-Author/Illustrator-
George Velez
Book Reading
5/2014
I had the distinct privilege of being able to read my book, "How to Make Friends in Space" to the young participants of the "Little Gems" program at one of the local Goodwill Cornerstone Youth Centers in Brooklyn on 5/3/14!
They impressed me with their wit and understanding of the underlying themes of the story. Many children actually shared with me their own stories and experiences and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many children were actually able to relate to the hero of my story in a very positive and uplifting way!
It truly was a great joy to be able to share my story with such a great group of kids and I thank them for the experience.
Purchasing Option Update
8/2014
As of August 2014, my book will be available on Amazon!
Blurb will now be listed as the publisher of the book and I will retain authorship. All orders placed through Amazon will be fullfilled by Blurb. It is great to finally have my book available in what is arguably the world's largest marketplace for books.
Me signing copies of my book at the Blurb Bookfest
BLURB BookFest
9/21/14
I had an opportunity to attend the first-ever Blurb Bookfest for indie authors at the MakeShift Society in Brooklyn on 9/21/14.
Prior to the Book Fair, there were presentations that included "Publishing in Installments" by Dan Milnor and "The Art & Business of the Author Platform" by Jane Friedman. Both speakers were incredibly informative and knowledgable.
There was also a panel discussion moderated by Brenda Van Camp, Blurb's Chief Marketing Officer, that focused on the most intimidating aspect of marketing a book- the dreaded book review! Speakers included Amy Edelman from Indiereader.com, Patricia Moosbrugger from Blueinkreview.com, Craig Morgan Teicher from Booklife.com and Miral Sattar from Bibliocrunch.
During the Book Fair, I got to meet many talented independant book authors. One author that stood out in particular was Jeanne Poland.
She is a remarkable writer and poet with a singular eye for detail in her layout designs. Check out her work and follow her blog @ http://thevibrantchanneledcreator.wordpress.com/
Author, Jeanne Poland
Also check out the review of the Blurb Book Fest by Eleni Sakellis on the examiner.com by clicking on the link.
Cover for the spanish language version of Book 1
Book 1 Spanish Version Release
12/17/14
I am so pleased to announce that Book 1 is now available in SPANISH!
I am proud to be able to make my book available to spanish speaking children and to be able to make a literary contribution within the Latino community.
The creative process behind converting the original story into a spanish language version also offered me a great collaborative experience. It built upon the experience that I had with my previous editor (and current editor of Book 2), the esteemed Mr. Richard Drucker. I got to work on this version of the book with the talented Carmen Hidalgo, who translated the entire book for me. She even translated the signs contained within the images themselves, which was something that had completely eluded me! Then the book was delivered to the equally talented John Estrada, a professor at Empire State University, for editing. He gave the translation of Book 1 that professional and polished touch that enabled me to present my story to a new audience.
The spanish version of Book 1 is now available through the Blurb to Amazon Program and as a digital download directly from Blurb!
The cover for How to Make Friends in Space Book 2: The Secret of the Forest!
Book 2: The Secret of the Forest Release
4/16/15
The sequel to How to Make Friends in Space is finally out! The book was truly a labor of love and is roughly three times as large as Book 1!
My editor, Richard Drucker, did an amazing job in helping me to explore a deeper and more expanded narrative while continuing to develop the core characters and taking the book series to a whole new level! I couldn't be happier with the end result.
The book was once again published by Blurb, but this time however, I made the book available in trade paperback format in an effort to keep production costs to a minimum. This was due to the larger page count; 86 pages in total! I also wanted to be able to provide the best quality and content possible while making the book more affordable and accessible to a wider audience.
The book will only be available through my Blurb Author Page, so the entire promotional campaign will be my responsibility. I'm constantly seeking new and different avenues for promotional opportunities and will share any updates here and on my twitter and google+ profiles. I also made the book available as a premium collector's hardcover edition, available for purchase as a direct-sell through my Blurb author page.
All books are now available as a 2nd edition in a trade paper back format
7/14/15
I finally did it!
Inspired by the possibilities of the new distribution formats that are offered by Blurb, I revisited all of my books and made them available in a 5x8 trade paper back format. This is in keeping with the industry standard and also provided me with the ability to make the books available at a considerably more affordable price than originally offered.
The books will still be printed using high quality paper and premium binding, making them beautiful to hold and behold. The price difference alone is astronomical! (no pun intended) I can now offer the original book for $9.99, where the original went for $24.99! That's a 60% reduction in price!
I've learned much as a self publisher and am still learning new things every day. But I will always pursue options that will help me to get my stories out to the public in a fun and affordable manner. These second editions are the fruits of that labor.