December 14, 2006
Harry Goldgar
Comments on The Greatest War Stories Never Told from my high school writing teacher, Harry GOldgar, now 85 and living in New Orleans.
I am up only to 1642 so far in The Greatest War Stories. I am reading now and then, you see, savoring each vignette, but no farther along because of my crippled vision joined to the manifold interruptions and errands of an existence depending on erratic buses and walking to get places other folks zip to in cars. I love the surprising anecdotes, the attractive page layouts and illustrations, the down-home style and especially your slightly ribald sense of humor which pervades everything I'll comment further when I finish.
Always a little nerve wracking when revered former teachers are reviewing your work,and clearly the final verdict isn't in yet--but it sounds like I'll get a passing grade.
Posted by rickbeyer at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2006
Taking the world by storm
My editor at Harper Collins, Mauro Dipreta, just passed on a note someone sent him. The Greatest War Stories Never Told is being pushed as a hot new title by Liberty Books, which describes itself as "Pakstan's largest Bookseller."
As of this writing, it is listed as a "Top 10 Book" on their website.
So we're big in Lahore!
Posted by rickbeyer at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2005
An Open Letter to Scott Simon
Dear Scott,
You did me a big favor twenty-eight years ago, so I thought it would be OK to write and ask for another one. Sure, I haven’t done anything for you in the intervening decades—in fact we haven’t even spoken. But why should a quarter century of silence matter among friends. (Actually, “slight acquaintances from a very long time ago” is more accurate, but what the heck.)
Won’t you PLEASE have me on your radio show to talk about my new book?
In 1977 I was a senior at Dartmouth. I spent the spring as an intern at NPR—that’s where we met. (There was a big hubbub over the fact that this 20-year-old intern (me) was doing on-air pieces for “All Things Considered.” Bob Siegel and Bob Krulwich were at each other’s throats over it—tell me you haven’t forgotten!) In December I traveled to Chicago for Christmas with my classmate Mark Tomizawa. We were both eager young guys knocking at the door trying to get into broadcasting.
You were kind enough to write us letters of introduction. Funny, charming, witty letters of introduction. Remember? Well, it was a long time ago. So I’ll show you. Here's one. Here’s the other. See? You must have liked us to say such nice things. You are the only person who ever compared me with H.V. Kaltenborn, despite the fact that he and I both worked in radio and have Germanic names. And you know, I eventually got a job at one of the places where you sent us. So it all worked out, and I’m grateful.
Still, I could use a little more help today, and as they say, what have you done for me lately? (I haven’t done anything for you either, but is that really relevant?) I’m a documentary producer and author, and Harper Collins published my latest book about a month ago. It’s called The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy. The book is a collection of surprising, quirky stories from the annals of military history, like the elite fighting unit that was 100 per cent gay and the international crisis created by the shooting of an elderly pig. In my opinion, and I think I can be completely objective about this, it would be absolutely perfect for your show.
So what do you say? People say I have a face for radio, so that should help. I don’t stutter, and in fact I’ve done lots of interviews that folks seemed to find entertaining and informative. I have a great passion for history, and a desire to share that passion with others. I love your show—I’ve been an avid listener for years—and I just know this would work well on it. Did I mention I love your show?
Maybe you need a reference to make sure I’m not a total kook. (Well, actually…) Jacki Lyden can vouch for me, if you can figure out what war-torn part of the planet she’s off to today. John Ydstie (what kind of name is that?) interviewed me on Weekend ATC and-a-half years ago when my first book came out, so you could ask him. Smoky Baer might remember me from years gone by. Or you can just do the modern thing and check out my website.
Look, Scott, let’s be frank. After all, we’ve known each other (sort of) for a long time. I’ve got a daughter in college (a Tulane refugee who is going back in January) and a son who will be in college soon, and those tuition payments are crushing. I have to sell a lot of books! Sales have been good, but they can always be better. So man, I’m begging ya…
I suppose I could have gone the old fashioned route and sent this to you by mail, or even email, but didn't want it mistakenly intercepted by some well meaning assistant trying to protect you from the pathetic pleadings of self-promoting authors—thank god I don’t fall into that group! So instead I sending it out as an online message in a bottle, floating it off into the virtual world and hoping it gets to you by hook or crook. If it does, Scott, call me on my cell, 781-801-3261, and let’s set something up.
