May 9, 2008

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Most of us are familiar with the term, “horse whisperer,” due to the film of the same name starring Robert Redford. But a horse handicapper? Wiki.com defines thoroughbred handicapping in games and sports as “the art of predicting horses who have the greatest chance of winning a race, and profiting from these predictions at horse races.” This can very well describe the nature of the job Noel Michaels is in. Apart from being in known in horseracing circles as an ace horse handicapper, Noel is also the author of the humorous Xlibris release, Fix Six. Armed with his wit, his knowledge of the sport, and his renowned eloquence with the written word, Noel gives his readers front-row seat tickets to the horse derbies through his Fix Six.

This book is his fictional, albeit satirical, account of real-life events that actually occurred in 2002. While the original characters of the story were a group of smart college buddies who first struck it rich at the horse races then eventually got caught due to several unfortunate circumstances, his Fix Six characters are composed of incompetent bumblers who managed to succeed in their betting sprees due to a severe case of dumb luck.

The reception to Noel’s Fix Six has been more than ecstatic so far. In fact, marketing his book has made him busier than ever. Noel has several book signings and guest appearances in several radio and TV talk shows lined up in his schedule. However, there are no complaints from this author, especially since he has been employing a special marketing strategy. “I have been a horseracing writer for nearly 20 years, so my name is well known in the sport. That seemed like the most logical place to focus my marketing,” he reveals.

It is this secret that Noel shares with other authors who have marketing concerns. He states, “Start by marketing your book where your name recognition is the greatest, or where you wish to establish some name recognition the most. These gains will be more valuable to authors than any money they can make.”

Recognition in his chosen field is primarily part of the driving force that gave Noel the inspiration to self-publish Fix Six with Xlibris – and he has not regretted his choice of publisher. He elaborates: “I think the most important thing about a self-publishing company is its ability to produce a professional-looking final product. Also, despite the fact that the book is self-published, it is nice to have the backing of a big well-regarded company like Xlibris standing behind the book, doing the legwork on so many elements from the beginning of the publishing process to the finish.”

In separating the man from the lover of the horseracing sport, one would see that there is not much difference. While the sport itself involves a bit of living on the edge, the man also has a zest for life. “I revel in life's vices, and am proud to say I drink and gamble every day of my life while living life to the fullest,” Noel explains. He adds, “I've been doing things my own unconventional way for nearly 40 years, and it has worked out fine for me so far.”

Fix Six may be purchased directly through Xlibris Corporation or Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com.

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