Caroline A. Shearer's Blog, page 28
November 20, 2012
Give Thanks! Raise Your Vibration!
In honor of the holiday, the "Raise Your Vibration" music pick of the week is "Thank You" by Natalie Merchant.
Did you know that there are positive health effects that result from feeling gratitude? It's true! Studies have shown that feeling grateful stimulates positive receptors in the brain and gives us a sense of overall well-being.
Thanksgiving is upon us and many of us will be reuniting with family and friends to celebrate. In keeping with tradition, this week many of us will pay special attention to the things we have to be thankful for. But let's not let it end there. We have much to be thankful for everyday of our lives. Replacing negative thoughts with grateful ones can lead to a healthier, higher-vibrating existence for us all, every day of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Interested in learning more about raising your vibration? For practical advice you can immediately put into action, order your copy of "Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life" by Caroline A. Shearer.
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Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 16, 2012
Harriet Tubman Saves the World!
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." -- Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman's strength helped secure freedom for more than 300 people after The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 left many escaping slaves in danger of being returned to their owners. -- "Women Will Save the World"
Harriet Tubman was an extraordinarily strong-willed woman. Through her strength and her determination to facilitate freedom, she saved the lives of so many. In her many trips from the North to the South and back in the days leading up to the Civil War, she never lost one single passenger who traveled her famous Underground Railroad.
She is a woman who could not bear to see her fellow humans suffer, and for that she made many sacrifices. It is up to us, now, to look up to her and find inspiration and strength of our own.
To learn more about inspirational women-- and how you too can save the world-- order your copy of Women Will Save the World by Caroline A. Shearer!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 14, 2012
The Economics of Publishing, Part Two: Royalties and Unearned Advances
Basically, an author advance is like a loan from a big publisher. And, just like a loan from a bank, it has to be paid back before you, as an author, can start making any money for yourself. The way that authors pay back their publishers is through the money they earn from royalties. A royalty is a percentage of each sale of the author's book that goes back in the author's pocket, technically speaking. Royalties generally start at one number, and get a little higher as more copies of the book are sold. For example, let's say an author makes 10% in royalties for the first one to 250,000 copies. (This figure would actually be very high for a paperback, and average for a hardcover; paperbacks generally have a royalty rate of 6%.) If the hardcover book sells for $20 per copy, that's only $2 per book. Each time a book is sold that measly $2 goes back to the publisher, until you've paid off the (best-case-scenario) $5,000 they gave you as an author advance. (Again, for more back story, please see last week's post.) So, basic math will tell us that you will be in the clear with the publisher after your first 10,000 copies are sold.
Again, it is important to keep in mind that these figures are optimistic. Royalty rates on paperback books can start off as low as 1%. Let's take this time to also note that royalties are only made on the sale of new books, absolutely nothing on used ones. In other words, you will never see a penny from a good-sized chunk of sales being made on websites like Amazon.
But, let's sidetrack for a moment and talk about a potential reserve against return clause that may be part of your contract with the publisher. Books are sold on a 100% returnable basis. So say a big retailer like Barnes and Noble calls and orders 50 copies of your book. Well, great, that's about $100 you can put towards that loan, er, author advance. Not. So. Fast. Barnes and Noble may have "bought" 50 copies of your book, but if none of them sell, Barnes and Noble is going to return all 50 copies to the publisher for a full refund. That is their right to do so. Because scenarios like this take place often, publishers enable a reserve against return clause. What that basically means is that the publisher is going to look at the return rate, which could be 50%, and hold that amount against your sales. So half of your royalties will be held, meaning they don't serve as repayment towards your advance. In other words, they mean nothing.
In the assisted self-publishing world, this could never happen. Books are printed on demand, meaning when they are bought and paid for by real customers, not big box book retailers. The royalty you make as the author (which is generally a lot higher - say something like 30%) you keep. You don't owe the assisted self-publishing company any money because they never gave you an advance. You earn real money as an author. You can also rest easy knowing that a lot less harm is being done to the environment. Paperback books that are returned are required to be destroyed. With print-on-demand, paper materials don't go to waste and there is no need for warehouses to store thousands of unsold books.
