Wicked Win For WTP And Dorothy Morrison!
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 29, 2008

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Contact:                 W. O'Brien  
Phone:                   314-423-3634  
Email:                     Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

WICKED WIN IN DENVER!
WillowTree Press Authors Set Their Sights On The Moon

WillowTree Press is pleased to announce a grand showing at the 11th annual COVR Awards banquet held Saturday, June 28th, during the INATS West (International New Age Trade Show) in Denver, CO.

Dorothy Morrison's Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes, and Other Unsavory Notions, her first title with the independent press, tied for first place in the Wicca/Paganism category, thereby bringing home a much sought after COVR award.

Reverend Velvet Rieth's My First Little Workbook Of Wicca garnered a finalist certificate in the Children's Books category, a high honor in itself as only three finalists are selected from the plethora of books submitted.

Ms. Morrison was on hand to accept on behalf of the publisher, herself, and Reverend Rieth.

*     *     *

Dorothy Morrison is a Wiccan High-Priestess of the Georgian tradition and author of numerous best selling books on paganism. Her down to earth style and no-nonsense explanations have earned her the moniker, "The Pagan Julia Sugarbaker."

Reverend Velvet Rieth is a founder and the pastor of Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church-ATC. A wife, mom and grandmother, on any given day, you will find her in her garden, singing show tunes.

WillowTree Press was established in 1999 and is a small but growing independent press based in Saint Louis, Missouri, specializing in cutting edge books from a variety of authors. Publisher of the award winning and best selling Rowan Gant Investigations paranormal thrillers by M. R. Sellars, WTP produces books under three imprints for Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children's. The company motto is - Books by Witches with attitude!

For information on Utterly Wicked and My First Little Workbook Of Wicca, or any other WTP titles, contact WillowTree Press directly.

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Chill The Champagne - Denver Here They Come!
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: News and Politics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 20, 2008  
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Contact: W. O'Brien  
Phone: 314-423-3634  
Email: Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

CHILL THE CHAMPAGNE!
Two WillowTree Press Authors Make COVR Awards Final Round

WillowTree Press is pleased to offer hearty congratulations to authors Dorothy Morrison and Reverend Velvet Rieth, for placing as finalists in the 11th annual COVR Awards, presented by the Coalition Of Visionary Resources. Three finalists are selected in each category with the winner of the coveted awards to be announced during the COVR Banquet at INATS West(International New Age Trade Show) in Denver, CO, June 28.

Dorothy Morrison's Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes, and Other Unsavory Notions is a finalist in the Wicca/Paganism category.

Reverend Velvet Rieth's My First Little Workbook Of Wicca is a finalist in the Children's Books category.

*     *     *

Dorothy Morrison is a Wiccan High-Priestess of the Georgian tradition and author of numerous best selling books on paganism, ranging from Everyday Magic: Spells and Rituals for Modern Living to The Craft: A Witches Book of Shadows. Her down to earth style and no-nonsense explanations have earned her the moniker, "The Pagan Julia Sugarbaker."

Reverend Velvet Rieth is a founder and the pastor of Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church-ATC. Having received a broad based education, she has worked in media, healthcare, counseling and civil rights. Currently working in her community as a full time pastor, she still serves as spiritual advisor to several death row inmates and visits prisons across the Nation. A wife, mom and grandmother, on any given day, you will find her in her garden, singing show tunes.

For information on Utterly Wicked and My First Little Workbook Of Wicca, contact WillowTree Press.

WillowTree Press
Attn: Promo Dept
PO Box 142414
Saint Louis, Missouri  63114-0414
(314) 423-3634

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AMAZON.COM - Bully or trimming the fat?
Category: Writing and Poetry

In a move that has the Independent Publishing world buzzing like angry hornets, online retailer, AMAZON.COM, has begun offering a "deal" that comes across as anything but. According to a number of reports, small presses which utilize POD technology (print on demand) in order to produce books in shorter print runs and reduce operating overhead are being systematically contacted by the Internet bookseller with the "strong suggestion" that they switch from their current POD printing services provider to AMAZON’s "Booksurge" POD division. The root of this issue is that these are apparently not simply sales calls. In each of these cases, the publisher contacted has ostensibly been told that if they do not switch, AMAZON will disable the purchase button on their product pages at the retailer’s site. 

As of Saturday, 3/28, publishers began reporting that AMAZON is making good on the alleged threat.

A number of books produced by Publish America, a large POD publisher, have already had their purchase buttons disabled. Titles by other small presses have also been visited by the same fate.

