Category Archives: Publishing

November 28, 2013 · 3:27 pm

Blunderkins© Is Coming To Town

Her name is Shirley Epstein, aka Blunderkins©.

She has a nose for bad news and an uncanny knack for diving into the middle of murder, mayhem and mystery.  Fair, fat, fertile and a bit over 40, Shirley is also pretty good at dragging her long time, ever patient, inventor husband, Bert, into the fray with her.

In Blunderkins© Saves The Baby, Shirley finds death and destruction right in her own back yard when her new and very rich neighbor starts dumping a liquid fertilizer into the pond he shares with the Espteins, something that turns the water red and his lawn an emerald green.

At the heart of this mystery is a stolen baby and a human trafficking ring. Shirley gets the facts but she also gets caught and is headed for the same fate as the other murder victims.

Bert saves the day (and his wife) with his techno-talon, a hidden, high-tech surveillance system and a GPS chip embedded in Shirley’s wedding band the day they got married.

The manuscript is in the final round of editing; the book will be on Amazon Kindle before you know it and Shirley and Bert have already embarked on their next murder mystery entitled Blunderkins© & The Bad Husband.

NOTE:  The word and character, Blunderkins©  are copyrighted and the exclusive property of Patricia and Pasquale Muccigrosso.  Copyright © 2013. All rights are reserved. This character and books named for this title character may not be reproduced or used in any manner, whatsoever.

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Filed under Book Reviews, Copywriting, Freelance Writing, Love and Marriage, Mysteries, Publishing

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October 10, 2013 · 5:54 am

Don’t Get Sued – 3 Sources of Copyright-Free Images from LKR Social Media

Blogging can be fun.  It can be profitable.  It can simply be a means of leaving behind a journal for grandchildren and maybe even grandchildren you will never know.

But blogging is still covered by the same copyright laws that govern all intellectual property including photographs.  And copyright law, which includes using someone else’s photographs,  is pretty rigid.

Under copyright law, there is little wiggle room for the usual excuses and “fair use” – not monetized, one time use, educational – does not cover theft of property.

This cautionary tale comes from Laura K. Roeder, an expert in the use of social media.   The person involved used only 3 pictures which she thought were covered.   Her initial fine was over $2,000. 00. Her apology and sincere explanation of why she thought it was okay to use them got the fine reduced $1650.00.

If she had paid for the use of the photos, her total cost would have been $148.50.

Bottom line, unless you take the photo, pay for the photo or know, unequivocally, that is is copyright free, don’t use it.  Roeder provides 3 sources where you can get photos for use on your blog. Check them out but seriously consider taking your own photos.  It’s safer.

3 Killer Sources of Copyright-Free Images to Avoid Getting Punched in the Face with a Lawsuit – LKR Social Media.

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Filed under Copywriting, Freelance Writing, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing Advice

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April 10, 2012 · 6:29 am

Want To Help Cook Up a Cookbook?

If I wanted to write a cookbook, would you help?

Would you be willing to contribute your favorite, family recipe (or recipes, if you have them)?   I’d love to get a recipe that is tried and true for a dish that tastes good and that has been passed down in your family.  And (and this is the big and) I want the story behind the recipe.

I especially like recipes like those of my grandmother and her friends.  My Gran was a no nonsense cook in the kitchen and the depression stripped out all the fancy ingredients, techniques and tools.  Recipes were designed to make great tasting food without an investment counselor hovering over your shoulder, literally counting the beans.

But there are no limitations on recipes for this book.  They don’t have to be fat free or vegetarian or ethnic…they just have to deliver dishes that taste good and that anyone can make in their own kitchen.

And they have to have a family story associated with them like the one about my Gran’s Apple Brown Betty – the dessert she made the day World War I ended – and the infamous kitchen apron incident.

I’ve been thinking about this for about 10 years (yep, 10 long years) and this morning I decided to ask for your help and get the project off the ground.

If you’re interested, please visit my Contact page and shoot me an email. I can share some more information and an example with you so you can get an idea of what I’m looking for.

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February 4, 2012 · 8:39 am

Barnes & Noble vs Amazon – Who loses?

Publisher’s Weekly is carrying an interesting article about the decision by Barnes & Noble not to carry what it calls, “Amazon published books.”  Books A Million  has apparently joined the B&N boycott, saying it won’t sell Amazon-published books either.

The article’s author also reports (anecdotally) that independent booksellers are joining the list of bookstores that won’t carry books published by Amazon.

Not a new battle but once again, a battle in which authors and readers lose while the behemoths of the book world do battle in the center ring of the publishing circus.

PW Tip Sheet: This Has All Happened Before.

The comments below the article are interesting and enlightening.  I would love to know what you think, too.

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