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Red Kite
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Mondays & Tuesdays
FREE Starter or Pudding with any Chef Special Meal OR Mega Meal!
2 Curries for £10
Thursdays & Fridays
2 Steaks and a Bottle of Wine
2 Roasts
Two for one on all Main Meals and Specials!
Starters & Sharers
Prawn Cocktail
Prawns with a tangy seafood sauce. Served with brown bread and butter.
Golden Breaded Mushrooms
Button mushrooms in crispy golden breadcrumbs. Served with BBQ or garlic mayonnaise dip.
Cheesy Nachos
Tortilla chips, cool salsa, melted Cheddar cheese and jalapeños. Served with guacamole and sour cream dips.
Soup of the Day
Please ask for today's choice. Served with half a baguette and butter.
Bourbon Chicken Bites
Golden chicken bites tossed in Bull's-Eye Tennessee whiskey BBQ sauce, served with mixed leaves and blue cheese sauce to dunk.
Crispy Buttermilk Chicken
Succulent strips of buttermilk chicken coated in crispy breadcrumbs, with sweet chilli sauce or garlic mayonnaise for dipping.
Crispy Potato Skins
Served with a blue cheese dip.
Cone of Rings
A cone of twenty battered onion rings. Served with a BBQ sauce for dunking.
Garlic Bread Selection
A selection of garlic bread. Served three ways: classic garlic, cheesy and salsa 'n' cheese.
Cone of Onion Rings and Popcorn Chicken
Eight battered onion rings and popcorn chicken. Served with BBQ sauce for dunking.
Baked Camembert
Melting box-baked French Camembert. Served with toasted baguette, celery sticks and caramelised red onion chutney.
Cheesy Nachos to Share
A large plate of tortilla chips covered with melted Cheddar cheese, topped with cool salsa, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.
The Filler
A real plateful. Buttermilk chicken goujons, garlic bread, homemade potato wedges, breaded mushrooms and onion rings. Served with garlic mayonnaise and BBQ dips.
2 for 1 on All Mains!
Mega Meals!
10oz rump steak with golden Whitby scampi, served with half a grilled tomato, onion rings, chips and peas.
A 5oz rump steak, 10oz gammon, two sausages, beef burger, half a chicken breast, lamb chop and two fried eggs. Served with half a grilled tomato, onion rings, chips and peas.
A prime cod fillet in beer batter and golden Whitby scampi, served with chips, garden or mushy peas, chip shop curry sauce and a tartare sauce.
Pub Legends
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken breast in a mild tikka masala sauce. Served with rice, naan bread, a poppadum and mango chutney.
Roasted Vegetable Jalfrezi
Spiced mix of roasted potatoes, red onion and red & green peppers in a jalfrezi sauce. Served with naan bread,a poppadum and mango chutney.
Mexican Chilli Chicken Melt
Tender chicken strips in a spicy beef chilli sauce, topped with melted cheese. Served with rice, tortilla chips and sour cream.
Sausages & Mash
Pork sausages on a bed of mashed potato, topped with red onion gravy. Served with garden peas.
Beef Lasagne
Served with garlic bread and mixed salad.
Vegetarian Lasagne
Courgettes, aubergines and red peppers. Served with garlic bread and mixed salad.
Chicken, Gammon & Mustard Pie
Chicken breast and gammon in a creamy Dijon and wholegrain mustard sauce, topped with a puff pastry lid. Served with chips, peas and gravy.
Rack of Ribs
Two half racks of sticky BBQ baby back pork ribs, covered in extra BBQ sauce. Served with chips, onion rings, corn on the cob and coleslaw.
Smothered Chicken
A roasted chicken breast, bacon and Monterey Jack cheese smothered in your choice of BBQ or Thai sweet chilli sauce. Served with chips, onion rings, corn on the cob and coleslaw.
Steak & Ale Pie
British beef slow-cooked in a rich Hobgoblin Ale gravy and encased in a hand-finished combination of shortcrust and puff pastry. Served with chips, garden peas and gravy.
Beer Battered Fish & Chips †
Marston's Beer battered fish. Served with chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce.
Golden Whitby Scampi †
12 crispy golden whole tails of Whitby scampi. Served with chips, garden peas and tartare sauce.
Chicken and Bacon Salad
A classic combination of roasted chicken breast, sliced bacon and crispy garlic croutons. Mixed leaves, red onion, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and a classic vinaigrette dressing on the side.
Steak and Stilton Salad
Slices of seasoned rump steak with Stilton cheese and crispy onions. Mixed leaves, red onion, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and a blue cheese dressing on the side.
Lamb Hotpot Pie
Succulent slow-cooked lamb in a rich rosemary and thyme gravy encased in crisp shortcrust pastry and topped with rustic mashed potato. Served with your choice of mash or chips and either garden or mushy peas.
Minted Lamb Shank
Tender slow-cooked lamb shank in a minted gravy served with mashed potato, fresh carrots and garden peas.
Served on a toasted bun with chips and coleslaw.
Plain & Simple Burger
Choose from prime beef burger or crispy buttermilk chicken goujons. Served with Heinz Classic Burger Sauce.
The Cowboy Classic Burger
A prime beef burger with bacon and Monterey Jack cheese, with Heinz Classic Burger Sauce.
BBQ Chicken Burger
Crispy buttermilk chicken goujons, topped with Monterey Jack cheese and covered in BBQ sauce.
Mushroom & Soya Burger
Grilled soya burger topped with a grilled flat mushroom, cool salsa and rocket.
All our special burgers are fully loaded, crowned with golden onion rings and served with coleslaw on the side.
Tennessee Chicken
Grilled chicken breast topped with Bull's-Eye Tennessee Whiskey BBQ sauce, bacon and Monterey Jack cheese
Surf & Turf Burger †
A prime beef burger topped with golden Whitby scampi and a mustard mayonnaise.
Black & Blue Burger
A prime beef burger topped with grilled flat mushroom and melting Stilton cheese.
Bacon & Brie Burger
A prime beef burger topped with delicious melted Brie, bacon and caramelised red onion chutney.
Our beef steaks are aged for A MINIMUM OF 21 DAYS TO BIG UP THE FLAVOUR!
12oz Ribeye Steak
A 12oz ribeye steak cooked to your liking and garnished with onion rings and half a grilled tomato. Served with chips and peas.
8oz Sirloin Steak
Garnished with onion rings and half a grilled tomato. Served with chips and peas.
10oz Rump Steak
Garnished with onion rings and half a grilled tomato. Served with chips and peas.
10oz Gammon Steak
Grilled and crowned with a fried egg or pineapple ring. Served with chips and peas.
BBQ Ribs & Chicken
Pork ribs in BBQ sauce and a grilled chicken breast. Served with chips, coleslaw and corn on the cob.
Your Grill, Your Way!
Quick Bites & Side Orders
Quick Bites
All are served with tortilla chips and a dressed mixed leaf garnish.
Chicken & Bacon Club Sandwich
On toasted white or brown bloomer bread.
Steak & Onion Melt
Served on a baguette with melted Cheddar cheese.
BBQ Chicken Melt
Served on a baguette with melted Cheddar cheese.
Epic Sides!
Onion Rings
Mini Combo
Breaded mushrooms, onion rings and homemade potato wedges.
Chip Shop Style Curry Sauce
Harissa Rice OR Lime & Coriander Infused Rice
Mac & Cheese
Cheddar Mash
Cauliflower Cheese
Seasonal Vegetables
Topped with mac & cheese, bacon and crispy onions!
Chicken Katsu Fries
Skin-on fries topped with buttermilk chicken pieces, katsu curry sauce and finished with spring onions and crispy onions.
Hot Puddings
Club Pudding
A trio of favourites all in one warming pudding! A moist date enriched sponge with rich sticky toffee sauce, topped with moist spotted dick sponge and crowned with a fruity rhubarb compote and crunchy golden crumble. Served with custard.
Jam Roly Poly
Jam Roly Poly sponge served with custard.
Apple Pie
A slice of good old pie, served with custard.
Chocolate Crownie
A blend of chewy, chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate brownie. Served with custard.
Apple, Gooseberry & Toffee Crumble Tart
An individual pastry case filled with a delicate chunky apple, gooseberry and toffee compote topped with an oaty crumble. Served with custard.
Apple, Gooseberry & Toffee Crumble Tart
An individual pastry case filled with a delicate chunky apple, gooseberry and toffee compote topped with an oaty crumble. Served with custard.
Chocolate Orange Bread & Butter Pudding
Layers of rich buttery bread with melted chocolate, orange cream and vanilla egg custard. Served with custard.
Chilled Puddings
Red Velvet and White Chocolate Cheesecake
A large slice of chocolatey red velvet sponge layered with smooth white chocolate cheesecake. Served with cream.
Millionaire Gateau
Layers of chocolate sponge with white and dark chocolate mousse. Finished with millionaire's shortbread and caramel. Served with ice cream and chocolate sauce
Blinging Banoffee Pie
A digestive biscuit case filled with toffee fudge, banana pieces and topped with a layer of cream. Finished with a dusting of chocolate crumb and gold chocolate pieces, served with vanilla flavour ice cream.
Tiramisu Rum Cake
Creamy mascarpone and marsala mousse between layers of rich buttery savarin dough soaked in a coffee rum syrup. Topped with more mascarpone mousse and lightly dusted with cocoa powder, served with cream.
Praline Chocolate Tart
A rich dark chocolate tart, filled and finished with swirls of coconut milk and praline in a luxury nutty case. Served with vanilla flavour ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Banana & Butterscotch Sundae
Slices of banana and toffee sauce, in-between layers of banana and butterscotch, and vanilla flavour ice cream. Topped with squirty cream, caramel crunch pieces and a sugar curl.
Banana & Butterscotch Sundae
Slices of banana and toffee sauce, in-between layers of banana and butterscotch, and vanilla flavour ice cream. Topped with squirty cream, caramel crunch pieces and a sugar curl.
Ice Creams
Chocolate Indulgence Sundae
Chocolate and vanilla flavour ice creams and chocolate sauce, all layered underneath squirty cream, more chocolate sauce, crumbled chocolate pieces and finished with a Cadbury® Flake!
Black Forest Sundae
Vanilla and chocolate flavour ice creams layered with a rich chocolate cake, black cherry and Kirsch compote. Finished with raspberry sauce, squirty cream and a Cadbury® Flake!
Puds to go!
Box one up & take it home!
Additional Information
Menu Information
Food Information
†The fish we use in our Fish and Chips varies depending on availability because we only select fish from sustainable sources. Ask what today's fish is. Dishes with fish may contain bones. Our scampi is made from more than one tail of Langoustine caught in UK waters.
We regret we cannot guarantee that any of our products are free from nuts or nut derivatives. 1oz = 28.3g. All weights are approximate prior to cooking.
Two for One offer excludes children's menu, starters, sides, quick bites, desserts, extra toppings and upgrades.
(V) Suitable for vegetarians or vegetarian option available. (VE) Suitable for both vegetarians and vegans or vegan/vegetarian option available.
(V*) or (VE*) Please ask if we have a dedicated fryer for vegetarian or vegan dishes.
Food Information: If you are interested to know more about the food on our menu and allergy information, you can now find it at www.marstonstaverns.co.uk/allergies For prices and dish availability on our specials, please refer to Specials Board directly.
Feeling Good Calorie counts are for guidance only and are based on the complete dish as listed on the menu, excluding any additional seasoning or sauces added by the customer. Portion sizes may vary slightly from those upon which the calorie calculations have been based, therefore values may not be identical or exact.
Aero® is a Registered Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. Cadbury is a registered trademark of Mondeléz International.


