Joyce Foy is a woman who didn’t give up on her dreams, and she won’t let you either.

When Joyce’s first book was published in 1998, she presented her publicist with a seventeen-page dream list for her tour. Joyce had completed the first 10% – getting the book published. Marketing is the other 90%. After all, who are your buyers once your Christmas card list is exhausted?

IRWIN Award-winning author and screenwriter, Joyce Foy, wants to help you with that 90%. This marketing book is chocked full of new concepts, ideas, and resources that both the published and the yet-to-be published authors cannot succeed without.

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Leroy Hill never used his blackness as an excuse to waive his responsibilities to his God, his family, his friends or his profession. One of his sons, Anthony (Tony) Hill, became one of the youngest players to ever be drafted by the NFL. Earning a position as wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony was awarded #80 on his jersey and the nickname “Thrill Hill” for his explosiveness. Tony played for the Cowboys from 1976 to 1986 and won two Super Bowl rings. His father, Leroy, acted as his manager and agent—a first ever in the NFL.

Leroy Hill, a boy from the bottoms, was born the poorest of poor in the South long before the words “equal rights” were used in the same sentence. He faced racial profiling, job and housing discrimination, bigotry, and hatred for decades and despite it all—he joined the navy, served aboard the USS Lexington during World War II, fought in the Korean War, and had a successful career in the private sector.

This book provides an insightful look into the mind and making of an American predator. Glen Rogers, twice on America's 10 Most Wanted list, is currently on death row in Florida. He brags about having killed over 70 people, one of whom may have been Nicole Brown Simpson. Could it be a coincidence she was murdered just after meeting Glen? There are witnesses who saw them partying together and there's even a photo of them together. A sad but fascinating story that will keep you mesmerized to the end.

Michael Newton, Author of The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
     An insightful look into the mind and making of a...predator. An important addition to the literature on serial murder

What do Ray Bradbury, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford have in common? Their stories of rejection, failure, and overcoming adversity are light-heartedly told in Joyce Spizer's latest book, Rejections of the Written Famous. If you're bummed and need inspiration, Joyce Spizer's newest book is just the cure for the blues. Whether you're a writer, artist, entrepreneur, musician, or dreamer, this collection of inspirational quotes and short stories from those who didn't give up will make you or someone you love, smile. Joyce didn't give up on her dreams, and she won't let you either.

Reader Reviews
Inspiration for Everyone, Not Just Authors
 
Did you know Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team? Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade and didn't become Prime Minister of England until he was 62? Tony Hillerman's agent told him, "Get rid of the Indian stuff"?
    
If you're having another nightmare day wrestling with blank pages or pounding the Internet pavement for customers, give yourself encouragement by reading that Herman Melville's Moby Dick, his favorite, sold only eleven copies in his lifetime.
    
The author reinvented herself as a writer, and has since received her share of setbacks. Her first novel The Cop Was White as Snow received 72 rejections, including one as kind as this from a publisher: "I regret to say I don't think it's right for me, which has nothing to with your obvious ability to tell a story."
    
As Joyce Spizer writes in her dedication to the imaginatively titled Rejections of the Written Famous, "'No' is a word on your path to `Yes.' Don't give up too soon." Not even if well meaning parents, relatives, friends and colleagues tell you to get "a real job." Spizer inspires with the words, "Your dreams are your real job." Don't be afraid to fail, don't listen to teachers and reviewers (who seem to dole out the most negatives), keep those rejections coming, and someday you could be in Spizer's revised and expanded edition!

Power Marketing Your Novel

Reader Reviews
This author was named Book Publicists of Southern California and this book won the Irwin Award for 2000. Spizer regularly teaches creative marketing, media classes at the university and college levels and atwriting conferences, sharing her innovative ideas with other authors. This is the consummate “how-to” for published and pre-published authors.
 
Because Fiction is Harder to Sell
Whether you sell out to a large (New York) publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Publishers only produce books and place them in stores. Authors must generate interest to encourage people to go into the stores to pull the books through the system.

There are two major categories of books: Fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is entertainment and as such it is more difficult to sell. Fiction must compete for people's (scarce) time. They must make choices between reading your story, and seeing a film and taking their kids to the zoo. Nonfiction, on the other hand, is valuable information that people buy to save time and money. Each nonfiction book is unique; each is on a different subject. A nonfiction book on parenting does not compete with a nonfiction book on parachuting. Most publishers will caution you to write your nonfiction books first-and to save your fiction until you can afford them. If you are writing (and selling) fiction, you need industrial-strength help. Joyce Spizer is coming to your rescue. 

This book is brimming with every conceivable book marketing and promotion idea. Some are expensive and some are free. Some are hard and some are easy. Some require you to personally flog your own book and some are (comfortably) remote and anonymous. 

