New Book Series, Emerging Civil War, Debuts

Savas Beatie is pleased to announce the debut of the Emerging Civil War Series. The first two titles will be co-authored by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher White.

The Emerging Civil War Series offers compelling and easy-to-read overviews of some of the Civil War’s most important battles and issues.

“The Civil War is America's great story. What makes it so vital, though, is that it's not just the story of us as a nation, it's the story of us as individuals--real people with real hopes and fears and dreams and flaws. Telling those very human stories in the context of that vital national story sits at the heart of this series,” said author Mackowski.

Authors Mackowski and White have worked for years along Fredericksburg’s Sunken Road and Stone Wall, and they’ve escorted thousands of visitors across the battlefield. Simply Murder, the first book in the series, will be available from Savas Beatie in December 2012 and debut at the 150th anniversary events at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Virginia.

Simply Murder: The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, not only recounts Fredericksburg’s tragic story of slaughter, but includes invaluable information about the battlefield itself and the insights Mackowski and White learned from years of walking the ground. 

“Readers will see the war in a new way, through fresh perspectives. We want to grab their attention and, I hope, lead them on to further study and deeper understanding,” said Mackowski.

This will be followed by the second book in the series, A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 8-21, 1864, scheduled to release in 2013.

"We are always on the lookout for new ways to bring Civil War material to our readers," said Savas Beatie Marketing Director Sarah Keeney. "We know Civil War-lovers will see value in this series, and I'm sure we'll create some new history fans with the easily-accessible content in the Emerging Civil War Series."

About the Authors

Chris Mackowski is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, and also works with the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, which includes the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania battlefields.

Kristopher D. White is a historian for the Penn-Trafford Recreation Board and a continuing education instructor for the Community College of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served for five years as a staff military historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, and is a former Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg.

Longtime friends, Mackowski and White have co-authored several books and numerous articles for various Civil War magazines. They also co-founded the blog Emerging Civil War, which can be read here.

Thank Our Troops During Military Appreciation Month

In honor of November, Military Appreciation Month, you're invited to send words of encouragement and gratitude to our deployed troops overseas. Tell our troops how much they mean to you and our country, messages will be delivered Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Announcement to be made on Katie Couric next Tuesday, November 20th. If you have a special service member in mind, collaborate with friends and family and create your own message at www.evergram.com

Send your message now: ThankOurTroops.Evergram.com

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UPDATE December 3, 2012:

There's still time to send a message to troops overseas! Send your message from now until Christmas following the simple steps at the link below.

As seen on Katie Couric,  Evergram - a keepsake messaging platform - has announced an outreach program for military families and civilians. Evergram invites you to send words of encouragement and gratitude to our deployed troops overseas. Tell our troops how much they mean to you and our country by sending a message through ThankOurTroops.Evergram.com. Messages will be delivered on Christmas Day!

The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory book trailer

Watch The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory book trailer!

John Bell Hood Documents Discovered

John Bell Hood Documents Discovered

Significant historical find changes how Hood has been portrayed

(El Dorado Hills, CA)— The Battle of Franklin Trust Chief Operating Officer Eric A. Jacobson announced today at Carnton Plantation the discovery of several hundred documents, letter and orders of Confederate General John Bell Hood.  While conducting research for an upcoming book on the general, West Virginia’s Sam Hood, a collateral descendent and student of the career of Hood, was invited to inspect a collection of the general’s papers, held by a descendent.

Savas Beatie will be publishing this upcoming book by Sam Hood entitled John Bell Hood: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Confederate General (http://tinyurl.com/8jpubuq) in spring 2013, a detailed point by point defense of General Hood’s career.

As timing would have it, John Bell Hood: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Confederate General was completed before this recent document discovery.  Much of his book argues that known evidence before the recent cache find has been misinterpreted or blatantly misused by many latter-day authors.  Hood critically notes several authors who he believes perpetuated the use of Hood as a target for Lost Cause architects.  Some of the newly discovered information on the Atlanta Campaign, the Spring Hill affair, and the Battle of Franklin will be included in Sam Hood’s upcoming book, but since the total collection will take several months to transcribe, more important information on John Bell Hood - the man and the soldier - cannot, by necessity, be revealed until later.

