Ralph Keyes is a speaker, teacher and author of 15 books. His bestseller, Is There Life After High School? was made into a Broadway musical that is still produced in this country and abroad. His 1995 book, The Courage to Write, has become a fixture among aspiring writers. Ralphs recent books have focused on language. Nice Guys Finish Seventh and The Quote Verifier explore the origins of quotations, with an emphasis on correcting misconceptions about who said what. I Love It When You Talk Retro is about retroterms, words and phrases that are rooted in our past. Keyes has also written hundreds of articles and essays for publications ranging from GQ to Newsweek. An article he co-authored won the McKinsey Award for Best Article of the Year in the Harvard Business Review. In addition to writing, Keyes speaks to gatherings that range from professional, corporate and educational groups to ones for writers. As a teacher, he has taught courses on writing at a number of colleges and universities as well as at writers conferences. Following early media appearances on The Tonight Show and All Things Considered, Keyes went on to appear on Oprah Winfrey, The Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, and 20/20. People Magazine has featured him twice. For more information, visit Ralphs website at www.ralphkeyes.com ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA Phil updates his blog, "Triumph of the Spirit: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Chaotic World" every day at bolstablog.com Phil is the author of "Sixty Seconds One ...
2010/09/20
Synchronicity or Coincidence--You Decide
Synchronicity is a phenomenon where an event in the outside world coincides meaningfully with a psychological state of mind. "Meaningful coincidence"... Synchronicity - a term introduced by the depth of psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung's work... Recently the term "synchronicity" was introduced into pop culture consciousness by the artist, Sting (an avid student of Jung) and the Police. And more recently - the best seller book entitled "The Celestine Prophecy." The author, James Redfield, relies heavily upon the experience of "synchronicity."
Synchronicity was defined by Jung as an "a causal connecting principle," an essentially mysterious connection between the personal psyche and the material world, based on the fact that at the bottom they are only different forms of energy. Jung associated synchronistic experiences with the relativity of space and time and a degree of unconsciousness.
Synchronicity . . . consists of two factors: a) An unconscious image comes into consciousness either directly (i.e., literally) or indirectly (symbolized or suggested) in the form of a dream, idea, or premonition. b) An objective situation coincides with this content. The one is as puzzling as the other.["Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle," ibid., par. 858.]
The very diverse and confusing aspects of these phenomena are, so far as I can see at present, completely explicable on the assumption of a psychically relative space-time continuum. As soon as a psychic content crosses the threshold of consciousness, the synchronistic marginal phenomena disappear, time and space resume their accustomed sway, and consciousness is once more isolated in its subjectivity. . . . Conversely, synchronistic phenomena can be evoked by putting the subject into an unconscious state.[On the Nature of the Psyche," CW 8, par. 440.]
It is not only possible but fairly probable, even, that the psyche and matter are two different aspects of one and the same thing. The synchronicity phenomena point, it seems to me, in this direction, for they show that the non psychic can behave like the psychic, and vice versa, without there being any causal connection between them.[Ibid., par. 418.]
To gain a fuller understanding and appreciation for the Jungian concept of "synchronicity" - One needs to take a circuitous path called the Journey of Wholeness, or "Unus Mundus"...
Unus Mundus (literally meaning: One World) Journey of Wholeness
The four elements are depicted by the four cardinal Zodiac signs: Aries - fire, Cancer - water, Libra - air and Capricorn - earth.
Unus Mundus is the conjunction...
It's the royal mystical marriage of: Heaven/Earth, Sun/Moon, King/Queen transformed back into the original, undivided unity of the world soul... the world logos... the god image within... Unus Mundus is the final reuniting of our spirit, soul, and body with the world soul.
Unus Mundus In Alchemy
Renaissance alchemist Gerhard Dorn's highest goal and desire was transforming the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth) back into the original One World unity of Unus Mundus.
"Learn from within thyself to know all that is in heaven and on earth, that thou mayest be wise in all things. Knowest thou not that heaven [spirit] and the elements [matter] were formerly one, and were separated by a divine act of creation from one another, that they might bring forth thee and all things?... Know that man's greatest treasure is to be found within man, and not outside him...
From the alchemist text "Theatrum Chemicum" Volume One (1602 AD)
Gerhard Dorn's "Speculativae philosophiae..."
Unus Mundus In Mythology
In mythology, Unus Mundus is that mythical, imaginal place where heaven touches earth... Unus Mundus is the mystical land beyond all time and space... a sphere of unity where the opposites of: life/death, love/hate, peace/war, good/evil, spirit/matter all merge into one another and cease to exist separately... Then, there is only the One...
