E. Jean Simpson's Blog: A & J PEI Treasures/E Jean Simpson, BEd, BA, MA, page 17

Author tips

I tend to read a lot of the new books on the market. Keeps with my small budget and I stick to free books. One thing I would like to stress to new authors is the importance of proofreading. I cannot underline the need for it enough. Some say, don't just get an English teacher to read the book, pay for a real proofreader. Well, that might be if you can afford it, but definitely having a half decent proofreader is a must.

One thing I can tell you is that multiple grammatical or spelling errors or misuse of words will result in less positive feedback and lower levels of scores on recommendations. I've seen some books not get read at all due to the fact that they have misused words or have grammatical or spelling errors throughout.

I've read books that sound reasonably well thought out, but the sheer number of errors and misuse of words ends up giving a poor viewing of the book. I've seen feedback on a book that the person refused to read it because they couldn't get past the errors. I'm a little more tolerant of this. But, I still find it unappealing to find a host of errors in a book.

So, be realistically unrealistic and if you can find someone with a good command of the English language, please have them go over it. Even if all they do is just remove the poor spelling, poor grammar and misuse of words before putting it up on whatever forum you intend to use. It will make for a better book over all and better reviews. Remember, you have to do what it takes to give your work of art the best chance to be read and understood. You want to have a best seller, not a cautionary tale :-)

Thanks for reading my blog and your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Fall ... Hurricane warnings

It's been a busy week. Hubby is working on the sheds and got to the point of the inside sides and back to go. Roofing might have to wait until next year. He chose the sides intentionally knowing we can get storms and such in the fall. We're prone to some hurricanes as well. So, the least likely areas to be damaged were left to last.

Now, we have to kind of batten down the hatches so to speak. There is some speculation that Hurricane Teddy could make landfall here and could cause damage early in the week. Things are mostly in place, just some moving of things that should be put away or tied down. We've been through Dorian, so we feel better equipped for Teddy. There will be some baking in case of loss of power. Dorian we lost power for about a week. The house is better situated for it too. Anchors now securely in place and skirting.

So, one thing I've learned is to prepare in case there is another Dorian or worse...we don't catastrophize it, we just prepare. The preparation of food and water ahead won't go to waste so even if it doesn't strike here, we'll be able to eat stuff made.

Like with writing, always be prepared to do what you have to in order to make your project successful and keep working toward the goal of making a piece of art. Whether it is a eBook, housework or whatever the project, you need to work toward the best likelihood of it being successful. The extra work will never be wasted. Make sure what you do is something useful.

Be realistically unrealistic in making sure that you plan ahead. Dorian was our major storm learning curve. My book cover issues are a learning curve. Life is a learning curve, so just keep working on being the best person you can be. Remember that as the goal and keep working at getting things you have control over the way you want them. Our house now can withstand the wind and rain. The rest of the property has been improved upon. The only weak point might be the roof of the sheds and the unfinished sides, but we have done all we can to prepare. They are also surrounded by trees...which is both a protection and a danger. Remember that everything in life also will have weak points.
Don't let them stop you from being the best you can be. We weren't actually doing it to prepare as such, but when you do your projects, if you are prepared, you can make sure your projects are built well. It can withstand storms and so can you.

Thank you for reading our blog!

FYI

Just a FYI. I have found my book covers were compromised. Unless the sites that you find are below, please do not think that they are affiliated in any way with A & J PEI Treasures! Please do not use links not affiliated with A & J PEI Treasures and please let me know about it. I will be reporting fraudulent use. Thanks!

http://www.pinterest.ca/ej2466/
https://www.facebook.com/AandJPEITrea...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5zp...?
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://amazon.com/author/ejeansimpso...
https://books2read.com/ap/nBkAM9/E-Je...
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-jea...
https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-j-s-151...
https://aandjpeitreasures.wordpress.com/

Tips for Flexibility of Thoughts on Projects

One thing that is often difficult for anyone to do (and this is normal) is to understand when you've made a project too ambitious. You always think the project is a great idea...and often it is....but there are some aspects that seem more problematic than others. It's often hard to change one's mindset. For example, the other day, it finally occurred to me that my latest project was way past the needs of my intended audience. That would most likely make it fall flat. I was trying to do too much with it which made it a bit of a mess. So, I've been working on scaling it back and making it more appropriate for the projected audience. Wanting to experiment as an author, made me want to try a different audience than I have catered to in the past. I may do more editing of what I am thinking as I move forward. It gives me a chance to try a different type of project, a different type of audience and a different genre.

