nlbelardes's blog

Please watch a half-hour ABC documentary out of Bakersfield titled, "The Last Band." The film documents some of the attitudes about history, music and cultural reverence for Buck Owens former recording studio where Korn recorded their first album and country greats like Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens once recorded...

The controversy is not just who the last band recorded was, but in attitudes between younger bands and old timers.

The film can be watched in its entirety on YouTube.

- Nick Belardes, ABC23

Are women writing from the edge in Modesto, California? They are in Los Angeles. Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles is a collection of short stories that captures the beauty of what it is to be a woman. And that story links the contributing women authors and characters to women everywhere out on the edge, which is life.

Read the review of Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles and the interview with Editor and contributing author, Samantha Dunn on Paperback Writer.

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www.noveltown.net
www.noveltown.net/blog
www.myspace.com/noveltown

In a recent interview with Bonnie Hearn Hill about the Yosemite Writers Conference, she stated:

“We have four workshops an hour geared for everyone at every stage of her/his career; however, we encourage writers to follow their passion. If a beginning writer wants to attend a workshop on how to sell books to film, that’s fine. I should add that we have a talented sound professional from Hawaii recording all of the workshops, so if you miss one you think you might like, you can purchase a CD.�

Wow! That’s a lot of workshops! And there are a lot of great topics being covered! There are a couple of timeslots where I wish I could clone myself and sit in two workshops at the same time. I just might have to purchase a CD of the workshops so I don’t miss anything.

Take a look at the schedule of workshops for next week’s Yosemite Writers Conference on Paperback Writer

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www.noveltown.net
www.yosemitewriters.com

It's not to late to sign up!

Noveltown is going. Are you?

Want to meet literary agents, publishers, editors, and authors?

Want to learn about the many facets of writing in today’s literary world?

Whether you’re a published author or just realized that you want to be a writer, the Yosemite Writer’s Conference is for you.

Noveltown’s own N.L. Belardes will be speaking at this year’s Yosemite Writer’s Conference, among many others. (Read my previous interview with N.L. about his speaking at the YWC).

I’ve literally been vibrating with anticipation for the Yosemite Writers Conference. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed a preview. You know, like a movie trailer. A teaser. The coming attractions as it were. I went straight to the source. I tracked down Bonnie Hearn Hill, accomplished novelist, instructor and one of many who work very hard each year to put on the Yosemite Writers Conference and I asked her a few questions about what we could expect at this years conference.

She was kind enough to oblige me, instruct me, and encourage me. Read the interview.

Bonnie Hearn Hill
Volunteer faculty
Novelist and instructor

Noveltown: Who are the ‘big’ agents and editors attending the Yosemite Writers Conference this year?

BHH: Please, honey. Never use orphan quotes, and especially not single orphan quotes. I’m excited about all of our agents. Irene Webb is a top film agent. June Clark specializes in nonfiction and works for a leading New York agency. Katharine Sands is also with a major NY firm, and Jeffery McGraw and Arlene Cardoza are building their lists and actively seeking new writers. This is a great opportunity to learn from the people who are in the best position to know what sells.

Noveltown: Which conference panel or workshop are you most excited about this year?

BHH: I’m really excited about the young adult panel. That’s a great market, and we have Farrin Jacobs from HarperCollins, Susan Chang from Tor, along with Melissa Manlove from Chronicle Books. Melissa is also presenting a two-hour picture book critique workshop, and she’s actually doing free line edits. For those who are ready to test their work, the Sharpen Your Hooks workshops are an almost painless way to get feedback. For the first time this year, we’re offering one for fiction and one for nonfiction. Also for the first time, we’re offering two workshops on the high-paying ghostwriting field with representatives of a New York ghostwriting firm, and a magazine-writing panel for those who want to write articles. So I sound as if I’m excited about everything, right? For me, though, the most intriguing might be the Sunday morning one with our Saturday keynote David Morrell, the author who created Rambo. David is actively involved in the conference this year, and he asked if he could do a bonus workshop on Sunday on marketing for writers. I can’t wait.

(Read the full blog and interview)

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www.noveltown.net

I thought I'd share that Brian "Head" Welch will be in Bakersfield Aug. 1 since that's the closest to Modesto he's getting on his book tour.

He's signing copies of his memoir, "Save Me From Myself" which made the top 20 on the New York Times Best Seller list after just one week in book stores.

(Read the full entry)

I'll be writing a review of his memoir for both ABC 23 in Bakersfield and Noveltown...

I've just written a social criticism after traveling to Minnesota about some of Bakersfield's trash problems. Do any Modesto areas have the same problems? Talk to me Motown Mojo...

Anyway...

We've got some new book discussions on Paperback Writer: On Memoirs: Matildakay talks shop.

On traveling through Minnesota, new books that are out, and a social criticism of the trashy side of Bakersfield: Part Two is more informative than Part One.

