R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 35

A simple Poll

What Should You Do as a Businessperson?

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Content

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week I am talking about Content.

Content is one of the most difficult subjects for writing, including your website.

I recently reprinted my blog on Websites. It covered the basics of website design. Today’s blog is taking us deeper into website design and looking at Content. This is where you communicate with your visitor who may just happen to be your potential customer.

What is Content?

Simply put, Content is the written material that appears on your page(s). It can be a sales pitch, a biography, how-to, and a host of other subjects. On our website’s homepage, we have content on Teresa and me, TR-Writing Services and more.

The purpose of content is to inform the reader, visitor, etc. about your business, the services and/or products you sell, who you are, and more. You want your content to be fresh, informative, and helpful.

What Do You Mean by Fresh?

The way the search engines work is  they respond to fresh or new material. That doesn’t mean you have to have new material every day or week. But you should update certain pages on a relatively active schedule.

Every time we publish a new book, the Catalog page is updated. But on our Homepage, we try to update more often. For example, that homepage has been updated today. It was updated yesterday and then again today. Sometimes it is to correct a mistake I found, and sometimes it is to add more material.

That’s the point: Don’t just update to update. Have something relevant for your reader and for SEO. In today’s update we removed some information and added more with the purpose of achieving greater clarity and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

How Often Should it be Updated?

There are varying opinions on that subject. But before considering that you should make it a habit to visit your website at least weekly. Review the design, the look and feel of the site, read the content and ask yourself is it relevant, up-to-date, or accurate. The world we live in is constantly changing. So should your website.

Your visits to the website will probably govern the frequency of updates. Sometimes it might be almost daily, and sometimes it might be months. Personally I try to update monthly and sometimes I will do a major update that might take days (such as last year when I moved my website to its current address).

How long does it take for updates to affect SEO?

Sometimes it can take up to six months. It’s good to know that there are little green men driving around in the bots (just kidding). There are bots (short for robots) that visit websites and report back to their masters (such as Google). These bots explore your website. If there is nothing new, they aren’t concerned about notifying the big boss. But new material always excites them, and it helps your overall SEO score.

Content is King!

You might argue with that statement, but if you want people to visit and return to your site then content is king. It doesn’t have to be a lot of content. In fact, it is better, in my opinion, if the content is interesting, possibly compelling. That way it attracts people which is another reason for visiting your site on a regular basis. If the site is boring to you then it is probably boring to your visitors.

There is help for you.

I’m a writer and I hope my writing shows up in my content. But it is different than writing a book, so sometimes you, if you are a writer, still need help in writing content. There is help on the internet, just get busy and find it on the internet.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Your Website

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week I am looking at Your Website.

Principle

In today’s world it is virtually a necessity to have a website. Businesses large and small have a website. These sites can be just the basic few or multiple pages consisting of 20 or more pages. The TR-indbkstores website is a multiple page site that will undoubtedly grow as my wife writes and publishes her books.

Here we will begin with the basic website and then add to it.

Tip #1: Having a website is a virtual necessity. It is the primary way people get to know you.

That’s an important fact you need to remember. It is true that having a presence on FaceBook, Twitter, and other Social Media enables people to learn about you. But a website is like a hub. When a person comes to your website they have access to your social media, blogs, and whatever else you have out there to inform your potential readers about yourself.

So the first thing you need to do is buy yourself a domain name. Since the names of hosts change from time to time I suggest you Google ‘domain hosts’. One of the hosts you’ll spot is Godaddy.com which is what we have used in the past. But there are competitors who are probably just as good and possibly better.

As you consider the domain name you want to buy ask yourself the following:

How do I want people to remember me?

For example, you may have written only one book and have no intention to write another. This could lead you to choosing the book title as your website or domain name. This would bring the potential reader’s attention squarely upon the book.

Or perhaps you have or will write more than one book. A book title would then be too restrictive. So you might want to use your Author’s name. I used R. Frederick Riddle, my author’s name, and bought the domain rfrederickriddle.com. This served me for many years until my wife and I formed our company. The point is that you want your website to reflect who you are and what you do.

Tip #2: Your website should reflect who you are and what you do.

