Yes Virginia, It Is a Blog Hop and Other Fun Stuff!

AND THE WINNERS ARE:
Christine Marshall / Krishenka
Rosona Taranta
and Kathy Wicks

YAY!!!!! Your book and chocolate will be shipped out as soon as we get your shipping addresses!



DUE TO SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS CAUSED BY HURRICANE SANDY we were without internet access until late Friday night (11/2). We are checking all the posts, and entering all the names of the commenters and will be posting the winner's names tomorrow, Sunday 11/4.



MONDAY, OCTOBER 15th - follow @Mariam_Kobras on twitter as she celebrates the launch of her new book, UNDER THE SAME SUN. Mariam will be tweeting, 140 characters at a time, the full first chapter of the book!

Also on Monday, Mariam will begin hopping and bopping all over the web, making 14 stops in all! Follow here as she is interviewed, reviewed and leaves guest posts at each stop.

What's in it for you?
Well, besides a really good time following Mariam, you could win one of THREE SIGNED COPIES of her book, PLUS CHOCOLATE (yes, I did say chocolate). It seems more than one reviewer has said the perfect way to read Mariam's books is with a good cup of coffee and a stash of chocolate, we thought we'd help you out. You'll have to supply your own coffee (sorry, it's just impossible to send a cup of hot java safely through the mail) but if you're one of our three lucky winners you 'll be able to settle in for a terrific read complete with some chocolate to nosh as you follow the continuing story of Jon and Naomi Stone.
How do you win? Simply follow Mariam to each stop on the Hop and after reading that day's post, leave a comment. That's 14 chances to win if you leave a comment at each stop.
We'd love it if you would also follow the blogs you like along the way-they're all pretty terrific!

Want more chances? If you're on Facebook - just LIKE the page for Under the Same Sun .

What's the schedule?

   10/15 Johanna Harness   http://amwritingblog.com/wordpress/archives/15377

   10/16 Lisa M. Stull  Live at noon EDT  http://lmstull.com/2012/10/16/interview-with-author-mariam-kobras/

   10/17 Amber Meadows http://www.amberrisme.com/2012/10/17/under-the-same-sun-book-blog-tour/

   10/18 Kristina Wagner  http://tenminutemissive.com/2012/10/18/celebrating-mariam-kobras-under-the-same-sun/

   10/19 Rebecca Emin  http://ramblingsofarustywriter.blogspot.de/2012/10/guest-blog-mariam-kobras.html

   10/22 Nita Beshear  http://devotedtoquilting.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/mariam-kobras-word-scraps-create-under-the-same-sun/ (review)

   10/23 Carrie Bailey http://peevishpenman.blogspot.de/2012/10/writing-this-is-how-it-works.html

   10/24 Julie A. Lindsey http://blog.juliealindsey.com/julie-anne-lindsey-writer/spooktacular-giveaway-october-24th-31st/

   10/25 Junying Kirk  http://www.junyingkirk.com/?p=3459

   10/26 Katie Weiland  http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2012/10/10-tips-for-beginning-writers.html

   10/29 Leanne Gagnon http://leanne109.blogspot.com/2012/10/truth-and-fairy-tales-guest-post-author.html

   10/30 Lauri Rottmeier  http://rottitude.com

   10/31 Wendy Mason  http://wisewolftalking.com/2012/10/31/6922/ (interview)

We were floored when her book released and made the Amazon bestseller list, you'll want to order yours soon.While you're waiting for it to arrive, you can follow the link at the right to read the first two chapters for FREE!

Oh, and don't forget to follow Mariam on the Hop!

The Final Countdown . . . 5 . . 4 . . 3 . . 2 . .

The final countdown has begun for the release of Under the Same Sun , Book 2 in the Stone Trilogy by Mariam Kobras. Today the final copies arrived from the printer!

Monday, the 15th, is the official release day and we will be marking it with a Blog Hop (watch here for more details) and Mariam will be tweeting the entire first chapter, 140 characters at a time, from her twitter account @Mariam_Kobras. You won't want to miss the fun, so be sure and follow here on twitter, and watch here for links to all the fun!

Book Publisher Goes To Court To Recoup Hefty Advances From Prominent Writers | The Smoking Gun

A New York publisher this week filed lawsuits against several prominent writers who failed to deliver books for which they received hefty contractual advances, records show.
The Penguin Group's New York State Supreme Court breach of contract/unjust enrichment complaintsinclude copies of book contracts signed by the respective defendants.
The publisher is seeking repayments from:
* "Prozac Nation" author Elizabeth Wurtzel, who signed a $100,000 deal in 2003 to write "a book for teenagers to help them cope with depression." Penguin wants Wurtzel, seen at right, to return her $33,000 advance (and at least $7500 in interest).
* Blogger Ana Marie Cox, who signed in 2006 to author a "humorous examination of the next generation of political activists," is being dunned for her $81,250 advance (and at least $50,000 in interest). Her Penguin contract totaled $325,000.
* Rebecca Mead, a staff writer at The New Yorker, owes $20,000 (and at least $2000 in interest), according to Penguin, which struck a $50,000 deal in 2003 for "a collection of the author’s journalism."
* Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat was signed for $40,000 in 2008 to describe how he "survived a concentration camp because of a young girl who snuck him food. 17 years later the two met on a blind date and have been together ever since, married 50 years." While Rosenblat’s story was hailed by Oprah Winfrey as the "single greatest love story" she had told on the air, it turned out to be a fabrication. Penguin wants him to repay a $30,000 advance (and at least $10,000 in interest).
* "Hip-Hop Minister" Conrad Tillard signed an $85,000 Penguin contract in 2005 for a memoir about his "epic journey from the Ivy League to the Nation of Islam," and his subsequent falling out with Louis Farrakhan. The publishing house's lawsuit is seeking the repayment of about $38,000 from Tillard.*