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I haven't posted my sales numbers in a while, and was going to hold off on this until I got my latest royalty statements. But I've reached a milestone, and decided it is worth sharing.
As of today, Sept 21, 2010, I've sold 103,864 ebooks.
Here's how it breaks down:
My six Hyperion ebooks, from June 2004 until December 2009: 7865
Afraid from Grand Central, from May 2009 until December 2009: 13,973
Self-pubbed titles on Kobo from May 2010 until July 2010: 132
Self-pubbed titles on Smashwords since July 2009: 372
Self-pubbed titles on iPad from May 2010 until August 2010: 390
Self-pubbed titles on iTunes from Jan 2010 until July 2010: 508
Self-pubbed titles on Barnes & Noble from June 2010 until August 2010: 2212
Self pubbed titles on Amazon from April 2009 until Sept 20, 2010: 78,412
So what does all of this mean to the home viewer?
Currently, I'm selling an average of 7000 self-pubbed ebooks a month on Kindle. Those numbers are for 19 self-pubbed titles, though the top 6 account for more than 75% of my sales, roughly 5000 per month.
That means those six are averaging 833 sales, or $1700, per month, each. That equals $20,400 per year, per ebook, for my top sellers.
Those six are my top sellers because they're novels. My other 13 ebooks are novellas and short story collections, which don't sell as well.
Considering the average advance for a new novel is still $5,000, each of these ebook novels is quadrupling that, annually. And these numbers are rising, not falling.
Compare that to the ebook novels my print publishers are controlling. (These numbers are going to be low, because I haven't gotten my latest royalty statements for Jan-June 2010 yet.)
My best selling Hyperion ebook, Whiskey Sour, has sold 2631 ebooks since 2004. That's earned me about $2200, or $34 a month since it was released.
$34 a month per ebook is a far cry from the $1700 a month per ebook I'm making on my own.
Why are my self-pubbed ebooks earning more than Whiskey Sour, which remains my bestselling print title with over 80,000 books sold in various formats?
Because Hyperion has priced Whiskey Sour at $4.69 on Amazon, and I price my ebooks at $2.99.
For each $4.69 ebook they sell, I earn $1.17.
For each $2.99 ebook I sell, I earn $2.04.
So I'm basically losing money hand over fist because Hyperion is pricing my ebooks too high, and giving me too low a royalty rate.
Even the print sales (Whiskey Sour just went into a fifth printing) don't come close to making up the money I'm losing.
If we assume I could sell 833 copies per month of Whiskey Sour, I'd be earning $17,000 per year on it, rather than $5616 per year. (I'm guessing my numbers have gone up recently, and am estimating 400 Whiskey Sour sales per month.)
Let's multiply that times the six books Hyperion controls.
I'm estimating I currently earn $33,696 annually in ebook royalties on those six.
If I had the rights, I estimate I'd earn $102,000.
Do I want my books to go out of print?
Hell yeah.
Now allow me to address the other ebook venues, on a case-by-case basis.
Through Smashwords.com, I've sold 3106 ebooks, but the majority of these have been within the last three months or so.
Smashwords allows authors to sell ebooks through their site, and also supplies ebooks to Kobo, iPad, B&N, Sony, and Diesel. (I haven't gotten Sony or Diesel numbers yet.)
My Kobo numbers are low, because I opted out of Kobo. They discounted my ebooks, which isn't fair to other retailers. But I'm currently working on a deal with Kobo to have my ebooks back up very soon. Kobo supplies books to Borders.com, so I anticipate a bump this holiday season.
iPad has proven disappointing, and I blame the iBookstore interface, which is very user unfriendly. I assume it will get the kinks worked out eventually, but it is currently torture to navigate and browse the iBookstore. Still, almost 400 sales in just a few months is better than nothing.
Of course, compared Kindle sales, I'm selling 70 to 1 on Amazon over iPad.
Barnes and Noble fares a bit better. I'm averaging 663 ebooks per month, which is substantial. It's still about 10.5 to 1 compared to Kindle, but I'm pleased with it.
For iTunes, I use IndianNIC. The 508 sales figure is incomplete, and doesn't count the last 2 and a half months, because their user interface isn't the best. But they're now supplying ebooks to Android, so I'm hoping to get a piece of that growing market.
Actually, I'm hoping to get a piece of all the growing markets, and every market seems to be growing. By the end of the year, my self pubbed books will be on all the major ebook platforms, including:
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Do you know what that is? That's distribution. The very thing print publishers have had a lock on for a hundred years. Except now, authors control their own distribution.
By comparison, the ebook rights my print publishers control are missing from many of these key markets. On a daily basis I get emails from fans who want Whiskey Sour or Afraid for their device or in their country, but my publishers aren't exploiting these rights.
Am I angry?
Hell yeah.
And to add insult to injury, Hyperion recently packaged my six Jack Daniels ebooks together as a compendium. At first, I was thrilled with this, thinking they finally understood what I've been saying for months. Then they told me the price.
Even with Amazon's discount, that comes to $28.80, for ebooks that are several years old.
That's insane. And yet, a few poor souls are buying it, because it's still cheaper than buying the books separately.
I sent Hyperion several emails, explaining my reasoning for wanting this price lowered.
They haven't responded.
Now the anomaly here is Grand Central. They've sold 13,973 ebooks. Isn't that odd, compared to Hyperion?
Not when you realize that 10,253 of those ebooks were sold during the first month of Afraid's release, at the intro price of $1.99.
Consider that. In one month we sold 10,253 ebooks, just because it was cheap.
Now try to contemplate why publishers continue to charge $5 to $13 for ebooks.
Are you scratching your head like I am, wondering why they don't sell ebooks at lower prices?
Since that promo (and probably because of it), Afraid has been averaging around 465 ebook sales a month. Respectable, but still below my average, and only earning me $1.75 per ebook instead of $2.05.
But that's not a big deal, right?
Let's look at it over a three year period.
If I had the rights to Afraid and priced it at $2.99, I'd earn $51,000.
With Grand Central, pricing it at $6.99, I'll earn $29,295.
Do I want my rights back?
Hell yeah.
I wrote Afraid under the name Jack Kilborn, and received a $20,000 advance. It was released in the US, the UK, and Australia simultaneously. In nine months, combining the ebooks, trade paper, hardcover, and two paperback versions, Afraid sold 53,623 copies and earned $26,839.
On June 18, I self-published Endurance and Trapped, two more novels by Jack Kilborn. I released them in ebook format only, for $2.99 each.
In three months, Endurance and Trapped have each earned $11,424.
So, in other words, I'm earning $35,785 per year on Afraid, in all formats.
Endurance is on its way to earn $45,696 per year, in ebook only. So is Trapped.
And unlike Afraid, where I made the majority of my royalties on the print versions, which will sell fewer and fewer copies, Endurance and Trapped will continue to sell well for years as ebooks.
With Afraid, I went on tour and signed at 200 bookstores. I did a blog tour the month before, appearing on 100 blogs in 31 days. I worked my ass off promoting that book.
With Endurance and Trapped, I announced them on Kindleboards.com and did a few tweets on Twitter. That's it.
Does anyone else see this as a wake-up call?
When I began this ebook odyssey, back in April 2009, I had no idea the market would get so big so fast, or that I'd make so much money.
Since then, a lot of folks have done their best to dismiss what I've been preaching. They say I'm an outlier. An exception.
But I'm not an exception anymore.
New writers like Zoe Winters, Rex Kusler, Vicki Tyley, Karen McQuestion, John Rector, Aaron Patterson, B.V. Larson, Stacey Cochran, Amanda Hocking, D.B. Henson, Eric Christopherson, Debbi Mack, Karen Cantwell, Jonny Tangerine, Stephen Davison, Charles Shea, Joe Humphrey, Gary Hansen, M.H. Sargent, R.J. Keller, David McAfee, David Derrico, David Dalglish, Brendan Carroll, Alan Hutcheson, Paul Clayton, Imogen Rose, Tonya Plank, David H. Burton, Tina Folsom, Maria Rachel Hooley, Maria E. Schneider, Anna Murray, Ellen O'Connell, Edward C. Patterson, Caroyln Kephart, Lynda Hillburn, Robert Burton Robinson, Joseph Rhea, C.S. Marks, K.A. Thompson, J.R. Rain, John Pearson, Tonya Plank, Linda Welch, Ruth Francisco, Sibel Hodge, T.C. Beacham, Ricky Sides, Chance Valentine, Nancy C. Johnson, and many, many others are selling thousands of ebooks and getting on the bestseller lists. Many of them have even cracked the Top 100.
Then there are established pros like Robert W. Walker, Scott Nicholson, William Meikle, James Swain, Paul Levine, Selena Kitt, Richard S. Wheeler, Jon Merz, Simon Wood, F. Paul Wilson, Libby Fischer Hellman, Lee Goldberg, Casey Moreton, Raymond Benson, Blake Crouch, David Morrell, Mark Terry, Marcus Sakey, Ellen Fisher, Christine Merrill, Dean Wesley Smith, Kathryn Rusch, Joe Nassise, Gordon Ryan, Harry Shannon, and me, among others, who are releasing their backlists themselves, along with putting original works directly on Kindle.
I'm not the exception anymore. New writers and seasoned veterans are seeing the future and acting on it.
Publishers, however, are not.
Now allow me to draw some conclusions, make some predictions, and offer a bit of advice.
1. Think twice, and think again, before allowing anyone to buy your erights. I doubt I'll ever have another traditional print deal. I can earn more on my own, especially in the long run. With print losing ground to ebooks on a day-to-day basis, I'd hate to sign with a big house, and then 18 months from now they'll go bankrupt before releasing my book, taking my rights with them.
2. Amazon Kindle is where you want to be, but you should also check out Smashwords.com and IndiaNIC.com. That extra bit of income can turn out to be pretty substantial, and I expect some of these platforms to begin picking up speed.
3. Writing good books is essential. Having a bunch of them is a plus. The more ebooks you have available, the easier you'll be to find, the more you'll sell. By the end of this year, I'll have 28 ebooks available on Amazon. By the end of next year, I'll have at least 34.
4. I've been very lucky. I have a popular blog, and have gotten some good press. The scads of promotion I've done in the past certainly helps. But others are doing just as well, without my platform. And let me tell you, ebooks and Kindle are a much easier route than getting 500 rejections, mailing out 7000 letters to libraries, and visiting 1200 bookstores.
The ebook market hasn't even hit its stride yet. Here are some things I'm looking forward to in the upcoming months and years:
Selling my Kindle ebooks on international Amazon websites (with translations in German, French, Chinese, and Japanese)
Selling my ebooks on Kobo and Borders
Selling my ebooks on Android
Google Editions
$99 Ereaders
Kindle being sold at Best Buy
Getting my numbers from Sony and Diesel
Releasing DRACULAS on October 19
Releasing SHAKEN on October 26
This ride has only just begun. I'll end 2010 having earned over $100k on my self-pubbed ebooks, and that's nothing compared to what I expect to make in 2011. And I'm doing it without touring, without promoting non-stop, without spending a lot of money, and without relying on anyone.
I don't expect the publishing industry to acknowledge this post. You won't read about my ebook sales in Publisher's Weekly. Agents won't mention it on their blogs. If you go to conferences and ask the editors you meet about J.A. Konrath and ebooks, you'll get blank stares, dismissals, or outright hostility.
I'll be at the Novels Inc. Conference in Florida, October 7-10, and that will be the last time I speak in public for at least a year. In the past few months I've turned down dozens of speaking engagements and interviews, and I will continue to turn them down. The amount of email I get from folks wanting ebook advice is daunting and impossible to wade through, so I'm not even bothering to try.
I spent 12 years trying to break into publishing, and 8 years doing everything I could to succeed. Now I'm finally able to write full time, which is what I've wanted to do all along. No more tours. No more appearances. No more accessibility to the entire world.
I'm not a motivational speaker. I'm not a teacher. I'm not a salesman. I'm not a dog and pony show. I'm not an outlier.
I'm a just a writer, dammit. And that's all I'm gonna be.
Don't you want to be just a writer, too?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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subset: commoncrawl


