Chicken Scratchings

Posts Tagged ‘Blogs’

I read a discussion item posted by the LinkedIn professional group BookLink . To quote David Bennett who was responding to an invitation to introduce himself, “When I consider the changes over the past 10 years, I wonder how life will be in another 10 years! Incredible! I sometimes feel so overwhelmed by all these new ‘gimmicks’, ‘widgets’, ‘plug-ins’, ‘blogs’, ‘snippets’, etc. that I’d just like to lean back and breathe…” I got that. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t feel overwhelmed, confused, and not quite up to speed?

There are many in cyberspace claiming to know all of the secrets — but do they? Do they really? If you want access to those secrets it’s gonna cost you a bundle. Honestly I wish I had the kind of extra cash to learn what the experts know, but I don’t, so I’m feeling my way around in the dark and shinning a light on anything within reach that I find interesting. Those out of reach will just have to wait. My belief is that once something is learned it changes anyway, so how do you keep ahead?

Photo by Debbievators

My father was a computer programmer. The company employing him as an accountant decided to install computers and tested their employees to see who was the most trainable. Dad and one other man, Norm, got the jobs. Sometimes the computers were busy during the day, so my father would take me with him to keep him company at night. It was fascinating. Computers back then filled a large room and the support machinery took up nearly as much space.  The computing power of these behemoths was less than the typical cell phone now. Unlike computers and printers today which are virtually silent, the old Univac’s with their tape reels, the tractor-fed dot matrix printers, and the punch cards made a loud racket. Most of the readers of this blog will have never seen a computer punch card sent out with billings from power companies and the like. The instructions on the cards were very clear and became a joke, “Do not, fold, spindle, or mutilate.” Of course the reason for this was that the cards had to be returned in reasonable condition for them to feed correctly into the sorter.

By the time the PC tidal-wave hit the world, Dad was retired. He had worked with the computer languages COBOL and FORTRAN. Today’s programmers speak other languages based on many of the old ones, but more advanced. He bought a PC and tried to catch up, but he really couldn’t. Even with his years, and years of programming and systems analysis knowledge the technology moved too fast. He was left behind, but he was retired so it didn’t really matter.

When I get overwhelmed I like to reflect on the past. This blog has made me a little nostalgic. I don’t know how you cope, but writing, especially writing poetry helps me. And since I am a legitimate published poet, I thought it would be okay to share one of my poems with you. Maybe you’ll find some respite here.

Rocking Chairs

I wanted to write about a porch/ the kind my grandmother / had with a view of the street / and chairs enough to welcome / anyone to sit a spell and reminisce / about Tin Lizzie’s, nickle gasoline, / and Roosevelt, while taking turns / cranking the stiff handle / of the wooden ice-cream maker.

I wanted to write about the night / thick with cricket calls / and how just-picked peaches / mixed with rich cream / fresh from the morning’s milking / melted in the mouth like sweet / snowflakes caught on the tongue.

But most of all, I wanted / to write about the thrum / in my grandfather’s chest / as the conversation bobbed / like fishing line on the river / and how an old patchwork quilt / felt when wrapped around / a small boy held and rocked, / held and rocked, until the night/ folded into itself and disappeared.

Bill Ruesch

The Red Hen Association is just a hatchling at this point. Whether it becomes the voice for independent, alternative, or self-publishers will depend on how we grow.  I’ve stated the goals of the association in the manifesto, but I think they bear further examination.

1. The association is intended to create common ground for all self-publishing authors to mingle, share their experiences, and assist one another. This is a place where the successful can pay it forward and the novice is assured of safe, reliable guidance.
2. The association intends to provide educational opportunities to help writers achieve their goals more surely and quickly. These educational opportunities will include:
   1. White Papers, Books, and Free Blogs.
   2. Seminars, Trade Shows, and Conventions.
   3. Self-study audio and video tapes.
   4. Publishing news and opportunities.
3. The association hopes to support authors in developing credibility in the marketplace, by:
   1. Developing standards and helping self-publishers abide by the standards to create increased pride and professionalism.
   2. Establishing a Red Hen trademark and allow self-publishers whose products meet tough standards to use the mark on their books and other marketing materials.
   3. Work toward equal access to booksellers shelves.
   4. Carry on the cause of self-publishing through speeches, blogs, and seminars.
   5. Create public relations and marketing opportunities for member authors such as: Creating a book review section on both blog and newsletter.
   6. Publishing co-op catalogs to send to libraries and book stores.
   7. Sponsoring events such as book fairs, to highlight Red Hen authors.
   8. Explore and advise writers on opportunities that may be available elsewhere.
4. Protect authors from the Wolves and Knaves that prey on new writers by:
   1. Developing standards for would be services such as printing, editing, graphic design and allowing the approved to carry The Red Hen Association trademark.
   2. Surveying members who use unapproved vendors to gather information that could be valuable to ranking them for service, quality, and costs.
   3. Keeping an eye on lawsuits, and court cases involving shady services to advise members to steer clear of them.

   Whew, this is a long ambitious list and not complete. There is much to do before this hatchling can fly. I won’t be able to accomplish these tasks alone, so if there are writers out there in cyberspace who can see a way to assist these efforts please let me know who you are and how you can help. Thank you.

If you have a book ready to market, are just finishing writing a book, or have plans, it isn’t too early to learn how to implement the practices you’ll need to make your book sell. Social networks are big and getting bigger. You can use them as a beginning point to developing international credibility. I learned a great deal from The Author Platform, check into it and see if they can help you on your way. Just click here for more information.