Christos "Understand that thou art a second little world and that the sun and moon are within thee, and also the stars...."
Origen, 2nd/3rd Century Christian Mystic/Theologian, Homilies in Leviticum, 126
Late 2nd Century Christian mystic Origen taught that Christ showed each of us the way to Unus Mundus by the example of his (Christ's) life....
Christ was the only person in the history of the world who had succeeded in the delicate, tricky balance of standing firmly with one foot in heaven while simultaneously placing his other foot on earth....
Unus Mundus
The place where heaven and earth meet.... it's the marriage of: Heaven/Earth, Sun/Moon, King/Queen
Have you experienced a "Unus Mundus moment?"
You know... Those brief, fleeting moments when we feel in total harmony with the flow and pulse of the universe? Those brief moments when we "somehow" know and feel that our lives are being mysteriously orchestrated by a power larger than ourselves? Those brief, shining moments when we feel more like "the windshield than the bug?"
Bringing Unus Mundus Down To Earth - (Unus Mundus & Synchronicity)
Examples of Synchronicity:
1. You're sitting at home... And then for no apparent reason you start thinking about someone you haven't thought about or seen for years... and at the same instant, the phone rings and it's the person you were thinking about... Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
2. You're going on a road trip to San Jose, CA. Before going to bed that night, you set your radio alarm clock to wake you up the next morning with music. When the radio comes on the next morning, the words of the song playing on the radio are: "Do you know the way to San Jose?" Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
3. One night, you have a dream about someone who used to be important in your life... This is a "someone" who hasn't been in your life, dreams or thoughts for quite some time - and the dream leaves you with an eerie feeling of concern for the "someone." Later on you discover that the "someone's" mother died on the same night and it was virtually at the very same moment you had the disturbing dream... Synchronicity - meaningful coincidence... no apparent causal connection...
2010/09/19
Ten Book Collecting Tips I've Learned Over the Years
I've always enjoyed visiting book stores. I followed my brother-in-law around used bookstores for years. He started collecting books in the '80s when he was out on the west coast.
Though I liked browsing for books I didn't know anything about what made a book collectible. I didn't understand back then why my brother-in-law was interested in picking up Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses for a few dollars in a used book store ... but I do now!
In the late 1990s when the internet arrived ... my brother-in-law showed me how to look up the prices of books using Advanced Book Exchange (abebooks.com) and eBay. He gave me many other book collecting tips.
So ... in 1998 I decided to begin book collecting.
Here are the book collecting tips I've learned since then:
1) For a book to be collectible, it must be a first edition (also called first printing)
How can you tell? Well, open the book up to about the third page - usually the page after the title page - the copyright page.
Look near the bottom the page. There will normally be a line with numbers from one to 10. (i.e., 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0)
If you see a number line with a "1" in it then it is a first edition.
Nearly 80% of modern publishers have standardized on the use of a number line to denote the printing number.
If there is no number line then look for the words "first edition" or "first Printing" or "first published". For older books, it is best to consult one of the many books on first edition identification.
2) Book condition has a big impact on its value
Condition is critical to the value of a book. Just reading a book once can result in stains, tears, or rubbing that may reduce its value by 30-50% or more. The highest grades of a book are called Very Fine (essentially flawless) or Fine. The dust jacket condition these days is very important as the dust jacket can attribute up to 75% of a book's value.
I always try to buy books where the book and the dust jacket look essentially new (these are described as fine/fine).
3) An author's first book will usually be the most valuable book she or he writes
The publisher is taking a chance on a new untested author. So only a small number of books ... possibly only a few thousand books may be printed. If the author gets favorable reviews and sells out the first printing... the publisher may call for a second printing with more books. And sign the author up for a second book.
The author's next book will probably have a print run in its first printing of ... two to three times that of the author's first book. You can see due to supply and demand the first book's value will be higher ... perhaps much higher than the second book!
4) Collect hardcover books
The trade edition hardcover is usually the first book sold. It will have a much greater longevity than the paperback which will turn yellow over time and the pages will become brittle. Paperbacks may come out six months to a year later. Paperbacks are made to be read. Some may choose to collect them but I don't. The same goes for book club editions. These books are shorter, thinner and don't have a price on the dust jacket.
I buy paperbacks for reading ... not collecting!
