It's a Summer Reading Challenge! discussion
Random Chat
Current writers I like include...(These are consistent on time attitudes and characters and write good, entertaining stories.)
Karen Witemeyer
Kate Breslin
Sarah Sundin
Roseanna White
Kim Vogel Sawyer
Melissa Jagears
Anne Mateer
Susan Page Davis
Regina Jennings
Carol Cox
Dawn Crandall
Carrie Turansky
Mod
(These are consistent on time attitudes and characters and write good, entertaining stories.)
Karen Witemeyer
Kate Breslin
Sarah Sundin
Roseanna White
Kim Vogel Sa..."
Thanks for the list Hannah! I will definitely check those out! I've been meaning to get on of Kate Breslin's books from the library, but keep forgetting. :P
Just FYI, Breslin's first story set in WW2 is meant to be an alternate-history, a "what-if" sort of thing. The others fit into real history pretty well. I've enjoyed all three.
Mod
Sounds interesting!
*Finally gets through what everyone posted while I was at work. Whew.*To be honest, unless you publish with a big company that has a huge budget, you are likely going to still need to do the marketing yourself. And even if you get a big company, you're still likely to be asked to do a lion's share. I've had multiple trad-published authors tell me this, and one of them even said that it's harder for her to market her one traditionally published book, as she doesn't have control over its price as she does with her indie books.
I will say, though, that having an editor and cover designer are huge plusses.
Are we of the indie community in need of good, affordable editors? Yes, we truly are. I'd love to hire a professional editor for my books, but I can't stinkin' afford it. Fortunately, I have a couple of friends who are editors/aspiring editors, and most of them will sign on as beta readers and give me edits just for the privilege of getting to read the book in advance. I don't like to take advantage of them, though, and as one recently opened her editing business, I'm hoping that I shall be able to afford to actually pay for her services. (Another one of them, we have an exchange deal, and I edit her books right back for her.)
This is one reason that I'm working on pulling together a company with a focus towards promotion for indie authors. I'll also be offering some lighter editing services, as I believe that half of promotion is having a product worth promoting.
Oh, and on the print books thing - all I've ever paid for my print books is buying proof copies and copies to have on hand. I use a print on demand company, so it's very cost effective.
Great thoughts on this issue, Kendra. Thanks for sharing your opinions!
Great points, everyone! There are pros and cons to both types of publishing, and each author has to decide which considerations are most important to him or her. I think good editors are invaluable and much too rare, and they are needed. Especially affordable ones. :) And Oxford comma all the way!! Forever!
Hello everyoneI have been wondering about something ever since I first explored this site and started to actually use it. Compared to myself it seems that there are quite a lot of people that seem to read a truly huge amount of books. So how many hours do you read on average during the week (monday to friday) and how many hours do you read during the weekend (saturday-sunday)?
I'm getting the feeling we have a few big readers in this group when I check the 'what have you read' thread :p
Sorry to hijack the thread btw, I would have made a separate thread but i couldn't figure out how...
For me it all depends on how many other things I have going on. I'm usually multitasking almost all the time, so on average I spend less than an hour a day just READING. Saturdays I'm likely to spend 2-3 hours reading though. Sundays vary widely- sometimes I read for half an hour, sometimes I read for 5 hours.I'm a speed reader, so depending on how long a book is, I'll go through several in a week. Most YA novels only take me 1-1 1/2 hours to read.
Hey, Casual! No worries - this is the random chat, it's pretty hard to hijack. Almost anything is "on topic."My reading time varies from week to week, so it's hard for me to put an exact number on it. I'm a fast reader, though, so that's an influence.
Mod
I have been wondering about something ever since I first explored this site and started to actually use it. Compared to myself it seems that there are quite a lot of people that see..."
I don't know how many hours I read, but I usually finish 2-3 books a week, depending on how much time I have. Sometimes 4 or 5.
And anything random, like your question, is perfectly welcome in this thread! I would actually prefer if people didn't make new topics, so you're good. :)
Casual wrote: "Hello everyoneI have been wondering about something ever since I first explored this site and started to actually use it. Compared to myself it seems that there are quite a lot of people that see..."