In making today’s announcement, Sam Hood said, “I felt like the guy who found the Titanic, except for the fact everyone knew the Titanic was out there somewhere, while I had no clue that some of the stuff I found even existed.”

Sam Hood added, “General Hood is certainly no stranger to controversy. During his colorful military career and with historians ever since, he has remained a controversial and tragic figure of the Civil War.  Long noted for the loss of Atlanta and what some consider reckless behavior at the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin after a lost opportunity for possible victory at Spring Hill, he has often been the subject of ridicule and blame for the demise of the Confederacy in the West.”

Eric Jacobson, who has viewed a portion of the collection said, “This is one of the most significant Civil War discoveries in recent history.  These documents also tell us as much by what they don’t say.  One major example is the discovery of Hood’s medical journal, kept by his doctor, John T. Darby, during the war.  As they are being transcribed it will be interesting to see what, if any, use of painkillers is mentioned, and how judicious his doctors were in prescribing opiates.  Hood was much more multi-faceted than how he has been portrayed by some as a simple minded and poorly equipped commander.”

Jacobson has been one of only a few contemporary Army of Tennessee historians to give Hood the benefit of fatigue, fog of war and failures of subordinates as part of the breakdown of the Army of Tennessee in late 1864.

Some of the items found include recommendations for promotion, handwritten by Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet.  Also uncovered was wartime correspondence between General Hood and generals R. E. Lee, Braxton Bragg, Louis T. Wigfall, and other senior commanders as well, as his four general officer commission papers.  Roughly seventy post-war letters from other Civil War notables were also discovered, mostly concerning the controversy with Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and used to compose Hood's memoir Advance & Retreat.  Hood added, “This is just the tip of the iceberg on the expansive collection.”

“I spent three days photocopying and inventorying,” added Sam Hood.  “I held in my hands documents signed by Jefferson Davis, Longstreet, Jackson and Lee.” 

Keith Bohannon, professor of history at the University of West Georgia, says most of Hood’s biographers assumed that Hood’s papers, other than those known to be archived, were lost or destroyed.  “Some of John Bell Hood’s official papers were presumably sold to the Federal government near the time of his death in 1879,” Bohannon said.  Hood and his wife, Anna Marie, both died in New Orleans from yellow fever and left behind ten orphaned children.  Before his death at age 48, Hood was in poor financial condition and was working to sell this information to better the financial plight of his family, according to Bohannon.

“I have been fighting to correct some of the misperceptions and vicious myths of General Hood for years,” added Sam Hood.  “These documents will shed a lot of light that will change some of those views.”

Savas Beatie LLC is a leading military and general history publishing company. For more information, visit www.savasbeatie.com

The Battle of Franklin Trust is a 501 (c) 3 management corporation acting on behalf of Franklin’s battlefield sites to contribute to a greater understanding and enrich the visitor experience of the November 30, 1864 battle. It’s organized for the charitable and educational purposes of preserving, restoring, maintaining and interpreting the properties, artifacts and documents related to the battle so as to preserve an important part of the nation’s history. Contact: Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust, eric@battleoffranklintrust.org

Savas Beatie to Sell Casemate Titles

Savas Beatie is pleased to announce that it has finalized an agreement with Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors LLC to distribute its titles into non-book trade accounts within the United States. The companies have a longstanding business relationship and are well-suited to working together.

Savas Beatie, a leader in the independent military and general history book publishing industry, has produced many award-winning titles and national book club selections. One of the company’s strong suits has been its ability to open and maintain a vibrant revenue stream outside the general book trade. In addition to bulk specialty sales, the company has been especially successful establishing relationships with state and national park sites, gift shops, museum stores, and other related outlets.

Casemate Publishers is a leading book publisher and a dominant independent book distributor for dozens of publishing lines, including Savas Beatie. While Casemate will continue handling general book trade accounts, Savas Beatie will now place titles published by Casemate and some of its distributed lines into specialty and non-book club accounts throughout the country.

“This arrangement is a natural outgrowth of our longstanding relationship,” explains Managing Director Theodore Savas. “Each of us is focusing on our strengths. The ability for us to broaden our selection with an entirely new line of titles from such a quality publisher is a very exciting development.”