*From The Smoking Gun, Sept 25, 2012

We can sum this up in a few sentences: Too often Big Names + Big Advances = Big Flops!
At the same time, talented, but unknown writers receive blanket rejections from the big houses. That's why we left big house publishing. We at Buddhapuss Ink, are always looking for new, talented, authors that we can grow!

What's your opinion?

Bookstore Sales Up Again in July

Bookstore sales rose 1.2% in July to $981 million, according to estimates released Friday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau. The July increase followed a 3.8% gain in June and resulted in a 0.6% increase in bookstore sales for the first seven months of 2012. In the January-July period, bookstore sales hit $7.96 billion. For the entire retail segment, July sales rose 3.0% and sales for the first seven months of 2012 were up 5.9%.

Bookstore sales include results from retailers that generate at least 50% of their revenue from books.

*from today's issue of PW Daily

We Will Never Forget

  Eleven years later and it is still so fresh in our memories, but today for the first time my thoughts turned to the future. How much longer will the memorials continue to be covered live on all the networks? I thought as I watched today. I'm struck by the fact that many of the children reading the names today were just babies, toddlers when this all happened. How much longer will this memory-which seems seared permanently onto my brain-live on?
  Children grow up, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, move on and pass away until at some point there will no longer be anyone who remembers this day because they lived it, there will only be the pictures, the videos and timelines, to bring it into the collective consciousness. In a way, I envy these future generations. They won't have that pit of the stomach churn, the tears, the nightmares and fears. For them it will be a memorial of something tragic, something awful, that happened once, but not to them.
  And so, eleven years later, as I listen once more to the seemingly endless list of the victims names being read one more time, I pray that these future generations will never experience anything even approaching the horror of that day. I pray that we will all finally figure out how to live peacefully with one another, no matter how farfetched and impossible that thought might seem.
  At the same time I pray that we will truly never forget all those people-who just like me-got up on September 11, 2001, grabbed breakfast and hurried off to their jobs or flights, but never came home again. Those of us who did come home will never be the same. We carry their thoughts, their memories, their lives, their deaths, forward with us into that great unknown-the future.

  Dedicated to all my former fellow workers at NorthSouth Books and NordSued Verlag who witnessed this day from our office windows. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.


 To view the interactive timeline of the events of September 11, 2001, click here

Trade Books Sales Rise in May-ebboks Set New Record

The AAP monthly sales reports remain relentlessly cheerful, with May statistics released Wednesday morning showing strong trade sales and another burst in ebook sales. Total trade sales from the reporting publishers were $535 million, up 17 percent from $457 million a year ago. In contrast to some previous months, the gains came from higher true shipments/sales in multiple categories, rather than just fewer returns.

eBook sales, which had been growing at a slower pace since last fall, hit a new record for the month, at $133.7 million overall--well ahead of the previous high mark of $121.1 million in January. Since the whole trade is healthy, though, ebooks remained at about 25 percent of all sales, consistent with the year's pattern. And the gain, while big, was up 77 percent compared to a year ago--still below the doubling that had been common when the market was smaller.

Adult ebooks alone rose to $106.3 million--up from $70.1 million a year ago--though they were still outpaced by both trade paperbacks ($135 million) and hardcovers ($106.6 million). They comprised 27 percent of all adult sales. Children's ebooks of $27.7 million comprised 20 percent of sales across that segment (a new high), up sharply from $7 million (and 5.5%) a year ago. Here are updates of our standing charts to visualize the ebook sales trends. Updates of our standing charts that visualize the ebook sales trends are available at the PM site.

*From Today's issue of Publisher's Lunch

UK Publisher Triples Sales by Bundling

A truly interesting experiment that was reported in today's PW Daily: 

"The Clonefiles initiative was a small experiment, involving a single imprint of Osprey Group, Angry Robot, and one indie bookstore, Mostly Books in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. The store tested bundling by offering a free electronic edition of every one of Angry Robot's print novels it sold and promoted the venture with a window display. But the initiative could have big implications. According to reports in the Futurebook blog of The Bookseller, Clonefiles has already been so successful since it began on July 4, tripling sales of those titles, that Angry Robot is planning to roll it out to more stores.

 

Mostly Books owner Mark Thornton told Futurebook that the initiative has been a game-changer. “It has allowed us to engage with customers and break the ‘ereader taboo’ with people coming into the shop,” he said. “At Mostly Books, we assume that everyone coming into our shop has an ereader. Clonefiles allows us to start a conversation with them, and it is amazing how customers have responded. From a slightly-embarrassed ‘let’s all pretend eReaders don’t exist’ awkwardness, customers have opened up to us about their eReading experience—and in the process are actually telling us what we need to offer to stay relevant—and survive.”

