Scarletta Press

What's the deal with Kindlegraph?

2012-01-26T10:03:00.000-06:00

Evan Jacobs, the creator of Kindlegraph, is a big fan of book readings, but realized after he got his e-book that he had nothing for authors to sign. He could go hear a favorite author speak and have a great time, but he had nothing tangible to take away from the experience. So he created Kindlegraph: a program that lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans. And the best part is this service is free.

To date, Kindlegraph has partnered with over 2,800 authors and offers users inscriptions for over 12,000 books. And it's really user-friendly. Simply sign up (you can even sign in with your twitter account) and start requesting personalized inscriptions and signatures from your favorite authors. Authors will receive an email the day you send your request and in no time, your e-book will be one-of-kind with a note from the author.

Jacobs doesn't want the interaction between authors and readers to stop there. He's working to make it possible for authors to be able to send out sample chapters from upcoming books to fans who have signed up as part of a paid subscription service.

Two Scarletta authors have already jumped on the bandwagon because they love the idea of having another way to connect with their readers.

Pamela Cory, author of Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence, can be reached here.

Pendred Noyce, author of Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers and this summer's Ice Castle, can be reached here.

Students Add More Illustrations to Lexicon

2012-01-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

Last November students started sending author Penny Noyce the drawings they made while their teacher read Lost in Lexicon to their class. And since we love seeing how students interact with the story we decided to share more drawings with everyone!

To the left we have a drawing of spiderwebs and the quote that inspired it:"Ivan and Daphne walked through the woods finding spiderwebs festooned with tiny droplets." (pg 16), and underneath, an image of aunt Adelaide's barn: "The barn now stood in the middle of a pond with water reaching halfway up its side." (pg 29).

To the left here, we have a drawing of Lexicon: "Just a broad expanse of rolling meadow strewn with wildflowers under a cloudless blue." (pg 29), and underneath, some of Lexicon's flowers: "On either side, purple wildflowers ducked their heads in rippling grass." (pg 33).

These pictures made our day, and we're so glad the students decided to share them with us. If your students or children have done any drawings of Lexicon, we ask that you either send us an electronic copy to info@scarlettapress.com or a hard copy to Scarletta Press 10 S. 5th Street #1105, Minneapolis, MN 55402. We'd love to add them to our collection!

And if you're looking for other ways to get your students to interact with Lexicon, make sure to check out Penny's Lost in Lexicon Villages Event.

Libraries pick Lexicon

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Virginia Beach Public Library recently named Penny Noyce's Lost in Lexicon a VBPL Staff Pick. They weren't the first, and they certainly won't be the last because Lost in Lexicon has something in it for all kids.

In spite of its somewhat obvious goal of encouraging reluctant children to enjoy and understand the many uses of words and numbers, Lost in Lexcon is actually an enjoyable fantasy.
In the course of their travels Daphne learns to use a compass and navigate on the Cartesian plane. She has some other mathematical successes and discovers she enjoys solving these problems.
Meanwhile, Ivan discovers that he needs to use words, sometimes in critical situations. Naturally he learns to enjoy the power of words and recognize their usefulness.

Lost in Lexicon is perfect for kids who love math, as well as writing and reading. But the story isn't solely educational, kids get so swept up in the adventure to find the lost kids of Lexicon that they forget they're learning.

You’ll like meeting the interesting characters (especially Mistress of Metaphor and Bran) and learning how the cousins manage to find the children and save Lexicon. Joan Charles’ illustrations, especially of the various characters, added to my enjoyment.

With over 150 illustrations, no part of Lost in Lexicon is too hard to handle. Graphics accompany each of the "lessons" in Lexicon making them more accessible. This is what makes Lost in Lexicon such a perfect library pick: it's educational, but fun. It's great for parents who want to keep their children learning over long summer or winter breaks because even kids who don't enjoy math and writing will have fun with the adventure that takes cousins Daphne and Ivan all over the fantastical land of Lexicon.

This August, Daphne and Ivan will return to Lexicon, this time to learn about music. Ice Castle is perfect for the kids in your life who love to sing and play instruments.

The Comeback of a Backlist Book

2012-01-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

What happens when a book becomes a backlist title? Does it die a slow death as the last few printed books are given away to friends and family, or can it be revitalized? Or better yet, how can it be revitalized?

We all know the classics sell well with each reprint, which often coincide with the anniversary of the author's death or birth or the book's first edition. Some books even warrant a celebration, like the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird that took place last year. It was held in Monroeville, Alabama, the town Maycomb was modeled after. The anniversary lasted four days and included a marathon "Mockingbird" reading, tours of the town, and samplings of Monroeville's signature drink—a tequila mockingbird.

As great as that sounds, few books written today warrant that kind of fanfare. So the question becomes, how do authors and publishers get backlisted books back on readers' radars? Sometimes, the answer lands in your lap—like it did for Scarletta's first published book The Litigators. Lindsay Arthur published The Litigators with Scarletta in 2005. Two months ago John Grisham published his newest novel, also called The Litigators. Arthur's book has sold more in these past two months than the previous three years. That's just good luck, but Scarletta plans to capitalize on that luck.

First, we plan to lower the price of the e-book. We want to get Arthur's The Litigators in the hands of everyone interested in fictional legal thrillers. We believe those who rush out to buy the latest Grisham novel will also enjoy Lindsay Arthur's style of writing, but because this isn't a new novel, we don't think readers should have to pay as much for it. We also know it's harder for readers to find print copies of older books, which makes e-books so great.

We're also looking for new reviewers who can tell interested readers why this book is still relevant today, even though it was published 7 years ago. New ads will go out on relevant sites, and we'll try to get the author's voice out on various forms of media, like social media and possibly radio. The point is to remind readers about this great book, especially since the name The Litigators has gotten so much media attention these past few weeks.

Backlist books rarely get this kind of extra exposure...authors are usually pretty wary about giving their novel a title that has already been used. That said, everything else Scarletta plans on doing with The Litigators can be used on any other backlist book. You just have to make the book visible and remind readers of its relevance in their lives.

Why We Publish Books

2011-12-20T09:53:00.000-06:00

Recently, a letter arrived at Scarletta for two of our authors—James Peter Taylor and Kathleen Murphy-Taylor. They co-wrote the book Willow in a Storm. Willow in a Storm is a raw, unflinching memoir about the events in James Peter Taylor's unusual life, over forty years of which were spent incarcerated.

This letter was sent from a man in the Alexander Correctional Institute who had received the Taylor's book through a books to prisoners program. His story was so moving and his words were so kind that our authors asked us to share some of his letter.

This book has changed my life. I no longer wish for death since reading Willow in a Storm because I now know it is possible to survive the rapes, beatings and psychological torture that I have been forced to endure these last three years...I feel compelled to write so that you will know how much you have helped me through your book and to know also that you have very likely saved my life as well.

Where I will be tomorrow is as unclear as where I will be ten years from now, but I wanted you to know that your book has given me something, that until now I have lacked during this horrible experience. Hope. And for that I thank you.

These words are enough to fill a publisher's heart with joy. We are incredibly sorry for the unfairness of life that has led to this man's incarceration, but at the same are glad that we were able to publish a novel that could give him such comfort. At the end of the day, sure, a book on the New York Times' Best Seller's list would be great, but it's even more rewarding to personally hear from the those whose lives have been touched by our books.

If you want help change a prisoner's life through literature, here are some great books to prisoners programs: Women's Prison Book Project (located in Minneapolis), Internationalist Prison Books Collective and Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project.

Hilarity Ensues Because Book Titles Cannot Be Copyrighted

2011-12-13T11:19:00.000-06:00

Perhaps you've heard of a recent New York Times' Best Seller: The Litigators? Ask anyone who the author is, and they'll tell you John Grisham. But what some of these same people are doing unaware is going online and purchasing a different book with the same name.

You see, six years ago in 2005, Scarletta Press published its very first book, a fiction/legal thriller by lawyer/author Lindsay Arthur, and the title? You guessed it...The Litigators. Now we here at Scarletta are proud of our first book, in fact, we think it's a darn good book, but time passes and publishers are forced to focus on current and upcoming books, and less is done with backlist books. However, November hit and suddenly The Litigators saw a pretty big spike in ebook sales. We couldn't account for it, but sales kept increasing. And then the book received a new review on Amazon...it began, "I have read everything written by Mr Grisham." Wait...Mr. Grisham?

Ironically, Grisham lovers flocked to read his new work, but it seems some failed to check to see if he was listed as the author when they purchased it. Now the story could end here, but lucky for us, it doesn't. People eventually started realizing their mix-up, but instead of a public outcry to swap books, they realized what Scarletta has known all along: Lindsay Arthur's The Litigators is a great book! And thanks to John Grisham choosing a previously used title, more people are experiencing it.

So if you're looking for a good fiction/legal thriller to read, we have two recommendations for you: The Litigators. They may have the same title, but each author weaves his own captivating story.

The Litigators by Lindsay Arthur:

A woman living near a toxic waste site that was treated with a new process using genetically engineered microbes develops a mysterious neurological illness. By chance, she meets a passionate young lawyer at a neighborhood church supper. He feels obligated to find justice for his new struggling client and in the process takes on the largest law firm in Minnesota. How far will Dillon Love go for his client if the end result of his lawsuit is to destroy the brilliant university professor who has dedicated his entire life to improving the environment? How far will Henry Holten go to defeat the graceful woman whose family and financial future is dependent upon the success of her court case? The Litigators is a riveting page-turner, which asks if there can be any justice for either party without infliction of a great injustice on the other. This winner-take-all legal battle brings together three tenacious lawyers and their highly worthy clients in a way that forever changes the lives of all.

