Fozzbooks.com - Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women Life & Relationships

The Book is Back for the First Time

2011-03-01T15:22:00.002-04:00

I published 'Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women, Life, & Relationships' in August 2009. I haven't had much time to market, making the book available only on this site, Amazon.com, and a few select Indigo bookstores in Nova Scotia. This year I will be trying my best to ensure this book gets to the people who need it.

If you've already read the book please send me an email and let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

2009-12-23T21:14:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted for so long. I was on a military leadership course for a month. Let's just say I'm glad that it's over and I'm happy as a pig in shit to be home. Christmas is almost here and I'm still not ready. I've been working everyday, but I;m off tomorrow at noon and can't wait to celebrate.

I love Christmas. Even though I say I hate the snow, I think it is necessary to snow down our lives and stop us from rushing through the holidays. Plant your car somewhere you're not going to get a ticket and have some rum and egg nog.

Side note: Am I the only one who thinks the parking ban is ridiculous? Just because Halifax is in debt they think it is okay to ticket people who are parked on the street even if the streets don't need to be cleared. I understand the parking ban when it's snowing, but if there is no snow on the ground how can they ticket us? It's like charging a sober driver for impaired driving.

Cop: Do you know why I pulled you over?

Driver: Actually, no.

Cop: If you were drinking, you would be driving drunk.

Driver: Yeah, but I'm not drinking, so I'm sober.

Cop: Well we ticket people for parking on the streets when they don't need to be cleared, just based on the fact that if it was snowing their car would be obstructing the plows. Sorry, I'm just going off what they tell me.

Driver: So you're giving me a ticket for nothing?

Cop: Pretty much. Merry Christmas.

Just make sure you don't drink and drive. Road blocks are everywhere, not to mention it is stupid and people can get hurt. Be safe and take a cab.

I hope Santa is good to everyone. I'll try and keep this updated daily. My life is slowing getting organized so bare with me.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Z103.5 Morning Show

2009-11-02T21:16:00.001-04:00

Today I was honored to be a guest on the z103.5 Morning Show with Jeff, Nikki & Shane. I was really nervous at first but eventually got the hang of it. If you miss the interview be sure and check it out here !

First Interview in the Weekly News & First Short Film

2009-10-16T08:29:00.003-03:00

It's a week of firsts! I just finished my first short film for the LG - Life's Good Short Film Festival. Check it out and let me know what you think: My Entry

Look at page nine of todays Bedford-Sackville Weekly News and you'll see my face! Or check it out online: Weekly News Article. This is my first real interview which I hope to use to book some others.

I am looking into getting on Live At Five and Breakfast Television, as well as some more local papers and eventually Ellen and Oprah. Yes I said it! And although it may seem far fetched that someone from our small Sackville area will go international, stranger things have happened.

Once you read the book you will see why I think Ellen & Oprah are going to want me on their shows.

Thanks for everyone's support. The book 'Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women, Life, & Relationships' is available at every Indigo, Chapters, Coles, SmithBooks, in the HRM. Also, New Minas & Fredericton.

I am currently pushing to get the book available nationally. If a store doesn't have a copy request it and please let me know. And remember, you can always order from the website to get a signed copy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

LMFAO is coming to Halifax!

2009-10-08T00:02:00.001-03:00

I recently did a promo video for the LMFAO concert in Halifax. It's going to be sweet!! Watch it!

Book Signing at Chapters In Fredericton

2009-09-02T10:29:00.003-03:00

This afternoon I will be signing books at Chapters in the Regent Mall, Fredericton, N.B.. Anyone in the area is more than welcome to come out and grab a copy of my future best seller. See you there!

Book Is At Indigo & Chapters!

2009-09-02T10:24:00.002-03:00

I've been working hard trying to the book available to the public. The reviews I have received so far are outstanding. Right now it is available at Indigo, Sunnyside Mall, Bedford, N.S. (since last week) and today it will be available at Chapters, Regent Mall, Fredericton, N.B..

We are very excited and appreciate the support. We will be making our way home today after our book signing!

Win A Free Book!

2009-08-28T17:49:00.003-03:00

There are two ways you can get your hands on a free book. If I'm in your area promoting, fill out a ballot and you will be entered into the draw on September 30th for a signed copy of 'Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women, Life, & Relationships.

The other way is to subscribe to my videos on youtube and you will be automatically entered!

Subscribe or find me, you've got a month! Tonight I will be at Castello's Ristorante & Pizzeria in Charlottet, PEI.

The Book Has Arrived!