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Ten golden rules in order to make the most of the potentials offered by the Aruba KeyPosition service and bring traffic to your own website:
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The need to have one or two "crucial" key words in the title must not push to transform the title in a list of key words separated by comma, as it is very unlikely that the users will be urged to click on a link of this sort.
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How to combine the terms - Examples
3) Do not mix Italian and other languages in the title, in the description or in the website keywords or you will run the risk of not appearing in the top results of any search.
4) Use two different subscriptions to indicate the Italian home page and those in foreign languages and give for each page a title, appropriate description and key words.
5) When possible, choose a .it domain for the website in Italian and a .com for the English version.
6) When possible, enter the main key words contained in the text in the page indicated to the engines through KeyPosition: the text contained in the page is very important for the positioning. Obviously, as with the title: the text must be legible and attractive and it must not consist of a list of keywords.
7) Absolutely avoid the use of techniques considered as SPAM by the engines: fill the page with key words, perhaps with invisible text in the same colour as the background, use key words which are not relevant to the contents of the website in order to attract visitors, repeat the key words in the title or in the meta tags only help to be penalized by the engines.
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10) If you need to redirect the users, for instance because the website has been moved, we advise you to enter a javascript.
Trouble logging in? Simply enter your email address below and we will send you an email that will allow you to reset your login.
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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
But while on the cab, the cab driver realized he took the wrong team. That was just puzzling and awkward?
The best part of the whole escapade was when one of them (I forget which) held up the Route Info clue and said, "No, see? We're blue team too."
"Ethics" in particular made me really upset during this episode. While Nicole is rushing off to try to cheat off of Leo (Of the team she U-Turned) by copying all of his hard work, it is interspersed with the two of them in an interview talking about how they want to run the race in an honest way and to set a good example for their children.Explain to me how cheating off of someone else during a task is setting a good example? It seemed to me that the show was trying to portray Leo and Jamal in a poor light in this instance, when LEO was actually the one trying to play fair.Looking over someone's shoulders to copy their answers is not permitted during a school exam. Why do Nicole & Travis feel it is morally right here?I wouldn't have had a problem if it were not for their accompanying interview. If you were running an honest race, you wouldn't have even tried.
Should Travis and Nicole have been penalised for having Amy pretty much complete the roadblock in leg 9 for them? I'm a little unclear on the rules here, I know teams have given each other advice or answers for tasks before but this seemed to me to be the next level. Did it seal the fate of the Ice Queens? definitely. Would they have survived if it hadnt happened? We'll never know.In my opinion if Nicole cannot complete the roadblock successfully and her team arrives last they should be eliminated rather than:If Nicole cannot complete the roadblock successfully she can get Amy to essentially do it for her and her team can survive while a team that completed the task independently is eliminated.What are your thoughts?
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One last thought about traveling. When we're on the road, it can be downright tricky to stay healthy. As fitness professionals, we know what we should eat and how often we should work out, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Unexpected barriers always pop up.
I recently visited Sin City, otherwise known as Las Vegas. Now, I had already resigned myself to a not-perfectly-healthy time, but by no means was I ready to throw all my healthy habits by the wayside. Although I might indulge in a few "off" days from exercise and a buffet or two, I still wanted most meals to be somewhat nutritionally sound. I was also under the impression that most restaurants would be happy to accommodate their guests' nutritional needs. Not on this trip.
At two separate buffets I was baffled to find no light or non-fat salad dressings. I already knew the buffet would be filled with fatty, tempting foods (that I did enjoy a bit of, mind you), but I thought I'd balance out those bites with a decent-sized salad of spinach leaves, strawberries and red onion. After assembling my colorful, healthy salad, I was puzzled to see that the salad bar only had full-fat versions of ranch, Thousand Island and Italian dressings. Heck, if I'm going to eat a lot of calories, it's going to be on something much larger than two tablespoons of dressing (can you say chocolate?).
The day after my dressing debacle, I visited a brewpub that from first glance seemed to offer a wide range of options. I was wrong. The restaurant offered no substitutions and honored no special dietary requests. Well, they might if I had feigned a lethal allergy to fried foods, but I didn't go that far in my attempt to secure a healthy meal. The conversation with my waiter went something like this:
"Can I get a side salad or steamed vegetables in place of the fries?"
"Can I substitute a low-fat mayo in the tuna salad sandwich?"
"Could I have my dressing on the side?"
"Not a chance."
Honestly, it's no wonder people say they have a difficult time eating a healthy meal while traveling.
Then, there's working out. Although some airports are outfitting the premises with a fitness center, most of the ones I visit don't. So I, like many other fitness professionals, strapped on my pedometer to see how many steps I could log during my layover. I didn't mind the stares I got from bored travelers wondering, "What the heck is she doing?" as I lugged my carry-on around and power-walked through the throngs of people. Most got out of the way thinking I was late for my flight, but after seeing me bustle by them for the 20th time, I think they figured out why I was speeding through the terminals.
These recent road experiences are not typical of most of my trips. I know many restaurants that offer healthy options and will make substitutions. Also plenty of hotels and airports have fitness centers or offer a free day pass to a nearby health club. Unfortunately though, on this trip that just wasn't the case. And many of your members may have had similar experiences but faced them without the extra knowledge we have as fitness professionals.
You can help. During high vacation and travel times you can post signs with tips about eating healthy at restaurants. You can offer handouts that list workouts that people can do in their hotel rooms. Don't forget about travelers staying in your area. If you haven't already done so, set up relationships with local hotels so guests can exercise at your facility for free or for a discounted daily fee. It gives your club more exposure and a good name. Although it may be easier said than done, traveling and being healthy can go hand in hand — especially with a little help from the fitness world.


