Midwest Book Review on Deadly Danger!

A highly favorable review from the Midwest Book Review:

Midwest Book Review, http://www.midwestbookreview.com
January 2010 Small Press Bookwatch

Thunderbirds: Deadly Danger!
Joan Marie Verba
FTL Publications
PO Box 1363, Minnetonka, MN 55345-0363
9780965357593, $15.95, 
www.ftlpublications.com

International Rescue can best be served by stopping the cause
instead of the source. “Thunderbirds: Deadly Danger” is another
novel of science fiction based on the famous television series as the
Tracy family is again faced off with evil as a mad rocket scientist
threatens the world to prove he is the most skilled at his trade the
world has ever known. Jeff Tracy must stop this madman before he
threatens lives even further, making International Rescue’s job ever
more difficult. “Thunderbirds: Deadly Danger” is a choice pick for
fans of the series or simply young science fiction fans.

Posted by Publisher at 1/6/2010 9:15 PM

Weight Loss Success! on sale now

Weight Loss Success! (Subtitle: How I Lost Weight and Kept It Off for Over 30 Years and How You Can Do It, Too!) came from the printer today and is now on sale. This is a change of pace for FTL Publications, as it is not in a genre category. It is also different from previous titles in that it is mass-market paperback size, and brief (32 pages). The smaller size and relatively few number of pages may make it more accessible and readable than if it were larger and thicker. It’s a quick, easy read, in other words.

Posted by Publisher at 1/6/2010 9:06 PM 

Publisher’s note: this was replaced by the second edition later.

FTL Publications titles in various eBook formats on Smashwords

FTL Publications titles are now available in the following eBook formats on Smashwords: ePub, Sony Reader, Kindle (.mobi, .mobipocket), and Palm Doc. Smashwords also makes these titles available with Stanza, an e-reading app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. For more information, go to:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ftlpublications

Posted by Publisher at 8/24/2009 8:22 PM

Thunderbirds.com on Google

This morning, I entered “Thunderbirds” in the Google search engine, and was delighted to find that Thunderbirds.com appeared on the first page of the search results. What’s so pleasantly astonishing about this is that until very recently, I did not know what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was. All I knew was that I kept getting calls and e-mails from companies that offered to make changes to my web site so that it would come up on the first page of any web search…for a price, which generally was $200-$1000 a month. 

As it happened, however, earlier this year, I saw a link on Twitter for HubSpot, which offers a free Internet Marketing Kit. I downloaded their kit, and listened to their webinar (which also has visuals), and followed their instructions. I did not see the result right away (it has taken about 2 months), but I was very impressed when I did see it. (HubSpot, by the way, also offers a free Website Grader, which evaluates a web site and gives suggestions as to how to improve one’s page rank.)

In general, I’m amazed at how quickly web technology continues to change, and how quickly I (and other publishers) are rushing to adapt to it. For instance, one day, I learned what a favicon was, and within 48 to 72 hours, I had a favicon on my web sites (it’s the small picture to the left of the web address on the top of the browser window).  It seems as if every week, there’s something new or changing on the web that demands my attention, as there was this week. I’m all for improvements; I just hope that I can keep up with them!

Posted by Publisher at 5/30/2009 3:05 PM

More on the Mom’s Choice Awards® recognition of Countdown to Action!

Mom’s Choice Awards® blog:
http://momschoiceawards.blogspot.com

Mom's Choice Award seal

Mom’s Choice Award seal


HONORING EXCELLENCE The Mom’s Choice Awards® is an annual awards competition that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.


Countdown to Action is a recipient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award. The Mom’s Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom’s Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom’s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award. —Mom’s Choice Awards

Posted by Publisher at 5/3/2009 7:43 PM

Publisher’s Essay on Small Press Month

In a struggling economy, all small businesses encounter obstacles, but the hurdles that independent presses face even in a good economy become much higher. Many habitual readers remain largely unaware of small press books, and March’s Small Press Month presents the opportunity to raise awareness of these vital contributors to the book world. 

