MSI Press Blog

  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 is about republishing self-published books. Can you get a traditional contract from a traditional publishing house for a book you have self-published?  Well, that depends. As the acquisitions editor for a traditional press that also offers hybrid publishing contracts for untested writers, the answer is an across-the-board no, but there are some publishers who might. Let's look at the reasons for and against republishing a self-published book, from a publisher's point of view. Why a publisher would not want to re-publish a self-published book -- Typically, an author thinks that he or she has exhau

What follows is a guest post from Dr. Elizabeth Mahlou, from her blog, Clan of Mahlou. I cannot resist. I am going to post something that came to me in email. I think all parents (and grandparents) can relate. Here it is: GOD CREATED CHILDREN (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN) To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students... here is something to make you chuckle. Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was "DON'T!" "Don't what?" Adam replied. "Don't eat the forbidden fruit," God said. "Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve! We have forbidden fruit!" "No way!" "Yes, way!" "Do NOT eat the fruit," said God. "Why?" "Bec

  Readers' Favorite recently awarded 5 stars to Julie Gentile for her book, How to Stay Calm in Chaos .   "... I found Gentile’s down to earth approach appealing and the exercises suggested are easy to make a part of a daily routine. How To Stay Calm in Chaos shares a valuable message that by taking small measures to take good care of ourselves, we can be at our best to help our families and others through life’s inevitable ups and downs.: Read the rest of the review HERE . Become acquainted with Julie's other book, 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas , HERE. Read more posts about Julie and her books HERE . Want both books at discount? Available HERE . Additional 25% discount available with coupon code, FF25.

  Yep, it's Caturday, and we want to share, somewhat anonymously for privacy reasons, a bit of the recent trials and tribulations of Sula, the parish cat at Old Mission who has written six books. Sula has both a big fan club -- you can even join it on her Face Book page HERE -- and quite some renown, thanks to both own publications and publications about here, which you can read about HERE (pick and choose the ones that might most tickle your fancy). To briefly encapsulate the history: 1. Sula arrived as a kitten, perhaps somewhere around age 1, at the Old Mission, which really is the only action in her little town. 2. After a few years spending much time outdoors in this sunny California town, Sula developed skin cancer on her ears. They were trimmed. The cancer came back. Her ears were removed. You can read her story about that experience in her book, Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story .  3. Elizabeth Mahlou related Sula's story to Guideposts Magazine , wh

  Introduction Parenting is hard.  It’s not “I would rather be hiding state secrets in a POW camp” hard, but it’s definitely “my most cherished fantasy is about taking an uninterrupted shower by myself” hard. It’s hard because you are a parent 24/7 without coffee breaks or vacations. It’s hard because it isolates you away from your friends, sometimes your family, and occasionally any semblance of adult human companionship whatsoever. It’s hard because you always put the needs of others above your own, often without thanks or even acknowledgement. (If all three of these statements are true at the same time, it’s called “having an infant.”) Even worse, not only is parenting diabolically challenging, but it also has the outside appearance of being easy, fun, and less challenging than a “real” job.  Yes, many non-parents attempt to compare the act of childrearing to any other job. However, until they find a job where it is impossible to quit, you aren’t paid, and your boss is allowed to wa

  Dr. Liz Bayardelle holds a PhD in business psychology with a strong footing in the practical application psychological research. She serves as a digital consultant. She has written two books published by MSI Press:  Clean Your Plate! 13 Things Good Parents Say That Ruins Kids’ Lives  and (forthcoming)  Parenting in a Pademic . In her own words, Dr. Bayardelle, as a busy, educated, multitasking mother, “runs a household with a teenage stepdaughter, a toddlernado, a newborn baby, two dogs totaling over 200 pounds of poor behavior, and a rabbit the size of a large housecat. She also runs a successful parenting blog ( theStaySaneMom.com ) that has an avid following of mothers who want to be smart, engaged, and thoughtful parents. For more posts about Liz Bayardelle and her work, click HERE .

  Great review of Bertha Cooper's book, Women We're Only Old Once , from MidWest Book Review: Very highly and unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all women whatever their age, "Women, We're Only Old Once!" is exceptionally well written and presented, making it a unique and certain to be enduringly popular addition to senior citizen and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections for women readers. Read the rest of the review HERE . Read more posts about Bertha and her books HERE