Author Archives: Shawn E. Bell

National Forests

“Youth in Yosemite” Short Film Contest

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Yosemite National Park is conducting a “Youth in Yosemite” Short Film Contest.  This contest is open to anyone 25 years of age or younger who is motivated to create a video about their connection to Yosemite National Park.  The deadline to submit the short films is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2014.

Film themes should be focused on Celebrating Nature or What Yosemite Means to Me and be no more than 15 minutes in length.  Each theme is designed to celebrate art, beauty, inspiration, the nature of Yosemite, and a personal connection to the park.  Contest winners will be notified by phone after the deadline whether their film was selected.

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eBook, Success Stories

Smashwords Year in Review 2013 – Indie Authors the Stewards of Publishing’s Future

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Mark Coker has posted another Smashwords “Year in Review” article over at the Smashwords blog.  From the article:

Welcome to my annual Smashwords year in review.

It was another amazing year.

On behalf of all employees at Smashwords, I want to start by thanking every Smashwords author, publisher and agent that publishes and distributes with Smashwords.  We serve at your pleasure and we appreciate your trust, partnership and support.

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Success Stories

Self-Publishing and The Power of Creative Intention

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Orna Ross recently posted a wonderful blog entry about creative intention over at the ALLi Self Publishing Advice website.  From the article:

Planning to write 1000 words a day through 2014? Resolving to definitely get that title that’s been hanging around forever up and out there?

Oh yes, it’s that time of year when indie authors make our resolutions about the books we are going to write (and sell and publish) over the coming months.

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National Forests

Lake Gregory to get makeover by contractor

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Cassie MacDuff has posted in the Press Enterprise about Lake Gregory.  To be honest, I have never been there; it’s a sign with an arrow on it on my way up to Big Bear or down to the flatlands.

Over the past 20 years, Lake Gregory in the San Bernardino Mountains has languished in the shadows of its bigger, glitzier cousins, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake.

Visitors bypassed the forested lake and continued to the bigger, better-tended resorts up the hill.

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Writer Reference

AuthorsReading.com Will Offer Expedited Book Reviews Starting on January 1st 2014

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

AuthorReading.com will start offering expedited reviews to better serve the literary community. This year, small press and self-publishing has blossomed as never before, with self-publishing now very much a legitimate publishing option for authors. Today much of the literary community has shed its bias against those who have chosen to self-publish. Authors Reading welcomes this change and hopes it can be instrumental in helping those Indie authors in their uphill battle to promote and sell their books. As authors quickly learn, once a book is finished, tapping into a receptive audience is a formidable task. In the book publishing world, that is known as “discoverability.”

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