On a Limb with Claudia

When fear comes a knocking....

"Ma'am, we are going house to house today to offer our security systems. You realize that as one of the only houses without a security system, you are at risk of assault, theft and injury?"

I raised my eyebrows.? The young salesman stopped talking at my response.

"We've never had a problem," I said.

"Lived here long?" He asked.? "A lot of your neighbors have just moved to the area. They are concerned with the crime in this neighborhood."

"Maybe they should have moved somewhere else," I said.

My neighborhood has "transitioned" from lower income to professionals and families.? We moved here because it was close to the park. We liked the large lots, hundred year old houses, and 'live and let live attitude' of the neighborhood.? After all, we keep four beehives and a little urban garden in our backyard.

When we moved here, the businesses were boarded up.? Now, a block from our house is the "hot" area of town with bars, great restaurants, a music venue, and even a burlesque venue.? The abandoned hospital has been turned into luxury condominiums.? Our little neighborhood is booming.

So fear comes a knocking.

The security system people didn't visit us when there was a serial rapist living in an abandoned building a block away.? They didn't come when someone was beaten in front of our house.? I didn't receive a visit when the crack whore worked next door.?? The security people didn't visit our block when the young man was shot or the meth lab was raided or the cab driver was attacked only to be rescued by an ex-Green Beret neighbor.

The security system people came when wealth moved into the neighborhood.

"I have this visicious dog," I said.

He looked at Rose.? She wagged her whole body at him.? She also carried her beloved handkerchief in her mouth.

"Ma'am, you can never be too careful."

"You're right."

I closed the door on his face.? He can peddle his fear somewhere else.

Sending out an SOS... (or Book Marketing? What?)

After posting about some interesting movements in the music industry, Colleen at Loose Leaf Notes asked me to look into book publishing.

Inspired, I set out to answer her question.

At little background first.? Book publicity has changed drastically in the last seven years. When we started the Open Grove in January, 2001:

• In-house publicists from hundreds of publishers sent dozens of copies of books. I received 12+ books a day.? I heard that Oprah received over 50 books a day.? Yikes!


• Almost every author went on some form of a multi-city book tour.


• I received telephone calls, letters, and a few emails (2001) from publicists hungry to get their clients on the Open Grove.

Within two years:

• publishers began to merge into multinational conglomerates,


• the tide of books became a trickle, (Thank God)


• authors financed their own book tours,


• some savvy best selling authors began publishing their own books, and


• small book presses were growing.

By 2007:

• many of the major book publishers had closed their publicity departments,


• authors whispered that they spent their entire advance on a publicist - some where helpful, most were not, and


• the publishing industry lost 17%!? Book publishers closed left and right.

Walt Whitman sold his book door to door. What's an author in 2008 supposed to do to sell his or her book??

• What works?


• What doesn't work?


• What are people doing to promote themselves?


• What was the data? Which marketing endeavors increased sales? What had no effect at all?


• Self publishing? Big New York Publisher? No advance publishing? E-book publishing?

I asked my favorite Marketing forum and came up with some good ideas, but no data. I sat through ridiculous seminars run by sharks and charlatans. (No, Janet, I didn't kill them, I only WANTED to kill them.)

What sells books in 2008?

No one knows.

I mean, I have some ideas? But I've already written about them.

Unsure of what to do, I did nothing. Then I noticed a little project of Brad Feld's (Liz, he's the venture capitalist I was talking about).? I decided to steal his idea.

I'm sending out an SOS.

Let's collect our information and experience. We don't have to toil alone. Together, we can create a resource for authors. With information, we wrestle our creative efforts from the mouth's of sharks.

(100% of these proceeds will go to Wounded Warriors. )

What I'm looking for:

• Direct experience marketing a book, selling a book or even getting a book published.


• What is working for you?


• What hasn't worked for you?


• What do you believe is the single most important factor in selling your book?


• You book can be a self-published book, an e-book, a New York publisher.


• Did your book tour work?


• How much publicity help did you get from your publisher?


• What sells your book?

I'm thinking a short (100 - 300 words) this worked, this didn't.