Arguably, Publish America is well known as an "author mill," most often producing an inferior quality (inadequate editing, formatting) product at an inflated price by preying on the dreams of would be authors. (An Internet search will turn up numerous instances of P.A. literally publishing gibberish that was submitted solely to test whether or not they actually proofread manuscripts.) In this case, since many (if not all) of the books already registered extremely low sales rankings and their cost/value ratios were grossly disproportionate, it could be assumed that AMAZON is simply "trimming the fat."

There are, however, the other small presses seeing the sharp edge of this axe as well, and this fact generates well warranted concern.

The question with regard to presses other than Publish America being caught up in this shift is whether or not they are operating by industry standards. Since POD titles do cost slightly more to produce, some small presses have been known to drastically reduce the discount they provide to their distribution points in order to offset profit margins. This can be suicide for the small press. Industry-wide there are standard discount rates. While adhering to those rates with a competitively priced POD title may reduce the profit margin for the publisher-- especially when paying royalties to an author-- certain sacrifices must be made in order to keep the book not only in print, but available to consumers as well. Overpricing, under-discounting, and/or a combination of the two negates the retailer’s (AMAZON, chains, and even independent brick and mortar stores) ability to sell the product without literally losing money in the process. Therefore, it is a sound business move for a retailer to either cease carrying the product, or find another avenue for its creation and distribution.

If the above is the case, then AMAZON.COM is certainly making a sound move by trimming fat. If, however, as is being reported by many small presses, this is a coercive tactic aimed at stifling competition and monopolizing the POD market, the long time book retailer could be in for a shock, as they have already begun alienating a larege segment of their market. While it can be argued that any move by a corporation to increase profit is sound, doing so in such as way as to garner resentment by the consumer will most likely create losses that will easily overshadow any gains made.  

With the viral effects of the web, this story has already gained significant steam in the two days since it originally broke, and is showing no signs of slowing down. At the current rate, it could easily become a public relations nightmare for AMAZON, especially if the allegations being made by small publishers are true.

WillowTree Press utilizes POD technology for a fraction of its titles. The majority of the catalog, however, is produced using standard offset print runs, however, making WTP a blend of both Traditional and Print On Demand. WTP sells at industry standard discounts with return capabilities via established distribution points such as Ingram Book Company, Baker & Taylor, and New Leaf Distribution to name a few. At this juncture, WTP has not been contacted by AMAZON or Booksurge regarding migration of POD titles.

For further information on this, see the following:

