Thanks to June 2011 Commenters
July 30, 2011 by Lillie
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| Thank you to the 98 commenters who left 121 comments in June. My apologies for my tardiness in recognizing you. Your comments extended the conversation and added value and interest, and I enjoyed replying to every one of them. | ||
| Every month when I post thanks to commenters, I get questions about how I compile this list. I have explained my system in detail in Compiling Thanks to Commenters. | ||
| Top Contributor (7 comments) | ||
| Christopher Roberts | Christopher Roberts |
Major Contributors (4 comments)
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Outstanding Contributors (3 comments)
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Significant Contributors (2 comments)
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Important Contributors
Review: A Self-Publisher’s Companion by Joel Friedlander
July 27, 2011 by Lillie
A Self-Publisher’s Companion by Joel Friedlander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been a fan of Joel Friedlander for a long time. As a long-time reader of his blog, The Book Designer, I had read most of the articles in this book, which is a compilation of blog posts organized and edited into a cohesive whole. Even so, I found the re-reading worthwhile.
If you’re looking for nuts and bolts details on self-publishing, this is not the book for you. You won’t find advice on choosing the best font (something Joel is expert at and covers thoroughly on his blog) or on what software to use to layout the interior. What you will find is encouragement, information on what self-publishing is and how it and the perception of it have changed in recent years, advice on why self-publishing might be a good choice for you and your book, and suggestions on marketing your book.
While much of the book is primarily aimed at nonfiction authors, anyone considering self-publishing fiction or nonfiction would benefit from reading it. Anyone who is already self-publishing will likely find encouragement and words of wisdom that will help them become more effective as a self-publisher.
Disclosure: I purchased this book because I am a fan of the author and his blog. I have had some discussion with Joel regarding a guest post from him, and I hope that happens in the future, but that did not influence my review.
Why I Love to Read on an E-Reader
July 22, 2011 by Lillie
I recently got a new, latest generation Kindle
I’ve read very few print books since then, and the last print book I read was years ago. I always hated to read hard cover books, but even paperbacks are difficult for me to hold and the font size in most paperbacks is too small for me to read. I love being able to adjust the font as large as I want it, and holding my light, small Kindle is much easier on arthritic hands than a “real” book. I’ve never had any particular affinity for the “smell” of a book or the “feel” of a book, so I don’t miss those esoteric features that many readers seem to find as exciting as what they read.
I have several paperbacks that I bought at booksignings with every intention of reading them, but I’ve finally admitted that I will probably never again read in print.
I realize not everyone has the physical limitations that make an e-reader better for me, but there are other advantages as well.
- I can buy several ebooks for every print book because of the difference in price, unless I’m buying from the clueless Big 6 publishers who grossly overcharge for their ebooks.
Ebooks from indie author/publishers and small e-publishers are usually priced much less than paperbacks. - I can carry a whole library with me. I don’t travel much, but when I did, I loved carrying all the books I wanted to read on a trip in the palm of my hand. Now I just like having instant access to a variety of reading material at home or in the doctor’s waiting room or wherever I go. I have 100+ books to read on my Kindle, and it’s easier to stick in the side pocket of my purse and carry with me than a single paperback.
- Searching for a place in the book is easier electronically than flipping through pages trying to find it. The notes I take are neater and easier to read than handwritten notes, and I can electronically highlight and bookmark as much as I want.
- I can store all the books I want without taking up any shelf space—and without having to dust them.
I encourage my clients to make their books available in both print and electronic formats. If you prefer print, I want you to be able to read and enjoy my books and my client’s books. If I prefer ebooks, I want to be able to read and enjoy all the books I choose. We should each be able to read the way we prefer.
Disclosure: I bought both of my Kindles. The Amazon.com links are affiliate links.
Book Review: The Yellow Rose by Dawn Colclasure
July 20, 2011 by Lillie
The Yellow Rose by Dawn Colclasure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is delightful little story for children that adults will enjoy as well. It also teaches a valuable lesson about love and beauty.
My only qualm is that it may inadvertently teach another less desirable lesson: that making money is evil. I’m not sure that is what the author intended, and a short book for children can’t be too nuanced. However, that’s what I came away with based on the portrayals of the gardener and the salesmen.
It’s still a good read.
Disclosure: I received an electronic advance reading copy of the book from the author. I have not accepted any compensation for this review and made no commitment to give a favorable review. The link to Amazon.com is an affiliate link.
Would You Perform Surgery on Yourself?
July 15, 2011 by Lillie
Someone left a comment on one my posts about freelance editing rates basically saying he didn’t need to know about editing rates because he would never pay anyone for editing—he does his own editing.
Of course, everyone should self-edit his or her own work. I’ve written several articles on self-editing, including Ten Tips for Self-Editing, Editing: Turning Dreck into Prose, and a seven-part series on editing that is focused on editing your own work.
