Poor Writing
Writers are poor copy editors. The reading public will forgive some errors, but not many. (It is like buying a car and discovering that there is not a spare.) Your readers deserve your talents and a perfect read. YOU MUST EDIT YOUR WORK! One thing that keeps the stigma of poor quality on self-published books is that Indie Authors make mistakes. It is best to have someone edit your writing. Maybe you know someone who is really good at the use of the English language and they will do it for a box of chocolates and a FREE signed book. (There are editors that do a very good job, but they do charge a fee.) (By the way, the big companies put out books with mistakes, too.) You write – revise – copy edit – proof – repeat, if needed. Do Not write while you try to edit your own work. Punctuation, Spelling, Typographical Mistakes. (Unprofessional Looking) Consider: Flow and thought. A disorganized book is hard to read. Bad Editing, Formating, and Layout can kill a book. Sales can be affected by a bad cover and a bad title. (Check other books. See what you like. What attracts you to a book?) Lack of Promotion, Marketing, and Distribution How will you sell a book, if no one knows it exists? You have to make a plan! Make sure you target the book to an audience. (Internet: Web Site, Facebook, Twitter, and etc.) You must maximize opportunities for potential readers to be able to get to know you and your book. Are all self-published books below standard? NO, this is a myth. Publishers today are wary of taking on new authors because of the fear of losing money. Writers, who are passionate for their craft, want to see their work in print. The benefits of self-publishing:
There is a special feeling of being able to sell and sign your own book. it is amazing. (The hardest part of self-publishing is Marketing.) Even tradition published Authors have to market their books. You must be rich or very famous to have a publishing company put a lot of money into marketing you and your book. If you want to know more about the Writer's Retreat for this Fall, email me at sleepytownpress@yahoo.com and feel free to ask. I will send you a reply with the information that you need.
Check out the Contests Page. I have listed items up to December 2012. Sign up for the Sleepytown Press Newsletter. This blog has nothing to do with Publishing. It is about an interview that I listened to this morning on my way to work.
A radio host was talking to a lady that advised Professional Athletes on how to manage their money and prepare for the future. I had not heard these percentages until now. She said that at least 78% of NFL players are bankrupt after two years of being retired. The NBA percentage was around 58%. I have been told that Baseball is even lower. Wouldn't it be nice to have so much money that you had to have a plan? I could really enjoy that for me and my family. I have not done the research, but I was told that it is the same for musicians. I know this has nothing to do with Publishing, but I was amazed at the numbers. The lady even said that one NFL player had around 70 people he was supporting. This included family and having his own barber and chef and other staff members. It was interesting and sad. So many young people dream of playing for the NFL, or NBA. They just not see the entire picture. The "Second" Annual Fall Writer's Retreat is set for November 2 - 4 at Bolton Camp, near Waldo, Alabama. Last year's retreat was "amazing," and I do mean amazing. We had the best time and those who attended said they did not realize they needed the retreat so badly.
Bolton Camp is about an hour away from Anniston and Oxford, Alabama. It is out in the country and very beautiful. This is not a hotel and conference setting. This is a Bible Campground that we rent for the Retreat. Last fall, the weather was beautiful. More information, later. Things have really been jumping here and it has been a crazy March as we go into April. So many things have been going on that it has been difficult to keep up and get everything done.
