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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Zumba - dancing for exercise to calypso and Latin rhythms, worldwide or at your desk

Below is a picture of me.
Praying for assistance.
To uplift your daily maid, I mean mood.
Actually I'm waiting for a zumba class to start. But you can do zumba anywhere in the world at classes or even sitting at your desk. To show you the music, the uplifting mood, and so you can practise the movements, see these sites:

BEST MUSIC and video

http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/zumba/zumba-fitness-cardio-party-soundtrack/11185869/

You want the track 7: baila menea y goza (quebradita south american)

and track 8 baila pa emocion (calypso - caribbean)

A jolly dancing class:

Instructions:


Thursday, March 15, 2012

How To Self Publish A Book



First I must establish my credentials.
I am Angela Lansbury the author of ten books by mainstream publishers.

1 Wedding Speeches & Toasts (Show book)


2 Etiquette For Every Occasion (Show book)


3 How To Be A Bridesmaid (Show book)



What does having a mainstream publisher do for an author?
Now I've self-published additional books. Why?
Why self-publish a book?

Short print runs:
1 Family history. (I wrote Your Life - Pearl Sharot - for a 90 year old relative's birthday).


I printed only a couple of copies, one to present to her and one for me and the rest of the family. What did it cost? Under £20, less than anything else I could find in the shops. I did one edition quickly in time for her birthday, just text. Later I added colour photos of the family at the back. That took more time and cost more. You can keep playing around with sizes and pages, deciding whether you want a short book, black and white only text, which is cheapest, or full colour.

2 Travel guide of minority interest (Jewish Travel)



General Interest?
3 Quick Quotations For Successful Speakers.



Poetry
4 Seriously Funny Poems.
Instructional Books:
5 Poetry Workshop Workbook


6 Writing Poetry For Fun



7 What's print on demand?
8 Tell us about pricing?
9 What about postage?
10 E-books - anything we should know?
Finally where do we find your books?
What's your next book?
How to publish your own book.
***
I have a video on YouTube and a forthcoming book explaining in more detail. To buy new or used copies of my books by mainstream publishers go to Amazon. To buy or see details of my self published books go to 'Lulu.com Angela Lansbury Author' and type in the title of one of my books such as Quick Quotations For Successful Speeches.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

What To See & Do In London

Natural History Museum (free entry - pay for exhibitions)
If it's your first time in any big city book a bus tour with a recorded commentary so you can recognise places, learn a little history and notice new places you'd like to go back to. The ideal tour is one which lets you hop off at one or two places of interest, continue a tour for a second trip or day, and best of all combine bus and train or road and river.
An alternative is an all day or multi-day underground railway and bus ticket.
And/ or go to an area where several attractions are grouped together. Or pick one or two attractions which are your personal must sees.
Plan your day to include a famous landmark, a statue, a museum if it's iffy weather, a park if it's good weather, and the home of somebody famous or a museum on a specific interest.
A good overview would be the World's favourite London attractions which include Madame Tussaud's )(check the time for shortest queues). It is conveniently at Baker Street station beside the Planetarium.
Aim to eat in or near the museum.
For example:
1 Madam Tussaud's + Planetarium (Baker Street tube station and buses)
2 Natural History Museum (free) + Victoria and Albert Museum (Kensington area)
3 National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (Trafalgar Square)
4 British Museum
5 Tate Gallery and Bridge
6 Tower Bridge tour and Museum of London
7 Westminster Abbey including Poets Corner
8 Houses of Parliament
9 Freud House museum or Dickens Museum
10 Children's Museum / London Zoo / Jewish Museum / cemetery tour
Sunny weather Parks - depending on your location: Regents Park combine with zoo; Green Park combine with walk along Thames or down Pall Mall to Buckingham Palace.
Outdoor shopping:
Indoor shopping: Grand - visit Harrods. Mid-price go to Selfridges. Cheap find your nearest large Primark or multi-storey Marks & Spencers. Major malls include Westfield, Brent Cross.
Out of London shopping trip - try Lakeside which has restaurants on boats. Or the one with quotations and friezes of characters.
Include one unusual eating place such as: Medieval Banquet;

