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Discover Greek Culture

April 20, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 6 Comments

100_3019 — Sonia Marsh standing in front of the Parthenon

Thanks to travel bloggers, Rebecca Hall, Marissa Tejada and Elena Sergeeva, I was able to experience a unique tour with Discover Greek Culture, a new tour operator in Greece, that specializes in offering archaeological, gastronomic, historical and artistic tours, to groups of 2-15 people maximum.

Their goal is to offer something more personal and interesting, and I certainly felt that during my half day tour of “Neoclassical Greece.” I learned some interesting facts about Queen Amalia, the first queen of Greece who was German, and not too happy about living in Greece. She missed Germany, and German butter, since Greeks only had olive oil, so she requested cows and goats to be sent to her, so she could have her butter churned.

We visited her royal gardens, and Queen Amalia had palm trees imported from the U.S. in the 19th century.

DGC_ATH_SIT_National-Garden_09 — Photo credit Discover Greek Tours

I was impressed with the knowledge of our guides, and the fact that Discover Greek Culture organized an aristocratic coffee and treats for us, in one of the rooms in the city of Athens museum, which had served as the temporary home of King Otto and Queen Amalia in 1834.

I wish I had stayed longer in Greece as I would have enjoyed another half-day archaeological tour with Discover Greek Culture to the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum. After the tour, they have a Greek wine and produce tasting session in Plaka, followed by a Greek coffee and Loukoumia, at a traditional Athenian mansion.

I shall definitely be back to learn more about Greek culture and to get a “Taste of Greece,” as I did not get an opportunity to have a guided history and archaeology tour of the Acropolis from an expert.

By the way, if you want a custom tour, Discover Greek Culture specializes in those as well as many others. I also heard that they won a Silver Award in the 2015 Greek Tourism Awards for their innovative tourism products.

If you’re interested in going to Greece and want something a little different than the tours that herd you around like cattle, why not check out a unique tour.

Have you visited Greece? If so, what was your favorite tour?

Discoverability: The Key to Successful Indie Publishing

April 14, 2015 by Sonia Marsh Leave a Comment

“Discoverability” seems to be the central theme at the 2015 Publishers University conference; something all indie publishers need to put at the top of their book publishing, marketing and promotion list. In 2014, the theme was the importance of indie authors becoming entrepreneurs, hence the term: “Authorpreneur.”

“Discoverability” is what the majority of self-published authors, or independent publishers, are looking for, and with 43 million book buyers in the U.S., how do you get discovered?

According to Peter Hildick-Smith, President of Codex Group, who presented, “How Books Sell,” there are three essential pillars to success:

Discoverability: Do I know the book exists?
Conversion: Is the book message interesting? Do I want to buy it?
Availability: Is the book available for purchase in book stores?

You need to do all 3 well, in order to sell books. Obviously if no one discovers your book, there are no sales.

How many true book buyers are there in the U.S.?

235 million adults
43 million adult book buyers
83 million infrequent book buyers, (those who hear about a popular book, and then buy it.)
13 million frequent book buyers (most of them are well-educated and make 50% more income than the average.)
Digital books are now skewed towards older people, because they can make the print larger, etc.

But discoverability alone does not guarantee book sales, it simply means an awareness that the book exists. Sadly, there was no difference in online discovery selling, between 2010 and 2014. The percentage remained low at 6%..

The real problem lies in the conversion aspect of book sales.

How do you move a discoverer to act to buy the book?

According to statistics on books purchased in the U.S. in 2014

29% of sales were because of a favorite author/series
24% Book topic/message
13% Personal recommendations

Author Brands dominate the list in both fiction and non-fiction book sales.

In order to be considered an author brand, you need to have 500,000 fans or more.
Your book/topic message is critical in determining book purchasing conversions, and increases towards narrative non-fiction and non-fiction.
Book covers make a huge difference in book sales. They have to be able to tap into the reader’s imagination.
A free e-book sticker with purchase of print book, made no difference in book sales.

