Megan Haskell's Blog, page 5

Top 10 Ways to Work from Home with a Newborn

It's been more than six weeks, and I'm finally getting into a rhythm at home. It's not perfect, I'm not getting much work done, yet, but every day it's a little easier. As such, I thought I should share some of my discoveries about working from home with a newborn. 

Disclaimer: I'm a stay-at-home-mom first, and a writer second, which means I don't put in full-time working hours (I never have since quitting my corporate job). T hese are my experiences and observations. They won't apply to everyone. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to raising kids or caring for a newborn. Every parent should do what works for their family situation.

1. Don't even try to work more than a few minutes at a time for at least the first month...

Plan on having zero energy. Even when the baby is asleep, you won't have the brain power necessary to function above baseline survival. Follow your guilty pleasures. Binge watch Netflix shows, read romance novels, and sleep whenever possible.

My Recommendation:

Gilmore Girls. The entire series is available streaming on Netflix. I watched all five seasons from start to finish. It was fabulous.

2. Get Yourself a Baby Carrier...or three

Here I am working with Julia in the Ring Sling. Note the laptop desk behind my computer, and the iPad (red case) to the side. All essential tools in my work day.

Both of my girls did/do not like to nap in a crib. They want to be held and cuddled close. Very cute, but impractical if you're trying to get things done. Enter the world of the baby carrier. 

Baby carriers are essential for the stay-at-home parent. They let you carry your child hands-free, giving you the ability to type with both hands. I tried the one-handed thing for awhile, but the typos were ludicrous. Now, Julia spends a good percentage of her day in one of the three options I have at home. 

My Recommendations:

Maya Ring Sling: Best for ease of use and frequent ups and downs with a newborn. Worst for back pain if you're going to be walking around a lot or have a heavy baby.

Moby Wrap: Best for long-term baby wearing. It's a little complicated to set up, but once it's on, you can move around really easily, stand up or sit down without a problem, and it's great for both brand new babies and larger babies up to several months old.

ErgoBaby: Best for walking. Easy to use and comfortable, it's great for going shopping or taking a walk on one of your much needed breaks. Unfortunately, you'll need the newborn insert for the first several weeks, which gets really hot for both you and baby, especially here in Southern California. I loved it when my oldest got bigger, though. 

3. Music

You know how babies love white noise? I can't stand it. Instead, I turn on iTunes Radio in the background while I work. It drowns out the sound of typing, and Julia can sleep right through it.

My Recommendation: iTunes Radio, Hozier station. Okay, listen to what you like, but the Hozier station keeps a pretty good beat for when you're standing up and bouncing while typing, like I am right now...

4. Stay Flexible

You're gong to have to work during spare moments, here and there. There's no scheduling a newborn. 

My Recommendation: Learn to work standing up and take your laptop around the house with you. I'm currently typing at the kitchen table while standing up and bouncing side to side with Julia asleep in the Moby Wrap. Earlier I was sitting on the couch with Julia on my chest and my laptop balanced precariously on my knees with a lap desk.

5. Observe the Sleep Schedule

I know, I know, I just said there's no scheduling a newborn...BUT...

There might be some regularity to your baby's sleeping habits after about a month. It's not precise, but there should be periods when you're more likely to get an extended period of time to work. For me, it's right around 8:30 am. 

My Recommendation: Write down when your baby is sleeping for a few days and see if there's a pattern. If so, protect that time for work. You might need to enlist your significant other to help. In my case, my husband has been able to take Karen to preschool most mornings, which lets me put Julia in the baby carrier for a long morning nap.

6. Wear Your Baby

Have I mentioned how important this one is? I would never get anything done at all if I didn't wear Julia around the house in a baby carrier. She'll sit in the swing for a little while, but she won't sleep for long unless I'm carrying her.

7. Set Small Goals

I try for 500 words each work day and one review request. That's basically two pages, which takes about an hour of solid writing time, plus some research and email time. Some of that can be done in chunks of ten to fifteen minutes, and not all of it requires the use of a laptop. 

My Recommendation: Do as much as possible in small increments on mobile devices. You'd be surprised how much research and marketing you can accomplish on an iPad while nursing. 

8. Forget about the Housework

Okay, you still have to get some housework done. Especially laundry, the bane of my existence. But try to let some things go sometimes. If you can, hire a housecleaner or get your mom to help out. Otherwise, do it when the kids are awake when you won't be able to concentrate, anyway. 