Once you start writing more than one book your emphasis changes. You now want your author’s name to become known, thus having your website named after you both promotes your name and benefits from your name. For years I used rfrederickriddle.com and learned some valuable lessons in the process.

So let’s dive into the Basic Web page.

Different people will have different ideas about the Basic Web page. Some think only a single page will do, others believe you need at least three pages. I favor the latter. Let’s take a look.

1 – Home Page: This page is where most people will land when they Google your author’s name. Technically they should land there by Googling your author’s name, any of your books (unless you have separate pages for them), your business name (if you have a business), and your picture or book picture that appears elsewhere (for example, your blog).

The Home Page and every page should be clean and not overly crowded. Always keep in mind that viewers on the Internet read from left to write, top down, and, finally back up to the right corner. Think of it as a ‘V’.

Your most important information should be ‘Above the Fold’. This term refers to the bottom of the viewable website as the ‘fold’. When a person lands on your site you want them to immediately see your most valuable information.

Tip #3: The visible portion of the Home Page upon landing there should be ‘Above the Fold’ where it will clearly be seen.

It’s recommended that you have a picture of yourself in the upper left corner so that potential readers immediately see it. The picture should be linked to your Biography Page or your Amazon Central page.

You could have a brief column in which you highlight moments of your life, books you’ve written, or plans for the future. Don’t use this for your biography; we’ll get to that later.

Depending on size of the pictures you could have a marquee of book covers that rotates cover to cover at the top. On our website the pictures are larger so we have them at the bottom of the page.

2 – About Page – This page is for the biography of your life as it pertains to being an author. It’s not recommended you talk about growing up, etc. unless that relates to your book(s). Emphasize the information regarding your writing career. If you’ve won awards this is a good time to mention that.

You will also want a picture of yourself. While it can be the same as the one on the Home Page, consider using another picture of yourself. You might want the picture to be less formal than the one on the Home Page.

Don’t forget to link your picture to either another location you’d like the reader to go (such as Amazon Central or to your Book Page).

Tip #4: On your About Page link to your Amazon Central site or to your Book Page.

3 – Book Page – If you only have three pages then I recommend the Book Page be it, otherwise it could be your fourth or fifth page. The name ‘Book Page’ is only used here as an indicator. You might want to name it something else, such as ‘My Books’, ‘Author’s Books’, or something else.

Aside from the Book Cover this is a good time to include a description of the book and its story. Writing your description takes just as much talent and commitment as writing the story itself, just not as long.

The Book Cover and the description Title should be linked to a Sales Page discussed below. You don’t want to miss any opportunity for a possible sale.

These are basics, but your host’s basic package may allow you more that only three pages. Godaddy allows more menu items or pages than three plus up to two submenu pages for each main menu page. See the TR-indbkstores.com site and you’ll see what I mean. The cost of this package is very low, in my opinion, yet allows you plenty of pages to work with. Whenever looking at a possible host be sure to find out how many pages you’re allowed.

It is important that you have a Call-to-Action on your Book Page. I recommend you have it at least twice. The first would be above the description and to the right with a button such as ‘Buy Now’ taking the potential buyer to the Sales Page. The second button would be at the bottom and to the right below the description.

Tip 5: It is important to have a Call-to-Action on your Book Page. Recommend one at top right, and one at bottom right.

#4 – Store Page. If your site will be an eCommerce website, you’ll need a secure page. Make sure the host offers that. You can use virtually any eCommerce financial institution from banks to PayPal. I originally wanted to have a Sales page right on my site and decided to go with PayPal. Earlier with my rfrederickriddle.com site I’d used a banking service. Either are excellent. When checking out your preferences ask questions, don’t take anything for granted.

If you choose Amazon or another venue as the point of sale you won’t need a Store Page. Use links from pictures, Titles, etc.

It is important that you have a Call-to-Action.

#5 – Media Page. You want reporters and other media types to visit your website. But they are busy, so a little consideration will go a long way with them. On the Media Page you want a picture of yourself or the book (if only one). You also want to have links to your Social Media sites (FaceBook, Twitter, etc.), Book Page, About Page, and anywhere else you want them to go.

#6 – Privacy Page. If you’re selling products on your website, then it is necessary to have a Privacy Page. Here you can assure them that their information is safe with you. See below for a sample.