Casemate’s President David Farnsworth is also looking forward to the partnership. “We have been successfully distributing Savas Beatie titles into the book trade since 2004, and now they will handle ours in similar fashion outside the trade. It is a win-win for everyone, and we look forward to strengthening our position in new markets with our broad line of military and general history titles,” says Farnsworth.

About Savas Beatie

Savas Beatie LLC is a leading military and general history publishing company. For more information, visit www.savasbeatie.com

About Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors LLC

Founded in 2001, Casemate is a major specialist publisher and book distributor in the North American market. For more information, visit www.casematepublishers.com

The Maryland Campaign, Volume II book trailer

Watch The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, Volume II: Antietam book trailer!

Confessions of a Military Wife for only $2.99!

Get Confessions of a Military Wife
Kindle Edition for only $2.99!

  

From now until the end of July, Confessions of a Military Wife by Mollie Gross is available for download on your Kindle for only $2.99!  

  

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list!

 

Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read! 

  

Confessions of a Military Wife 

by Mollie Gross  

 

"Confessions should be issued to EVERY military girlfriend or wife. . ."  - Autumn Leigh, Marine wife

Confessions of a Military Wife is an honest, witty, and often hilarious look at the life of the new generation military wife. Mollie Gross learned the hard way to laugh instead of cry at what she could not control as a military spouse-and as she quickly discovered, nearly everything was out of her control!

A standup comedienne, public speaker, and wife of a USMC Iraq war Veteran, Mollie explores everything about the "issued" spouse, from deployment and the stress of having a husband in a combat zone, to the realization that marriage changes when your husband returns home from war.    

Confessions teaches all women, whether civilian or military, that they can learn to find the funny side of anything by embracing the situation and changing their perspective. And now they can do so with humor and levity, and a little wisdom. Read more.  

  

Click here to get your copy today.  

The Petersburg Campaign book trailer

Savas Beatie proudly announces the winner of The Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award, for Reprint, 2011

PRESS RELEASE:

                                       WINNER

The Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award, for Reprint, 2011

Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth’s Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863
 (Savas Beatie, 2011) by Eric Wittenberg

Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions by author Eric Wittenberg was selected as the 2011 winner of The Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award for the reprint category. The Army Historical Foundation has an annual awards program to recognize books and articles that have made a distinctive contribution to U.S. Army history.

Wittenberg’s Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions previously won the Bachelder-Coddington award upon its initial release. Now with a completely revised and redesigned edition Wittenberg has won another major award.

“Considering that the original edition of the book won an award, I find it especially gratifying that the new edition was also recognized,” said Wittenberg. “The new edition is a completely different book, and it deserves to be judged on its own merits. I’m grateful to the good folks at Savas Beatie for sharing my vision for it, and I am similarly grateful to the Army Historical Foundation for honoring it.”

Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions is a fully revised edition that adds extensive new research, interpretations, and conclusions about the Battle of Gettysburg’s Farnsworth’s Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863. The revised edition includes: nearly 15,000 words of new material, including a new appendix (co-authored with J. David Petruzzi), a walking and driving tour complete with GPS coordinates, updated photographs to reflect the modern appearance of the Gettysburg battlefield, and a new map.

"Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions is an influential book and we are honored that it was given this prestigious award," explained Savas Beatie’s Managing Director Theodore P. Savas. "Eric is a true trail blazer in the arena of Civil War Cavalry research and writing and we are proud of our ongoing relationship with him."

Candidates are nominated by their publishers. Each candidate receives an initial screening. A select Awards Committee of distinguished military historians and writers carefully judge the finalists. Each finalist is judged against the following four criteria: Significance to U.S. Army History, quality of writing (e.g. clarity, style and analysis), historical accuracy, and presentation (e.g. use of maps, photographs or other materials).

The Distinguished Book and Article Award consists of a distinctive plaque and a nominal cash prize to the author. The winners are announced to the public at the Annual Meeting of the Army Historical Foundation in June of each year. The Army Historical Foundation, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the American soldier. Its goal is to promote greater public appreciation for the contributions that America’s Army – Active, Reserve, and National Guard – has made to the nation in 233 years of service.

The AHF Distinguished Writing Awards program was established in 1997 to recognize authors who make a significant contribution to the literature on U.S. Army history. Each year nominations are submitted to the Awards Committee by publishers and journal editors. A small group of finalists are selected and a final judging is made. For more information on the Foundation and its activities, please visit the AHF website.