Conclusion

Books are an extreme niche market; focus on your target audience.
Publish for the 85 million untapped book buyers.
Discoverability is not a one-size fits all. Be different.
Conversion is not discovery, and discovery is not conversion.
Your book message is the mini-story that has to connect with the buyer.
Book stores remain the largest discovery sources; not Amazon
You need Discoverability, Conversion and Availability or you lose.

STAND OUT, have a bold message. There are 51.9 million books sold on Amazon as of April 2015, so you need a BOLD MESSAGE.

Travel with Me As I Reinvent Myself

April 9, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 5 Comments

Follow Me as I Start a New Chapter in My Life
April 9th-June 8th, 20151. AUSTIN, TX IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association, “Publishers University” conference.
2). ATHENS, GREECE, and possibly the island of HYDRA.
3). GREENWICH, LONDON- Studying for the TESOL, to teach English as a 2nd language.
4). PARIS, to celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday.
5). St. Malo, Brittany for 4 days.
6). Pedraza, Spain, volunteering with Vaughan Town in the 13th Century village of Pedraze
7). Back to Los Angeles, June 8th.

Ithaca, Greece taken by Marissa Tejada with Travellers Bloggers Greece.

1). Austin, Texas
IBPA (Independent Book Publishers’ Association) from April 9-11 in Austin, Texas. I shall blog about the topics that I’ve signed up for like:

How to be a Profitable One-Person Publishing Company
Building Author Platform with Social Media and Publicity
Profitable Sales Beyond Bookstores and Libraries
What You Need to Know to Get Your ebook Distributed (with or without Amazon.)
Book Metadata from Head to Toe
How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon

My youngest son moved to Austin. He says there are some great restaurants and live bands everywhere, so I shall combine IBPA “Publishing University” with some special time with my son. Here is what I learned from last year’s IBPA conference.

Photo of Leros, Greece, taken by Rebecca Hall.

2). Athens Greece
I am spending an authentic vacation in Greece, thanks to Rebecca Hall, who writes a wonderful blog about Greece and more, called “Life Beyond Borders”. She connected me with Marissa and Elena, the Travel Bloggers Greece ladies, They prepared a custom tour for me with “Discover Greek Culture, Dig Deeper, Discover More.”
I shall blog about my adventures in Greece from April 14-18. I start with a walking tour of the National Garden, originally commissioned by Queen Amalia, the first Queen of Greece. This will be followed by a private tour of the museum of the City of Athens, Vouros-Eutaxias Foundation, accompanied by the museum’s researcher. The focus is on modern history of Greece, from 1834 onwards.I shall enjoy the aristocratic life in the early years of the Modern Greek state served at a 19th century dining I also hope to visit the island of Hydra with Beccy.

I have booked a studio apartment on Airbnb with a view of the Cutty Sark

3) Greenwich, London
I am taking the Cert-TESOL certificate in London for one-month. This is the “Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages,” course which is respected and recognized globally by language schools. I have always wanted a qualification I can use anywhere in the world, and thanks to Rebecca Hall, who writes about “Life Beyond Borders” blog, I was guided to this specific course.
I booked my studio apartment with Airbnb for one-month to cut down on my expenses in London. Here’s what I did to save money.

My wonderful dad turns 90 in one month. This was taken last year.

4) Paris
My dad turns 90 on May 20th, so I am excited to be in Paris to celebrate with my European family. Dad’s dilemma is whether to have a small family get-together, which is what he would prefer, or whether to turn it into a big party, which some family and friends are hoping for.

5). St. Malo, Brittany.
My father is still in great shape and loves to travel. This year he, and his wife, Jill, visited Myanmar- (Burma). I am lucky to be invited to join both of them on a 4 day trip to St. Malo, Brittany. Watch this VIDEO to get an idea of the scenery, people and beaches. More photos and information about St. Malo.

6). PEDRAZA, Spain.I volunteered in May 2014, with Vaughan Volunteers in Spain. This time I shall be doing the same, in a 13th Century Village, called, Pedraza. Here is a VIDEOshowing the village where I shall spend one week with Spaniards who have signed up to improve their English conversational skills. Most of them are business people who need to practice with native Anglos. That’s what they call the volunteers. Our first-class accommodation and meals are paid for. I wrote a blog post, “Get a Free Vacation While Speaking English” about my wonderful experience last year. Check out all the photos of Pedraza from a previous volunteer. It’s so beautiful.

