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Gregory A. Kompes's Blog (26)

The Fabulist Flash #210

This was a social week. I was invited to a swanky book release party. The book was the annual Las Vegas Business Press' Book of Lists. The party was held at one of the new $1M+ home developments in the valley. The house was, to say the very least, incredible. I've added it to my wish list! The party, with great food and beverages, was great fun. It was nice to hob-knob with the Vegas literary and business elite. It also provides an idea for future book release events, why not take advantage of… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on January 22, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

The Fabulist Flash #209

I went to San Diego last weekend to hear Esther Hicks/Abraham speak. It was a thrill. Plus, I had two glorious days of driving. I returned home filled with new ideas and inspiration.

As I continue to edit my NaNoWriMo novel, I’ve found myself thinking about a sequel. So, this week I got back to my 2000 word-a-day habit. It feels good to be pounding at the keyboard again!

With the recent release of Patchwork Path: Grandma’s Choice, I’ve gotten to visit my friends at the… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on January 15, 2009 at 8:56am — No Comments

Fabulist Flash 208

Most weeks there's some news, but this week's news is huge! The speaker catalog I co-founded, Presenters & Programs, has been mailed out to 30,000 meeting and event planners. It's so exciting to know that something I helped create will be seen by so many people in short order. Even better, knowing that I'll be feeling this same sense of excitement in another year when the 2010 version of the catalog goes out. If you'd like to see our handy work, check out the high resolution PDF version at:… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on January 8, 2009 at 12:55pm — No Comments

Fabulist Flash #207

Happy New Year!

I always begin a new year with anticipation. I know that there will be many new experiences and projects to look forward to and that prospect is thrilling.

The big news this week is that I picked up the first printing of Patchwork Path: Grandma's Choice. It's a lovely first volume for this series. One of my favorite things in life is going to the post office to ship off books that have been ordered. The trip this week was no exception. It felt great to wait… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on January 1, 2009 at 9:33am — No Comments

This Week 206

This Week 206

Happy Holidays!

It's been another exciting week. Patchwork Path: Grandma's Choice, the first of the new Patchwork Path series, has been printed. Instead of waiting for freight shipment, I'll be driving down to our California printer on Monday to pick up the books. We had a fun mailing party this week where, along with a group of friends, we stuffed, labeled, and stamped about 800 envelopes for both a wholesale and retail mailing campaign.

The… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on December 25, 2008 at 9:30am — No Comments

This Week 205

I found myself wondering what to do this week. The latest big project, the annual Presenters & Programs speaker catalog was sent off to the printer on Tuesday. We’ve been working so hard on this and it’s turned out beautiful. Now, it’s in the hands of the printer who will help us get our 40,000 copies distributed.

While there’s always something else on my list, whenever a big project ends I seem to go through a bit of post-partum depression. I know this won’t last long. We’ll… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on December 18, 2008 at 10:22am — No Comments

Fabulist Flash 204

It’s been another busy week. We finished the final edits on Patchwork Path: Grandma’s Choice and the book is now in the hands of our favorite printer. If you’re looking for a friendly, well-priced book printer who also produces a quality product, contact Peter Coleman at PrintMedia (peter@printmedia.com).

We’re also in the final stages of compilation, design, and proofing for Presenters & Programs. This catalog of speakers has been a fun stretch for me, but the book is turning… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on December 11, 2008 at 12:03pm — No Comments

Fabulist Flash 203

It's been a super two weeks. The Turkey Day break was pleasant and I completed the NaNoWriMo challenge. It's amazing to me that we really can accomplish a great deal if we take it on in small bites. They really do add up—both while eating turkey and writing a novel. Of course, the task of revisions is always greater than that of draft writing; just as loosing weight after a holiday is much more difficult than attracting it. Gotta love those sweet potatoes. But, that's where the fun and craft… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on December 4, 2008 at 12:46am — No Comments

This Week 200

The big news this week, my poem, Shifting Sand, has been selected for publication in the upcoming issue of the literary journal Mused. This is the second poem they've chosen and I have to give some credit to Laudably Tarnished, the poetry workshop I participate in each month. Workshops are a great way to improve your writing. If there isn't a group near you to join, why not start one? That's how our poetry group came to be.

We're into week three of NaNoWriMo. My plot needs some work,… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on November 20, 2008 at 10:42am — No Comments

This Week 201

Most of my week has been dedicated to Patchwork Path: Grandma's Choice. As the Production Director for this project, I've been getting the book ready for the printer. The cover is finished, the interior book design is completed, and the book is back in the hands of our editor for her final read of the galley proofs. Now that the book is out of my hand, it's on to book promotion.