My Recommendation: Save the vacuuming, mopping, and dishes for when the baby is awake in the baby carrier or baby swing. That way, the noise won't bother her and you can save the precious sleep time for your work.

9. Don't forget to get outside once in awhile

Take a walk, join a fitness group like Stroller Strides, or go to the mall. I don't care how introverted you are, you have to get out of the house at least occasionally. It will clear your head, and you can do a lot of brainstorming while moving your feet. Sometimes that's all you need to do to increase productivity.

10. Did I mention Baby Carriers? 

Seriously, they're essential.

I am a member of Amazon Associates. By clicking any of the links to Amazon above, I will receive a small commission from your purchase.

Review by Shelly (#NerdGirlXrayer) at Nerd Girl Official

New five star review!

“If you want a great story filled with magic, mythical creatures, action and a dose of romance thrown in then this is a book you want to pick up.”

— Shelly (#NerdGirlXrayer)

Read the full review here!

Great News! Sanyare now available in Print!

Hi Everyone! I've been MIA since the birth of my beautiful daughter, Julia, on April 4th, but I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. One of my first priorities was to finally produce the print version of Sanyare: The Last Descendant!

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! 

Amazon
Createspace E-Bookstore

In case you're wondering where I prefer you buy the book, it really doesn't matter. I get a bigger payout per book from Createspace, but I think buying the book on Amazon will improve my visibility, hopefully bringing in additional sales. In other words, pick whichever option is better for you!

And now for the gratuitous baby photos...

i'll be back soon with more news, including a new review and the results of the reader poll!

Baby Coming Soon! (Ten Days or Less)

As many of you know, at least if you've read my bio, I'm due to have a baby in April. The fact is, she's due pretty much any day! As such, I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that while I will be trying to get a few things done, my work hours and energy level are going to be sporadic at best, but more likely nonexistent for any practical purposes for the next couple of months. I'll do my best to keep in touch, and I will definitely get the results of my Digital vs. Print poll posted, but I'm lowering the bar for awhile. 

In the meantime, here is what's going on in The Sanyare Universe...

The print edition of Sanyare: The Last Descendant is in progress. I'm just waiting for CreateSpace to review the files and send me a proof. As soon as I'm happy with the book, it will be available for sale on Amazon and through the CreateSpace Expanded Distribution. Don't worry, I'll make sure to announce this one! I'm diligently working on the outline for Sanyare Book 2, but it's been slow going. I probably won't start drafting the novel before baby arrives. However, I'm still hoping the outline will be done by the end of this week, in which case I'll be able to write in spare moments (like 3am feeding times) and get started quickly. If you're curious about where I might be taking Rie in book 2, check out my Pinterest Boards! I've been trolling around for visual inspiration for new characters, new realms, and great plot ideas. You can get a little peek inside my head and hopefully have some fun guessing where her adventures will lead.I'm still looking for honest reviews of Sanyare: The Last Descendant and Pixie Tamer. If you've read either story, please consider leaving a brief review on the website of your choice. If you haven't read either of them yet, or if you know someone who might enjoy them and be willing to write an honest review, please contact me. I have a few more free copies to share!

Otherwise, I'll be in touch when I can, and I hope to see you around!

Follow-Up: Digital vs. Print, how do you spend your time?

On Tuesday I posted the results from my two-second survey on your preferred reading platforms. Maybe it should have been obvious, but I was a bit surprised that digital beat print and at how many people read in multiple formats. I mean, sure, my audience is going to be largely ebook readers (since Sanyare: The Last Descendant is currently only available in ebook formats), but common wisdom is that print still rules the market. Then again, once I got my first Kindle, I could never go back to reading print on a regular basis. It was just too convenient to have all my books on one device, and instant access to more, whenever I wanted them!

In any case, it made me wonder, of the people who recreationally read in both digital (ebook) and print, how much of your reading time is spent in each? Just to clarify, I'm specifically asking about your recreational or fun reading, not what you read for news or business. I know that a lot of people still prefer a printed newspaper, or read textbooks in print, but since I'm a novelist, I'm really only interested in your fiction and non-fiction fun reading. So I put together another two-second survey to answer that!

Please take a moment to submit the survey below, and share it with your friends. The more responses, the more informative the results!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thank you! I'll post the results in a few weeks!

Kindle Beats Print! Results of my informal reader poll.

Three weeks ago, I launched a survey of reader preferences. Twenty-five people responded to the survey, selecting all of the formats or devices that they like to read on. Here are the results!

Twenty-five respondents selected their favorite format(s) or device(s) for reading fiction.

