Sunday, March 28, 2010

Children’s Author Signs 11 Book Contracts

I’m pleased to be making my biggest announcement since beginning a writing journey at the tail end of 2001. In the last few weeks, and leading up to this past weekend, I have now signed contracts for 11 books to be published by the end of 2010.


Over a period of 3 ½ years, I wrote 35 manuscripts. This was without an agent at the time, and with no book contracts in sight. Now I’m glad I did that. Each book has different characters, locations, and plots. I offer that piece of information for all aspiring writers who wonder if the day will ever come when their work will be recognized.


This is what thirty-five manuscripts look like.


From the beginning, I established a project box for each manuscript. In it is kept all of my research information, the various revisions, any photographs appropriate to the story, and all information pertinent to that potential future book.


This is what signing a multi-book contract looks like.


Comfort Publishing, in Concord, North Carolina, will republish my first 7 titles after the original publisher could not withstand the economic pressures that have hurt so many small businesses.


The titles to be republished by Comfort Publishing include Newspaper Caper, Terror at Wolf Lake, North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big Rig Rustlers, Secret of Abbott’s Cave, and Legend of the White Wolf. A new title, Barney and the Runaway, will also be published. Ingram and Baker & Taylor will distribute.


In addition, Comfort Publishing has contracted a first right of refusal option on another 16 titles and has expressed an interest in developing an extensive series with me. This could become a 24 book deal in the short term. All of these manuscripts are already written, although I'll be doing a revision on each one to increase the word count and to update certain information.


This is what the newest book will look like.


I’m also developing the Sam Cooper Adventure Series with Port Yonder Press in Shellsburg, Iowa. It’s a new step for me because I’ve found that writing a traditional series, in the same locations, with the same characters, requires a different set of writing skills.


Book # 1 in the Sam Cooper Adventure Series is Lost Island Smugglers which will be published in July-August, 2010. This book will be followed with Captain Jack’s Treasure, and River Rampage. The plans call for more titles to be written for this series in the future.

This is what an endorsement looks like.


"Sam Cooper Adventures are like good, family movies . . . as an ordinary kid finds himself in exciting and extra-ordinary adventures!" Author Bill Myers


This is what my writing area looks like.


We carved out a corner in my son’s bedroom. He didn’t need all that space anyway. But the Michael Jordan posters that still hang on the walls, and the pennants from all the Chicago sports teams, don’t exactly fit in to the theme of a serious writer. Of course, he moved out years ago and is now an attorney in Chicago. I really need to do some major rehab of that room one of these days. But if you look again at the 35 boxes above, it hasn’t been a top priority.


None of this would be possible without the diligent work by my agent, Terry Burns of Hartline Literary Agency.


I began writing my action-adventures and mysteries, especially for boys 8 – 13, in late 2001, just after 9/11. They are equally enjoyed by girls. I did this, in part, because I grew up hating to read. Now, with the recent study released by the Center on Education Policy, which spotlights the difficulties boys have with reading today, my books could be coming out at just the right time to help fight in that battle. Even adults find these books hard to put down.


Kids report, “Reading one of your books is like being in an exciting movie.”


We are continuing to look for reviewers, and people of influence, who are willing to tell their peers, families, and circles of friends about these books. Over the next few years, there should be a substantial number of them.

I can be contacted at mander8813@aol.com  


or


Max Elliot Anderson
P O Box 4126
Rockford, IL 61110


Other important links- Alphabetical

Bill Myers Author’s Page www.Billmyers.com


Center on Education Policy (Study) http://www.cep-dc.org/document/docWindow.cfm?fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=304&documentFormatId=4608 Then, in the upper right, enter - Are there differences in achievement between boys and girls

Comfort Publishing http://www.comfortpublishing.com/content/HOME/tabid/36/Default.aspx  

Fifty Pages of Previous Reviews http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com/  


Hartline Literary Agency http://www.hartlineliterary.com/  


Lost Island Smugglers blog http://lostislandsmugglers.blogspot.com/  


Max Elliot Anderson Author’s Page http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/ I know, it needs updating


Port Yonder Press http://portyonderpress.com/  


Sam Cooper Adventure Series blog http://samcooperadventures.blogspot.com/  


Terry Burns http://www.terryburns.net/

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Not Yet

I can't make my announcement yet because there is one piece of the puzzle that's not in place. While we wait, you might enjoy my blog page, launched today, for my new book, Lost Island Smugglers.

