Blogging, Writing, and Publishing

        Jason backed into one of the boxes hard, receiving a good poke in the kidneys. He stood involuntarily erect with pain, and stifled a cry of protest and curses.      “Jason, I’m scared,” Cora whimpered. “I want to get out of here.” She saw Jason respond with an increasing nervousness. He looked like he would rather be doing anything else.      “I’m still working on it. It’s not going as quickly as you would like.” Cora heard the man in the lab coat protest.      “Mr. Evans wants something done now. If you don’t produce, he gets upset. When he gets upset, I get angry. I like being angry, but you won’t like it at all.”      Cora’s jaw dropped open as the men continued to argue. She looked to Jason for clarification, but his wide-eyed stare  showed nothing but horror.      They backed away from the doors, but the men’s loud shouting continued. Cora reached for Jason’s hand. A...

    The roar of the engine frightened the natives, causing them to take cover on the ground. The propeller sent wet leaves and vines like miniature missiles flying in their direction, forcing them to stay prone until the plane pulled away.      As he taxied down the strip, John cranked the flap setting to full in preparation for a short field take-off. As the wing’s trailing edges lengthened, he turned to check on Steve. His buddy was still restless, and not of much use. John set the brakes, running the engine to maximum power. The brakes groaned and the wheels longed to be free. John saw a blur pass before him as he realized the arrow assault had resumed. Something else caught his attention, and he saw how a character ran full speed toward the plane, a stone axe raised in attack.      John released the brakes and plowed full power toward the end of the runway, but not before the foe released his ax. Striking Steve’s window, it splintered the...

7-14. Apprising happens when the leader explains why a request will benefit a follower, such as giving them greater satisfaction in their work or performing a task a certain way that will save half the time. In  contrast to the exchange technique, the benefits are out of the control of the leader. A commander may use  the apprising technique to inform a newly assigned noncommissioned officer that serving in an operational  staff position, prior to serving as a platoon sergeant, could provide him with invaluable experience. The  commander points out that the additional knowledge may help the NCO achieve higher performance than  his peers and possibly lead to an accelerated promotion to first sergeant. 7-15. Inspiration occurs when the leader fires up enthusiasm for a request by arousing strong emotions to  build conviction. A leader may stress to a fellow officer that without help, the safety of the team may be at  risk. By appropriately stressing ...

     “Hmm?” Steve answered groggily. He wore a stupid smile. It’s not over. I need you to take the controls so I can prop the plane. Those guys drained the battery.”      “Ok, fly to get more batteries,” Steve said in his delirium.      “No! no! no!” John yelled. “I have to hand prop the plane. Listen; just hold your feet on the brakes.”      John climbed out and turned the propeller a couple of times and prepared for a starting kick. Then he saw a commotion in the jungle. Some of the natives were holding up the ponchos where he and Steve had been. So far they hadn’t seen him.      “Please, God, let this start,” John prayed before throwing the propeller downward.      It went around sputtering but not catching. The alerted natives looked and moved slowly toward the plane, taking cover as they advanced.      “Great, an audience.”      A hastily fired...

7-14. Apprising happens when the leader explains why a request will benefit a follower, such as giving them greater satisfaction in their work or performing a task a certain way that will save half the time. In  contrast to the exchange technique, the benefits are out of the control of the leader. A commander may use  the apprising technique to inform a newly assigned noncommissioned officer that serving in an operational  staff position, prior to serving as a platoon sergeant, could provide him with invaluable experience. The  commander points out that the additional knowledge may help the NCO achieve higher performance than  his peers and possibly lead to an accelerated promotion to first sergeant. 7-15. Inspiration occurs when the leader fires up enthusiasm for a request by arousing strong emotions to  build conviction. A leader may stress to a fellow officer that without help, the safety of the team may be at  risk. By appropriately stressing th...

     Time passed slowly that morning. The natives searched for hours before finally leaving, or at least that’s what John hoped they’d done. The sun was higher in the sky and began burning off the rain water that fell the previous day. Once again fog and steam started to form, leaving John hoping for a gentle breeze to disperse it.      His plan was simple. He would help Steve the seventy-five or so yards to the awaiting plane and take off straight down the runway. The airstrip sloped upward about five degrees, so he would need all the power the plane had. He nudged Steve, who less than alert.      “It’s time to go.”      “Huh? What’s going on?” Steve lifted his pale face, his glazed eyes trying to focus.      “I need you to be alert. There are very dangerous people after us. We need to get to the plane. Do you understand?”          John spoke slowly, hoping the words would break...