As a publisher and an author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this book to both authors and publishers of fiction. Dan Poytner

What Writers Need to Know
You are a business. You are an artist. You are a writer. And unless your name is Stephen King, your work won't sell itself. I have heard this author speak and she has personally taught me her marketing tricks. I recommend this highly for any author, including those who want to publish e-books.
 
More Often than an Author

Why do so many books get their start being published by the author? Rejection! The explanation is simple and let us not blame the publisher for failing to recognize good writing.

Publishers cannot be experts in every type of fiction and nonfiction. Let's face it, publishers specialize or, at least, they have a record of accomplishment with certain types of books. When your manuscript is rejected by a publisher, that is not a bad grade for your work. It simply means that the publisher does not get it! If a publisher specializes in travel books and you send a manuscript on vegetarian eating or parenting, that publisher will not know whether your work is good and will not know where to sell it. You do not want that publisher anyway. To find the right publisher for your work, do your homework and match your manuscript to the publisher.

Alternatively, to make more money, get to press sooner and keep control of your work, publish yourself. Self-publishing is legitimate, an early-American tradition. In the early days of the New World, the person with the printing press was often the author, publisher, printer and bookshop. Some people think that most of those who self-publish do so because several publishers have turned them down. That is occasionally true. However, most people today weigh the advantages and disadvantages of selling out to a publisher and make an educated decision to publish themselves. The big New York publishers (there are only five left due to consolidation) publish only 22% of the books. The rest come from the 55,000 small (mom & pop) publishers and single-title self-publishers.     

Self-publishing should not be confused with "Vanity" publishing where an author pays (an exorbitant price to) a publisher to turn his or her manuscript into a book.

Joyce Spizer's delightful book is a collection of inspirational quotations and short stories about well-known people who did not give up. Delightful and inspirational.

The Cop Was White As Snow

Kirkus Reviews
Insurance investigator Camellia Walker has an ex-son (hit and run), an ex-husband (adultery), an ex-mother (cancer), and now an ex-father, an Orange County cop who ate his gun on a lonely beach road. But Mel can't believe that Det. William (T-Bone) Walker, who swore he'd take care of her after her mother died, would kill himself the same week as Det. David Frasier did, and she can't believe her father was involved in a scheme to sell the cocaine the Harbor Pointe Police Department had confiscated from the real bad guys. If T-Bone wasn't dealing the department's coke, though, where did his sudden financial security come from? And why would a bunch of gang-bangers beginning with the two lowlifes who mugged Mel on her visit to the family's crowded gravesite keep harassing her with phone calls that insist, "Mel had a daddy cop, he was white as snow, and everywhere that Mel went, the cop was sure to go"? Circling the wagons with her closest friends T-Bone's old partner Xavier Ramirez, her own partner Johnnie Blake, and promising romantic interest Lucas Donovan, Mel sets out to uncover the evidence that will tell her whether her father was really white as snow, or simply dealing snow. Real-life shamus Spizer's bumpy debut is long on cop lore and spunk, short on compelling secondary characters. Maybe now that she's got Mel and friends established, she'll fill in some suspects next time.
 
From Booklist
Camellia "Mel" Walker, a young California insurance investigator, receives unexpected news that her father, a veteran policeman, is dead. The police think the elder Walker committed suicide, but Mel knows suicide is out of character for her father; her intuition proves justified when she becomes the victim of a mugging and a series of suspicious accidents. This realistic, suspenseful police procedural, Spizer's third book, capably blends traditional police routine and modern, computer-based sleuthing. Except for a few superficial characters and a brief loss of narrative momentum in the book's last quarter, Spizer displays admirable control of plot mechanics and character development, effectively keeping the reader off balance right to the end.

Reader Reviews
One book that you can't put down.
I thoroughly enjoyed Joyce Spizer's book, 'The Cop was White as Snow'. It is not often I find a book that keeps me glued to my seat, but this one does! Ms. Spizer keeps her readers wanting more, I know I do. Her characters are true to life and well thought out. I can't hardly wait for her next book.

A Really Great Read!
I'm a big fan of mysteries and this is a good one! I loved the character Mel...she is a tough investigator. The author has an extensive background in investigations and it shows.
 
West Coast Mentality is Refreshing
What fun it is to enjoy the West Coast mentality. The love of cars, driving on PCH, walking the beach, different friends, locations that you think you know. The story shows paramedics attitudes while working with patients, insight into how police offices really work, causes excitement into who could have done it, and pleasure that there are "Good Cops". It is exciting, shows the antics of the enemy, develops appreciation of the characters attitudes, and leaves the reader with the feeling that "This was a good read." Enjoy.
 