 

Given the number of independent booksellers in the U.S., who have advocated bundling print books with e-books for several years now, Clonefiles could have an immediate impact on this side of the Pond as well. In the UK experiment, purchasers simply gave the bookstore their e-mail address and were then sent a DRM-free electronic edition. No heavy tech knowledge required."

Although we're not sure exactly how we would accomplish something similar, we are definitely investigating the possibilities!

Amazing Book Maze!

We've been recouping from surgery for the past month but wanted to share this with our followers:

Visitors walk in a labyrinth installation made up of 250,000 books titled "aMAZEme" by Marcos Saboya and Gualter Pupo at the Royal Festival Hall in central London July 31, 2012.

And the Winners Are . . .

All winners of our 2012 Mystery Times Nine Short Story Competition will receive:

Two (2) copies of the finished book and the opportunity to “fast track” their next manuscript with our Editorial staff

And they are:

KC Sprayberry - The Shame of West Landry

Johanna Harness - The Disappearance of Belle Robbins  

Sam Hilliard - The Stash

Melanie Cummins - Wings

Donna Jean McDunn - Trapped

Pat Cox - It Is So Sweet


And the Top Three Winners are:

The THIRD PLACE winner who will also receive a $75 Gift Card, featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag is:

Wendy Sparrow - Time Slime and Other Acne Cures

The SECOND PLACE winner who will also receive a $100 Gift Card, featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag is:

Michele Shaw - A Shot in the Dark

AND a drum roll please!

The FIRST PLACE winner who will also receive a NEW Kindle, featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag is:

Kristina L. Martin - Freeing Blue

Congratulations to all our winners and huge thanks to our Judges!

Mystery Times Nine 2012 Winners to be Announced Later Today!

Most cats have nine lives, but this cat has nine tales. Tales of murder, mystery, intrigue, and revenge!
You won't want to miss it!

Don't forget, you can still get Mystery Times Ten 2011 - in paperback or kindle - that includes the THRICE Nominated story by Barb Goffman, Truth and Consequences. Barb has been nominated for the Anthony, Agatha AND the Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Short Story. WOOO HOO! Of course, the great reading doesn't stop there, this book is jam-packed with great mystery shorts.

Winners in Mystery Times Nine, 2012 Competition Have Been Notified!

And we are awaiting their responses. Stay tuned for the official announcement!

Anthony AND Macavity Award Nomination for Best Short Story!

IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE!!   ANOTHER NOMINATION!!

Barb Goffman's Truth and Consequences from our Mystery Times Ten 2011 has been nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Short Story AND a now a Macavity Award!
We're so proud, we're busting our buttons! Catnip all around!
Congratulations Barb!
Mystery Times Ten 2011 is available in paperback and kindle. Get your copy now!

Ready to Build Your Summer Reading List? Check Out IPPY Award-Winners for 2012

All of us at Buddhapuss Ink LLC are proud to have one of our books - The Distant Shore by Mariam Kobras - on the IPPY Awards List!


Following is the official Press Release from the Independent Publisher Book Awards: 


=================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=================

 

(May 8, 2012 - Traverse City, MI)  Summer's almost here and it's time to stock up on award-winning books to read. Need some suggestions? The winners of the 16 ^th Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards have been announced and will be celebrated on June 4^th during the annual BookExpo America publishing convention in New York. Conducted each year to honor the year's best independently published books, the "IPPY" awards recognize excellence in a broad range of subjects and reward authors and publishers who "take chances and break new ground."
Independent publishers are extremely diverse, in both style and geography. This year's IPPY competition attracted 5,200 entries, and the 372 medalists represent 44 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, and ten countries overseas. Launched in 1996 as the first unaffiliated awards program open exclusively to independent, university, and self-published titles, the IPPY Awards contest rewards winners in 74 national, 22 regional, and five e-book categories with gold, silver and bronze medallions and foil seals for their book covers.

See complete results for the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards at http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1534

"Independent publishers are growing in number, and the quality of their work is increasing," says awards director Jim Barnes. "One element driving the high rate of excellence is participation from university presses. This year, 29 medalists came from university presses and 9 came from museums. Their elevated level of writing, editing, design and production raises the bar and inspires us all."
University presses are known for tackling controversial topics and complex social issues. For example, Arab Detroit 9/11 (Wayne State University Press) explores how the lives of Arab Americans have changed in the "terror decade," Sovereign Erotics (The University of Arizona Press) is an anthology of voices from the Native American GLBT community, and In This Timeless Time (University of North Carolina Press) tells the stories of Texas prison inmates on Death Row.
Looking for something a bit lighter? Popular topics like country music, wine, and 60's counter-culture are covered by these fiction winners: Murder on Music Row (John F. Blair, Publisher) by Stuart Dill, Vertical (sequel to Sideways, from Loose Gravel Press), by Rex Pickett, and We Were Stardust (Bucket List Books), by Kathrin King Segal. IPPY Awards also went to six mouth-watering cookbooks, one of which is Off the Menu: Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants (Welcome Books) and five intimate biographies, one being House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash (Insight Editions), by John Carter Cash.
So many books, such a perfect time...to start reading an IPPY Award-winning book today!
The IPPY Awards are presented by IndependentPublisher.com, "THE Voice of Independent Publishing" operated by publishing services firm Jenkins Group of Traverse City, Michigan. Members of the media are invited to attend the IPPY Awards celebration on Monday night before BookExpo America.
For more details about the Awards, to attend the event, or to interview recipients, please contact:

