From Dennis Lowery

James Palmer’s review of ¡El Capitán! | The Making of an American Naval Officer points out something very important. It’s a quality that we sorely need in all aspects of our life… and we need our leaders (corporate, government and military) to exemplify this quality. The traits of: Character, Ethics and Integrity. Their strength or lack of, in individuals, can build or break: our society, our communities, our economy, our government and our personal relationships.

We are so very proud of Frank Gamboa and his book. He exemplifies those three traits at their highest and brightest levels.

Non Sibi Sed Patriae!

Read the complete review: “A Man of Character”.

From Dennis Lowery

The following is an excerpt from a very interesting article. It’s interesting to me because it helped to clarify my own understanding of why I am the way I am, and what my goals are, in a way that I could not quite articulate.

Read the complete article

“We live in a culture that nurtures competitive skills. And they are necessary: discipline, rigor and reliability. But it’s probably a good idea to try to supplement them with the skills of the creative monopolist: alertness, independence and the ability to reclaim forgotten traditions.”

“…we tend to confuse capitalism with competition. We tend to think that whoever competes best comes out ahead. In the race to be more competitive, we sometimes confuse what is hard with what is valuable. The intensity of competition becomes a proxy for value.

In fact, Thiel argues, we often shouldn’t seek to be really good competitors. We should seek to be really good monopolists. Instead of being slightly better than everybody else in a crowded and established field, it’s often more valuable to create a new market and totally dominate it. The profit margins are much bigger, and the value to society is often bigger, too.

Now to be clear: When Thiel is talking about a “monopoly,” he isn’t talking about the illegal eliminate-your-rivals kind. He’s talking about doing something so creative that you establish a distinct market, niche and identity…”

From Dennis Lowery:

During May and June we will  be working on further expansion of sales channels and distribution for ebook versions of our titles. In support of that effort Adducent has entered into an agreement with Smashwords, Inc.:

Highlights:

1. World’s largest indie ebook distributor.
2. 100,000+ titles published by 40,000+ authors and publishers.
3. Distribution to Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Baker & Taylor, Diesel, others as well as to major mobile app platforms such as Stanza and Aldiko in over two dozen countries (along with North America and the UK).
4. Following is the list of new iBookstore countries now reachable for our titles ebook versions:

-          Austria

-          Belgium

-          Bulgaria

-          Cyprus

-          Czech Republic

-          Denmark

-          Estonia

-          Finland

-          Greece

-          Hungary

-          Ireland

-          Italy

-          Latvia

-          Lithuania

-          Luxembourg

-          Malta

-          Netherlands

-          Norway

-          Poland

-          Portugal

-          Romania

-          Slovakia

-          Slovenia

-          Spain

-          Sweden

-          Switzerland

Adducent’s long-term plan has been to step-by-step set a firm foundation for domestic sales and to extend our reach into growth markets internationally. This new capability is another piece of that foundation.

Within the next few years, the global market for ebooks will likely eclipse the US market. Although the US represents the world’s single largest ebook market today and is still growing rapidly, the US market is also the most mature. Growth rates in the US, where the ebook market has more than doubled each year for the last several years, are likely to slow. Contrast this with markets outside the US, where ebooks markets are only now beginning to enter, or will soon enter, exponential growth phases assuming their growth trajectories follow similar patterns seen in the US and other English speaking countries.

Our authors will now have access to more markets, and these markets will grow faster than the US in the years ahead. The necessary ingredients for this growth include availability of affordable ebook content in concert with low-cost e-reading devices (dedicated e-readers, multi-function tablets like the iPad, smart phones, personal computers, etc.) powered by local-language ebook stores (the iBookstore’s mentioned above). These are all things that have factored into our business plan and its execution over time.

We look forward to our authors and teaming partners growing with us and how we will mutually benefit as we execute our business plan and explore (and tap) new revenue producing opportunities (prudently and with measured steps).

Dennis M. Lowery, President & CEO

Adducent, Inc.

Now available as a Kindle ebook:

Raised in 1950s South Carolina, faced with the barriers of race, gender and economic status, it all started with $60 and a dream.

Her church collected nickels, dimes and quarters for her initial $60 tuition for nursing school. That provided the bridge she needed to get from the cotton field to nursing school and on to an unexpected and unprecedented successful military and civilian career journey.

The dream was hers. While picking cotton with her 10 brothers and sisters, when planes flew over, she’d tell them ‘one day I will fly and work on an airplane’. They and others laughed—doubting that the daughter of a poor cotton farmer could ever overcome the obstacles she would face. But she did. Her dream was not left as “just a dream”. Thirty-eight years in the Air Force/Air National Guard, retired a Major General and concurrent with that a successful career in healthcare, education and public service. Pretty darn good for a kid who while picking cotton, looked up at the sky and dreamed of flying.