2009-08-19T16:17:00.004-03:00

Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women, Life, & Relationships, is finally in my possession. I started distributing to the customer pre-orders and some people have already finished the book! Reviews will be coming soon. Here are some pictures of the big day!

The book turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I am so happy! I am working on my press kit as we speak and will be doing some promoting next week at the Canada Games in PEI.

I am very excited and have a lot to do. If any media is interested in obtaining a copy for review, please send an email to info@fozzbooks.com

Additional Content Page!

2009-08-05T15:22:00.005-03:00

The book will be shipping to me Monday so I will have it next week (Wednesday or Thursday). It seems like it is taking forever. I hate the waiting game. In the meantime, I've been working on the additional content website. Each chapter in 'Let Them Come To You' will have it's own webpage so I can post pictures, links, and anything else that didn't make it in the book.

You will find tons of useful information, links, and even videos that will be marked in the book by

So keep your eye out for additional content. I'm still working on them, but I put an example up for the first chapter http://www.fozzbooks.com/letthemcometoyou/introduction Not all the links work yet, but they will before the book is in your hand!

File Formatting

2009-07-17T13:34:00.002-03:00

Yes, the book was done a week ago, but the files have only been accepted today. I thought I knew all the specs, but there is much more to it than looking at a template. I had to export my files and resubmit them 4 times. Fourth time's a charm. Now they are 'correct'. I'm sure every printer is different, but if you want to make sure you are exporting the way they want/need, you should send them some test files. It will save you a lot of hassle and about a weeks worth of time/work. I'm just happy they are done.

Now it's the waiting game. Let the marketing begin. I just did my first interview and I think I nailed it. The clip is on the front page of my website http://www.fozzbooks.com and can also be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNDOhhND1V4.

I included some outtakes at the end to get a laugh out of you.

Cheers

Finally It's Done!

2009-07-10T10:53:00.003-03:00

Wow. A year and a half has went by since I began writing my book. On July 8th, 2009 I finally finished it and sent it to the printer. I am patiently waiting for it to return so I can show the world my work and help people to Be Better!

This is a picture of what my living room looked like for a month. Papers everywhere. You don't even want to see what my office looked like. I thought we would be able to tackle the editing and layout in a week. Now I know that a book needs at least a month. The major work is done.

Now come the fun part, marketing!

More work than I ever Suspected

2009-05-25T21:20:00.003-03:00

Well, if you've made it this far, I commend you. You will soon have a book in your hand that you have written. That alone is an accomplishment that not everyone shares. I have been working on the cover for a couple weeks and am still not finished. I know what it is going to look like, but I'm not sure about the colors. So many colors, so little time. I am going to put finalization of the cover on hold until I finish the book's layout.

Each chapter must be laid out how I want to look in print. Once the files leave my hands, there will only be one more chance to change things, but changes aren't free. They charge fees for changing things once you submit your prints. The printer will send me a proof to approve, then it's off to the presses. Once the book is in my hand, I can make revisions before I print the next edition. I shouldn't have anything to change, because I have complete control, but mistakes happen. If the book isn't ready then printing will have to be delayed. But I have to take into consideration that I have set a release date and until the book is printed, I cannot start full scale advertising and marketing.

I am using Adobe InDesign for the layout the of book. I have been watching the Lynda.com training videos. It is also a program that can be used to create a cover, but I have choose to use Adobe Photoshop for the cover. Krissy and I have laid out all of my printed chapters and have begun working away at editing and placing each chapter where it should go in reference to the book. Certain chapters flow into the next. If I have them all out there for me to look at, I should be able to put together the puzzle more easily. I won't be able to get a feel for the layout until all of the chapters have been rewritten and place in the book document. So far the each page has seen my eyes once and her eyes once. Before the book prints, I'm sure we will both be sick of reading.

Sponsorship & Business Cards

2009-05-15T12:12:00.005-03:00

Today we contacted a few companies, asking if they would like to sponsor my book. We sent off some emails and created a letter that detailed exactly what the company would gain from the sponsorship. We got this tip from Bookmarket.com. It is a great idea, I'm hoping the companies realize this. It may have been better to contact them earlier, because this gives them just enough time to think about it. We'll see what happens.

I also designed some business cards with a program I have, Business Card Composer. It is really easy to use and they came out great. I printed them from home, but eventually I plan on taking them to a print shop so they will look more professional. You can get 100 printed for about $50, maybe even cheaper if you shop around.

This is one I had printed for Djing while I was in Austra

lia:

This is the one I made today:

It's simple, but effective. I may change it a bit later, but for now I have other things to focus on. I still need to finish the cover. I may use Krystal's picture, after I play around with in in Photoshop. I don't want everyone to be able to recognize her. She's my future wife, so of course I'll make it very tasteful.

