Logical Expressions Blog

I was looking at the weather report this morning. The map shows that we have yet another "Hazardous Weather Outlook." In other words it's probably going to precipitate in some loathsome way today.

Like most people in this area, I am weary of this winter that just won't go away. Today is March 30, and in the last week, we've had two rather unpleasant winter storms. One dumped 11-inches of snow and the other about 4. At least we didn't lose our electricity anyway.

By the end of March, I really lose my sense of humor about snow. My mailbox is chock full of gardening catalogs, but at this point, we still have 3.5 feet of snow on the ground. I know my garden is under there somewhere, but who knows when I'll actually see it. Maybe in May?

News reports also are saying that the snow during this winter that won't end has now equaled the "legendary" North Idaho winter of 1968-1969. Oh and the snow pack in the mountains is higher than usual. Gee, ya think?

Here is today's view of the garden.
(Click for larger versions.)

The hoop house is going to need a bit of repair, assuming we ever see it again.

Note that the snow pile from the roof still reaches the second story of the house.

[Submitted by James H. Byrd, Vice President, Logical Expressions]

Dr. Lynn Osterkamp recently posted an entry on her blog that got me fired up. Her post "Is Winning A Book Award A Big Deal?" talks about the value of book awards for small publishers. She asks the provocative question: "But does an award set up for the likes of us mean anything?"

My answer to that question is "yes" for two reasons:

1. We have to start somewhere.

2. Getting any form of external validation is helpful.

The industry is currently dominated by the major publishers. The major book awards are naturally going to pander to that market. The "indie" book awards give small publishers a separate playing field on which to compete. We may eventually see a day when books published by small publishers go head-to-head with books from major publishers, and when that day comes, we'll know we have arrived. Just don't count on it being soon.

In a way, what is happening in the publishing industry is something like what is happening in the music industry. Social networking through the Internet is creating new venues through which independents can compete against the majors on a virtually level playing field.

Amazon.com is just one example. Most people can't easily tell the difference between a book from a major publisher and one from an independent publisher. You have to know what to look for, and you have to care about it enough to look in the first place. The reader reviews and ratings tell you most of what you need to know about the value of the book, and many times, you can take a peek inside to be sure the quality meets your standards.

Dr. Osterkamp often says that we should "judge a book by the book." That is a healthy attitude for a self-publisher. It is also why I think independent book awards have value to self-publishers. We have to work hard to promote our own books, and a book award has great value as a testimonial. Anything that helps us stand out from the crowd has value to us as marketers. That is to say nothing of the emotional satisfaction of actually winning an award.

So, yes, awards for the likes of us have their place, and I believe the respect they receive will increase over time. For now, it is up to the authors to decide whether or not the entry fee is worth the potential emotional and financial benefit they might get from winning.

Those of you who read my newsletters know that I've been working hard on the member benefits and private member area of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals web site. I'm proud to report that I actually met my self-imposed deadline and it all went live on March 20. (The first day of spring!)

Today I did a press release about it:

New Pet Rescue Association Offers More than 160 Customizable Forms, Pet Care Articles, and Information to Help Humane Professionals Save More Lives

If you're involved in rescue work, you probably can imagine how much time all these pre-made forms and documents could save you. That's time you can spend caring for your furry friends instead, which is generally more fun than staring at a computer ;-)

All of you folks who have been busily downloading IdeaWeaver so you can enter our writing contest have just FIVE days left to get your contest entries to us.

You can read more about the contest and submit your entry here:

Dazzling Dogs Contest Entry Form

We've gotten some cool entries already, which is ample proof that I'm not the only one likes to tell tales about my goofy dogs. It's FREE, after all. And you might just get published too   ;-)

As usual, we've been busy writing articles. Here are the latest ones from the Publishize newsletter.

Anatomy of a Book Layout
As a self-publisher, you should learn a few conventions before you lay out your book

Six Key Elements of a Book Web Site
To market a book online, the first thing you must have is a Web site

Which Tasks Should Self-Publishers Outsource?
Sometimes the best person for the job is not you, so save your sanity by outsourcing tasks you don't like or aren't good at

Everyone Really Does Judge a Book by Its Cover
Even if you will only be selling your book online, your book cover design needs to make a great impression

You can read all the back issues on the Newsletter Archive site. And of course, you can subscribe to either the newsletter or the podcast at Publishize.com

[Posted by James Byrd, VP, Logical Expressions]

One of the ways I like to get exercise and de-stress is by walking down to our mailbox. That may not sound like much exercise, but it is about a mile round trip, and there's a hill involved. Let's just say it is a nice adjunct to other exercise activities.

I bundled up and tromped my way out the door this morning and headed down the road. We got about two inches of snow last night and it was still snowing, so everything had that winter wonderland look again. The trees were freshly flocked and the dirty berms had been temporarily blanketed white again. The beauty was a little soured by the fact that Spring is supposed to arrive in a few days, but it still made for a brisk and lovely walk.