About Author Eric Wittenberg

Eric J. Wittenberg is an accomplished American Civil War cavalry historian and author. An attorney in Ohio, Wittenberg is the author of many articles and the author or co-author of more than a dozen books on Civil War cavalry subjects, including The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads and the Civil War's Final Campaign; Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg; and One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Susan. 

Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth’s Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863

By Eric Wittenberg

List $17.95

ISBN: 978-1-611210-70-5

Published November 2011 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/6b3pwcg

The Maps of Antietam book trailer

The Maps of Antietam book trailer is now on Youtube! Watch the video here.

Savas Beatie announces the debut of the Savas Beatie Forum

PRESS RELEASE: Savas Beatie announces the debut of the

Savas Beatie Forum

Savas Beatie Forum: http://www.savasbeatie.com/forum/

Savas Beatie is pleased to announce the launch of a forum that is dedicated to Savas Beatie books and authors.

Forums are used as a place for people to talk about shared topics of interest with others online. Savas Beatie hopes to use the Savas Beatie forum as a place for military history fans to gather and discuss not only their favorite books, but other news in the military history world. Savas Beatie also wants to provide the opportunity for fans to be in direct contact with their favorite authors.

“One of our goals is to provide a place where our history enthusiast-readers can learn about and discuss our recent and upcoming titles,” said Marketing Director Sarah Keeney. “We are excited to announce the Savas Beatie Forum and our authors’ participation in it as a way of achieving this goal.”

The forum, launched last week, has several forum boards that forum users can peruse. The boards include general discussion about Savas Beatie books, events, and authors, a board devoted to future releases, and several boards managed by Savas Beatie authors themselves.

The authors involved on the forum include, Scott Mingus (author of Flames Beyond Gettysburg), J. David Petruzzi (author of The Complete Gettysburg Guide), Brian Jordan (author of Unholy Sabbath), Eric Wittenberg (author of Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions), and Charlie Knight (author of Valley Thunder), among others. Savas Beatie intends to add additional authors within the first few weeks of the forum’s launch.

“The Savas Beatie forum is a great way for authors to connect with their readership, answering any questions about our books or promoting upcoming works,” said author, Scott Mingus. “It has also sparked ideas for potential new works suggested by the readers.”

The Savas Beatie forum can be found on the homepage (www.savasbeatie.com).

So what's going on with Apple and ebooks?

By today, even people outside of the publishing industry have caught headlines about Apple, the big publishers, and ebooks. (Who can ignore hearing about an "aikido" move in business?)

Whether you're up to speed on the ebook pricing situation or not, this article is a perfect recap, explaining the background info and answering the most important questions.

Enjoy.

Everything you need to know about the e-book lawsuit in one post

Amazon's March Top 100 is here!

Amazon has selected two Savas Beatie books for their top 100!
Take advantage of the great Kindle prices on these books!

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list!

Act now! The promotion ends tomorrow. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

How's that for some March Madness?!

Get Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason Kindle Edition for only $2.99 and Hey Buddy Kindle Edition for $1.99!

See the newsletter offer here!

More Facebook Change is Coming!

Have you switched your personal Facebook page over to the timeline format yet? Did you know that all FB pages, including business pages, will be automatically changed over at the end of March? Prepare for the new layout with these helpful tips.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/03/05/5-key-changes-to-the-new-facebook-page-marketers-need-to-know/

Get Hey Buddy for $1.99 on Kindle!

From January 24-February 6 Hey Buddy by Gary W. Moore will be available for download on your Kindle for ONLY $1.99!

FINALIST: The Indie Book Awards, For General Non-fiction and Memoir, 2011

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list! Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music
by Gary W. Moore

Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music is a warm and intimate chronicle of the author's personal journey to discover more about Buddy himself, his music, his influence, and the times in which he lived. A rollercoaster ride of emotion, Hey Buddy offers a surprising examination of our culture and how the young man from Lubbock brought us from where we were five decades ago to where we are today.

Click here to get your copy today.

Visit the book's website. Watch the book trailer.

Get The Maps of Gettysburg Kindle Edition for only $3.99!

From now until the end of January, The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 by Bradley Gottfried is available for download on your Kindle for only $3.99!

