One Laptop per Child: Give One. Get One.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is a nonprofit organization with the vision to

provide a means for learning, self-expression, and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education.

The means for learning, self-expression, and exploration for children in the developing world is a $200 laptop computer.

Most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade. …

OLPC is not, at heart, a technology program, nor is the XO a product in any conventional sense of the word. OLPC is a non-profit organization providing a means to an end—an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community.

Between November 12 and November 26, you can (if you live in the US or Canada) give one and get one. For $399 ($200 of which is tax deductible as a charitable contribution), you will donate a laptop to a child in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti or Rwanda and receive a laptop to give to a child in your life. Donors in the US also receive one year of free Hot Spot access from TMobile for the laptop.

Other than this special offer, these laptops will not be available to the general public. The XO laptop is specially designed for children – a keyboard that fits small hands, durable construction to stand up to extreme conditions and rough handling, and special programs for childhood learning. Capabilities include still and video photography, game playing, voice recording, e-book reading, and Web browsing. The laptops are also equipped with wireless networking and the ability to detect and connect to neighboring XOs.

A $200 specially-designed laptop can help a child learn and improve her life. As these children grow into adults, they will be better equipped to help developing countries develop.

[tags]One Laptop per Child, OLPC[/tags]

Children’s Book Week

November 12-18, 2007 is Children’s Book Week, which has been celebrated the week before Thanksgiving since 1919.

I wasn’t familiar with Children’s Book Week. So I enjoyed reading the history of the observance.

Even though I don’t write or edit children’s books, I recognize how important it is for children to develop a love for books and reading. I admire and appreciate children’s book writers and editors.

The Children’s Book Council, a trade organization for children’s book publishers, says this about Children’s Book Week:

A celebration of the written word, Children’s Book Week introduces young people to new authors and ideas in schools, libraries, homes, and bookstores. Through Children’s Book Week, the Children’s Book Council encourages young people and their care givers to discover the complexity of the world beyond their own experience through books.

This year’s theme is Rise Up Reading.

If you’re a parent or an educator, I hope you will celebrate Children’s Book Week to help young people “rise up reading.” If you’re a children’s book author, I hope you will take advantage of this week to share your work. Tell us about your children’s books or share your own childhood reading experiences in comments.

Added: Jeanne Dininni at Writer’s Notes reminded me about the Literacy Site, a click-to-give site that donates books to children in need. While I encourage daily visits to the site, Children’s Book Week is an excellent time to make a special effort.

Note the suggestion by Raz from Eco-Libris in the first comment below.

[tags]Children’s Book Week, reading[/tags]

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day in the US, a day designated to honor all who have served our country in the military. All of us are deeply indebted to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have risked – and often given – their lives to protect our freedoms.

Today we say, “Thank you!”

The video Remembering the Fallen tells the inspiring story of how one woman, an artist, is honoring our fallen soldiers.

If I die before you wake expresses in words, music, and pictures the commitment of soldiers throughout our country’s history: “There’s just some things worth fighting for. … It ain’t too high a price to pay if I die before you wake.”

God bless our veterans and those who serve today.

[tags]Veterans Day[/tags]

What I Learned from Rejection

Like most people, I’ve experienced plenty of rejection.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few examples:

• When I was in college, I was engaged – for a short time – to a guy who told me when one of his buddies saw me for the first time, the buddy said, “That’s the ugliest woman I’ve ever seen.” At the end of the semester, my fiancé decided we should be free to date other people during the summer because he wanted to have fun back in his hometown.
• At the end of my first week on the job as an employment counselor, my boss asked me for a report I was supposed to have turned in. When I answered that I’d never heard anything about such a report and didn’t know how to prepare it, he answered, “I had things running pretty smooth around here, and you’re so stupid, you’re destroying my smooth operation.”
• After I finished my first novel, Stroke of Luck, and started submitting it to agents and publishers, I was told over and over again – even to my face as I sat in a wheelchair, “No one wants to read about a cripple.”
• In my interior landscape business and in my network marketing business, more prospects rejected me than did business with me.

However, the rejections weren’t the end of the story:

• While my erstwhile fiancé was enjoying his summer of freedom to date the girls in his hometown, I met Jack on my summer job. When we returned to school, my old flame was ready to put the engagement ring back on my finger, but by that time I was wearing Jack’s ring. We were married the following summer and have lived happily ever after – for more than forty years.
• As I learned the job with the employment commission, my boss decided that, rather than being the stupidest person around as he thought, I was the smartest. Of course, it didn’t necessarily make me popular with my coworkers when he said, “Why can’t you do your job like Mrs. Ammann?” But I felt vindicated when I received outstanding performance evaluations – from that supervisor and the ones that succeeded him.
• After I’d given up on Stroke of Luck ever being published, I found a publisher who was actually looking for books with handicapped characters. Though sales of the book have been modest, I’ve had some wonderful reviews, and, more importantly, have heard from readers that they or someone they loved found encouragement in the story.
• My interior landscape business grew to become one of the three largest in the area, and I eventually sold it to a national corporation. I earned some nice extra income in the network marketing business and have experienced health improvement from the products.

