Charley Plymell Critiques the Poetry of Kristen Henderson’s Drum Machine http://ping.fm/s22Et
Charles Plymell Critiques Henderson’s Poetry
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Category Archives: Jolt: a rural noir
Alva Celebrates Distributors and Roy-McNally Interview
Alva the Indie celebrated the regularization of the weekly distribution of 2000 copies of the ALVA newsletter by email by charting how many Opens there were for each media type. Turned out that old friends and magazines were 5% ahead of Radio, TV, Broadcast, and Print. Alva decided that was because magazines are more interested in the little press (little guy) human interest side of the news. Yeah, I suppose Alva’s guess is as good as mine and she was unwilling to accept my suggestion that the difference may have been due to probability and chance.
But I am so glad Alva is back! (at least for the winter).
Last week Alva brought in a great big sheet cake she had made and decorated with B&N, Apple, Sony, Kobol, Borders, and Diesel to celebrate Alva Press’ agreement to facilitate the distribution of its eBooks on more than seventy wholesaler distribution sites. She called it our ‘Go Get’em Now’ party.
BTW: Alva thinks Chelsea’s reliability and skill in getting out the newsletter is simply awesome! As for Alva, she’d rather deliver newspapers door to door than do, as she calls it, all that computer stuff.
Do you ever wonder why ALVA keeps Alva employed here? Well, I’ll tell you why. First of all, when Alva is here she is wonderful with the phone–any opportunity to talk is a plus for her. And not to forget how (as long as we can keep her on the premises) we are assured of at least one sheet cake a week–if not to raise our consciences for a cause, then to fete our own advancements and successes like when earlier in the month Alva arrived with black masks we had to don for the party and a cake that read, “The Lone Ranger Rides Again.”
It seems Alva found out that back in November 2011 the MidWest Book Review Small Press Bookshelf had given Jolt: a rural noir a rave review on its Mystery and Suspense Shelf. Called it a ‘page-turning thriller.’ And Alva just wanted to be sure that everybody knew that despite the image of the conflagration on Jolt’s cover, Roberta really was one of the good guys! http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/nov_11.htm#Mystery/Suspense
And then when Michael Edward McNally provided Roberta M Roy with that really great interview the cake read “We Love MEdMcNally!” http://sablecity.com/2012/01/31/tag-line-tuesday-with-roberta-m-roy
So I hate to think of the noise level of the place when Alva arrives prepared to celebrate Kristen Henderson‘s book, Drum Machine, to be released as an eBook, possibly by the end of February. Do check back on that and if you have not done so already, sign up for the newsletter which will for the first 30 days will offer a 10% discount on copies of the eBook of Drum Machine ordered through the ALVA Press, Inc., website.
Roberta in Po-Town, Lookin’ up!
To Amazon.com or Not to Amazon.com?
Alva the Indie’s all upset. She has discovered that Roy’s great novel of passion and survival, Jolt: a rural noir, is now available on Amazon.com in second hand copies at a quarter the publisher’s list price. She knows it’s true because she ordered herself a copy just to prove it was not a pirated one. It arrived today. Alva immediately recognized it as a recycled courtesy copy previously distributed at no cost to an interested party. And Alva understood this. As she put it, “Just normal hooman behavior.”
But what really has Alva’s goat is how Amazon.com is able to list the paperback and hard cover editions of Jolt at lower than the publisher’s list price. Such listing has the potential to force ALVA Press, Inc., Jolt‘s publisher, to sell its beautifully designed and print versions of Jolt: a rural noir at a pricing ratio that if it were to become pervasive, would wipe out this small, striving company for which Alva the Indie works, namely, ALVA Press, Inc.
Then what next did Alva do? Exactly as she always does when hungry for more information. She googled topics related to Amazon.com’s pricing, came up with some links, read through them quickly, and at about 11:30, stomped out of the office without a word.
So much for that . . . well, not quite. Because when I checked my email later in the day I found one Alva had sent at 11:22 that morning with nothing more than the following links in it:
http://dhamel.typepad.com/twitterlitnews/2011/06/re-twitrlit-and-the-amazon-affiliate-program.html
Oh, I agree it’s a mess out there–except Alva always takes things so personally.