I can read two 100,00 word books in a day, and that's besides cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.
Right now, I have a lot more reading time, since I am off work during the summer. During the school year it varies. I might snag 30 minutes every night during the week, or an hour here or there, but I do most of it on weekends, when I'll sit down and read through a book, or read if someone else is driving. I'm trying to get back into audiobooks, since I do have an hour drive round trip, and I could get through more books that way. I don't read quite as many as a lot of people here, though. It's all about purposefully making time, and sometimes I'm better at doing it. I know one year, I didn't make it a priority, and only read 3 books from January to April. My reading life varies.
Casual wrote: "Hello everyoneI have been wondering about something ever since I first explored this site and started to actually use it. Compared to myself it seems that there are quite a lot of people that see..."
I am not one of the faster readers of the group. So far this year it looks like I've gotten about 3 books read a month and that's combining regular reading and audiobook reading. Each day, whether weekday or weekend, I read for at least an hour, sometimes two before bed, no matter what. The amount of reading time I get during the rest of the day varies depending on my schedule. If I don't have anywhere to go (I'm self-employed, so not required to leave the house every day) I'm likely to spend much of my day writing and crafting, though sometimes I squeeze in a half hour of reading after lunch. If I go someplace where I have to sit a long time, I'm more likely to get extra reading in: Anywhere from a half hour to several hours depending on the place. Weekends actually tend to have less time for reading for me because my mom wants to do outdoor things and I help her. So, yeah, my daily reading time varies a lot. :)
Kendra wrote: "*Finally gets through what everyone posted while I was at work. Whew.*Exactly! I have spent more time reading the posts than reading or listening to anything on my list! All week!!
Really just depends, for me. Sometimes it takes a few hours a book, sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks, occasionally several months. As far as reading time per day, well, most of the time these days, maybe half an hour, if I find time for any other reading besides the Bible. If I prioritize reading, or give up sleep (rare these days), a few hours. But adulting. :P I wish I had more reading time. I used to read all the time. Then I grew up.
Mod
My family plans to spend lots of time out by the pool, and Sunday, my brother and his family, as well as my other brother and his fiancée are coming over for a birthday party\4th celebration. Plus lots of catching up on chores and simultaneously "chilling" going on. ;)
Our church does a thing the Sunday closest to the Fourth, which will be tomorrow. So tomorrow. Generally a ton of fun.
Mod
Cool!
I don't get a four day weekend. I'm working today and Monday. :( We'll probably go to our town's fireworks tonight, if it doesn't rain, but we don't have any set plans for Independence Day itself yet. I do want to watch John Adams, though.
Mod
Ah, that's a bummer. :( My brother has to work a half-day on Monday, but just decided to take vacation time for the other half of the day, in order to make it a 4 day weekend. He was pretty thrilled about that. ;)
Absolutely no idea what we are doing. Which stinks.
Studying, and cat-sitting! I have no idea what we'll do on the actual 4th, though usually the church family meets up at the gym to just have fun.
I think the weekend plans are pretty much the same for me as usual, but on the 4th, we'll have to decide if we're going out to see fireworks or watching them on TV. I prefer going out, but it usually comes down to weather and if my dad wants to trek out to wherever has fireworks.
Emily wrote: "Studying, and cat-sitting! I have no idea what we'll do on the actual 4th, though usually the church family meets up at the gym to just have fun."We'll probably just stay home and do a little cookout or something. Some of the parents friends might come over. Sadly, none of my friends live around here. :(
E.F.B. wrote: "I think the weekend plans are pretty much the same for me as usual, but on the 4th, we'll have to decide if we're going out to see fireworks or watching them on TV. I prefer going out, but it usual..."Same here where fireworks are concerned. We have a couple really cool firework shows around here every year.
Mod
That sounds fun! :)
Mod
We'll probably just stay home and d..."
Aw, that's a bummer! Hugs from here to wherever you are! :)
Our day will be pretty normal, besides the food preparation. We'll also probably watch fireworks on TV.
Sarah Grace wrote: "Erudessa wrote: "Emily wrote: "Studying, and cat-sitting! I have no idea what we'll do on the actual 4th, though usually the church family meets up at the gym to just have fun."We'll probably jus..."