So, what have I learned from rejection?

• Rejection by one individual represents only that person’s opinion. My husband didn’t see the same “ugly woman” my college fiancé rejected. He saw me with different eyes.
• Rejection isn’t permanent. My boss with the employment commission came to judge me on my performance, not on his first impression.
• One YES can make up for a lot of NOs. No matter how many publishers rejected my story, it took only one acceptance to get the book published.
• Success is a numbers game. All of us will face rejection many times in our lives. If we pick ourselves up after each rejection and try again, we will succeed. Failure is quitting, giving up, believing the rejections. Success is moving forward (no matter how slowly), getting back up when we fall, and never letting the naysayers have the final word.

Related Posts:
Every “No” Is Just One Step Closer to a “Yes”
Rejection: Your Baby Is Ugly!

This post is a part of Middle Zone Musing’s What I Learned From … group writing project.

News Releases: Part 4 – Where to Distribute Them

Now you’ve written your news release … what do you do with it?

Before distributing a news release, consider the following:

• You will want to distribute the release as widely as possible, but target your publicity just as you target your market. Your local newspaper or talk radio show might be interested in your support of a local charity or your guidebook to the region, but those news releases aren’t likely to garner the interest of a major metropolitan newspaper or national TV show.
• Follow the submission instructions of your targeted media. Although most newspapers and other media accept e-mail releases today, my mentor George McKenzie said sometimes your release gets more attention if it’s faxed. Most journalists get so much e-mail and so much spam (like all of us) that it’s easy for your news release to get overlooked. Send to right department or individual; you can usually find the information online.
• Customize your release for different media. When David Bowles was a finalist in the historical category of the IPPY Book Awards, he sent news releases to the newsletter of each historical and genealogical organization he belongs to. He customized each release to include something specific about his relationship to the organization, such as researching for the book in its genealogical library.

Options to consider for offline news release distribution:

• Print: the local newspaper, neighborhood newspapers, trade journals in your industry, alumni magazines of schools you have attended, newsletters of organizations you belong to, specialty magazines on the subject of your release
• Broadcast: radio talk shows, local and cable programs covering feature/human interest stories, local news shows

Options to consider for online news release distribution:

• PRWeb: the amount you pay depends on the services you choose; for less than $ 100, your release can be distributed to Yahoo News and Google News as well as being posted on the PRWeb site and distributed to journalists interested in the subject.
• Press release distribution services: the articles below list a number of online press release distribution services
• Web sites and e-zines: look for sites and newsletters related to the subject of your release, such as industry news or book release announcements

You’ll find specific distribution suggestions in these articles:

20+ Free Press Release Distribution Sites by Sean P. Aune at Mashable
How You Can Double Your Profits with Free Press Releases by Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion
If You Can Give a Journalist Exclusivity, the Payoffs Are Big by Eric Eggertson at Common Sense PR
News Releases 101 from PRWeb (guidance on writing news releases for PRWeb that is helpful for writing all news releases)
Writing Press Releases Part 3 – Submitting by Angela at Pearl Writing Services

I hope this series of articles has been helpful. If you’re still wondering about something not covered, leave a question in comments, and I’ll get an answer for you.

[tags]news release, press release[/tags]

News Releases: Part 3 – How to Write Them

We’ve talked about what a news release is and what it isn’t as well as when to send a release.

Now it’s time to discuss how to write a news release.

There are so many excellent resources on writing press releases that I’m going to refer you to those resources rather than going into great detail on the process of writing a news release.

The only advice I’m going to give you is two items not generally included in press release writing articles:

• You can tag the news release with how the release can be used by journalists. I’ve never heard this advice from anyone but my news-release mentor, George McKenzie. He suggests (and includes in his The Instant Press Release Toolkit) a category in the upper left corner of the release: feature/human interest story, holiday tie-in, current topic tie-in, evergreen story about {subject}, … The journalist can have a story idea before even reading the release. If that person isn’t interested in the story angle, she may pass it on to someone in another department where it might be a better fit.
• End the release with a call to action. Schedule an interview, visit a Web site, find the book in your local bookstore, etc. Of course, this is not an advertisement: the call to action isn’t shop at my store or buy my book. The call to action is guiding the reader to more information.