Jim Barnes, Managing Editor & Awards Director
IndependentPublisher.com / Jenkins Group
IPPY Awards on Facebook
Ph: 1.800.644.0133 x1011

The Distant Shore Wins the 2012 IPPY Bronze Medal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2012

Buddhapuss Ink LLC, a NJ based book publisher, announced today that Mariam Kobras, of Hamburg, Germany, won the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Bronze Medal in Romance for her book: The Distant Shore: Book I of the Stone Trilogy. Kobras said she was “beyond over-the-moon” with the news. The Distant Shore, which released in January, sold out on Amazon in a matter of hours. “Winning this award for her first book is recognition of just how talented a writer she is.” said Buddhapuss Ink Publisher, MaryChris Bradley. “She conveys feelings and emotions in one page that take other authors’ chapters. Her command of the English language, and its nuances, is extraordinary. In January we signed a new contract for the next two books in the Stone Trilogy. We extend our hearty congratulations to Mariam for this well-deserved award! ”

The Distant Shore, a contemporary romance with a light twist of suspense, is the story of Jonathon Stone, a rock superstar and Naomi Carlsson, the girl he loved and lost. The story centers on their reunion sixteen years later and takes place in locales from a small fishing village in Norway to LA and New York City. But life in the fast lane comes with its own brand of danger and it isn’t long before their life together is threatened by a jealous fan.  “The storyline for The Distant Shore was inspired by my fascination with the limitations fame can impose on people.” stated Kobras. “The book explores the value of love in a world where money and a front-page photo are sometimes more important than a person's soul.”

Kobras, was born in Frankfurt, Germany. She lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia with her parents as a child before they decided to settle in Germany. She attended school there and studied American Literature and Psychology at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen. Today she lives and writes in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband, two sons and two cats.

BUDDHAPUSS INK LLC is based in Edison, NJ. Founded in 2009, it is led by Publisher, MaryChris Bradley, a 28 year veteran in the book industry. “Our company mission is to ‘Put our readers first’ and we are committed to finding and growing new authors at a time when the major houses seem to have turned their backs on writers without an already well-established track record. “ Bradley can be contacted at Publisher@BuddhapussInk.com. “Of course, you can always find us on Facebook, and twitter too.”
@Buddhapuss on twitter      Buddhapuss Ink LLC on Facebook      
www.BuddhapussInk.com Website
http://buddhapussink.blogspot.com Company blog

Buddhapuss Ink LLC Announces First Author in Emerging Voices

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2012

FIRST EMERGING VOICES AUTHOR SIGNED

 

Buddhapuss Ink LLC, a NJ based book publisher, announced today that they have signed the first author to their new Emerging Voices imprint: Martie Odell Ingebretsen of Sacramento, California. The deal is for her novella, Sweet William, the story of one man’s struggle when he loses everything and everyone that he loves.

Emerging Voices, a new program at Buddhapuss Ink, is aimed at bringing new authors together with an audience. “The most difficult thing for writers with little or no preexisting audience is finding a publisher willing to take a chance on them. All but shut out of traditional publishing with the "big house" emphasis on known and celebrity authors, these writers need a forum that will give them the benefits of having a publisher behind them.” said MaryChris Bradley, Publisher of Buddhapuss Ink LLC. “We are thrilled to be able to offer these authors a platform that will give them the exposure they need to become established, while fulfilling our mission to put readers first.” Ingebretsen stated, “I have published poetry before, but not prose, so I’m very excited about this. Sweet William has been an important part of my life for a long time…ever since that rainy night when I started wondering what the homeless were doing."

Sweet William: When William is arrested for suspicion of child molestation, it is the catalyst that finally puts him back on the road to recovery. For too long he was caught in a web of guilt that turned him from the owner of a successful chain of gas stations and loving family man into a homeless alcoholic who spent his time dreaming. What appears to just be more bad luck turns out to be the tipping point that allows him to open the door to the past, and at long last, accept it and the love of the people around him. Slowly, life welcomes William back, and he is ready to embrace life once more.

Martie Odell Ingebretsen, was born in Pasadena, California. She studied English literature, creative writing, and child development at various universities. Inspired by her father—whose stories were published in the Saturday Evening Post—she has been writing since the second grade. She strives to create characters that are always learning, growing and finding answers to big questions. Her poetry has been published in journals, magazines, and various anthologies.  She and her husband currently live in California, as do their two sons and four grandchildren. Sweet William is her first novella. 

BUDDHAPUSS INK LLC is based in Edison, NJ. Founded in 2009, it is led by Publisher, MaryChris Bradley, a 28 year veteran in the book industry. “Our company mission is to ‘Put our readers first’ and we are committed to finding and growing new authors at a time when the major houses seem to have turned their backs on writers without an already well-established track record.” Bradley can be contacted at 732-887-2519 or Publisher@BuddhapussInk.com. “Of course, you can always find us on twitter and Facebook too.”

www.BuddhapussInk.com Website

 http://buddhapussink.blogspot.com Company blog

@Buddhapuss on twitter     Buddhapuss Ink LLC on Facebook

Buddhapuss Ink Launching a New Program!

