A simple way to self-publish

Are you an aspiring author but have no idea how to go about publishing your book?

You may very well be the next JK Rowling but unfortunately convincing the various, well established publishing houses otherwise may prove to be the biggest hurdle. Even if you do convince them, they might take away most of the control over the book while giving you a paltry sum as a royalty.

You may want to consider a new way of publishing a book, by Self Publishing with AuthorHouse. This leading self-publishing company was established in 1997 and have since then has helped over 25,000 authors to self publish their book.

The best part is that you as a author retain all rights and control decisions regarding the publishing and ultimate marketing of their book. After it is published you won't even have to worry about the marketing of the book as it will available for order at more than 25,000 retail outlets worldwide, online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, well as their own online book store.

Rowling set to start another series

For those traumatised by the end of the extremely popular Harry Potter series, don't worry!

The latest rumour on the grapevine is that Rowling is working on yet another series of books - following the adventures of Ron and Hermione as they grow up and get married. There might be a TV series on the line as well.

Tags: harry potter jk rowling ronald weasley hermione granger

Flooding in Warwickshire

Several places in Warwickshire nearby, has been hit by severe flood after rivers broke their banks at several places. The flood is said to be one of the worst in years. Several houses have been evacuated in the area and forced to spend the night in emergency centres. Thousands of cars were stranded on the M5 and drivers as well as passengers had to spend the night in the cars.

Much of Stratford-upon-Avon town centre (birthplace of William Shakespeare) in now under water as the river Avon overflowed. Performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) Swan Theatre were canceled as well.

Was listening to BBC radio today morning and one caller reported that she could see people canoing on what used to be the main road outside her house.

The River Leam also burst its banks and flooded parts of the town centre in Leamington Spa.

My copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Oops! I should make that OUR COPY of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (my wife wants to read it first). Drove down to the nearby Morrisons and grabbed a copy. I was quite surprised because there was so many copies left. I had expected the shelves to be half empty at least. Read my post "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows price war".



There was an elderly couple in front of me at the payment counter and they were really surprised when I told them it cost only £4.99. The husband quickly ran to the display near the entrance to grab a copy for their grandchild.

"People were queuing up for it at midnight", the lady told me. "Yeah!" I replied, "they didn't need to".

Tags: harry potter harry potter and the deathly hallows morrisons

High defnition video communication

A few years ago, only a few companies considered video conferencing. However, due to innovations in technology and faster net connections, it is something very viable. There are several advantages - you can save on travel costs (and of course the environment by reducing your carbon footprint), hotel cots and of course no jet lag.

Companies are not the only ones that can benefit from video conferencing systems. For example if you organistion is involved in the education sector and you are thinking of installing such a system, you might want to consider LifeSize's Video Conference Equipment, which delivers high definition video resolution (1280 x 720) at 1Mbps

This high definition video communications company was founded in 2003 and has it's headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows price war

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) is $17.99 on Amazon.com. On the other hand, it is £8.99 on the Amazon UK site.

Compare that with what UK supermarket chain Morrisons is offering. The last Harry Potter book is only £4.99 here. No! I won't be queuing up anywhere when the clock strikes midnight. However, I will be rushing there tomorrow morning and hope that there are still some copies left. If not, my next choice will be Asda where it is going for £5.

It is still £8.87 at Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Waterstone's and Woolworths are sellingit at £8.99 per copy while it is £10.99 at WH Smith.

The price war is on in Malaysia too. According to a news report, bookstores here are protesting against hypermarkets Carrefour and Tesco, slashing the price of the book from the recommended retail price of RM109.90 to RM69.90. The four major bookstores there, namely MPH, Popular, Harris and Times announced at a press conference, that they would not sell the last Harry Potter book. Cry babies!

Updated: 22 July 2007

Tags: harry potter harry potter and the deathly hallows morrisons

Drink your vegetables

I have been a vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for most of my life and I have no regrets even though a lot of people always say "Pity, you are missing out on all the tasty food". Actually I am not missing out on anything.

I find it quite strange that some people hate vegetables. This natural food contains different vitamins, minerals and others, which has so many health benefits. There are so many studies that have shown that a regular vegetable intake can prevent diseases and help in controlling your weight.

If you are one of those guys who hate eating vegetables but want the good benefits of vegetables, why not try drinking them. That's the idea behind a daily dietary supplement called "My Daily Veggies" brought out by a company called Lane Labs, LLC. This company is giving away thousands of free trial packets to promote this daily nutritional supplement. You can also get 7 day My Daily Veggies Free Sample containing a total of 14 USDA servings of whole vegetables($10.00 value). They will only charge $1.00 on your credit card for shipping and handling.

If you don't want to drink it, you can easily incorporate it into one of the recipes given on the site or your own. I might try it out too.