $1 helps because 1000 people giving $1 is already $1K. If you are a loved one are struggling with cancer, you may not have much to give, but consider $1. And if a l...

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Bertha Cooper.  Bertha earned a BSN degree in nursing (University of Washington) and entered the profession the same year as Medicare, a coincidence destined to define her career in non-traditional ways. She began her career in public health and moved into a management position early in her career - the beginning of a long career in management and adminis...

  This is a series of Caturday posts on the topic of taking in  feral cats .  General information (from pervious posts): For a few decades, we have rescued feral cats. In fact, with only one exception, our "domestic" cats have been ferals that we brought inside to join other ferals, already domesticated, as part of a bonded cat family. Right now, we have five cats (alas,  Murjan , the single non-feral cat we had, died from cancer last fall), all of whom get along pretty fabulously. Of course, all of that is easier said than done, and the bonding took time -- lots of it. Here are some of the things we did to create our cat family, some of which is not at all typical of what others have done, but it has worked for us. We don't trap the feral cats at all; we win them over and invite them in. We do this by feeding them a distance from the house and walking away, then moving the dish closer and closer to the house and walking less and less far away, until they are eating ...

  What Is a Sonnet? The simplest answer is a 14 line poem. It can be about any topic. But if it doesn’t have exactly 14 lines, it isn’t a sonnet. Traditionally, sonnets have followed other “rules” besides the 14 line rule. Traditional sonnets must have some type of rhyme pattern. I write mine in the Shakespearian Sonnet form. That means the first line rhymes with the third, the second with the fourth, the fifth with the seventh, the sixth with the eighth, the ninth with the eleventh, the tenth with the twelfth, and the thirteenth with the fourteenth. Some sonneteers might use different rhyme patterns, but a rhyme scheme of some type is one of the defining characteristics of a traditional sonnet. Another characteristic is some type of rhythmic structure, commonly called meter (or metre if you’re British). That means arranging the words so there is a rhythmic alternation of emphasis on the syllables within those words. In the Shakespearian form the meter is called iambic and puts the...