- Noveltown

The LA Kings came into the Central Valley recently to show their support of a new roller hockey facility opening up in Bakersfield. I've always wondered about Roller Hockey and hockey in general in the Modesto area.

A quick search and I found that Modesto Junior College has a team called the Pirates... so there's roller hockey in town that's part of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association.

The Kings are having a two-day Inline Summer Camp in LA August 25-26, which is only $75 and includes 4 Kings game tickets... Click for more info...

Or just contact me.

- n.l.

www.noveltown.net

I haven't blogged here in a while since all the hubbub with Motown Mojo and the Bee. Looks like the site is still running and people are still about forming an online community.

I represent a new literary magazine for the Central Valley, the Noveltown Review. If there are any venues out there who would like a couple of copies for their store or office, please contact me: nick@noveltown.net. You can also order online.

We got a cool review from the Bakersfield equivalent of Modesto Famous.

Greg Goodsell writes:

Of all the literary magazines vying for space at local bookstores, the locally published Noveltown Review emerges as a breath of fresh air. The project of longtime Bakersfield media gadfly Nick Belardes, the Noveltown Review offers a both fiction and non-fiction essays about today’s literary landscape. An oversized magazine boasting slick, shiny covers, the periodical is beautifully laid out. More importantly, the Noveltown Review offers highly accessible prose for readers weary of experimental efforts that often prove to be not worth the effort.

(Read the full article)

Hit me up with any questions. We want to expand into your community...

- n.l.

First off, congrats to Motown Mojo. I hope my article helped kick the Modesto Bee in the pants to help get him a contract...

For those interested in the literary arts, Independent publishing, and writing, I wrote an article yesterday titled, "The Making of an Indie Press Part One. Is it self-publishing? And what’s the DIY battle in the literary world all about?"

Here's an excerpt:

(NOVELTOWN 2.0 is on the way, an entire DIY marketing campaign filled with lights and attention-seeking fanfare… more on that in another post. Coming real soon!)

Self-Publishing Scam Can Hurt Indie Writers

There’s a trend going on in the literary world: Indie writers with books fighting through the masses, swinging as they go. They need you. And Indie publishing companies need support too.

Maybe you’re just a reader who wants to support. Maybe you’re thinking about starting a press. Maybe you’re a writer who wants to get published. What do you do? How do you even start the fight? And what are you fighting for?

If you’re a writer maybe you’re confused. Do you send your book out into the world to slog through commercial publishing rejection swamps? Do you invest your own money in self-publishing? Or, do you take it a step further and go the Indie route: submit or start your own company? What’s the damn difference?

Right away you need to get it straight. I may have published my own novel through Noveltown. But I didn’t use the fly-by-night iUniverse, Authorhouse, or Lola (kings of print-on-demand publishing). I self-published once before and that’s a killer headache unless you’re already famous or have thousands of dollars at hand for a publicist. Even my old agent who died in a car wreck had negative remarks about print-on-demand self-publishing. In 1999 he was on special assignment for ebooks & print on demand publisher, iUniverse. Yet he would call me on the phone and rant and rave about print-on-demand services being a scam.

Why the hell did he do it? He had friends in high places and probably needed a paycheck.

Those places are rape artists, scamming potential self-publishers who waste their money creating a couple of books to throw on a shelf. There’s no marketing involved from the publisher perspective, and it’s a very hard road to even make a splash in the literary community. I learned the hard way by self-publishing The Blimperwhirls. Notice I don’t promote that book on here? Why should I? I see no profits and iUniverse is just a big phony wanting people to invest their money so that print-on-demand houses get fat pockets.

Noveltown, an Independent Literary Publisher

So I took DIY (Do It Yourself) axiom to the next level. I created a company and expanded my vision. Noveltown was born out of the fight to help all Indie people. 99.9999% of the artists Noveltown has promoted are self-starters, self-publishers, self-creators: TOTAL DIY… That’s the media side of Noveltown…

Why do you think I have been talking about World Wide Spies? DIY. The Filthies: DIY.

Noveltown is publishing other authors, that’s the literary side. One of the biggest and most exciting secrets Noveltown entertains is: who will be our next author? Do we even know? YES.

It won’t be me, thank goodness. Lords: Part One was an experiment of the Indie and self-promotional kind. Noveltown had just started out. None of us with Noveltown knew the business. We couldn’t afford to take a risk with anyone else’s book. Who wants a potential flop using someone else’s art? So we used a controversial novel to kick some life into Noveltown and to stir up controversy. It’s done a decent job. We’re ready for the next step: NOVELTOWN 2.0… (More in another post)

Join the Indie Fight

(Read the full article)

www.noveltown.net

Support the valley arts!

Another big congrats to Motown Mojo!

Motown Mojo granted me an interview a few days ago in an article I wrote about social networking sites and alt print media in the Central Valley...

Check it out on... Paperback Writer

-n.l.
(www.nlbelardes.com)