TIPS FOR A PROFITABLE BOOK SELLING EVENT

I am quoted in Publisher's Weekly about how to hold a successful Author event:

“The key to a successful event is lining up partner organizations that have as much to gain from a good turnout as you do,” says Alina Adams, author of the book Getting into NYC Kindergarten, published last April. She hosts workshops on navigating New York’s school application system at local businesses that are interested in getting her target market—parents of children ages newborn to four years old—through their doors. “Hosting my workshop allows them to advertise themselves in a new way, while I get access to a customer base I might not have otherwise,” she says.

Read the entire article at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/69770-the-indie-authors-guide-to-organizing-author-events.html

THE FIDDLER ON THE ROOF... AND ME

The latest revival of Fiddler on the Roof, currently playing at the Broadway Theatre, opens with Danny Burnstein in modern dress, standing beneath a train station sign announcing “Anatevka” in Russian. He takes out a book and reads the opening lines of the show out loud as if from a diary, before taking off the 21^st Century clothes and assuming the role of Tevye the Milkman. At the very end, as the villagers are heading out after having been evicted, Burnstein returns wearing his present day outfit, picks up the handles of the cart Tevye was previously dragging, and moves on with the rest of them.

Passover is next month. One of the edicts to celebrate by reading the familiar story of the Jewish exodus is for every participant to feel “as if you personally had come out of Egypt.” That’s what this new opening and closing made me think of.

Luckily, it’s a snap for me to put myself in Tevye and Co’s shoes. Find out why (and even see a picture) at: https://www.tdf.org/stages/article/1410/what-becomes-of-the-family-in-fiddler

SOAP OPERA CLIFF-HANGERS WHERE CHARACTERS HANG OFF CLIFFS

Monday, March 21 marked the 36^th anniversary of the greatest soap-opera cliffhanger the world had ever seen: Dallas’ Who Shot JR? It raised the bar for television cliffhangers, both primetime and daytime and though multiple attempts have been made since – including the TNT reboot having him shot and, this time, killed, and their ironic first season tag which literally featured the character of Cliff… in a (plane) hanger – no show has proven able to duplicate the international hysteria the original triggered.

Not that daytime hasn’t given it the old college try, repeatedly. Often by sending someone flailing off an actual cliff. Just last week, as they went into their March Madness hiatus, The Bold & the Beautiful had Quinn give Deacon the old heave-ho in order to keep him quiet about Quinn’s keeping an amnesiac Liam away from his loved ones (especially the ex-fiancée who was about to marry Liam’s brother – Quinn’s son).

Will viewers ever see Deacon again now that he’s falling many hundreds of feet into the Pacific Ocean? We calculate the odds based on previous cliffhanging cliff-topplers from shows including GH, DAYS, Y&R, GL, OLTL, AMC and more at Entertainment Weekly: http://community.ew.com/2016/03/22/soap-opera-cliffhangers/

TOP 5 SOAP OPERA SUPPERVILLAINS

Soap-opera villains come in two flavors. There are your Young & Restless Victors and General Hospital Sonnys, who bellow and stomp their feet and attack innocent glassware in fits of rage when things (i.e. business, women, children) don’t go exactly their way. But they, along with the women who fake pregnancies and drug men into thinking they had sex despite being unconscious, are still, more or less, within the realm of reality and actions that actual human beings might, under some very particular circumstances, engage in. Even Days of Our Live’s newest daddy for John (yes, there have been quite a few of them) is still teetering on the precipice. At the moment, kidnapping babies, holding leading men prisoner and wanting to drain all of his son’s blood for a transfusion still falls under acceptable crazy status.

Then there are the supervillains. Bad guys – and gals – who aren’t constrained by space, time, gravity, science, or weather. They’re the ones who, in theory, could take down a soap town’s Big Bad on Campus – not just Victor and Sonny, but DAYS’ own Victor, even the Bold & the Beautiful’s face-morphing Sheila – without breaking a sweat… or a nail. The fact that they don’t has to mean they either don’t see these merely mortal villains as a threat. Or just don’t believe getting rid of them would be sporting. And/or worth their time.

So who are these comic-book worthy foes, and what has lifted them into the pantheon above run-of-the-mill schemers and thugs? We count down our Top 5 Favorites at Entertainment Weekly, here: http://community.ew.com/2016/03/15/soap-opera-supervillains/

IMAGES OF JEWS ON TV: OF KINGS AND PROPHETS

While I’ve written before about how Jewish women get theshort end of the stick on TV, it’s not like Jewish men do much better. Woody Allen set the standard, and the nebbish, hyper-intellectual loser with girls cliché still sticks (let’s not talk about how the majority of Jewish male characters on TV are married to or involved with non-Jewish women – that’s a whole other post topic for another time).

That’s why I was intrigued to hear that ABC was launching a weekly series, Of Kings & Prophets, based on the Biblical story of King Saul, that uppity shepherd, David, the prophet Samuel, presumed heir apparent Jonathan, conflicted princess Michal and assorted other supporting players (no word yet if Batsheba will be making an appearance down the line).

It’s going to be pretty hard to drop stereotypical New York Jews with their whiny, nasal drawls, proudly un-athletic physiques and fondnesses for Shiksa goddesses into, as the onscreen Chyron explains, “Gibeah, the capital of Israel.” Especially when the producers promise to go “as far as we can” with the sex and violence. An ABC executive called it “muscular.” The network ran a “may not be appropriate for all audiences” disclaimer prior to airing the pilot.

Were we finally going to get some atypical Jewish male representation on TV? And would it be worth watching?

Find out here: http://www.kveller.com/of-kings-prophets-may-be-the-most-atypical-jewish-show-on-tv-right-now/

SOAP OPERA STORIES THAT WIN DAYTIME EMMYS

Last week on The Bold & the Beautiful, after denying that she was spiraling out of control emotionally and developing a drinking problem, to boot, Katie smashed the glass tumbler holding her alcohol. Then, to demonstrate how desperately low she’d sunk, a tearful Katie picked up the broken tumbler and sipped from it anyway.

(One does have to wonder why, as there were plenty of other, intact glasses on the bar, and a half-full bottle, next to it. Why didn’t she just pour herself another drink and go to town without fear of ingesting shards destined to shred her intestines Probably because it would have been less cinematic.)

Heather Tom, who plays Katie, is the only actress in history to ever win Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Younger Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actress, and Outstanding Lead Actress. Odds are, there’s another Emmy (at least a nomination) in her future for this Katie Is An Alcoholic storyline.

The Daytime Emmys love alcoholic storylines. (Not as much as they like twin stories, or rape stories but alcohol is right up there.)

Find out which actors have won in the past for playing drunk and hear from Another World's Linda Dano (Felicia) on how her Emmy-winning intervention came together, here: http://community.ew.com/2016/03/08/daytime-emmys-love-alcoholics/

MAKING EVEN MORE MONEY OFF YOUR SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK

Thanks to Cary Press for quoting my tip on how to make even more money off your self-published book than you expected:

Alina Adams: Last April, I self-published a book, “Getting Into NYC Kindergarten,” to help parents navigate this Draconian process. I thought that would be that, but because so many people wanted to talk about their particular situation after reading the book, I began offering private consultations. Now I make more money doing consults than I do selling the book!

I also conduct workshops, record podcasts on the subject, and am developing "Accepted! Secrets of NYC School Admissions" as a television show.

From one self-published book to media empire!