For details on writing a press release, read the articles and try the templates below:
Build Buzz With This Book Launch Press Release Template by Jennifer Mattern at All Book Marketing
How to Write a Social Media Press Release by Muhammad Saleem at Copyblogger
Press Releases 2 by Helen Ginger at Straight from Hel
The Modern Day Press Release by Lisa Vella at Getting It Write for You
Writing Press Releases Part 1 by Angela at Pearl Writing Services
Writing Press Releases Part 2 – Formatting by Angela at Pearl Writing Services

In the next, and final, installment of the series, we’ll talk about news release distribution.

[tags]news release, press release[/tags]

News Releases: Part 2 – When to Send Them

In the first installment in this series, we talked about what a news release is and what it isn’t. Now it’s time to look at when you should send a news release.

The best time to send a news release is anytime you have something newsworthy to report. Here are a few ideas:

• New introductions: the opening of a new business, the release of a book, the launch of a product. The key to success here is to find a hook that makes your business, book, or product stand out from the crowd. As we learned in Shift Happens, 3000 new book titles are published EVERY DAY worldwide. While yours is important to you, it’s not likely to be important to the media. When George McKenzie opened a Subway franchise, he wrote a news release that got his new business covered in a front page story of the local business journal. What made the opening of one more franchise so newsworthy? Rather than focusing on his new business, George, the creator of the The Instant Press Release Toolkit, wrote about his franchise operation being one of the first in a new trend – fast food franchises operating inside of retail and convenience stores. The business newspaper found this trend newsworthy enough to devote a full page cover story to the topic, prominently featuring George’s store as an example of the trend.
• Growth or change: a business expansion or restructuring, a merger or acquisition, the installation of new technology. Again, you need to find a hook that makes the growth or change newsworthy. Thousands of new Web sites and blogs are launched every day. What makes yours different and interesting to the public? If the new Web site for your health food store offers interactive tools to help visitors choose nutritional products for specific needs, write the news release about the tools, not about XYZ Company announcing a new Web site. When you announce a joint venture partnership with another business, send a news release about the impact on the economy of the community. Look at your news from the perspective of the journalist seeking information that readers, listeners, and viewers want to know or need to know.
• Events: company milestones, contributions to charity, seminars and speaking engagements. Choose an angle that will be news and not advertisement. When you celebrate your company’s 25th anniversary, put the 25 years in historical context. What was happening in the world and your community when the company started; what has changed through the years? If you are making a significant contribution to a charity, describe the problem, tell how the charity is improving the situation, and share how important you feel it is to support the organization’s work.
• Freebies: contests, gifts, fun, advice/information. Free is newsworthy. If you’re conducting a contest or giving away a free e-book on your Web site, people want to know about it. Advice and information make great evergreen news releases, and the media loves tip sheets and similar items. Give the top ten ways to tell if your stockbroker has your best interests at heart or the three most important things to consider when choosing a doctor. Take a poll of your customers on a subject related to your business and report the results; it doesn’t have to be scientific or even serious. People like to hear what other people think, and if it’s a fun topic, they enjoy it even more. Ask the customers of your restaurant which is most important in their choices of where to dine: price, location, atmosphere, service, or food. Quiz the visitors to your author Web site about which genres they like to read. Poll shoppers on whether they shop for gifts throughout the year, near the occasion, or at the last minute. This type of news release can pay dividends long past the time it is submitted.

Certainly you can think of more reasons to send a news release. Be creative in finding a hook that makes your news newsworthy.

• For more ideas about when to send a news release, read these articles:
  12 Reasons To Write And Send Out Press Releases by Alyice Edrich at The Dabbling Mum
  25 Press Release Ideas by Jennifer Mattern at BizAmmo.com
  Step 1: When to Send a Press Release at CanadaOne
  When to Distribute a Press Release About Your Book by Jennifer Mattern at All Book Marketing
  When to Issue a Press Release by Kevin Nunley at Pertinent Information

The next installment will cover how to write a news release.

[tags]press release, news release[/tags]

News Releases: Part 1 – What a News Release Is and What It Isn’t

Every business wants publicity, and most people understand press releases can generate free publicity, and everyone likes free. “Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for.”

In this series, I’ll talk about what news releases are, when to send them, how to write them, and how to distribute them.

You may notice that I used the term news release rather than press release. I learned how to write news releases from a TV anchorman-turned-publicity-guru, George McKenzie. Although he’s retired, you can still find George’s articles on free publicity all over the Internet. He wrote a number of e-books on publicity, co-authored the Amazon.com best-seller Mining Online Gold with an Offline Shovel, and created the The Instant Press Release Toolkit.

George told me some people in radio and TV associate the term press release with print media and prefer the term news release. Although I may use the words interchangeably, I haven’t forgotten his philosophy: when in doubt, use a term that everyone will accept.

Several bloggers have written good advice on press releases recently. In fact, I started this series several weeks ago but postponed it to gather the resources that I kept discovering in my blog reading. You will find links to these other excellent resources, but I hope my own experience will add something to the mix as well.