Though support from church and mentors helped her—facing enormous challenges in getting from where she was, to where she wanted to be—it was she who had the mettle to shape her own destiny and carve a path to success. Along the way, she became a chief nurse executive, educator, military officer, commander and White House political appointee.

It is a simple story of faith and determination—and how if you have that, no goal is out of your reach. All who read it will come away touched by this remarkable woman.

Also available in paperback.

14 April 2012, Muscat

US Ambassador to Oman, Dr. Richard J. Schmierer and Laila Al Bellucci

At the invitation of the US Embassy, Omani novelist Laila Al-Bellucci presented the US Ambassador to Oman, Dr. Richard J. Schmierer, with a signed copy of  her new fiction book for children and young adults entitled “Mirabella and the Pearl of Chulothe”  brought to the international market by US publisher Adducent, Inc., a Florida based publisher, and ArkWatch Holdings LLC, an Arizona based intellectual property company.  Laila explained to H.E. the Ambassador, “the US publishers believed in my work and helped me bring my book to the market and this is a beacon for other budding Omani authors to do the same; I am grateful to Adducent for giving me this fantastic opportunity to publish my work.”

Mirabella and the Pearl of Chulothe is Laila’s debut novel which sets the stage for an adventure that unfolds over four more books set in locations throughout the world that smartly uses myths and legends from the region as part of the story.  Laila briefed H.E. the US Ambassador that there is code within the book termed a ‘codilleom’ which when decoded by the readers leads them to the book’s next location. H.E. the US Ambassador asked Laila whether any of the books would be located in Oman but Laila said the codilleom needs to be unravelled to get the answer! Laila is currently writing the second book in the series.

Mirabella and the Pearl of Chulothe is available through several online booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and W.H.Smith and soon to be stocked in Oman.

From Dennis Lowery

You can’t live without encountering fear. Fear of any number of things (to many to list here but I’m sure we each have an idea of what comes to mind). My friend, and author, Donna McAleer is one of the most interesting and powerful personalities I know. She spoke recently at a TEDx event in Park City, Utah. I think you’ll find interesting her thoughts (based on her experience) and observations about facing fear.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

From Dennis Lowery

This an excerpt from a recent CNN Opinion piece about the current flap over book prices (ebook’s especially) and large publishers. And from my experience and discussions with dozens of authors (of all types) about the big and even medium publishing houses it’s an accurate assessment:

“…most of their authors earn poverty wages. They take 12 to 18 months to publish a book… They often reject talented writers who don’t offer the celebrity platforms of more marketable ‘authors’ such as Snooki or Justin Bieber.”

Something to keep in mind if you think a big name publisher is the solution and where you want to pitch your book…

From Dennis Lowery

How often one sees people looking far and wide for what they are holding in their hands… 

It’s amazing how the journey continues and where it takes you when you start with something as simple as putting the words inside you down on paper. And that is exactly how I started.

Because of my extensive business career (a great deal of it with starting and buying my own businesses) naturally I at first turned to writing business books. With success at that, as word got around about me, others asked for my help with their books and that led to me to starting a publishing company and working with all kinds of people and types of books. Including fiction. I still write non-fiction and help people with their non-fiction books or memoirs and stories about their life but I now am equally adept at fiction and will work at honing that craft.

One of my fiction collaborations is doing well and is going to be a five book series. There is interest from studio executives in making a movie(s) based on the first book and the series. My colleague and I also have plans for other story lines once we work through this series and have set up a new website for our work together.

Check it out: Novelists | Dennis M. Lowery & Erik Daniel Shein.

We just got this message/comment via Facebook about Mirabella and the Pearl of Chulothe (we’ve received a couple of dozen with the same sentiment and request):

From May Al K regarding Mirabella and The Pearl of Chulothe
23 minutes ago

I LOVE THIS BOOK BY FAR BETTR THEN HARRY POTTER! PLZ MAKE A MOVIE PLZ!

From Dennis Lowery

My friend Erik Daniel Shein brought this video to my attention and I wanted to share my thoughts with you on it:

When…

When people make a judgment before knowing. They’re often proved fools.

When the artificial people—focused on flash and not substance—smirk at you or at something they assume about you. It’s they who lose out in what’s important to our souls.

When the only one that believes in you… is you (or a few friends or perhaps just family).

When you’re scared and so lonely inside… but you still stand up and face the crowd and the world.

And give it your best shot… give it your all.

That’s when magic happens and your world (and perhaps the world for those around you) will be transformed… for as long as you hold in your heart the goodness and faith that made you stand up to begin with.

The importance of believing in yourself…