First, we had Spring Break the last week of March. It was much needed, but still it was a busy time. My wife and I took the two grandkids and made a trip to Mississippi, with a "one day visit" to Memphis. I had never been to Memphis and we were close, so we decided to spend the day there. We drove by "Graceland" and saw Elvis' home through the open gate. it would have been nice going on the tour, but I did not think that a 6 year old and a 2 year old would appreciate it as much as I would have appreciated it. So, I settled with driving by three times and seeing things from a distance. I was an Elvis fan. In fact, I still have record albums of his that are in almost perfect condition. I have the "blue" album, which is actually blue. I can not remember all that I have, at this moment and I am not at home, so I will list them later. We left Elvis' home and followed the GPS as it directed it to "Beale Street." This is where we spent most of our time. By the time that we parked and began to walk up the street, restaurants were beginning to serve lunch and there was "live" music pouring out of open windows and ally-ways. It was wonderful. There was one guy playing and singing ina little alcove between two buildings. We stopped for a little while and sang with him and danced. He motioned us to come in, but we had places to go and people to not know, but see. We walked on up the street and saw a carriage being pulled by a horse. Of course, we had to take the kids on a carriage ride around the out-skirts of Beale Street. It was great fun. We also carriaged by the famous hotel where the ducks come down each morning and play in the fountain. After getting off the carriage, we decided to walk down "Main" which features restaurants and street cars, but I did not see any car named "Desire." We did have to be careful and pay attention or rish being run over by a street care laden with people. There were a number of interesting places to stop and eat. We made the rounds, but decided that we wanted to eat somewhere on Beale Street. Returning to Beale Street, we made our way down the opposite side and stopped in a store that had been there like 100 years or something close. it was like an old general store with all kinds of interesting things to purchase. I think that our grandson picked-up or touched at least a "million" things. Well...maybe not. By this time, we were hungry but not famished, so we decided to go into the Hard Rock Cafe and eat something. Since none of us were "hungry hungry," we ordered two NACHOES for our meal and drinks and settled in for something good. Our waitress was awesome. She told us that we could get up on the stage, if we wished and make pictures. She said she would go and turn on the spot lights for us. Of course, our grandson loved sitting behind the drums and then standing out front, holding an electric guitar. He was a "ROCKER" all the way. I wish you could have seen the mouths that fell open, when we got up on the stage. I gues their waitress did not tell them they could get on the stage. We made pictures and walked up the stairs to view all of the collections of records, guitars, and outfits that were displayed on the walls. Of course, with this being Memphis, there were a number of items that had belonged to Elvis. I know because I took pictures of them. After returning to our seats, the nachoes came and we "chowed-down." They were really good. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. I can almost taste the cheese. There was a couple behind us eating Sundays. So, guess what we had to have? You guessed it. We ended the great time at The Hard Rock Cafe with "kid's Sundays," and icecream. I had the Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Icecream. Yum! That was a Three night trip that ended with a return home. On the way, we stopped off in Tupelo and visited the Birth Home of Elvis. There is a "Walk of Life" around the buildings, marked with important dates in his life. They are in the process of building a large museum to feature the years that Elvis and his family lived in Tupelo. Those of you that know the story will remember that the family moved to Memphis, hoping to better their lives. NEW SHOES? I just added that on the title for the sound. The goal is to announce the winners of the Short Story Anthology by March 30th.
I had hoped to do it before the 30th, but a horrid computer problem caused me to fall behind. When my computer decided to leave this world, I had to go back and check every email that I had been sent to makes sure that I did not miss any stories. I decided that it is better to take longer and not miss anyone. I tried to send out an email to all who had sent en I just got my new "The Writer" magazine. I subscribe to this magazine and I also enjoy the online site for Writer Magazine.
In this issue: BEST OF 2012 57 Conferences to pick from Tips From Great Names In Fiction Fiction Answer Book: 9 Mistakes You Must Avoid How You Can Work Better 20 Ways To Get Motivated 7 Tips For Effective Marketing New Publishing: Why E-Books Might Be Right For You Freelancing: Ask For More Money And Get It NonFiction From Idea To Book And other stuff... Would you, could you...find yourself drinking "carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, aspartame, potassium benzoate, natural flavors, potassium citrate, acesulfame, potassium, and caffeine?
If you said, "NO," then make sure that drink in your hand is not a "zero calorie cola." I was just sitting here, drinking a can drink, and I decided to look at the ingredients. Yuck! They sound horrid. Why in the world would I choose to put that stuff into my system? The color and design on the outside of the can makes a person think they will be refreshed and no longer thirsty, if they choose to drink this drink. Since it says "zero" calories, we immediately think that we look thinner and weigh less, just by drinking the "dad burn thing." At this moment, I do not want to finish the drink. In fact, I am going to toss it in the trash, right now. There! it is gone. I feel better already. WOW! It has been and still is quite a journey of going through and reading all the entries for the next Short Story Anthology. I have over 100 stories and will select probably around 35 for the next Gallery of Voices.
It has taken longer than I hoped, but things are back on track, after my laptop died. Last night, I tried to boot my old computer and it took 30 minutes for the desktop to open and show. That is horrid. That is also why I could not use it any more. It will not open some programs and it will not delete old programs. It is horrid. Life goes on and I will make it through the last stories. Hold tight and cehck back often and I hope to have the selection made, soon. |
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