Now, what happens if you never sell the 10,000 copies necessary to pay off the author advance? This would be considered an unearned contract, meaning you would never make any royalty money ever on your book, and you may even be stuck paying the publisher back out of your own pocket. For a first book, this could be a sum of $5,000 which isn't so bad, but what if you were one of the lucky ones and pulled a much higher sum? By signing a contract with a big publisher, you are essentially taking a gamble for what could eventually become an all-consuming amount of debt.
Even if taking that path is what ends up being best for you, it is always better to consider all the options and facts before making a big decision. Once you've sold your book by signing the contract, you can't ever get it back. Assisted self-publishers allow you to retain the rights, meaning no matter what happens, your work - that piece of you that spilled onto pages of narrative - will always remain in your hands.
Interested in learning more about assisted self-publishing? Visit the Spirited Press website, or subscribe to our RSS feed for weekly tips and advice!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 13, 2012
Exclusive Interview with Mary Ellen Ciganovich, Contributing Author to "Women Will Save the World!"
Mary Ellen's essay
"Learning through Acceptance" is featured in the Strength section of
"Women Will Save the World."
Having been diagnosed with first epilepsy at a young age and MS
as an adult, you have often been discouraged from having a "normal"
life, first by your parents and then by the MS society and their literature
from the time (1986). What was it that allowed you to push through the
adversity?
I never felt "normal" as a child or
an adult. I have always had a hard time being "accepted" because
people see me as different from whom I truly am inside. As a high-schooler I
stayed to myself a lot and kids saw me as stuck up. I could not have friends
over to my home because I never knew when my mom would blow up or have one of
her tirades so I tried to stay to myself, to protect myself. I was a varsity cheerleader during all of my high school years so that helped to get me
out of my home situation and have a better self image. I have always wanted
just to be normal and I have come to embrace this feeling as a gift from
God - leading me to do more with my life so I can inspire other girls and women
to also become whatever they want to be.
Were there any positive influences you can recall or did you
pull your strength solely from within?
Growing up, my positive influences came from my church and
although we did not attend regularly, I would read my Bible and my Missile (
this is a Catholic book) and I would find solace in these. I also found a lot
of peace in Nature. I remember being outside in the woods next to our home and
I could hear mom and dad yelling at each other, so I just stayed there and
hid.
Other positive influences still came from my parents. Even though they fought a lot, I was taught many good things such as
discipline and manners. My father was a very good man who loved deeply. He was
funny and supported me on many occasions. I miss him and know he still watches
over me. My mom - although hardened by her own childhood - taught me a love of
fashion for in her younger years she very fashionable. I remember watching her
getting ready to go out with my father - putting on her makeup, jewelry,
matching shoes and bag - she had a good figure and was a very striking lady.
We did not have any other immediate family close as my
mother's parents lived in Buffalo, New York and my father's family lived in
Ennis, Montana. One good thing about my childhood is the fact that we would
drive all over the country visiting these family members and when we were
traveling my parents would not fight
What advice can you give to others struggling with a stigmatized
illness?
When you receive a diagnosis of any "illness" - do not
"buy into" the negative picture of what that illness is and DO NOT
ALLOW those around you to drag you down into that negative picture. Take a step
back from the "diagnosis" being quiet with yourself and ask
yourself, "Okay - Lord be with me and assist me in learning what I
need to learn from this so I can go on with my life. Then learn everything you
can about what your diagnosis is and WHAT IT IS NOT! Learn what you need to
learn about your body - learn what works for you. Read and study and learn - then
take a break and see what answers come to you. When I was first diagnosed with
MS - I kept seeing and reading things about Vitamin D and mega doses of Vitamin
C. Finally I gave in to God and said," Okay I get it - I'll take some Vitamin D and 500 mg Vitamin C tablets." Later I read in an MS magazine how
Vitamin C is a natural anti-viral vitamin and MS is a virus (although not
contagious) then another article on how people with MS do well with lots
of Vitamin D!