#7 – Blog. Do you blog? You should definitely consider it. You can blog on writing, other book related topics, or something altogether different. Whatever you blog make it consistent and informative. The blog should be linked back to your website and to your Social Media.

Moreover you should have a Blog Page. I blog at rfrederickriddleblog.com on WordPress. My website is now attached to the blog and everything is right there.

Tip #6: Blog, blog, blog. It helps get your name out there. Either have it on your website or have an RSS feed on your website.

#8 – Update your website regularly. The bots that search your website for the search engines love fresh material. I recommend you update your material at least monthly.

Updating is little more than refreshing your site. You don’t have to completely rewrite the posts on the site. Tweak the text, change pictures, add material so that it has a fresh look and feel.

We update our Home Page at least monthly and other pages not quite so often. And whenever a new book is published we update the website with appropriate information.

#9 –  Promote your website wherever possible. Consider having a link on your FaceBook Business Page to the website. You can also link from other Social Media outlets. And if you have a blog have a link from every blog you publish to the website. Plus, use Business Cards.

#10 – Social Media. I’ve mentioned Social Media several times. You have a number of choices:

Facebook – Probably #1 in popularity.

Instagram – Can be used for promotion, customer service, etc.

LinkedIn – Mostly B-to-B; great for connecting with other authors

Pinterest – Good for promoting your book

Twitter – Probably #2 in popularity.

YouTube – Strong mailing list platform, getting subscribers, marketing your book(s), etc.

I don’t suggest trying to do all the Social Media, but several would work. I have accounts in all of the Social Media mentioned above but am seriously looking to concentrate on a few like FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube while I may dabble in the others.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News : Impeachment & the Democrats

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about: Impeachment & the Democrats.

What’s the Future of Impeachment?

The short answer that whenever the trial begins it will be short and end in acquittal.

The long answer takes more room and time. I’ll give you my understanding.

The Democrats Made a Mistake

And it’s a big one. In 2016 Trump blew Hilary out of the water and the Democrats assumed foul play. It wasn’t true, but they hitched their future to that assumption and immediately there were calls for impeachment.

Along came the Steele Dossier. This piece of fiction, apparently funded by the Clinton campaign, was meant to be used in the election. I don’t believe they every thought it would be used in impeachment proceedings. They probably knew it was nothing but fiction, but they figured it would useful in undermining the Trump campaign. It was dirty politics with an unexpected consequence.

Surprisingly none of our liberal friends have called for an investigation into what eventually cost the American taxpayers millions, even billions of dollars. Maybe not so surprisingly since the people calling for Trump’s impeachment would not be interested in going after Hilary and her campaign.

This mistake looked like a blessing to the Democrats in Congress, especially the newly elected Representatives. It was vehicle that could possibly remove their arch enemy from office! Check the history out and you will find that Speaker Pelosi quickly realized that this was a mistake. For some reason, however, she hooked her boat to this sinking ship.

The Democrats Didn’t Get Off When They Could

The Mueller investigation provided them cover. After years of using bullying tactics and excessive taxpayer dollars, he came up with nothing. At that point Pelosi could have said something like, “We tried, but now it is time to move on.”

But she didn’t.

Instead, she let it hang around and the new, loudmouth Representatives grew more strident and, in my opinion, stronger. She started shifting her stance and moved closer probably trying to mollify them. It didn’t work. They got their hooks into her and didn’t let go.

The ship Impeachment was sinking, and she couldn’t keep it afloat. Using her power she forced the Articles of Impeachment even though they had no corroborating facts. What she called ‘facts’ amounted to hearsay and innuendo.

Then Capitulation

That’s what I call it. Although filled with misgivings, she caved. Her words changed from caution to tentative and finally to ‘Urgent’. Impeachment was urgent.

It reminds me of when Obamacare was passed in 2010, she famously said, “We [need] to pass the bill in order to find out what [is] in it.” The fact checkers admit she said it but add it must be viewed in her intentions. Then they show what the context was before and after. But they leave out a very important fact. Obamacare was not bipartisan, and the Democrats locked Republicans out of participating in discussions. That is the true context. At the time America was concerned about its contents and whether she intended her statement to be taken as we took them or not is immaterial. Basically people understood her as saying that the bill should be passed and then read. Apparently, Obama agreed, because it was shortly passed and he signed it.