New blog page for Lost Island Smugglers

http://lostislandsmugglers.blogspot.com

And my publisher has also started a page for the new Sam Cooper Adventure Series - Lost Island Smugglers is Book # 1
http://samcooperadventures.blogspot.com

You might want to keep an eye on both of these new blogs, and stay tuned for my BIG announcement.

Max Elliot Anderson

Monday, March 22, 2010

Expect a BIG Announcement

I'm expecting to make a very big announcement. It's possible that it will happen before the end of the day and involves the publishing of a number of my books for boys.

Don't touch that dial!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

NEWS FLASH - ABC NBC & Boys and Reading

A report came out Wednesday night about boys and reading with coverage on the networks. Following are links to the information.


If there was ever a question about the need for books that boys wanted to read, this answers that question.


Max Elliot Anderson
Author of Books for Boys

ABC NEWS  http://abcnews.go.com/WN/study-shows-boys-lagging-girls-reading/story?id=10128586

NBC NEWS  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/35919728#35919728

Read the Report http://www.cep-dc.org/document/docWindow.cfm?fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=304&documentFormatId=4608

My New Book - Coming June 1

You won't have to wait much longer before my 9th book, written especially for boys, Lost Island Smugglers, will be released on June 1. I've just received the cover artwork mockup from the artist.

This is book # 1 in the new Sam Cooper Adventure Series. The next two titles in the series are Captain Jack's Treasure and River Rampage.

Sam, Tony, and Tyler took scuba lessons together. Tony’s father owned a marina, so Tony got them in for free. After the boys completed the course, they decided to try their new skills in the ocean. The only problem was, none of them had permission to go, or to take one of the sailboats out for their diving adventure. Everything went well until the biggest storm the boys had ever seen, blew up from out of nowhere, and they found themselves stranded on Lost Island. But, if they thought the worst had happened, they were wrong. What about those high-powered speedboats that mysteriously disappeared? And what were they going to tell their parents, even if they did get off the island?

Join Sam, Tony, and Tyler in their amazing adventures.


Max Elliot Anderson


Follow me on Facebook and Twitter by entering Max Elliot Anderson into your search.



Sunday, March 14, 2010

For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever


Since my focus is primarily in creating exciting action-adventures & mystereis, especially for boys, I'm always on the lookout for other boy friendly material. I found it in:

For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever.

Hey, Boys!


Want to have some fun? Maybe learn how to land an airplane in an emergency? Or fight off an alligator? Escape from being tied up? How about taking a ride on one of America’s scariest roller coasters? Learn how to make fake blood or turn a real bone into a pretzel. What if you could find out how to identify some of the world’s most horrifying creatures? Or learn the secret of making a blockbuster movie? What about guessing the top 11 greatest moments in sports history? Find buried treasure? And once you’ve found the treasure, find out just how much it would cost you to buy one of the world’s most expensive cars.


You’ll find all this—and much more—over 250 pages of the biggest, baddest, and best information on just about everything. Plus we’ve placed a special, mind-bending, solve-the-code puzzle on random pages throughout the book that will lead you to a really cool solution! Now, that’s fun!


Learn more, and read reviews on Amazon.com

And watch for my new book, Lost Island Smugglers, coming out in June, 2010. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter at marketpl or Max Elliot Anderson

No products, services, or financial arrangements were included in this endorsement.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Video Production Break

Since the age of 16, when I shot my first film project in German – the cinematographer had stepped into a hole and cut his sandaled foot wide open on a broken bottle – my life has been devoted to the production of films, video programs, and television commercials. But 9/11 began to change that.


It was the fallout from 9/11 that started me down the road to writing action-adventures & mysteries for readers 8 - 13 in the first place. I’m glad the change happened, but I miss production at the same time. So I was happy to have a video project on my schedule last week. It gave me a break from nearly non-stop manuscript revisions, and it was good to work on a video program again.