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The Town of Wellfleet
To the outside world we're best known as an unspoiled summer resort with miles of pristine Cape Cod beaches -- but Wellfleet offers many things, in many seasons:
- An autumn sail on the pristine waters of Cape Cod Bay
- A winter's evening of professional theater or live music
- A glass of wine with noted artists at a springtime gallery opening
- A morning of storytelling for kids and parents at the Wellfleet library
- An afternoon stretching your muscles and mind in tai chi on the beach
- A fresh-shucked world-famous Wellfleet oyster almost anytime
Whether you're visiting for the first or 100th time, just moved to town or were born here, you've got a lot to discover.
Wellfleet still retains the look and feel of a classic Cape Cod village, with its quaint town center, whitewashed New England houses, and unspoiled landscape. Renowned worldwide for its oysters, Wellfleet also is home to numerous other attractions: galleries showing well-known artists, Zagat-rated restaurants, a professional contemporary theater, a wonderful drive-in that seems a throwback from days gone by. And a dynamic community that makes Wellfleet a thriving place to visit or live.
We are also home to the Cape Cod National Seashore, a Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, and other protected land, maintaining a pristine natural environment full of beautiful marshes, pitch pines, scrub oak and bayberry interplaying with coastal dunes and seashore. Our ever-changing landscape changes through the seasons, and almost every view is worthy of a painting, every day of the year.
Town of Wellfleet Recreation Programs
The Wellfleet Recreation Committee offers a variety of fun-filled activities for residents and visitors. Register for the programs and swimming classes at Baker's Field at the Harbor starting in July on Mondays at 8 AM. Pre-registration may be done by mail. Contact the Recreation Department at 508-349-0314 for details. You may also register via http://www.wellfleet-ma.gov/recreation
Discover Green Wellfleet
Some of us have been looking at model programs around the country that are setting new standards for improving health, reducing carbon emissions, toxics and waste—and building community in the process. Some of these pioneering towns and cities are not only nearby—they are primary residences for some of our own "summer people" and tourists.
Do we want to ask these visitors and non-resident tax-payers to dumb down their environmental awareness when they come to Wellfleet? Or do we want to work with them to protect our precious resources –including the health of our citizens, visitors and future generations?
Wellfleet has been putting solar collectors on some of our public buildings. We've completed a successful year of community gardening. We're making composters available at a discount. We're offering free compost and re-usable items at the Recycling and Transfer Station (aka the dump). We have a new, dynamic Recycling Commission. We have ecologically conscious activists at every level of town, county and state government. We have many businesses, organizations, residents and visitors who want to do the right thing for the planet and for the town.
Let's work together to move toward a greener Wellfleet!
If you have suggestions for additions to this page, please contact us.
Stay green:
Chez Sven Bed & Breakfast
"What I love the most about our green B&B is getting to share ideas with our green guests, folks who care about the environment as much as we do, turn out the lights when they leave a guest room, and recycle not only plastic bottles but paper bags and receipts." —Alexandra Grabbe, Innkeeper
Shop green:
The Wellfleet Farmers' Market
Wellfleet Preservation Hall
Hatch's Produce & Fish Market
Downtown, in the parking lot behind Town Hall
Open Memorial Day through late September
Small local market open seasonally selling local seafood, produce often sourced locally and whenever possible organically.
Mac's Seafood
Wellfleet Town Pier
Open Memorial Day through late September
Small local seafood market and ice cream/take out window selling fresh, local seafood.
Travel green:
The Flex Bus
Buses to and from Provincetown to Harwich, $2 a ride
Schedules available online at www.capecodrta.org/flex-route.htm
Plymouth & Brockton
Bus service from Boston to downtown Wellfleet
Schedules and fares online at www.p-b.com
Idle Times Bike Shop
2616 Route 6 Wellfleet
Green activities:
Cape Cod Rail Trail
South Wellfleet, starts behind the General Store
Routes and information available online at www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm
Bike from Wellfleet to Dennis!
Cape Cod National Seashore
Did you know that 70% of Wellfleet is National Seashore? Take advantage of ocean and bayside beaches and natural kettle ponds. Beach stickers available on the Town Pier through the Recreation Department. More information online at http://www.wellfleetma.org/public_documents/wellfleetma_departments/beach
Local Authorities and Organizations
Important phone numbers:
|Wellfleet Police:
|Wellfleet Fire and Rescue
Town Hall Numbers:
Animal Officer
|Department of Public Works
|Health Agent
|Inspector of Buildings
|Selectmens Office
|Shellfish & Beach Permits
|Shellfish Department
|Tax Collector
|Tennis Courts
|Town Administrator
|Town Clerk/Treasurer
Other Services:
|Chamber of Commerce
|508 349 2510
|Council on Aging
|Disposal Area
|Fire Department
|Fire Permits
|Harbormaster, Town Pier
|Wellfleet Historical Society
|Police Department
Other Local Resources
Town of Wellfleet www.wellfleetma.org
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary www.wellfleetbay.org
State Information www.state.ma.us
Cape Cod National Seashore www.nps.gov/caco
Cape Cod Golf Association www.teeoffcapecod.com
Guide to Safe Ocean Swimming www.stormfax.com/safeswim.htm
Marconi Station www.stormfax.com/wireless.htm
Transportation To From and Around Cape Cod and the Islands www.gocapecod.org
Wellfleet Historical Society www.wellfleethistoricalsociety.com
Wellfleet Library www.wellfleetlibrary.org
Wellfleet Town Statistics www.magnet.state.ma.us/
Community Organizations
Cape Cod Modern House Trust promotes the documentation and preservation of significant examples of Modernist architecture on the Outer Cape. Some of the founders of European Modernism bought land, built homes and settled here beginning in the 1930s. The Trust is restoring several Modernist houses now owned by the Cape Cod National Seashore and reconfigure them into educational and cultural resources.
Cape Cool is dedicated to protecting our natural resources and climate in a creative way, through projects and events. They're also passionate about recycling and the Swap Shop at the Wellfleet Transfer Station and collecting
examples online for "I found it at the dump".
Friends of the Wellfleet Libraries sponsors many library activities and raises supplemental funds used for special books and periodicals, children's and adult programs, audio-visual materials, museum passes, equipment, and more. The Friends hold a variety of seminars, speaker series, and other activities, including its annual book sales.
Wellfleet Gardeners- Meets 3rd Wednesday every month at Library, W. Main St.,
9:30am-coffee, 10am-speaker. All welcome. Annual dues-$12.
Garden Visits: During summer for members only.
Plant Sale: Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. Town Hall, 8:30am.
Wellfleet Historical Society Museum collection includes old photographs, maps, documents, marine artifacts, Indian artifacts, a small collection of period clothing, household, agricultural and commerce related items. The museum is open during summer and the historical society offers monthly talks from May to September, as well as other events.
Wellfleet OysterFest / SPAT SPAT (Shellfish Promotion and Tasting) is a local nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the town's shellfishing industry and its history and traditions. Proceeds from events and seminars support the annual Wellfleet OysterFest [LINKs to www.wellfleetoysterfest.org], as well as SPAT's educational mission, including a scholarship program.
Wellfleet Preservation Hall a unique venue for civic, educational, social, and creative events. The 1912 building is the former Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Main Street, and the local nonprofit group Wellfleet Preservation Hall is restoring and renovating the building for use as a community and cultural center.
South Wellfleet Neighborhood Association Historic Meeting Hall Route 6, Open Saturdays 2pm to 4pm. All are welcome to join and attend meetings on the 3rd Saturday of every month in the historic 1857 building.
AA Meetings United Methodist Church, Main Street Open Discussion: Monday at 8pm, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 pm; Women 12 +12: Tuesday at 6:30pm; Big Book: Thursday at 7:30pm.
Wellfleet Senior Center 715 Old King's Highway 508-349-2800 or 0313. Join the fun for group activities year round Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm. Support groups and health clinics are offered. The Senior Dining Center delivers home meals and hosts luncheons on Wednesday at noon. On Thursdays at 12:30pm there is luncheon at Iris's Café. Legal Aid, insurance clinics, fuel assistance and home visits are just a few of the services.
Friends of the Wellfleet Council on Aging This group offers services to Wellfleet citizens 60 years and older as well as human services for non-seniors of all ages. All are welcome to attend programs. For current and Nutrition Program information call the Senior Center at 508-349-2800 Ext. 207.
Wellfleet Elementary School Located on Lawrence Road off Long Pond Road. 508-349-3101. The school also serves as a location for many community activities ranging from town meetings to cultural events.
Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore Dedicated to preserving the Outer Cape's precious resource through funding, restoration, volunteering, publicizing issues and supporting education and resource projects. For info or to join call 508-349-3785 Ext. 402 or Box 550, Wellfleet, MA 02667.
History of Wellfleet
The first permanent settlement of what is now Wellfleet was made in the 1650's, although the rich fishing grounds of what is now Wellfleet Harbor had been discovered at least a decade earlier. The village first became the "hamlet of Billingsgate", after a famous fish market in London. Originally part of Eastham, the residents first began to think of establishing themselves as a separate town in the second decade of the eighteenth century but were unable to do so until 1763 when the North Precinct of Eastham was finally declared a separate district to be known as "Wellfleet", named for a famous oyster produced in the eastern waters of England.
Originally a farming and fishing village, the local economy could not be sustained by these activities alone. The surrounding area was quickly stripped of useable forest for shipbuilding, firewood and lumber. As the land became less useable the inhabitants turned to the sea for industry and thriving fishing, whaling and merchant fleets soon occupied the harbor. Some of the merchant ships sailed as far as the coast of Africa and the sailors and fisherman thus engaged soon brought great wealth to the town. A blockade of British ships during the Revolution brought a sudden end to the influx of money and ships decayed rapidly sitting unused at their moorings in the harbor. After the war there was no money to rebuild the fleet, thus ending an early chapter in the town's economic history.
In the wake of the demise of the whaling industry fishing began to flourish. Long known for the abundance and quality of the fish, the waters surrounding Wellfleet began to be its primary source of capital as the fishing industry grew with mackerel its primary catch. Concurrently the shell fishing industry was establishing itself by transplanting oysters from Connecticut and Chesapeake waters in order to pick up the "Wellfleet flavor", then reharvesting and transporting them to Boston for sale. By the late 19th century production of local shellfish had grown and those began to replace the transplanted crop until transplanting completely lost favor by the early years of the 20th century. The harvest and sale of oysters, scallops, soft and hard-shelled clams remains a vital part of the town's economy today.
The development of the tourist industry was relatively slow until, just after the beginning of the 20th century, Lawrence Baker constructed the Chequesset Inn out over the waters of the harbor on pilings that had once held the Mercantile Wharf. Following World War II and the construction of the Mid-Cape Highway tourists and second home owners began to appear in greater numbers and a service and hospitality industry has grown up to serve that population.
In 1961 the Cape Cod National Seashore was established by President John F. Kennedy. The Seashore, run by the National Park Service, owns approximately 8,000 acres of the approximately 13,100 acre total land mass of Wellfleet. The result is that despite the growing popularity of the outer Cape as a tourist destination it has not been allowed to overdevelop and has retained much of its natural beauty and charm.
The area is now home to Wellfleet summer rentals and Wellfleet vacation rentals targeting these tourists. The Wellfleet Oyster Festival is one way the community continues to embrace it's rich historical past. You may want to look for your own ocean life when you get a Wellfleet Tide Chart. A Wellfleet vacation rental might be the perfect place for your family during your Wellfleet vacation. But these are only one of many Wellfleet lodging options. We also have great Wellfleet inn lodging on Cape Cod Massachusetts. Our Wellfleet inns can be found on our Wellfleet MA map . There are lots of great activities, and whatever activity you are interested in, there is Wellfleet rentals to fulfill your desire. Old or new pastimes, if you don't own it, a Wellfleet rental can get your waterfront hobby rolling!
Interested in reading more about the history of Wellfleet?
Useful Information for Your Stay
Town of Wellfleet - www.wellfleetma.org
Medical - Outer Cape Health Services - http://www.outercape.org/
Beach Stickers - www.wellfleet-ma.gov/beaches
Cape Cod National Seashore - http://www.nps.gov/caco/


