Christmas/Holiday Newsletters

Does your family send out a Christmas/Holiday newsletter? My wife and I have been doing this for years. Some people have changed to email newsletters, but we still send one out by snail mail.

We also enjoy receiving news from friends at this time of year. It’s good to read about kids, grandkids, trips and other significant events.

In our newsletter we focus on our family activities during the year, trips and the kids and grandkids. I also give a summary of books published during the year.

Best to all of you.

Thanksgiving

With all the turmoil and political disorder, it’s refreshing to take a moment and count my blessings on this day of thanksgiving.

I give thanks for my family and friends, for the beauty of nature and for the joy of life. May this be a day of peace and happiness for all of you.

Reversion of Book Rights

My first book, Retirement Homes Are Murder, was published in 2007. I now have fifteen books in print. Over the course of the last eleven years, rights for nine of these books have been reverted to me from three publishers. I’ve been fortunate to have all of these books back in print now, eight of them through Encircle Publications and one self-published.

Since seven of these were originally published in hardcover, these are now available in trade paperback at a more reasonable price of approximately fifteen dollars. The other two have been reissued as trade paperbacks, again at approximately fifteen dollars.

Life goes on and publishers change. I’m glad that readers can still obtain all of my published books.

Applying Rotary Four-way Test to Elections

Following up on my last post, I’ve been thinking about our recent election and what we will have to decide in two years. My though it that the service organization, Rotary, has a Four-way Test that’s an excellent benchmark for determining who we should vote for. Here’s my adaptation:

The Candidate Four-Way Test

Of the things the candidate says or does:

-          Is it the truth?

-          Will it build goodwill?

-          Will it build better friendships?

-          Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

A Positive Message from Service Organizations

I’ve had the opportunity to speak at a number of Rotary, Kiwanis and Optimist clubs recently. I’m always struck by the combination of patriotism and willingness to help other people. In this time of divisiveness it’s refreshing to be with people who strongly believe in community service.

As an example, Rotary believes in service above self. It’s Four-Way Test is a message we all need to take to heart:

“Of the things we think, say or do:

-          Is it the truth?

-          Will it build goodwill?

-          Will it build better friendships?

-          Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

 

Demise of Mystery Novel Publishers

The publishing industry is nothing if not dynamic. For ten years I worked with Five Star but approximately three years ago they announced they would no longer publish mystery novels. I had one final novel, Court Trouble, under contract with them and it was released in July 2016. I had another mystery novel in the pipeline with Five Star; it had been approved by the acquiring editor but was not under contract, consequently this was never published by Five Star. Fortunately, I found another publisher, Encircle Publications, who published this novel, Death of a Scam Artist, as well as republishing seven books that Five Star had reverted rights for. In total Five Star published six books in my Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series and three standalone mysteries before they exited the mystery line. Five Star’s primary market was libraries so I benefited from the increase in readership from hundreds of each of my books being in libraries across the country.

Recently, Midnight Ink announced they would no longer publish mystery novels after 2019. This was another blow to a large number of fine authors who became orphaned.

Oak Tree Press who had published one of my books, The V V Agency, also went out of business a month ago.

Because of acquisitions, mergers and closing lines of business, sources for traditional publication of mystery novels has declined. Self publishing and existing publishers still remain options. All part of the world of publishing.

Research for a Professional Organizer Mystery Novel

My recently released mystery novel, Unstuff Your Stuff, features a 68-year-old protagonist Millicent Hargrove who becomes a professional organizer. I’ve never been a professional organizer, but I did research by getting to know a number of professional organizers and being an unpaid assistant on some of their projects.

Watching then in action helped me craft my main character and the situations she finds herself in. Millicent has a mantra she uses in her organizing work. GRR—group, reduce, reorganize. The professional organizers I met and my wife have helped me become a better organizer as well.