Do you use Google Alerts? Do you know what it is? Well, it’s a system that Google has created for keeping you informed about the happenings and writings in your genres or topics of interest. As an author of a book on marble collecting, for example, you’ll want to know about new collectors on the scene, interesting marble finds, how people are displaying their marble collections, where the marble collectors’ meetings are being held, historical information on marbles, new concepts about marble collecting, government regulations on marble collecting, etc. And you can keep abreast of what’s going on in your area of interest through Google Alerts.
Just go to http://www.google.com/alerts and insert the keywords that you think will bring you the information and news you want and need. Click on “Comprehensive” and you will receive everything new that pertains to your topic published in newspapers as well as blogs, for example. You can ask to receive this information daily or weekly.
And when you receive it, open it and follow the links that look useful, informative or otherwise important to your own project.
What will you learn? If you are still writing your book, you’ll learn about new research being conducted in your area of interest—material that, perhaps, you can use in your book. You’ll locate new sources and resources. You’ll find out what else is out there on your topic.
If you have a published book on the subject, if you’re alert, you’ll discover new ways to promote your book, blogs where you can be interviewed or where your book can be reviewed, blogs and articles that you can learn from—the posts/publishers of new material that you can research for your newsletter and/or blog, for example.
Here’s something I found on one of my Google Alerts reports this morning. It doesn’t affect me, but I know it affects all of you who have books designed for children under age 12. What a mess. The bill that Bush signed to protect our children from lead poisoning has threatened to put many small entrepreneurs and publishers out of business. Hopefully, someone will see the error in this bill and amend it before the economy suffers even greater ills and thousands of hardworking small business owners, publishers and authors lose their dreams. And what about our children? Without books and educational toys, they will lag even further behind in their reading skills, eventual love of reading and overall healthy mental and physical growth.
I read another article indicating that the law does not affect products produced before February 10, 2009. And then it is up to publishers and product designers to make sure that their manufacturers comply with the new testing laws from that point on. Any way you look at it, it is probably going to be an expensive transition.
Read the article in Contra Costa Times by Suzanne Bohan at http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_11551863
You may also want to read the statement issued by the American Booksellers Association. http://news.bookweb.org/news/6515.html
Want to chill and avoid all of the bad news for a while? Here’s a good book to read on the next snow day in the east and Midwest or rainy day in the west: Order the ebook or comb-bound print edition of Patricia Fry’s latest book: Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats. http://www.catscapades.html