Sounds a lot like her comments regarding Impeachment.

Now she was stuck. She’d stuck her neck out and couldn’t turn back. So the Articles of Impeachment were passed without a single Republican vote. The ship Impeachment was looking more and more like the Titanic!

Bucket Brigade

I wasn’t there but I imagine Pelosi waking up the next morning and crying out loud, “What have we done?”

Suddenly reality reappeared. She remembered earlier statements where she opposed impeachment. Facts hadn’t really changed; they were still hearsay. Fishing expeditions had failed. There was more not less innuendo and fabrication. What could she do?

Then a brilliant idea came. Just like in the past people used bucket brigades to throw water on a raging fire, she could ease off the pedal and call for a “fair trial.” So she leaped out of bed and joyfully went forward.

She gave a statement that basically said, “We need a fair trial where our facts can be fully explored. Otherwise, I won’t send the articles to the Senate.”

The problem is this. Imagine a prosecutor going before a judge and saying, “We believe the defendant is guilty, but we don’t have enough evidence to convict him. Order him to tell the court everything and to provide incriminating evidence.”

It won’t happen unless it’s a grand jury. Even then it might not happen.

Just like throwing a bucket of water on a raging fire won’t work unless you have a long line of buckets, so this argument goes out the window!

The Senate

The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to conduct a trial. House Managers (prosecutors) have the duty to press the charges. Senate Managers represent the defendant. To call additional witnesses at this time requires at the very least an understanding of what evidence that witness will provide. ‘Hope for’ is not the same. The Democrats are simply going on a fishing expedition with no worm on their hook.

Furthermore, while the Speaker does not have to provide the articles in a timely fashion, the Senate is under no obligation to listen to the Speaker. The Speaker has no authority as to the construction, nature, or conduct of the trial.

My View.

Personally, I think the case should be thrown out! But that’s not likely to happen. Right now the Republicans hold the upper hand both in the Senate and in the nation. The Democrats have been caught with their pants down, are embarrassed, and are fearful. To do what I want could backfire.

But the Senate should not let the House dictate how the trial will go. In the House the investigation went forward despite opposition from the Republicans. It was clearly biased. In the Senate you currently have the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader meeting and discussing the format. They haven’t agreed on anything as far as I know and now Schumer is forced to act on Pelosi’s demands. He’s been placed in a bad situation which has resulted in the meetings now going nowhere.

 I don’t know what the final format will be, but the fact they are still talking is far better than what happened in the House. In the end, the decision rests with the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

What’s a Fair Trial?

That’s easy. The accused gets to face his accusers and gets to present his side to a jury of his peers. I don’t believe that is what Pelosi means.

‘Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.’

Pelosi and the Democrats were forced by their own party members to conduct political suicide. If they had only stopped and read history, they would have seen what happened to the Republicans when they impeached Clinton.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri (Book Six). I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Be A Businessperson

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week however I am looking back at 2019 and reposting what I believe is my most important advice. The truth is that if you are a writer you need to remember ‘It’s your business’!

Chances are you’re thinking I’m not interested in a business; I just want to write and sell books. But surprise, writing books is a business!

While writing can certainly be fun (it is for me), it can also be profitable. And for that reason alone, you need to think of your writing career, no matter how many books that entails, as a business.

This may come as a surprise to you, but the Government thinks you’re a business.

That’s right. When you do your income taxes and show that you made money through royalties or the sale of your books, the government regards that, and you, as a business. Which means you probably owe taxes.

So, you should consider yourself a businessperson also!

Actually, your Business includes the authorship, publishing and marketing of your book(s). And like any business you need to think like a businessman or businesswoman. And this thinking will impact your whole life.

For example, do you dress like a businessperson?

I am speaking of what you wear in public, especially when you are out in the public signing books, being interviewed, etc. I dress casually in normal situations, but if I am marketing myself, I wear a shirt and tie, at least. Your appearance matters whether you think it should or not. If you are attending a book club or making a speech or doing an interview how you dress makes a difference.

As a general rule I’d recommend business casual. You might consider business attire (suit & tie for men, dress for women) or something a little more casual yet still reflecting that you are serious about your business. In previous videos that I made I opted for a shirt and tie. It suggests business without being overpowering.