• A New Amazon Mandate? Say it ain’t so, Jeff by Morris Rosenthal
• Amazon Forcing POD Publishers to Make a Hard Decision, Virtualbookworm
• Amazon Tightens Grip on Printing by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal
• Amazon Tightens Noose on Print-On-Demand Publishers; Insists They Use Company’s Own Service by Rafat Ali, The Washington Post
• Amazon to Force POD Publishers to Use BookSurge by Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly
• Amazon changes rules for print-on-demand publishers by Linda Rosencrance, Computerworld
• Amazon pulls a Microsoft by Robert L. Mitchell, Computerworld Blogs
• Amazon Puts the Squeeze on Publishers by Betsy Schiffman, Wired Blog Network
• Amazon Gets Demanding with Print-on-Demand Publishers, O’Reilly Radar
• Amazon.com puts the screws to small publishers, Valleywag
• Amazon’s POD monopoly, booktwo.org
• Is Amazon Getting Greedy? , open…
• Oh, REAL nice, Amazon.com, Beatlegirl’s Blog
• Market Report — In Play,MSN Money
• Amazon Muscles Print-On-Demand Services by Duncan Riley, TechCrunch
• Amazon & BookSurge, words count
• Urgent News for Authors, The Holistic Writer
• Monopoly - It’s Not A Game by Jean-Marie Hershey, Print CEO Blog
• Of oil lamps, Print on Demand, and e-book machines: Amazon’s Bezos as a would-be Rockefeller by David Rothman
• Deal Breaker? Amazon - BookSurge - POD - No Choice?, Workboxers
• Amazon.com’s POD land grab, BookFinder.com Journal
• Amazon Changes POD Tactics, Removes Velvet Gloves by Kassia Krozser, Booksquare
• Amazon The Monopoly, PersonaNonData
• Amazon Muscles Print-On-Demand Services, web2bite.com
• Use BookSurge or Die? by Victoria Strauss, Writer Beware
• Amazon/Golliath takes on the little guys by Helen Gallagher, Release Your Writing
• Amazon Bullies POD to Use Booksurge — or Else., Shadowhelm’s Journal
• Amazon Says It Will Only Sell Print-On-Demand Books That It Gets To Print, Techdirt
• Amazon deletes competition, LibraryThing
• What’s Amazon Up To Now? by Tawny Taylor
• Amazon Shaking the POD World Big Time, Juno Books
• A hearty "F$%k you!" to Amazon by Elf M. Sternberg
• A Call to Bloggers: Stop Supporting Amazon, Inhabitatio Dei
• Amazon to Force POD Publishers to Use BookSurge, Media Mensch
• Self Publishers and Amazon, Writerly Stuff
• Amazon Tightens Grip On Printing, booktrade.info
• Amazon to Block Other POD Services from Using Amazon Marketplace, Dear Author
• Amazon trying to screw small presses?, lupabitch
• Dear Amazon, What are You Thinking? by Monica Valentinelli, Words on the Water
• Will Amazon Hurt Small Pagan Publishers?, The Wild Hund
• Amazon and us by Gill Polack
• Will Amazon Become the Google of the POD Industry? by Deborah Woehr
• Down with The Zon! by Celia Kyle
• Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, and reach out to Google by David Rothman, TeleRead
• Amazon blocking books of competitive publishers?, electronista
• We are not amused–veinglory, PODPeople
• Bully on the block?, The Pearlsong Letter
• The monopolists: You need to worry about Amazon too by Eion Purcell
• Amazon owns the marketplace: return of the distributor, Thudfactor
• Is Amazon trying to monopolize the empowering Publish-On-Demand market?, Chris Boese’s Weblog
• 500 pound gorilla, Idle musings of a bookseller
• Bye-Bye "Buy Buttons" for POD Authors?, The Backroom at Dehanna.com
• Amazon Making a Big Mistake by Cheryl Pickett
• Amazon to force POD publishers to use Booksurge, Murder by 4
• Amazon.com’s dirty little deed, pds_lit
• Amazon’s Stupid Anti-Competitive Move, Principled Profit
• Amazon Bullying POD Writers and Publishers Unfairly, A-ha
• A Call to Bloggers: Stop Supporting Amazon, Resurrection Life
• Amazon.com Is On Drugs, Thought Patterns
• Amazon launches their weapon of mass destruction, steps on the long tail of independent authors by Mark Riffey
• Amazon puts the Squeeze on POD Publishers by Easy Author Web Sites
• An Important Lesson from Amazon on How NOT to Treat Your Customers by Virtual Impax
• Amazon’s Blatant Disrespect of Their Best Customers by Beyond Niche Marketing

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02/13/2008 Media Releases

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Morrison-Sellars 2008 Tour Stop - Harker Heights, Texas
Current mood: working

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 17, 2008

REAL WITCHES DON'T RIDE BROOMS

They Fly Economy Class And Hope For Coffee

Authors, Dorothy Morrison and M. R. Sellars know this fact all too well as they are two of the hardest working Witches in the publishing industry. The pair spends almost as much time in airports as they do at their respective homes, because for several months each year they take their humorous brand of verbal sorcery to the road in order to entertain people at bookstores, conventions, and festivals nationwide. Drawing on personal experiences they wittily impart information on everything from modern day paganism, magick, and witchcraft to dealing with kooks in everyday life. The no-nonsense, comical manner in which they deliver their seminars have led the pair to be compared to a 21st century incarnation of Burns & Allen.

During 2008, their tour schedule will bring them to Harker Heights, Texas for a weekend at Sisters of the Earth and Sea, an eclectic novelty and gift shop located at 582 East Centex Expressway. The store will be hosting a Festival on March 15, 2008, to celebrate the pagan holiday Ostara. As part of the festivities, the two authors will present workshops and sign copies of their books. For information on the festival itself, contact Sisters of the Earth and Sea at 254-698-2171 or by email at contact@sistersofearthandsea.com.

Both Morrison and Sellars will be in Harker Heights from March 13 - 16. Full press kits available. To obtain kits or to schedule interviews, contact Wendy at WillowTree Press, 314-423-3634 or promo_dept@willowtreepress.com.