The first thing to understand about a news release is that it has to be newsworthy. You may think the public eagerly awaits your new product or hordes of people want to know about your book. But journalists aren’t interested in giving you publicity; they want to give their audiences, in George’s words, “information they want to know or need to know.” News releases should never sound like advertisements. The media isn’t in the business of giving publicity; it is in the business of informing and entertaining its readers, listeners, and viewers.

George often said that there are no boring stories, just boring storytellers. If you’re not sure your news is newsworthy, look for a hook that will make it more interesting.

• Tie it to something that is already newsworthy: current events, holidays, or popular culture. Tie your book on child-rearing to advice on how parents can avoid raising the next ____ (fill in the blank with the latest Hollywood-star-gone-bad). Relate the launch of your interior landscape business to the benefits of indoor plants for improving air quality. My client David Bowles, tied the release of his book to the 225th Observance of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse since the battle is an important part of his story.
• Find an angle that will capture the attention of readers (both journalists and the public). Come up with a new approach to the subject – something that will stand out from all the other news releases coming in at the same time as yours. When Grace Anne Schaefer launched her first book, the news release focused not on a new book being published but on how donations from the sale of the book would benefit the descendants of the people in her story: People of the Frozen Earth Help Their Descendants Twenty Centuries Later When Author Makes Donations from Book Sales to Benefit Lakota Sioux.
• Provide useful information or expert advice. Position you or your company as an expert and give people the information they want to know or need to know. Another news release from David Bowles offered 23 tips he wishes he had known when he started researching and writing his family history. Note that the news release lists nine tips and links to his blog for the remainder of the 23 tips. This news release was picked up and published in full on a number of genealogy and writing Web sites, generating some nice traffic to his blog.

News releases can either be time-sensitive or evergreen, meaning they can be used anytime. David’s release on the launch of his book during the observance of the battle was time-sensitive. However, his news release on tips for writing a family history is timeless. Evergreen articles can be used whenever a newspaper, Web site, or other media needs to fill space, even weeks or months from when you submit it.

In her Publicity Hound’s Tip of the Week for September 4, 2007, Joan Stewart said, “Don’t announce an announcement.” A news release should contain news, not an announcement that you are going to announce news. You have only a few seconds to capture the journalist’s attention in the headline and first paragraph; otherwise your release will be tossed in the trash with the other boring releases.

For other views on what press releases are and aren’t, read the following articles:
Free Press Release Writing Guide by Jennifer Mattern
Free Publicity Articles (including press releases and more) from Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound
How to Write a Press Release for Your Services by Shaun Crowley at Freelance Switch
Press Releases by Helen Ginger at Straight from Hel
What is a Press Release? Journalism 101 by Lisa Vella at Getting It Write for You
What Press Releases Aren’t by Jennifer Mattern at Naked PR
Writers’ Resources: Press Release Writing by Jennifer Mattern at All Freelance Writing
Writing Press Releases for Home Business Promotion by Mary Emma at Home Biz Notes
Writing Press Releases Part 4: Why Use Press Releases? by Angela at Pearl Writing Services

Now that you know what a news release is and what it isn’t, in the next installment we’ll talk about when to send a news release.

[tags]press release, news release[/tags]

Shift Happens

If you think the world is moving too fast, watch this …

Shift Happens

POD: Part 4 – POD Publishers

We’ve talked about the advantages and disadvantages of using a subsidy POD (print on demand) publisher or a POD printer if you are self-publishing. If you have decided either of those routes is for you, now is the time to do your homework to find the right printer or publisher.

I haven’t had any personal experience with digital printing, so I’ll refer you to other resources to do your research.

Dehanna Bailee’s Print-on-Demand Database – The database compares rates and services of various POD publishers.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 48 Major Self-Publishing Companies–Analyzed, Ranked & Exposed - In this excellent book, attorney Mark Levine compares and rates 48 POD subsidy publishers.

An Incomplete Guide to Print on Demand Publishers – I suggest you use this more for general information than for the ratings, which aren’t always consistent with the general consensus in the publishing industry.

Lightning Source – A digital printer used by POD subsidy publishers, self-publishers, and others

Print on Demand Printers and Publishers – This includes both POD subsidy publishers and printers who use digital, print on demand technology.

PublishOnDemand.Net – The site includes information about POD and understanding royalties, as well as listing and rating several POD subsidy publishers.

ZDocs – a digital printer for short print runs (not POD) for self-publishing authors; also see the company’s blog How to Publish a Book

If you’ve used a POD printer or POD subsidy publisher, please tell us about your experience.

I hope you’ve found this series on POD helpful. If you have questions or have something specific you’d like to see covered, please let me know. I’ll find an answer if I don’t know it.

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