The following is an excerpt from US Army Leadership. This is an example of how an independent publisher can publish and market books in the public domain. 7-14. Apprising happens when the leader explains why a request will benefit a follower, such as giving them greater satisfaction in their work or performing a task a certain way that will save half the time. In  contrast to the exchange technique, the benefits are out of the control of the leader. A commander may use  the apprising technique to inform a newly assigned noncommissioned officer that serving in an operational  staff position, prior to serving as a platoon sergeant, could provide him with invaluable experience. The commander points out that the additional knowledge may help the NCO achieve higher performance than his peers and possibly lead to an accelerated promotion to first sergeant. 7-15. Inspiration occurs when the leader fires up enthusiasm for a request by arousing strong emotions to ...

   The half naked group, armed with spears and bows and arrows, and one with a stone ax, fanned out once they neared the clearing. They moved in unison like a well-rehearsed infantry unit. Someone gave a bird call upon seeing the camouflaged airplane and the rest moved cautiously toward the source of commotion.      John saw them move slowly toward the plane, and huddle around the leader. They looked for tell-tale signs of trouble, then regrouped as the leader gave instructions. On cue, they began removing the bushes and curiously rubbed their hands across the smooth surface of the plane. Some of them swung from the wings and struts, while others played with the control surfaces until the leader yelled a warning.      The leader, dressed in a loincloth and wearing a necklace of bones and ornamental feathers, motioned for one of his subordinates to try the doors. The lackey finally figured how to open the pilot’s door and curiously played ...

This section continues our discussion of the DSS’ The Self-Inspection Handbook for NISP Contractors. We are still addressing Section M, classified storage. This update addresses perimeter controls that deter and detect unauthorized removal and introduction of classified information. 5-103 Is a system of perimeter controls maintained to deter or detect unauthorized introduction or removal of classified information from the facility? If so, when, where, and how are these being implemented? According to NISPOM 5-103. Perimeter Controls. Contractors authorized to store classified material shall establish and maintain a system to deter and detect unauthorized introduction or removal of classified material from their facility . Traceability is an important part of protecting classified information. There is plenty of allusion in industry best practices, NISPOM , and training that only TOP SECRET information is to be accountable. There is tremendous direction for application of...

Prominent Christian authors and publishers are doing some incredible marketing. They understand and execute corporate marketing that independent authors and publishers are struggling with; relevant and expansive platforms to sell their books and services. The relevant platforms are information laden conferences; articles with captivating titles that engage readers, classes, blogs, and social media postings. They are selling books, but to the untrained eye, are not selling books. Let me explain. Where many authors fail, big name and successful authors are increasing in influence. They do this by addressing current issues and encouraging conversation. This in turn generates a buzz and the message gets forwarded many times over. Of course these big name authors have access to more mainstream communications, but this lesson can be adapted by struggling authors in niche fields. For example more direct and overt marketing efforts are shared by inexperienced authors who don't ...

Recently I came across a Facebook post of an article from the Tennessean called, Ex-CFO who slammed Chick-fil-A now on food stamps ( article here ). I had originally read the article to learn of this Adam Smith's fate and see how he fared after being held accountable for his actions; I learned much more. The post described how an executive fell from grace after recording himself verbally abusing a Chick-Fil-A employee. The article told the story of how he had been immediately fired from his high paying job, moved to a new state to take a new job, only to be fired from that one as well. The interesting nugget is buried at the bottom of the article. Apparently Adam Smith is also learning the fine art of marketing . A lesson hard to learn, but necessary none the less. In the last paragraph Smith talks about his book A Million Dollar Cup of Water , a memoir of his professional collapse.  Smith describes (tongue in cheek) how he is surprised at how his book can ha...

www.cafepress.com/redbikepublishing Amazon Kindle provides another way for customers to read your book. Sometimes the more options the better. I've personally been surprised to find that sales increased when I added the Kindle book alternative to customers. The great news is publishing with Kindle Direct Publishing doesn't cost anything other than the time to create the book in the proper format. Additionally, Amazon's Kindle has a new feature that will allow customers to pre-order and pay for books before the release date. You can now upload your book with a projected sales date of up to 90 days in advance.  Customers can pre-order their copies before the book is even published. However, use this only if you have a complete manuscript ready to go. You just need to provide a working manuscript and a final manuscript within a month of the publishing date. As publisher, you can upload your manuscript to Amazon.com as a Kindle readable book. To do so, first...

The goal is to have all versions of your book listed on all amazon book pages. This may automatically occur when publishing book versions simultaneously through Amazon's Createspace and Kindle Editions. However, what about publishing a print book with Lightning Source? Unless the description details the author / publisher of the book are exactly the same on both accounts (Lightning Source and Kindle setup pages), the books won't necessarily link. In fact, I published Get Rich in a Niche with Kindle first to test the market. When I was satisfied the Kindle book was selling well, I decided to publish with Create Space. Unfortunately the books did not link and I spent too much time not really concerned about it. Then I realized I was loosing a good marketing opportunity.  When books are not linked and each version stands alone, the author / publishers looses sales; period. Each version holds it's own reviews, buyers loose Kindle purchasing options ( for example,...