- - - - -

Dorothy Morrison, a native of Texas, is a Wiccan High-Priestess of the Georgian tradition and author of numerous best selling books on paganism, ranging from Everyday Magic: Spells and Rituals for Modern Living to her most recent, Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes, and Other Unsavory Notions. Her down to earth style and no-nonsense explanations have earned her the moniker, "The Pagan Julia Sugarbaker." - www.dorothymorrison.com

M. R. Sellars is a practicing Witch, Elder of the Grove of the Old Ways, and member of the HWA (Horror Writers Association), as well as being a best selling novelist. His series, the Rowan Gant Investigations offers readers a dose of real-life pagan concepts woven within gut wrenching occult suspense-thrillers. His deadpan observations of the world around him have prompted Sellars to be called the "Dennis Miller of Paganism." – www.mrsellars.com

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When asked to comment about the 2008 touring schedule, Sellars replied, "Haven't I spent enough time with her already?" Morrison was unavailable for comment, although her personal assistant issued a statement on her behalf calling Sellars an "old fuddy duddy who talks to the television set." Mr. Sellars rebuttal was barely intelligible mumbling that apparently had something to do with a "plastic headband" and "peeled like an onion."

If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Dorothy Morrison and M. R. Sellars, please call K. Epps at 314-423-3634 / promo_dept@willowtreepress.com OR Scott McCoy with Firestorm Publicity Services at 314-504-1161 / S_McCoy@sbcglobal.net

Currently reading : Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions By Dorothy Morrison Release date: 31 October, 2007

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WillowTree Press and Abyss Distribution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 17, 2007  

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Contact:               W. O'Brien  
Phone:                  314-423-3634  
Email:                   Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

WILLOWTREE PRESS SIGNS ON WITH ABYSS DISTRIBUTION
A New Avenue Opens For Ordering WillowTree Press Titles

WillowTree Press is pleased to announce that it has officially joined forces with Abyss Distribution/Azure Green. All WillowTree Press titles will now be available to bookstores nationwide via Abyss, as well as through the following wholesale channels:

Abyss Distribution
www.abyssdistribution.com
413-623 2155 

New Leaf Distribution
www.newleaf-dist.com
800-326-2665

Ingram Book Company
www.ingrambook.com
800-937-0152

Baker & Taylor
www.btol.com
800-775-1800

WillowTree Press Direct Sales
www.willowtreepress.com
314-423-3634

If you would like more information on WillowTree Press Titles please call K. Epps at 314-423-3634 / promo_dept@willowtreepress.com OR obtain your free catalog from www.willowtreepress.com

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High Praise for Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison

FOR IMMDIATE RELEASE

July 29, 2007
  
Contact: K. Epps  
Phone:  314-423-3634  
Email:  Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

DOROTHY MORRISON'S UTTERLY WICKED REVIEW

Hexes, Curses, and Other Unsavory Notions Work Their Magick

The latest review of Dorothy Morrison's, Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexex, and Other Unsavory Notions is in. Text to follow. (This review is copyright, Mike Gleason, Syndicated Reviewer):

Utterly Wicked  by  Dorothy Morrison 

© 2007 WillowTree Press 

ISBN  0-9794533-1-3    

193 pages (tentative)           

Price: TBA

What a delightfully honest approach Ms. Morrison takes in this book.  "This is not a book" as she clearly states in the introduction, "for those who believe that life can be lived without ever harming anyone.  This is not a book for those who are overly concerned with Karma, the Threefold Law, and the Golden Rule.  Nor is it a book for the squeamish, the straight-laced, or the easily offended."  I think that pretty much sets the tone of the book.

This book is guaranteed to offend a large segment of the Pagan population, and that is before they even open the cover.  It will be attractive to a smaller number solely based on the title.  It really isn't aimed at either of those two segments.  It is aimed at those Pagans who are willing to accept responsibility for their actions; those who are willing to realize that sometimes others cause their problems, but sometimes they are the cause themselves; and those who are willing to acknowledge the difference.

While I, personally, am not really fond of dealing with entities and divinities with which you are not fully familiar, I recognize that I am in a minority in this position.  This I, personally, would not recommend making invocations and offerings to the Orisha Oya, as Ms. Morrison recommends, until you have a deep understanding of her, I recognize that as a personal bias.  So long as you deal with her respectfully, as the author stress, you SHOULD be all right.  Just be aware that Oya's energy tends to be more primal than many people are used to.

As I, personally, subscribe to the idea that cursing and curing are opposite sides of the same coin, I have no problems with this particular book.  And since I fully endorse taking charge of one's life and owning one's actions, I truly believe that sometimes one must stand up for one's self and decide that enough is enough.

Her hexes and curses are easily do-able.  She doesn't include any obscure, hard-to-find ingredients.  Plus I like the fact that she includes instructions for breaking and undoing your hex if (hard as it may be to believe) you discover that you made a mistake in identifying your target.