My two American volunteer friends in Spain in May 2014 with Vaughan Town. Woody and Kathi.

Get Help Writing Your Memoir

April 6, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 4 Comments

There are many books out there on “How to write a memoir,” but what about a magazine? Viga Boland decided to start Memoirabilia, a magazine that would help you write your memoir, and also give you the joy of seeing your story in print.

I had the pleasure of meeting Viga Boland at the Readers’ Favorite Awards in Miami in November, 2014, where we both won gold medals for our memoirs.

“I just finished your memoir, “No Tears for my Father”. I could so relate to what you lived through because I have a similar story. I would love to write my memoir but I don’t even know how to get started. Can you help me?”

“These words warmed my heart,” says Viga Boland.

I sighed. The writer lived in Australia. I live in Canada. How could I help her? I didn’t have the time for one on one coaching. If she were nearby, she could attend my memoir writing workshops. But that was out of the question.

She wasn’t the first to write asking for help write her story. Ever since I’d published my first memoir and begun running workshops for my local library, I’d been receiving such requests. Again, I asked myself: what can I do for those who can’t attend my live workshops?

Perhaps a book! Perhaps my next book could be on the how-to of memoir writing. I checked Amazon. There were pages of books on writing memoir by more experienced facilitators than myself. And besides, there was another idea that had been playing at the back of my mind with every workshop I ran. All of the participants dreamed of seeing themselves in print, but the reality was that for various reasons, not all of them would. What if I could give them that chance, even if only in a small way? A book wasn’t the answer. But a magazine? Yes! A magazine could fulfill both their needs: that of getting help with writing their memoirs and that of having the joy of seeing themselves in print.

On December 31, 2014, I transitioned from writer to editor and entered the new year with a new magazine for memoir writers: MEMOIRABILIA.

I have to tell you, I just love my new role as editor and publisher of Memoirabilia which I hope to publish about 6 times a year. It’s an incredibly exciting project, though not an easy nor inexpensive one. Each issue of the magazine has a central theme, eg. Memoirabilia #1 is based on the idea that “Your past can write your Future”, which it certainly did for me when I published my first memoir. Issue #2 is focused on “Memoir as Therapy”. Issue #3, coming out in April 2015, is centered on “How to get that memoir finished”.

Every issue contains useful how-to articles by experts, along with book reviews and interviews with a featured author. And based on the feedback I’ve received from members of my Memoirabilia group on Facebook, what they love best, and wait for most eagerly, is seeing their 750-word submissions or book excerpts published in Memoirabilia magazine and also on the Memoirabilia website. I must confess, I share their excitement on that score: sharing the work of other writers is one of my favorite jobs as editor of Memoirabilia. There’s no fee to submit and submission guidelines, along with a submission form, along with flipper previews of the magazine are available right on the Memoirabilia website.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Matilda Butler of Womens Memoirs in early March. Her interview offers further insight into my motivation and goals for Memoirabilia, and for the writers whose work is featured in the magazine. You can read that interview HERE. The way I see it, there are lots of books available on memoir writing but at this point, only Memoirabilia offers writers both helpful information on how to write a memoir and a chance to show off their memoir writing and editorial skills.

My primary goal for Memoirabilia is to help others realize their dreams as I did. I hope memoir writers reading this post will check out the Memoirabilia website and join my wonderful Memoirabilia group on Facebook. I look forward to welcoming you there. Check out Viga’s website: http://www.vigaboland.com

SONIA MARSH SAYS: What a great idea to come out with a magazine for memoir writers, focusing on a different theme in each issue. Thanks for sharing this with other memoir authors, and aspiring authors.

Follow me on my grand adventure to:

Greece, London, Paris, St. Malo, Madrid and Pedraza, Spain,

An Authentic Vacation in Greece 2015

March 28, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 6 Comments

Have you thought of a vacation in Greece in 2015? How about a unique Greek holiday where you connect with local travel bloggers and expats who actually live there, and who promise an authentic and fresh experience. Wouldn’t it be fun to discover local restaurants, boutique hotels, and other gems known by those who live there?

