Google Book Search - amazing tool for self publishing gurus

This is an example I was TRYING to display over on my blog at selfpublishingtoday.com - which happens to be a WordPress.com blog... which also happens NOT to allow *iframe* code ... so - to see the article about this cool new Google Book Search feature go here...

Otherwise, enjoy a preview of Bill McGann's Tour de France book.

Green publishing and Dog Ear Publishing

It's kind of funny to see the publishing industry embracing a 'green' revolution - especially when the SELF publishing industry, for the most part, has always been green.

In the vast majority of our self publishing efforts, print-on-demand is utilized to produce the books. Print-on-demand is by its very nature more green than printing thousands of books that then sit in warehouses, often simply to be sent back to the shredder. It's even more green when the books are truly print-on-demand and the technology is used to fulfill end consumer orders. The print-on-demand model (when used to satisfy end-consumer need) is just about the most environment-friendly book publishing option in the book industry (really only e-books are more environmentally gentle). Imagine how many trees would be saved by only printing the books that are ordered, using strict environmental practices and certified materials.

My company, Dog Ear Publishing, works very hard to be the best and smartest choice for authors, and we quickly realized that building beautiful books doesn’t have to be harmful to the environment. We use recycled papers – though it may vary in percentage as our printing process does limit us in some ways due to the speed at which we print our books.

The offset printing-hold inventory model of publishing requires large amounts of printed inventory – all of which are produced BEFORE a sale is ever made to keep costs low and profits high. Practically every single title produced by the traditional publishing market in a traditional offset-printed matter have a large quantity of books that go unsold and are consequently returned and destroyed. To make matters worse, this is typically in addition to being shipped and handled multiple times.

At Dog Ear Publishing, a book is typically printed only after the sale is made – ensuring that each book we print has a home with a reader. Print on demand helps eliminate waste, reduces carbon emissions and helps us be a good steward of our valuable natural resources.

The raw materials used in all Dog Ear Publishing books carry certifications that promote the health of our planet and industry - our raw materials are obtained from Chain of Custody (COC) certified suppliers, which guarantees the environmental sustainability and sourcing of materials used. We use environmentally certified papers that carry one or more certifications from:

FSC – The Forest Stewardship Council
SFI – The Sustainable Forestry Initiative
PEFC – The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification GREEN-E

Some of papers we use are even are produced using 100% wind power. Dog Ear Publishing papers contain NO old growth forest content, content from forests of exceptional conservation value, or the Amazon Basin; and all papers ARE sourced from Sustainable Reforestation Programs.

My partners, Alan Harris and Miles Nelson, and I believe that building beautiful books doesn’t have to be harmful to the environment. In addition to recycled papers, Dog Ear Publishing has retrofitted its entire office with energy efficient light bulbs, and our equipment is energy star rated. With quite a bit of success, we've implemented an office wide recycling program. Very little of anything is simply thrown away - we are reducing and recycling everything from paper, aluminum to our equipment.

We created “Dog Ear CARES,” a program through which we dedicate a portion of sales to supporting environmental efforts to reduce pollution (including carbon emissions), protect natural habitats and foster alternative and renewable fuels - in addition to organizations like RIF and others that promote literacy.

Changing up A Day in the Life of a Dog

I'm shifting things around here in this blog - moving the Dog Ear Publishing author PR stuff over to a new blog I've built - located here at Blogger - www.selfpublishingstories.com.

This blog will grow to be mostly about Dog Ear Publishing and my thoughts in the industry in general - as applied to Dog Ear directly (I also have an industry blog called SelfPublishingToday.com)

Stay tuned !

Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia is released by author A. J. Nolan, published by Dog Ear Publishing.

Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia is a new self published fantasy book written by author A.J. Nolan. The book follows Blake Mantle, a young Hawaiian man, who gets forced by his very first client to make a dangerous airplane delivery to the neighboring island Maui during a dangerous tropical storm. As his plane crashes down on top of Mt. Kilauea Volcano, Blake is somehow sucked safely deep into the heart of the volcano. There he discovers two cities that have been hidden from the surface world for decades that are currently at war with each other.

In this underground world of Paradise, the weapons of choice are 13 unique jet packs that allow its user the ability to form Battle Armor over his entire body directly from the pack itself; whether Spartan, Roman, Ninja or Samurai. Here is where Blake accidentally discovers a uniquely powerful armor that allows his very body to form into a weapon that has such power it has been sought after by both sides for several years. As Blake is befriended by the good city New Creatia, he is relentlessly hunted by the evil city s inhabitants who are desperate to get Blake s new armor for their own sick twisted king, Essex.