What about having an Office?

That depends on you. I have an office at home although I have considered having an actual office independent of my home. There would be certain advantages, but it is not necessary. The whole matter comes down to what works best for you. Some writers like a formal setting like an office, while others prefer a more casual setting. I’ve found that I can write in just about any place. For complete transparency I also you the local library as my extended library but that is mainly for research and marketing purposes.

Publishing nowadays requires access to the Internet. You can get that just about anywhere, such as a library. If you are on a low budget and/or have little space at home, libraries are ideal. Most provide free WIFI and may also have computers you can use for free.

How do you carry yourself?

Another aspect of thinking like a businessperson is how you carry yourself. This is something I had to learn. Slouching, hands in pockets, and staring at your feet are not positive selling points. I wasn’t that bad, but I did have to learn to not only be confident, but to act confident (although not overbearing).

But the concept goes deeper than clothing and acting like a businessman. It also includes having an idea of how you are going to run your business. For example, you have a book. Who’s going to publish it? How do you plan on selling it?

In our case we created our own publishing business, T&R Independent Books. The T stands for Teresa and the R for Ron. We are the exclusive publishers of our books. I have blogged in the past about having your own publishing business and probably will again. But for today I will just say that it gives you all the power and all the profits but also entails you doing all the work. We use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) as our publishing platform.

There are a number of items you need to know to be a successful businessman. Before moving on let’s nail down the concept itself.

When I think of myself as a businessman, I have several pictures in mind. I see myself being interviewed about topics other than my books. I see myself as someone people respected and wanting to know. I also see myself making decisions, supporting charitable works, and so forth.

Face it you’re a businessperson. Face it and embrace it!

For your benefit I’ve included two video’s that will help you understand just how important this is. Included in the videos are basic facts and helps. And it is all FREE! Just click the link below.

It’s Your Business 1a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News : A Christmas After Thought

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about: A Christmas After Thought.

To begin I hope all of you had a blessed Christmas. Teresa and I were privileged to watch 1777 A Colonial Christmas. This story takes place in Valley Forge at a low time in the war. It was an excellent cantata that included choir and amateur actors who performed exquisitely!

On Christmas Eve, after getting home from the cantata, Teresa and I continued our tradition of our version of the 12 days of Christmas. In our version, we each give the other a list of 12 or more items and where located to each other. Then we take those lists and buy 12 gifts. It’s a wonderful way of giving the right gift and receiving the right gift. We do allow each other to stray from the list which sometimes tickles our imagination and we are reminded of other things our mate loves.

We exchanged six gifts on Christmas Eve and the other six Christmas morning. But in the midst of all that, we also were reminded of why Christ came: He came from Heaven and was born as a Baby. He came not be worshiped as a holy Baby, although He certainly was holy. He came to go to the cross as the pure Lamb of God, to take our sins upon Himself and to die for us! Thank You, Jesus!

We are now in recovery from eating so much. And, since I requested candy treats, I have a bit of sweat treats to eat. It has been a bright spot in a year of trials. But those trials dealing with cancer have also drawn us closer together. Moreover, we have grown closer to God Who has provided for us throughout the year. His provision has simply been amazing!

2019 has also been a transforming year for our business. It started out by tweaking our website. But as time went on we moved our website to this domain so that our blog and website are all in one location.

That has been exciting and it is still a work in progress, but take a look and see if we are right in being proud. The site is easy to navigate and we are constantly adding material.

Then we discovered SCORE. Score is a voluntary organization that provides workshops for small business where featured speakers are themselves small businessmen and women. It also provides mentoring which has been instrumental in shifting our focus from the national and world to the local market. That doesn’t mean our products are no longer available nationally. It means our primary focus is now local with an eye still on the national scene.

Another exciting event in 2019 has been my wife’s (alias, Tess) writing career. Despite battling cancer she has been busy writing her first novel. The first draft has been finished and gone through an initial edit. Her next step is to make any corrections needed and send it back to me for editing. She may be working on it right now!