We've had so many inquiries from customers asking how the maps in our Military Atlas Series look digitally, we took our map book for the most popular Civil War campaign (The Maps of Gettysburg, with 146 full color maps) and set up an exclusive deal with Amazon to show you what these maps look like digitally, for a very limited time download price of $3.99. Download the book on your Kindle,, try it out, and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear!

There's no better time than now to add an eBook to your reading list! Act now before the promotion ends. Don't forget to forward this offer to your friends and family, or treat them to this great read!

p.s. Don't forget - If a publication is available through Amazon/Kindle Store, then you can access it with the Kindle app on iOS and Android systems.

eBooks Infographic: Publishing Industry Statistics

Ebook statistics abound, but I thought that this information and the graphic way in which it was presented was educational and aesthetically enjoyable: ebook infographic.

Tireless promotion at its finest

Savas Beatie is fortunate enough to have wonderful authors who promote their books tirelessly. Here is just one example of authors working on gathering contacts and increasing book sales no matter the time of year or location. With their permission, I am including an excerpt from a recent email by Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason authors David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften.

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This Sunday I should be having breakfast with Newt Gingrich (along with probably a few dozen others) at the Maccabee Deli in Des Moines. I plan on giving The Speaker a copy of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason. Will also mention Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason if I have the chance and if it fits the conversation.

Meanwhile, Dan is in Washington.

DAN'S Washington DC Summary:

Politics and Prose - I stopped at Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC, and spoke with Lissa Muscatine, one of the co-owners. Lissa served in the Clinton Administration as a Presidential Speechwriter and later as Communications Director to the First Lady. She was Senior Adviser and Director of Speechwriting in the State Department with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I gave Lissa a copy of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, and told her about Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. The first question she asked me was, "Have you discussed this with Jon Favreau?" [President Obama's lead speech writer]. I said no, and then told her I'd demarcated over 70 of President Obama's speeches into the elements of a proposition. She will take a look at Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason.

Paul Begala - I stopped by Paul Begala's office at Georgetown University, where he is a visiting professor. I'd noticed that Begala, who writes for Newsweek, had selected Eric Foner's The Fiery Trial as his favorite read for 2010 (page 56 of the December 19, 2011 issue). Apparently Begala won't be back at Georgetown until the second week of January. I left a copy for him of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason with the administrative assistant. I explained Lincoln's system to her, and she was very interested. She told me she would make certain Begala got the book, and that he would be interested in it. I sent an email to Begala at his Georgetown email, but as directed by the assistant, I included an email copy to her.

National Archives Bookstore on Constitution Avenue - I stopped at this bookstore to see if they had copies of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason. They did not. I introduced myself to the woman who seemed to be the manager that shift, gave her an explanation of Lincoln, plus Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence (showed her my laminates, which I carry with me). She checked, and said they did have the book at one time (possibly after David's talk in March at National Archives II?). She will check with their book buyer. I noticed they had a good number of Lincoln books, but generally only one copy of each book. Also, they had about ten Obama books, generally five to 10 copies per book.

New York Times Washington Bureau - I stopped at the New York Times Washington Bureau on I Street (not that far from the White House). Since it was between Christmas and New Years, there were a lot more empty desks than people (only about six people). I spoke with an assistant, gave her my card. She said no reporters were there right then to talk with me. She asked me when the Obama book was coming out. I told her the Savas Beatie web site said January 2012. She seemed interested in our web site, in Lincoln, more interested in Obama. I wrote my cell phone number on the card I gave her.

CSPAN - I stopped by the CSPAN office near the Capitol. The guard put me through to a receptionist, who gave me an email to contact Book TV (which I will do). She also forwarded me to a person's voice mail - I left a voice mail with a short summary about Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, and also Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason.

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We will be publishing the second book by this dynamic duo shortly, an exclusive ebook titled Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. Visit their informative website.

Local TV Station Pitch for Authors

Here's an author thinking outside the box for you! The New Civil War Handbook author Mark Hughes will be interviewed on a local cable TV channel in North Carolina to discuss how to get a book published. What a great way to give an informative segment to the station's viewers. And, even though Mark won't be discussing his book directly, the book will be mentioned as part of his credentials and he will be using examples from his promotion of it in his suggestions and explanations. Authors, if you've already been on your local TV station to talk about your book, why not try an approach like this?