The Litigators by John Grisham:

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago. And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of their boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him. With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money. A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom! It almost seems too good to be true. And it is.

Exciting changes at Scarletta Press

2011-12-10T10:26:00.001-06:00

MINNEAPOLIS (December 2, 2011)—Scarletta press accepts theresignation of Ian Graham Leask as publisher and minority stockholder to pursueother publishing opportunities effective immediately. Scarletta Press thanksIan for his writing and publishing expertise over the years. His vision anddedication has been greatly valued. We wish him the best in his new endeavors.

December marks an interim period of transition, with a newbeginning for January 2012. This change has been in discussion for some time.The publishing industry continues to experience drastic transformations.Scarletta Press is in the process of reinventing itself with new ideas and newgoals in order to best serve and address author’s needs and maintain the mostcollaborative, productive, and successful relationships with its authors,publishing partners, service providers, and media relations.

The most intriguing part of this transformation is thestronger emphasis Scarletta Press has decided to place on their children’simprint, Scarletta JR (Junior Readers). There will also be more collaborationon foreign rights and partnering publishing opportunities, larger pushes on marketingand social media outreach, and more room for advanced ebooks and interactive ancillaryproduct development related to Scarletta’s books.

All publicity correspondence will remain the same, and canbe directed to Desiree Bussiere [desiree@scarlettapress.com]. All officialbusiness correspondence can be directed to Nancy Tuminelly, President ofScarletta Press [nancy@mightymedia.com]. All editorial correspondence,including submissions, should be directed according to information listed onthe Scarletta Press website.

There are many new plans and new books in the works for thenear future, so stay tuned for more news to come as the New Year approaches.

###

Spend your holidays in style with Pamela Cory & Hassie Calhoun

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-06:00

Book Details

TITLE Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

It's not too late to... *Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence* this holiday season and receive a free musical download!** Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1. Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December. 2. Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog - HCspB Scarletta Twitter - HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter - HCpcT Scarletta Facebook - HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook - HCpcF 3. Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address 4. Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

Minneapolis Rocked NaNoWriMo!

2011-12-08T11:41:00.001-06:00

Everyone knows that NaNoWriMo ended last week, but have you seen the stats about this year's participants? It's amazing! Stats for NaNoWriMo are split into two categories: Main and the Young Writers Program. For NaNoWriMo Main, there were 256,618 participants in 2011! Up from 2010's 200,530 participants. And 36,744 of those writers completed their goal of 50,000 words! Everyone wrote a total of 3,074,068,466 words!!!

Moving on to the NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program, there were 81,040 participants in 2011, up from 2010's 68,710! There were 16,334 writers who completed their goals and everyone wrote a total of 368,143,078 words!

These numbers are absolutely astounding and we couldn't be more thrilled for the writing community. We're looking forward to reading some of these masterpieces in the years to come!

But to be honest, the stats that I love most are for the Top 50 NaNoWriMo Cities (according to Google Analytics, based on number of November visits from these fine places). And the reason? Out of ALL the cities in the WORLD, Minneapolis made the list at #12. We couldn't be more proud.

1. New York 77,947

2. London 62,286

3. Seattle 55,205

4. Toronto 46,413

5. Sydney 46,390

6. Los Angeles 45,806

7. Chicago 42,720

8. Melbourne 40,588

9. Portland 38,898

10. Denver 37,972

11. San Francisco 36,808

12. Minneapolis 28,521

13. Austin 28,095

14. Houston 25,863

15. Washington 25,812

16. Brisbane 23,033

17. Calgary 22,294

18. Edmonton 21,618

19. Ottawa 21,583

20. San Diego 19,815

21. Helsinki 19,793

22. (not set) 19,435

23. Phoenix 18,556

24. Salt Lake City 18,347

25. Vancouver 18,082

26. Boston 17,850

27. Philadelphia 17,664

28. Columbus 17,558

29. Tucson 17,551

30. Kensington 17,262

31. Ballinger 16,159

32. Dublin 16,022

33. Dallas 15,761

34. Albuquerque 15,069

35. Perth 14,949

36. St Louis 14,910

37. Auckland 14,873

38. Edinburgh 14,575

39. Montreal 14,260

40. Singapore 13,993

41. Colorado Springs 13,933

42. Indianapolis 13,680

43. Manchester 13,549

44. Adelaide 13,477

45. Sacramento 13,256

46. San Antonio 13,170

47. Atlanta 13,065

48. Grand Rapids 12,939

49. San Jose 12,925

50. Madison 12,650

Tergiversate?

2011-12-01T09:14:00.001-06:00

I love a good word of the year as much as the next person, but tergiversate? That was the word chosen by Dictionary.com for 2011. Tergiversate, meaning “to change repeatedly one’s attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.”

And while yes, I agree, this word aptly describes 2011, I'm still of the mindset that I'd like the word of the year to be a word that's in use. Yes, tergiversate was used on August 20th, 2011 in The Times of London when Oliver Kamm said, “The tergiversations of stock markets are often puzzling from the outside. They’re no less puzzling from within.” But that's not enough for me. Especially for a year when words like "jobs" and "occupy" were on everyone's lips constantly. I want to hear the word of the year and be able to say, "Yes! I used that word all the time this year." I can't say I've ever used the word tergiversate.

This year's runner-up was insidious. Originally from the Latin word “insidere” which meant “to sit on, occupy,” and that now means “proceeding in a seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.” And with the movie that came out this year with the same name, I would even have preferred this over tergiversate. Yet, it was decided that, "Ultimately, though, insidious is too negative to represent the mood of change and transformation that has marked this year as well."

At the end of the day, I can't be too upset. I love that we have a word of the year. I love that we care that much about words. And maybe this word will expand our personal dictionaries, who knows, maybe I'll even find myself saying it next week.

To read more about why tergiversate was chosen, you can check out Dictionary.com's blog here.

Major changes in store for Scarletta Press

2011-11-28T10:31:00.001-06:00

Co-founder and Publisher, Ian Graham Leask, will resign his post as Publisher of Scarletta Press as of December 31, 2011. Scarletta Press thanks Ian for his writing andpublishing expertise. His vision and dedication has been greatly valued. Wewish him the best in his new endeavors.

An official press release with more detailed information will be issued later this week. If you have any questions, please direct them to the Publicity Director, Desiree Bussiere [desiree @ scarlettapress.com].

Students Bring Lexicon To Life With Drawings

2011-11-22T12:30:00.000-06:00

Students recently sent author Penny Noyce pictures they had drawn of Lexicon while their teacher, Cary Sneider, read Lost in Lexicon to them aloud.

On the top we have a drawing of Aunt Adelaide's barn and the quote that inspired it: "The barn now stood in the middle of a pond with water reaching halfway up its sides." (pg 29), and to the right, an image of the pig that lives in the barn: "The pig lay on her side in a stall, with her eyes half-closed, the fine hairs on her side quivering as she breathed." (pg 23).

To the left here, we have another drawing of Lexicon: "Sheep grazed in the distance, far off at the horizon, steep white-and-purple mountains cut into the sky." (pg 29), and underneath, we have an image of Daphne and Ivan's adventures: "The two cousins built a raft of branches and rode out onto the river below the bridge, where the raft promptly sank." (pg 15).

These pictures are fantastic and we're so glad the students decided to share them with us. If your students or children have done any drawings of Lexicon, we ask that you either send us an electronic copy to info@scarlettapress.com or a hard copy to 10 S. 5th Street #1105, Minneapolis, MN 55402. We'd love to add them to our collection!

Thoughful Reflections

2011-11-22T09:30:00.000-06:00

Lost in Lexicon author Pendred Noyce recently opened up about a plethora of issues in an interview conducted by Thoughtful Reflections host Sylvia L. Ramsey. She addressed the difficulties of naming her characters, what it's like to be published in today's industry, writing for yourself vs writing what you think others want to read, and more. Here's a taste of some of her answers:

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

"It is funny, but I always have a hard time writing until I know the names of my main characters. I need a name that sounds like the picture I have in my mind, and I really do not know how to find those names. It is sort of like figuring out what to name your baby: you flounder around until suddenly you know."

Are there any problems in getting children’s’ books published?

"Editors are always looking for what is hot right now. They told me Lost in Lexicon was too old-fashioned or too didactic for today’s kids. In the end, I decided the only way I could prove them wrong was by publishing the book myself, and making a success of it. I pulled together a great team – an editor, an artist, an art director, and a designer – then published a book that has won awards and enthusiastic followers. While I was doing a radio interview and bookstore visits in Minneapolis, I finally ran across a publisher, Scarletta Press that understood what I wanted to do in providing challenging, thoughtful fiction for kids. Scarletta acquired Lost in Lexicon to anchor their brand new line of children’s books."

To read the interview in its entirety, click on this link.

Have a Hassie Calhoun Holiday

2011-11-19T08:13:00.001-06:00

Book Details

TITLE Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

If you haven't heard yet: *Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence* this holiday season and receive a free musical download!** Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1. Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December. 2. Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog - HCspB Scarletta Twitter - HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter - HCpcT Scarletta Facebook - HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook - HCpcF 3. Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address 4. Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

Freedom Ticket

2011-11-17T10:59:00.001-06:00

Hennepin County Library is currently featuring Willow in a Storm as their Freedom Ticket read.

Willow in a Storm is a raw, unflinching memoir by James Peter Taylor, with the help of his wife, Kathleen Murphy-Taylor, and recounts the events of his unusual life, including more than 40 years spent in prison. A victim of childhood abuse, he abandons women, children, and jobs until, in pursuit of "the perfect crime," he unintentionally kills Minnesota banker Kenneth Lindberg, a married father of four.