Finally, as a service of T&R Independent Books we founded TR Writing Services as a department. Our motto is ‘we edit, proof, and publish the book within you’. The idea for the service came from a friend who’d asked me to help publish her mother’s book. Her inspiring praise when combined with my own remembrance of how difficult it was for me in my younger years to write and get published resulted in starting TR Writing Services.

I hope 2019 has been good to you and pray that the New Year 2020 will be much better. Teresa and I thank you for your interest and for following this blog.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri (Book Six). I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News : Pelosi and Fair Trial

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about: Pelosi and Fair Trial.

I was planning on writing about Christmas. And I do wish all my readers a wonderful and merry Christmas. Remember, it’s about Christ coming to Earth in the form of a baby with the purpose of dying for your sins! What a wonderful Savior!

Is Pelosi serious?

That question is in relation to her new demand that the Senate get her approval before she’ll send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. Now, President Trump responded by demanding a speedy trial. And that is his right. But the Senate is not under any obligation to seek the House’s approval.

The truth is that Pelosi is trying to protect herself and her fellow Democrats. They impeached the President to gratify their political core. But with no evidence to present other than hearsay, speculation, and unfounded accusations, they know that it will fail in the Senate.

In almost every article I’ve read from the Democratic view they “assume” that certain accusations are true. But assumptions are not facts and therefore not admissible in a court of law. The entire whistleblower effort would never be allowed in a court of law because it was not something witnessed by the so-called whistleblower but was hearsay.

In fact, the very accusations are based on liberal interpretations of the Constitution. The Constitution emphasizes High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Even if the President did what they said he did, it would not rise to the level of “high”. Our founding fathers used that word on purpose to prevent political attacks. Unfortunately, modern politicians believe they can reinterpret the Constitution to fit their needs.

The Real Problem is 2016.

Donald Trump was elected by the people of the United States receiving a clear majority of Electoral votes. But the liberals (i.e., Democrats) couldn’t accept that and immediately set out to impeach him before he ever took office. They seized upon the Russian Collusion charge that was fabricated by the Steele document that was paid for by the Hillary Campaign. Don’t have time to prove that here, but it’s been well documented.

That led to the Mueller Report which shot down the collusion charge. But the Democrats were not to be put off that easily. They went from being Mueller’s best friend to his biggest foe simply because he gave an honest report and not the one they were looking for.

Then came the Whistleblower.

Unfortunately this whole whistleblower fiasco has damaged the whistleblower protections. In a rather suspicious manner the FBI altered the requirements of the whistleblower program to allow hearsay evidence. This was closely followed by the whistleblower complaint. The recent report by the Inspector General glossed over this behavior, but it should be looked at seriously.

House Impeachment Proceedings.

I almost feel sorry for Speaker of the House Pelosi. She’s fighting for her job. It is obvious from previous statements by her that she didn’t want to go this route. Her hand was forced by a loud, determined minority of Democrats who hated Trump from the beginning.

But while that may be true, the Speaker had the power to stop it. She could have interceded and made sure the House proceedings were fair, just, and followed judicial practice. She didn’t. The whole investigation has been tainted by not allowing the President to face his accuser. He couldn’t even send his lawyers!

Technically speaking, the investigation wasn’t a trial. In fact, it appeared more like a Grand Jury where the prosecution has the power and the defense nothing. (In all honesty, I am not a fan of grand juries for that reason although they may have some value.) The American people deserved better!

Meanwhile.

Complicating the picture for the Democrats is the well documented fact that President Trump has been the catalyst for a booming economy, a bullish stock market, improved relations abroad, and much more. President Obama claims his actions brought on the economic boom, but the only thing he can really claim is that it started under his watch – the day after the election. I’ve commented on this in the past.

What Does the Speaker Mean by a Fair Trial?

Not what you and I would mean. Nor is it something any prosecutor would dare demand of a court of law.

Rather, she wants assurances that their “evidence” will be received and believed. She wants the House (prosecutors) to have the same upper hand they’ve had to date. It appears she wants to protect the so-called whistleblower and any other unnamed witnesses from being cross-examined.

My View.

Personally, I think the case should be thrown out! But that’s not likely to happen. Right now the Republicans hold the upper hand both in the Senate and in the nation. The Democrats have been caught with their pants down, are embarrassed, and are fearful. To do what I want could backfire.