We will be launching a new program called Emerging Voices, aimed at bringing new authors and readers together in a mutually beneficial ways.

The most difficult thing for writers today is finding a publisher willing to take a chance on authors with little or no preexisting audience. All but shut out of traditional publishing with the "big house" emphasis on known and celebrity authors, these writers need a forum that will give them the benefits of having a publisher behind them, complete with editing, layout, design and marketing help.

At Buddhapuss Ink we believe in finding these writers and giving them the help and exposure they deserve. At the same time we have to be aware and in line with the changing format climate and costs that are rocking the publishing world today.

In the Emerging Voices program, we will be publishing new fiction in more/different genres and lengths, and will use a different model. Rather than publishing everything in print and digital simultaneously, Emerging Voices will be bringing new works out in ebook format first, in some cases followed by a print version at a later date. This allows us to publish works including novels, short stories, poetry, and novellas, in a format, and at prices that are more flexible and attractive to the reader. It also allows us to publish more new authors!

Our goal is to have a program that will be a breeding ground for burgeoning writers and at the same time provide readers a place to find emerging voices to feed their reading habits. In the coming weeks we will be announcing the first authors in the program, and posting links and submission guidelines on our website.  

The Distant Shore NOW available on KINDLE!

The Distant Shore by Mariam Kobras was released today in kindle format! Get your copy now!

Mystery Times Ten 2011 Story Nominated for an Agatha!

CONGRATS Barb Goffman for her story Truth and Consequences from our Mystery Times Ten 2011 anthology - which has been nominated for an Agatha for Best Mystery Short Story 2011! Way to go, Barb!
Don't forget to pick up your copy of this Amazon Bestseller!

AND THE WINNERS IN THE BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY ARE:

drum roll, please 

Cathie Olsen
Johanna Harness
hidingout2
WriterLibrarian
Nita Beshear

Darlene Foster
JC Rosen

Sheila DeChantel
A Minor
Victoria Zumbrum
Lilian Cheng

IF YOU  HAVEN'T GOTTEN AN EMAIL FROM US ALREADY - please leave us a message here!

Thanks to all the Blog Hoppers for participating, a hat's off to all our Book Blog Hosts, and a huge cheer to the Etsy crafters who donated some wonderful gifts!

WOO HOO!

The Distant Shore "Love is in the Air" Blog Hop & Giveaways

Launches on Wed, Jan. 25th! Follow Mariam Kobras as she is reviewed, interviewed or guest blogs her way to Valentine's Day.

What Can I Win? 

Each winner will receive a copy of the Amazon Bestseller, The Distant Shore by Mariam Kobras PLUS one of these great prizes!

Please visit & patronize these Etsy businesses who are participating in our Blog Hop. Small businesses like these are the heart of the American economy!

One Dozen Southern Red Velvet and Cream Cheese - Cake Truffles from HappyBakery on Etsy, to enjoy while reading this luscious book.

Tea Cup & Saucer Scented Candle from PamZFunkyJam on Etsy, to set the mood as you are transported to glamorous locales.

Moonlight Cobalt blue Beach Glass Necklace from MimosaMornings on Etsy, to slip around your neck and play out scenes from the book in your mind.

Pink Silk Rose Applique from ConeldasCreationson on Etsy, to pin on your most romatic hat before heading out for that secret rendezvous.  

9 BBJ Mae Rose Bath Fizzles from ButterbyJolez on Etsy, to scent that long, hot bath before your evening out with that someone special, or just for a soak while devouring a good book like The Distant Shore!

Multipetaled Flower Brooch from ClytemnestrasCloset on Etsy, this brooch is 2.5" in diameter and made with vintage ribbon that changes from green to pink.  The two leaves are made with vintage ribbon and the stamens in the center are vintage as well.  All hand sewn, there is a felt backing with a bar pin. The perfect accent for that dreamy dress or scarf you'll wear. It's guaranteed to bewitch the subject of your affection just as the characters in The Distant Shore will bewitch you!

4 Rose Jasmine Natural Bath Teas from peachycreamcorner on Etsy. Drop one of these in your bath for a relaxing, romantic soak after a day with your beloved. 

Buttons and Pearls Retractable Tape Measure from fairbanksfancygoods on Etsy. Does your love "measure up"? 

One lucky winner will also win a box of tea directly from Harrod's in London, where Naomi and Jon take tea the day he proposes to her, and a Distant Shore Mug!

Four lucky winners will also receive one small box of Godiva Mini Hearts because love and chocolate just go together!

How Do I Enter?

Visit the each blog on the hop on the day Mariam is featured and leave a comment after that post. One comment per Blog. (possible 13 chances total)

How Can I Earn Additional Chances?

Tweet a link to each blog on the day Mariam is featured. (Must include the twitter tag #TDSBlogHop in order to be counted) (one chance per tweet)

Post a link on your Facebook page to that day's blog stop. Then leave us a comment at the end of THIS post (below) with a link to your Facebook post. (one chance per link)

Like us at Buddhapuss Ink on Facebook (one chance)

Like us at The Distant Shore on Facebook (one chance)

Follow us on twitter @Buddhapuss (one chance)

Visit any or all of the prize links above - then tweet a link to each shop! (by clicking the twitter bird on their shop page. You must include our twitter tag #TDSBlogHop in your tweet to be counted) (one chance per tweet)

Visit any or all of the prize links above - then click the Facebook button on their shop page. Then leave a comment at the end of this post with a link to your facebook post. (one chance per link)

That's a LOT of chances to win some very romantic prizes!

