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Pam Perry
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- What do you hope to get out of being a part of this social network site?
- Learn how to be nice to people and care about one another - and not just "their" thing.
- What is your profession?
- Literary Agent and PR Coach
- Please share one parenting tip for all the other parents out there
- Laugh a lot! DON'T WORRY - Pray and cast your cares. Your kids have Dr. Phil or Oprah if they are messed up adults. LOL! :)
- How long have you been a subscriber to Keeping Family First online magazine?
- Since 2005
- Can you share with others a good parenting book you've read?
- Queen Bees and Wanna Bees. (My child is a middle schooler!) Help me JESUS!
Events, Workshops and conferences that I did this summer! Whew!
Pam Perry's Photos
Pam Perry's Blog
The Power of Friendships - take the time for them!
Take the Time to be Kind
By: Pam Perry, pamperry@ministrymarketingsolutions.com
Recently a friend said, “Thanks for remembering me.” Her business had just recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. I didn’t make the celebration but I did call to say, “Congratulations.” Takin… Continue
Posted on November 24, 2008 at 3:30pm — 3 Comments
LOVING IN PERFECT HARMONY
Getting in Tune with God’s Plan for Marriage
By: Pamela Perry
Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another…and above all these things put on charity [love], which is bond of perf… Continue
Posted on October 15, 2008 at 6:30am — 1 Comment
Can Anyone Say, TMI – Too much Information!
No one has a simple life anymore. The information age has turned into information overload. Endless internet, never-to-get-away-from cell phones and the addictive gadgets – Blackberrys! (My husband calls these “Crackberrys” because one can get addicted to non-st… Continue
Posted on September 28, 2008 at 1:30am — 1 Comment
You see the glory, but don't know the story! Black Pain: It just looks like we're not hurting
My story as told in Black Pain to Terrie M. Williams -
After our business (the family business Perry Marketing Group) closed in 2000, I went into a deep depression. I thought I would snap out of it. I kept myself busy and tried to act like things were normal. Though the bankru… Continue
Posted on September 22, 2008 at 9:00pm —
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Money blinds. It's as simple as that. Aspiring authors ask about the money issue all the time, in varying forms, (How much does cost to publish? How much will I get paid in royalties?, etc.) but they can't see beyond that issue to think about the thing that will truly decide the money question. And here it is:
What Do You Want From Your Book?
That is the real question! Once you are clear about what you want out of the publishing process, you can decide what route would be the most satisfying--and profitable--for you. When it comes right down it it, you can spend as much or as little as you want on your book. But how much are you willing to spend to get what you want?
When you aren't clear, you can make poor decisions that won't line up with your goals. For instance, many authors have a goal of making a lot of money, but they won't consider self publishing. The fact is that unless you can immediately sell on the level of an Oprah's Book Club selection or a James Patterson or a Dan Brown, it's going to take a very long time before your royalties add up to much. When you self publish you take on risk, but you stand to gain much more because you get to keep all the profits (unless your agreement with the publishing company you use is a royalties-based one).
Another strong reason to self publish: you can use your first book to build your platform for a bigger deal with a traditional publishing house in the future. Again, you can choose the self publishing deal that's right for you. A print on demand company such as Xlibris charges just $500 for a basic package where you can get your book produced and copies made as they are ordered--so no inventory. Of course, when you pay more, you get more: better design, distribution services, maybe even some marketing help.
The Traditional Road
If your dreams of authorship include larger audiences and the literary status that comes of being published by one of the many arms of Random House, Warner or Simon & Schuster, that's fine--just know that this route isn't exactly free either. No, you don't have to pay a traditional publishing house and yes, they do everything for you (design, distribution, some advertising and marketing), but these days a writer is expected to spend a little too on promoting the book. Many writers are even putting the amount they've set aside in their book proposals. If you're serious about marketing your book, you'll need to set aside at least $10,000. That amount can go as high as $30,000 depending on the amount of travel and other advertising you intend to use.
Smart Money, Dumb Money
Once you understand what you want out of your book, you'll not only know how much you're willing to spend, you'll also know better how to spend it. You can spend it smart or you can spend it dumb. Many writers spend it dumbly because they don't know what they want.
If you're spending money on educating yourself about publishing, improving your writing skills, hiring a good editor or book consultant, and marketing that will help you reach your specific, targeted reader, that's all smart money. You will get more out of those dollars than if you had never spent it at all. You are investing in your writing career.
But if you spend money because someone told you this is "the only way you'll ever get this book published" (and you haven't researched any other ways), or buy advertising simply because it's where other books are advertised, or go to writer's conferences with no clear plan of what you want out of them, or pay agents "reader fees", or pay editors whose work you don't know or whose references you haven't checked, that's dumb money. You'll put those dollars out there and see little or no return.
So I guess the bad news is publishing isn't free. The good news is you have a choice as to how much you spend and where you spend it. Be an educated consumer as well as an educated--and talented-- writer. You'll find that to have a book published in the way you want it published is still in the end--priceless.