   The smaller a press is, the less visible it is. I have noted with a mixture of amusement and disgust that surveys of small presses generally exclude those with an income under $1 million. Hundreds of small presses, however, take in significantly less than that, and produce perfectly fine books.
Those below that threshold find difficult challenges. Bookstores, whether or not they are part of a chain, prefer to order from distributors. Distributors are generally reluctant to carry books that do not generate a certain level of sales ($2000-$20,000). Even when a distributor will take orders for a title that does not rise to that level, the publisher may have to pay a significant fee or may be placed in the backlist or may not featured in the distributor’s regular catalog (meaning the bookstores are not aware of a title unless a customer asks for it). While some independent publishers maintain proudly that they survive just fine without bookstore orders, it remains the case that when people want to buy books, they generally go to bookstores for them, and without bookstore sales, the income for many small press publishers can be artificially low.
There are services which a small publisher can use…for a fee. Publicists will offer to write press releases for a fee (which may or may not be used by the recipients), marketers will write up a business plan for a fee (which may or may not result in spectacular sales even when followed), representatives will take small press books to various book fairs for a fee (where the attendees may or may not stop to place an order), various organizations will include small press books in their mailings to libraries and bookstores for a fee (which may or may not get trashed upon arrival) and internet experts will promise to place the publisher’s web address on the front page of every web search (which users may or may not click on). All these fees (and many service fees start at $300 or more) add up, and publishers could spend hundreds of dollars on services which may or may not yield results.
Getting attention is often difficult. Small press publishers will find that very few people will consider a novel from an author they never heard of. Readers have never heard of the author because small press books are seldom reviewed in major newspapers, and authors of small press books are seldom featured on national television.  Awards committees tend to focus on books from major publishers, and awards that are open to smaller presses are generally overlooked by the national media.
Despite all this, small press publishers carry on. We share with the larger publishers a delight in discovering a truly great manuscript and bringing it into print. In fact, small presses take pride in publishing outstanding books that larger presses will not consider, not because the manuscript is poor, but because the mainstream publishers are unwilling to take a risk on them. Because independent publishers are less visible, we must work much harder for our books. Our titles must look better and the content must be more accessible. We must explore every avenue to reach readers, even when our efforts are scorned or ignored. What mainstream publishers do, we must do ten times over, to get even one-tenth of the results.
In this economic climate, the small presses need the support of readers even more. Independent publishers are worth checking out. Small press web sites are full of information, and often their quality is comparable to the larger presses. The time invested to research small presses can uncover great treasures.

Joan Marie Verba
Publisher, FTL Publications

Posted by Publisher at 3/1/2009 7:33 PM

ISBN for Next Thunderbirds Novel, Deadly Danger

The next Thunderbirds novel will be Deadly Danger, which will concentrate on Virgil Tracy (just as Action Alert! concentrated on Scott Tracy). All the Tracys, nonetheless, will appear in the novel.

The ISBN has been assigned: 978-0-9653575-9-3

The projected publication date will be determined later.

Posted by Publisher at 2/23/2009 3:58 PM 

Countdown to Action! is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient

Mom's Choice Award seal

Mom’s Choice Award seal

FTL Publications is delighted to announce that Thunderbirds: Countdown to Action! by Joan Marie Verba, is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient in the Young Adult: Fantasy, Myths & Legends category.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is known for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. Countdown to Action! was named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services for 2009. Joan Marie Verba, author of Countdown to Action!, says, “I’m proud to have received this award. It is my goal to write family-friendly stories which can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I’m so pleased that the Mom’s Choice Awards® committee has recognized these efforts.” A complete list of recipients can be found at:www.momschoiceawards.com/celebrate09.php.

Thunderbirds TM & © 1964, 1999 and 2008 ITC Entertainment Group Limited. ‘Thunderbirds’ is a Gerry Anderson Production. Licensed by Granada Ventures Ltd. All rights reserved.

Posted by Publisher at 1/31/2009 9:11 PM