The Tarot Channel

Janet Boyer Announces Creation of Boyer House

Best-selling Tarot authors are having their proposals turned down. Innovative ideas are being rejected daily by traditional publishing houses.

These are tough times for the book, as well as for traditional publishers and authors. Many in the industry are skittish about taking risks. Seasoned professionals are second-guessing their ability to predict worthwhile (re: income generating) books.

Exciting, fresh and entertaining content is just waiting to burst out into the world.

And I plan on being a part of this birthing process.

Today, I've started my own indie publishing house called Boyer House, or B House for short. (Notice how the B looks pregnant? And like half of the butterfly waiting to take wing?)

Initial offerings will be compilations and books by me, Janet Boyer. 

Let me be upfront and honest (unlike one self-publishing Tarot venture that took people's money then tanked): The first two compilations will not pay any money to the contributor. You will get, however, a bio touting your own work and/or website. You'll also get a free copy of the compilation, as well as both my gratitude and the Tarot community's for believing in your own work and deciding to put it out there for us all to enjoy.

I will handle the acquisitions, submissions, editing and so on, and will publish these compilations (and, later, my own books and books by other authors which will, by then, pay a flat fee to the contributor). I will be doing this through CreateSpace, which is owned by Amazon.com. As you may have heard, CreateSpace just announced Dec. 3, 2009 that they've partnered with America's largest book distributor, Ingram Content Group (you can read more about it at this link). This means books will be available not only on Amazon.com, but also to libraries, bookstores and other online retailers.

The first compilation is the Boyer Tarot Anthology Volume 1. I am now accepting fresh, never-before-published content for this anthology, including articles, interviews, profiles, spreads, fiction pieces and more. If you know my (solid) reputation as a reviewer and champion for excellence in writing, then you can be assured that only the most innovative, insightful, helpful and mind-blowing pieces will garner my approval. (This means that not all submissions will be accepted.)

If you wrote a piece for the now defunct Tarot World Annual (that was never published) you can re-submit to me for the Boyer Tarot Anthology Volume 1 (I have almost all of the edited originals, I believe).

The second compilation is called Tarot Cooks. It will feature favorite and original recipes by Tarot authors, bloggers, artists and deck creators, and will also include food tidbits filtered through the lens of Tarot throughout the book. I'm now accepting recipes for this compilation, as well.

You can email your inquires and submissions to the email address on my site http://JanetBoyer.com. Just look for the Email tab on the navigation menu to the left.

I have two Tarot books of my own circulating through traditional publishers but if those houses decline my proposals (or take too long deciding), I'll publish those through Boyer House, too.

In the future, I'll be able to publish works by others, too, for a flat one-time payment to the author. Yes, I will get all the royalties for those future works, but it will save me on legal headaches creating an LLC and paying royalties myself (I hate working with numbers!). You'll have the benefit of my high profile as an Amazon.com Top 10/Vine Reviewer (as well as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer and Contributor to Lunch.com), as well as a respected Tarot reviewer/editor and traditionally-published author myself.

For unpublished authors, these opportunities will be great ways to get known. For already published authors, it will introduce new readers to your existing work and build upon your current portfolio of work.

But perhaps most importantly, it will get your work out there, in print, to those who may not have discovered you (yet).

It's time to take publishing into our hands. Will you join me?

-- Janet Boyer, Founder of Boyer House

P.S. Feel free to share this announcement on your blog, via Twitter or Facebook, and on any Tarot Forums/Groups you belong to!

Guess what's in fashion?

Women's Wear Daily introduces us to "Fashion's Favorite Psychic," Tarot reader Dante Sabatino.

Build Your Metaphysical Business

If you're a professional Tarot reader, Astrologer, Reiki therapist or other metaphysical practitioner, Elizabeth Genco has some valuable information she'd like to share with you about building your business!

BuildYourMetaphysicalBusiness.com is a site dedicated to giving metaphysical and holistic solo practitioners the tools they need to make more money, help more people, and have much more fun in the process.

You can get a free interview called Grow Your Business With Spirit with Tarotist James Wells at Elizabeth's site, as well as sign up for her free newsletter and marketing teleclasses on how to be a client magnet. To find out what others are saying about Elizabeth's marketing wisdom, click here.

-- Janet Boyer

Tarot Tiles

With the Rider-Waite deck as her inspiration, artist Amy Hanks of Mudpuppy Clay Studio combines tumbled Botticino marble tiles and special inks for her lustrous Tarot Tiles.

The tiles can be used for any water application, as well as backsplashes, coasters or other decorative pieces. Tarot images are available in 6" x 6", 4" x 4" and  2" x 2", with the  4" x 4" tiles featuring an easel back as well as a wall hanger and the 2" x 2" fashioned as ceramic magnets.

For more information and to see the Major Arcana displayed in tile, click here.

-- Janet Boyer

Tarot Boxes and Plaques by Ron Boyer

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know about the Tarot boxes and Tarot-themed plaques created by my very talented (and sweet!) husband. His highly-detailed woodburns are truly exquisite, as are his acrylic paintings.