"Written in a stark, unsentimental style, this compelling memoir shows how one man survived a seemingly impossible existence."

To check-out this book from your local Hennepin County Library, make sure you have a library card and then go here. Or you can find the novel on Amazon.

Inside Pamela Cory's Head

2011-11-15T09:58:00.001-06:00

Hassie Calhoun author Pamela Cory recently completed an interview on WhoHub as a way to reach out to fans interested in getting to know the author behind the book.

She opens up about her first reading experiences and how she began writing: "As a very young reader, I loved the Nancy Drew series. I also wrote my own stories to add to the series - of course, no one else saw these stories but this was my earliest writing."

She also talks about what is necessary to make a character believable: "Verisimilitude is the key to all believability. My characters actually live in my psyche and have their own identity, character flaws and personality quirks. I was once advised to assign a living being (i.e. actor/actress) to each character to enable him/her to be "real." I love it when I can not identify anyone who actually fits my mind's description. That also helps me work harder to bring that character alive for the reader."

To learn more about this great author, you can check out the rest of the interview here.

HOLIDAY PROMOTION: "HASSIE CALHOUN"

2011-11-11T13:25:00.000-06:00

Book Details

TITLE Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

*Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence* this holiday season and receive a free musical download!** Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1. Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December. 2. Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog - HCspB Scarletta Twitter - HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter - HCpcT Scarletta Facebook - HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook - HCpcF 3. Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address 4. Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

For Lovers of Lexicon

2011-11-10T09:35:00.001-06:00

If you haven't already purchased Lost in Lexicon here's one more reason why you should: Squeaky Clean Reads has featured the novel in their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! When discussing the books they've compiled, Squeaky Clean Reads says "The books in our gift guide represent the best clean reads we've read all year, and we think that our readers will enjoy giving and getting these titles!"

In other news about Lexicon, the Mom's Choice Award blog is currently featuring an interview with author Penny Noyce about what it's been like winning the Mom's Choice Award, what she's been up to since then, and where her inspiration comes from:

Q: So where did you get such an idea of magical lands and lost children?

A: When I was a child, I wanted more than anything to go to C.S. Lewis’s land of Narnia. My sister and I probed dark closets, leaped over rivers, and ran down hills with our eyes closed, calling on Aslan to transport us to that magical world.

We at Scarletta couldn't be more glad that C.S. Lewis inspired Penny all those years ago! And you can read the rest of her interview here.

A Celtic Childhood is a fun romp

2011-11-08T12:50:00.000-06:00

You know a book is good when it receives a glowing review from Squeaky Clean Reads, despite the following content review:

PROFANITY: Excessive throughout

VIOLENCE: Some Mild instances

SEXUAL CONTENT: Some Mild and a few Moderate instances

MATURE THEMES: Moderate

And yet they couldn't stop complementing A Celtic Childhood, saying things like:

"A Celtic Childhood is a lovely memoir that reads as if you’re sitting at the feet of a grandfather full of stories! This book is full of charming vignettes and hilarious antics" and "Young Bill’s views are hilarious"

So if you're look for a "fun romp" of a book, A Celtic Childhood should definitely be at the top of your list. And you can find the rest of the review here!

Sweet on Books

2011-11-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

Did you know Sweet on Books is sweet on Lost in Lexicon? Sweet on Books is a locally-based initiative with reviews written exclusively by mothers as part of the ABC7 Learning Section. Each week they bring readers the latest reviews of books geared toward children in grades K-5. Here are some of the wonderful things they had to say:

"Under the guise of an adventure novel, Lost in Lexicon expertly incorporates educational elements into the storyline to deliver a true learning experience. Just as The Phantom Tollbooth…did years ago, this book pushes readers to see the familiar from a new perspective and to open their minds to fresh ideas."

"Both The Phantom Tollbooth and Lost in Lexicon serve as reminders that we are all equipped with a perfect cure for boredom—our own brains. I hope that this story inspires many young readers to observe, think, have open minds, and most important, to rely on themselves for entertainment."

You can find the rest of the review here!

The Awards Roll In

2011-11-03T09:59:00.002-05:00

Have you heard the great news? USABookNews.com announced the winners and finalists of THE USA "BEST BOOKS OF 2011" AWARDS on November 1, 2011. And two of Scarletta's books received a total of three finalist awards!

Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence, a women's literary fiction and first in a trilogy, is an award-winning finalist in the Fiction: Chick Lit/Women's Lit category.

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, an adventurous middle-grade fantasy and first in a series that brings a world of concepts to life, is an award-winning finalist in both the Children's Fiction and Children's Educational categories.

USABookNews.com is an online publication providing coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the world online community. You can find a complete list of the winners and finalists of The USA "Best Books 2001" Awards here.

National Novel Writing Month

2011-11-01T11:07:00.001-05:00

Looking for a challenge? Why don't you try writing 50,000 words in 30 days. That may sound impossible, but that's the goal of NaNoWriMo. They claim that "For one month, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create!"

Now don't get me wrong, as an editor, this idea is terrifying: not edit my writing? How could I do such a thing? But the purpose of National Novel Writing Month isn't to come away with this perfect, 175-page, bound masterpiece. The purpose is to get as many words written down as possible.

There are plenty of skeptics, people who say quality is more valuable than quantity, and when it comes to publishing your book I agree. But who says you have to publish this? Or that you have to try to get it published on December 1st after your writing time is up? The amazing thing about NaNoWriMo is that if you can beat the challenge, you'll have 50,000 words to work with later on! If you spend all of November putting your thoughts to paper, you can spend the next 11 months refining those words. And creating a novel in under a year is definitely something to be proud of.

The best part of National Novel Writing Month is that you're not alone! In 2012 over 200,000 people participated in the event and more than 30,000 of them crossed the 50K finish line. NaNoWriMo works hard to put participants in touch with each other. For starters, they group people by region, including the Twin Cities. They also realize this is a pretty hefty goal, especially for students, so they've opened up the Young Writers Program (YWP), which allows those 17 and under to participate by setting their own reasonable, yet challenging, individual word-count goals.

So here's my challenge to you: give NaNoWriMo a try. Even if you don't come away with 50,000 words, you'll still have more written than when you started this venture. In the end, what have you got to lose?

The Write Stuff

2011-10-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Love book giveaways? So do we! Which is why we enjoy Brittany Roshelle's blog The Write Stuff. Not only does she post book reviews and author interviews, she often has giveaways for books, ebooks, merch surrounding books, you name it! Her upcoming post will be an interview with HASSIE CALHOUN author, Pamela Cory. And you'll have a chance to win a copy of Pamela's book!

You can look for this interview on Halloween (Monday, October 31), and you'll be sure to get at least one treat for the day!

Books, More Books, and a Twin Cities Book Festival!

2011-10-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

This year's Twin Cities Book Festival was once again held at MCTC and the place was packed from when the doors opened at 10 am to when they closed at 5 pm. And just like previous years, this book fest did not disappoint. It was certainly the place to be in a weekend packed with other great literary events such as the launch party for Paper Darts' first book, John Jodzio's Get In If You Want To Live, Milkweed Editions' Book Lovers Ball, and FallCon 2011 with the Midwest Comic Book Association.

The Twin Cities Book Festival, like usual, offered something for everyone. Most of my day was spent upstairs in the wonderfully creative Children's Pavilion with author Penny Noyce. We set up a Lexicon Villages Event and had a blast with the kids. It was great watching them get into the activities whether they were feeding Emily the thesaurus/llama synonyms, creating flower sentences out of word petals, making tangrams of Lost in Lexicon images, and measuring EVERYTHING they could get their hands on with our non-standard measuring units of erasers, paperclips, and pennies.

Meanwhile, downstairs, we had a table set up and we loved chatting away and finding out what everyone had been up to. The book fest has so many great qualities, but my favorite is probably the relaxed atmosphere—it's a great time to catch up with everyone in the literary community. I even ran into some friends of mine interning with Graywolf Press and we got to talk about the glorious lifesyle of an intern : )

At one o'clock it was time for me and Penny to pack up our Lexicon Villages Event, hop in the car, and bring it to the Roseville Barnes and Noble. There we had a book signing and Penny talked to educators about the importance of teaching through literature. We also had a lively discussion about how to engage children with books. It was a great visit, but by the end of the day we were exhausted. That said, we're looking forward to doing it all again next year and we hope we'll see you there too!

To learn more about Penny and her books, check out the website. If you're interested in having an author event, please visit the Scarletta Press site to contact us!

"Hassie Calhoun is the perfect protagonist"

2011-10-13T10:57:00.001-05:00

Have you checked out the Nevada Review lately? Well you should. And not just because they wrote a lovely review about Hassie Calhoun (though we're quite excited about that!), but because through our relationship with them, we've come to find that they write incredibly thorough and thoughtful reviews. Here's what they had to say about Hassie Calhoun:

"Author Pamela Cory delivers the perfect cocktail of hope and devastation in her latest novel, Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence. With one hand, Cory offers her readers untarnished hopes of the young and uninitiated, and with the other she delivers the inescapable realities of the real world and the people who live there."

"In the back of the book, author Pamela Cory provides a list of questions for readers to ponder. The first on the list begins by asking, 'How badly do you want to slap Hassie?' Although this question may seem too dismissive for a character who ultimately lives a relatively complex and successful life chasing her dream of stardom, it does in fact get to the heart of Cory’s development of Hassie’s character. Like Vegas offering the duality of hopes and exploitation, Hassie’s character offers a frustrating duality of innocence and stubborn arrogance that leads to so many of her painful choices. Perhaps more important to the question, though, is that Cory develops this excellent character and story so well that the reader will indeed want to slap Hassie."