The answers will come to you - you must be quiet and listen in
order to hear.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
My mother did not so much inspire me to be a teacher as she said
, "Mary Ellen, you will be a teacher or I will not pay for your
college." There really was no choice. I was lucky I did enjoy teaching
middle school and I was very good at it. I miss my students. The students make
everything worthwhile for a teacher. The politics, administrators, and parents
make teaching a losing profession. (Also, some teachers just shouldn't be teaching. A good teacher can teach anything. It is as much a talent as anything else)
What's it like to hold the key to a city?
It was not so much a key to the city as it was a framed
document citing King Street Nature Trail Day in Danbury, Connecticut. We cut the
ribbon to the trail and the first people took my guided tour. I had put in two
escape routes for smaller children who could not make a long trek and for
handicapped students so they could use the trail. There were about 15 - 20
stations on the trail were students and teachers could stop and learn about
what was going on at that spot. I remember I had one on "Natural
Litter;" one was on "Hydrophytic plants;" and another one was on
"glacial scrapings." Yet another one was on Eutrophication (the process of a wet area or a swamp
turning back into a land mass.)
The trail is located next to the King Street Elementary school
in Danbury,CT. I designed the trail and wrote all of the stations and student
worksheets etc. It is a 2 mile long trail with two shorter escape routes. There
were several bridges along the trail erected and re-erected by my first
husband., Gene Sain (My name at this time was Mary Ellen Sain.) I worked for
hours on this trail and when the school had their volunteer dinner, they forgot to invite me. Instead they invited the school PTA
president who attempted to gain credit for all the work on the trail. I still
stayed and took more than 1200 students on personal tours and I still have
boxes of thank-you letters from these students.
What is your favorite quote from your book "Healing Words, Life Lessons to Inspire?"
My favorite quote from my book "Healing Words, Life Lessons to Inspire" is in the first poem on Awareness (page 18) when I talk about "Awakening to the truth inside you......." or later on in that one "walking through your fears instead of hiding from them....."
I like this because you cannot do anything without awareness first. You must be aware that you are judging someone - you must be aware you have motives - you must become aware that you are projecting your guilt onto someone else. Without awareness you stay stuck on your little wheel of life going through the motions that your parents and their parents did before you even were born.
---
Mary Ellen Ciganovich is an educator, speaker and writer on the
topics of Awareness, Spirituality
and how these affect our life situations. She
conducts a popular seminar called “Live, Love, and Learn” that teaches people
how to take charge of their lives and control their health through the use of
medical and alternative choices. For more about Mary Ellen, please visit
www.askmaryellen.com.
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 12, 2012
Caroline A. Shearer Gives a Psychic Color Reading on Elizabeth Harper's Colorscope!
The Colorscope is a regular feature on Elizabeth Harper's website www.SealedwithLove.com. Each time she brings on a different guest and together they give the audience a reading based on a specific set of colors. For this episode, the colors are Red, White, and Blue!
Here's how it works:
Before you push the play button, pick one color: red, white, or blue. Let your intuition guide you in your choice.
Got it? Ok, now play the video and get your reading! Elizabeth and Caroline provide insight as to why you chose your color. Plus, in this very special episode, Caroline will explain how the colors are tied to her books "Women Will Save the World," "Adventures of a Lightworker: Dead End Date," and "Love Like God: Embracing Unconditional Love."
Elizabeth Harper is a popular and inspiring teacher, color intuitive, and psychic artist who empowers others to realize their light. The award-winning author of Wishing: How to Fulfill Your Heart's Desires, she has been featured in popular national magazines, including Woman's World, Redbook, Prevention, and Health. She also is a magazine columnist and regular contributor to radio and television in the U.S. and Australia. She's also a contributor to Women Will Save the World!
Elizabeth shares her gift of healing with color through her visionary jewelry, Silk Energy Wraps, and personal creations. She is the founder of Sealed With Love LLC and co-founder of Spiritual Living LLC. For more about Elizabeth, please visit www.sealedwithlove.com.
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 9, 2012
Nellie Bly Saves the World!
"I took upon myself to enact the part of a poor, unfortunate crazy girl, and felt it my duty not to shirk any of the disagreeable results that should follow." -- Nellie BlyNellie Bly's courageous foray into journalism gave a voice to the poor, the weak, and the incarcerated, and her trailblazing acts inspired women around the world. -- "Women Will Save the World"
Nellie Bly became the first female investigative reporter in 1887 and the first female war correspondent during World War I. In the true spirit of journalism, she gave a "voice to the voiceless" by going undercover to expose unsafe working conditions, child labor, and government corruption.