Monday, March 12, 2012

Book Festival Tips - How To Cope With Crowds & Sell



I went as a writer, an author, a member of Harrow Writers' Circle, to North Harrow Book Festival. This was my first time reading or performing at such an event and it was, to put it politely, 'a learning experience'.
First, what went right? Sangeeta did all the liaising with the organisers. All I had to do was turn up and read but, frankly, that in itself is a major undertaking when you are planning to read more than one poem from more than one book.
I solved that problem by printing out all the opening couplets of poems on three A4 sheets. In addition, in the books, I had marked the pages to read from. Previously I'd used pieces of paper as markers. That looks untidy. The markers fall on the floor as you read which is messy and involves crawling about to retrieve them. Post-its were designed by a hymn-singer to solve the dropped marker problem.
My new system is to mark the pages with paperclips. Better still, not just one page, but clip together several pages behind the one you intend to read from so the clip is easy to find. I clip both sides of the open book. A plain metal clip goes on the opposite page. A coloured clip is on the page where I start reading. A post-it can be stuck down for a one line preamble such as, 'This is from my book entitled ...' Or after the ending, 'You can buy this book signed by me now or from bookshops.' I used to be embarrassed to admit, 'My book isn't stocked in bookshops'. If this applies to your book or product, make this a selling point: 'Unique opportunity, get it from me now - you can't buy it in bookshops!'
We had been told we would have a 'stage' which sounded important and scary. However, our stage was a small tent on the pavement. No raised dais. You have to try to grab the attention of passers-by. I arrived early and found only man with a microphone and a list which did not include our group. Since nobody else on the list had arrived, I had a chance to practise shouting into a microphone - which was not yet switched on.
Then I practised performing poems to a row of parked cars. A couple of people who spoke no English and hurried past without even looking. To get eye contact with passers-by in the hope of stopping them, along with what I call 'reverse heckling', shouting at people hoping they'll stop, requires brief readings. No good reading sections of War and Peace, novels or short stories.
So I stuck to calling out couplets. 'Take the met line train to Harrow, faster than an old wheel barrow, where the streets are steep and narrow, take the Met line train to Harrow! That's a new poem written for this festival. My older poems are in this book, Writing Poetry For Fun With Angela. Price £10. Or nearest offer. Make me an offer I can't refuse.' Nobody made me an offer. Of any kind. Not even the sort I would refuse. I didn't see anybody. Not even a parking warden.
Robin of the Writers' Circle arrived. He had efficiently brought a large boldly printed A4 sheet saying Harrow Writers' Circle. We should have had A3 posters.
Another girl, promoting something else, had brought fold-up tables. What a great idea. That's what we needed. That's what I need for next time.
We had nowhere to put our books as the organisers wanted their table for their microphones, order list and other items. I ended up putting my books on the edge of the walkway. That was better than nothing. It was good to have large titles which people could read as they walked past. But few knelt down to look inside the books. I needed leaflets to hand out, bookmarks, postcards, anything to leave people with the message about how they could buy the books on Lulu.com.
I am disappointed that lulu.com books which were available through Amazon in 2011 seem to have lost the arrangement. I hope the two sides are re-negotiating. Many potential book buyers don't have the money or time to stop but express an interest in buying later from a bookshop or on line.
I had stuck stickers with prices on the back of the books. You need prices for several reasons. Even if you plan to offer the books cheaper than the asking price. First, because people might think the books are a free giveaway so you need to make it clear the books are for sale. You don't want to waste time talking to a potential customer who can't or won't afford the price when you could be speaking to another who is thinks the price is reasonable or a bargain or is ready to pay.
Distractions
One person wanted to ask my advice on writing his novel. This created two problems. When you are trying to sell to several people, you can't spend a lot of time on one person who wants to counter-sell - promote their products to you, or seek advice. I gave him my card and told him to come to the Writers' Circle.
He said he would phone me. I then had to consider whether I want to be a salesperson like a doctor or lawyer who only gives advice by appointment to people who pay, or a vicar, who helps everybody as a calling. I've had the same problem as a tutor of English. Most people book a lesson for somebody such as a daughter. I'll give 10-20 minutes of advice on how to prepare for the lesson. If I have spent an hour teaching and been paid, I happily give 10-20 minutes feedback to a parent along with advice.
But occasionally you get somebody who wants to interview you, talk for half an hour, getting as much advice as they can, without committing themselves to paying for anything. If you have to break off, they start again, trying to get another 30 minutes or more of free advice. The only polite way out is to limit the time you can spend with them, be busy with what you should be doing, your next lesson or other people. You might keep asking if they want to pay you or anybody, or join a group. If not, direct them to where to get free advice, from your website or a group.
I mentor would be writers who join the Writer's Circle. But this is to support the Writers' Circle which supports me and to help my long-time friends at the circle.
To read extracts of my books and have the chance to download or buy them, go to Lulu.com Angela Lansbury author. If that doesn't take you immediately to my page, type in the title of one of my books, such as:
Quick Quotations For Successful Speeches
Writing Poetry For Fun With Angela
POETRY WORKSHOP Workbook
...........................................................
To join our Writers' Circle and attend meetings or be in email contact, go to harrowwriters.org.uk Meetings are on alternate Thursdays at Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End. Cost for visitors is only about £3-5 (Depending on whether we pay only for room hire or also have a paid speaker. Bring along a cheque book or cash for about £40 if you want to join the group for a year and/or buy lots of books. If you decide to join, the cost of attending the meeting is deducted from your annual fee. We have members who are so thrilled with the group that they stay members even when they go overseas, and they email their entries for competitions or chapters of novels to be read out at meetings and they ask for feedback.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Street Safety, Perfecting Paving, Heel First Helps