You can find the rest of the review at the Nevada Review's website. And look for it in print in the spring issue of the Nevada Review as well!

Catch us at the Twin Cities Book Festival

2011-10-12T13:09:00.001-05:00

A new world of entertainment awaits you at the Twin Cities Book Festival in Minneapolis! We hope you’ll stop by to visit with Scarletta Press & author Pendred Noyce!

Rain Taxi Review of Books will proudly sponsor the 11th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival this coming Saturday, October 15, at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The book festival is open to the public, and hosts a wide array of publishers, bookstores, and other industry members for a day of children’s activities, used book fairs, spectacular authors, and panel discussions.

This year, Pendred Noyce has been invited to host a Lexicon Villages event at the festival’s children’s pavilion. The Lexicon Villages will be a featured event that children and adults of all ages can dive into from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. You’ll travel from village to village, and puzzle over fun and engaging concepts together as the land of Lexicon comes to life. Don't be surprised if you walk away with a keepsake from Lexicon!

Lost in Lexicon is a literary fantasy for kids age 9-12. It tells the tale of two cousins on a journey through a magical land full of mixed up words and numbers, with a quest to return the lost children of Lexicon to their homes. It is the first in a four-part adventure series. Lost in Lexicon has won numerous awards, to include a Mom's Choice Gold Award, a Parents’ Choice Recommended award, a ForeWord Book of the Year Awards Honorable Mention, and an IBPA Ben Franklin for Interior Design.

And DON’T FORGET to stop by the Scarletta Press table in the main exhibit hall to purchase both new and old books at a discounted price. If you can’t make it to the book festival (although we hope you can!), Scarletta Press books are also available from your local bookstores, and from many large outlets as well. Check out our website to find out about all our books!

Author Biography

Pendred Noyce is a doctor, education reformer, and writer. Penny has practiced internal medicine, supervised medical residents, and become a leader in Massachusetts mathematics and science education reform. She serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including that of the Noyce Foundation, and she chairs the boards of Maine’s Libra Foundation and the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers is Penny's first full novel and is the first in a four-part adventure series.

For more information on Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, please visit www.lostinlexicon.com.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® Names LOST IN LEXICON Among Best In Family-Friendly Products

2011-10-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

The Mom's Choice Awards® has named Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce among the best in family-friendly media, products and services.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for children and families. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others.

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five identical samples of a product. Entries are matched to judges in the MCA database. Judges perform a thorough analysis and submit a detailed assessment. Results are compiled and submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final approval. The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.

Lost in Lexicon is a literary fantasy for kids age 9-12. It tells the tale of two cousins on a journey through a magical land full of mixed up words and numbers, with a quest to return the lost children of Lexicon to their homes. It is the first in a four-part adventure series. Lost in Lexicon has won numerous awards, to include a Parents’ Choice Recommended award, a ForeWord Book of the Year Awards Honorable Mention, and an IBPA Ben Franklin for Interior Design.

For more information on Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, please visit this website.

"Immensely readable and thoroughly enjoyable"

2011-10-04T10:05:00.000-05:00

Undiscovered Scotland loved Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish saying:

"But the way Bill Watkins carries us with him through his adventures and misadventures is enthralling, often amusing, sometimes emotional, and always extremely well written. This is one of those rare books which keep you turning the page not through plot devices, but simply by keeping the reader engaged."

Thanks so much Ken Lussey! We're glad Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish is giving people one more reason to head to Scotland! And head to their website to check out the rest of the review!

"It’s always an interesting experience to read a novel from the point of view of someone who is borderline insane."

2011-09-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Yankee Invasion by Ignacio Solares recently received a lovely review from Squeaky Clean Reads.

They write: "It clearly shows the feelings, frustrations and fears of the impotent citizen—while the ‘powers that be’ play their political games with the citizens as their pawns. Yankee Invasion has a lot to offer in terms of painting a vivid picture and creating an impression that lasts."

You can read the rest of the review on their website.

MIBA & Beyond: Book Trade Shows and What They Do

2011-09-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

As many of you faithful literature lovers may know, especially you booksellers, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) Trade Show happened last Thursday and Friday, September 22-23, at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis. And what a great show, and a great venue it was! Claire Kirch, of Publisher's Weekly, reported on the conference, describing the venue as upstaging "everything and everybody at the Midwest Independent Booksellers' annual Conference..." And at Scarletta Press, we'd have to agree: This year's show was in a top-notch location, and brought some top-notch booksellers over to the Scarletta Press table!

Scarletta Press has been strongly emphasizing their new children's line, Junior Bookwormz, since early February of this year. The cornerstone books: The Lexicon Adventure Series by Pendred Noyce. The first book in the series, Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, debuted on August 9, and has been making a splash in every aspect. The book itself has won over 8 awards, including an IBPA Ben Franklin for 1-2 Color Interior Design, and Honorable Mention from ForeWord Reviews' BOTYAs for Juvenile Fiction, and a Parents' Choice Recommended. ForeWord calls it "...an adventure story for the digital generation...," and School Library Journal says "...readers will be rewarded with a good adventure, affecting lyrical passages, and thought-provoking questions..." With all this buzz, we thought: Let's give Penny Noyce and her books the main focus at the MIBA conference this year.

Penny began her trip to Minneapolis with a visit to KFAI's Write on Radio! program on Tuesday, September 20, where she discussed the new initiatives for the book, and we discussed what would be happening at MIBA. (To read about the KFAI show, check out this post by Ashley.) Penny then prepped herself for the show itself. Starting off on the right foot, Penny made quite the splash at the Moveable Feast Author's Lunch on Thursday. From 12 pm to 2 pm, Penny made her rounds to different tables, where she talked with many independent booksellers about her book, the series, and Scarletta Press. The unique thing about this luncheon is that only authors are allowed to talk to the booksellers. Our publisher, Ian Graham Leask, sat patiently on the side while Penny did her thing. And whatever it was that she said, sure did work.

Friday morning came, and we set up our table, just ready for those booksellers to stop on by. The show floor opened at 9:15 am, and it wasn't long before many of those booksellers stopped by our table to check out the giant display of Lost in Lexicon books and to meet Pendred Noyce. Word had got out about Penny's great repartee, and the lovely new series from Scarletta Press. Booksellers came with business cards, compliments, and the desire to host an event with Penny Noyce. I talked to so many people, my throat soon became dry and my lips chapped. It was one of the busiest shows I've ever had! I can't thank those bookseller's enough for making it such a success. The show floor closed at 4:30 pm, and the Scarletta Press employees left with a phenomenal feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

If you missed Penny at this year's MIBA conference, be sure to stop by at Rain Taxi's Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, October 15, at MCTC in downtown Minneapolis. Penny will be hosting a Lexicon Villages event in the Children's Pavilion from 10 am to 1 pm. Her books will be for sale at the pavilion, and also at the Scarletta Press table on the show floor. So grab the kids, hop in the car, and join us for a day of fun activities, tasty treats, and lovely words with Penny Noyce.

To learn more about Penny and her books, check out the website. If you're interested in having an author event, please visit the Scarletta Press site to contact me, Desiree Bussiere.

Scarletta Press on KFAI's Write On Radio!

2011-09-26T07:09:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I just wanted to introduce myself. My name’s Ashley, and I’m the newest Literary Marketing Intern at Scarletta Press. I know there are a lot of really great publishers in Minneapolis, but one of the things I love about Scarletta is their new children’s imprint: Scarletta Press Junior Bookwormz!

I’m currently reading the first book in their children’s line, Lost in Lexicon, and even at the age of 21, I’m enjoying it! This past Tuesday night, Scarletta’s Publicity Director, Desiree Bussiere, asked me if I’d like to tag along and observe some marketing she had planned for the book.

We ended up at KFAI’s Write On Radio! program with the author of Lost in Lexicon, Pendred Noyce, as well as Peter Smith, author of A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors. I arrived under the impression that it would be an evening to sit back and listen, but I soon found myself being asked if I’d like to help read off the upcoming literary events.

My initial reaction: Yikes! I don’t do public speaking. But I told myself no one could see me—or my red face and shaking hands—so all I had to do was avoid stammering. Which I did! Though I do apologize to any authors whose names I butchered! I’ve never been all that fantastic with names.

Overall it was a fun night. My moment of fame was just that, a moment, and I got to spend the rest of the evening listening to two great authors chat about just what they love about their books.

I hadn’t listened to KFAI’s Write On Radio! before Tuesday night, but I definitely have plans to tune in more often. I don’t exactly need new books to put on my “To read” list, but I love hearing about them anyway.

And if you missed Tuesday night’s show and want to hear Penny talk about Lost in Lexicon, Write On Radio! archives all of their programs for two weeks, so check it out on their website!

The Road to Kid Lit

2011-09-12T21:42:00.001-05:00

We began launching our children's line in January when we signed our first children's author, Pendred Noyce. Pendred Noyce wrote Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, a middle grade adventure fiction, and first published it on her own in October 2010. After acquiring Pendred's series, we republished the first book this past August, and scheduled the next three books for publication in successive Augusts to come. (Check out Penny's Path to Publication story!)

The Lexicon Adventure series serves as cornerstone to Scarletta Press’ line of intellectually stimulating books for strong and thoughtful readers. “We want to publish fiction that ‘writes up’ to kids, treating them as young intellectuals who enjoy thinking,” says Leask. “Our books will be fun, adventurous, and suspenseful, but their vocabulary and storylines will be designed to challenge young readers in the right way.”