5) Select books from these book genres: Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery
What does genre (pronounced zhahn'-ruh) mean? It is a category or style that can refer to movies (for example horror films), music or books. Books in other genres such as history or biographies can be very collectible, too. But they may not reach the heights of value that the fiction genres can.
6) Book awards
Books that have won book awards are often very collectible and valuable. In particular ... be on the lookout for an author's first book which has won an award.
7) Books that are generating a buzz may be worth collecting
A book collecting tip to consider is collecting books with good book reviews, is on best-seller lists... or the book is being made into a movie.
8) Signed books
Books that are signed by the author generally increase the value of a book by 20 to 100%. Authors sign more books early in their career ... and less as they become more famous. So later signed books by well-known authors may have considerable value ... even if many first editions were printed.
Watch your local newspaper for author signing events. There are fewer independent book stores these days ... but many are able to stay in business and thrive due to famous authors coming to sign.
9) A book will be more collectible from the country in which it was first published
Often the same book is published both in the US and in the United Kingdom. If it was published first in the UK it will be called the "true first" and have more value. Books published in the UK and Canada are printed in lower numbers due to the small populations - this makes them more valuable.
10) Valuable first editions can be found on the bargain shelves in major book stores
Publishers discount books that have stopped selling well or that have been reprinted too many times. First editions of authors' first or second books can sometimes be found ... for six or seven dollars. Often without a remainder mark (that reduces the books value) on the bottom or top of the text block.
By following these ten book collecting tips, you can over a period of years build a nice library of valuable first editions.
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Top 4 Ways to Ensure Your Book is a Bestseller
How do you know if you have a bestseller on your hands or not? What if you are the writer and you are completely confident that the book is unbeatable? You've had several professional book critics check out the manuscript prior to publishing.
You've had numerous pre-publication book reviews done, critics dissected it and the best in the business critique it; thus, you went into publishing the book prepared, ready, and producing the utmost quality reaching perfection, but you are still not on the bestseller's list. You are left stunned and unsure why. Believe it or not there is actually a checklist publicists and publishers review before pitching any book as a bestseller and it should be your guide before writing and publishing your next book.
1. Timing is everything. Timing of your book is crucial in relations to the topic of the book and if the topic is a popular subject at the moment or not. Is it a hot topic in the media? Are office employees talking about it at the water cooler? For instance, when Octo-mom appeared on the scene, then it would have been a perfect moment to release a book covering the tribulations of giving birth and raising multiple sets of kids at once.
2. Use a grabbing title. The title is crucial regarding how to pitch your book and whose interest shall it peak. Too many times writers have award-winning stories on their hands, but lose potential readers with the title. Thus, ensure the title is appropriate, gripping, interesting, and keeps the reader wanting to pick up the book and never put it down until they are completely done with it.
3. Create a cover to attract your audience. It is true that people do judge a book by its cover. Bookstores will tell you that customers pick up books, flip through them solely due to the cover grabbing their attention. Therefore, before creating a cover ask yourself if the graphics stand out amongst the other books on the shelf. Are the colors inviting to your target market? For instance, if you are writing a fiction book geared towards women, then normally the book cover has appealing colors to females attracting the target market.
4. Use the grapevine. The best type of advertising for your book is to start talking about it to any and every person you meet. If you are in line at the grocery store, shopping, at the gym, on Facebook, make sure you tell people about your book. The only way people are going to know about what you are up to and have published is to tell people. In addition, you want the gossip chain to continuously flow regarding you having a book available.
Hence, it starts with you and without you kick starting the process, then the word about your book will never connect with the grapevine halting publicity possibilities within reach. So remember before publishing your next book make sure these four tips are in place, and you shall have a bestseller on your hands.
2010/09/18
Getting Published in Fantasy - Why is it so Hard?
Fantasy is a genre where most books are produced by a very few (big) publishing houses in the UK and USA. These are the houses that can afford to take the risk on large print runs because they have many other titles too. They produce a few fantasy titles (bad luck, authors) in big volume. Big volume is necessary for most kinds of book printing, but fantasy is the most critical, certainly within fiction.
Let's see why. I'm a fantasy fan. I won't buy a fantasy title unless it is (a) thicker than a doorstop (b) reasonably priced. I don't buy hardcovers or large format (expensive) paperbacks - I look for that small fat little book which opens up to a world where I can get lost for days and days. The fatter the better.
Mass-produced magic
So to sell, the fantasy book needs to be long, most often double or triple the length of the common novel. That means it costs almost three times the amount to produce. And yet, the average selling price for these books is very close to that of your mainstream fiction titles. So you've got a product which has a low selling price and a high cost price. The only way to get your cost per book down is to drive the size of the print run up. Short runs or on-demand printing just don't work when you've got a 650+ page book.