A tai chi instructor recently taught his class that if you make sure you walk with heel down first you cannot trip over which usually happens because your toe hits an obstruction. Unfortunately many elderly people don't lift their feet. However, the obstructions should not be there. Falls have two impacts, physical and psychological. I fell twice in my high street and for months afterwards hardly left the house, unless somebody else walked with me or I was driving, not even realising what was making me reluctant to go out.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Photo Taking Tips At Meetings

To stop winners turning backs to cameras and galloping off, ask people receiving certificates to 'come and receive your certificate and be photographed with the Mayor & President'.
You need a group shot for the newspapers (with the names of everybody who is in the photo - their sub-editor doesn't want to spend time phoning to ask names of people who we know but he doesn't. Names on photos interest those in the photo and other readers
and enables the newspaper to sell more copies and sometimes to sell photos)
Take additional close-ups so people can be identified.
Add props to make photos more interesting. Or ask people to adopt funny/unusual poses.
People with cameras often take:
1 Everybody except themselves.
2 Only their own family.
3 Everybody except their own family.
Make sure everybody is included. If you have two photographers and either is a member of the group, get them to photograph each other or ask a visitor to take a photo showing all the club or committee members.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Angela Lansbury helping children write poems and books


World Book Day - every year on March 1st. A poster in the library showed that children get a £1 voucher they can spend on half a dozen or so books which are in the scheme. to encourage reading, the library invites local school to bring in classes. This year, 2012, In the North Harrow library I read to three groups of children, from age 3-5 to about 10 years old. Normally I teach O level, A level, and adults.
For the first group, I read two or three short books written in couplets, some of my own limericks, haiku, and other humorous poems. Then I got the children to pick a subject, such as sport, their names, animals, cats and dogs. We looked for rhymes, and wrote poems.
I could not believe how easy it was to hold their attention. (I did have their teachers who escorted them.) And I didn't even have pianos, puppets or props. I just read and acted out the characters. Then I got audience interactions as the children composed couplets. Sports.
I stayed on for the weekly read to toddlers group where 3-5 years old were sitting on or with their mothers. Maybe one or two were grannies - or just tired mothers.
The teachers were brilliant at managing the children. I read a poem about a florist. Their teacher checked that they all knew the word florist. Surprisingly, everybody did. (Just in case, I asked if anybody didn't. In case they were too shy to admit it, I said, 'I'm delighted you all know that a florist sells flowers and flower arrangements.'
At the end, the second teacher said: 'Look at the time. What is the time? Why do we have to pack up now? Because we have to be back at school by four. What do we do before we go? Pack up and leave the room as we found it. What is the last thing we do before we leave? Thank the lady who read to us. How do we leave? Quietly. Find your partner, line up, and leave quietly.'
Whilst I was reading or speaking to the audience all the things I'd learned at Toastmasters came back to me constantly. Look at people on both sides of the audience. Hold the book still so the audience can see the photos. Look at the speaker who is introducing you, not around the audience because that will distract them. When reading about the 'left and right. your right is the audience's left.