text:
I'll be nominating Jerry for Customer of the Year at the next meeting of the
vendors' coven.
Mike Tribby
Senior Cataloger
Quality Books Inc.
The Best of America's Independent Presses
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.


text:
Potholes start in cold temperatures when groundwater freezes and expands. Once the ground thaws out, it returns to a normal level. But, pavement pushed up during the ground freeze remains raised. This causes a gap between the pavement and the ground. Vehicles riding over these gaps cause the road surface to crack and fall into that hollow space.
The City welcomes reports from drivers about roadways in need of repair. Providing us with the exact location (for example, outside southbound lane on 148 Avenue NE just north of NE 70 Street) will help speed response time.
Contact: 425-556-2821, Street Operations or firstname.lastname@example.com
Use the City's new request management system to report non-emergency issues, make requests, and find answers to common questions.
Get started


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State Silver $100 Bills
State Silver Bars
Silver Eagles
Louisiana Silver $100 Bill
Federated Mint is excited to offer the NEW and EXCLUSIVE Louisiana State Silver $100 Bill. Each U.S. State Silver $100 Bill weighs a full Troy ounce (31 grams) of solid .999 pure fine silver. Each piece is custom minted in the USA. Your State Silver $100 Bill is a valued heirloom and is highly collectible.
- Each State Silver $100 Bill contains One Full Troy Ounce of .999 fine silver.
- Brilliant Uncirculated Condition.
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All products are backed by a 30 day money back guarantee


text:
The legislative branch of ASUCD is headed by the ASUCD Senate. Under it is a large support network containing seven commissions, and various committees. The legislative branch is an excellent way for people interested in ASUCD government to get a foot in the door and experience its operations first hand. Many students begin their ASUCD career interning for a Senator or serving in a commission.
The ASUCD Senate is the body which introduces, and commonly writes, legislation. Once legislation is submitted to the Senate, it gets referred to any number of the relevant commissions who scrutinize the legislation and offer their specialized opinion on it. Various committees also exist to serve specific functions, such as the Elections Committee to run elections.


text:
You will require this certificate if you intend to open or use a public building for a formal or prearranged gathering. This certificate is needed after the public building has been constructed, extended or altered. This certificate must specify the type of activity that the building will be used for and the maximum number of people that can be safely accommodated in the building.
A public building means a building or part of a building where persons may assemble for a prearranged purpose, including civic, theatrical, social, political, religious, educational, recreational, sporting or business purposes. It also includes any building, structure, tent, gallery enclosure or platform or part thereof in or on which numbers of persons are usually or occasionally assembled, but does not include a hospital. Crown owned buildings are exempt.
Please consult the Contact Officer for more information.
A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.
Please consult the Contact Officer for more information regarding eligibility requirements.
As indicated on the approval.
Fees Details for this service in table format.
Low risk.
Medium risk.
High risk.
Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911 Western Australia
Health (Public Buildings) Regulations 1992 Western Australia
Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley
Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.
Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley
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text:
Method of use:
1, the use of intercom closed, then insert the headset walkie-talkie jack, boot.
2, confirm that all headphones plug is inserted inside the headphone jack.
3, in a speech, microphone, leave lips 2 to 5 cm.
4, in a speech to is about Michael, can improve the effect of noise reduction.
5, replacement of different types of headphones head need to close the intercom.
AC-1025 Acoustic tube earphone with small top PTT
•Lightweight earphone, rubber ear tip•Low profile, flexible, transparent acoustic tube•Quick disconnect earphone adapter for easy replacement of any component•Flexible, high grade Kevlar™ cable for demanding applications•Black or beige color options •Available for various brands radios


text:
The University of Hawai'i recently teamed up with farming experts in the state to come up with a guide to boost agritourism and food sustainability in the state.
UH Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and UH Hilo's College of Continuing Education and Community Service collaborated with five farmers market and agritourism managers to craft a Hawai'i-specific best practices manual.
"Hawai'i Farmers Market and Agritourism Venues: Best Food Business and Food Handling Practices for Farmers and Vendors is based on solid experience from people who run some of Hawai'i's best farmers markets," says CTAHR's Jim Hollyer, who funded the project with resources from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture's Agribusiness Development Corporation.
The 36-page cookbook-style manual is an easy-to-read rapid reference for new and experienced vendors at farmers markets and agriculture tourism venues.
"We did extensive research on similar guides and tested out and refined the content with two panels of experienced farmers market vendors, so we know we have a useful educational tool," said Luisa Castro, the project coordinator for the manual from UHH.
The farmers market manual covers marketing and food safety in significant detail, illustrated with dozens of photo examples. Contributors represent all Hawai'i counties, different organizations, and a variety of markets.
"We looked for experience, market leadership, and a willingness to contribute all they know from our co-authors, and we are pleased with the collaboration," Castro said.
Co-authors include Melissa McFerrin Warrack of the Kaua'i County Farm Bureau; Nancy Ginter-Miller of Produce to Product, Inc.; Pamela Boyar of FarmLovers Farmers' Markets; Lani R. Weigert of Hawai'i Agritourism Association; and Neil Coshever of Upcountry Farmers Market, in addition to Castro and Hollyer.
Copies are being distributed to each island by the authors, and additional copies can be obtained from Luisa F. Castro at UHH (email@example.com / (808) 974-7664) to bona-fide market vendors.
The manual can also be downloaded for free at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/HI_Farmers_Market_and_Agritourism_Venues.pdf


text:
Honey-Can-Do SFTZ02126 6-Pack Mini Folding Storage Cube, Aqua. Designed to hold accessories, bath essentials, toys, baby items, and anything else you want to stash away. The durable polyester construction, reinforced seams, and carrying handles on these storage cubes will stand up to it all. The contemporary design provides convenient and attractive storage space for any decor. When not in use, the cubes can fold flat for easy storing. Great for linen closets, bedrooms, living areas, and more.
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- Carrying handle for easy transport


