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Read Bruce's blog about book marketing trends at bookmarketing.agiopublishing.com/.
Author and former merchant mariner Rowland Marshall diesJuly 23, 2008 -- Rowland Marshall, author of Luck Was My Companion: Adventures of an Old Sea Dog passed on July 19 in Sidney, BC. He was 89. Rowland is survived by his sister Caroline Whitehead and daughter Susan and her children. A gifted storyteller, Rowland related details about his early life in an easy-to-read style that won praise from readers around the world. One reviewer wrote that Rowland's "tales evoke both laughter and tears."
Ancient Bloodlines Trilogy launch on Pender IslandJune 4, 2008 -- Author Barry Mathias launched his new books at Talisman Books and Gallery on Pender Island this evening to an appreciative crowd. This was the unveiling of the first two books of the Ancient Bloodlines Trilogy. Book 1 is The Power in the Dark; Book 2 is Shadow of the Swords. Barry gave a dramatic reading from the first chapter that had the audience mesmerized. Afterwards refreshments were served and the author signed copies of the new books. Already people were asking for Book 3 -- scheduled for release in early 2009.
LUCK a compelling companionApril 30, 2008 -- Christine van Reeuwyk, writing in the Peninsula News Review, says Rowland Marshall's autobiography Luck was my Companion: Adventures of an Old Sea Dog is "a graphic and compelling tale ... memoirs of love and war set to make readers laugh and cry." Author Rowland Marshall will be signing copies of his new book at Sidney's Shoppers DrugMart from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 20th. Van Reeuwyk said the book has "detail that brings the reader onboard the ship, into the inferno, the moments when his life flashed before his eyes and how he fought to survive ... the tales evoke both laughter and tears." Read the full article at http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/peninsulanewsreview/lifestyles/18394609.html.
THE ONION FILES is 6th most popular release at Podiobooks.comMarch 24, 2008 -- In its first month on Podiobooks.com's audio book charts, The Onion Files has cracked the Podiobooks Top Ten. This is a "list of the most popular books by number of subscriptions in the last thirty days," says Podiobooks.com's co-founder, Evo Terra. Currently Major General Val Pattee's spy thriller is at the number 6 spot. Episodes may be accessed through Podiobooks.com. Fans are able to listen for free to these episodes. These audio recordings are narrated by the author, Major General Val Pattee, and were recorded at Agio Publishing House's home studio. General Pattee is at the forefront of a wave of authors creating their own indie audio books to meet the growing demand for content as MP3 listening devices such as iPods, cel phones and eBook readers become ever more ubiquitous throughout the world. "Releasing chapters as podcoast episodes through Podiobooks.com can provide excellent publicity for the printed book, and for the complete audio book on CD or DVD," notes Bruce Batchelor, publisher at Agio Publishing House. "This is part of the new vision of marketing stories as CONTENT through a wide range of editions and channels, rather than the old publishing model of selling only the printed BOOK and only through book stores." As soon as General Pattee has recorded all the chapter episodes, Agio will release the full audio book as an MP3 CD, manufactured on demand and available through Amazon.com and Lulu.com.
First episodes of THE ONION FILES released as podcast episodes at Podiobooks.comFeb. 27, 2008 -- The prologue and first four chapters from The Onion Files are now available as podcast episodes through Podiobooks.com. You are able to listen for free to these episodes. These audio recordings are narrated by the author, Major General Val Pattee, and were recorded at Agio Publishing House's home studio. General Pattee is at the forefront of a wave of authors creating their own indie audio books to meet the growing demand for content as MP3 listening devices such as iPods, cel phones and eBook readers become ever more ubiquitous throughout the world. "Releasing chapters as podcoast episodes through Podiobooks.com can provide excellent publicity for the printed book, and for the complete audio book on CD or DVD," notes Bruce Batchelor, publisher at Agio Publishing House. "This is part of the new vision of marketing stories as CONTENT through a wide range of editions and channels, rather than the old publishing model of selling only the printed BOOK and only through book stores." As soon as General Pattee has recorded all the chapter episodes, Agio will release the full audio book as an MP3 CD, manufactured on demand and available through Amazon.com and Lulu.com.