Battle armors collide as Blake seeks to protect himself underground while making his way back to the surface, not only to escape this nightmare but also to save his girlfriend Erika who is in great danger. Unfortunately for Blake, he is attacked above ground just as he is united with his girlfriend Erika. This attack forces him to return to New Creatia to confront this relentless enemy Essex once and for all.

Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia will keep your interest throughout, from the opening battle sequence underground until the final confrontation between the two main characters!

A.J. Nolan was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He has traveled the world to such spots as France, Mexico, Bahamas, Florida and California. But to him, Hawaii has always been his favorite destination. This is one reason why Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia is centered there. He has spent a lifetime reading, collecting and enjoying all sorts of comic book genre. He has a keen understanding or how superheros work and how they can truly affect a child s imagination. His own imagination has always remained an important part of his life, something that has truly allowed Blake Mantle to shine through.

The author's web site is blakemantle.com

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You will find more information about self publishing a book or self publishing companies at the Dog Ear Publishing web site.

Blake Mantel and The War for New Creatia
A. J. Nolan
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN:1-59858-769-2; 164 pages; $12.95 US

World War II Veteran Shares His Most Intimated Memories in this New Release

Grenades, Guitars, Guts and Glory: World War II, There at 18--Told at 81
is released by author SGT Ronold Ray with Gina Ray

Ronold Ray was just an 18 year old farm boy from a large family living in central Texas when the United States entered World War II. Eager to serve his country, Ray tried to enlist but was told to go back to the farm. Finally he and his friends were drafted into the U.S. Army and shipped off to basic training to become soldiers. Eventually Ray was sent to the South Pacific where he learned the true meaning of war and sacrifice.

Grenades, Guitars, Guts and Glory, written by Ronold Ray at 81 years of age, is full of lively anecdotes about Ray and his companions as they go from basic training to the South Pacific to combat the Japanese. Whether they are simply playing pranks on one another or trying to avoid an unpleasant superior, Ray and his friends learn a lot about survival. Throughout the story, Ray maintains his sense of humor, even in the direst of circumstances.

Grenades, Guitars, Guts and Glory includes some meaningful photographs of Ray and his closest friends and family that really bring this memoir to life. It took a lifetime for Ray to put his story down on paper, but his recollections are so vivid that it seems the war happened yesterday. His inspiring story gives readers a sense of what life was like then and the sacrifice made by those Americans who fought to defend freedom and our great nation.

Ray was able to tell his incredible story by self-publishing with Dog Ear Publishing. For more information on Dog Ear, and even self-publishing in general, please visit the Dog Ear website.

Grenades, Guitars, Guts and Glory
SGT Ronold Ray and Gina Ray
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-159858-705-0

Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

Learn All the Tips and Tricks for Winning Scholarships and Getting the Education of Your Dreams

Author Lee Martinson releases A Heavenly College Education on an Earthly Budget

Have you thought about pursuing a college degree but are afraid of the astronomical expenses involved? Are you interested in finding out how to get a scholarship or free money to go to school? Do you want to learn the secrets to gaining admission into a top-notch university? A Heavenly College Education on an Earthly Budget by author Lee Martinson is a 2 in 1 guide that offers serious advice sprinkled with good humor.

In the first section of this book, you will learn strategies and techniques for finding scholarships and financial aid. He shows you how to prevent a financial disaster by landing up to your neck in college debt. Martinson also talks about how to find a college free of drugs and violence, a college that will set your brain on fire! He stresses the importance of a college that follows Judeo-Christian values, that is to say a belief in old-fashioned family values, freedom and a belief in God.

In the second section of A Heavenly College Education on an Earthly Budget, Martinson walks you through the admissions process and shows you how to avoid common pitfalls that even straight-A students fall prey to. Readers will learn how to write a drop-dead gorgeous essays and how to make the most of a face-to-face interview. He also discusses how to get great letters of recommendation and how to construct a winning resume.

If you or any of your children are thinking about attending college, A Heavenly College Education on an Earthly Budget is for you!

Lee self-published his book through Dog Ear Publishing. For more information about Dog Ear, and self-publishing in general, visit www.dogearpublishing.net.

A Heavenly College Education on an Earthly Budget
Lee Martinson
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-159858-677-1

Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

The Saga of an American Family that Explores Themes of Good and Evil, Death and Dying, and the Taking of Human Life

Death Defined is released by author Harper

The story opens in Iraq. Matt and Chris, childhood friends and members of the U.S. Marines, are battling insurgents on the ground. When Chris is hit, Matt battles hand to hand with an Iraqi and eventually kills the man. Chris survives but is sent home indefinitely, while Matt is left struggling to make sense of what has happened. He begins to reflect on death and dying, and remembers the deaths of his beloved grandfather and his own mother who died when Matt was just a boy.