Video production is a lot like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it.

This program was for a company that makes machines that feed a variety of other machines that use rolls of paper. In this case, we were shooting a program about an application where the machine was used in the printing of labels.

But that was then, and this is now.

Gotta get back to my revisions on Book # 2 in the Sam Cooper Adventure Series: Captain Jack’s Treasure.

You can find me on Twitter and Facebook by entering Max Elliot Anderson into the search.

And if you'd like to read a little more about my production history, you can go to http://videoanswer.blogspot.com/

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Contracts Signed For Two More Books

As reported here in recent days, readers & reviewers can expect a new book to be released in June of this year.

Lost Island Smugglers is being published by Port Yonder Press. It's Book # 1 in the new Sam Cooper Adventure Series. Expect to see cover artwork for this new book here in the next several days.


On Saturday, I signed contracts for the next two books in the Sam Cooper Adventure Series, Captain Jack’s Treasure, and River Rampage.


Also in the next few weeks, you can expect another announcement, on this blog, relative to additional books that will be published.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

PicPocket Books


PRODUCT OVERVIEW

PicPocket Books brings quality picture book literature to digital media. Children ages 2-8 can now enjoy
their favorite stories on the go—at the doctor’s office, at the store, on the airplane; any situation where it’s
impractical to bring physical books along. PicPocket Books offer a new and unique experience, combining
the beauty and distinctive quality of picture books with professionally produced audio narrations and
interactive visual text. Whereas other iPhone picture book applications are video-based, PicPocket Books
technology allows users to turn pages and highlight words themselves, mimicking a true book experience.
PicPocket Books is the largest publisher of children’s picture book applications for the iPhone or iPod Touch.

TESTIMONIALS


“I am thrilled to have found PicPocket Books. My son (5 years old) is an emergent reader. The
stories keep him occupied in the car and he’s also able to follow the text along with the audio, so
he is practicing and reinforcing his reading skills.”
—Holly R., Charlotte, NC

“Picture books on my phone is a great idea—since I always carry my phone—I now always have
entertainment for my young children, and I can download new books straight from iTunes. (It
was a lifesaver when I was recently out to lunch with my adult friends.)”
— Anne S., New York, NY

Lynette Mattke

Publisher
PicPocket Books
lmattke@picpocketbooks.com
http://www.picpocketbooks.com/

No products or services were exchanged for this blog post listing.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Military Wisdom


Yes, this was me, in the  U. S. Army, in 1969, so the following lines were especially funny to me.

"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just

bombed." - US Air Force Manual

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never

encountered automatic weapons." - General MacArthur

"You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine

Corp Gunnery Sgt.

"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance Manual

"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal

The three most useless things in aviation are: Fuel in the bowser; Runway
behind you; and Air above you. - Basic Flight Training Manual

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." - Maritime Ops Manual

"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit

"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him." - USAF Ammo Troop

"You've never been lost until you"ve been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (SR71 test pilot)

"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire." -Unknown Author

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter - and therefore, unsafe." - Fixed Wing Pilot

"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash." - Multi-Engine Training Manual

"Without ammunition, the USAF is just an expensive flying club." - Unknown Author

"If you hear me yell; 'Eject, Eject, Eject!,' the last two will be echos. If you stop to ask 'Why?' you"ll be talking to yourself, because you're the pilot." - Pre-flight Briefing from a 104 Pilot

"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; but If ATC screws up, .... the pilot dies." - Sign over Control Tower Door

"Never trade luck for skill." - Author Unknown

"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight." - Basic Flight Training Manual

"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation - we have never left one up there!" - Unknown Author

"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it." - Emergency Checklist

"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign over Squadron Ops Desk at Davis-Montham AFB, AZ

"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to." - Sign over Carrier Group Operations Desk

"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal." - Lead-in Fighter Training Manual

As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives. The rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks, "What happened?" The pilot"s reply:
"I don't know, I just got here myself!"