text:
share:Remind Me
powered by AFI
Brief Synopsis
Alienated from his son''''s family, an elderly man becomes infatuated with a pregnant teen.
In Los Angeles, seventy-two-year-old retired salesman Joseph P. Kotcher has been living with his son and daughter-in-law, Gerald and Wilma, for several months and enjoying the companionship of his baby grandson, Duncan. One day Wilma, who resents that Kotch has moved into their house, decides to hire Erica "Ricci" Herzenstiel, an orphaned teenager who lives with her brother and sister-in-law, to baby-sit. Dubious of her abilities, Kotch joins Erica when she takes Duncan to the park, but when her boyfriend, Vincent Perrin, arrives in his car to pick up Erica and Duncan, Erica leaves Kotch behind. Having a keen interest in life, the loquacious Kotch tries to start conversations with strangers in the park, who politely ignore him. After seeing a little girl crying in the swimming pool, Kotch cheers her up, then pats her on the behind to send her on her way. Mistaking his intentions, Mrs. Fisher, the mother of the child, files a complaint that Kotch "indecently" touched her daughter and, that evening, she and Miss Roberts, a Parks Department employee, confront Kotch at his home. While defending himself, Kotch seems to digress, making it hard for the others to follow his logic, but Miss Roberts is amused and satisfied with Kotch's explanation. When Gerald and Wilma go out for the evening, Erica baby-sits, despite Kotch's complaint that hiring her is a "damned extravagance." He spends most of the evening listening to music on headphones, but later in the evening checks on Erica and the baby and realizes she and Vinnie are making love while the baby sleeps. Later that night, Kotch tells Gerald about the incident, but his rambling manner of speech causes Gerald to miss his point. Prompted by recollections of making out with his girl friend in a car many years ago, the next morning Kotch has second thoughts about reporting Erica's behavior and asks Gerald to forget about their conversation. Soon after, Kotch learns that Erica is no longer working as Duncan's babysitter and confronts Gerald, who informs Kotch that Erica left to take a job in San Bernardino. Wilma's numerous complaints about Kotch soon prompt Gerald to research retirement communities for his father. Without explaining where they are going, Gerald and Wilma take Kotch to look at a senior citizens' village. He immediately concludes that the people are "too old" for him, but realizing that Wilma wants him out of the house, agrees to move there temporarily. Required by the home to undergo psychological tests, Kotch resigns himself to the humorless psychologist who administers them, but when he sees that she has written in his record that he is unimaginative and too literal, Kotch decides to make other plans. After kissing Duncan goodbye, Kotch first goes to Erica's high school to present her with a gift of money, as he feels responsible for her situation. Upon finding her clearing out her locker, Kotch learns that Erica is pregnant and moving to San Bernardino to work at a beauty shop. She complains about feeling betrayed by her sister-in-law Candy, who encouraged her to confide her problems and then made sure she was exiled to San Bernardino. At first she refuses Kotch's money, but then accepts it as a loan. Kotch then embarks on a bus trip up the coast, all the while talking to the other passengers and reminiscing about his deceased wife Vera. When he returns home, Gerald and Wilma are holding a Halloween party and he discovers that Wilma has appropriated his room for her sewing. He receives a postcard from Erica bearing the address of a motel, which explains that she is unable to repay the loan due to "difficulties." When he goes to the motel to visit her, he learns that she has lost her job and moved. At the beauty shop where Erica had worked, Kotch learns from Erica's co-worker Sissy that she was fired because she was unlicensed to shampoo hair and took another job in Palm Springs. Concerned about Erica, Kotch asks around at Palm Springs beauty shops until he finds her and then takes her to lunch. When Erica tells him that she is having difficulty with her landlady and will soon lose her current job because her pregnancy is "showing," Kotch invites her to share a house that he has rented in nearby Cathedral City, but she declines. On Christmas Eve, as Kotch finds himself alone and reminiscing about happier holidays, Erica arrives and moves in, having found his house because he told her it was next to a bowling alley. They get along well together and, in anticipation of her doctor visits and the trip to the hospital for her delivery, he buys a decades-old car, which he considers more dependable than the newer ones. She confides that she never told Vinnie about the baby and that her parents died in a car accident, leaving her to be reared by her cold older brother. Kotch tells her about Vera and how they had wanted a daughter, and attends Erica's hospital child-bearing courses. After informing Kotch that she is giving the baby up for adoption to a couple her doctor, Ramon Caudillo, knows, Erica goes to a country club to meet them. Kotch, hoping she will keep the child, remains silent, but buys a crib and spends the evening putting it together. When Kotch becomes ill with a virus, Caudillo arranges for Erica to stay a few days with the adoptive parents and for a local man, Pablo, to take care of Kotch. Later, after Kotch recovers, Erica's brother and guardian, Peter, brings some papers for her to sign. More interested in the "plushy" toy dogs he sells wholesale than he is in Erica, Peter leaves the papers for Kotch to deliver. Kotch drives to the home where Erica is staying and learns from the Spanish-speaking housekeeper that she has gone to the couple's cabin to be alone and think. After arriving at the cabin late in the day, Kotch plans to drive Erica back in the morning, but during the night, she starts to have labor pains. They begin the long drive down a steep mountain road to the hospital in town, but must stop at a gas station, where Kotch delivers the baby on the ladies room floor. Later, while recuperating at Kotch's home, Erica writes a letter to her son, whom she still plans to give up, that she hopes will be presented to him when he is older. Frustrated, she crumples up the letter and calls Vinnie, intending to tell him about the baby. However, when they quarrel, she hangs up on him. The next morning, Kotch finds a letter from Erica explaining that she has decided to keep the baby, whom she has named Chris, and has returned to Los Angeles on an early morning flight. Soon after, Gerald and Wilma arrive, and Wilma, who has had a change of heart, apologizes and invites Kotch to come back. He declines, explaining that he plans to buy the house he is renting and has been offered a job running a small shop, adding that they will always be welcome to visit him. Later, while cleaning the house, Kotch finds Erica's crumpled letter to Chris. In it, she tells Chris how much they owe "old" Kotch and that he would have made Chris a great grandfather. When a friend drives by and invites him out to drink, Kotch is happy to go along.
Cast & Crew
Additional Details
|MPAA Ratings:
|Premiere Info:
|New York opening: 30 Sep 1971
|Release Date:
|Production Date:
A Kotch Company Production A Division of Frugal Films, Ltd.
AFI-DVD*, EB*, Netflix
|Color (Metrocolor)
|Distributions Co:
|Cinerama Releasing Corp.
|Production Co:
|Kotch Company Productions, ABC Pictures Corp.
|United States
|not available
|not available
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If you like good sentimental...
Leslie 2013-07-22
5 stars for performances, directing and musical score. They don't do them like this anymore. MORE>
A jewel. And what a score
Laszlo 2013-07-22
I saw this movie when i was 18 and was touched by it. A tender and sensitive picture. Hamlisch's score is so marvelous i cannot understand why is not... MORE>
Kotch (1971)
Jay Higgins 2009-10-18
Walter Matthau gives a brilliant performance, and Jack Lemmon's sensitive direction makes this film a winner. It's a touching story and very... MORE>


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R.I.P. Armen Gilliam (1964-2011)Posted by nvr1983 on July 6th, 2011
UNLV legend Armen Gilliam died on Tuesday night at the age of 47 after suffering an apparent heart attack while playing pickup basketball in a Pittsburgh-area gym. Gilliam's death occurs just nine days after NC State legend Lorenzo Charles died in a motor vehicle accident in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nicknamed "The Hammer" for his physical play Gilliam led UNLV to a 93-11 record during his 3 seasons there culminating in a 37-2 season in 1987 that ended in the Final Four appearance. Gilliam was named a 2nd team All-American and Big West Player of the Year while scoring 903 points (still a single-season record at UNLV) while averaging 23.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG as a senior. Following his senior year Gilliam was the 2nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft behind David Robinson. In his 13 seasons in the NBA, Gilliam averaged 13.7 PPG and 6.9 RPG while playing for 6 different NBA teams.
Gilliam's jersey was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and had his jersey retired by the school in 2007. Upon hearing about Gilliam's death, his former coach Jerry Tarkanian said, "He was one of the greatest Rebels ever and one of the best players we have ever had. In my ratings, I had Larry Johnson No. 1 and Armon No. 2. He was such a great person. Everybody loved him and he loved everybody. He was such a gentle person and such a caring guy. I am all shook up over it. I think the world of him and am just really shocked."