Where Will Mariam Be?
BLOG HOP STOPS

Wed Jan 25 Interview http://pjkaiser.com/2012/01/25/mariam-kobras/#idc-container

Thur Jan 26 Interview  http://blog.fayerapoportdespres.com/?p=1408

Fri Jan 27 Guest Post http://chicklitreviewsandnews.com/2012/01/author-article-mariam-kobras-author-of-the-distant-shore/

Mon Jan 30 Guest Post http://serenitywriter.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/five-reasons-by-mariam-kobras/

Tue Jan 31 Guest Post http://www.samhilliard.com/wordpress/2012/01/30/distant-shore-love-is-in-the-air-blog-stop/

Wed Feb 1 Guest Post http://teresasreadingcorner.com/2012/02/01/author-spotlight-mariam-kobras-author-of-the-distant-shore/

Thur Feb 2 Review http://www.junyingkirk.com/?p=1492

Fri Feb 3 Interview http://dawnmkirby.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/meet-mariam/

Sat Feb 4 Review http://www.amberrisme.com/2012/02/04/a-written-masterpiece-in-the-distant-shore/

Mon Feb 6 Interview http://changingyourgrip.com/blog/?p=568

Tue Feb 7 Guest Post http://www.elizabethawhite.com/2012/02/07/slaying-dragons-by-mariam-kobras/

Wed Feb 8 Review http://www.carrickpublishing.com/?p=1340

Thur Feb 9 Review http://tweet-treats.blogspot.com/2012/02/distant-shore-review.html

Fri Feb 10 Guest Post http://insatiablereaders.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-tour-love-is-in-air-with.html

Sun Feb 12 Guest Post   http://dudleydorights.blogspot.com/2012/02/distant-shore-blog-hop-tour-stop-15.html

Mon Feb 13 Review & Interview http://anadventureinreading.blogspot.com/2012/02/mariam-kobras-interview-distant-shore.html

Tue Feb 14 - WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED HERE, ON THE FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE, AND ON OUR WEBSITE.

NOTE: Contest is limited to US/CANADA Addresses only!

Searching for the Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift? This Author Has the Answer!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 17, 2012
 

Buddhapuss Ink LLC, a NJ based book publisher, announces the official release of The Distant Shore, a paperback original by Mariam Kobras.

The author made a splash last summer when she spent six weeks traveling around the US, giving readings and talks at libraries and book clubs, all while staying with friends she made on twitter! Her travels and the book were covered by the press around the country, including a television interview in VA. Buddhapuss Ink Publisher, MaryChris Bradley said, “We are incredibly keen on this series. Our company mission is to ‘Put our readers first’ and this book certainly fills the bill. The Distant Shore has had a fantastic response from our beta-readers who have been clamoring for the release of this book and the sequels.” The story unfolds when Jon—an international rock superstar—receives a letter from a son he never knew existed, and takes the reader along on a roller-coaster ride of fame, wealth, intrigue, and disaster, as he reunites with his long lost love, Naomi. Now, at last, this delicious love story with a light touch of suspense is ready to dazzle readers and just in time for Valentine’s Day!

A Blog Hop with a Valentine’s Day theme will start the last week in January and continue right up to the big day in February. “In addition to giving away books, we will be offering prizes that capture that romantic feeling like truffles, luxury bath and bed products, scented candles, and more,” said Bradley. “The details will be posted on our blog and website soon.”

Kobras, who has a large, close-knit following on twitter and Facebook, will also be doing online chats, and guest blogs promoting The Distant Shore, as well as Skype appearances with book groups and online group chats.

BUDDHAPUSS INK LLC is based in Edison, NJ. Founded in 2009, it is led by Publisher, MaryChris Bradley, a 27 year veteran in the book industry. “Our company mission is to ‘Put our readers first’ and we are committed to finding and growing new authors at a time when the major houses seem to have turned their backs on writers without an already well-established track record. “

Bradley can be contacted at

Publisher@BuddhapussInk.com

www.BuddhapussInk.com Website

http://buddhapussink.blogspot.com Company blog

@Buddhapuss twitter

A NOTE TO THE BOOK GODS AT AMAZON

Dear Amazon,
I was disappointed and dismayed when you ignored the on sale date of Jan 17, 2012 for The Distant Shore and put it on sale as soon as you received the first shipment from us on Jan 3. But, we hustled around here trying to salvage some of our plans for the official launch date and moved them up, taking it in our stride.
But now, you've gone too far!
You have a shipment of the book sitting in your receiving area still not logged in. You've placed additional orders with us which we have also shipped to you. And now, today, you SOLD OUT of the stock you had logged as received and for some reason you decided to change the status on this book to OUT OF PRINT.
It is not OP, merely Out of Stock because someone hasn't gotten around to receiving the most recent shipment (despite tracking showing it has been on your dock since the 17th!).
You have our Confirmed PO for an additional shipment that goes out today.
Clearly this book is NOT OUT OF PRINT but merely out of stock in your system.
Please get it right Amazon. We have a lot of publicity about to start that features this book. We don't want a lot of confused buyers thinking that the book is no longer available!
Sign me frustrated,
MCB

Book Launch TWEETATHALON for The Distant Shore by @Mariam_Kobras

Follow @Mariam_Kobras on twitter today as she celebrates the 'official' Launch Date of her new book The Distant Shore by tweeting the entire first chapter, one tweet as a time! Starts at 10AM ET!

