Publisher's Blog

Thunderbirds novel Deadly Danger is a 2010 Scribe Award Finalist

Publisher — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:29:00 GMT

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
2010 Scribe Award Finalists Announced
The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers is pleased to announce the finalists for the fourth annual Scribe Awards, which honors excellence in the field of media tie-in writing for books published in 2009. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held at Comic-Con International July 22-25 in San Diego.

BEST YOUNG ADULT (ORIGINAL & ADAPTED)

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
BANDSLAM: THE NOVEL by Aaron Rosenberg
THUNDERBIRDS: DEADLY DANGER by Joan Marie Verba

BEST NOVEL (GENERAL FICTION)

AS THE WORLD TURNS: THE MAN FROM OAKDALE by "Henry Coleman" & Alina Adams
CSI: BRASS IN POCKET by Jeff Mariotte
PSYCH: A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO READ by William Rabkin

BEST NOVEL (SPECULATIVE FICTION)

STAR TREK VANGUARD: OPEN SECRETS by Dayton Ward
STAR TREK: A SINGULAR DESTINY by Keith R.A. DeCandido
WARHAMMER: SHAMANSLAYER—A GOTREK AND FELIX NOVEL by Nathan Long
TERMINATOR SALVATION: COLD WAR by Greg Cox
ENEMIES & ALLIES by Kevin J. Anderson

BEST ADAPTATION (GENERAL & SPECULATIVE)

COUNTDOWN by Greg Cox
GI JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA by Max Allan Collins
THE TUDORS: THY WILL BE DONE by Elizabeth Massie

GRANDMASTER: WILLIAM JOHNSTON

FTL Publications participating in read an e-book week

Publisher — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:08:00 GMT

FTL Publications is participating in Read an E-book week March 7-13, 2010. Our titles in e-book format are discounted this week, and 3 of them are free! You can find them at www.smashwords.com

Autumn World Coupon Code:
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: WQ75L
Expires: March 13, 2010

Boldly Writing Coupon Code:
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: NK68J
Expires: March 13, 2010

Weight Loss Success Coupon Code:
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: HY76G
Expires: March 13, 2010

Voyager Coupon Code:
Promotional price: $2.48
Coupon Code: EU44T
Expires: March 18, 2010

Murder at the War Coupon code:
Promotional price: $4.98
Coupon Code: WC48M
Expires: March 13, 2010

Cat's Paw Coupon Code:
Promotional price: $4.98
Coupon Code: AC47G
Expires: March 13, 2010

Special Offer from FTL Publications

Publisher — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:02:00 GMT

Later this year, FTL Publications will start offering an e-mail newsletter for Book Announcements. From time to time (no regular schedule), the e-mail newsletter will give information about books of interest. As an incentive to sign up for the list, I am offering complimentary mini-posters of three FTL Publications covers for download (the covers for Countdown to Action, Action Alert, and Murder at the War), which you can access by submitting your name and e-mail address for the e-mail newsletter.

You can sign up for this e-mail newsletter at no charge by going to the FTL Publications or Thunderbirds.com site and clicking on the link.

We adhere to a strict privacy policy that means your information will not be shared, sold, or otherwise distributed. Your e-mail will only be used for the Book Announcements e-mail newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

ISBN for Next Thunderbirds Novel, Situation: Critical

Publisher — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:10:00 GMT

The next Thunderbirds novel will be Situation: Critical, and feature John Tracy, though all the Tracys will appear in the novel.

The ISBN has been assigned: 978-0-9825232-2-3

The projected publication date will be determined later.

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

Publisher — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:10:00 GMT

The Mom’s Choice Awards® Names the novel Thunderbirds™: Action Alert! by Joan Marie Verba Among Best In Family-Friendly Products

The Mom's Choice Awards® has named the Thunderbirds™ novel, Action Alert!, among the best in family-friendly media, products and services.

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

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for children and families. The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services and make informed decisions.

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 our panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author, Priscilla Dunstan, creator of the Dunstan Baby Language; Patricia Rossi, host of NBC’s Manners Minute; Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C., host of the Wright Place™ TV Show; and Catherine Witcher, M.Ed., special needs expert and founder of Precision Education, Inc.

MCA judges are bound by a strict code of ethics which ensures expert and objective analysis free from any manufacturer association. The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five identical samples of a product. Entries are matched to judges in the MCA database. Judges perform a thorough analysis and submit a detailed assessment. Results are compiled and submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final approval. The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.

Mom’s Choice Awards: www.MomsChoiceAwards.com

FTL Publications is now on Facebook

Publisher — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:56:00 GMT

FTL Publications is now on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FTL-Publications/2660219252631.80

Weight Loss Success! First Review

Publisher — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:26:00 GMT

I was pleased to find a a very favorable review of Weight Loss Success! today. "Highly recommended for all weight and health conscious people or their friends who want to gift the book." Full review at: http://bit.ly/7XOJeF

Midwest Book Review on Deadly Danger!

Publisher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:15:00 GMT

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.

Weight Loss Success! on sale now

Publisher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:06:00 GMT

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.

It’s $1.95 as an eBook on Smashwords, so it is inexpensive, and half of the book is available for sampling on the Smashwords site, too. (It’s $6.95 if purchased in paperback and ordered through the mail.)

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7714

Deadly Danger article in IAMTW newsletter

Publisher — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:25:00 GMT

The latest IAMTW (I Am a Media Tie-In Writer) newsletter has an article about the latest Thunderbirds novel, Deadly Danger!

http://www.iamtw.org/newsletter.html

The newsletter is in .pdf format. Click on the link, then click on November/December 2009 to read the latest newsletter.

Deadly Danger now available at Amazon.com

Publisher — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Deadly Danger is now available at Amazon.com. For links, go to:

http://www.ftlpublications.com/ordering.htm

Deadly Danger is here!

Publisher — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:06:00 GMT

Deadly Danger came back from the printer today! The preorders are all packed and will be mailed tomorrow.

Deadly Danger, chapter 1 posted, preorders being taken

Publisher — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:03:00 GMT

Chapter 1 of Deadly Danger has been posted to the FTL Publications website. Go to:

http://www.ftlpublications.com/deadlydanger.htm

and click on "read chapter 1."

Preorders are being taken for Deadly Danger. To order, go to:

http://shop.ftlpublications.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=10

Deadly Danger complete cover

Publisher — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:14:00 GMT

FTL Publications titles in various eBook formats on Smashwords

Publisher — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:22:00 GMT

FTL Publications titles Autumn World, Boldly Writing, Cat's Paw, and Murder at the War 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

FTL Publications titles on the Kindle

Publisher — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:26:00 GMT

The following FTL Publications titles are now available on Amazon.com's Kindle eBook format: Autumn World, Boldly Writing, Cat's Paw, and Murder at the War.

Thunderbirds.com on Google

Publisher — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:05:00 GMT

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!

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

Publisher — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:43:00 GMT

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

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

Announcing a new web site: Thunderbirds.com

Publisher — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:35:00 GMT

I'm pleased to announce a new web site: http://www.thunderbirds.com

This Thunderbirds site has information on the novels, the characters, the technology, and the episodes. There's also an associated forum for the discussion of all of the above.

Feel free to come and visit!

Publisher's Essay on Small Press Month

Publisher — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:33:00 GMT

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