Another real life example of this is my husband (the other human half of the A & J PEI Treasures team) had made some decisions with some sheds on our property a long time ago. In the meantime, he had changed his mind on what he was going to use them for. He still stuck with the original plan. It did occur to him that he was making a really big project. Then I asked one question which turned the project around for him. The question was, if you aren't going to use it for the original purpose, why do you need it to be one building? At that point, it all made sense and he scaled back what he was doing to fit a modified purpose. Though he still had a large project that he is working on, it was much easier to deal with the buildings separately than try to make them one. Sometimes all it takes is thinking about the intended purpose or audience to turn a whole project around. So, now he has his project on track and is likely to have it mostly finished before the end of the fall. I have my project on track and can continue on.

Sometimes we get so involved in a project and our original concept, we don't consider that our knowledge base may be good, but we need to have someone help out with another aspect of it or change our mindset about it. Sometimes more eyes or a few days and fresh eyes or feedback on our project can make them turn out much better than the original plan. My realization that my latest project would not fit the audience that I was hoping for helped me change what I intend to do. It is also easier to work on it as I have better direction. My husband's change of mindset about his project helped him to see a better way to complete the project a little more easily.

Sometimes it is good to take a few days and look at the strengths and weaknesses of your intended project and incorporate the ideas differently to find the best solution to your project. That may mean having someone proof read your work because you know your subject field well, but sometimes grammar is more of a challenge and easily fixed with a bit of shine put on it. Sometimes it means changing entirely what you are going to do, like with my latest project.

Remember, always be realistically unrealistic and find the best way to give your project the best chance of success.

Thanks for reading my blog post and your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Challenges to Authors

When you start writing books and decide to publish, the last thing you think about is that someone could sabotage your name, brand and books. It's something that only happens to other people or in old B movies.

I started out trying to be nice about it. I didn't have a Twitter account...so I contacted Twitter directly. They removed it. Not long after, it showed up again. This time I did an email to the Twitter email address I found. I was informed that they couldn't do anything using that email. By this point, I was very discouraged. So, rather than let my name and brand be dragged through the mud further, I wrote them back and thanked them and politely informed them that the next time it happened, I would put all the info in a FaceBook post and tag the RCMP.

I have followed up. I will now do it each and every time I see my book cover used to advertise sites that have ratings of 'pishing', or other things. I didn't ask to be made a cover girl for 'pishing'. I have made it clear that this is the consequence.

Remember, that your brand, your name, your authorship is an extension of who you are. You can ignore these things and it can affect your brand, book sales, and life. Or you can stand up and say this isn't right. I'm contemplating currently just calling the RCMP and get an investigation launched since many of the sites either get blocked when I try to go in or won't be allowed on FB. I save the information so that if an investigation is launched, they can have all the information.

Don't allow your name and brand be used to sabotage your career as an author. It is great to be kind, but if you are less kind to yourself, you are not going to be of use to anyone including yourself.

Have a realistically unrealistic day. Stand up for right, stand up for good and stand up for yourself. You don't have to be violent or mean to do it. Just post the facts, not emotion. Just facts.

Feel free to share. All you need do is Google yourself to make sure you're not having your precious works of art misused. I don't mind people sharing my book covers if they like it, but to make money by using it to lure people into questionable transactions is more than I could bear.

Thanks for reading my post.

Fall Coming...author advice

We've been having a bit of stormy weather. Nights are getting longer, days are growing shorter. So, guess whether we're ready or not, Fall will come.

One thing I would suggest of Authors is that they keep a bit of an eye on their books. I found that one of mine was being used without my permission to advertise a site that was questionable in nature. I had it removed from the platform and I will continue to report misuse of my books to the platforms I find them on. Always remember that your brand is what you are about and what you imagine you want from the world. So, if someone uses your brand in a way that harms it, you will have to act. In my case, I had to report it to the platform I found it on. It is up to the individual author whether to take it to higher levels such as legal etc. If I continue to find it, I will probably have to seek legal advice.

Though they say any publicity is good publicity, I believe I found the situation where, in fact, it can hurt your name and your brand and your publications. For a new Author this type of thing could be disaster.