Thanks!! At least I have everyone on here.
Mod
Fun!
No 4-day weekend for me either! Who are these privileged people who get the day before a holiday off in addition to the actual holiday?!?! :)
Mod
LOL! Well, my brother's office was on the fence about whether to close on Monday or not, and they finally decided to, so he was pretty thrilled about that. And my other brother planned to use vacation time whether they closed or not, haha. And my dad runs his own business and works from home, so he can take time off whenever he wants. ;) Hope you have a great weekend despite not having time off. :)
JD wrote: "No 4-day weekend for me either! Who are these privileged people who get the day before a holiday off in addition to the actual holiday?!?! :)"I opted to use a vacation day. Making the most of the days off! Even though I have absolutely nothing planned or going on. Eating, the usual "holiday" thing!
JD wrote: "No 4-day weekend for me either! Who are these privileged people who get the day before a holiday off in addition to the actual holiday?!?! :)"Seriously! My library system is only closed actually on the Fourth. And since I don't work Tuesdays anyway (I'm part time), I don't get anything special. But I get paid by the hour, so I can't complain too much. ;)
Sarah Grace wrote: "LOL! Well, my brother's office was on the fence about whether to close on Monday or not, and they finally decided to, so he was pretty thrilled about that. And my other brother planned to use vacation time ..."Ah! I see.
Lorrie wrote: "I opted to use a vacation day. Making the most of the days off! Even though I have absolutely nothing planned or going on. Eating, the usual "holiday" thing!"Same here. No plans either. I kind of hate it when a holiday is in the middle of the week. Hard to really do much when you have to go to work the next day. :)
I'm working today and Monday as well, though we may get to leave early on Monday.
I'm self employed (editing) but I'll be working both Monday and Tuesday to finish a client's project, so pretty much I'll get the 4th off and that's it.Like Dessa said, I think we'll do a family picnic and maybe watch a movie that night or go hang out with extended family to watch fireworks.
If I'm not at work at Micky D's, I'm usually writing ... so I never get a day off. But I only work McDonald's three days a week, so I frequently get four-day weekends.
Mod
(I am told that you can put the windows operating system on a Mac.)
Mod
(I have been told that too, but I don't know how . . . )
The ONLY reason I am using a Mac is because my brother gifted it to me, and I feel like I should, and because my computer is soooooo old and slow, and can't be unplugged. :/
Sarah Grace wrote: "Kendra wrote: "(I am told that you can put the windows operating system on a Mac.)"(I have been told that too, but I don't know how . . . )
The ONLY reason I am using a Mac is because my brother..."
You could sell it and buy a Windows machine. LOL
Mod
(I have been told that too, but I don't know how . . . )
The ONLY reason I am using a Mac i..."
Haha, well, I would, but it's jointly my little brother's too. :P And it does have it's benefits - for things like audio recording\editing. I WILL admit that. ;) I'll probably just use both the MacBook and my laptop until I can buy a new Lenovo. :)
But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it . . . lol!
Last year we had to switch from Windows desktops to MacBooks. I couldn't stand them at first, but after a little while, I got used to it, and love what it can do for me at work. I still am a hardcore Windows user at home, however 😁
I just got a new Lenovo desktop with a solid state hard drive for the Porchlight Family Media studio this year. I love it!!! It's so fast! It boots in just a few seconds.
Mod
Yeah, I'll probably be *okay* with it once I get used to it. I hate "not knowing", and so that, and the fact that I'm being stubborn is probably why I'm struggling. :P
Mod
Oh, NICE! I love Lenovo. I've always used one, as my brothers are Insiders, and they use them, but now I love them because they are just SO awesome. And in this family, you can't NOT have a ThinkPad, lol! Super durable. My laptop would not have lasted as long as it has if it wasn't a ThinkPad. Love 'em! <3
It's a Summer Reading Challenge!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Ankulen (other topics)The Ankulen (other topics)
The Ankulen (other topics)
Oh wait, I thought you were talking about Lauraine Snelling, lol! Read at your own risk then, I haven't read those. XD