'Old Sea Dog' Rowland Marshall reveals the adventurous, the seamy and the mystical sides to a career in the Merchant Marine before and during WWIIFeb. 8, 2008 -- Sidney, BC resident Rowland Marshall reveals how fate played a huge role during his amazing life, in his newly-released memoir, Luck Was My Companion [Agio Publishing House; ISBN 978-1897435-090]. This inspiring book provides a stark look at Marshall's upbringing in a post-WWI orphanage in England, his challenges with first jobs (a teenager had to help support the family during the Depression), and an initiation to a seafaring career aboard merchant marine vessels plying the routes to Western Africa and beyond. A gifted storyteller, Rowland Marshall entertains with vivid details of life aboard rusty tramp steamers as he encounters the seamier side of life in distant ports, and contracts Malaria. When war breaks out, he finds himself braving fierce Atlantic gales on convoys bringing supplies from the USA. When Britain needs sailors to crew heavily-armed merchant ships on a dangerous relief convoy headed for the Isle of Malta, Marshall is 'volunteered'. This massive convoy, codenamed Pedestal, is attacked relentlessly by German dive-bombers, U-boats and Italian E-boats, as it sails across the Mediterranean. The aircraft carrier H.M.S. Eagle is soon sunk and each day more naval and merchant ships are destroyed. Then a Junkers dive bomber breaks through the anti-aircraft barrages to land bombs on Marshall's vessel, the M.V. Waimarama. Within minutes fires have ignited the cargo of aviation fuel and munitions, and the young sailor is badly burned as he manages a desperate escape into a sea covered in flaming fuel oil from the sinking ship. Luck is clearly his companion, as he survives a strafing attack and is discovered and plucked from the water a few hours later by a Royal Navy destroyer. He will make a partial recovery in hospital on Malta. Although he is classified as too injured to ever work again, Marshall argues his way back into duty as quartermaster aboard a ship ferrying supplies and soldiers between North Africa and Italy. During the great invasion of Europe on D-Day, Marshall can be found on an ambulance craft assigned to ferry wounded GIs from Omaha Beach to the hospital ships. As the war comes to a close, he is part of the escort to the captured crew of the sunken German pocket battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee. Throughout the book, Marshall describes a quest to locate a sister he's never met. This mission haunts his life and sets the scene for a rather dramatic climax to this amazing memoir. Luck Was My Companion contains many photographs of the era, including images of vessels Marshall served on and the battle for Omaha Beach. Marshall, who recently celebrated his 89th birthday, now lives in Sidney, BC, Canada. Val Pattee to be interviewed on CHQR, CalgaryFeb. 4, 2008 -- Val Pattee will be interviewed on Calgary's CHQR at 7:05 pm (Pacific time) on Tuesday Feb 12th, 2008 - you can listen live on the web at www.am770chqr.com/ CBC host enthusiastic about THE ONION FILESDec. 18, 2007 -- Val was just interviewed on CBC Radio One. Host Jo-Ann Roberts said, "I was hooked when I started reading it... I found myself comparing it to Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum..." Later she expressed surprise that major publishers and agents hadn't snapped up this book and predicted that producers would soon notice it: "It really sounds like a movie."
Enthusiastic comments and a Best Seller ranking for Agio author's first novelVal Pattee's THE ONION FILES is catching on with READERS.