In return for participating, you will receive a free copy of the book. I'm hoping to collect 100 authors to participate in this project. If you are interested, please send me an email at: [email protected] or leave a comment at On a Limb with Claudia.? If you know a published author, please let them know about this project.

Help an author out.? Please repost this call for entry.

In exchange for re-posting this on your blog, I will enter you in a contest for either a honey lover's package - 2006 (dark brown spicy), 2007 (minty, light colored) honey and 2008 honey (yet to be determined) - or a $25 gift certificate to Amazon, Starbucks, Target or whatever - or a cool seed kit like I made for my friend Van.? Hell, if you want some tomatoes I can send those along too! ;) Make sure to leave a link to the post in the comments. I'll draw a winner from the comments to this post.

Tag I'm it.

Forgetful One tagged me for this meme. Since I've had deadly blog back up, I'm a bit behind on my meme's.

Here are the rules:

1. Each player answers questions about themselves.

2. At the end of the post, tag 5 people by posting their names.

3.Go to their site/blog and leave a comment telling them they've been tagged. Invite them to your site/blog so they can read the tagged post.

4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've completed your tagged post.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago, I was getting ready to re-marry my husband. We had been married the year before in a major debacle - white dress and all. After some infusion of in-law evil stuff, we decided to do it right and get remarried. It was a truly lovely ceremony next to a beaver pond in the Burning Bear Wilderness. At that time, I had a full full full psychotherapy private practice.

2. What are 5 things on your "To Do" list?

• Make sourdough bread.


• Workout


• Plant seedlings


• Edits for "The Fey"


• Add deep hive body to swarms.

3. What are 5 snacks you enjoy? (In no specific order)

• Popcorn


• Organic baby carrots


• Plain yogurt with berries and almonds


• Apple and peanut butter


• Protein, milk, wheat germ

4. Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire.

Exactly what I am doing right now.

5. Name some places where you've lived.

Pacific Palisades, California Reno, Nevada Claremont, California Eagle Rock, California Berkeley, California Alameda, California Oakland, California Venice Beach, California Denver, Colorado

That's all of them, folks.

6. Name some bad habits you have.

• I diminish my accomplishments
• I don't get around to cleaning the house as often as I would like
• I get bored easily
• I am too accepting of people

7. Name some jobs you've had.

• Cleaned houses
• Waited tables including cocktail waitressing
• Worked at the Berkeley Housing Office
• Staff photographer, Daily Californian
• Typesetter, typist, word processor, etc.
• Laboratory research assistant, Hepatitis, HIV, Herpes viruses
• Market Research Computer Programmer
• Wilderness outfitter (sales, cashier, manager)
• Alcohol and Drug rehabilitation counselor and DUI school teacher
• Psychotherapist, Private Practice, specializing in severe trauma, PTSD and addiction related disorders
• Author

