Nickel and Dime Productions in the New Year

Today is New Year’s Eve. We’ve been in business for almost ten months now, and made some good progress despite our relative inexperience in several areas of epublishing. So we’re making plans for an even more successful year in 2013.

We’re planning a variety of new projects for the year. Scripts for at least two documentaries are in the planning stages, and we’re finishing the first draft of a feature film. We also have several books in the pipeline, including both non-fiction and our first fiction offering.

We’ll be continuing to add to our collection of design and pattern books for both our jewelry and knit and crochet series. We expect to have Volume 2 of "Knit and Crochet for You" ready for release in early January, and we’ve been busy creating new designs for our jewelry series entitled "No Strings Attached."

We are planning to release our four existing titles on Amazon’s CreateSpace as paperbacks, and our new titles will be added to CreateSpace as they are released.

We’re looking forward to a busy and productive year in 2013.

May your New Year be bright and shiny, and full of happiness and prosperity.

Progress Report: What We’re Up To

Right now, we’re working on our book entitled "30 Remarkable Women You’ve Probably Never Heard Of." And the women we’re profiling are remarkable indeed. Most of them stepped well outside of what was considered "normal" for their time. Some of them ended up paying with their lives for their audacity.

Some of the women we’re profiling include Puritan Anne Hutchison, the first woman put on trial in the new world, Hypatia of Alexandria, one of the most brilliant women of her time, and Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last queen.

We’re also well into researching a great new book about Neanderthals and their world. There’s a lot of new information coming out that suggests that we have long misunderstood these people.

Both books are scheduled for release early next year. We’re also nearly ready to release the second set of designs in our "Knit and Crochet For You" series. The ten projects include sweaters, scarves and hats, and more. Look for it in early January

Author Resources: Publish Your Own Ebooks

As a publisher, I’m always on the lookout for interesting and valuable resources. And Publish Your Own Ebooks is one of those resources. The site is full of interesting articles about publishing and marketing your ebooks. It includes guides to software, marketing resources, and lots of good advice. I suggest you start by signing up for the free newsletter, which comes with its own free gift.

Webmaster Gary McLaren also publishes news items you won’t find anywhere else, including the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. His analyses of publishing sites and resources are very honest, giving his readers a realistic assessment of the value of the publishers and services he has researched.

If you’re new to ebook publishing, or just looking for great information, go here

Marketing Help - Free Information to Help You Market Your Book

It’s one thing to write a book, another to sell it. Many writers cannot afford to pay for publicity, and many others don’t really know how or where to begin to publicize their books. This article will not only help plan your marketing strategy, but will simplify your marketing efforts. It shows you where to post for free, along with short descriptions of each site.

And while you’re there, check out the rest of the site. There are literally hundreds of helpful articles which should answer most of your questions about self-publishing and promotion. Just plan on spending quite a bit of time there.

Find the information here, and jump start your sales.

Any Budding Screenwriters Out There?

If you are, or want to be, a screenwriter, here’s a site you should check out. There’s enough information and advice here to keep you busy for hours. If you’re interested in entering a screenwriting contest, which is one of the best ways to break into the business, they have some pretty up-to-date information here. There’s a fairly active message board, and if you’d like, you can catch up on information about such Hollywood legends as Robert Altman, James Cameron, and Julia Roberts. You can even advertise your indie feature or short film.

If you’re interested, the site is here

It’s Alive!

Our latest book is out. No Strings Attached - Vol. 2 was released on November 17. We’ve been encouraged by the success of its predecessor, No Strings Attached - Vol. 1, so we have high hopes for this new little book.

If you’re a beading enthusiast looking for a few new projects, we invite you to check out this little book, which features more than ten designs including necklaces, earrings, a bracelet, and knit counters.

So far, No Strings Attached - Vol. 2 is available for Barnes & Noble’s Nook at
It is also available for the Amazon Kindle here

Your One-Stop Shop for Self-Publishing Help

Shelley Hitz is a very successful self-publisher. But what I like best about her is her website. I also like her newsletter. I like her approachability. And there’s a lot more to like here.

Shelley offers everything you need to make a success of your own self-publishing venture. There’s enough free information on the site to keep you busy for hours. She answers questions you didn’t even think to ask
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Shelley speaks from her own experience. She’s a successful author in her own right, so you’re not going to get canned answers to publishing questions. She makes her own experience available to her readers, advises them on great products and services, both free and paid. In short, she does everything she can to make you a success.

