I missed chatting with you yesterday. I woke up to a problem that took me two hours to resolve. Someone ordered a book through my website and inadvertently placed the order 11 times. This meant that I had to issue 10 credits and this turned out to be a rather complicated, time-consuming process. <\/p>\n
Let this be a reminder for all of us to exercise patience when ordering something, lest we get quadruple the number of items we wanted for quadruple the amount. It seems that some ordering systems are slow and it can take a few moments for the order to go through. Besides, according to my customer, not everyone would make the problem right and especially so quickly and completely. <\/p>\n
So why couldn\u2019t I post a blog entry after I fixed the problem for my customer yesterday? Heck, the day was much too gorgeous to stay inside stuck at the computer, so I drove the 15 miles to the beach and walked on the sand for an hour. Doesn\u2019t that sound like a lovely way to finish off a grand year? I have a 5 mile walk\/hike planned for New Years day.<\/p>\n
The distraction and the great walk helped to dispel my anger\u2014well, at least a little. Who am I angry at? Fake authors! Those people who dupe the public with their lies\u2014passing off a book of fiction as truth\u2014presenting a made up story as a memoir. What kind of warped mind would concoct such a plan designed to fool publishers, the public and even Oprah? Why not present the story as fiction? I\u2019m sure you have all read about the Rosenblat\u2019s confession under the pressure of Holocaust scholars. <\/p>\n
What the Rosenblats did is shameful. But it\u2019s interesting how, with the many scams and frauds perpetuated within the publishing industry, it is the dishonest author who gets publicly scorned. What about the agents, editors and even publishers who cheat, swindle and otherwise rip-off unsuspecting authors? What about the suspicious and even dishonest activities going on in some of the publishing services offered to unaware authors? These incidents don\u2019t make evening news headlines. <\/p>\n
The fact is that many companies that empty the pockets of authors, do so with the author\u2019s permission. As authors, we sign up to be abused, hoodwinked and deceived. We have every opportunity to study the fine print before signing on the dotted line, but we don\u2019t. Or we do, but we don\u2019t fully understand it. We avoid paying the $100 or so to hire an attorney who can explain a confusing contract to us. We don\u2019t take the time to study the industry and to get references. We want what we want (fame, fortune or just recognition) and we want it now without the complication of delays. <\/p>\n
Folks, in 2009, I hope you will slow down and take your time with your book project. Hire an editor with a proven record and excellent references. Write a book proposal. Understand your publishing options and pick those that are truly in your best interest. Use patience in placing your manuscript. Be prepared to promote your book. I still meet authors who have no interest in or desire to get involved in marketing their books. Take note: these authors will fail. Many of them did in 2008.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t let this happen to you in 2009. Make this the year that you do everything right. Start by educating yourself through books, such as Patricia Fry\u2019s, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em><\/strong>. Sign up for one of Patricia Fry\u2019s online, on-demand courses. I\u2019ve been published twice (that I know of) this week. By the way, did any of you see my article on publishing in January issue of The Toastmaster Magazine<\/em>? Actually, I haven\u2019t seen it, yet. But I\u2019ve had feedback from hopeful authors throughout the world. A few of them have even joined SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) My piece on “6 Simple Ways to Build Promotion Into Your Book” appears in the December 31 edition of Book Promotion Newsletter<\/em>: Working Writer<\/em> has published my article, “Novel Ways to Promote Your Novel,” in their January February 2009 edition. I missed chatting with you yesterday. I woke up to a problem that took me two hours to resolve. Someone ordered a book through my website and inadvertently placed the order 11 times. This meant that I had to issue 10 credits and this turned out to be a rather complicated, time-consuming process. Let this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> .<\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/courses.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.spawn.org<\/a><\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.workingwriter1.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"