Plus, I'm writing up a storm! What a thrill to cross over the 25K word mark as part of my NaNoWriMo… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on November 13, 2008 at 11:16am — No Comments

This Week 200

The air has turned chilly here in the Las Vegas desert and that's got me thinking about the holidays. This week's issue incorporates a bit of that theme with ideas on gift and thanks giving. I also share a short piece on my experience with Web browsers.

We're into the first week of NaNoWriMo and it's going well. I've got about 10k words in a new novel. Very exciting. It bothers me that the NaNoWriMo Website has been overwhelmed since the start of the month, but I guess we all should… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on November 6, 2008 at 1:26am — No Comments

This Week 199

It's been a great week. On Monday I attended a presentation by Brian Mosko who shared some low cost marketing tips. I share a few of these in the "Social Networking" article this week.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of Laudably Tarnished, a Las Vegas poetry workshop. While it's difficult to sell poetry, it's still fun to write. Belonging to a workshop group also pushes me to create at least one new poem a month. This drive is helping me to envision creating a poetry chap book in… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on October 30, 2008 at 10:34am — No Comments

This Week 198

My computer felt clunky this week. I ran Spybot and Norton 360 to make certain I hadn't picked up a virus. That wasn't the issue. I tried to run one of my favorite game programs and got an error message. One of my drivers was out of date. Though I searched, I couldn't find the correct driver to install. That's when I stumbled upon Driver Detective ($29.99 for two years). After running this program, I discovered that there were 24 out of date drivers on my computer and the software made it easy… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on October 23, 2008 at 10:43am — No Comments

This Week 197

It's been a super week. The library event last Saturday went well, even if it wasn't highly attended. Thanks to all the poets who read, I appreciate your participation in our Poets Corner. I did have a nice group for my brief Internet ACE presentation, only wish I had more time.

In addition, I got to spend several days with a great friend who visited Las Vegas. It's always fun to get to be a tourist in my home town and seeing Bette Midler perform was a great… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on October 16, 2008 at 11:39am — No Comments

This Week 196

It's a lovely time here in Las Vegas. The temperatures have dropped, finally, and there are some great events coming up. This weekend, The Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road) holds the Mystic Masquerade Book Fair from 11-3pm. There will be dozens of panels and presentations on a wide range of topics, plus author book signings. If you're a poet, stop by the Poetry Corner at 11am with open mic style poetry readings. I'll also be presenting a session on online self promotion at… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on October 9, 2008 at 10:21am — No Comments

This Week 195

What an interesting time our country is going through. We're all affected by the financial and political situations we find ourselves. Warren Buffet appeared on Charlie Rose last night and I heard part of the interview. He said that things are going to get worse before they get better, but they will get better. I like Mr. Buffet's positive attitude and style.

One solution to these difficult economic times for authors and speakers is to take advantage of the great and affordable… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on October 2, 2008 at 10:42am — No Comments

This Week 194

This Week 194

Over the weekend I spoke at the National Speakers Association Las Vegas chapter meeting on online self promotion. It was a super event and I send out my thanks to all the members who made my time there a positive experience. I also met Steve Mertz (SEOSpeakers.com) who spoke on the second half of the program about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Steve was terrific and I learned so much about the all important SEO topic. I share a few tips I learned in this week's… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on September 25, 2008 at 10:07am — No Comments

This Week 193

Every day is an adventure. Now that I've released a number of wheel spinning projects from my life, I once again have time to write, to read, and to think. I have time to surf the internet for fun. Most importantly, I can turn my computer off at a reasonable hour each day, leave the office, and enjoy my family, friends, and time. The dog and I are once again taking long, daily walks and I'm getting caught up on movies I wanted to see, but never made time to enjoy.

By creating more… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on September 18, 2008 at 9:23am — No Comments

This Week 192

Getting out of the office last week was a treat. My partner and I visited Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Such beautiful places and it was nice to have a break together. One of the things I love about having time off is that I return refreshed and with new ideas. This short respite was no exception.

In my quest to keep moving forward, I've spent time over the past weeks removing projects from my life that are no longer satisfying. I've slashed out things that served their… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on September 11, 2008 at 9:46am — No Comments

Social Networking

Social networking is a great way to build your readership, fan base, and sell your products and services. You've probably already heard of some of the more popular networks like MySpace and FaceBook.

So, what are social networks? They're online spaces where virtual communities are created. You join (usually for free), create a "space" or profile page, invite your friends to join, and then link to each other. Most sites allow you to create text profiles, and upload photos, images, and… Continue

Added by Gregory A. Kompes on September 2, 2008 at 8:56am — No Comments