I am EXCITED to say that I am in the final stages of making a free-sample recipe e-book*. Yesterday I contacted OliviaProDesign, whom I’ve worked with once before, toward handling the cover-art. An author friend recommended her a few years ago — her work POPS!
(*Here’s a secret — I’m actually working toward TWO free recipe e-books!)
I have proposed using two of my favourite photos — one a cookie square, the other some Toasted Almond Biscotti. Olivia is so clever she suggested including my company logo, too — why didn’t I think of that, DUH! Thanks for the pick-up on that, Olivia. My aim is to do the final stages of publishing around the 15th of this month.
Watch here along with my Facebook and Twitter profiles for more announcements!
Last Sunday my latest book — The Patriotic Piper, Vol. I — LAUNCHED!!! This newly published book is definitely different than many others you’ve seen — of that I am certain…
Here’s the short list of what’s in the first The Patriotic Piper …
20 traditional Scottish American military and patriotic bagpipe compositions, arranged into 8 performance numbers
15 delicious Scottish and Irish recipes
Numerous history and trivia writings accompanying the tunes and recipes
The Patriotic Piper is a fundraiser for the Scottish American Military Society Post #1889. Not only am I a member, I also serve as an officer leading our small but stout Pipe & Drum corps. This is the official music collection of the Post. The monies raised by this book will assist Post 1889 with their projects. S.A.M.S. is a national organization and is a Congressionally Chartered Veterans Service Organization, which is dedicated to the preservation of the contributions of the Scots to the American Military and Society.
Back Cover
Since its publishing Amazon has rated both the book and e-book as being a “#1 New Release in Military Marches“. These two versions of the book have held this position for several days during this past week.
Among the early people to comment, several said that they liked my concept of accompanying the music notation with the history of the tunes. Some even said that this was a deciding factor in their book purchase. Numerous people have said that they are excited about my inclusion of traditional Scottish and Irish recipes as the second half of the book. Certainly, there’s something for everyone in The Patriotic Piper, Vol. 01.
The Patriotic Piper is Available Now on Amazon Print Edition — Published 22Nov2020 E-Book — Published 05Nov2020
As it happens, with just standard baking ingredients most of us keep stocked at home — where many of us are at right now — the upcoming April recipe is well timed. It’s simple, fun, and takes no special kitchen implements to make — coco powder, powdered sugar, and a hand mixer is about as fancy as this gets! Quarantine
WITH FOLKS BEING COUPED UP IN
QUARANTINE-VILLE…
Imagine making your own custom fortunes…
I am considering posting a recipe for some big, soft Ginger Snaps I recently made. Dang if those things didn’t disappear within 24 hours… This could give everyone another activity and something tasty to take the edge off. Watch this website, Twitter @WIBakingCo, and my Facebook page for announcement of this recipe-post. Quarantine
With some luck I will be trying a modified version of this recipe later today — as a Ginger Snap Biscotti. I’ve also been looking to experimenting with making (flavoured?) fortune cookies lately ….
But things have been busy here in
The Apocalypse…
Baking has taken a bit of a back-seat lately. Everyone in the house here is dealing with some medial stuff — no, it’s not the virus or a toomah. I’m the most healthy and able person so I’m carrying a bit more of the work around here. Add to that… the pump on our well is threatening to go out any day, the well-guy has a Corona-reduced staff, so we’re working to establish temporary water supplies. ALL GOOD FUN when already juggling the adjustments that come with quarantine life (YAY!) — but we’re keeping our chins up and plowing forward. To that end…
WHILE YOU ARE DEALING WITH
WHATEVER IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW…
I encourage you to do everything you can to take care of yourself, your family, your friends, and your neighbors. Strive even to be extra-kind to everyone you meet when/if you are out & about — yes, even when you’re fighting over toilet paper. I know it’s tricky, but please do your best. This can be as simple as picking up the phone to call folks — just ask how they are. I’ve been doing this and it’s amazing the relief you can bring to someone when you present something so simple and so human. Quarantine
Since Friday I have taken to playing mini-concerts with my Scottish Smallpipes on Facebook and YouTube. A number of authors have been reading their books and musicians playing music online, livestreaming to give a little comfort and respite. So far I’ve played three times since March 20th and I plan to keep going. Smallpipes are more somber than what you’re used to seeing in parades. I’ve been playing tunes from an album I have planned and the traditional sheet music book I’m close to publishing, including Scot/Irish recipes. I play and talk about my books. I hope you’ll join me, please look for BagpiperDon on Facebook and Twitter, for announcements of when I’m going to play. Quarantine
Keep your chins up, be good to your self and do good for others, and we’ll all get through this together!
Best, Don
PS — For a limited time my debut recipe book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” IS ON SALE on Amazon! I have priced the paperback version of my book roughly 25% off WORLDWIDE. You’re home, make something nice for yourself and your loved ones.
April 2019 an idea popped into my head! One of those ideas that hits you like a two-ton heavy thing — it’s clear as day and stops you in your tracks unable to say pretty much anything other than “Oh … WOW!“ What was this idea??? To write an e-book using the four free recipes already available on my site for you to download.
