On September 16th, 2010 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author, social worker, and busy mom Valerie Bradley-Holiday, PhD. Valeries doctorate degree is from The Union Institute and University, a distance-learning program based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her specialization is Social Psychology. She has a Master of Social Work Degree from Wayne State University. Valerie shared with us critical items to success as a writer and working mom:

• Time management: keeping it all together
• Respect for yourself and your craft as an artist
• Professionalism and its importance in producing quality products
• Dealing with frustrations and setbacks
• Accepting success and being prepared to act on it
• Self-publishing perils and benefits of using it.

On October 20 Irene Watson and Brad Grochowski spoke with Julie Ann Stricklin about what every author must know before buying and/or commissioning artwork. Julie is an author, independent Illustrator, graphic designer, and fine artist working in the field since 1985. She constantly alternates her passion for design work, illustration and fine art. These passions have created a body of work that includes the illustration of six childrens books. We spoke with her about several key concepts of collaborating with an illustrator:

• What do I need to know about a potential artist?
• What is Work for hire?
• What are traditional media versus computer-generated media?
• What do I need to know about deadlines?
• How do I negotiate payment and delivery?
• What should I not ask the artist to do?
• What do I need to know about royalty free images and clip art vs. a commissioned work?

Irene Watson and Alan E. Smith spoke with marketing guru Tom Wanek about the six essential ingredients (or currencies) to successful marketing Tom Wanek. His book, Currencies That Buy Credibility, teaches the foundation that every smart marketer needs to know in order to craft a believable marketing message.  Tom shares his views on marketing and advertising on his blog, MarketingBeyondAdvertising.com.  In a wide-ranging discussion, we talked about

• What is the books primary argument? Why is it important now?
• Can money categorically buy credibility like buying ad space?
• What was the inspiration behind Currencies That Buy Credibility?
• How can fiction and non-fiction authors exploit these currencies?
• Any surprising applications of your currencies?
• What are the most commonly credibility investments in business today?
• What are the key factors that will help marketers cut through the social media clutter and communicate with credibility

On November 4th, 2010 Alan E. Smith and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with author, blackbelt, and media access guru Jim Bouchard, about how to develop yourself into a successful personality sought by the media. Jim Bouchard has spoken to numerous companies and organizations including the CEO Club of Boston,  the University of New England, , the Association for Consulting Expertise, , and the Boy Scouts of America, to name but a few. He appears regularly on radio, TV and in person sharing his message of excellence, discipline, focus and opportunity. He spoke on a wide range of aspects including:

• What does it mean to Think Like a Black Belt?]
• What are some of the key characteristics of Black Belt Mindset?
• Why is Black Belt Mindset so important in todays world?
• How do you apply Black Belt Mindset to business or personal life?
• What exactly is success? Can anyone become successful?
• Is this just another positive thinking philosophy or secret?
• Whats wrong with positive thinking?
• Do you need to be a martial artist to Think Like a Black Belt?

On July 12th, 2012 Susan Violante and Victor R. Volkman spoke with publisher Sheila Ruth about how to navigate the Book Expo America (BEA) successfully. Sheila Ruth founded Imaginator Press in 2003 and has been addicted to publishing ever since. Imaginator Press publishes middle-grade and YA fantasy and science fiction. She first attended BEA in 2004, and since then has only missed attending one year. Sheila spilled all her secrets with us including:

What is BEA?
what are some ways that an author can have a presence at BEA?
What things can an author attending BEA plan to do?
Are there any things that an author shouldnt do at BEA?
How should an author prepare for attending the conference?
What are some ways to minimize the cost associated with attending BEA?

The following episode of Authors Access was recorded live at the 7th Motown Writers Conference in Detroit Michigan. Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke about how to be successful at getting book reviews.

On December 2nd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Austin area librarians Kristi Floyd and Rhonda Kuiper about how librarians pick their books for the patrons at general (district) and school libraries. Kristi and Rhonda have experience in working with requirements and procurement for Young Adult and Juvenile audiences including teens and tweens. We had a wide ranging discussion including:

* From what sources do librarians buy the books exactly?
* What is the importance of book covers to library patrons?
* How can local authors get involved in speaking at libraries and schools?
* What review sources do librarians consult?
* Under what circumstances do libraries accept books donated by authors?
* How does patron input work into book purchasing?
* How can inter-library loans trigger a book purchase?
* Are bibliographies and indexes really that important to non-fiction?

Drew Gerber of PitchRate interviewed Elaine Wilkes, author of Natures Secret Miracles about how she got her book into bookstores with NO support from her publisher and NO interest from corporate buyers at Barnes & Noble and Borders.  Its a simple one-on-one technique guaranteed to get you results, all you have to do is be willing to pick up the phone with someone and have a 2 minute conversation about your book.  Theres no tricks, no smoke and mirrors, just good old fashioned saying Hi, Im an author and Id love it if your store could have a copy of my book for sale.

Victor R. Volkman and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with best-selling author, award winning publisher, and entrepreneur Valerie Coleman about secrets of making a great book festival event. In 2010, Coleman joined forces with LaTonya Branham and Charlotte Brown to launch the Dayton Book Expo. The first event drew over fifty authors from across the nation and almost five hundred book lovers. We ranged over a wide variety of aspects of exhibition planning and execution including:

• What was the catalyst for creating the Dayton Book Expo (DBE)?
• Where did the authors come from
• What elements are essential for a successful book fair?
• How did you recruit the volunteers?
• What unique things did you do for the DBE authors?
• What things did you do for the DBE book lovers?
• how far in advance do you have to plan an expo?
• what should the well-prepared author bring with them
• How did you divvy the work load?
• How did you market the event?
• When is the next DBE?
• Are you doing anything differently for the 2011 event?
• How can authors, book lovers and sponsors learn more about this event?

On February 16th, 2012 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author and marketing guru Cathy Stuckeron the basics of effective blogging AND promoting your blog. Best known as the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, entrepreneurs and professionals attract customers and make themselves famous with techniques that make marketing easy, inexpensive and even fun. We covered a myriad of topics, including:
Does blogging really sell books?
What is the best way to set up a blog?
What should authors blog about?
What about fiction authors?
How do you find the time to write for a blog without neglecting your real writing?
How personal should a blog be?
How do you handle blogging if you write in multiple genres or under more than one name?
How can authors attract readers to their blogs?