Nonetheless Alva’s findings have put me to thinking. As CEO here at Alva Press, Inc., I am beginning to believe that it might be better to not distribute the Alva Press, Inc., eBooks on Amazon.com if in the final analysis Amazon is set to undersell Alva Press and/or force ALVA to distribute our eBooks at a rate so low as to drive us out of business. Which raises the question as to whether small presses can exist without Amazon.com.
That said, I’d love to hear what other Indie eBook publishers have to say about the issue of Amazon.com pricing practices.
Roberta in Po-Town, Muddled.
Why Do I Love Thee?
How silly can it be. I just love Alva the Indie–so definitely over the edge. Can’t figure out if she talks to me or I talk to her and I’m just talking to myself–all of which gives one a certain sense of freedom. I mean, think of it: On a dime, in mid-sentence I change my point of view, reconsider, revamp, and comment on myself or is it me? Or is it Alva Press? Or is it Alva the Indie? Or Roberta M. Roy, that well-known publisher and 2011 Living Now Awards Medalist in Inspirational fiction and author of Jolt: a rural noir?
Today I have chosen to be Alva Press, Inc., and here’s the reason. We need a heart-to-heart. Why? Well, you see, things here are at a standstill.
After Alva’s links were broken, readership went down and while it is gradually rebuilding it is nowhere where it used to be. Also Roy is overextended now that the school year has begun–and with a nearly all new caseload. Takes too much energy to write and keep up with her blogs and also do all the things that Alva needs done–like tell everyone that Jolt: a rural noir is now available as an eBook at http://alvapressinc.com.
Yup, truth to be told, at this time Alva Press, Inc., is a pretty much one woman operation and while readers are beginning to comment positively about Jolt: a rural noir in places like GoodReads, not much else is really happening.
Just wanted to give you a heads up on the current state of affairs and to ask you if there is anything you can think of to help–like buy or recommend Jolt: a rural noir, Alva Press, Inc. and I would really appreciate it.
Gotta go now. Roy’s calling.
Alva the Indie
Alva’s on the Prowl
Alva the Indie is on the prowl. Having suffered through the publication of Jolt: a rural noir, first in hard and soft cover and more recently in ePub and Mobi, she has decided to offer three writers the chance to publish their book as an eBook free. The only hitch is, each will need to be interesting and well-edited. Poetic, highly researched, and truly literary works would be preferred.
But, hey! Who is Alva anyway. Just some tiny little Indie trying to make her way in the overwhelmingly large world of publishing and just hoping someone would like to come and join hands with her. Let me explain.
About ten years ago Roberta M Roy began the trudge to self publishing. First she did the research. One hundred hours in face-to-face courses with the military on responding to mass events. Then she wrote the book. That was easy. Next she worked with an editor and five rewrites and five years after beginning the writing–Jolt: a rural noir was ready–ready that is for publishing.
By that time Roberta had established Alva Press, Inc., and was blogging on three blogs. And so it was I, Alva, who published Roberta’s book. My byword was quality. Was that wrong? I don’t think so. Didn’t Roberta’s book go on to become a 2011 Living Now Awards Medalist in Inspirational Fiction?
But it shouldn’t be that hard. As such, Alva has decided to play the Warren Buffet of self-publishing and reach out to three other writers by publishing one of their works as an eBook to be listed on the alvapressinc.com website for distribution. Thereafter, royalties will be paid on a monthly basis while the potential for listing with big aggregators like B&N and Amazon.com exists.
So if you or someone you know is in the place where they would like to stand up to the big guys and go with Alva, just send me an email expressing your interest. To do this go the the Contact Us page on alvapressinc.com and email me.
In other, while quality is the byword, variety is the spice of life! So all genres and mixed genres of writing are welcome.
More anon.
Alva the Indie
Win a Free Copy of Jolt: a rural noir
Please go to the alvapressinc.com site. Use the contact us page to email me in your answer to the Alva the Indie poll. First person to answer correctly will win a copy of Jolt: a rural noir and have their name and the answer they proffered announced here and on the alvapressinc.com web site.
Jolt: a rural noir is available in soft cover, hard cover, and eBook forms. The eBook may be purchased (won) in ePub format (compatible with Nook) and Mobi format (compatible with Kindle).