Her take on sending negative energy back to its source is one of the most common sense approaches I have ever seen, and gave me one of those "d'oh" moments.

This is an "Advanced Reader Copy", so the pagination and price have not been established.  It is due for publication in October of this year.  Regardless of the cost, this book belongs in your library.  No, I take that back.  It belongs on your end table, bedside table, or wherever you are likely to see it often.  You don't want to have to hunt for this book when you need it.

- - - - -

Dubbed by Publishers Weekly as "a witch to watch," Dorothy Morrison is the award-winning author of numerous books on the Ancient Arts and their application to modern life.  She's won several awards for her writing, and has become a favorite of readers and critics from all walks of life.  Some say it's because of the easily appreciated conversational tone she applies to her work.  Others say it's her down-to-earth and humorous approach to the subject matter.  But regardless of the debate, all agree on one thing:  Whether in her writing or her interaction with the public, it's Morrison's personal style that makes her memorable.  And it's that same sort of charm and grace that has some folks calling her "The Julia Sugarbaker of Paganism."

A practicing Witch since the early seventies, Morrison is an elder of the Georgian Tradition of Wicca, an initiate of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and a member of the Coven of the Raven in Flint, Michigan.

Morrison currently lives in Virginia with her husband, Mark, and their black lab, Sadie Mae.   She handles a voracious tour schedule, and travels the country giving lectures and teaching classes related to witchcraft.

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M. R. Sellars wins P&E Award

FOR IMMDIATE RELEASE

February 21, 2007
  
Contact: K. Epps  
Phone:  314-423-3634  
Email:  Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

WTP AUTHOR WINS AWARD
M. R. Sellars' All Acts of Pleasure Wins P&E Award

All Acts Of Pleasure, book 7 in the best-selling Rowan Gant Investigations Paranormal Thriller series, and book 2 of the Miranda Trilogy story arc, has won first place in the "Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Poll" for the Mainstream Novel category.

The poll is held once per year and allows readers worldwide to vote for books from Independent as well as the well-known Mega-Publishers. Several categories ranging from Mainstream to Horror Fiction, and everything in between are populated with nominations.

Congratulations to M. R. Sellars on the receipt of this honor.

- - - - -

M. R. Sellars is a practicing Witch and Elder of the Grove of the Old Ways, as well as being a best selling novelist. His series, the Rowan Gant Investigations offers readers a dose of real-life pagan concepts woven within gut wrenching occult suspense-thrillers. His deadpan observations of the world around him have prompted Sellars to be called the "Dennis Miller of Paganism."

All seven books in the RGI series have spent numerous weeks on bookstore best-seller lists, as well as garnering several literary awards. The most recent novels in the series are the explosive and revealing "Miranda Trilogy" which began with Love Is The Bond (2005), continued in All Acts Of Pleasure (2006), and is set to conclude in The End Of Desire (Autumn 2007). Future RGI novels beyond the trilogy have already been contracted.

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Win A Free Book From WTP Author M. R. Sellars
Category: Writing and Poetry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FREE BOOKS

M. R. Sellars Hosts Book Drawing For His RGI Novels

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Morrison-Sellars 2007 Tour Promo Items

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 12, 2007
  
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Contact:   W. O'Brien  
Phone:     314-423-3634  
Email:       Promo_dept@willowtreepress.com  

DOUBLE, DOUBLE MORRISON-SELLARS
2007 TOUR PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
Official "Swag" For The Morrison-Sellars Spring Tour

Dorothy Morrison and M. R. Sellars, in keeping with requests received from fans during the last several tours, have established a Cafepress store in order to provide merchandise related to the Double, Double, Here Comes Trouble 2007 Spring Tour.

The merchandise is available at the following link: www.cafepress.com/mstour

As in the past, the items are marked up only minimally, and any proceeds will be used by the pair to purchase other, Morrison-Sellars promotional items to be given away as door prizes at various events and/or donated to charitable auctions within the community.

Additionally, any stores or venues on the tour circuit wishing to also sell these items may do so at their own pricing for their own profit, via Cafepress or other means. Simply contact WillowTree Press for a copy of the graphics files.

- - - - -

- - - - -

When asked about the tour "swag", Sellars replied, "It's the only way I could figure to get enough money to keep Morrison in cigarettes and coffee during the tour." Morrison was unavailable for comment as she was on her way to the store for more cigarettes and coffee.

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