SALES of THE ONION FILES are doing well. The paperback is being sold (and has been re-ordered by one store when it sold out) at Munro's and Chapters Downtown in Victoria and at Tanner's Bookstore in Sidney. Most of the promotional push has been directing potential readers to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca. At the Canadian site (www.amazon.ca), THE ONION FILES was showing in 6th place among bestselling espionage thrillers last week! That was AHEAD of fellows like Follett and Ludlum. Pretty amazing for a first-time author in the first month after his book's launch. Well done, Val! CFAX rates The Onion Files as "a very good story and a pleasure to read"The Onion Files is "a very good story and a pleasure to read" says Terry Spence, host of CFAX 1070 Talk Radio with Terry Spence. "It has that feel of truth to it like the guy who wrote it really knows what goes on in that part of our world."
Times-Colonist business section: "Former Trafford boss returns to the fray as a cottage publisher"A great story in today's Victoria Times-Colonist (Oct. 26/07) by Carla Wilson. Front page of the Business Section, with a colour photo of Agio's publisher, Bruce Batchelor. Carla writes about the opening of Agio, Book Marketing DeMystified and The Onion Files, and our quest to change the long-standing and environmentally harmful practice of publishers (over-)selling books to bookstores on consignment. Thanks, Carla and editor Darron Kloster, for spreading the word. Upcoming publicity: Bruce will be speaking at SFU's Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing on Oct. 30th; appearances on CFAX-1070 talk radio by Bruce (Oct. 30th) and Val (Oct. 31st); feature on Val in the Victoria News (probably on Oct. 31st); possible feature on The Daily on Shaw TV channel 17. Book Launch Event for THE ONION FILES to be held at The Union Club in Victoria on November 2; author Val Pattee will be interviewed on C-FAX 1070 Radio by Terry Spence on October 31The pre-launch excitement is mounting for Major General Val Pattee's The Onion Files! The final PDF files are now at the printers, so we'll have copies of both trade paperback and casebook editions by month's end. The launch party will be held at The Union Club in Victoria on November 2nd at 4 pm. Wine, cheese and cake will be served. Val will entertain us with some "secrets" from his years as Chief of Intelligence for NATO, and field questions from guests. We expect about 200 people to attend. Terry Spence, whose talk show on C-FAX 1070 is one of Victoria's most listened-to programs, will interview publisher Bruce Batchelor at 11 am on October 30th, then Val will be Terry's guest at 11 am on October 31st. Tune in if you can -- on the 'net go to www.cfax1070.com. This great testimonial just arrived: Let's see: if every US Homeland Security staffer buys a copy of this book, as recommended by the former DIA Director, The Onion Files could be a runaway bestseller! 5 Star review for Book Marketing DeMystified
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA), September 3, 2007 It often comes as a shock when newly published authors discover that they must bear most of the burden of marketing their books to the general reading public -- even if they are fortunate enough to be published by one of the major New York publishing firms like Random House, Simon & Schuster or Penguin-Putnam. For self-published authors that marketing responsibility is completely theirs. Most authors are aware of the many 'how to' books that are available to them for the purpose of helping them master the craft of writing. There are also instruction books on turning raw manuscripts into finished books. What is not so obvious is that there are a number of excellent instructional guides for authors on how to market their books after they have been published. One of the best of these marketing manuals is "Book Marketing DeMystified" by Bruce Batchelor, the man who founded Trafford (Canadian based and one of the larger POD companies servicing North America) and is widely acknowledged as the creator of the print-on-demand (POD) publishing process that has shattered the book publishing monopoly of the traditional publishing firms by allowing anyone to easily become their own publisher. This 167-page compendium of practical advice offers an especially 'user friendly' introduction to the art and science of book marketing because of its conversational style, its comprehensive coverage of book marketing issues, and Bruce Batchelor's unique perspective. It should be noted that the Midwest Book Review is positively cited (page 120) as a resource for authors and independent publishers. "Book Marketing DeMystified" is especially useful in terms of its discussion of where to sell books, price/value setting, personal sales, paid advertising, sales promotions, publicity and public relations. Simply stated, every author and every small press publisher needs to have a competent marketing plan -- and Bruce Batchelor's "Book Marketing DeMystified" specifically and effectively addresses that need.
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