Founded in 2005, Scarletta Press has gained a reputation as a publisher of high quality literary fiction and non-fiction. Its adult books have won or been nominated for a number of literary awards.

After revising our submission requirements and really getting the word out about Lost in Lexicon, we've received many new children's book submissions. After rifling through the pile, there are a number of them still on the consideration table. With the plan to continually expand our children's line, we decided we needed a good name for our new children's imprint.

So here it is: Scarletta Press Junior Bookwormz! Be sure to follow us on twitter @SP_JRBookwormz. We've got a plan for some great Children's Literature, and we hope you'll be a part of it.

Random Acts of Publicity

2011-09-07T11:39:00.001-05:00

This week is Random Acts of Publicity Week to help out all your favorite books and authors. While we of course would love it if you helped out some of our authors (who can resist a good book from an indie publisher?), we understand that you might have others on your mind. AND THAT'S OKAY! We mostly just want to see you helping out the authors. After all, shameless self-promotion can be a bit tiring on their end.

Here's the drill. Random Acts of Publicity was started by Darcy Pattison about three years ago. It focuses "on helping a Friend’s book get noticed, but you can also choose to help your favorite book get noticed." Anyone can help with a bit of social media. Interested in participating? Check out the FAQ to help you get started! Make sure to BLLurT and Post a lot!

What authors need to know: Submissions

2011-08-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

Publishers get a lot of manuscripts submitted to them. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming for the acquisitions department. Publishers do their best to maximize an effective work flow, without overlooking great pieces of work. Authors don't necessarily care about that though; they care about getting noticed - they care about getting through the slush pile.

If it's a big publishing house, such as Random House or HarperCollins, the submission process is simple: agented or solicited submissions are the only way to get looked at. It's the easiest process for any publisher, but it also means that some really great books by unknown and unagented writers are overlooked. Thus, this process is not used by many small independent publishers.

Some publishers opt to use outside services, such as Bowker Manuscript Submissions, to find submissions. While Scarletta Press does have this service, it's not something we rely on by any means. In fact, it's supposed to help us eliminate the slush pile of submissions we wade through every week by only sending us submissions that meet our requirements, but half the time we completely forget about it.

So now you're wondering, how do I get noticed if there are all these rules and services!? Well, small publishers are the best bets for any unpublished author. Why? Because they usually accept unagented and unsolicited manuscripts. Even so, every publisher has rules on their submissions: genres accepted, reading period time frames, certain amount of pages submitted, etc. So how do you get their attention?

Know the publisher's submission guidelines. You might be submitting to only ten publishers, or you might be submitting to 100. Either way, this is the most important rule. Not knowing their submission guidelines can deter a publisher. For instance, Scarletta only reads during a certain period. We're small. We only have so many people, and so we only read during seasons with less chaos for our already acquired novels.
Be well-prepared. The manuscript should be copyedited and cold read by a friend. Everyone has a friend or relative that will give their unbiased opinion on a manuscript. Utilize this person.
Have a query letter that sells the story before it sells you. (Unless you're Stephen King!) We don't necessarily care to read two paragraphs about your life story before we even read the ms. We want to know about the writing. And we certainly don't want to read two to three pages of a letter either. Make it simple. Make it quick.
Check, recheck, and then check again. Would you read someone's manuscript after reading your query letter and synopsis? Try to be objective. It never hurts to keep editing these documents.
Stay organized. You should focus on what you want and submit to the publishers you like the most. It's always easier if you keep all the information organized in a spreadsheet.
Be persistent. Keep your eye on the prize. Some of the most renowned writers were rejected one hundred times or more before someone decided to publish them.

Remember, you can find Scarletta Press' submission guidelines on our website. Check them out, and try to live by tip number one!

Tasty treats & mentions

2011-08-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

Well we couldn't be more pleased to help Linda White kick off her new series on MN Indie Publishers! This article comes at a perfect time with three books launching from our little press: Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce, A Celtic Childhood by Bill Watkins, and Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish also by Bill Watkins.

We're making waves. Check out this article and share it everywhere!

"Though it radiates that sense of optimism and fresh outlook that only a relatively young company can, nothing about Scarletta Press is amateur. Perched in a sunny historic building on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, the office is a beehive of activity. Their output is sleek and their leadership is made up of industry veterans...

While the publishing world may be changing, Scarletta Press looks poised to ride that change...Some may think you’d have to be crazy to start a publishing company these days. But Scarletta Press is proving that if you take your lumps, do your homework, and know the playing field, there are still many opportunities out there. And they are doing a great job of looking ahead and moving into those new realms of possibility." Read the rest!

We're definitely proud to be a moving vehicle in this publishing industry!

Celebrate with Author Bill Watkins!

2011-07-28T13:32:00.002-05:00

Tips: How to help out your favorite Authors!

2011-07-22T12:57:00.002-05:00

At Scarletta Press, we can't help but push for you to love our authors. And we know there is a lot of love out there, but can you show it. Sometimes, that's all an author needs! Thanks to Lindsay Buroker, here are a few things you can do to help our authors, or any of your favorite authors!

Helping out on Amazon

Amazon is the big kahuna of book sellers, especially when it comes to ebooks, so helping an author “get found” on there can give them a big boost. You can certainly do these things on other bookstore sites as well (nothing against copying and pasting a review, for example), but Amazon tends to have more cool features to help an author get found.

Here’s the list (any one of these things can help):

If you do nothing else, consider writing a review on Amazon, even if the book already has quite a few and/or you’ve reviewed it elsewhere. There’s evidence that ratings and reviews factor into the Amazon algorithms that decide which books are promoted on the site (i.e. certain books are recommended to customers who bought books in similar genres). If reviewing isn’t your bag, don’t worry about writing paragraphs-long in-depth studies of the book; maybe you could just pen a few sentences with a couple of specifics about why you liked the book.
“Tag” the book with genre-appropriate labels (i.e. thriller, steampunk, paranormal romance). You don’t have to leave a review to do this; you just need an account at Amazon. A combination of the right tags and a good sales ranking can make a book come up when customers search for that type of story on Amazon.
Give the book a thumb’s up. This takes less than a second and probably doesn’t do much, but it may play into Amazon’s algorithms to a lesser extent than reviews/ratings.
Make a “Listmania” List and add your favorite authors’ books to it. This creates another avenue for new readers to find books. It’s better to create lists around similar types of books (i.e. genres or sub-genres) than to do a smorgasbord, and consider titling it something description so folks will be more inclined to check it out, ie. “Fun heroic fantasy ebooks for $5 or less”
If you have a Kindle, highlight some wise or fun quotations from the book and share them publicly (if enough people share their highlights, they’ll show up at the bottom of a book’s page).

Helping out with Social Media

If you’re involved with Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc., you can give your favorite authors a shout-out when they release new books. If they blog, you can
follow their site (through Google Reader or other RSS readers) and share the link when they post something that may be interesting to your friends. If they’re on Twitter, you can follow them and retweet their links now and then.

Authors don’t expect you to follow them 24/7 and repeat everything they say (that might actually alarm some folks…), but a little promotional help now and then is greatly appreciated.

If you like to be social about books, you can join sites such as Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing. You can help your favorite authors by posting reviews and talking about their books on those sites, or you can just use those places to find online reading buddies with common interests.

Helping out with Your Blog

Do you ever talk about books or what you’re reading on your blog? You might consider reviewing your favorite authors on your site (you could even make a few dollars if you signed up as an Amazon affiliate).

Also, if most of your favorites maintain websites, you could add an “author blogroll” list in your menu with links to those sites.

And Lastly…

These days, most authors have websites and contact forms so you can get in touch. If you enjoyed their work, consider sending them a short note to let them know. While it won’t help them sell more books, it’ll make their day.

The 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards Announced!

2011-05-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory’s Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence as a finalist in the the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards®!

Ellen Reid, President & CEO, announced the winners and finalists of the awards on May 15, 2011. In it’s fifth year running, the National Indie Excellence Awards are full of tough competition. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. “Excellence is not easy to achieve and the book industry needs it more than ever…the NIEA salutes authors and publishers who make excellence a priority” says Reid (--http://www.indieexcellence.com/mediaroom.htm).

Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence has been selected as an Award-Winning Finalist in the New Fiction category of the awards. A novel that paints the Rat Pack era in a new light, this literary fiction introduces Hassie Calhoun, a lovely and talented singer trying to make it as an entertainer in 1960s Vegas. With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts Hassie in several compromising situations. Her passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to.

NOTE: Pamela Cory will be appearing at BEA 2011 with Scarletta Press, booth 4633-A, and will tour the first half of June. See Pamela Cory's website for tour information by viewing the events page!

The 2011 International Book Awards Announced!

2011-05-13T14:01:00.001-05:00

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1


ISBN 978-0-9830219-2-6

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence and Pendred (Penny) Noyce's Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers as finalists in the the 2011 International Book Awards (IBAs) hosted by JPX Media Group.

JPX Media Group announced the winners and finalists of the 2011 IBAs on May 11, 2011. Over 300 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. "Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of JPX Media Group, said this year’s contest yielded a large number of entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results." (—JPX Media Group)

Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence has been selected as an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Literary Fiction" category of the 2011 IBAs. A novel that paints the Rat Pack era in a new light, this literary fiction introduces Hassie Calhoun, a lovely and talented singer trying to make it as an entertainer in 1960s Vegas. With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts Hassie in several compromising situations. Her passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to.