But the Senate should not let the House dictate how the trial will go. In the House the investigation went forward in spite of opposition from the Republicans. It was clearly biased. In the Senate you currently have the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader meeting and discussing the format. I don’t know what the final format will be, but the fact they are talking is far better than what happened in the House. In the end, the decision rests with the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

What’s a Fair Trial?

That’s easy. The accused gets to face his accusers and gets to present his side to a jury of his peers. I don’t believe that is what Pelosi means.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri (Book Six). I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Special Announcement

On Tuesdays I normally write posts that are tips for writers. But today I also have a special announcement.

Final Book of Christland series Published!

That is correct. For those of you who may be following my writing career, I have completed the series Christland. The first book of the series was Death Ship to the Stars, the story that takes place after WW III. Wrongfully blamed for the war (Christians were actually victims) a new world government began a crackdown on all religions, but Christians in particular. As part of this crackdown the persecution included death and led to the rounding up of believers and sending them into space to study their lives and expected fiery death. But the Christians revolted and took over the ship.

The second book was entitled Pauline A New Home. The space traveling Christians of Book 1 headed for Ross 128 and landed on Ross 128 b, naming it Pauling of the Ro Systems. Here they settled, set up a government patterned after the United States. Knowing that the forces of suppression would likely come after them, they began preparing themselves militarily. Meanwhile back on Earth a Christian underground was at work.

In Book 3 Task Force Hunter the world government sent out a new spaceship, the first ever space warship. It’s task was to recapture the Christians at all costs. A high ranking general was charged with this mission and a young admiral captained the ship. It took a while, but they were able to track the Christians to Ross 128 b. But they failed to consider the Christians ability to prepare for battle. Confident in their superiority the ship entered the Ro System. Onboard the ship and unknown to the General were secret Christians determined to stop him. And back on Earth the world government is in trouble and yes those pesky Christians are involved.

In book 4 Black Death, we find that Pauline and Earth are at peace, but an insane criminal has a plot to destroy all Christians. He decides that Pauline is the perfect spot to launch his deadly weapon known only as the Black Death. Before it is over the fledgling government must fight for its life!

Rise of I.C.E.S. is book 5. Captain Coburn, a minor criminal on Earth, decides to build a criminal network known as the Interstellar Criminal Endeavor Syndicate. Taking a page from Dr. Ink of Black Death, Coburn kidnaps 100 women to be used as both sex and work slaves. Taken mostly from Earth, and a few from Pauline, he puts his plan into action. But a young soldier is sent underground and she becomes one of the slaves. Her job is to find the location of I.C.E.S and enable the rescue of the women.

With book 6 Battle at Proxima Centauri we see that I.C.E.S. is still around but Earth and Pauline space forces are united and seeking them. Meanwhile the United States gets a new President and on Pauline an offshoot of I.C.E.S. is trying to establish a criminal empire there. How will it all end?

Battle at Proxima Centauri is now available. In fact, all my books are now a simple click away from their Amazon pages. Order now and you can get the book of your choice by December 20, 2019.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri (Book Six). I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday Tip : Oh no! I Goofed!

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: Oh no! I Goofed!

Has this happened to you?

You wrote your book; got it edited, proofed, and published. Then you discovered a glaring error.

Or how about this?

After publishing your book you received a critical email or letter that pointed out supposed errors and offered new facts that would have been good for your book.

I have had both happen to me. The first instance was with a self-publisher house. The book had been given the once over and only needed me to approve the Print Ready proof. I had forty-eight hours to review the copy and approve it.

Forty-eight hours sounds like a lot of time. But when you subtract sleep time, mealtime, and eight hours of work, you don’t have much left. I had to rush through the book and failed to see the printer’s error they had committed. It was a simple error. I had used a separator between scenes which they removed. I was so focused on words and spelling that I failed to see the missing separator. I approved it and the book was published.

Afterwards I discovered the error. But it was too late! To correct the error would require republishing the book and it would have cost me perhaps as much as it cost for the first book.

What a bummer!

The second instance took place after my wife and I co-founded T&R Independent Books. We had become Indie Publishers, which meant we were responsible for all aspects of publishing and marketing. We could farm work out, but we were responsible.