If you’re like me, and want an authentic taste of Greece, let me introduce you to the founders of Travel Bloggers Greece and my travel blogger friend Rebecca Hall who is also a contributing member of Travel Bloggers Greece.

I met Rebecca Hall online, several years ago. At the time, I was curious about her life as a British expat living in Greece, so I asked her to contribute her own “Gutsy” story which you will find in our first “My Gutsy Story®” Anthology.

I’m visiting Greece for the first time in April, and Rebecca (or Beccy) as I like to call her, has been super helpful, with fabulous suggestions on discovering the hidden gems of Greece. She suggested an island close to Athens, where the locals go. (Please follow my blog in April, as I post photos and more about my 4-day trip to Greece.) You can follow her blog, and Facebook page, to learn more about Greece.

I’ve interviewed Beccy a couple of times on Google Hangouts. (see our recent interview below.)

Rebecca Hall is a travel blogger and writes Life Beyond Borders, a leading destination resource for alternative travel, author and film director interviews and expat stories as well as living abroad expert – especially in the country of Greece. Rebecca Hall has been featured in the Huffington Post Travel section, published in the Daily Telegraph Travel section, writing for airline magazines and a contributing author to the Rough Guide Travel Guidebook series (Greece & the Greek Islands) – you can also find Bex here:

While in Greece, I shall also meet Marissa Tejada and Elena Sergeeva, the founders of Travel Bloggers Greece, and hope to arrange an interview with them. (Please follow my travels in Greece, April 14-18)

So what is “Travel Bloggers Greece,” (TBG) and what can they do for people who are interested in Greece?

“Travel Bloggers Greece is the first blogger networking group established in Greece. Their members are Greeks and expats who live in Greece and cover Greece as a travel destination in various languages. They are the only network that abides by ethical and professional standards. Encouraging positive cooperation, education and collaboration among their diverse membership, TBG works with Greece-based businesses to help promote authentic travel and increased awareness of Greek travel destinations.”

Read more about them here: www.travelbloggersgreece.com and follow them on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/travelbloggersgreece
Twitter: www.twitter.com/travelbloggersG
Instagram: www.instagram.com/travelbloggersgreece

Marissa Tejada is a native New Yorker Marissa Tejada is an author, travel writer and journalist based in Athens, Greece. As an award-winning journalist she contributes to numerous publications specializing in food and wine, technology and travel writing. She’s also the co-writer for Fodor’s Greek Islands and Fodor’s Greece.

Marissa loves travelling in Europe and discovering its history and many cultures. In Greece, she has a soft-spot for the whitewashed buildings and clear blue seas of the Cycladic Islands where every corner has the potential for a great shot. Her blog, my Greece, my travels, is her outlet to share her travel experiences and photography from around the country.

Living the expat life in Europe also inspired her to write Chasing Athenswhich is her debut novel. When she’s not working on her next book, her travel blog or a pending deadline you can find her catching up on her to-be-read pile of novels, attempting to learn another new language or sipping a mocachino in some cozy cafe. Follow her websites: http://www.mygreecemytravels.com and http://www.chasingathens.com

Elena Sergeeva: is the founder of Passion for Greece a social travel platform, Russian born Elena Sergeeva has been living in Greece for the past 22 years. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Hospitality & Tourism Leadership from the University of Wales and a Swiss Diploma in Hotel Management from Swiss Alpine Center. Over a decade of experience in Leading Greek Hotel Chains in Sales & Marketing, has encouraged Elena to pursue her vision to become a self-employed entrepreneur. Elena’s greatest passion is travel and she is set to become a citizen of the world.Passion for Greece is just the first chapter of many more to follow. In her personal travel blog, Passion for Hospitality, Elena shares her travel experiences around the world, and continuously adds new destinations to her Bucket List. She believes in working hard and dreaming big. Her websites are: http://www.passionforgreece.com, and http://www.passionforhospitality.net

I often say that life’s too short to play it safe, so why not take that vacation you’ve always wanted, and travel to Greece. Make sure you check out all the travel bloggers on Travel Bloggers Greece.