ADVICE TO WRITERS

I get asked this question a lot, "What advice would you give a budding writer?"

My best advice to any writer is to WRITE, a lot, and READ even more. 

Read everything, even if it's not your cup of tea. Everything you read imprints itself on you, helping you find new ways to express your ideas. 

READ more than you WRITE, and write all the time. Long pieces, short pieces, poems, prose, stories that go nowhere, and ones that take you to places you never imagined when you started them. 

Keep a journal, pepper it with your thoughts, storyline ideas, short stories, drawings, pictures that inspire you, depress you, lift your heart and bring it down. 

OBSERVE. Learn to keep your eyes and ears open all the time. Soak in everything you can. You never know when something you see, or hear will trigger a story, or character. Pay attention to what's going on around you, how the soft mist of the fog feels on your face, how the soft light of spring casts a different light on a world slowly coming back to life after the gloom of winter. 

BE IN THE MOMENT.


This article may be copied and quoted as long as you include the byline below:
© 2012 by MaryChris Bradley, Publisher Buddhapuss Ink LLC, the proud publishers of The Last Track by Sam Hilliard,  Mystery Times Ten 2011, the bestselling collection of Mystery Short Stories for the YA audience, and The Distant Shore by Mariam Kobras, Book I in the Stone Trilogy


Authors, be sure to check out our YA Mystery Short Story Competition -  Mystery Times Ten 2012. Happy writing!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 4, 2012

 

Buddhapuss Ink LLC, a NJ based book publisher, announced today that they have signed Mariam Kobras, of Hamburg , Germany, to a two-book deal. Kobras, the author of The Distant Shore: Book I of the Stone Trilogy, said she was “over-the-moon” with the new deal which covers the next two books in her Stone Trilogy. The Distant Shore, which released on Amazon yesterday, sold out in a matter of a few hours. “I was amazed by how quickly it sold through,” said Buddhapuss Ink Publisher, MaryChris Bradley. “But then, everything about Mariam is amazing.” Bradley first met Kobras on twitter eighteen months ago. “I was intrigued when she posted page 99 of her manuscript.  She managed to convey feelings and emotions in one page that take other authors’ a chapter to cover. Her command of the English language, and its nuances, is extraordinary. I immediately requested the manuscript, only to be told I would have to wait. In the end she kept me hanging for 6 weeks before she finally submitted it, and we signed a contract for the first book shortly after.” 

The Distant Shore, a contemporary romance with a light twist of suspense, is the story of Jonathon Stone, a rock superstar and Naomi Carlsson, the girl he loved and lost. The story centers on their reunion sixteen years later and takes place in locales from a small fishing village in Norway to LA and New York City. But life in the fast lane comes with its own brand of danger and it isn’t long before their life together is threatened by a jealous fan.  “The storyline for The Distant Shore was inspired by my fascination with the limitations fame can impose on people.” stated Kobras. “The book explores the value of love in a world where money and a front-page photo are sometimes more important than a person's soul.” 

Kobras, was born in Frankfurt, Germany. She lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia with her parents as a child before they decided to settle in Germany. She attended school there and studied American Literature and Psychology at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen. Today she lives and writes in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband, two sons and two cats.

BUDDHAPUSS INK LLC is based in Edison, NJ. Founded in 2009, it is led by Publisher, MaryChris Bradley, a 27 year veteran in the book industry. “Our company mission is to ‘Put our readers first’ and we are committed to finding and growing new authors at a time when the major houses seem to have turned their backs on writers without an already well-established track record. “ Bradley can be contacted at Publisher@BuddhapussInk.com. “Of course, you can always find us on twitter too.”

www.BuddhapussInk.com Website

 http://buddhapussink.blogspot.com Company blog

@Buddhapuss twitter

Looking Back, Looking Forward

from the Publisher's desk   

I can't say it's been the best of years, nor has it been the worst of years. I'll settle for, it's been a year.
Looking back on 2011, Buddhapuss Ink started the year with the discovery of a wonderful new author, Mariam Kobras. We think she will have a long and successful publishing future with us.
Midyear saw the success of our first YA anthology writing competition, Mystery Times Ten 2011 which hit the Amazon Bestseller lists in paperback and in kindle!
The Last Track, by Sam Hilliard - the first book we published - continued to get great reviews and lots of notice. Sam is hard at work on the next Mike Brody mystery now.
2011 saw changes in how we operate as a company, and in our vision for the future.
One thing that didn't change though, was our commitment to finding new authors, and helping them grow their writing careers.

With that in mind, we carefully planned our 2012 list.
First up, Mariam Kobras: Her debut book, The Distant Shore will release on January 17th, 2012. A great way to start the New Year. This is the first book in her Stone Trilogy.
May 2012 will see the publication of Mystery Times Ten 2012. We look forward to what we hope will be a long line of YA anthologies coming from this annual writing competition.
September 2012, well, you'll have to wait a bit to see, but we have something coming out that I think a lot of people will be eager to read.
October 2012 will see the first of our adult Fiction writing competition anthologies - Flash Fiction Favorites. Watch here for more details in the coming weeks.