So, being urealistically realistic, know what you're up to...Google yourself from time to time. It could save you a lot of trouble.

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a good weekend and week!

Between projects

When I finished my latest book, we had some painting to do. Some of the renovations need finishing. So I took a little time to do some painting. It's amazing how much a little bit of paint can brighten up a room or rooms. We had made the rooms out of a deck and mudroom that was in quite poor condition. Used a few things we knew about this type of home and we were able to replace the deck with rooms. We re-use and upcycle materials to do it. Some of it, we used pallet boards and flooring from the replacement of the floors when we moved in. The flooring had some worn out parts, but some were good. So, less worry about waste and landfill and more space for us.

So, in the real world, you don't always get to go from one writing project to another directly. Sometimes things come up that you have to work on. It doesn't mean that you are failing yourself or anyone else. It means that real life happens as well as writing. You can't ignore real life for writing...though sometimes it is very tempting.

While you don't want to take off too long between projects, sometimes a little time helps you to accomplish those projects that just won't do themselves.

Being a writer/author isn't all that they show in the movies. Mostly it's hard work and dedication mixed with a little real life in between. Be realistically unrealistic and know when it's time to break and do other tasks. But, at the same time, don't use other things as an excuse not to write.

Thanks for reading my blog! Have a wonderful Day!

Book Goodies

Today my book got up on Book Goodies. Thanks!

http://bookgoodies.com/?p=394893

E-books Here to Stay...Today's Gutenberg - Part II

Last week, I touched on E-Books as Today's Gutenberg. There have been different methods over the years of passing information. It started out by word of mouth with our ancestors, moved to hand done with the discovery of paper. In the Medieval times, our publishers were monks who painstakingly copied books. They were worth a fortune and people showed their wealth in having books. Then came the printing press. Books became cheaper and more widely available. Today, we come to the printing press being the only accepted method by some. Where would we be if the monks decided to ban the new style printing press and preached about the lack of professionalism of the new method?

Now, there are many reasons that this new E-book is more convenient and adaptable to the modern lifestyle. First, there is not as much paper being used. This also leads to some other benefits. We can have whole libraries available to us at the touch of a screen. In the tiny homes, on the move lifestyle, we can just carry the one e-reader with us and read at our leisure.

It is more available as a method to get books to read as well as to get books published. However, the EPUB is not always the easiest to use in it's current form. Authors who do their own EPUB tend to have to work diligently to get them to work well. This may reduce the number of people who self-publish for this reason. However, there is a workaround if you get other companies to do the EPUB transformation for you, but there are risks and benefits to that. We shall see over time if this improves and becomes easier. I would suggest it should with the current printing presses having come a long way from the old typeset.

There is also a reduction of the need to have many many copies of your book printed. You don't have to go to the vanity press and have a box load cluttering up your garage. If you sell, there are always copies available. If you don't sell, the only evidence you have of it is not as discouraging. You have a neat list of your books which are available. They show up on a nice page. This is far less discouraging than seeing boxes of unsold books. It is more economically friendly to the author and publisher.

So, I toast the new E-book as the wave of the future. Though physical books might always be a primer and a significant partner to the E-book, the E-book is here to stay and can be a benefit to both the reader and the author. It can reduce the amount of paper in the landfills. If we let it and don't misuse and mistreat it, the e-book could be the the beginning of an awakening of great things. Currently, it is a large market. We can work together with publishing companies or we can fight each other. I guess the choice is up to each individual. I chose to self-publish because I believe in the format and the modern conveniences it has to offer everyone.

So, be Realistically Unrealistic. See the potential and be the potential! How to Publish an E-book on a Budget of $0: Making your Dreams a Reality

Latest Release

How to Publish an E-book on a Budget of $0: Making your Dreams a Reality A & J PEI Treasures is pleased to announce their latest project by E Jean Simpson 3 time winner of the Canada Book Awards: https://read.amazon.ca/kp/embed?asin=...

We are also published through Draft2Digital at Books2Read at: https://books2read.com/Publish-E-book...

We've learned a lot on our publishing adventures about various Canadian publishing agencies getting books up and advertised and want to help others to be able to publish too if they want to. We've had to do it on $0 budget. It's a lot of work with $0 budget but not entirely impossible. If we can do it of $0 budget, then how much more could be done with an actual budget! Learn the beginning steps of a long and wonderful journey!

Thanks for reading this blogpost and for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!