The book was published by us using CreateSpace (now KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)). Later I received a letter from a reader who critiqued the book. He pointed out some supposed errors (which were not real errors) plus gave me additional facts. I checked them out and found that they would have been valuable inside the book.

What did I do?

In the first instance I did nothing until after establishing T&R Independent Books. One of the first things we did is set about buying back the rights to my previous books from the original publishers. Some books I was able to buy the rights, other books I was unable to do so. In these latter cases, I simply rewrote the book and assigned a new title. This is what happened to the book in the first instance.

In the second instance the book had been published by us. So I went back to Kindle and republished the book. This time it had the same title, same cover, but corrections and additions were made.

The Power of Indie

These two instances point out the power of being an Indie Publisher. I was able to rewrite the first book and correct the second book. I unpublished the second book, corrected it and republished, but I discovered I could have corrected it and republished without unpublishing in the first place. You might wonder what this cost me. Hold onto your seats: it cost absolutely nothing!

That’s right. Nothing. Instead of hundreds of dollars I spent nothing except time. That is the power of being an Indie Publisher.

Tip of the Day : Become an Indie Publisher. It’s easy and it’s worth your while.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five),  or Battle at Proxima Centauri (Book Six). I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron's Tuesday Tip: Handling Rejection Slips

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about:Handling Rejection.

Principle

This is primarily addressed to those who plan to use a traditional publisher. Self-publishing companies rarely reject a manuscript. And Indie Publishers (that’s you!) don’t.

As a disclaimer I have never received a rejection slip because I have never used traditional publishers. As an Indie publisher I have the ultimate power or authority and I can exercise that authority over when my book is published. I may change my mind, but if I want it published it gets published.

In our Guide to Writing we spent very little time on this subject, but if you’re not an Indie publisher you need this information. So, I am expanding on what the book talked about.

Never let rejection slips stop you!

In the tip below I advise that you Use rejection slips as learning tools. Why?

It’s really simple. In life every experience is a tool that you can learn from. Rejection slips are no different.

Use them as you would any tool.

Learn from themWhy was it rejected?Did it come with suggestions?Are the suggestions worthwhile in your thinking?Remember the editor, agent, or whatever is not THE authority.It is their opinion based on years of experienceBut they don’t know you or your motivationThey are concerned with marketabilityDon’t take it personallyAll they probably know about you is based on your manuscriptTheir advice or rejection is not meant to discourage you but enlighten youUse the criticism to write a better bookUse it as a steppingstone to your eventual successIncorporate their advice if it doesn’t violate your standardsRewrite and try again.



Tip: Use rejection slips as learning tools to help you become a better writer. Don’t take it personally.              

Example

Since I have never had a book rejected, I have no practical example to share with you. But the more meaningful example is one’s reaction to any roadblock, which is all that a rejection slip amounts to in one’s career.

That said check out your response to other roadblocks. If your response works in those cases, maybe it will with rejection.

But better is this: As I said in the Tips: Use rejection slips as learning tools to help you become a better writer and don’t take it personally.

Application

My suggestion is to stay away from the Traditional Publishers and the preceding is only one reason. But if you must use Traditional Publishers, then please pay close attention when listening to them. They each have their own preferences and not following them will bring on a rejection quickly.

You have a responsibility to yourself. That is why I emphasize treating rejection as a tool. Instead of being discouraged, see it as something that will only make you a better writer!

Indie Publishing may be the answer.

As mentioned above you have the ultimate power as an Indie Publisher. That power is to evaluate your book, take any criticism you receive and make it a better book. One of the advantages of being an Indie publisher using the Kindle (KDP) platform is that you can republish without extra cost.

Kindle makes it easy for you to republish your book. You can leave the book in its current published form (valuable if your book is generating sales) while you edit it. You can edit the book according to your desires or ideas. And at the proper time when it is ready to be published, you simply unpublish it and then republish the new updated book.

You have corrected your errors, republished it without losing much exposure and thereby dollars. And with Kindle you will be able to use KDP Select.

This is one of the reasons we use Kindle Direct Publishing. It gives us the authority usually reserved only for the traditional publishers. But as an independent I am writer, agent, publisher, and marketer all rolled into one. It is risky, but it is worth it!

Rejection may be your chance to succeed!

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.