Two years ago, when Buddhapuss Ink was just an idea some friends were kicking around over coffee, I had no idea just how much work would be involved in the day-to-day care and feeding of this fledgling company. I also didn't know how much I would love being at the helm. Now that our list is finally starting to take shape and grow, I'm excited to see what the next year has in store for us, and more importantly, for you - our readers.

Happy New Year!
MaryChris  

E-book Sales Rose 81% in October

E-book sales rose 81.2% in October, to $72.8 million, at the 20 publishers who supply e-book figures to the Association of American Publishers monthly sales report. The 81% increase was the first time this year that e-book sales did not double over the same month in 2010. For the first 10 months of the year, e-book sales were up 131.1%, to $807.7 million.

 

Religious sales were up in the month at reporting houses, increasing 12.4%, but sales in the other print trade segments were down. Once again, the mass market paperback segment took a major hit, with sales falling 37.6% at reporting houses and sales in the segment were off 33.7% for the year to date. The trade paperback segment has a weak month, with sales down 16.9% and adult hardcover sales fell 7.8%. Children’s hardcover performed marginally better, with sales down 7.3% in October, while children’s paperback segment sales fell 2.4%.

 

Downloadable audio sales increased 15.6% at reporting companies, while sales of physical audiobooks rose 0.1%.

 

*From PW Daily

Print Book Sales on the Rise Since Thanksgiving, But Trail 2010

Thanksgiving weekend may draw lots of media coverage about holiday sales, but book sales of print titles have been trending upward every week since the start of the holiday shopping season. According to Nielsen BookScan, sales of print books in the stores it covers totaled 12.0 million the week ending November 27 and then jumped to 15.5 million units the week ending December 4. The following week, units rose again, to 18.6 million, and increased 26% the week of December 18, to 23.4 million.

 

Compared to the same week in 2010, unit sales the week of December 18 were down 14%, with the closing of Borders and the growth of e-book sales likely the two biggest factors in the decline. During the last week, print backlist was doing better than frontlist, with backlist sales down 9% compared to a year ago and frontlist off 19%.

 

* From PW Daily

Buddhapuss weighs in - "Call me crazy, but buying ebooks as gifts for friends and family is a little less than satisfying, and if you are unsure just what type of ereader they own, it can be difficult as well as confusing. On the plus side - there's fewer gifts to wrap and on the negative side - well, there's fewer gifts to un-wrap too.

Just my opinion but I think when it comes to gift-giving, the print book is going to prevail for a while longer as the present of choice."

Borders Creditors to Get About 10 Cents on the Dollar

Judith Rosen
Dec 20, 2011

 

With this morning's court approval of Borders's liquidation plan and the sale of its Kobo interest and IP addresses, publishers will do better than expected in terms of recouping their losses with the bankrupt chain. While Borders originally anticipated paying 4¢ to 10¢ on the dollar to creditors, it will likely be at the high end and could even exceed that, according to attorney Andrew Glenn.

 

There is expected to be a claim recovery pool of between $80 million to $90 million in funds to pay creditors. In fact much of the hearing was taken up with Kobo, which alone will bring in $27million to $32 million, assuming that lawyers can prevent a tax bite that could be as large as $10 million.

 

Borders's agreement with Next Jump was also approved and the Court gave preliminary approval to the Pinsker settlement. The latter paves the way for a mid-February Fairness hearing and distribution to workers in the company's Michigan facility, who filed for moneys owed under the WARN motion.  

 

Now that the liquidation is just about complete, Judge Martin Glenn took the opportunity to thank the attorneys for both Borders and the Creditors Committee. "I think you've all worked cooperatively in difficult circumstances," he said. "You've all worked rapidly which has maximized the estate, and as in the Kobo sale, the stars were aligned."

 

*From PW Daily

Yes Virgina, we have been playing with our website!

Well, sometimes a cat just can't leave well enough alone. Yarn, catnip, and  websites can be like that! So, yes, we have been working on it and yes, it might look a little rocky until we get all the lumps and bumps worked out but. in the end it will be a better site. We hope a few momentary problems and glitches won't keep you from checking in with us there.
Thanks & cheers!
~The Webmaster Cat

http://www.BuddhapussInk.com

World Book Night

People who want to volunteer to help give away books on World Book Night can apply at this link. Carl Lennertz says: "I most definitely want booksellers, librarians, authors, bloggers, agents, and publishing folks in the mix, partly because so many have said they want to, partly because all those parties have a stake in reading and books. We're looking for people who want to share their excitement about books and how a love of reading expands and enriches our experience of life."

Buddhapuss Ink will be out there, will you? Let us know if you will be participating in this worthy cause.

October Bookstore Sales Fell 6.6%

After posting surprisingly large gains in August and September--likely fueled in part by Borders's going-out-of business sales--bookstore sales fell 6.6% in October, to $886 million, according to preliminary estimates released Tuesday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the drop in October, bookstore sales for the first 10 months of 2011 were up 2.0%, to $12.91 billion.

For all of retail, October sales rose 7.2% and were up 8.0% in the January-October period.