So tell me: Just who is Alva the Indie?
Roberta in Po-Town, Puzzlin’
Ten Years Post 9/11: Alva at Last a Real Company
Alva Press, Inc., celebrates the fact that she is a real company at last!
In a trek that began with my search for knowledge as to how I, my loved ones, and finally, the community, might effectively respond to any Mass Event, I researched and wrote Jolt: a rural noir. To further the word on post mass event and general survival techniques, two and a half years ago Alva Press, Inc, became an online entity. My blog at http://alvapressinc.com/robertamroyonnuclearsurvival is the product of that intent. And now ten years post 9/11 ALVA commemorates the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 with the release of Jolt: a rural noir in ePub and Mobi eBook forms and recognizes just how far Alva Press, Inc., has come in the process.
No longer is Alva a one-person enterprise. ALVA now includes integrated professional support services in the area of technical support, writing and editing, design, public relations, advertising and distribution. And recently ALVA started a small copying service which is housed at Gallery Ottaviani, 214 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY. (845) 452-9227.
ALVA aims not only to please the readers and writers of the world, but to the extent it can, to also serve the community.
READERS
can now purchase eBooks as well as soft and hard cover traditional forms.
WRITERS
can arrange to have their books and manuscripts converted into eBooks for distribution through the ALVA site and any others they so choose.
COMMUNITY
As ALVA is yet a very tiny entity with limited resources, its expression of community care is similarly limited. Nonetheless, ALVA reaches out to help in these small ways:
READERS – Enjoy the variety of three blogs ALVA supports:The Writer Publisher’s WebBlog and Roberta M. Roy’s Personal Blog and the Nuclear Survival Blog — morphed over time into more of a healthy living and general survival informational one.
WRITERS – ALVA offers the first three lucky writers who qualify, the opportunity for free book or manuscript conversion of to an eBook for presentation and distribution through ALVA’s website.
COMMUNITY – ALVA is committed to dedicating $2 from the sale of each of the next 500 books she sells through the ALVA site to the ‘Making Cocoa with Kristina’ Fund. The Making Cocoa with Kristina Fund’s moneies will go toward the purchase of a motorized wheelchair for the young mother and writer, Kristina Jackson. (See Purchase eBooks and Books Here page for more details.)
Have you heard the song “Turning toward Morning” by Gordon Bok? These years and times since 9/11 have been and remain so much a challenge. And while we are not perhaps quite where we would like to be, signs of hope must always be welcomed.
ALVA is but a small, hopeful sprout in a large universe. But I believe that as long as hope springs anew, new answers will emerge. Not only for ALVA and me and Kristina, but also for you, my gentle reader.
Roberta, In Po-Town, Lookin’ toward the Mornin’
*For the complete lyrics to Gordon Bok’s song about how the world always turns toward morning, please go to http://ahistoricality.blogspot.com/2005/08/thursday-lyric-turning-toward-morning.html
WKNY 1490 Warren Lawrence with Roberta M Roy on the Morning Show
Well, Alva and I are off to the Morning Show with WKNY Kingston, New York. I’m not sure if the show will be done live or is pre-recorded but I Googled Warren Lawrence on the web and he looks like my nephew, Randy, so I figure I’ll be fine . . . or something like that.
We’re going to talk about alvapressinc.com and my book, Jolt: a rural noir and give away two signed hard cover copies of it. But the timing is perfect because I can also announce when I am there that Alva will just today Alva will make Jolt: a rural noir available as an eBook through her website at alvapressinc.com!
I wonder if my uncle Tex Roy the Rambling Cowboy ever sang and yodeled on 1490 as he pioneered in radio when I was a wee and thought he was very brave to climb all the way to the top of the radio tower just to sing for us to hear. You can imagine my disappointment when I visited him at the Poughkeepsie station and found he sang behind a glass in a small room and it was the radio waves that beamed down to us from the top of the radio tower.
Warren promised me it would be a nice easy interview. I think he said something like ‘a walk in the woods.’ But it doesn’t matter. One way or the other, I’m looking forward to it.
Roberta in Po-Town, Steppin’ out
robertamroy 