Since I am laying the book out myself, I am going to watch some training videos about Adobe InDesign. By next week I should be a professional book-layer-outer.

Creating your Cover

2009-05-14T07:56:00.003-03:00

For the last few months I've been playing around with Photoshop on my Mac. There are tons of tutorials online, explaining how to do anything you would ever need. I decided to use this program for my cover design.

A couple months ago I got some quotes from printers. I let them know what I was looking for and asked them to quote me based on my suggestions. I got a few back, but Transcontinental was the cheapest. I decided to go with them and met with a representative. He acquired some samples for me and sent me the design templates because I was interested in laying out the book myself.

I had previous designed a quick cover to post on websites and facebook, but never finalized anything. Since the printer will be using these files to print the cover and the pages, they need to be at a higher resolution and quality. My book is going to be 5.5 inches wide by 8.25 inches high. I searched for answers about creating covers and found this site, Wordclay. It answered most of my questions.

I created a canvas on photoshop using CMYK color instead of RBG. Apparently the colors print better that way. I also made sure that the resolution was set to 300 dpi (dots per inch). This makes the file very large, about 25 MB. Remember, you'll have to design a front, back, and spine. Get the measurements from your printer and go nuts.

People do judge a book by its cover so don't just slap something together. If need be, hire a professional. I intend to create a few variations, then email subscribers of my newsletter, asking for feedback. I also intend on setting up a table at the local shopping centre, offering entrance to a raffle draw for anyone who gives comments on their choice of cover. The prize will be a gift basket designer by my finance and a signed copy of a first print book.

The cover should have your title, subtitle, an author name on the front. On the back it should have your ISBN barcode, your publisher (in my case Fozzbooks), your price, BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) or subject heading, and a summary of your book that closes the sale. Look at other popular book covers and take notes. You may also want to include your website and a photo of yourself. I will be getting Krystal (my fiance) to take one with her fancy new camera. Don't rush the design, I plan on taking a few days to get it right, then ask for feedback.

Getting your ISBN & Barcode

2009-05-13T07:55:00.003-03:00

Yesterday, my fiance and editor, Krystal realized how much work is ahead of us when she picked up my heavy stack of writing. I have printed all of the pages of my book, double spaced, so they can be edited more easily. We will go over them several times, first focusing on grammar and flow, before the book is ready for it's final edit. The book will not be ready for print until it is gone over with a fine toothed comb, after the layout is complete.

A few months ago, before I was finished writing, I applied for my ISBN (International Standard Book Number). By the way, I am Canadian, so this process may be a little different, depending on the you reside in. I went to

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/isn/041011-1030-e.html and joined CISS (Canadian ISBN Service System).

*By the way, all these links are on the side of this blog.

Once you join, within a few days you will be given a login and a password. Then you will be able to assign an ISBN to your book. You will be required to submit all of the information you have about your future best seller. All of your book information may not be finalized, but you can update it later.

Once you have your ISBN you can purchase a barcode for $25 from Simply Barcodes,

http://www.upccode.net/barcodes_for_books.php. There may be other websites who offer this service, but I used this one. I received my barcode the same day. You'll need to include your ISBN in the information you send them, along with your suggested retail price and preferred currency. Now I have a barcode that can be placed on my back cover.

To figure out what your suggested retail price should be, you'll have to do a little research. Check out bookstores and find out what price books on your subject are selling for. Make sure you are competitive but not too overpriced. There are also other things to consider when pricing your book. If you intend to sell locally or from your own website, you will pocket most of the profit. If you want your book to be available in bookstores you may have to sell to a distributor or the store itself. They usually buy the book from you at a 40 - 50% discounted rate. The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter goes into more detail about pricing your book.

A few months back I designed a 'working cover.' I posted this on my website and other social sites. Today, I will focus on finalizing the cover.

Self-publishing ~ One month until Print

2009-05-12T09:06:00.000-03:00

Being the procrastinator I am, I have waited until the last minute (in book publishing terms) to finalize my project. I have one month until I am scheduled to print my book, Let Them Come To You - A Guide to Women, Life, and Relationships. I have been writing for over a year and my story is finally coming into fruition. Now I have one month to finalize the books layout, cover design, and website. Each chapter will have it's own webpage on http://www.fozzbooks.com. The chapter web pages will feature photos, links, and videos, not included in the printed version of the book. I have a lot to do, so I better get cracking. I will try and update my blog everyday, so progress can be tracked for upcoming self-publishers.