Mass markets mean lower prices
In a niche market (like non-fiction - Paragliding in South Africa) you could sell a book that thick for R350 ($50 or £24) because there is limited competition and the information has high value to a small number of people. In a mass market such as 'fiction', even 'fantasy fiction', there are so many wonderful books out there which your title will compete with, and they dictate the price - as set by the mass market paperback produced in masses. That's $15.99 or £7.99 thanks to Harper Collins, Penguin, et al. for the trade paperback, and even less for mass market format.
Print on Demand too costly
So you can get your book all made up via Print On Demand services like Lightning Source or Lulu, and still be out on the bench with a product that is 4 times the price of the competitors. I don't care how good your writing is, unless you can make me levitate in my chair I'm not going to buy your one sparkly title instead of FOUR of the top fantasy authors' new releases.
Low volume doesn't work
So I've just printed 5 000 copies of my fantasy novel (in the small South African market the mark of a 'Best Seller' is around 4 000 copies). Will they sell? Yes, I hope so, but that's not why I've printed so many. I've printed that volume because if I print less than that, then the books you buy through the bookstore, priced at current market values make me nothing. (Retail price minus bookshop markup, minus the markup of the distributor, delivery costs, development costs, printing costs, advertising, office, tax). Truly. I could print 2000 copies of the book, market my heart out, sell all of them through the bookstores and not even get my money back. I have to go big, or go home.
Would you bet your money on magic?
When faced with this kind of gamble, many publishing companies will decide to go for another kind of book. It may not be the quality of the writing they are rejecting, it's the risk in entering the market given the minimum efficient print run costs and the small unit returns. Unless they can see it selling by the tens of thousands, it just isn't worth it.
Thankfully there are a few publishers who are prepared to take a long shot, and you can bet most of them are fantasy fans. You have to believe in magic to make magic happen.
John Perkins on Alex Jones Tv (HD) 2/5"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man"
John Perkins's classic exposé, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, spent over 70 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and is published in more than 30 languages. His follow-up, The Secret History of the American Empire, provides a plan for creating a sustainable, just, and peaceful world. He is the author of Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It, and other books on indigenous cultures and personal transformation; is a founder and board member of Dream Change and The Pachamama Alliance, nonprofit organizations devoted to establishing a world our children will want to inherit; and has lectured at universities in many countries. www.johnperkins.org prisonplanet.tv
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2010/09/17
Glenn Beck Books - All You Need to Know
Glenn Beck has become a widely recognized host of his own TV and radio programs that have become popular all over the world. He also has been touring the country since the early part of this decade voicing his opinion on a variety of social and political issues. Glenn began his public career at an early age as a DJ on a local radio station. This at the age of 13, that career has now exploded and he is heard and seen by millions daily. Despite his meteoric rise to national prominence as a political and social commenter he has been able to pen some 10 books and recordings, the majority NY Times bestsellers
His works have revealed a wit and intellect that have inspired many to take a greater interest and get involved in national and local political life.
Glen's life has not been easy and his early trials and tribulations are displayed nicely in his somewhat autobiographical rendition of events in his 2008 book The Christmas Sweater. In this touching book Glen describes the events of his childhood through the eyes of a 12 year old boy. Through the crucible of these early childhood events a distinguished and insightful political and social commenter emerges This book comes highly recommended to get real insight into Glenn's formative years.
Glenn Beck has published over the past 10 years has been remarkable. He has managed to publish 10 books and recordings and has 2 more books in the works, including the recently published and acclaimed The Overton Window. The much awaited Overton Window has been released and debuted at number 1 on the NY times best sellers list.
Reading one of Glenn Becks books provides a window into what lies behind the popular character and hints at the noteworthy promise of the potential offerings from the future
The remarkable assortment of work in a variety of media already produced and continuing to be produced daily on the radio and television programs indicate a truly prolific contributor, I am sure we can look forward to many years of insightful commentary from this probing and thoughtful commentator of our time.
Get a copy of one of Glenn Beck books today and begin a journey that will, whether you agree with Glenn or not, awaken insights into current events and encourage further study of American history, politics and social sciences.
If you get the chance get out and see a live performance of Glenn Beck and be inspired by his energy and commitment. Short of that grab one of his books and enjoy. Enjoy the chance at these events to see for yourself this remarkable man. His energy and commitment will inspire you. Don't let this pass you by.
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