Both the boxes and plaques are basswood, and custom motifs can either be woodburned onto the surface or painted with acrylics. For artwork based on the Tarot, you can choose a Rider-Waite-Smith inspired image of your liking or commission Ron to create a special illustration based on your experience and interpretation of a specific card or other Tarot-related idea.

Or, if you'd prefer, Ron can customize your Tarot box (they come in two sizes) with other themes such as:

• Power Animals/Animal Totems
• Archetypes and Symbols (Warrior, Magician, Writer, Artist, Teacher, Shaman, etc.)
• Glyphs (For example, planetary, elemental or alchemical glyphs)
• Elemental themes (Water, Fire, Air, Earth)
• Outdoor scenes (Ocean, lighthouses, trees, rocks, forests, etc.)
• Water creatures (Dolphins, starfish, seahorses, turtles, etc.)
• Space motifs (Sun, Moon, constellations, and other planets)
• Mythological/Fantastical creatures (Green Man, Mermaids, Faeries, etc.)

In the near future, he'll also be adding finished boxes to our site for individuals to purchase outright. (Any nominations for his next Tarot box? The Fool? The Moon? Strength? The Star? Something else?)

For more information and to see some of Ron's art, including a plaque he made for me based on The Hermit, click here.

-- Janet Boyer

Tarot Reading Special for May 2007

Hi all!

I just wanted to let you know of a special I'm running on Tarot readings. For any of the following $25 readings, if you put "Tarot Channel Coupon" in the Comments section of your order (via PayPal), I'll refund you $5!

• Relationship Reading
• Makeover Reading
• Career/Vocation Reading
• Parenting Reading
• Decision Reading
• Heart of the Matter Reading

If you have multiple concerns spanning various life areas, I have a special for my Whole Enchilada Reading, too! Regularly $65, if you put "Tarot Channel Coupon" in the Comments section of your order, I'll refund you $20! If you forget the note, no worries! Just email me with the message you forgot to include in the Comments section.

You can take a look at the Readings I offer by clicking here. This special offer expires May 31st 2007 at Midnight EST.

-- Janet Boyer

What to Wear

Did anyone else find the Tarot Reading Couture post on February 16, 2007 interesting? My mind went in three different directions at once while reading it.

1. What do I wear for readings? My normal clothes, which as a lover of fashion, clothes, shoes, and jewelry, tend to be as fashionable as I can afford. They are nice and attractive, but basically business clothes.

2. What do I wish I wore? Well, if I were younger, thinner, taller, and richer, I'd be acquiring a wardrobe of mostly Gypsy Moon clothes. And, I was excited to see that they have a new line of Faeryware inspired by Amy Brown. Heck, I'd love to dress like that all day, everyday, not just for readings. 

3. Is there an upside to dressing "the part"? Which also includes the question "what does 'the part' look like?" That question should probably be a seperate discussion. But pretending you have an idea about what most people's stereotype of a fortuneteller looks like, is there any benefit to dressing as such? When I was in college (that's when I started reading tarot), a friend was over for a study session. Another friend stopped by for a reading. I did the reading, as I always have and still do...with no hocus pocus or mysticism, just very plain reading. When the querent left, my study partner, who did not believe in anything mystic, said that I should add some hocus pocus or mystical elements to my reading style. Surprised, I asked why. His explanation seemed sensible: People come for reading wanting something bigger than the everyday. They are seeking a connection with the divine. If you add something mystical, you make it easier for them to accept you and the reading as a liminal experience, as a doorway that does connect to the divine.

While I always thought his idea made sense, I still, after all these years, have not included anything particularly mystical in my reading style.

Health Readings: How Far Do You Go?

The Salvador Dali Museum recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the museum's marketing director pointed out that Dali's wife, Gala, read the Tarot.

At DaliFest, there was a Tarot Reader on hand to read the cards. According to this article, the reader predicted cancer with one of the atendees:

Surrounded by images of Dali's work, Monica Hilbert, a tarot reader, warned one client about a pending bout with cancer, but assured that the illness would quickly pass.

How do YOU approach health readings, if at all? What are your thoughts about a "reading" like this one given at DaliFest?

Me--I believe in the power of suggestion and self-fulfilling prophecy...so I steer WAY clear of anything that smacks of a medical reading.

-- Janet Boyer

The Changing Face of Online Readings

YouTube user Ca8Amy8 borrows spreads from Aeclectic.net (and, nicely, gives them credit), then posts short videos of her readings to the world's most popular website for video sharing. In the comments, she notes she'll be happy to perform the same reading for other YouTube users.

Her approach is decidedly low-tech -- card position labels are scrawled on scraps of paper, and some wild cam-swinging can make the video tough to watch -- but it's sincere.

If you're a Tarot reader looking to build your business by reading online, you might consider picking up an inexpensive web cam, getting yourself a reliable internet connection, and offering your clients video readings. You could take questions via email, take payments via PayPal, upload your readings to YouTube, and send your clients links to their reading ... all from the comfort of your home.