Saturday, March 10, 2012

Independent Publishers for Independent Authors

Being an independent writer is harder than ever these days. Finding a publisher that supports new authors who do not have agents is important. Generally speaking, in order to get published for a new author or an author that chooses to represent his or herself, it is sometimes necessary to actually to the publishing. Most publishing companies that are taking poetry, novels, short stories, how-to manuscripts and many other forms of writing have no desire to deal directly with an author. They prefer working with an agent and doing things in a very by-the-book manner. Often, these publishing companies are only interested in taking work that shows high commercial marketability as well, and that causes many amazing pieces of writing that were done by highly talented authors to be left to collect dust in a box somewhere, or end up sitting at the bottom of a pile of manuscripts considered to be financially unappealing.

This type of attitude is a real shame, as it is causing so much quality work to go unnoticed by the world. Imagine if the next Hemmingway or Fitzgerald were to come along trying to get their work out, only to be told that the material they are writing does not score high in the correct demographic category, and is therefore not desirable in terms of a cost-benefit scenario. Imagine someone in the spirit of Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson being told that romantic poetry collections have no commercial value, and perhaps they should consider writing a political thriller with an edgy feel and more car chase scenes. This is what we are in danger of having happen if we don’t support the new, up and coming artists that have a fresh perspective and classic talent.

Thankfully, with the advent of the internet and the accessibility of authors to smaller publishing houses they may not have previously been able to find, there are actually outlets for these talented individuals. It may require some time and patience to find, but once a small and open-minded independent publisher comes into contact with a talented author who simply needs some exposure and little break find each other, the results can be amazing. These smaller publishing houses are often looking for authors and subject matter that may fall outside of the mainstream and be deemed undesirable by the giant corporate publishing companies. This gives authors the opportunity to write from the heart, exploring material that they may not otherwise be able to try out. It is this type of creative support that makes these publishers the best way for an author to get new material out to the public.

Collecting Destination Tee Shirts

Collecting destination t-shirts from travel destinations all over the country and the world is a fun and enjoyable way to remember the wonderful locations you have visited during vacations, business trips, family outings or tours. Tourist tee shirt collections become a sort of photo album you can wear, with all of your unique t shirts reminding you of all the fun adventures you had in a particular place. Whether they are funny tee shirts, destination t shirts, or local t-shirts from a unique place that you visited, you can turn your tee shirt drawer into a walk down memory lane and have a cool t-shirt collection as a conversation starter every time you wear it.

Many people take great pride in their t shirt collection, carefully selecting the custom t shirt that best fits their personality and most accurately reminds them of the particular place that it represents. Having at least one tee from each location visited is a source of pride for many seasoned travelers, and along with postcards, key chains and other classic choices for memorabilia, tee shirts can become a sentimental object, inspiring fond memories of romantic getaways, group trips or all the wonderful people you met on a vacation someplace.

Tourist t-shirts can also become a great conversation starter, since whenever you wear your unique t-shirt from a particular travel destination you are telling the world that you have some kind of special connection or relationship to that location. On a trip to North Carolina you may have picked up a Blue Ridge t-shirt to commemorate your drive along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, or Chimney Rock tee shirt to tell the world you made it to the top of that amazing geological formation. If you happen to be wearing your cool tee shirt while out and about doing errands, and someone else who has visited those places sees your travel tee shirt, it is bound to inspire a sense of nostalgia that will perhaps make you a new friend and offer the chance to share your unique perspective and personal stories of the place your t shirt represents.

A t-shirt collection quite often becomes a very special thing to someone who travels a lot or to someone who feels like traveling is an important part of who they are. Special care is often taken to preserve the tee shirts as long as possible, such as washing on a gentle cycle in cool water to prevent fading and making sure that they don’t do messy work such as painting or gardening in their memorabilia t-shirts. On the other hand, some people like to wear their destination t shirts as much as possible to ensure that they get the most exposure and break in to that soft, comfortable, old tee shirt feel.

Sometimes when you have visited a particular tourist destination, you might not have been able to get an awesome t shirt from that spot for any of several different reasons. Perhaps the gift shop was full, or the people you were traveling with were in rush, or the particular tee shirt you wanted was out of stock, or you were a little short of cash at the time of your visit. To ensure that they get a tourist tee from every place they have gone, some folks will take to ordering a tee shirt online. Many websites now offer destination t shirts from a variety of locations to ensure that no memories are lost or t shirt collections are incomplete.