The above quote is in reference to her time posing as a "crazy" girl in order to get herself committed to Bellevue Hospital on Blackwell's Island in New York. The horrible conditions she wrote about after her ten-day stay led to major reforms in the treatment of the mentally ill. In the fashion of a true trailblazer, she improved the world for those around her, and for those who came after.
To learn more about inspirational women-- and how you too can save the world-- order your copy of Women Will Save the World by Caroline A. Shearer!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 7, 2012
The Economics of Publishing, Part One: Author Advances
If you are someone who has chosen to be a writer, you surely spend a lot of time working on your craft. It is an art, after all, and you probably find yourself spending more time flexing your creative muscles and less time thinking about the business side of the profession: Publishing.
If you have completed a book, congratulations are certainly in order. We would rather not discourage you by sharing the statistics, but a very small portion of people who start a book actually finish it, and an even smaller fraction of those who have finished actually succeed in getting it published.
But let's not get carried away just yet. Finishing a book is wonderful. Honor yourself and your accomplishment, but remember you have only just completed the first leg of your journey. There are still many miles to go before you can relax. Ultimately, you want to share your work with the world, to see your name in print, and to touch people's lives with your words and your wisdom. This is why you became a writer. It is a remarkable undertaking and there will be many decisions to make along the way. Chances are you have done a little preliminary searching and you may be asking yourself this question:
Do I want to work with a traditional publisher or an assisted self-publishing press?
While there are a myriad of things to consider, an important aspect of business is economics. So let's use that other side of the brain for a bit and talk numbers. A big publishing company offers authors an advance for their manuscript, while assisted self-publishing companies generally provide author services in package form. In other words, the author is paying the company to work on the book. Well, most people want to make money rather than spend it, but let's delve a little deeper, shall we?
Author advances have dropped drastically from the good ol' days before the recession. Today, an unknown author may receive anywhere from $1,000-$5,000 for their first book. Let's be optimistic and say you get $5,000. Your agent (and you will most likely have an agent; about 70% of authors who are accepted for publication have an agent) receives a cut, about 15%. So you can already kiss $750 goodbye. As a writer, you are a freelancer and technically self-employed which means you pay a higher tax rate (without benefits like health insurance) than if you were working at a full-time job. This will vary state to state but federally on average, Americans pay 18-19%. So you would want to factor in something much higher. So, let's say, if you are lucky, you have $2,500 left over. Not bad, but let's hold on to that day job.
Also, let's keep in mind that getting an advance is like taking out a loan. You have to pay it all back before you can earn any real money. (Join us next week for more about royalties and unearned advances!) An assisted self-publisher may ask you to purchase editing services before the book goes to print, but in the end, this will only benefit your work. Many companies, like Spirited Press, allow you to retain the rights so at any point in time, you can publish it elsewhere. Even if you don't, your work will always remain yours. By choosing assisted self-publishing with Spirited Press, you gain the expertise of professionals without having to sell your work outright. Essentially you have hired them to assist in areas where you could be stronger, whether it is proofreading or promotions. You are still in control of what happens after that.
Consider this scenario: you self-publish your first book and it gains a lot of traction, attracting the big publishers. If you already have a name, you have negotiating power. You are no longer an unknown author; people are already buying your books! You get a contract with terms that work for you and you go on being successful. (Sylvia Day originally self-published her novel "Bared to You," currently a NY Times Bestseller.) On the other hand, if this doesn't happen, you still own a professionally crafted book, and you don't owe anyone any money.
Interested in learning more about assisted self-publishing? Visit the Spirited Press website, or subscribe to our RSS feed for weekly tips and advice!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 5, 2012
Music Video Monday is Back!
Start your week right with the right music! We took a break of sorts last week in honor of Halloween. This week we bring you a song from the Disney movie "Brave." The song is called "Touch the Sky" and here it is sung by Julie Fowlis.