“...a gripping story...this poignant novel is a down-to-earth rather than idealistic glimpse of a vulnerable heroine learning how to succeed...” — ForeWord Reviews

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers has been selected as an Award-Winning Finalist in the "Children's Fiction" category of the 2011 IBAs. It is a literary fantasy for readers ages 9-12, and tells the story of two cousins, Ivan and Daphne, on a quest to find lost children in a world of words and numbers running wild. A first-time author, Penny’s novel has been selected as a recommended read by the Indie Next Kids List Winter 2011.

“...breaks new ground in the adventure genre. This rollicking, often tongue-in-cheek novel will appeal to young readers who need a break from their computer games and long to journey into the woods of learning.” — ForeWord Reviews

NOTE: Pamela Cory will be appearing at BEA 2011 with Scarletta Press, booth 4633-A, and will tour the first half of June. Pendred Noyce will be appearing at the ALA conference with Publishers Group West, booth 1248, and will tour during parts of July and August.

Looking forward to Book Expo America

2011-05-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

Now that it's early May, I can safely say that Scarletta employees are rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off just to make sure everything is perfect for BEA. We're setting up meetings, organizing signings and book orders, booking hotel stays, and printing so many sales/marketing materials that we might just drown in the piles of shiny press releases and bookmarks. But through all that, there are some details we'd like to share in this little blog post:

BEA 2011: May 24-26 at the Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York City

Scarletta Press Booth: #4633-A

In-booth Autographings: THURSDAY MAY 26
Pamela Cory - Hassie Calhoun - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Leonard Borman - Our Jewish Robot Future - 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

In honor of heading to BEA, dear Leonard has even made a little video inviting you to visit him:

Leonard Borman will be at BEA 2011 from Scarletta Press on Vimeo.

Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish

2011-04-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

Bill Watkins reads the missing chapter of Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish. The book will be put back into print by Scarletta Press in August 2011, and will come complete with the missing chapter. Find the whole Once and Future Celt trilogy at Scarletta Press this August!

FULL VIDEO HERE!

More Book of the Year Awards!!!

2011-03-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

We had another wonderful surprise in our inbox today; something we accidentally overlooked on Monday! Pendred (Penny) Noyce's Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers has also been selected as a finalist for ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards 2010! It has been selected for the Young Adult Fiction category. (You'll notice the selection is for the first edition, which was published in October 2010 by Tumblehome Press. The first edition will be out of print come July 1, 2011. The Scarletta edition is available for pre-order, and has a publication date of August 9, 2011.)

View the complete list of Young Adult Fiction competitors here. Winners will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference, June 23-28, 2011. **Penny will be signing books at the Publishers Group West booth at ALA.

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers is a literary fantasy for readers ages 9-12. It tells the story of two cousins, Ivan and Daphne, on a quest to find lost children in a world of words and numbers running wild.

A first-time author, Pendred’s novel has been selected as a recommended read by the Indie Next Kids List Winter 2011. And ForeWord Reviews says it “...breaks new ground in the adventure genre. This rollicking, often tongue-in-cheek novel will appeal to young readers who need a break from their computer games and long to journey into the woods of learning.”

“Lost in Lexicon is a smart romp of a book. Just as 13-year-olds Ivan and Daphne are propelled on a quest through the land of Lexicon so the reader will be pulled through this intriguing story with its puzzles and games. A challenging read and an entertaining adventure rolled into an extremely handsome package with excellent illustrations.” — Mary Logue, co-author of the Bloodwater mystery series

Book of the Year Awards

2011-03-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful surprise in our inbox today. ForeWord's Book of the Year Award finalists for 2010 have been announced! Clicking the link I discovered that Leonard Borman's Our Jewish Robot Future: A Novel About the Garden of Eden and the Cyborgian Transformation of the Human Race has been selected as a finalist in the Fiction - Science Fiction Category.

View the complete list of Science Fiction competitors here. Winners will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference, June 23-28, 2011.

Our Jewish Robot Future presents a cheeky story that visits the Garden of Eden and questions the absence of an 11th commandment: Thou shall NOT nosh thy brother. Margarita Haralson, a post-menopausal housewife determined to become pregnant in spite of her children’s refusal to give her grandchildren, narrates the story to her newborn child. This is a must read for anyone curious for an alternative, comedic take on human existence and Jewish family relations.

“A strange adventure with even stranger concepts … a highly entertaining and very highly recommended read." — The Midwest Book Review, November 2010

Too Much Good News?? No such thing!

2011-02-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

There was already no doubt about it... Lost in Lexicon is a hit. But just because we can... Here's some more great reviews and interviews! Check 'em out!

Elle Strauss interviews Pendred Noyce
http://ellestraussbooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/self-publishing-success-story.html

Andrea from Online With Andrea interviews and reviews
http://andreasonlineblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/lost-in-lexicon-by-pendred-noyce.html
...and then it went global...

Scarletta goes big time...

2011-02-18T09:07:00.000-06:00

Claire Kirch wrote a nice little article in Publisher's Weekly about Scarletta's new line: children's books.

Scarletta Press, a small press in Minneapolis best known for its nonfiction, including an annual Writer’s Handbook, is launching a children’s fiction line this summer. The first title in the new line will be Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Pictures by Pendred Noyce, illustrated by Joan Charles. Continue reading...

Thanks PW! Way to go Scarletta!

Choosing Lexicon

2011-02-16T12:18:00.001-06:00

Check out these links for reviews and fun stuff about Lexicon in the news:

An article about Penny and Lost in Lexicon by Carolyn Ellis in the Wellesley Weston Magazine
http://wellesleywestonmagazine.com/spring11/dept_books.htm

Reviews for mathematics and writing on a gifted child website
http://www.icanbeanything.ca/Site/Book_Selections.html

Laurie Hertzel mentions Scarletta's contract with Penny
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/books/115219944.html

Hassie hits the news...

2011-02-08T15:54:00.001-06:00

According to a Publisher's Weekly review, "Nostalgia takes it on the chin in Cory's over-dramatic but atmospherically pleasing debut, the beginning of a projected trilogy about Hassie Calhoun, a 17-year-old Texas rose who arrives in 1960s Las Vegas with a big dream of becoming the next Peggy Lee..."

Well we're pretty excited about this nice, short but sweet, review and you should be too! You should also be excited to read the novel when it hits shelves this June 1 because "Cory's alternately gritty and sudsy depiction of early '60s Sin City transports the reader back to a time when the Rat Pack ethos ruled..." You're gonna love it!

Read the rest of the review here.

Scarletta Press launches new children’s line with "Lost in Lexicon" by Pendred Noyce

2011-01-25T15:19:00.000-06:00

Minneapolis-based Scarletta Press announces that it will launch a new children’s book line by acquiring Lost in Lexicon: an Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce. A self-published literary fantasy for readers ages 9-12, "Lost in Lexicon" tells the story of two cousins, Ivan and Daphne, on a quest to find lost children in a world of words and numbers running wild. “It’s just the combination of braininess, humor, and adventure we were looking for to start our new line,” says Ian Graham Leask, Scarletta’s publisher.

Look for this cover AUGUST 2011

With four books planned, the Lexicon series will serve as cornerstone of Scarletta’s new line of intellectually stimulating books for strong and thoughtful readers. “We want to publish fiction that ‘writes up’ to kids, treating them as young intellectuals who enjoy thinking,” says Leask. "Our books will be fun, adventurous, and suspenseful, but their vocabulary and storylines will be designed to challenge young readers in the right way.”

Founded in 2005, Scarletta Press has gained a reputation as a publisher of high quality literary fiction and non-fiction. Its adult books have won or been nominated for a number of literary awards.

Pendred Noyce, author of "Lost in Lexicon," is a Massachusetts physician, education reformer, and mother of five. She is active in educational philanthropy as a trustee of the Noyce Foundation, where she takes a special interest in mathematics and science education. Serving on the boards of multiple math and science-based education non-profits, she also chairs the board of the Libra Foundation in Maine and the Rennie Center for Education Policy Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Noyce wrote "Lost in Lexicon," her first book for children, as a gift for her son Damian’s ninth birthday. “I wanted to see if I could make middle school math and language concepts come alive in characters and villages. I had a lot of fun writing the book, but when my agent took it out to large publishers, they considered it too didactic and old-fashioned for today’s kids.” Convinced that the publishers were wrong, Noyce formed her own company, Tumblehome Press, and assembled her own editorial and artistic team. Illustrations by Joan Charles, a California artist, brought a sense of playful magic to the text.

According to ForeWord Book Reviews, “Lost in Lexicon breaks new ground in the adventure genre. This rollicking, often tongue-in-cheek novel will appeal to young readers who need a break from their computer games and long to journey into the woods of learning.”

When the book came out in October 2010, Noyce launched into a series of book signings, radio interviews, and public talks. She held Lexicon village events, where kids and parents together work their way through a series of interactive stations representing concepts from the book. “They find pi, invent metaphors, solve Tangram puzzles, construct words from Latin roots, and do mazes in mirrors,” says Noyce. “Like the book itself, I built the Lexicon village events to let kids and their parents interact around fun and important ideas.”

Noyce’s goal was to demonstrate that an enthusiastic market exists for children’s books that combine learning with adventure. She had it right when her book was selected for the Indie Next Kids List for Winter 2011. When her travels brought her to Minneapolis to appear on KFAI’s author show, “Write On! Radio,” she took the opportunity to meet with the leadership of Scarletta Press. “They immediately understood what I was trying to do and saw the potential of the Lexicon series,” says Noyce. “As for having my books help launch a line of books that respects kids’ intellect, I couldn’t be more delighted.”