After all, one good turn deserves another…and it has been 28 years.
Sincerely,
Rick Beyer
Posted by rickbeyer at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
Big New York Media Day
The couple was clearly drunk. Not obnoxiously so, but enough to make their voices far louder than normal. It was 1:30 AM and they had woken me from a sound sleep, their conversation in the corridor carrying quite clearly into my room at the Omni Berkshire. They were locked out and awaiting assistance. By the time they got it I was wide-awake, and I never really got back to sleep.
Just a little less than four hours later, I was dressed in my best interview clothes and walking out the door of the hotel, stepping out from under the awning into the pouring rain. The time was 6:20 AM. Beth Mellow from HarperCollins and I were on our way to the day’s first interview, and in fact, the big fish of the last 8 weeks—a national TV interview on “Fox and Friends,” the popular morning show on Fox News Channel.
The walk from the hotel to the Fox studios on 6th Avenue was a short one, and with a borrowed umbrella from the hotel offering suitable protection from the elements, we were there in a few minutes. After a small hang-up at security, a producer named Tiffany ushered us into the green room. “This is Rick at 6:50” announced Tiffany, and Claudia, the make-up artist, said “Hello Rick at 6:50,” and I was into make-up.
Ten minutes later, just as Claudia was finishing up, Tiffany came back to escort us into the studio. All of a sudden time started speeding up like crazy. A soundman was putting a wireless mic on my lapel, and I heard someone saying: “Rick Beyer…is he here with us?” A floor director was calling out “30 seconds” as I was being escorted to the set. I barely had time to shake hands with hosts Julian Philips and Andy Napolitano (who turns out to be a law school classmate of Jerry Fritz) before Andy was reading the intro and we were into the segment.
The interview seemed to go by in a flash. Suddenly we were done, and I was being escorted out. To come into the building we had to go through security in the main lobby, but there is a second door by the studio, and about 30 seconds after I got off the air we were standing out on 6th Avenue in the rain! Hard to believe that in the three or four minutes between the green room and the street, the conversation I had in that small studio was beamed across the country and seen by hundreds of thousands of people! (And you could see the impact by watching the book shoot up on the Amazon rankings…hitting a high of 161.)
Later in the morning, a Mercdes limo driven by a jovial, white haired Lithuanian named Constantine took us to Port Washington, where I was to speak at the library. When we arrived, it turned out that the library was expecting me to talk about the first book, not the new one we were promoting. I, of course, was prepared to talk about the new book—but they were quite insistent that the talk be about the first book, since that is what they had promoted, and that was the book they were going to sell afterwards. After a momentary attack of fear and panic, I headed off a quiet corner where I took out a pad of yellow paper and fashioned a talk that focused on the old book while mentioning the new. I finished my notes with about ten minutes to spare.
The talk went amazingly well. Everything seemed to flow; the audience of fifty or so participated enthusiastically, laughed at my jokes, and bought plenty of books afterwards. It was hard to imagine a talk going better. Maybe it was the shot of adrenaline that the panic gave me.
The audience included my uncle, Ed Smith of Massapequa; my book editor, Mauro Dipreta, from Harper Collins, and a veteran of the Ghost Army, Tom Roche. Another audience member made a sketch of me that you can see here.
After I signed all the books they sold, it was back to town for one more interview at ABC News Now, a cable/online offshoot of ABC.(Once again we were met at the door by a producer named Tiffany--it was Tiffany kind of day!) Then I hit a few Barnes and Noble bookstores to sign books before heading back up to Boston by train. A long and profitable day!
Posted by rickbeyer at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
Image of the Week: Christmas Truce
A story in the news that the last surviving veteran of the World War I "Christmas Truce" died today. Here's an excerpt from the Retuers wire story:
LONDON (Reuters) - The last known surviving allied veteran of the Christmas Truce that saw German and British soldiers shake hands between the trenches in World War One died Monday at 109, his parish priest said.
Alfred Anderson was the oldest man in Scotland and the last known surviving Scottish veteran of the war.
