Happiness is watching your footprint grow from child’s shoe size into adult sizes. I’m an adult size 12 with 64 Amazon reviews (hard cover and paperback), 379 books sold, over 216,318 views on my website (Hard to believe but that is what my counter is saying on the bottom of the cover page on my website–talk about going viral) and 249 posts and 119 pages. I can’t wait until I’m a size 13.
We are at the 400 sold-books mark (not bad considering the average self-published book only reaches the number 77). Our goal for 2017 is 500 books. Our ultimate goal is 1000 sales (No drop-dead date) which is equivalent to the average sales of a book that has a publishing house, an agent, marketer and a publicist. Think about how many they sell to libraries.
We have been accepted into seventeen (17) film Festivals:
- Near Nazareth Film Festival (Winner) Israel;
- Top Indie Film Awards–Best Documentary Short (Winner) Canada;
- Miami Beach Film Festival—Finalist;
- New York State International Film Festival–Semi-Finalist;
- Miami Independent Film Festival–Accepted;
- New York State Sun Fest–Accepted;
- Silver Screen For Short Films–Accepted and Attended Screening, St. Pete, Florida;
- Ekurhuleni International Film Festival–Accepted—South Africa;
- Minutnik International Film and Beer Festival—Accepted–Slovakia;
- WNY Film, Art, and Music Event—Accepted—New York;
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival—Accepted;
- Indiana Short Film Festival— Accepted;
- Flagler Film Festival —Accepted
- Miami Short Film Festival—Accepted;
- IndieWise Free Virtual Festival—Accepted;
- Central Michigan International Film Festival—Finalist.
- I’m Not Gonna Move To L.A. Film Festival—Accepted
We have won two top prizes and are a semi-finalist in another. We have won in five countries and are being viewed by audiences in Canada, South Africa, Slovakia, USA and Israel. We have been rejected by ten film festivals.
Over 2,000 people have watched “The Stairs” and another2,000 have watched the trailer to the movie.
Newspaper articles in 2016— Goal eight articles: We are at five—The Sullivan County Democrat–Woodridge Column– prints “The Hanukkah Bunny” in February. “The Hanukkah Bunny” will soon to be made into a picture book. September I4 , 2016 Jewish Journal. Three short articles in the Jewish Journal about speaking engagements
These are the numbers the industry does not want writers to know. It is their dirty little secret. They are in the business of selling an economic dream. After nine years of reading hundreds of writer magazine articles, I only found one that gave the actual numbers. (The average self-published book sells 77 copies)—a sad comment on our industry.
Number of speaking engagements in 2016 is eight (8). My goal is 12 per year. (See Events Page).
Number of reviews on Amazon is 64 (Hard and paperback). My goal for 2016 is to reach 70. Writer’s Digest considers a 100 reviews a major success.
Number of libraries housing “A Hebraic Obsession” twenty-three (24) libraries. My goal for 2016 is to reach 30.
1. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel 2. Holocaust Memorial Library, Washington, D.C. 3, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 4. St. Cloud Public Library, St. Cloud, FL 5. Florida Holocaust Museum St,. Petersburg, FL, 6. Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida, Naples, Florida 7. Holocaust Center of Florida Maitland, FL, 8. Holocaust Museum Hollywood FL, 9. University of Miami Alumni Library, Coral Gables, FL. 10. Florida International University Library, Miami, FL, 11. University of Miami Holocaust Library, Coral Gables, FL, 12. Miami-Dade County Library, (Downtown Branch) Miami, FL., 13. Miami-Dade County Library, (Pinecrest Branch) Pinecrest, FL., 14. Miami-Dade County Library, (Miami Beach Branch) Miami Beach, FL., 15. Temple Beth Am Israel, Cooper City, FL, 16. Barry University Library, Miami Shores. FL, 17. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.18. Broward County’s Northwest Regional Library, Coral Springs, FL., 19. Nova Southeastern University, Life- Long Learning Institute, Davie, Florida, 20. West Regional Broward County Library, Plantation, FL, 21. Broward College, Main Campus, Davie, FL, Wilton Manors Public Library, Wilton Manors, FL. 23. United States Holocaust Museum Library Boca Raton, FL 24. Downtown Fort Lauderdale Jewish Center (Chabad) Library, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Number of Writing Awards— Seven (7) —–(1) Lip Service selection of the “The Stairs” for YouTube production and live performance (2008). (2) Healthy Stories, 2007 from the American Public Health Association,—(3) 2015 from the South Florida Writers Association for poem— (4) 2015— Tales2Inspire selects story, Chocolates Filled With Music for publication in their book. (5) 2015— First place prize for Best Non-fiction Story, from The South Florida Writer’s Association for “The Stairs”. (6) 2015— Second place poetry prize for “Testosterone” The South Florida Writer’s Association. (7) 2016—“The Hanukkah Bunny” — First place for memoir writing from the South Florida Writers Association
Number of hits on YouTube 83. My goal for 2016 is to reach 130. This goal may require that I go to my video on YouTube at least 50 times.
Number of blog posts is 306. My goal for 2017 to reach 400 posts.
Pinterest with 61 followers.
Follow Mort at Mortlaitner.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter @LaitnerMort
http://www.amazon.com/A-Hebraic-Obsession-Mort-Laitner/dp/0996036903
For autographed copy of book send check or money order made out to Mort Laitner in the amount of $25.00 hard cover or$18.00 paperback to Mort Laitner, 8679 SW 51st Street, Cooper City, Florida 33328. These costs include shipping and handling.