This is the kind of song that has a powerful message. It's a song to listen to when you have resolved to do something great. It's a song for when you might feel a little down and in need of that extra push you need to step right through it all. It's the right kind of song to listen to when you've decided to lead a higher-vibrating existence. For there may not be any feat higher, on this earth at least, than touching the sky.
Interested in learning more about raising your vibration? For practical advice you can immediately put into action, order your copy of "Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life" by Caroline A. Shearer.
Did you know these same concepts can be applied to attracting wealth as well as happiness? To find out how, order your copy of "Raise Your Financial Vibration: Tips and Tools to Embrace Your Infinite Spiritual Abundance by Caroline A. Shearer.
This information provided by Absolute Love Publishing and its imprint, Spirited Press , an assisted-publishing platform.
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Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 2, 2012
Amelia Earhart Saves the World!
"Please know that I am quite aware of the hazards. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." -- Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart's trailblazing courage has inspired generations of women to accomplish their dreams. -- "Women Will Save the World"
Amelia Earhart is one of those powerful historical figures many of us first learned about back in grade school. She is a true inspiration not only to women, but to strong-willed Americans all across the nation who dedicate themselves to pursuing their dreams even in times of real adversity.
Amelia Earhart set records in flying solo not only as a woman, but as a person too. Her mysterious disappearance has given her an aura of enigma, and it is clear that we, as a society, are still fascinated by her, though it has been over 70 years since her last, ill-fated flight.
Some of her last words appear in the quote above. They were written in the last letter to her husband before her last flight. These words demonstrate a deeper knowing, a soulful understanding of just what it was she was doing. She was well aware of her life purpose. She knew that her accomplishments, as well as her failures, would be a guiding light to others. It is now up to us to honor her by taking up the challenge she has presented.
To learn more about how amazing women like Amelia Earhart have saved the world, order your copy of Women Will Save the World by Caroline A. Shearer today!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
November 1, 2012
Assisted Self-Publishing vs. Vanity Press
Transformations have taken place in the publishing industry. Its traditional ways of doing business are gradually becoming outdated. The old business model has changed, and many authors have shifted to new ways of sharing their work with the world. As the changes and shifts have occurred, more and more businesses are being created that market themselves to writers who are taking on a more active role in publishing their work.
For the author who has decided to side-step the big-name publishers, the "big box" stores of the industry, the options to self-publish may seem overwhelming. Many businesses are going to ask you for money and you may not know who to trust. We understand that you have many questions and concerns, and we are here to address at least some of them in our weekly blog posts from Spirited Press.
If you've done some research, you may be wondering: What is the difference between an assisted self-publishing company and a vanity press?
The vanity press has been around for quite some time. If you've ever taken a writing workshop or read any books on how to get published, then you've been warned about the vanity press. The term has attracted a negative connotation because these types of companies generally will accept and publish anything written by anyone with enough cash. When writers publish through a vanity press, their books are often stripped of any sort of literary merit. A vanity press does not subject submissions to guidelines or editing, prints whatever it is given regardless of how well (or poorly) it is written, and therefore has acquired a stigma in the literary community.
As a result of these perceptions, writers are sometimes wary of companies who classify themselves as assisted self-publishing businesses. Like the vanity press, the assisted self-publishing company may ask for money from the author upfront. However, the major difference is that the assisted self-publishing company is offering a service, rather than gratuitously publishing anything that comes its way. At Spirited Press, for example, we offer author services in editing, proofreading, book design, and marketing. In other words, your money is an investment towards the improvement of your work. Should an author want to publish through Spirited Press, it is important that the book meet the criteria which are important to us. Our company is guided by the same spiritual principles as Absolute Love Publishing and we only align ourselves with projects promoting goodness in the world. If a book is not a good fit for us, we will decline to publish it just as a traditional publisher would.
Quick tips: - Avoid companies that ask for a lot of money upfront, without offering any services - Be wary of companies that seem overly eager to publish your book - Consider companies with submission guidelines/acceptance criteria - Once you have made contact, do not be afraid to ask tough questions - Go with your gut! When you find the right company, you will know
Interested in learning more about assisted self-publishing? Visit the Spirited Press website, or subscribe to our RSS feed for weekly tips and advice!
Copyright 2012 Absolute Love Publishing