I was a bit surprised to see Kindle beat out print given that respondents had the option of choosing both, but there you go, the digital revolution dominates the reader marketplace these days!

Looking at it another way, Kindle pulled in 46% of the readers, print 37%, with all others trailing far behind. 

Kindle garnered the biggest market share, beating out all others including print formats.

Digging down a little deeper, I took a look at the individual responses. Thirteen of the twenty-five respondents indicated that they read on more than one device, and three of those selected three different devices.

Of the twenty-five responses, more than half selected more than one format.

The three responses with three formats surprised me. Why? Because these three respondents read on Kindle, Print, and Nook, and all three formats are mutually exclusive! You can't read print on a Kindle, or Kindle on a Nook, or Nook in print. Which means that these respondents are potentially purchasing a single book in all three formats. Or, even if not purchasing each format, they aren't loyal to a single distributor since Amazon doesn't sell Nook compatible books.

[Note: I'm intentionally ignoring the black market of pirating books, or ripping them from one format to another. It's simpler this way.]

Now, obviously, this is not a scientific sample with statistical significance. It only relates to my personal audience, and even then the sample size is too small to make generalizations over the population. But it's interesting data, nonetheless, and just goes to show that it pays to have your book listed in multiple formats, with multiple retailers.

My next question: for those that recreationally read both digitally and in print, how much time (as a percent) would you estimate you read in each? (Survey coming soon!) 

What do you think? Does this survey seem realistic to the market as you know it?

Free Deleted Scene Exclusively for Newsletter Subscribers!

Yesterday marked the one-month anniversary of the launch of Sanyare: The Last Descendant! Can you believe it? I can't! But I figured it's about time I gave my newsletter subscribers their first bonus, a deleted scene from Daenor's perspective!

If you've read Sanyare: The Last Descendant, you won't want to miss this exclusive deleted scene from Daenor's perspective. Your free copy is waiting, just sign up for my newsletter!

SPOILER ALERT! 

Entranced by the human woman with deadly blades, Daenor is looking forward to their meeting with the master smith. But before they face Whixle, Daenor is called in front of the twin heirs, Faerleithril and Faernodir. What they have to say forces him to reconsider his attraction and may end Rie's journey before it really begins. Will he choose the easy path, or face the consequences of thwarting the heirs?

If you haven't already read Sanyare: The Last Descendant, you'll want to wait until you've finished before reading the deleted scene.

For those of you who have already signed up for the newsletter, watch your inbox tomorrow. It's heading your way! If for some reason you don't receive it by tomorrow night, please contact me and I'll figure out what went wrong.

For those of you who haven't signed up for the newsletter, what are you waiting for? This is the first of several freebies I have planned for the next few months, and you won't want to miss out! I promise I don't spam my newsletter subscribers, and you can choose the kinds of communications you want to receive. I hope you'll consider signing up!

Informal Poll: What's your reading preference?

After almost two weeks on the market, it's no big surprise that most of my sales and downloads have come from Amazon.com. Considering I live in the US, most of my friends and family live in the US, and Sanyare is written in English, Amazon is simply the biggest player. However, I'm curious to see how the numbers break down for my specific audience. (Have I ever mentioned I'm a data nerd?)

Anyway, please take a quick minute to answer the survey below. I want to know how you read, so select any and all answers that apply. I'll post the results next week!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

First Full Review of Sanyare: The Last Descendant! Five out of Five Stars from Katie McCoach!

I am super excited to announce that the first full review of Sanyare: The Last Descendant went live this afternoon! 

I queried Katie McCoach about two weeks ago, providing her with a free copy of Sanyare and asking for an honest review in exchange. Katie is a professional freelance editor, so I knew that whatever she had to say would be carefully considered and based on her experience working in the publishing industry. I'm thrilled to say, she loved it!

Here's an excerpt:

“I’d like to start this review by saying this is the best self-published book I’ve read to date. I’m crazy impressed...

I’ve read a lot of indie books and being an editor it’s part of my nature while reading to notice things that could have been done a little stronger...but I couldn’t find a single thing in this book I thought needed to be improved upon...

Haskell does such a great job at just placing us in the midst of the action and this world without taking the time to explain where we are, and how it came to be, and what this world is and what all these creatures are. We don’t need the explanation –readers are smart – and Haskell is great at including the small details to quickly pull us in and make us feel like this is suddenly our world too and so it makes perfect sense to us...