"I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence," he was quoted as saying in the Observer newspaper last year, describing the day-long Christmas Truce of 1914, which began spontaneously when German soldiers sang carols in the trenches, and British soldiers responded in English.
I write about the Christmas Truce in my new book. Some people think it is a myth, but it really happened--and many of the soldiers involved took photographs of themselves with the enemy to prove it,like the picdture at right from the Imperial War Museum.
It was early in the war, and the message of "hate your enemy" hadn't quite been drilled into the two armies. Soldiers came out of the trenches to exchange toasts, trade cigarettes and liquor, even play soccer games. The men themselves were as surprised as anyone at the sudden outbreak of peace. "Most peculiar Christmas I've ever spent, and ever likely to" wrote one British soldier. "Fancy a German shaking your flapper...and then a few days later trying to plug you" said another. One German soldier wrote in delight about a soccer game played between the two armies: "We Germans really roared when a gust of wind revealed that the Scots wore no drawers under their kilts."
The next day, they got back to the important business of killing each other.
Posted by rickbeyer at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2005
Media Adventures
A busy week of media done. 20 interviews by my count, 17 radio and 3 TV. (Thanks to publicity mavens Beth Mellow and Lisa Sweet for making it happen.) One of the television interviews was with CNN Headline News. It was set up at the last minute on Thursday afternoon, and I did it on Friday morning, Veteran’s Day. It’s really weird to sit alone in a chilly little room staring down the barrel of a camera while chatting with a disembodied voice in your ear. (And how many ears, I wonder, has that earpiece been in? To be fair, they did have tiny disinfectant wipes, as well as plenty of spare earpieces for those more fastidious than I.) It is tough to be natural and relaxed in that situation, but it came off reasonably well.
By Friday early afternoon I had done 5 interviews, and was thinking that a nap sounded really good, when I got a call from WZMY, a television station in New Hampshire that I had been on earlier in the week. A guest had cancelled on their 9 PM talk show “My TV Prime, and since it was Veteran’s Day, they were wondering if I could come on again. The twist was that this time they hoped I could talk about the Ghost Army project, which I had mentioned (of-camera) on my previous visit.
Ghost Army is still in the super preliminary stages, but this seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. So the nap went by the boards, and Editor Eric Handley and I did some high-speed under-deadline cutting to come up with a two minute trailer we could show that night. I jumped in my car with the piece at 7:30, and made it up to Derry NH in plenty of time to do the show, which was hosted by Arnie Arnesen. Everybody really seemed to like the tape we showed, and hopefully that will help us generate some buzz. I talked to Martha Gavin afterwards, (She's the one who turned us on to this story, her Uncle John Jarvie is one of the veterans) and she was VERY excited to see the publicity the story got. Afterwards I had to hightail it back to Boston to get to WBZ by midnight for the last appointment of the day, an hour with Jordan Rich on BZ radio.
I had a similar sort of “call back” this afternoon. I did a phone interview with Norman Mark, a radio host on KNWZ Radio in Palm Springs California from 1:30 to 2. I thought I would have a chance to take a nap afterwards, but they called back at 2:15—they’re guest for the next hour had cancelled, could I come back on. So I ended up talking with him for another 45 minutes. It’s all been great, but man, am I wiped.
Posted by rickbeyer at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2005
Image of the Week: My TV
I appeared on not one but two interview shows last night on WZMY-TV in Derry New Hampshire. At 7:30 I was interviewed briefly by Eric Schiener on the program "My TV Now." (See it here) Then after a quicknap (sprawled out on a couchin their conference room) I did a longer interview with Mike Deblasi, on a program called "My TV Prime."
WZMY-TV is a new station, taking over from the old WNDS. It appears as Channel 18 on many Boston area cable systems.
Posted by rickbeyer at 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 02, 2005
Red Letter Day
Yesterday was the big day, the official publication date of the new book. Pretty quiet. I visited the Barnes and Noble in Burlington to see if they had any copies, and lo and behold they had 27, which seems like a huge number to me, both gratifying and a bit scary—hope they sell them all! I dutifully signed all 27 and made nice with a ll the bookstore employees I could find.