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I should win some sort of award for being disorganized, but if I won it I'd forget where I put it.
That said, I just realized when I switched ISPs, my previous ISP never killed my old email account. So I've spent the last few days wading through a few hundred emails from people who assumed I was ignoring them. And in doing that, I've been ignoring people who have emailed me recently.
But I'm very close to catching up. If you've contacted me about trying the ebook experiment, you'll hear from me by September 18th. If you haven't heard from me by then, try emailing me again at joekonrath(at)comcast.net.
Here's how this is going to work.
I'll need a ready-to-go chapter or excerpt from you, no more than 2500 words, sent to me as an email attachment in either MS Word .doc format or .rtf format.
Included at the end of the exceprt, please list:
1. The Title and your Author Name
2. Date and places the title is available
3. Your website URL
4. A brief two or three sentence bio
Here's an example:
"AFRAID by Jack Kilborn is available as an ebook, audiobook, and paperback, wherever books are sold. Jack Kilborn is the pen name for Joe Konrath, author of Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, and several other thrillers. You can find information about Joe at www.JAKonrath.com, where you can download many free ebooks."
I'll also need to know which ebook of mine you'd like the excerpt to appear in, along with two back-ups in case the first one is already full.
My plan is to upload the ebooks to Amazon Kindle on on my website on September 26th. They will run through all of October. After that, we'll pow-wow and discuss if this is getting results for people.
I've gotten a lot of private response about this, most of it favorable. Most people beleive:
Ebooks are here to stay.
Excerpts are a good form of advertising.
This is a pretty cheap experiment.
Will ads in ebooks become the norm? I'm betting yes. Ads appear in magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, and all over the Internet. Ebooks, with their zero cost to copy and distribute, seem to be a perfect medium for advertising. Especially non-intrusive ads that feature content.
Time will tell if I'm right...
Monday, September 14, 2009
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Flickr VuJune 27, 2006
flickr vu, noun
a feeling of having already seen your current surroundings somewhere on the web.
Case in point, my recent visit to Neal's Yard, in London.
It gets worse: I'd never been to San Fransisco until after I'd played a few hundred hours of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4. It was strange to know your way around places you'd never been before. Like coming out of amnesia and beginning to remember your old home town.
That's about the only reason I've been thinking about picking up True Crime: New York. GPS-accurate maps of Manhattan sound like a great way to play virtual tourist.
I remember playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and driving around the various fictional cities, when I'd suddenly recognize a real-life intersection from LA, San Francisco, or Vegas. It was a very strange sensation.
I was out in Santa Monica for my brothers wedding and staid in a gaudy looking place called the Shangri-La. Years later I'm playing True Crime: L.A. and find the character standing in front of the same hotel. In the game I walked up two blocks to find the hotel where the wedding was actually held. The didn't replicate the building's architecture but they did recreate the tree in the front that the hotel was known for. I found it a little sureal.
I remember watching Scarface and thinking, "is Tony going into that hotel to save his game?"
The flip side to this is "Slacker Vu," which comes when a city you're familiar with is distorted to save time for movie characters – named for Richard Linklater's Austin-based "Slacker," in which characters go from a coffeehouse near the UT campus to a bar next door, which is in fact south of the river on Congress Ave.
The game to set the "driving around with GPS" trend was Driver for the original playstation. I was amazed not only by how beautiful Miami was and how large New York is, but also by how athletic Americans are; every time I tried to run one of 'em over they always seemed to somehow spectacularly dive out of the way.
Extremely sorry to go O/T, but Dave, I really miss the daily fix of CSS/Web Standards news and recent happenings I once got at this blog.
Any chance of a future return?
Computer games for me too: on a recent visit to Tokyo I find myself walking down a road I distinctly remembered racing down in MSR :)
Wow, I'm getting ready to take my vacation and was preparing to experience the Flickr Vu. Glad to see I'm not the only one!
Looks like it was a beautiful afternoon. I really love Europe this time of year, was so upset I was no able to to attend this years @media event but look forward to next years and maybe being in a couple of your photos as well as getting a couple of my own.
Beautiful pictures @ Flickr, I were in Paris last year and I made similar pictures of the sightseens. Funny. By the way: You have a formidable layout on your Website.
This year I´m going to Paris again because of the Tour de France, what a event.
Beautiful pictures!


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Hi All
I'm new to the forum . I've been riding about 3 years , solid riding , jumping etc and just purchased my first quiver of kites : 2011 F-one bandit 4's - 10m and 14m.
I use them with the 2010 f-one bar and an f-one tx 4 board.
I'm lucky enough to have just come back from 5 weeks in the carribbean where i was kiting everyday with these kites but I have a problem I need your help with! I really like the kites - I found the boost , power on these kites is amazing but the relaunch in light winds and safety seems very poor - compared to the other kites I have flown a lot - RRD Obsession and Cabrinha Switchblade.
Either i'm doing something wrong or something is wrong with the kit ...I dont know, hence the post. Should say at this point as well I have no issues with f-one whatsoever ...i just want my kites to work as I think they should!
The issues..
Safety System.
When you pull the quick release velcro on the chicken loop the bar moves away from you and goes to the yellow stopper ball as I expect...only problem is the kite doesnt depower! it stays with all its C shape and sat on its inflated edge. moves directly downwind of you and then pulls you by the leash downwind. In five weeks I never got it to sit on its back or flag to the point that it stopped pulling me downwind. One day I got pulled half a mile before i could get in. If I pull on the bar it tends to kiteloop and crash sometimes - also a self rescue where I swim to the kite wrapping my lines as I go ...seems like a recipe for having a totally out of control kite on a half wrapped bar!. Got to the point now I just do not trust the safety, and when I eventually steer it into the beach....I'm quiet nervous the thing is going to start taking off kitelooping and crashing.
Relaunching in light wind.
The bandit has a reputation for being really easy to relaunch, but no matter what I do in light wind it does not want to launch. To give an example of what I mean...my friend is out on his cabrinha switchblade ..so are many others including me all relaunching fine . I drop the kite ....try to steer to edge of wind window to relaunch ...wont budge off its inflated edge no matter how much i pull. Same hour I take out my mates Cabrinha just to prove Im not being a muppet .....relaunch three times no issue whatsoever. Two instructors try the same thing ...get the same results. Because of this while everyone was having a merry old time upwind ...i was floating downwind and needing rescue or taking a long walk when I eventually got in...quite frustrating
Can anyone help ? If you have experience of teh B4 i would really like to hear from you.
I know there was another post about problems with the bandit 4 and I wondered if anyone has any hints or tips to get this sorted.
I did wonder whether the fact I'm using a 2010 bar and a 2011 kite there is a problem with compatability because the kites are so differant in shape? Reason I got the 2010 bar was because the airlite 2011 wasnt ready....are they very differant setups or just cosmetic changes?
Maybe there is a specific technique I should be using for relaunch? Tried pulling in the middle line about a metre then trying to relaunch....really didnt help that much.
all ideas / advice gratefully received. It could be my lack of knowledge , a kit problem ..I dont know but I'm open to suggestions


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Steve McDonough of Pembroke, Massachusetts, is no stranger to hopped-up muscle cars. He's owned a number of first-generation Camaros (as well as other Chevys), each with its own unique style and he's always maintained that if a car isn't a driver, it's pretty much worthless. It's his dedication to maintaining that a car should be able to hold its own on the street as well as the dragstrip that makes the evolution of his current '67, known as Sweet & Low, unique.
Having studied the lines of first-generation Camaros for what seemed like an eternity, he envisioned a number of subtle yet dramatic changes, which would set his car apart from the rest. Herein lies the puzzle of how to create a visually killer show car that looks like it maintains its life in a bubble yet has an outgoing personality of wanting to live life on the wild side. A side where it gets driven hard through all sorts of elements while leaving smoky burnouts from the dragstrip to the donut shop. After acting on a tip from longtime friend Bob Lundell, McDonough checked out a somewhat clean '67 that seemed to fit the bill for his project. Money exchanged hands and the car went straight to his home shop where he immediately tore it down to bare bones. With the body shell picked clean, he loaded it up and made the trip to the media blaster full of confidence. What returned left him riddled with disgust, for the car looked like it had been dropped off the side of a cliff and then glued back together. Not one to let the situation get the best of him, he mapped out a plan to locate a builder who would be able to undertake the project and his idea concepts. After studying cars on the show floor and at countless outdoor events, one particular builder's style caught his eye due to his fresh approach and dramatic paintjobs that possessed incredible depth, that of Peter Newell of Competition Specialties in Walpole, Massachusetts.
McDonough delivered the body shell and parts to Newell and his team, consisting of Brian Jordan and Paul Thetonia. These guys had seen far worse and advised they would be able to salvage the body shell without a problem. Wanting to get the car's profile lower, Rick's Custom Fabrication in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, was enlisted to first channel the floorpans by 1 inch and fabricate a custom transmission crossmember. With that done, the formula was to then get the car to look as good underneath as it would on top. The shell was mounted to a rotisserie where its entire underside was fully welded, smoothed, molded, and prepped for paint. Rick's was called back to install a set of C5 Corvette door handles, smooth out the rear body panel, and incorporate C5 Corvette taillights. From there, Newell turned up the heat working with Dennis MacPherson of DMC Racing in nearby Halifax, Massachusetts. MacPherson worked tirelessly on the restyling of the front half of the car starting with TIG welding the front fenders, header panel, and lower valance together into a one-piece unit. The signature billet-bar grille and headlight hideaway mounting system was then designed and mounted in place by MacPherson, giving the car a newfound allure. The pair then proceeded onward by fabricating the lower front valance air intake pockets followed by Newell filling the cowl and body seams, shaving the driprails, and preparing the body for paint.
Focusing on the car's suspension, it was obvious from the start that a slammed-to-the-pavement attitude was going to be needed; however, the car would also need to handle in the corners and hold its own at the dragstrip. A Chevy 12-bolt rear was packed with 3.55:1 gears and set in place by a pair of custom fabricated ladder bars by DMC Racing, while RideTech Shockwaves handle the bumps and ride height. Up front, a Fat Man Fabrications IFS subframe was modified by Newell to accept RideTech Shockwaves combined with Fat Man's 2-inch dropped spindles and control arms. To tame the beast, fluid pushes through a Kugel Komponents master and on to 13-inch Wilwood discs and six-piston calipers up front and 12-inch Wilwood discs and four-piston calipers out back. Billet Specialties Rat Tail wheels in 18x8 front and 20x10 rear wrapped in Toyo Proxes 4 rubber keeps everything grounded and ready for action.
McDonough made a call to Street & Performance to have them assemble a nasty big-block packed with enough guts to incinerate the tires on command. Starting with a GM crate 502, they detailed it to the hilt, added a custom front runner system, and capped it off with a 1,000-cfm EFI-fed tunnel ram. DMC Racing created the stunning air intake system while a Ron Davis aluminum radiator keeps everything cool. Street & Performance headers exhale through a Rick's stainless 2½-inch exhaust with shifts moving through a massaged TCI TH400 trans linked to a custom driveshaft balanced by South Shore Bearing in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Newell loaded his spray gun and laid down a silver base followed by a vibrant House of Kolor Candy Tangerine vibe on everything that wasn't polished or plated, including the entire undercarriage, engine bay, and fenderwells. He followed up with his signature flames in blue and purple chameleon paint to the body, undercarriage, fenderwells, engine air intake, and interior console delivering a knockout punch.
McDonough always admired the dashboards in '59 Impalas so he decided to fit one into the '67 for a one-off look. Rick's followed by then designing out of steel a flowing console from front to rear to accent the four custom-fabbed bucket seats. Like the exterior, the interior was treated to the same House of Kolor Candy Tangerine gloss while K&K Customs in Reading, Massachusetts, handled the stitching. K&K designed an orange leather seat base with Stingray inserts combined with fawn Mercedes square weave carpet accented by molded door panels and a complementing headliner. Dakota Digital got the nod to keep the driver informed of the vitals while a Billet Specialties steering wheel plots the course and a Hurst stick pulls the gears.
An Alpine head unit gets juiced from a Critical Mass amp with enough thunder to shatter the glass moving waves through Critical Mass speakers installed by sound guru Jeremy Katz of Advanced Audio Designs in nearby Sharon.
Once completed, Sweet & Low debuted at the Boston World of Wheels in 2005, capturing the CASI Cup its first time out. Not long after its debut, and tired of hearing the cliché, "Where's your trailer?" McDonough and Newell set out to stand the car show groupies on their ears by driving the skins off the car, accumulating just over 20,000 miles to date. Along the way it's participated at SEMA twice by invitation, was a Long Haul member on Hot Rod's Power Tour in 2006, graced the floor at the Fresno Autorama, won countless burnout competitions, and slammed gears at the dragstrip. The car personifies an early Pro Touring style with an edge and is a testament to being able to have the look yet run hard as well. For Steve McDonough it's all about the experiences he had while building the car and the lifetime friendships forged during the journey, and that's plain bitchin' to us!
source: http://www.superchevy.com/features/camp-1302-1967-chevrolet-camaro/
Tags: camaro part, camaro parts, Camaro restoration parts, 69 camaro, 1969 camaro, aftermarket camero parts, chevrolet camaro, ss, z28, rs, chevrolet, restoration, 68 camaro, chevy, 67, 69, f-body, camaro, chevy camaro, chevrolet camaro, gm, z-28, 350, ls1, z/28, pace car, camaro ss, 69 camaro, first generation, copo, fbody, yenko, 67 camaro, 68 camaro, musclecar