8. Name those whom you are tagging.

Anyone that would like to do the tag! Have fun!

~~~~~~

Forgetful One was tagged by Latree at Dandelion. In turn, she tagged: Cecily at My Chaos, My Bliss, Yellow Rose at Yellow Rose?s Garden ,Me, Maryt/thteach at Work of the Poet, andGiggles at Happy Tiler

All we are saying is....

Light up the Darkness

"The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off.? How can I? Light up the darkness." --attributed to Bob Marley

Happy Memorial Day!

Unconscious Mutterings : Week 278

Hurray for working Internet servers! Hurray for Unconscious Mutterings. You know how we do - You write whatever pops into your head in response to these words (created by LunaNina)

Please do play! I love to see what's in your unconscious week after week!? This weeks words:

1. Referral ::


2. Indiana ::


3. Foil ::


4. Horizon ::


5. Event ::


6. Sailing ::


7. Footage ::


8. Sunday ::


9. Breathtaking ::


10. Dude! ::

My response:

1. Referral :: assistance


2. Indiana :: Cows, Meg Cabot (moved back 2 years ago)


3. Foil :: ed again!


4. Horizon :: On the


5. Event :: Planning


6. Sailing ::? Smooth


7. Footage :: of Cormorants (We have a huge flock in our park, very rare.? They are filming them.)


8. Sunday :: morning quiet


9. Breathtaking :: view


10. Dude! :: Dude!

Now it's your turn!

On the urban farm....

While sitting on my neighbor's deck, I overheard this conversation:

"Can you believe it? She actually keeps bees?" The woman said.? "She even said that she wanted to GROW her food this year."

Was she talking about me?? I don't know her.

"Oh, she's ridiculous," the other woman said.? "What does she thinks she has?? An urban farm?"

They laughed.

My neighbor whispered, "That's not you.? They are talking about someone in Boulder.? They don't need to know about your backyard."

Now at least I know what to call our little project.

Here's a little update.

Beehives:

• We have four beehives.
• One with a beautiful Zia Queenbee.
• Another that is in the process of requeening itself.
• And two swarms. The third swarm did not stay.

Gardens:

• Everything survived the last snow storm and is beginning to grow!
• We've planted almost everything.
• We are starting new beds because order 3 get 3 free raspberries plants meant 18 plants and not 6 as I thought.? I'd complain but come on. Who wouldn't eat more raspberries if given the chance??
• We are still waiting for a blueberry and strawberries.? Our squash and watermelons have not come up yet but we are optimistic.

Bed 1

Bed 2

Bed 3

Hope your weekend is going well!

Interruption in our regular Thursday programming.

Hey folks!

I'm completely wrapped up with the bees, the swarms, the garden, the husband's comprehensive exams, and every other non-computer time thing.? I'll return next week with something brilliant - promise!

In the meantime, TT-on!

Claudia

When it rains, it... swarms?

Or How Claudia spent her weekend.

Love the swarms... love the swarms... love the swarms.... the phone rings and off we go.

Swarm catchers.

This swarm was in a woman's peach tree. She lived in Central Denver and insists that this is from a feral hive. Of course, we were all over that. (Feral would mean that these bees survived the mites, the diseases, and every other thing to sit in this tree.)

This massive swarm was on our fence. (These are Italian Bees - from someone's hive.)

The snow followed by 80 degree days cause the bees to swarm. I always say that the bees don't like bees. But that's a weird vague joke about Navajos that almost no one gets.

I did learn a few things about catching swarms that I would like to share with you. Michael C, at the Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile, shares his weekly lessons, so I thought I might share my lesson's here.

1. Poking a swarm with a stick, or in my case a tube, is not a good thing.


2. Make sure the Bee Vac is actually vacuuming before you try to retrieve the swarm. Why? See #1.


3. When the bees line up on the bee vac? You have the queen.


4. Make sure the tube is attached to the vacuum. It works better that way.


5. Your neighbors? They are not as excited about the bee swarm as you are. When you brightly say, "I'm catching a swarm" while standing in their backyard? It doesn't make them happy.


6. You simply cannot get all the bees. Get over it.


7. If it's just been really really cold and now is really really hot? You should put the divider in because it's only a matter of time before someone calls for a swarm pick up.


8. When you're standing in some strange woman's backyard vacuuming a tree? The neighbors will come and ask "What the hell are you doing?" They even say things like, "I'm calling the cops." Fun fun fun.


9. No one cares how sexy you look in your usual bee outfit. Not. One. Person.

I hope you learned as much as I did. I'll keep you posted on how these swarms do. I don't have any brood to encourage them to stay so it's 50/50. Last weeks swarm is already working on making a home. Yea!

Your path.

"Having finished teaching a student, the guru sets the student off into the night to his home. The guru gives his student a lamp, says goodbye, and leaves him on the doorway.

"The student stands in the dark.? Lifting the lamp up high, he cannot see the road ahead. Fearful, he knocks on the guru?s door.

?Master, master,? the student says, ?I cannot see my way home!?

The guru replies, ?Look down and what do you see??

?I see the ground, master, and my feet, but no more."

?Then you can get home,? replies the guru. ?Each step you take is illuminated. Each step you take is sure-footed. Take one step at a time, and you will get home safely.? --Toni Allen (edited for clarity)

~~~~~~~~

I love this story.

And I know this fact:? You must be on the right path to actually make it home.

What path are you walking on?? Are you sure it's the path that's right for you?? If so, how would you know?

Happy Monday!