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Beth Cox Report: October 2016

Dear Loyal Readers, Authors, and Publishers,

Election Day in America is on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

I will never endorse any specific political party or candidate in the monthly Beth Cox Report. But for the sake of American democracy, I wish to encourage anyone who feels disillusioned about the act voting to resist their apathy, and go to the polls. A write-in protest vote for a fictional character, such as President Sherlock Holmes, is better than no vote at all.

Why is it better to submit a protest vote than to abstain from voting entirely? Here are some of the most important reasons:

1) Unlike abstention, which sends the message "I don't care so just ignore me", a protest vote sends the message "I'm here and I'll vote, if only a candidate who doesn't disgust me would run."

2) When voter turnout is low, politicians focus heavily on the few people who are most likely to vote: the extremists on the political left and right, the ones whose passionate zeal keeps them going to polls when everyone else stays home.

This means that BOTH major parties pander more to politically extreme positions, which in turn means that elected officials are less willing or able to compromise or cooperate, for fear of alienating their most reliable voting base. It's a recipe for ongoing political gridlock.

3) Even if you have ill feelings about all the Presidential candidates, remember that the downticket races are critically important too! Only the Congress and the Senate can make America's federal laws, as spelled out in the Constitution; because of this, Congress as a whole is arguably more powerful than the President.

4) Your locality may also have measures on the ballot that directly impact your everyday life. In the Midwest Book Review's hometown, there is a ballot measure requesting funds for our school district. Nine states have measures about expanding legal access to marijuana.

That's enough about politics - I'm just as fatigued about the subject as everyone else.

This month, I received two links about the ever-evolving ebook trade that I'd like to share with you. The first is from Creative Girls Adventure Book Club; it's a basic primer for how to do taxes when you have significant income from Kindle ebook sales:

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Self-Employment-Taxes/A-Tax-Cheat-Sheet-for-Kindle-eBook-Self-Publishing/INF29515.html

And the second is from my aunt, who shares a fascinating article about "catfishing" ebook scams on Amazon

http://www.zdnet.com/article/exclusive-inside-a-million-dollar-amazon-kindle-catfishing-scam

October's Link of the Month is the Center for the Book. To quote Wikipedia, "The Center for the Book was founded in 1977 by Daniel J. Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, in order to use the Library of Congress to promote literacy, libraries, and reading in general, as well as an understanding of the history and heritage of American literature."

All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands have an affiliate Center for the Book, but the main Center for the Book website is

http://www.read.gov/cfb

Visitors can learn about the Center for the Book's events, series, partnerships, prizes, contests, and awards!

October's Book of the Month is an invaluable resource for libraries and nonprofit organizations in today's economy:



40+ New Revenue Sources for Libraries and Nonprofits
Edmund A. Rossman III
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838914380, $65.00, PB, www.amazon.com

When governmental budgets require cuts one of the first to feel the impact of decreased revenues are the public and academic libraries. When times are hard, NGOs are compelled to find supplemental revenue sources where ever they can. This is the underlying and fundamental reason why every library and every NGO must have a copy of "40+ New Revenue Sources for Libraries and Nonprofits" in their instructional reference collections. Laying out with exceptional clarity specific supplemental revenue generating ideas and projects that range from various forms of advertising, to diverse naming rights, to sponsorships, to vending machines, to crowdfunding, and so much more, "40+ New Revenue Sources for Libraries and Nonprofits" will prove to be an enduringly valued, practical, and effective resource. Of special note are the chapters on Legal and board Policy Considerations; Impact of Technology: Internet and Social media: and Establishing Value, Statistical Reports, and Targeting Prospects. Simply stated, "40+ New Revenue Sources for Libraries and Nonprofits" should be considered mandatory reading for every library director and every library board member.



That's all for the October 2016 Beth Cox Report. I hope you enjoy the holidays; I'm treating myself to leftover Halloween candy tomorrow!

Bethany Cox
Managing Editor
The Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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