I decided to relax and enjoy the beauty of the falling snow, and I got into my stride. My stride faltered though, when I rounded a corner of the road and saw fresh moose tracks on the ground in front of me. I mean really fresh moose tracks. I stopped immediately and looked around, but couldn't see anything. We have trees along the road and snow berms that are still about 4 feet high, so it is hard to make out things that may be along the road.

I proceeded cautiously. I saw that the tracks had come my way and then doubled back, so I figured the moose had seen me and wandered off, or the tracks weren't as fresh as I thought. I was able to scratch the second theory after about ten more steps. The moose was in the trees to my left and he moved as he heard me approach. I say "he," but I'm not actually certain of the gender.

Now, I've run into this guy before. I went snowshoeing a few days ago and found him wandering around on a road that runs through our property. When he heard me then, he moved away and stopped to keep an eye on me. Since he didn't move far, I chose to skip the road and go far around him through the woods, hoping he didn't have any interest in chasing me off.

This time, I was a lot closer to him before I saw him. Like, about twenty feet. When he moved in the trees, he moved away from me and looked like he might head out across the meadow. I thought "great, he's off the road, so I'll just be cool and walk past unthreateningly toward the mailbox."

I think he misunderstood my intent. As soon as I took a few more steps down the road in his direction, he jumped fully around in the snow and squared off against me, with his head lowered. Now, I don't really know much about interpreting moose body language, but the shot of adrenaline I got at that moment told me everything I needed to know. So much for walking to the mailbox.

I turned around and walked steadily away from the moose, occasionally looking over my shoulder to see if he really wanted to give me a hard time. But, lucky for me, this moose is more defensive than offensive. He'll stand his ground, but he isn't particularly aggressive (at least, not at this time of year.)

Grumbling to myself, I headed back to the house. I named the moose Dennis at that moment, as in "Dennis the Moose Menace." I figured I'd go get the car and try again.

I drove back down to the mailbox, and this time, Dennis popped back onto the road and started trotting away in front of me. When afraid, moose will sometimes do really dumb things and can hurt themselves, so I stayed way back to let him figure out where he wanted to bail off the road. A neighbor friend of mine took over the herding task at an intersection, and he escorted Dennis along past the mailboxes, which left me free to complete my original task.

When I came home and walked up the stairs to the front door of the house, I had to laugh. Right there to the left of the doorway is a nice metal welcome sign we got from Coldwater Creek. It is in the shape of a moose.

The business moral of this story: You really do have to be careful about how your marketing messages may be interpreted, if you want to attract the right customers.

Since we have been working hard on new private membership area of the NAPRP site, I am just now posting links to the great folks who agreed to run my "guest posting" about the importance of spaying and neutering pets, which we did the week of Spay Day (February 26).

Check them out ;-)

For the Love of Animals - http://4theloveofanimals.com/blog/2008/03/03/spay-day-guest-post/
The Blog Pound - http://www.theblogpound.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/guest_post/
Easy Vegan - http://www.easyvegan.info/2008/02/26/spay-day-usa/

Thank you for helping me spread the word!

Mary White over at HubPages let me know that she wrote a review of our cookbook Vegan Success. Check it out:

She says, "this book is sure to be a great addition to your collection of cookbooks."

It's certainly an addition to our collection; we use it all the time. In fact, I made Tempeh Stroganoff again the other night, which is one of the recipes in the cookbook. I noticed that the page is, ahem, a bit food stained. (Gotta love those 'shrooms!)

I did an interview on why people should consider adopting cats from animal shelters and humane societies. In the interview I talk about concerns people may have, adopting kittens versus adult cats, tips for good adoptions, and selecting a shelter.

Of course, I also mention Happy Tabby and the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals too ;-)

Plus, I explain how I got involved with all this critter stuff and share a dopey story about me, my cat Troi (the cover model for Happy Tabby), and a very intrepid local rodent.

Check it out at the Love to Know site:

Cat Adoption Tips

We've been getting a lot of subscribes to our Publishize newsletter lately. I'm finally writing down a lot of the stuff that has been in my head for the last few years about book publishing, and our Publishize readers benefit from all this hard-won knowledge. Plus, the price is right, since hey, it's a free newsletter ;-)

In the last month, I've written these articles:

Recycle Your Book into Multiple Products
Once you have gone through the effort to develop enough knowledge and expertise to actually write a book, think about how you can reuse it

How to Come Up with a Great Title for Your Non-Fiction Book
The title is like a headline for your book, so you should take the time to craft it carefully

How to Select the Right Editor for Your Book Project
You need to understand the various types of editing before you go searching for an editor

The Wonderful World of Print on Demand Book Distribution
Virtually all "POD publishers" use the same printer so their books can be ordered by bookstores and available on Amazon

These articles are also available as a podcast by the way for those of your audiophiles in the room. You can sign up for either the newsletter or the podcast at Publishize.com.