The current edition of Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers can be purchased online through Barnes & Noble or Amazon, through the book website, as an e-book, or in selected bookstores. More info on "Lexicon," along with materials for teachers & book clubs, can be found online.

The Terminator Twist

2010-12-20T09:48:00.001-06:00

If you couldn't tell by now, Scarletta Press has started traveling in new directions. With our jump into the popular fiction genre, we've published an outrageously humorous read in Our Jewish Robot Future by Leonard Borman. It's a book that is slowly, but SURELY, garnering more and more attention.

One of the most recent reviews can be found on page 15 of the Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter (November/December 2010 issue).

"Do you remember the Terminator movies? An evil cyborg from the future comes back in time with the mission to kill the woman who would become the mother of the leader of the human resistance movement. In a twist on that theme, Borman creates a Jewish robot of the future who travels back in time to tell Alex and Margarita Haralson that they must convince their adult children to start reproducing in order for their many-times-great-grandchildren to ultimately develop the robots that would travel into space and preserve Judaism..." Read the rest here.

Don't forget to pick up your copy today!

"The future can be a very strange place..."

2010-11-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

Another great hit for Leonard Borman's Our Jewish Robot Future. Midwest Book Review calls this futuristic novel "highly entertaining and a very highly recommended read."

Read the review in Midwest Book Review's Small Press Watch for November. This review will appear in the Cengage Learning, Gale interactive CD ROM series "Book Review Index" published 4 times yearly for academic, corporate and public library systems as well as book review databases (LexixNexis and Goliath). This review will also be posted on amazon by Midwest Book Review.

Not to mention...

2010-10-04T17:59:00.001-05:00

Once again, we love a little spotlight on Scarletta Press. Our Jewish Robot Future recently had a nice mention in the bookshelf section of Tablet Magazine, an online Jewish community magazine. Here's a small taste of what they had to say:

"If Jewish/vampire trysts and Orthodox dragonslayers sound too old-fashioned for you, you might prefer Leonard Borman’s Our Jewish Robot Future (Scarletta, October), which comes freighted with the illustrative subtitle “A Comedic Novel about the Garden of Eden and the Cyborgian Transformation of the Human Race.” If nothing else, the novel demonstrates how irresistible it is for some authors to insert Jewishness into their wild fantasies..." Read the rest here.

Invitation to Moderate

2010-10-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

Scarletta Publisher Ian Graham Leask will be at the Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival on October 16 moderating a panel. You can find him and several authors in the Hennepin Room at 2:30 PM for The Great Midwest: Regional Writing panel. (Don't forget to also check out Scarletta Press near the KFAI table!)

"Join us as authors from outside the Twin Cities talk about writing in and about the region of Minnesota and the Midwest. Moderated by Ian Graham Leask, producer and host of KFAI’s Write On Radio!

Charlene Ann Baumbich uses humor to teach readers and listeners how to appreciate the little things. She’s the author of over a dozen books, including her newest, Divine Appointments. Though she resides in Illinois, many of her books are set in Winona, MN—find out why!

Patrick Hicks teaches creative writing at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, and is the author of several poetry collections (most recently This London) and the editor of a brand-new anthology of South Dakota poetry, A Harvest of Words. He has recently returned to the Midwest after living in Europe.

Mark Munger is the owner of Cloquet River Press and the author of several books, including The Legacy, Ordinary Lives, River Stories, and most recently, Mr. Environment: The Willard Munger Story. He lives in northern Minnesota.

Kent Nerburn is the author of the loudly acclaimed Neither Wolf nor Dog and its sequel, the Minnesota Book Award winner The Wolf at Twilight, among many other books that encourage millions to “seek the unseen in life.” He lives near the Canadian border in northern Minnesota."

Adventures at MBA

2010-10-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

Midwest Booksellers Association hosts the trade show every fall. This past Saturday, October 2, was the exhibit day, and Scarletta Press had a wonderful time.

Scarlett'as Amanda Fish & Author Leonard Borman

Scarletta's Desiree Bussiere, Amanda Fish, & Author Bill Watkins

Signing away & entertaining trade show attendees

Bill provides entertainment for two fans & publisher Ian Graham Leask

For your listening enjoyment

2010-10-01T13:41:00.006-05:00

Recently, as in this past Tuesday, September 28, Leonard Borman, author of Our Jewish Robot Future, made a grand appearance on local radio program KFAI Write On! Radio. For your listening enjoyment and in case you missed the original stream, we've provided the audio here.

Enjoy and have a good laugh along with Leonard and Scarletta Publisher Ian Graham Leask!

Click here to play Streaming Audio

In The News

2010-09-20T10:57:00.001-05:00

Scarletta Authors and books have had a few mentions around town.

Hometown Life: Around Birmingham mentions Our Jewish Robot Future by Leonard Borman in the lineup for the Baldwin Author Fair at the Baldwin Public Library on Sunday, September 26, from 1 PM to 4:30 PM.

Minneapolis Star Tribune also mentions two book events with Leonard Borman: Tuesday, September 28, hear him on KFAI's Write On! Radio show from 7 to 8 PM, and Wednesday, September 29, catch him at Magers & Quinn Bookstore in Minneapolis at 7:30 PM.

PRLog posted a recent press release about Mike Ferrell, his funnel business approach, and his book Ultimate Breakthrough Planning.

This Just In: HASSIE CALHOUN

2010-09-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

Hey readers! Who's excited about e-books? WE ARE! That's why we're offering the advanced reader's copy of Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence by Pamela Cory in a free electronic format.

If you're a reviewer, and are interested in a sexy, fiery novel that paints a portrait of an era, then contact me for more info.

Desiree Bussiere
Publicity Director
Scarletta Press
desiree@scarlettapress.com

Are E-Books Taking Over?

2010-09-13T11:32:00.000-05:00

It's common knowledge that society hungers for increased technology in the world of publishing. Many writers and presses are beginning to put more emphasis on e-books. Why? Well, if you consider what writer and marketing guru, Seth Godin, says, then it's quite obvious: "Paper books aren’t a particularly elegant way to spread an idea in the age of blogs, e-readers and social media."

These days, it's typical to get a glimpse of a new book electronically first. Yet true book lovers will always carry their paperbacks and hardcovers around. The feel of the pages between your fingers and the smell of ink on paper can't be replaced by LCD screens and scrolling pages. At Scarletta we aren't giving up on the process--we think it's still worth the effort to connect with our readers through traditional publishing.

But with that in mind, we do understand the perks of offering our books in electronic formats. That's why we are now utilizing PGW's Constellation services so as to offer many of our books on the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, eBrary, OverDrive, Sony Reader, Google Books and many more.

Check out these Scarletta books in their electronic formats: Our Jewish Robot Future, Yankee Invasion: A Novel of Mexico City, Israeli and Palestinian Voices, Tragedy in South Lebanon, A Beirut Heart, The Once and Future Celt, Written on the Knee, Willow in a Storm, Ultimate Breakthrough Planning, and soon The Litigators.

We also recently gained the rights to two books by Bill Watkins. We'll be putting those back into circulation through P.O.D and electronic formats. More details to come!

Ian on tpt's Almanac

2010-06-16T16:09:00.010-05:00

Last week, Ian had the pleasure of appearing as a guest on Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac show with Cathy Wurzer. Check out the video below to see what he has to say about the state of publishing today, upcoming Scarletta Press titles, and the best writing advice he's ever received.

A "Written" Review

2009-07-22T12:12:00.007-05:00

Debbie White of Different Time, Different Place Book Reviews is the latest to give her take on Written on the Knee: A Diary from the Greek-Italian Front of WWII edited and translated by Helen Electrie Lindsay. Debbie writes:

"Written on the Knee is a war diary with related letters, photos, and maps included. There are also sections giving a brief history of the time before, during, and after the diary to put the diary in context. It's an interesting, personal look at what WWII was like on Greek-Italian front. Since it's a diary, he often writes a lot about some aspects (like the travel, finding food, finding ways to send letters, interpersonal relations, air raids) and less on others (actual patients and wounds treated and the fighting going on)."

Read the full review here: http://differenttimedifferentplace.blogspot.com/2009/07/written-on-knee-by-dr-theodore-electris.html

ForeWord Magazine's Review of the Day

2009-07-17T11:40:00.003-05:00

A fantastic review of Yankee Invasion has just been posted on ForeWord Magazine's home page. Thank you to Lee Gooden for taking the time to share your thoughts on this novel of which we are very proud.

Gooden writes:

Yankee Invasion is historical fiction infused with an ontological and existential quest and a love story. There is no apparent loss of impact in Timothy G. Compton's English translation. Solares' prose contains a lyricism and a musicality that sings off the page. He writes, 'I turned toward the window, where the face of night pressed against the glass. Threads of frost were starting to form next to the window frames. In the distance I saw the vague, expressionless sky.'

Read the full review here: http://www.forewordmagazine.com/reviews/viewreviews.aspx?reviewid=4614&rssref=20090717

Reviews and awards!

2009-06-19T13:23:00.004-05:00

Lots has been going on here at Scarletta Press. While working hard to promote our most recent release, Yankee Invasion by Ignacio Solares, two prominent newspapers have written fantastic reviews and we couldn't be more excited.

The first one came from the Austin American-Statesman where Yankee Invasion was included on their "Summer Books '09" list. Thank you to Tania Lara for the nice review! View the entire article here: http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/2009/06/13/0613summerbooks.html

The next day, the Star Tribune's Kathe Connair gave a very insightful review in an article titled, "Memories of loss and anguish in Mexico." Connair writes:

"This may be, as Fuentes says, an important book for Mexican audiences, but in bringing out an English Translation, Minnesota c0-publishers Scarletta Press and Aliform Publishing have performed a service for U.S. readers interested in current U.S./Mexico relations."