I did my first radio interview this morning, a phoner with a New Hampshire radio station. The interviewer asked me several about where I discovered the stories. I realized after I got of the phone that, duh, he didn’t really care where I found the stories, he was fishing for something interesting. People ask me this question a lot, and unfortunately the answer—research—is kinda dull. So I need to come up with an answer that quickly transitions into an interesting story, otherwise it will always fall a bit flat.
In the afternoon, I visited half a dozen Boston area bookstores and signed books.
Amazon ranking shot up today and got as low as 906...but I doubt it can sustain at that level until I do more media.
Posted by rickbeyer at 08:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 26, 2005
The clock ticks down
Less than a week to go now until the pub date. A time of high anxiety, borderline panic. The phone doesn’t ring, the book doesn’t budge from it’s basement ranking on Amazon, the publicist has no news to report, and your mind begins to spin paranoid fantasies centering on the disturbing possibility that your publisher, and in fact the entire book industry, has forgotten your book, which will now sell exactly three copies before quickly appearing in huge accusatory stacks at the Buck a Book!
So it was good to get some news in the last couple of days that helps blast the nightmares away, and suggest we are on track. The first bit of good news came in an email from Jean Marie Kelly, who is heading up marketing efforts on the book.
Co-op wise, we have front-of-store new release table at Barnes and Noble from Nov 2 through the end of the year; this is excellent. At Borders, from Nov 1 through Jan 2, we’re on the Holiday Gifts under $20 table which is a big table up front. Also fantastic. At Amazon, we’re doing a past-buyer mailing (people who bought Greatest War Stories) just before the on sale date and we’ll also be listed in the Amazon Holiday store during all of November.
Another piece of good news, After a little glitch. HarperCollins printing up 50,000 postcards which should be in the hands of The History Channel next week, and will go out in boxes shipped from The History Channel store.
On the PR front, the interviews are starting to come in, including a national appearance on Fox News Channel, and another locally on NECN. An updated list of my events is here. (The interview I did with Smoki Bacon appears on Boston cable (Channel 23) tonight at 7:30. Watch it if you want a hoot!)
Just to balance things out, and keep me from getting too excited, I must make note of the hilarious article my dad sent me about the bizarre (and pathetic) states of mind that an author goes through . Entitled "Publish and Perish" it appeared in this week's New York Times Book Review. Dad said “it could have been written by you, or about you,” and although I didn’t write it, I do recognize the various stages of self imposed shame and grief described.
Posted by rickbeyer at 06:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 24, 2005
Not long now
Eight day from pub date, and things are starting to pick up. Harper Collins has hired Lisa Sweet, who managed publicity for the first book, to set up a radio tour. She was working for HarperCollins back then, now she has her own company, not to mention a brand new baby! I thought Lisa did a great job on the first book, and I'm really happy to have her on board here as well.
Between Lisa, and Beth Mellow at HarperCollins, and my own efforts, we have a growing number of interviews and events set up. There's an updated list on this website, and I am tryig to keep it as current as possible. So if you want to know where I'll be, or what radio station to tune into, check it out!
Posted by rickbeyer at 03:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 23, 2005
Archimedes' Death ray
An ancient controversy involving Archimedes has hit the pages of the New York Times, and the articles caught my eye because they concern the subject of one of the stories in my new book.
For centuries, people have argued over whether it is really possible that Archimedes could have set Roman ships on fire with mirrors at the battle of Syracuse in 213 BC, as several ancient writers assert he did. The Times reported that a team from MIT successfully recreated Archimedes fabled ship-burning mirrors after The Discovery Channel program “Mythbusters” said it couldn’t be done. Their work is detailed here.
Today I read another article about how the MIT team and another from the University of Arizona had only mixed luck trying to replicate the mirrors in a demonstration this weekend in Arizona.
I love it when people try to recreate groundbreaking technology from earlier eras in order to better understand history, and my hat is off to everyone doing so here. But I can’t resist pointing out that someone beat them to the punch by 258 years. In 1747, French scientist Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon set out to prove the feasibility of Archimedes’ weapon. He built an array of mirrors that caused a piece of wood 200 feet away to burst instantly into flame. The demonstration made him famous across Europe. And in 1975, a Greek engineer demonstrated that 50 people holding mirrors could cause a rowboat to spontaneously ignite in just a few minutes. It seems that people keep on proving that the mirrors were technically feasible, while others keep on doubting in spite of all the proofs.