My plan was to publish this free e-book on certain online places that get more web-traffic than my lil-ol’ WIBC site — all intended to gain more attention to my book, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies. In the book-biz this is called “permafree” — an e-book you publish and ‘sell’ for free, making a sample of your writing available to grow your audience. In two weeks time I banged out this e-book — content, cover-art — the works!
Just an average day for Eldritch Black
I was All Set To Go! I had my project uploaded to my target site and went to hit publish …. but then I found out they wouldn’t let me sell my book for $FR.EE (/sad face). OKAY — FINE — I went to another site. They wouldn’t let me publish an e-book that was for the purpose of advertising for a book I’m selling (you know, for money).
This past Thursday, while talking-shop and sharing-grumblings with author Eldritch Black this project came up again. He impressed upon me the value completing it now instead of aftermy current publication project.
So, I’m BACK TO WORK on my permafree e-book!
I have been back to work on this permafree-project since Thursday evening and made quite a bit of progress! Instead of publishing 1 e-book with 4 recipes I may publish 2 — one featuring cookie squares, the other focused on biscotti. Keeping in mind December holidays, my guess … this endeavour will be launched around the end of the month. Maybe sooner, maybe later. (BTW, here is Eldritch’s permafree book — The Night of the Christmas Letter Getters)
While Eldritch has been writing spooky tales to scare children since 2014 — which is ghastly, and we’ve pleaded with him to stop — for all his quirks he is not entirely without merit. Among other things he is rather well-studied with regard to book marketing. During our most recent meeting he tactfully pointed out that the cover of my book is only So-So as market effectiveness goes. Although I had this notion already, his feedback was invaluable! The pictures used for the artwork were ones I had &/or were taken shortly before I was ready to publish (er, the 1st time). Eldritch and I are going to talk in January — after all the holiday hub-bub — about getting a new design for my book-cover. New artwork has the potential to improve the marketability for my book — and I’m all for that!
RELATIVE TO THIS NEW BOOK COVER…
A few months ago I learned of Gorham Printing — right here in Washington! They print books like mine with one difference — they don’t charge an arm & a leg for color pictures inside of a book. I’ve seen their work and it’s nothing short of STRIKING!!! Most of the time if you want colour pictures inside your book it is price-prohibitive. While Gorham isn’t inexpensive either, they make it financially-fea$ible.
Once I have my new book cover for Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies I intend to begin ordering a small supply — 5-10 at a time. Obviously these will sell for higher than my Amazon copies. These colour copies will only be available through me — face-to-face sales or mail-order (+S&H) …. So get your PayPal accounts ready — I also have Square-Reader, I can take credit cards.
Early this week I met with a fellow Whidbey Island author at a local coffee shop — a curious individual we will call Eldritch Black. We wrote, we caught up, laughed, and — unsurprisingly enough — did what two like-minded people do, we talked shop. Eldritch has about a dozen kids-book titles under his belt long with others under a sobriquet, his nom de plume … or in simple terms a pen name. He shared with me from his wealth of knowledge and gave me more than a few invaluable tips! Two of these have occupied my mind NON-STOP … really, I should be charging them rent.
I’m considering starting an e-mail newsletter including a recipe-of-the-month. TIPS
Eldritch gave me the suggestion of starting an email newsletter and using MailerLite to handle the list. Their features and prices look good. I’m still weighing my options and what I might do with this. What I know is that when I start I want to begin with a plan. Sure, this may get modified as I go but I won’t be winging-it. If you are interested now in joining my future mailing list, please drop me a line and say “Please add me to your mailing list!” TIPS
Also suggested among Eldritch’s ideas was that I start doing a recipe-a-month — DUH — that’s big! I’ve had this idea but it was put into a different perspective when it was suggested in an e-mail list. It’s also where I want to have a plan-in-place — figuring out which recipes to present in advance. I’d also love to get recipes from my readers to feature along with giving kitchen tips. All of this could also lead to its own book! (Here are a few free recipes in the mean time.)
Lastly, Eldritch showed me Draft2Digital. I was told interesting things about what this company offers — after learning more, I may publish my e-book with Draft2Digital, too! TIPS (PSST — I’ve also started looking into a company that can manufacture my book with colour photos!)
Keep your eyes here — updates as they come!
~ Don
Eldritch Black ~ Links
Eldritch did not wear the top hat when we met for coffee — which is good … that’d have been distracting.
April 2019 an idea popped into my head! One of those ideas that hits you like a two-ton heavy thing — it’s clear as day and stops you in your tracks unable to say pretty much anything other than “Oh … WOW!“ What was this idea??? To write an e-book using the four 
Early this week I met with a fellow Whidbey Island author at a local coffee shop — a curious individual we will call Eldritch Black. We wrote, we caught up, laughed, and — unsurprisingly enough — did what two like-minded people do, we talked shop. Eldritch has about a dozen kids-book titles under his belt long with others under a sobriquet, his nom de plume … or in simple terms a pen name. He shared with me from his wealth of knowledge and gave me more than a few invaluable tips! Two of these have occupied my mind 