I’ve had a very positive personal experience with Shelley as well. I found her to be genuine and extremely personable.

If you’re serious, or thinking about becoming serious, about self-publishing, I urge you to visit her website. But plan on spending a lot of time looking it over. It’s massive. Shelley can convince you that you can become your own publisher, and she can show you how. Be sure to sign up for her free newsletter. Her website is here

Books for Writers

If you’re thinking about writing a thriller (or screenplay), or even just a great novel, you really should take a look at these books by James N. Frey. As far as I’m concerned, these books are the best guides you can find. There are a total of five books in the "Damn Good" series, but you should own at least these three.

Frey delves into every aspect of novel creation. You’ll learn how to develop your idea and create compelling characters. He shows you how to create an opening that will grab your reader, then teaches you how to create a climax so powerful that your readers will look forward to your next book. Plot twists, tension, and thrilling action are the key to writing that next bestseller, and he has plenty of great advice and examples to take advantage of.

The "Damn Good" books are short but so filled with information and advice that you’ll wonder how he stuffed it all into those few pages. And they are definitely not dull. You’ll appreciate his humor and down-to-earth advice. And perhaps best of all, you’ll leave convinced that you, too, can write a great book.

Frey has lectured and taught at some of the best-known writer’s schools and conferences. He’s an award-winning author of plays and novels. He has written nine novels, one of which was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Another was chosen as a Literary Guild selection.

The man knows what he’s talking about. You can’t go wrong by trying out at least one of his books.
You can find "How to Write a Damn Good Thriller" here. There is even a set of four of the most popular "Damn Good" titles available at a discount. These books are available for the Kindle.

Ebook Writers/Publishers: Check Out This Handy Software

One of the hardest parts of getting your own ebooks into the catalogs of outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even Smashwords, is trying to get the format right. The process is time-consuming, hard, and often frustrating. And the product often comes out looking amateurish, which does not help sales.

I accidentally stumbled across an ebook creator called Ultimate Ebook Creator, and downloaded a trial copy. About an hour later, I bought the full version of the software. It’s that good. And at less than $40, it’s one of the best investments you’ll make in your ebook publishing career.

Currently, Ultimate Ebook Creator produces books in several formats, including mobi and ePub. It is in a constant state of upgrade.  For example, you can now use it to upload to Smashwords, which has a reputation for being an enormously complicated project.  UEC  comes complete with a set of instructional videos on the website, and a downloadable guide you can reference offline.

Ultimate Ebook Creator is a work in progress. I’ve only had the program a short time and I’ve already downloaded two free updates. Each one has enhanced the program and expanded my publishing capabilities.

I’m lucky I found this program, and if you try it, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. (Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate, just a fan.)

If you’d like to find out more or download a fully functional trial copy of Ultimate Ebook Creator, go here. And be prepared to spend a lot of time on the site. He’s got a lot of great information there.

Who Are We?

We’re a brand new company started in March of 2012 with the intent of publishing books, ebooks, films and other media products. There are three of us, and our position titles seem to change depending on what project we’re working on at the moment. Our motto is: "We take everything seriously except ourselves."

As of today, we have published a total of three ebooks. The first, titled "101 Questions Christians Hope You Never Ask" is by a new author named D. C. Cullen. She managed to find a few surprising questions, but she gives you references so you can look up the passages and arrive at your own answers to the questions. It’s currently only available at Amazon.com, but we’ll be expanding its availability in the next few weeks. If you’re interested in taking a look, visit here

Our second ebook, called "No Strings Attached - Vol 1" is a book of jewelry designs which don’t require thread, string, needles, or knots. It provides a good way to expand your jewelry-making skills. Again, it is currently only available for Amazon’s Kindle, but we’ll be expanding to other ebook stores in the near future. You can find it here

Our third book is a collection of knit and crochet designs called "Knit and Crochet Patterns for You - Vol 1. Projects include an afghan, colorful kitchen accessories, scarves, and even gloves. Most designs can be made by inexperienced knitters and crocheters, and were created to be inexpensive to make. If you’d like to look it over, visit here for Kindle, and here for Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

At the moment, we’re working on the next volumes in both series, a book on some remarkable women in history, and the screenplay for our first documentary film. We’re also working with a new author on an overview of World War II. The author says his audience will be primarily high schoolers and college students, but from what I’ve seen so far, it will be a wonderful introduction for anyone interested in that war
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We have many more irons in the fire, but I don’t want to bore you too much right out of the box. I’m looking forward to adding articles about books, authors, authoring resources, and much more.