Did Archimedes really use such mirrors during the siege of Syracuse? Maybe, maybe not. But the truth is that the mirrors are just part of the amazing little-told story of what happened there.
As the military adviser to the King of Syracuse, Archimedes spent years devising an array of extraordinary “engines” to protect the city. When the Romans came, Syracuse put Archimedes’ machines to work.
There were large catapults capable of hurling rocks the size of wagons, and small catapults called “scorpions” that shot darts at the Romans. A giant grappling claw lifted Roman ships by the bow and smashed them against the rocks. Mousetrap-like-mechanisms levered giant weights down upon Roman siege ladders.
Whether the mirrors were part of the equation, or just a myth made up long ago, may never be known. But this we know: The Romans expected to conquer Syracuse in five days. Thanks to Archimedes, it took them more than a year, thus demonstrating that the genius of one man could prove equal to all the military might of Rome.
Posted by rickbeyer at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2005
Cover Quiz
There are 17 stories featured on the cover of The Greatest War Stories Never Told, and I have posted a cover quiz on the web site for people who want to test their knowledge and/or get a little preview.
Posted by rickbeyer at 07:11 PM | Comments (1)
October 12, 2005
Book of the Month Club
I liked the "Book of the Month Club" review of The Greatest War Stories Never Told, so I thought I would share it:
From the female Lawrence of Arabia, to the American intelligence team that saved the life of Ho Chi Minh during World War II, The Greatest War Stories Never Told features 100 unbelievable true stories drawn from the pages of history.
There’s the story of Calvin Graham who was injured at the battle of Guadalcanal. Not too unusual until you consider Graham lied to get into the navy because he was only twelve years old! Then there’s the story of the American invasion of Japanese occupied Kiska in 1943, where after two days of heavy fighting and thirty-two dead soldiers, the Americans discovered there was no enemy. The Japanese evacuated three weeks earlier and all of the casualties came from friendly fire. There’s also the story of what happened on Christmas day 1914 when British and German soldiers crawled out of their foxholes and played an impromptu game of soccer. The next day they returned to their ugly job of killing each other. War may indeed be hell but as this astonishing and entertaining collection reveals, war has also provided some of history’s most remarkable stories.
Publication day is just 16 days away.
Posted by rickbeyer at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2005
The new book is here!
I got a surp[rise package from the publisher today--two hardcover copies of The Greatest War Stories Never Told, hot off the presses! I am very happy with the photo reproduction--the prictures look crisper and stronger than they did in the first book. I don't know if that was something the desinger did, or something the printer did, but the pictures look sharp. I also liked the flaps, and the reproduction of my picture (yes, I have an actual author picture in this bok, so I can prove it was by me!)
I'm less happy with the back cover, which doesn't look very elegant. I saw a faxed proof of it, and Okayed it, even though I couldn't really see it. Now I'm sorry I did. It isn't awful, just kind of clunky. I talked to Joelle Yudin, the associate editor on the book, and she said that she and Mauro DIpreta (who is the Executive Editor/Big Cahuna) were liess than thrilled with it too. But the print run is already done for the first 18 thousand copies, so I guess were' going to have to learn to like it!
Posted by rickbeyer at 04:16 PM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2005
One Day Road Trip
Inspired by Arielle Eckstut�s new book �Putting your Passion into Print � (previously reviewed on these pages) I decided to make yesterday into a mini self promotion day. I made a list of libraries and bookstores to visit West Suburban Boston and set out to solicit public speaking engagements and generally try to raise awareness of my forthcoming book.
I went into battle armed with a stack of home-printed press kits, a few copies of the uncorrected proofs of the new book, a fountain pen, a stack of note cards, a travel mug of hot coffee and a nalgene bottle filled with cold water.My journey involved 56 miles of driving, and visits to five bookstores and five libraries, from Brookline to Concord. These were all cold calls. In one case I knew the name of a person to ask for, but for the most part it was a matter of traipsing in across the transom and going into my �hello I�m an author� dance.
