Before you click ‘Publish’… read these hints

Whether you have written a blog post, a short story, or a book of any length, here are some things to consider…

Before you click ‘Publish’ –

1. Tune out the contradictory voices whispering … one in your left ear and another in your right ear.
   (You know the feeling… one is telling you to click the button, the other is telling you it will make you look a fool.)
2. Pause, take a deep breath.
   If you have only just finished it, perhaps now would be a good time to make a coffee and come back and read it again.

 

Now for some questions…

Did you run the spell-checker?

Equally important…

Did you check what the spell-checker suggested?

(I have read some books where it is clear that the author ran the spell-checker and accepted without looking. Some of them make the text strange.)

Next…

Have you given it to someone else to read first?
(This is especially important with a book.)

Often things that make sense to you, do not to others.

E. G. To me, a Scot living in Australia, a ‘budgie’ is a small bird that is kept as a pet, in a cage; a cute bird that can be taught to talk.  When I mentioned it to a friend in the US, she asked – “What is a budgie?”

When I related that to an Australian friend, her answer was that it is  ‘underwear’.

One didn’t know, the other thought of something completely different to what I had in mind.

If you need the term in your writing – it’s a good idea to explain it.

“I like your pet budgie. When I was growing up we only had green ones, I like the blue color of yours. Have you taught it to talk yet?”

There are many other variations that would demonstrate that the budgie is a pet bird, of the parrot family.

3. If you are happy with everything,
   1. Grit your teeth
   2. Move the mouse to the publish button…
   3. Close your eyes if you have to…
   4. And click that PUBLISH button.

Success

Successfully publishing an eBook or blog post, short story or article is more to do with checking all your facts, and re-reading. It is not usually luck, it is perseverance.

Even if you notice later that you have made a mistake in the post or book… all is not lost. You can always edit a blog post. If it’s a book, go over the manuscript again. When you are satisfied you can upload a new version.

 

 

 

When your first positive review (or encouraging comment) arrives you will be ‘over the moon’. (That’s a term for being elated <smile>)

Feel free to share this post

All the best

Susan

Sources or distractions?

Photo: Christy Williams

Hi,

A question I am often asked about my books… ‘What are your sources?’

Well, other than the Bible, I do a great deal of research. At the end of the first ever eBook edition of Hold the Faith, was a list of the sources I used. But it took too many pages <smile> so in subsequent editions those pages were not included.

Someone asked if I would supply them at the book launch (in Australia, it is already available in the US… or here in Australia if someone wants to pay the international postage.)

To answer that, the other year, I had two hard  drive crashes. Lost the lot, because one was the backup. Well, I have an alternative, I saved that early edition and research to a CD. So, yes. By the time it is launched in Australia I should have found and printed that list… and added other sources.)

However, I never stop researching. Book four is written, although not published, book five is becoming clearer in my mind… but I am always curious, checking facts… from more than one source.

And therein lies a potential problem. <grin>

Some of the information I chase out has links to other sites.  Now they are not needed for the Apostle John series on early Christianity… but they are interesting. That’s what I meant when I titled this ‘Sources or Distractions?’

Well, I found a really interesting distraction recently. I wrote to the site owners and asked permission to use some of their information for the blog. Then changed my mind when I re-looked at the site. Instead, I am including a link, and recommend that if you are interested in Biblical history go check them out. There is a very useful chart on the 35 writers of the books of the Bible. It is a very worthwhile site!

When I have solved the problems of transferring my website, Internet dropouts and arranging the book launch, I intend to go back and explore some more.

The website is http://overviewbible.com/authors-who-wrote-bible/

That page is just the start. Have fun exploring!

By the way… if you have bought/read any of my books and have not left a review – I encourage you to please leave a review where you bought it from.

The print version of Hold the Faith (book 1 in the series) is available on Amazon, and I know someone told me they had bought a copy from Barnes and Noble. Perhaps your review of the book is missing.

Amazon link is HERE

In closing just let me say that I am praying for all of you with snow, ice and other dangerously cold conditions, and on the other end of the scale, for all the folks dealing with the heat and bushfires in Australia.

And a big ‘shout-out’ to all the emergency workers and volunteer fire brigades. God bless you and protect you as you risk your lives to help others!

 

Scammers and scamming abound

There are always scammers around!

But sometimes they are so plausible… or we are so preoccupied with either miss it, or just notice in time.

Sometimes it almost slips by for other reasons, as it was for me last week.

This arrived in the Inbox.

I admit it; I was cross.

The PDF version is available at Smashwords and has been for about three years… and at $3.99 US, not an unreasonable price.

I clicked on the link… and was puzzled.

 

 

 

 

Smashwords do not have the ‘new’ cover photo since it was done by the publisher, for the print book.

 

 

 

 

Since I am in the throes of arranging the launch of the print book, at the same time re-building my website, not to mention a myriad of minutiae. (In which I find it all too easy to immerse myself in.)

Busy, I was. Preoccupied, definitely. Foolish… well, sometimes.

Annoyance gave way to “What is this??????????”

I decided to sign up and see if they were offering my book.

 

Hard to see if it was the text of my book behind the button.

 

I clicked it.

 

Hmm. First section, innocuous enough. Enter email and choose a password. Then click the ‘Next’ button/arrow.

Aha! That page asked for credit card details. Why? ‘Sign up’ I could understand, credit card for a free account. Something smelled fishy.

A valid credit card number was required to verify my mailing address, hmm?

“We GUARANTEE that NO CHARGES will be applied for validating your account.” So said one section

I went off and did some online searching for LilPlay.

They offer free downloads of children’s movies, eBooks, and music.

There are some praise videos on YouTube… but good points in a warning one. (And one from me…. offensive comment comes with this.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmX0Lkoj520

Scamming is on the rise.

Why?

Are we a world of people who want everything – or as much as we can, for nothing?

But, if this is a scam, which others as well as I think it seems to be, then your free book, free movie, free music, might cost you much more that you bargained for.

Scamming is clever.

If it wasn’t then no one would be scammed. But we need to watch our behavior. And that’s another blog <SMILE>

Be careful online. The old adage is still true… ‘if it seems too good to be true, it probably is’.

I have contacted the company and asked them to remove my book. I gave no one authority to give this away free. If I had, it would have been through Smashwords or Amazon.

Take care online, put the scammers out of work!