View the entire article here: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/books/47878812.html?elr=KArksUUUU

****

Equally exciting, two Scarletta Press titles were recognized by the IBPA's 2009 Benjamin Franklin Awards. The New Writer's Handbook Volume 2 edited by Philip Martin was a finalist in the Career category while Written on the Knee by Helen Electrie Lindsay was a finalist in the Cover Design - Small Format category. Congrats to both authors! To view the complete list of winners click here: http://www.ibpa-online.org/pubresources/benfrank2009_Winners.aspx

Cathy Sultan gets nod from ForeWord Magazine Awards

2009-06-03T12:04:00.004-05:00

We are very excited to announce that ForeWord Magazine has released the winners for their 2008 Book of the Year Awards. Among that list is Scarletta Press author, Cathy Sultan, who was given an Honorable Mention in the Political Science category for her book, Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006.

Sultan combines compelling history and vivid personal interviews to relate the lives of the oft-ignored civilians of southern Lebanon and northern Israel during the July war of 2006. Throughout the book, these narratives of mothers, soldiers, activists and ambulance drivers on both sides are as memorable for their detail, honesty and the deep sense of tragedy they relate.

We are very proud of the message Sultan is able to voice on behalf of those often overlooked during this time and grateful ForeWord Magazine understood the importance of Tragedy in South Lebanon.

For a complete list of winners, click here.

Twitter!

2009-05-13T13:08:00.002-05:00

Scarletta Press now has a Twitter account! For those of you who aren't familiar with this new craze, Twitter is a social media tool which allows you to "follow" people as they update what's going on in their lives - all within 140 characters or less. I'll admit, I was skeptical about Twitter at first. Why do I need to know what people are doing at every second of the day? But once I realized how easy it was to connect with people (and companies!) of similar interests I quickly began to understand the power this tool can have when promoting yourself or your brand.

By utilizing Twitter, we hope to get in touch with book lovers, publishers, reviewers, authors and more to spread the word about Scarletta Press. So create an account or go to www.twitter.com/scarlettapress to keep up with what is going on in our world. Happy tweeting!

Kindle

2009-03-24T15:36:00.002-05:00

So we have a Kindle in our office. I have now played with...the future.
Physically, I like the Kindle. The size and weight feel right. The gray colors of the text and screen are indeed crisp and clear.
The pretty screen begs to be touched, like an iPhone. Touching the screen, of course, does nothing on a Kindle. Instead there's a dodgy little "joystick." It was the source of much frustration.
Attempting to search the internet was pointless. When I tried to use Wikipedia, the dodgy little joystick kept switching the language to Dutch instead of entering my word choice ("Kindle"--original, no?).
We downloaded a free book. I liked the novelty of reading it on the nice screen. If you want to use Kindle just for reading, it's probably great. I'm a little dubious of its other capabilities, and have to imagine it will improve soon.
Of course, you could always just get the Kindle for iPhone app and be able to read as well as take photos, search the internet, get directions...

Fun times at AWP

2009-02-23T13:21:00.005-06:00

Here are Ian and Cathy holding down the fort at AWP. Ian is our fearless leader, and Cathy the author of 3 Scarletta books: A Beirut Heart, Israeli and Palestinian Voices and Tragedy in South Lebanon. AWP was a good time: lots of interesting people, networking, books, and of course booze. (Book people love booze.) We had a good deal of interest in our May release, Yankee Invasion, by Ignacio Solares. That we have an intro by Carlos Fuentes definitely caught people's attentions. In fact, I'm editing that one right now...

AWP!

2009-02-09T09:19:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year when we pack up all our books and spend three days hawking our wares to America's literary folk. The Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference is the biggest such conference in the country (not to be confused with BEA, which is more about the publishing aspect). University writing programs and literary mags abound at AWP. As a small press, we go to try and drum up some interest in our unusual books.

It's fun to be surrounded by people who are as nerdy about books as you are, and also a little overwhelming--there are just so many good outlets for the written word, every one of them vying for your attention. Though I suppose it's not a bad problem to have; with so much doomsday talk about how people don't read anymore, here are thousands of people who do.

Given the economy (I feel like I've written this phrase in several previous posts), I've wondered about the tone of the conference. Will people be hopeful? Cautious? No matter what the mood, there will be drinking. There's always booze when literary folk abound.

Stop by our table, #550, if you too are at AWP.

E-books

2009-01-22T15:03:00.002-06:00

With all print media struggling, it's no shock that electronic media is getting more attention and respect. E-books are especially discussed in publishing. And everyone keeps talking about electronic book readers like Kindle, but personally I've only ever seen a handful in my life. I wonder how much longer it will take for an e-reader like Kindle to become a commodity, so most could afford to buy one. Right now the Kindle lists for $359--prohibitive for me, and many others, in this economy--but they are sold out on Amazon. Clearly, there is a demand despite the economic woes.

Eventually I'll probably own a Kindle or Sony Reader or whatever the newest incarnation is. (Apple is bound to come out with a reading gadget larger than an iPhone someday, right?) I wonder how my readings habits will change. Will I miss the feeling of a book--the crisp pages of a new book, the soft crumpled pages of a used one? Will I miss drawing little stars by unique turns of phrase?

For the time being, I'm going to enjoy my old-fashioned tangible book with creased corners and smudgy pens while I can.

Two Strib mentions in a week!

2009-01-12T11:34:00.003-06:00

As you saw, a few days ago Laurie Hertzel mentioned Written on the Knee. This past weekend, she plugged our May release, Yankee Invasion, about the American invasion of Mexico City in 1847. I'm personally very excited about this book, because it's the kind I read for my own pleasure: literary, yet accessible. It's also taught me a great deal as my knowledge of this conflict was next to nothing. Thanks Laurie!

One quick note I'd like to make, missing from the Strib post, is that we're co-publishing this with Aliform Publishing, another small Minneapolis press. Jay Miskowiec, Aliform's publisher, has some great Latin American lit in translation, which you can find here.

Minneapolis continues to rank high in literacy

2009-01-07T11:28:00.004-06:00

After a few weeks off for the holiday season, all of us at Scarletta Press are back to work with plenty to do. One exciting thing that happened while we were gone was a mention in the Sunday edition of the Star Tribune on January 4, 2009. Hopefully many of you saw it. Laurie Hertzel, Books page editor for the Strib, discussed the annual battle for the title of "Most Literate City" between Minneapolis and Seattle in her article, Which is the most literate? This year, cities share the title. The study focuses on six factors in determining each rank: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and internet resources. Scarletta Press and our book, Written on the Knee, were given a nod as noteworthy local literature.

While the publishing industry continues to experience its lists of issues, it's nice to know that our little press exists in a city where literacy is recognizably valued. Thank you, Minneapolis!

Buy Books for the Holidays

2008-12-15T12:23:00.004-06:00

Even people not in publishing know that the industry is not in the best of shape. It's causing a lot of panic in the blogosphere. Like the rest of the media world, layoffs are up, budgets are down. For years, people have been predicting the demise of the book. As a small press, we are still printing real books for that niche of people who want to hold on to something tangible.

There have been articles run in the NY Times and reprinted elsewhere lately about rethinking the book as a treasure. I like that; I think the industry needs to promote books as something special, a keepsake. A book is a handsome item that stays on your bookshelf, something you can thumb through and mark up repeatedly.

I was sent an interesting link to a website that's promoting holiday book-buying: www.buybooksfortheholidays.com. It says: "[The website is] a small contribution that we could make to show our appreciation to the people who bring us books, to give back to the industry that we love, and to help save books." Thanks, contributors to Buy Books for the Holidays. We are hanging in there for you.

A night of Greek literature, food and wine!

2008-12-15T12:17:00.006-06:00

Last month Helen Electrie Lindsay, author of Written on the Knee: A Diary from the Greek-Italian Front of WWII, gave an excellent reading at Magers and Quinn. Gardens of Salonica catered the event with an assortment of delicious Greek food and wine. Overall the event went very well - good discussion, questions, and food!

How can your business survive these hard economic times?

2008-12-15T10:11:00.005-06:00

Mike Ferrell, author of Ultimate Breakthrough Planning: The Business Funnel Approach, spoke with the Metro Independent Business Association about how to stay focused as a business owner during an economic recession. It's easy to get distracted by all the bad news we hear everyday, but Mike explains his method that any business can use to stay on track to reaching their goals. Watch the video below of Mike at Magers and Quinn Booksellers a few weeks ago:

Hi from Alexei

2008-12-12T11:42:00.002-06:00

Hello all.
Katie has shared with you the awful truth...I did grow up in New Jersey, the Mocked State. No, I don't have a thick accent.
As this is a blog about our publishing company and the literary world at large, I would like to point out that two authors generally considered in the running for America's most important modern novelist and poet are from New Jersey: Philip Roth and Allen Ginsberg.
So if you are an aspiring writer from New Jersey, you have a friend here at Scarletta.
Alexei

Our first post!

2008-12-12T11:02:00.000-06:00

With the holiday season in full swing, there are plenty of things going on here at Scarletta Press. Author events, television appearances, manuscript edits, new projects, and holiday parties are enough to keep us very busy this time of year. But it's an exciting time and we hope to share with you various items of interest from our company as well as the publishing world. Along with myself, you can expect to hear from our very own witty British export and publisher, Ian, our kareoke-loving and New Jersey native editor, Alexei, as well as some other "Scarletties" we hope to get on board with this blog. Check back often as we are aiming to add a new post at least once a week.

Until then, stay warm and happy Friday!