It was easier than I thought it would be, and easier than any similar efforts for my first book two years ago. Easier because I knew that almost all these bookstores and libraries had carried or were still carrying the first book. I was coming in not as a newby, but as a previously published author with a demonstrated success. Even if they didn't know that, I did.
My batting average was about what you would expect. In two of the ten cases I was able to speak to the decision-maker. In two other cases, it turned out that the library or bookstore in question really didn�t do adult author events. (Bad Research!) In the other six cases, the appropriate person wasn�t there, or was busy. But I was prepared! In each case I whipped out a note card and dashed off a handwritten message, attaching my press kit. One of these people has already gotten back to me, so that�s yet another contact.
My two most successful meeting were with John Netzer at the Concord Bookshop and Beth Purcell at the Newton Free Library. Both were both exceedingly gracious, and giving of their time, considering I had dropped in out of the heavens unannounced. There�s nothing like a face-to-face visit! John and I discovered wit both lived in Lexington, and Beth and I discovered we had a mutual friend in Tug Yourgrau (and also that we share a background in radio.) Both responded very positively to the idea of my doing an event, and I keep my fingers crossed.
In every case, I also tried to make a connection with whoever I was able to speak with, whether it was Betty at Newtonville books (who spent a year as an exchange student at Dartmouth) or Bodie at the Barnes and Noble in Brookline, who I chatted up as I signed copies of my first book that they had in stock. I�m happy to say that no one I ran into was rude or dismissive, which encourages me to schedule a few more such days to hit other bookstores and libraries a bit farther afield.
Posted by rickbeyer at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2005
National Booking
Some very exciting news on the PR front for the new book. Beth Mellow, my publicist at Harper Collins, emailed me that : as of now it looks like you are booked into an interview on Fox News Channel �Fox and Friends� in December. The Fox Newswebsite describes it as �America's No. 1 cable news morning show.� I�m keeping my fingers crossed that it holds up.
Posted by rickbeyer at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2005
Bound Galleys
I received the bound galleys of my new book, The Greatest War Stories Never Told. Very rewarding moment.
A bound galley, also known as an uncorrected proof, is essentially a facsimile of the book in semi-final form. It is a paperback, instead of hardcover. The printing is not as good (and the photo reproduction nowhere near as good) as the final. The content is taken from an early set of page-proofs that aren�t fully corrected. On the cover there is a label that reads: Uncorrected PROOF, Not for Sale. The back cover has a blurb about some of the marketing planned for the book:
�50 City Radio Campaign
�Print Features
�Online Promotion
I don�t know exactly how many were printed, probably between 100-200. They are used to assist in marketing the book before there is an actual book in hand. For instance, they can be sent to book reviewers for long lead magazines, or buyers for big bookstore chains.
It is always exciting to see the work in book form, even if you have already ploughed through various sets of page-proofs. This makes it feel much more real, and gives me something to show people for the next couple of months until there are real books in hand. Harper Collins didn�t do bound galleys for my first book, so we probably missed out on some opportunities. I don�t really remember why�it was either because schedule didn�t permit, or they didn�t feel it was worth the investment, or a combination. At any rate, I�m delighted they are doing it this year.
I note that a company called Crane Duplicating claims that it invented bound Galleys. To quote from their site: �Priscilla Crane, an imaginative woman with a background of more than 35 years in the book publishing trade, set up a small print shop on Cape Cod and manufactured 15 advance copies of a book for Viking Press. She was the first to do this.� It is probably true. Of course, as my Dad likes to say: �Nothing was invented for the first time.� So you never know.