Witty and Adventurous
I found Spizer's book to be witty and adventurous. She combined an excellent true story with depth and direction I found The Cop Was White As Snow entertaining and a book I couldn't put down. The book's drama was high and intense. What I enjoyed most was the wonderful humor the heroine "Mel" possessed. I recommend this book highly!

I'm Okay, You're Dead

Reader Reviews
GREAT READ!!
     Joyce Spizer is fast becoming my favorite author, and I’m Okay, You're Dead is her best so far. I ended up so involved with all the characters that I couldn't put it down. A real page-turner. I look forward to Ms. Spizer’s next book with great anticipation.
 
Overall, my interest is not in mystery thrillers, but I read Spizer's first book with tremendous enjoyment. (THE COP WAS WHITE AS SNOW) I could hardly wait for her second book to come out! Now I have read this newest accomplishment, and truthfully I wish the 3rd were in my hands now. Without a doubt, I am a fan of Joyce Spizer for her writing skill, the plausibility of what she writes about, her lead character, "Mel", and keeping women in a position of beauty and intelligence as well, which she herself is. Wonderful reading!!!

Spizer Delivers Suspense
 I'm not giving away the ending...let me just say I'm surprised I didn't see it coming. All the same, it DID surprise me. I appreciate an author who keeps you on your toes, and I appreciate this author already because I have the chance to know her. Excellent work and insight into how P.I.s (and criminals) think. Strong female lead and secondary characters that come alive, from the heroine's witty gay P.I. partner to a stripper with a heart of gold.

It's Just a Spleen and a High School Ring

Book Description
Private Investigator Camellia "Mel" Walker flies from her home in Orange County, CA to East Texas in search of her son's former classmate, eight-year-old Angel Boudreaux. Mel knows better than to stand between an estranged husband with a long police record and his battered wife, but her search for justice spurs her deeper into the case once she finds a spleen that could belong to Angel. Along the way, she becomes embroiled in small town justice, feuding families, and joins a posse chasing convicts through the Big Thicket in this third installment of the Harbor Pointe Mystery Series.

David Westheimer, author of Von Ryan's Express
You want the skinny on what an investigator does when she's on the job? Treat yourself to this mystery.
 
Reader Reviews
To Joyce Spizer: Are you trying to kill me with shock? Mel and Lucas are missing??? That is the most whammo ending I've read. I literally sat up in bed when I read that. Then re-read it. WOW. Did a disgruntled Texan do it?  As usual, you picked the suspect nobody would have fingered :) I liked the humor, the adventure, the human interest angle. I also liked the people of Zavalla. And of course Mel and Lucas' disappearance wouldn't floor me as much if you hadn't made me care about them :)

Only Make Believe

Book Description
"Howard Keel (1919-2004) was a major star during the golden age of Hollywood musicals, although he is perhaps best known to the younger generation for his decade-long portrayal of Clayton Farlow on the hit television show, "Dallas."" "Keel was born in Gillespie, IL, the son of a poor and violent coal minor who committed suicide when Keel was a young boy. His mother moved the family to Los Angeles, where Keel began taking voice lessons. He was a singing waiter and traveling entertainer when Oscar Hammerstein II gave him his "big break" by casting him in the role of Billy Bigelow in the Broadway production of Carousel. After a three-year stint playing Curly in the London production of Oklahoma!, Keel was signed by MGM in Hollywood." "He made his American film debut in 1950, as sharpshooter Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun. Next came Show Boat, and, in 1954, his best-known film and personal favorite, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. His other notable films included The War Wagon, Calamity Jane, Kiss Me Kate, Jupiter's Darling, and Kismet." Only Make Believe is the frank memoir of a huge film star and a stand-up guy. Keel dishes on his experiences in Hollywood, his many leading ladies - including Esther Williams, Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day - and his rocky personal life, which included three marriages, several romances with Hollywood's leading ladies, and a lengthy affair with Marilyn Monroe. His third marriage, to a young fight attendant named Judy Magamoll lasted from 1970 until his death in November 2004.
 
Book blurb-
 
“From a difficult childhood, to Broadway, movie, and TV stardom, Howard Keel will steal your heart with this gripping, firsthand account of his life- both in and out of the limelight.”- Sidney Sheldon
 
“Howard was a great actor and what a wonderful voice he had!  I remember fondly my early Holly wood years, when Howard’s assistance with my screen test helped me win a contract with Metro.  And, of course, my husband Ronnie had so much respect for Howard as they worked together on behalf of the Screen Actors Guild.”- Nancy Reagan, from a condolence letter to Judy Keel
 
“Howard Keel was one of Hollywood’s most talented stars, enhancing the dialogue and musical talents of Hollywood’s greatest writers and composers.  Now Howard is the writer of one of the most interesting biographies I have ever read.  I treasured Howard’s warm friendship.”- A.C. Lyles, Paramount Pictures Producer
           

