Date: March 16, 1997
To: Third Party Flyer Developers
From: Joe Tracy
About: Publication of Your Products

If you develop any products that work in relation with the Video Toaster Flyer, this is an important message for you. Those not developing Flyer related products may ignore this message.

As you are probably aware, I have nearly completed work on a Flyer production book for Flyer owners called the Flyer Mastery Guide. The press release at the end of this message gives more information on the book.

One of my chapters is dedicated to third party Flyer products. In this chapter I am GIVING YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE YOUR FLYER-RELATED PRODUCT FOR FREE. The entire chapter is dedicated to letting product manufacturers, like yourself, give DETAILED information on EACH product you make for the Flyer. I view this as a SERVICE for the readers and as an excellent opportunity for you to get the word out on your Flyer related products (including Amiga LightWave plug-ins). Here's how the process works:

I am allowing you to write up to a 400 WORD DESCRIPTION of EACH of your products for publication in the Flyer Mastery Guide. Furthermore, I am allowing you to write up to 800 words consisting of a TUTORIAL for each of your products. So say that company ABC has a Flyer product called "FlightLine". Company ABC can write up to 400 words describing the product then a separate 800 word TUTORIAL on how to use one or more of the product's features. If the company also put out a program called "FlyerFluShot", they would again be given 400 words to describe the program and 800 words to present a tutorial.

As you can see, this is an excellent opportunity for you as the book is being purchased by a dedicated market of Flyer owners looking to improve their production skills. The reader benefits from the added information and you benefit from the added sales. I benefit by having the information available to present.

There is a deadline for the information to be in to me - APRIL 2, 1997. Please do not send me press releases, but rather structure your product description and tutorial for the reader. You may also submit one image per product.

Here's a breakdown of what I need from you:

COMPANY NAME
COMPANY ADDRESS
COMPANY PHONE NUMBER
COMPANY WWW ADDRESS
COMPANY E-MAIL ADDRESS
PRODUCT NAME
PRODUCT PRICE
400 WORD PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
800 WORD PRODUCT TUTORIAL
AN IMAGE OF YOUR PRODUCT

The above is for EACH product you make for the Flyer. These must be software or hardware products developed for use or association with the Video Toaster Flyer.

The tutorials are an added option and BONUS for the reader that help show him/her an example of your product in use. It is also a great opportunity for current owners of your product to try out your tutorial.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me via jtracy@main.rosenet.net. The book goes to printing in mid-April and is being shipped on April 25, 1997. I wrote the book with the knowledge and blessing of both NewTek and Advanstar. I first checked to make sure that no other Flyer books were being published (there weren't) and that writing a book for Flyer owners in no way represented a conflict of interest with NewTekniques magazine (I was assured it didn't). For the past four months I've been working on making this dream a reality and now that it is a few pages from completion, I am pleased to be able to give you the opportunity to freely promote your product.

There is no rush. Simply have the information to me by April 2. For places I do not receive information from, there will be a short one - two sentence description of their products and not tutorial.

I look forward to receiving your information in the near future.

Sincerely,

Joe Tracy, Author
Flyer Mastery Guide

PRESS RELEASE

(San Diego, March 14, 1997): Joe Tracy, Editor in Chief of NewTekniques magazine, has announced the release of his first book for Video Toaster Flyer owners called the "Flyer Mastery Guide". The book, written to help Flyer owners master Flyer production, goes on sale starting April 14 and begins shipping on April 25. The cost is $49.95 per book plus $4 shipping.

Studio Visions, a video production support organization in Roseburg, Oregon, is publishing the Flyer Mastery Guide which is expected to be over 175 pages in length.

Tracy made the surprise announcement at The Professional Video Toaster/Flyer User Group meeting in San Diego where he was giving Flyer tutorial demonstrations on March 13.

"I've been working on the book for months," says Tracy, "but I kept it highly secret until it was nearly complete so that people would see it as a pleasant surprise versus an expectation."

Tracy started working on the Flyer Mastery Guide after the announced closure of Video Toaster User, which he was editor in chief. When he was named NewTekniques Editor in Chief a month later, he briefly stopped writing.

"I wanted to make sure that writing the book was in no way considered a conflict of interest by Advanstar Communications who publish NewTekniques," says Tracy. He adds that his superior was very supportive of the idea and with the support of Advanstar and management in NewTek, the project continued.

"The Flyer Mastery Guide was created to help Flyer users take their production work to a higher level. The book is full of tutorials, tips, and techniques to help users master the art of Flyer production," says Tracy.

Tracy wrote a column for Flyer owners in Video Toaster User called "The Flyer Suite". He also writes a Flyer column in NewTekniques magazine called "Flying High". For four years, Tracy also taught high school students how to use the Video Toaster, LightWave 3D, and the Video Toaster Flyer when it was released. Together his classes used NewTek products to create satellite TV broadcasts that were aired nationally and in a number of other countries. The information in the guide is presented in a user friendly step-by-step method as was Tracy’s practice when teaching.

The Flyer Mastery Guide is not a technical reference, but rather a production reference. Things like installing the Flyer or drives are not covered in the guide. The focus, rather, is on production and bringing the power of all the Flyer sections together to create solid and influential projects.

Chapters in the Flyer Mastery Guide include: Flyer Basics & Beyond, Optimizing Your Flyer, Flyer Tutorials, Fixing Flyer Problems, Flyer Tips & Shortcuts, Third Party Products, and The Next Level. The biggest chapter is Flyer Tutorials which contains over 15 in-depth tutorials on mastering different aspects of the Flyer including powerful tutorials on using Flyer clips with LightWave.

Studio Visions is taking a unique approach to the book’s release and future. To understand this approach, it is important to note that the pages will not be bound, but rather in a Flyer Mastery Guide notebook so that they can be removed and replaced. The approach is to create Flyer Mastery Guide versions like software. The first release is version 1.0. A number of months later, the book may need updating to reflect new fixes, bug upgrades, and new series of tutorials. Instead of buying a whole new book for $49.95, the owner will be able to purchase the upgraded information at a drastically reduced cost. By simply following the instructions of page replacement, which will be very user friendly, the owner has a "new" book with updated information.

Orders for the Flyer Mastery Guide aren't being accepted until April 14, 1997. The book ships on April 25. The toll free order line is 1-800-672-1880. Visa and MasterCard are acceptable payments. Checks and money orders are also acceptable if mailed to Studio Visions, 1038 W. Harvard Blvd, Roseburg, OR 97470. Be sure to include your name and shipping address. The total cost, including shipping, is $53.95. Dealers are welcome to inquire by calling Studio Visions at 541-672-1880 after April 1.