Posted by rickbeyer at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)
New Publicist
My new publicist from Harper Collins, Beth Mellow, called the other day to introduce herself. (The publicist for the first book, Lisa Sweet, left a year or so ago and formed her own company, Lisa Sweet PR.) Authors love to complain endlessly about and the crappy job their publisher is doing publicizing the book, but I guess I'm the exception to the rule--I had a very positive experience with Harper Collins on the first book. Lisa believed in it, and did a great job pushing it, not only in the first few weeks, but really over the course of the first year. Beth seems very nice, and also very supportive, and I can only hope the good times continue to roll
Posted by rickbeyer at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2005
Book of the Month Club
Fantastic new today on the book club front. The Greatest War Stories Never Told will be offered a featured alternate selection in the following book clubs:
Book of the Month
History
Military
American Compass
Book club exposure is a fantastic marketing plus for a book. Something I didn't know until my first book came out is that all these clubs (and 25 or so more) are owned by a company called Bookspan. A 2002 press release I found on their site helps explains the ways book club selection can power a book:
Book Clubs Remain Driving Force Behind U.S. Book Sales
Consumers say book clubs get the highest ratings for helping them decide what to read next. Book clubs also stimulate book purchases in stores and online as a result of consumers seeing book club literature; that includes consumers who aren't members of book clubs as well as those who belong to a book club. These are just two findings of a newly released study conducted by RoperASW.
Among the other Roper findings:
� Club Members and Book Buyers agree that Book Clubs are the best source for helping readers decide what books to read next. (page 22 of study)
� Book club advertising stimulates interest in purchasing books in venues other than Book Clubs among both Club members and Heavy Book Buyers.
Now that press release is 3 years old, and undoubtedly Amazon is playing a stronger role today than it did then. But book club selection still provides a tremendous amount of visibility to people who are serious book buyers. It was a tremendous boost to the first book, and I think it will be to this one as well.
Posted by rickbeyer at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Book Stuff
Things have been busy on the writing front. I received the page proofs for The Greatest War Stories Never Told a couple of weeks ago, made revisions, and sent them back. A number of the stories had too much copy. I had to trim it down to keep the bite size appeal. This is definitely a case where "less is more" applies!
I'm pleased with the work the designers did�not an easy job!
The publisher is going to make bound galleys of the book this time, something that didn't happen for the first book. (I think the schedule didn't permit it, if memory serves, and perhaps they weren't sure enough of the book's prospects to spend the money.) The result was that as they were trying to set up interviews, and reviews in long-lead publications, all they could show them was xeroxed copies of a few stories. I definitely think that hindered some of the early PR efforts, and I am hoping that having bound galleys will help us get more PR going earlier than last time.
I also just finished an on the "Pig War" article for The History Channel Magazine that will appear in the November/December issue. The History Channel and Harper Collins are also getting together to put a half page ad for the book in that issue, so that should be a good hit!
Joelle Yudin, my associate editor at Harper Collins, called a few days ago to say that they have received copies of the Chinese edition (in complex characters) of my first book. She is sending copies! I can't wait to see them!
Posted by rickbeyer at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2005
This Means War!
Wars can start for the strangest of reasons
On this day in 1857, a bloody uprising in India known to history as the Mutiny was triggered by the introduction new kind of rifle. Loading the Enfield rifle required soldiers to bite the end off of a grease-covered paper cartridge. Word spread among Indian troops serving in the British army that the grease contained fat from pigs and cows, meaning that biting the cartridge was a sacrilege to both Hindus and Moslems. Indian sepoys rose up and killed their British officers, who they thought were trying to turn them into religious outcasts, and thousands died in the fighting that ensued.
When conditions are right for war, the most trivial event can set off a conflict: three men being thrown out a window; a sea captains ear being cut off; a pig being shot; even a soccer game. (These are all stories featured in my forthcoming book.) Its the same as a forest that has gone too long without raina single match can spark an all-consuming conflagration. A lesson we should strive to remember.
Posted by rickbeyer at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2005
Sneak Peak
The publisher has sent some sample layout pages for the new book. It is always exciting to see stuff start to come together in its final form, and Ive posted one to provide a sneak peak. Truly anal readers will notice several subtle differences in the layout from the first book.
Enjoy!
Posted by rickbeyer at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2005
Image of the Week: Davy's Death
This picture came in the mail this morning from the Library of Congress. Its one of the last pictures to come in for my forthcoming book, and also one of my favorites. Its a drawing of Davy Crocketts final moments at the Alamo. For more on its historical signifigance, check out the Image of the week page.
Posted by rickbeyer at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)