Sophfronia
"The Book Sistah" (tm)
http://www.thebooksistah.com
The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company LLC
(see her link on the Chocolate Pages Network Home Page)
Raquel
Welcome and thanks for joining! You're A-W-E-S-O-M-E! I want to see your stuff on the main page. Write a blog!
Anita
God Wants to be the Hero By Marc Perry (mperry@ministrymarketingsolutions.com) 2003Everyone loves heroes. We admire them and look to them for help during our times of distress. If you ever watched “Batman,” you know that when Gotham needed him, the commissioner turned on the bat light, which lit up the sky and sent out a signal to the caped crusader.
When Batman got the signal, he would jump in the Batmobile and speed off to defend the helpless and needy from the evil villains.
On a recent business trip, I read Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. I enjoyed the quality time with God and thought about my role as a man and child of the King. Something Eldridge wrote left an indelible impression on my heart: “God wants to be the hero.”
What does this mean, I wondered. I soon found out.
On the day of my departure, I arrived at LaGuardia Airport three hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. It was beginning to snow; two hours later, snow covered the ground, and an attendant announced that my flight was cancelled. I arranged to take the next flight home and called my wife Pam to let her know I would be a day late.
Because I only had $10 and no credit card, I told her I would spend the night at the airport. She advised me to try to catch another fight, find out if the airline would provide accommodations, or call somebody from the office. The airline would not pay for overnight arrangements because the flight was cancelled because of the weather. The office was closed, but I was able to reach Linda, the proprietor, by phone; she suggested that I stay close to the airport and offered to pay for my room.
On my way to find a listing of hotels, I spotted some friends from Detroit. Walter and Portia Lockett and two of their children were on their way home from an overnight trip to New York. They had participated in an interview with CNN about a trip to Peru that they had taken for a National Geographic program and were waiting for a driver to transport them to their hotel in Long Island. I shared my circumstances with them and called Pam, who laughed and talked with Portia about our “divine meeting.” They offered to let me share their accommodations, but I wanted to find out about nearby hotels before I accepted their invitation. Linda called to find out which hotel I had chosen. I told her that I was considering staying with some friends in Long Island, and she recommended that I locate a hotel nearby because of my early flight.
While I was looking at the board, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to stay with the Locketts. Then, a woman standing nearby announced that the all hotels near the airport were booked. My decision made, I got my bags and told the Locketts I was coming with them.
We all went outside, and when the driver saw us, he said he could only take four people. “It’s against the law for me to have more than four passengers,” he said. I told Portia and Walter I would take a cab and meet them at the hotel. They agreed, and Walter, who remembered that all I had was $10, gave me $50 for my cab fare.
I got in line with the other 75 people waiting for a cab. It was cold, and I was not dressed for it, but I waited patiently until it was my turn. By now, six inches of snow covered the ground.
I told the cab driver I wanted to go to Long Island, and he looked at me like I had asked him to do the impossible.(I had no idea how far Long Island was from the airport, but I soon learned that it takes 45 minutes to get there on a good day.) A transportation coordinator asked if I would mind sharing the cab; I said no, and she yelled, “Anybody want to go to Long Island?”
A young lady in her 30’s ran to the cab. She told the cab driver she was only 15 minutes from the airport and knew a short cut. Noticeably upset, the driver looked in his price book and announced that the ride would cost about $220.
We spent the next two hours talking about the weather, our families, and our careers. As we got close to her destination, she told me that she only had $100 and asked how much I would charge her. Although I needed the entire $100, I told her to pay whatever she felt was fair, and she gave me $90.
As we pulled away from her condominium, the cab driver told me how close he got to throwing her out of his cab because he didn’t like bossy people. We laughed, but inwardly, I was glad he hadn’t thrown her out.
Because we were getting close to the hotel, he suggested that we “settle up.” I agreed and asked how much I owed him. When he said $250, I was shocked—and worried. I was $100 short. I called Portia to confirm the location of the hotel and request an additional $100. She told me they had given me all the cash they had. I began praying immediately; I turned the situation over to God and promised to follow His lead.
When we arrived at the hotel, Portia was waiting out front. She walked over to the cab and handed me $100! I paid the cab driver and went inside the hotel, anxious to learn what had happened.
After she had spoken to me on the phone, Portia tried to get cash from an ATM machine, but was unsuccessful. Distraught, she began pacing in lobby of the hotel, trying to figure out what we were going to do. A man walked up to her and asked her what was wrong. She told him her brother would be arriving at the hotel any minute, but did not have enough money for cab fare. He asked how much we needed. When she told him $100, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and gave it to her.
And that’s when it hit me: “God wants to be the hero.” When we have trials, tribulations, or troubles, or when we feel disillusioned, defeated, or discouraged, we must lean on the Lord. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He will direct thy path” (Proverbs 3:5). When we give Him control and truly trust Him to provide our every need, He will always deliver. All we have to do is surrender and submit. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (I Peter 5:6-8).
The next time you are in need—of strength, patience, love, direction, hope, or something else—“humble [yourself] and pray” (II Chronicles 7:14).
Your request will light up heaven like a beacon and send a “signal” to the Divine Defender, and He will come to your rescue.
Find more photos like this on SistahFaith Network