If it’s not critically important that your work reflect a level of excellence, editing yourself is fine. I edit my own casual writing, including blog posts. No one needs to hire an editor to edit an email—unless the email is important to closing a sale or resolving a problem for an angry client or preventing adverse consequences in a critical situation.
Self-editing alone is not enough when it is important that your work be the very best it can be. For books or important articles, I use an outside editor. Even though I am a professional editor myself (and a very good one, if I say so myself!), I don’t catch my own mistakes as effectively as I catch the errors of others.
There are several reasons most of us find it difficult to be the sole editor on our own work:
- As writers, we know what we meant, and we tend to read what we meant, not what we actually wrote. I’m notorious for leaving out the words “no” and “not,” saying exactly the opposite of what I mean. When I read my own work, though, I tend to read the words that aren’t there—because I know they’re supposed to be there.
- None of us knows everything, so we will miss errors that we don’t know are errors. Perhaps we have a wrong understanding of what a word means or how it should be used, or maybe we’re confused on when to use an ellipsis and when to use an em dash.
- We read from the perspective of someone who is an expert in the subject matter, not from the point of view of our target audience, who may not be familiar with jargon we use or who may not understand what we write because they lack background knowledge.
- The way we express ourselves makes perfect sense to us, but sometimes what we’re saying is not so clear to others. Our sentence structure may be awkward or our word usage confusing to others, but we will never recognize those problems.
A professional editor can give you a different perspective that can make the difference between a mediocre article and a great one. Even asking someone else who isn’t a professional editor to read and give you feedback is better than trusting your own editing.
There’s a saying among editors, “I can catch everyone’s mistakes but my own.” Editing yourself on a major work is like being your own doctor when you need surgery.
photo credit: Sutherland85.
Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sales
July 12, 2011 by Lillie
Whether it’s summer or winter in your part of the world, celebrate the season with free and discounted ebooks from Smashwords.
Smashwords says:
It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter on the southern end of the globe, so what better excuse than to have a sale for beach reads and fireplace reads. There will be four coupon categories: free, 25%-off, 50%-off and 75%-off.
You’ll find hundreds of great bargains that are also great reads during the sale, including (she said modestly) a novel and several how-to books from yours truly:
- Fern’s Fancies—5-star rated contemporary romance described by readers as both touching and humorous
- The Secrets of Fantastic Houseplants
- Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History
- Finding the Information You Need: Research Tips for Your Family, Business, or Personal Pursuits
And while you’re there, don’t forget my always-free novelette, 5-star rated Trapped by Love, which readers have described as entertaining with surprising emotional depth.
How to Handle Your Finances While Freelancing — Guest Post by Jane Sanders
July 8, 2011 by Lillie
Working as a freelancer can be a rewarding and exciting way to supplement your income or even become its sole source. You’ll have complete control over your work and scheduling, which are major incentives for most freelancers. Still, many are concerned with the potential lack of income stability while freelancing. To handle this, you will essentially have to become your own financial planner.
Know Your Financial Picture
The first step in handling your finances while freelancing is to have a clear picture of your expenses, debts, and other financial obligations. These include long-term planning such as retirement saving, home purchase, and student loan payoff. Don’t forget to plan for work-related expenses such as office supplies, space rental, and travel to and from client meetings. The first step in handling your finances while freelancing is to understand your financial pictures.
Keep Your Expenses Low
Freelancing can be very unpredictable at times. Losing a major client can put a huge strain on your finances. Be prepared to handle the unexpected by budgeting accordingly and maximizing your savings during profitable periods. Take advantage of free service from the public library such as internet access, reading materials, and classes. Consider joining a co-op of other freelancers to pool expenses.
Keep Accurate Records
Keeping track of your contracts, invoices, and payments not only helps you manage your money while freelancing, it is very valuable when attempting to take on debt such as a mortgage. Because freelancing is non-traditional, lenders want to know that you have a solid financial outlook. This requires extensive documentation, such as as profit and loss statements, ledgers, and invoices.
Take Advantage of Freelancer Benefits
There are many benefits that are available to freelancers at nominal charges. Organizations such as the freelancer’s union offer low-cost health insurance plans, retirement plans, and credit union memberships. Take advantage of these programs that are designed to help you save money while you perform your craft.
Network and Gain Clients
Most freelancers will tell you that the key to managing your finances is to have enough clients to keep you afloat in the event that you lose a major client. Attend networking events geared toward freelancers and meet other people in your field. Diversify your portfolio of clients to make sure you have adequate cash flow. Many freelancers have a mix of high- and low-paying clients that keep the money flowing on a regular basis.
Grab a Side Hustle
Many freelancers moonlight at traditional part-time jobs to supplement their income. You can still do what you love while enjoying the stability of a relatively stable paycheck. Some freelancers work as contractors for employment agencies during slow periods.