Back home, we meet Matt’s family. There is John Sullivan, the brash and widowed father who loves his children fiercely, and Matt’s sweet younger sister Amy, who is only sixteen years old. When Amy and her boyfriend Paul have a sexual encounter, she falls pregnant and the results are disastrous for everyone in this close-knit Catholic community.

Death Defined by author Harper, is not for the faint of heart. The themes of good and evil, death and dying and the taking of human life are prevalent throughout the story. The saga of the Sullivan family and those who love them will stay with you long after you have finished their story.

For more information about the book, please visit www.death-defined.com.

Harper self-published this book with Dog Ear Publishing. For more information about Dog Ear, and even self-publishing in general, click here.

Death Defined
Harper
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-159858-699-2

Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

Meet Alex, the Two-Dimensional Boy with a Big Heart and Love of Adventure

Author C. G. Brettmann releases Alex Got Run Over by a Beer Keg

About the Book

Alex is a normal boy until one day a giant beer keg rolls right over him, flattening him like a pancake! Miraculously, Alex survives the accident and from that moment on, Alex becomes a two dimensional kid. He has to buy new clothes to fit his irregular shape, but life goes on for this all American boy living in the Pacific Northwest.

Alex Got Run Over by a Beer Keg, by author C.G. Brettmann, tells the story of Alex and his buddy Zach, who is always up to something. Young readers and adults alike will enjoy reading about the boys’ antics and adventures. With chapters titled, “Cops and Robbers ala Alex and Friends” and “The Great Spaghetti Escape” it’s easy to see these stories are pure entertainment. At one point in the book, Alex even makes friends with a ghost! While they are playing, she floats through walls while he squeezes his flat body underneath closed doors.

Alex Got Run Over by a Beer Keg is written with a good sense of fun and lots of humor, yet truly Alex is a sort of hero, for he lives a normal life despite the fact that he is so physically different from everyone else. C.G. Brettmann has written an original book sure to charm readers of all ages.

About the Author

Ms Brettmann grew up with an older brother surrounded by boys from the neighborhood where she was raised by her father, a scientist, with whom she spent hours talking about his work and evolution. After graduating from Northwestern University she and her husband moved to Seattle. They raised two sons and were both active in soccer and a Boy Scout troop. Alex Got Run Over by a Beer Keg is a fictional book based on her years of experience with pre-pubescent boys and a good memory of stories about her two sons; their friends, including stories her father and husband told about their growing up. She has always been fascinated by how children are influenced and what motivates them.

As her sons grew, she worked in the business world primarily in management. During her free time, she was an avid reader; she also served as a docent for the Seattle Aquarium, climbed Mt. Rainier twice, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt Baker, and paddled her sea kayak between the Washington and British Columbia Islands. Since retiring from the Boeing Company, in 2002, she has earned a graduate degree in education form Antioch University, Seattle, and is now serving as a court-appointed special advocate for children in State dependency, and is a substitute teacher in her local district’s middle and high schools.

Ms Brettmann lives on an island in Washington State and has a second home in the Cascades, where she hikes and cross-country skies. In Alex Got Run Over. . . . Ms Brettmann has brought all of her worlds – science, curiosity, the outdoors, and her interest in children together in a meaningful and funny story.

For more information, visit the author's website at:
www.cgbrettmann.com

C. G. self-published her book with Dog Ear Publishing - and more information about her book (and self-publishing) can be found at www.DogEarPublishing.net

Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

Deep within the heart of modern day Hawaii exists a land forgotten by time in new fantasy book by A.J. Nolan
Author A.J. Nolan releases his self-published book, Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia


Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia follows Blake Mantle, an honest young Hawaiian man with a powerful build and a good head on his shoulders. One day, Blake, who is a pilot, receives a strange delivery request from two shady characters who make it impossible for him to say no. When Blake attempts to make the delivery during a horrendous thunderstorm, his small plane crashes into a volcano. There Blake discovers a bizarre and fascinating new world created by aliens long ago called New Creatia.

There is a great war going on in New Creatia and both sides use heavy body armor. When Blake accidentally discovers a powerful body armor that has been sought after by the two warring factions for over a century, he must decide where his allegiance lies. He comes under constant attack by many who wish to get their hands on the body armor and hand it over to their villainous king, Essex.

While Blake is exploring the new world he has discovered underground, his girlfriend Erika is in grave danger above ground as the thugs are out to find out where Blake and his delivery have disappeared to.

Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia will keep you on the edge of your seat from page one!


About the Author

A.J. Nolan was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He has traveled the word to such spots as France, Mexico, Bahamas, Florida and California. But to him, Hawaii has always been his favorite destination. This is one reason why Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia is centered there. He has spent a lifetime reading, collecting and enjoying all sorts of comic book genre. He has a keen understanding of how superheros work and how they can truly affect a child's imagination. His own imagination has always remained an important part of his life, something that has truly allowed Blake Mantle to shine through.