I highly recommend this book. Fantasy, Action, Magic, Sexy Elves, Sexy Vamps – it really has it all. If you love fantasy, you’ll enjoy this!””

— Katie McCoach Editorial

To read the complete review, click here!

Thanks to Katie for reviewing Sanyare! As for the rest of you, I hope you'll consider purchasing your copy today! 

Don't forget there's a Rafflecopter Giveaway running now, and a Facebook Book Birthday party on Monday!

Why Review?

Imagine this historical book purchasing scenario:

Last night, you finished your latest read, only to discover you are out of new books. Tomorrow is Saturday, so you decide to go book shopping in the morning. 

After sleeping in late and eating a leisurely breakfast while reading the news and drinking coffee (oh, I wish I had this life), you pack yourself up and get in the car to go to your favorite bookstore. Once there, you head over to the table or shelf near your favorite author to look at any new books that might be similar. 

You browse the table. A cover catches your eye and you pick up the book, flip it over (or open the front cover) and read the description. Does it sound good? Maybe! You hang onto it while continuing to look through the new offerings. 

A store clerk approaches and asks if they can help you. You show her the book in her hand and ask if she's read it or heard anything about it. She does her best to guide you in your purchasing decision, giving you a rundown of what she liked and didn't like about the story. Or, she tells you that she hasn't read it personally, but the store manager did and absolutely loved it. Based on that recommendation, you buy the book.

Sound oddly familiar?

The basic process of buying an ebook is still the same, except for the instant gratification of going online as soon as you're done with one book to order another. But once you're at the store, you're going to look at covers, read descriptions, and then decide if you want to purchase the book or not. 

Unfortunately, in today's online market, you don't have someone there who's paid to help you make a decision. Sure, Amazon and the other retailers try to give you recommendations based on "also bought" or "similar to" algorithms, but the computers can't tell you about the emotional impact of the story, or why they bought, but never finished the book. 

Yes, you might get book recommendations from friends or colleagues, but what if you don't have many friends that read as much as you do, or in the same genre as you do? 

In a world where hundreds, possibly thousands of books are published each day and people are increasingly purchasing their books online, it's important to have a way to narrow the field of interest. Reviews are a big part of that process.

A quality book review gives the potential reader a chance to understand the content of the book and the hook, as well as the flaws of the book. It doesn't have to be long; even a couple of sentences can be enough to give someone an idea of the pros and cons of the story.

What do I mean? Here's an example of a one-star review from a book I really enjoyed, The Martian by Andy Weir:

“Too much technical detail. I hated the first person log book entries. The NASA management characters were completely unbelievable. Despite the McGyver-like ingenuity of the protagonist and the very detailed descriptions, it is not plausible that he would have survived the numerous calamities thrown his way.”

— J. R. Boddie, Amazon Reviewer

Okay, so this person didn't like the science...well, I'm not an engineer, so I can accept some fallacies and suspend my disbelief without losing my mind. At the same time, I like having a solid basis in the science of science fiction, so technical detail is probably a good fit for me. And I like McGyver solutions, so I think that would be interesting. 

How about this five-star?

“I am skeptical of many sci fi books because the science is so implausible & too often the plots become yet another space opera. Not so with Andy Weir’ s debut The Martian. An unlikely hero becomes stranded on Mars & the race for survival is on. The story is told through the journals & communications of the main character & his colleagues, making for an amusing, touching, & page turning read. Funny, suspenseful, and very very real - The Martian does not disappoint. Lots of science & McGyver-ish moments make this geeky action story a hit for just about anyone, although Weir’ s characters speak candidly, ie, dropping f bombs when things go bad in a hurry, as most folks do! I couldn’t’ put this book down & could imagine a great movie being made of this! Highly recommended.”

— Readdinggoddess, Amazon Reviewer

With this one, I see plausible science fiction with a survival action-adventure. I'm not really a fan of stories told through journal entries, so that's a turn off, but I can imagine a scientist or explorer would be writing everything down in a log, so maybe it works. (It does.) 

See? Not very long, but full of information that's helpful toward making a purchasing decision. In other words, you, the reviewer, become the wise, all-knowing expert, and it only took a few minutes to write and post the review. 

Why do I bring this up?

An author's career is built with the support of readers. Readers share books and talk about them, they recommend them to friends and family. Reviews are just a small step beyond that, but they increase an author's or a book's visibility in the marketplace. 

So next time you finish a book, please consider writing a quick review and posting it wherever you like to purchase your books. It will help the author, and more importantly, it will help other readers.