“Amongst my favorite sounds is the burnt umber and sienna sound of the American singers Lawrence Tibbett and Howard Keel.”- Dr. Harold Riley, world famous portrait artist
 
“Howard was a fantastic-looking man with a spectacular voice.  He was a charming, funny, well-informed person who could tell a story better than almost anyone else I know.  After every time I saw him, I couldn’t wait for the next time we could get together…I think he was one of the giants of show business.”- Rich Little
 

“’This is Your Life’ was transmitted on the BBC network on 22nd February and the reaction was fantastic.  To give you perspective, let me tell you that if a programme achieves 8 or 9 million with a 25% share of the audience, the producer gets his contract renewed and is regarded as golden!  Your programme achieved 11.7 million with a 45% share.  I have been interrupted in writing this letter by news that Baroness Thatcher has made contact with the BBC to say that she missed the programme and could she have a copy of the video for her own private use. This, of course, has been dispatched.”-  Malcolm Morris, Producer BBC
 
“Howard’s beautiful song will never be ended.  It is in our memory always as is his bountiful, handsome self.  His Hannibal was pure masculine strength.  He was something special.”- Esther Williams
 
Publishers Weekly
Completed shortly before his death last year at age 85, this autobiography traces Keel's journey from Illinois poverty to international stardom as a sort of Clark Gable of movie musicals. His singing could, as he puts it, "peel the paint off the walls." Employed as a WWII Douglas Aircraft supervisor, he took vocal training in Los Angeles, sang concert arias and arrived on Broadway in 1945, wowing audiences as Curly in Oklahoma!. Wider acclaim came with MGM musicals (including 1954's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), followed by touring productions, a club act, dinner theater and TV's Dallas. Keel has an arsenal of amusing anecdotes, but neither he nor mystery writer Spizer were able to bring verve to his prose. Kathryn Grayson and others Keel was close to are only lightly sketched and rarely spring to life. Why so few paragraphs about his lengthy affair with Marilyn Monroe? Even so, fans will be satisfied with this diary-like chronicle, despite its first-draft feel and narrative gaps.
 
Reader Reviews
Howard Keel is Not Make Believe
The best autobiography that I have read about life in the entertainment world.
 
A wonderful memoir
A frank and honest account of his life. The book is written as he spoke, so that as one reads the pages one feels he is sat there relating the story to you in person. A fascinating and sometimes very moving journey told with great humor. It will not only have you laughing out loud, but will also tug at your heartstrings. The book was so hard to put down, that I read it the weekend I received it.
 
Fascinating book about an amazing man
I could not put this book down once I started it. It is written as though you and Mr. Keel are great friends talking over coffee. Howard shares the most candid details of his amazing life and the most amusing stories that had me laughing until I cried. It left me wishing that I had known him and certainly wishing that I had discovered his talent much sooner than I did. This book will fascinate readers whether you are a fan of Howard Keel or not. I highly recommend it!
 
Fabulous Memoir
Many times when you have a long wait for an autobiography, the result simply doesn’t live up to the anticipation. Not so with Only Make Believe, I’m happy to report. Howard Keel began his life as Harry Clifford Keel, the son of a Gillespie, Ill coal miner, on April 13, 1919. For anyone familiar with Mr. Keel’s interviews, you will recognize his distinctive narration as he takes you though ups and downs of his life. And what a life it was. From an auditorium in Pasadena to Broadway and London’s West End, the sound stages of MGM, the tent theaters of summer stock and the grassy meadows of Southfork Ranch, Mr. Keel’s story will make you laugh, cry and keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish. There is simply not adull moment in this book. There are wonderful stories about the people we’ve all grown up admiring and enjoying: Frank Sinatra, John Raitt, Mario Lanza, Anthony Quinn, John Wayne, Ben Hogan, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Barbara Bel Geddes, Prince Rainier and many, many others. But some of the best stories are of people you’ve never heard of, great characters both in and out of the show business world. There are also stories about the theater itself, where glamour and glitter step aside for hard work and sheer guts. The closeness and camaraderie of an excellent cast and the pain of leaving them; difficult directors and inconsiderate audiences; working hurt, sick and numb from Novocain; mediocre parts taken just to pay the bills. All of this and more is covered, and through it fluently winds the thread of Mr. Keel’s personal life as it goes from trouble and pain to, at last, great happiness. I could spend hours telling you how and why I enjoyed this book. Having read dozens of memoirs in the past few years, I have no doubt that this book is the single best I’ve read. Simply put, it was a treat. I highly recommend it to not only fans of Mr. Keel, but to anyone who wants a taste of what real show business is without all the modern day Hollywood glamour and mega-bucks.
 
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