For more information, visit the author's website at:
www.blakemantle.com

A.J. self-published his book with Dog Ear Publishing - and more information about his book (and self-publishing) can be found at www.DogEarPublishing.net

Blake Mantle and the War for New Creatia
A .J. Nolan
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-159858-769-2 164 pages US

Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

"What Happened to the Girl I Married?" - One man's journey into his wife's life at home self published by Michael Miller

What Happened to the Girl I Married? is released by Dog Ear Publishing author Michael Miller

“What does she do all day?” That was the question Michael Miller and his fraternity brothers at work often asked themselves about their stay-at-home wives. Their ignorance about what seemed like a simpler life at home shielded them from seeing or hearing the realities of it. Embarking on a quest to find the girl he married – lost in that life – Miller finds out the hard way just how very wrong they had been.

In his new book What Happened to the Girl I Married?, Michael Miller steps out of his corporate job and into his wife’s uncomfortable shoes at home. With no staff or administrative assistants to support him, Miller’s “ah hah moments” begin on day one and become more profound with each step down the path. Through his journey, Miller offers a new found appreciation for the tireless efforts of stay-at-home Moms and clues as to why women might lose themselves in the job. For the men they married, Miller lets them connect with his evolution through humor, man-isms and motivations for change that are hard to resist.

What Happened to the Girl I Married? is an honest and enlightening love story that’s funny and thought-provoking throughout. The story’s messages help heal old wounds and offer both partners a language to get back on a loving path together – and stay on it.

About the Author

Michael Miller has spent the bulk of his waking hours over the last two decades working his way up in the fast paced high-tech industry. He has held executive sales and marketing positions in several public and private companies. All that experience, however, did not prepare him for what he faced on his journey into his wife’s life at home.

Michael and Linda currently live in Carmel, California where their love story first began eighteen years ago, at their 10-year high school reunion. They live there with their two dynamic boys and are blessed to be surrounded by life-long friends.

The author's web site is WhatHappenedToTheGirlIMarried.com

Michael's book is self published by Dog Ear Publishing - a book publisher providing book publishing and book marketing services to authors.

What Happened to the Girl I Married - the Evolution of a Man
Michael Miller
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN:1-59858-740-4; 140 pages; $13.95 US

Two new books tell the story of a young man trying to make his way through the Sixties

Author John Morabito releases two new self published books - The Lower Farm and The Upper Lake.

The sixties were a time of great social changes. Young people rose up to protest the Vietnam War and to challenge the establishment in general. Hippies were going barefoot and eating health food while taking all kinds of mind altering drugs. It is against this backdrop that we meet young Johnny Greeneyes, a young drifter who is heading south towards New Mexico from San Francisco to make a new life for himself.

In The Lower Farm by author John J. Morabito, we meet the cast of interesting characters that drift in and out of Greeneyes’ life during his travels. One night Greeneyes sleeps in the “cardboard hotel” next to a homeless man, another night he shares the bed of a beautiful and successful woman, he even spends a night in jail accused of a rape he did not commit. As Greeneyes heads towards his destination “The Lower Farm,” a hippie commune, he finds himself struggling with the label “hippie” and all it entails. Ultimately the tensions between locals and the hippie community will come to a head and Greeneyes lands in jail again accused of murder.

In the second novel from author John J. Morabito, The Upper Lake, the story of Greeneyes continues. The year is 1969 and Greeneyes has returned to San Francisco and works unloading cargo ships. When he loses his job he scours the want ads and finds an employment opportunity up north in Mendocino County. As he hitchhikes his way up north, he meets an interesting young man with a guitar named Buckwheat. The two become friends and Buckwheat astounds Greeneyes with his gift for music. Together the two men hitchhike up to The Upper Lake where they meet a wide array of other drifters. Life is serene and relaxing in this remarkable forest haven but Greeneyes cannot understand what secrets are haunting his friend Buckwheat.

The Upper Lake is a story of adventure, friendship and music. The drug scene has spread out even more and young people everywhere find themselves dependent on mind altering drugs. When Buckwheat confides in his friend Greeneyes, the two friends share a bond that will last a lifetime. Eventually each will find the freedom he seeks.

The Upper Lake and The Lower Farm are compelling stories set in one of the country’s most infamous eras.

The author's web site is www.JohnJMorabito.com.
John self published his books with Dog Ear Publishing - and more information about his book (and self publishing) can be found at www.DogEarPublishing.net

the lower farm
John J. Morabito
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN:1-59858-762-5; 296 pages; $18.95 US

the upper lake
John J. Morabito
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN:1-59858-763-3; 296 pages; $14.95 US

Available direct from Dog Ear Publishing, or through Ingram, Baker&Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere

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