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Chelsea join race to sign Thiago
Chelsea are contemplating an offer for Thiago Alcantara, ESPN has learned, although Manchester United remain in the lead for the playmaker's signature.
The Stamford Bridge club's interest comes after a sparkling Under-21 European Championship from the midfielder, who scored a hat-trick as he captained Spain to a 4-2 final win over Italy. Although Chelsea have made initial contact with Thiago's representatives, United's attempt to bring the player to the Premier League is far more advanced and it is understood they have been in repeated contact with both the player's camp as well as Barcelona.
Thiago is said to be available for just €18 million due to a clause in his contract under which the figure dropped temporarily when he played less than 60% of Barca's games last term. This opportunity, which has alerted a host of European clubs, runs out at the end of July when his price will return to €90 million.
Thiago himself repeatedly declined to talk about his future during the Under-21 Championship, but speculation only escalated after "see you in Manchester" was written on the player's match ball from the final. Amateur sleuths in both the Spanish and English media quickly concluded the message must have been written by United goalkeeper David de Gea, and meant the two were sure to be playing together at Old Trafford next season.
One United source did tell ESPN that the club have been "quietly confident" of securing the player, but Chelsea's interest has concerned them. Like the Premier League champions, the Blues are intent on significantly enhancing their midfield this summer.
Thiago's first choice is understood to have always been linking up with Pep Guardiola again at Bayern Munich, but the Champions League winners have as of yet shown no real interest beyond mild enquiries.
Despite not wanting to talk about his future, the player did stress to Catalan radio station RAC1 on Wednesday that playing first-team football next term was important if he were to impress Spain's senior boss Vicente del Bosque enough to be chosen for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
"I have always had patience," he said. "There are no more under-age teams left so now we are thinking about the senior side. To play a World Cup would be a dream, my biggest aspiration. I must play games with my club and show in the day-to-day action that I can be with the senior side."
The situation is quite embarrassing for Barcelona, who have come in for criticism in the Catalan media for allowing the situation to develop so far. A source from the club stressed to AS that coach Tito Vilanova, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta and various board members had done all they could to try and convince Thiago to stay, but the issue was now out of their hands.
"We did everything," the source said. "The directors, Tito and Zubi all spoke with the player, to explain the evolution of the squad to him. He is a sensational player, among those we do not doubt, he has a contract and we hope he does not go."
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Here's more fuel for the fire.
Last month, I thought I did pretty good by selling 22,000 ebooks.
Of course, we all know the reason I sold so many is because I was previously published and I have a platform and my traditional print books and fanbase all played a huge part.
Allow me to introduce you to B.V. Larson, who creamed my sales even though he had none of the above. I noticed him a year or so ago, with his ebook Mech.
But better to let him tell you in his own words. Here's Larson:
The Past:
My ebook odyssey began in April 2010, when I rediscovered Joe's blog (thanks again, Joe) and read about how well he was doing on Amazon. I decided to give it a try after many years of firing blindly at New York.
I'd been successful in non-fiction (have a textbook series), but I'd never managed more than a few pro short story sales in fiction. I've actually had three agents and many "rewrite this" and "almosts" with editors.
When I started ebooking I'd never laid eyes on a Kindle, but by the end of May I had two books up and 7 big sales. Things grew rapidly from there, and over the last six months I've had over 100,000 PAID ebook sales, including 26,000 in December and 38,000 in January. Most of these sales were for $2.99.
I did it all without a fan-base or a web-presence. I had nothing going for me other than determination, a pile of unsold manuscripts and a willingness to adapt.
My point is: Indies can succeed.
The Present:
In January, Amazon made me their first "Featured Author" in the new DTP newsletter. I've had a few calls from publishers and the like, but I've stayed completely independent thus far. I'm not philosophically opposed to working with traditional publishing. I take a business-like view: if someone can convince me that signing a deal with them is worthwhile, I'll sign it. This is best done mathematically, however, not with slogans and promises of glory.
On the personal side, no one is more stunned by my success than I am. In truth, I'm feeling my way through this new universe. I feel like it's 1993 and I just figured out how to make a website. The world is wide open at this point.
The Future:
Things are very likely to become dramatic in this industry. I seriously see the current publishing structure as unsupportable. Tech has a way of doing that (look it up in an econ book, it's called "creative destruction"). There is bound to be a period of turmoil when new business methods are applied. Hardest hit will be those who can't adapt, like silent movie stars trying to find work in "talkies". Or like radio stars trying to make the transition to TV. Writers and actors were once paid a salary by movie studios. Things change.
By 2020, I would be very surprised if printed materials weren't the exception, rather than the rule. If you don't believe me, take a look at that MP3 player in your pocket and ask yourself how many CDs, cassette tapes or 8-tracks you've bought lately.
Logically, the most indispensable individual is the creator of the content in any industry. Authors are the factories, and therefore we are the one thing that can't be eliminated. Who was that publisher who famously said: "This would be a great business if it weren't for the authors"? Such attitudes must be rethought.
The two things you have to have in this business are the author and the reader, so the real stress will fall on the packagers and distributors in between us. My goal is to stay calm and focus on my work. I'm only concerned about my readers. If I keep them happy, they will keep me happy.
There are a thousand useful pieces of advice right here on this website. I won't repeat them. But I will tell you my guiding light: writing is all about the reader. I never sit down and start out thinking about "what I'd like to write." I start out with what I'd like to read. I'm even more interested in what others would like to read. I think about the reader all the time—where they are in their minds, where they want to go next—then I write until they get there. Writing is not about me. It's about my readers.
Joe sez: First of all, I'm staggered and thrilled Larson has sold so well. He's the perfect example of what I've been talking about. Write good books at fair prices and publish a bunch of them and you'll sell even if no one knows who you are.
I also say that the cover art must be good. While I like the cover art for Mech, I'm not too keen on some of Larson's other book covers. But then, I'm not hot for Amanda Hocking's covers either, and those haven't seemed to hurt her sales.
This leads to an interesting conclusion. Larson has sold 100,000 ebooks. But that doesn't mean he has 100,000 fans. He might only have 6000 fans. But these fans could have each bought his entire oeuvre, 18 ebooks.
If you're writing good books that fans enjoy, they'll seek out more of your work. The more of your work you have available, the more chances you'll have to discover new fans. It's like constantly making your fishing net bigger. The bigger the net, the more fish you'll snare.
For those writers who are wondering why they haven't had decent sales, my answer is: write more.
In fact, that's always been the answer for writers, no matter what their goals are.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
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Tiffany Jo has raised thousands of dollars for the Red Cross, the United Way and the MDA. She wanted to start her own charity and her goal was to bring "fun" to children. Tiffany's Kids soon became a reality!
Borders Music Stores and Funtasticks Amusement Parks were ready to jump on board. She donates a portion of each CD sold. She personally buys all the passes and hand delivers them to military bases so children who have parents deployed to the Middle East can enjoy a free afternoon of fun.
Tiffany's Kids has already made it possible for over 1000 military kids to go to amusement parks and fairs for free.
In addition, private donations and corporate involvement with tickets for military children have taken her current donations to over $4,000.
Tiffany Jo has raised money for The Veterans Hospital, The Aspen Fire Victims and the Tucson Medical Center Children's Ward.
Letter of thanks from the
Commander of
Davis Monthan AFB,
Colonel Stuzriem
A very special "thank you" goes out to
TC-Helicon and Voice Council Magazine
for their generous donation to my charity!
Now you can make a donation online to Tiffany's Charity in any amount you wish with an e-check or credit card. It's safe and secure.
If you prefer to make donate by mail, please do not push the "DONATE" button;
instead, send money order or check payable to:
Tiffany Jo!
Tiffany's Kids
P.O. Box 36503
Tucson, Arizona 85704