There are many ways to manage your finances while freelancing. From pooling resources with other freelancers to taking advantage of low-cost benefits, there’s no reason your finances should suffer while you do what you love.
This article was contributed by Jane Sanders from Debt Management. Visit her site for tips on choosing the right debt management service.
Time Management: 3 Executing
July 6, 2011 by Lillie
Table of contents for Time Management
- Time Management 1: Prioritizing
- Time Management 2: Organizing
- Time Management: 3 Executing
We’ve talked about prioritizing and organizing, and now it’s time to talk about getting things done.
I always know what my overall priorities are, and each day I know my specific priorities for that day. If I have appointments, they are recorded on my calendar. If have deadlines to meet, they will recorded in my tasks list. Everything else I need or want to do that day is likewise in the tasks list, prioritized.
Now, I am going to depart from conventional time management advice in several things I do that work for me. You can certainly get ideas from other people, but in the end, you have to decide what works for you.
Many experts recommend following a strict schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, and start and end work at regular times. If you have a project to finish, they say, don’t just put it on your to-do list—actually put in on your calendar in a specific time frame. If you work well following a strict schedule, by all means do so. I don’t like to follow a strict schedule; one of the reasons I freelance is so I don’t have to report to a job at a specific time each day. In my current situation, it’s not practical for me to follow a rigid schedule. My husband’s needs don’t adhere to a time frame, so I make myself available to him when he needs me and fit other things around his needs. It works best for me to know what I need to do but work out the details of when and how I do those things—except for scheduled appointments—as I go along. My work hours and the order in which I accomplish tasks varies from day to day. That may not work for most people, but it works best for me.
Another piece of advice experts usually give is to do your most important work early in the morning and leave tasks that don’t require as much thought and concentration for later. That is the exact opposite of what is most efficient for me. I have always had a hard time getting started in the mornings. Several years ago, I wrote a two-part series on how I decided to begin my work day an hour later than my employees and the beneficial effect it had. My best thinking time is NOT early in the morning or when I first get to the office. Generally, I’m most productive in the wee hours of the morning. Unless scheduled appointments interfere, I’m asleep when most people are doing their most productive work before noon. I start work in the late afternoon or evening and tend to routine tasks first. Then after everyone else is asleep and I have no interruptions, I get my most important projects done. I find it difficult to concentrate for the first few hours after I wake, and I’m also distracted if I have a lot of unread emails or unheard voice mails. If you are most alert early in the morning, then follow the guru’s advice and finish your major projects first thing. Save email and phone calls and social media until you’re winding down. You are the only person who knows when your most productive time is and what you need to do to focus best.
I tend to personal items such as feeding the cat and cleaning the litter box before I come to the office, which is a small portable building in the backyard. I do my devotional and Bible readings online and my journaling on the computer, and I usually do those before anything else in the office. Then I go through email—handling each message only once whenever possible, make phone calls, moderate blog comments and write posts (which I usually schedule in advance), and check my feed reader and Facebook. After that, I work on major projects. In between all these, I take breaks to spend time with my husband and help him as needed. Although the way I work is contrary to what most experts recommend, it is effective for me, and I’ve been using the same productivity tips for a long time.
Whenever I change activities, I record the time in my Outlook calendar. As you can see in the image, I color-code different activities so I can see at a glance if I’m spending an inordinate amount of time in certain categories. Sometimes people chuckle when I tell them I record everything I do, but I bill my regular clients in quarter-hour increments, and if I don’t put it on my calendar if I do a small job as I’m going through email, I could easily forget it. And if there were large blank spots in the calendar, I could easily forget (no, I don’t trust my memory) whether I was eating lunch and visiting with my husband or working on a client project. By writing down everything, I know the important items are recorded.
Of course, there are variations in this based on the schedule and priorities of the day. If I have appointments—client meetings or, more likely, doctor’s appointments for my husband—or am on tight deadlines for a major project, I may not open Google reader or Facebook for several days. More likely, if I’m really busy, I will just mark most of the blog posts read and skim through only the top news on Facebook. Knowing I’m getting behind distracts me when I need to be most focused.
I hope this short series has given you some ideas on how to most effectively manage your own time. Your system probably won’t be anything like mine, but it should be fit your natural rhythms, as well as your personal and professional situations.
Share your own time management ideas or ask question in comments, and we can continue the conversation.
Independence Day 2011: God Bless America!
July 4, 2011 by Lillie
Today in the United States we remember the signing of the Declaration of Independence 235 years ago. We thank God for the freedoms we are blessed with in this country. May continue to bless America.
O ETERNAL God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old; Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ 1928 Book of Common Prayer
The song “God Bless America” was introduced by Kate Smith on Armistice Day, 1938. This video recreation is from the movie “This is the Army” in 1943.
Time Management 2: Organizing
July 1, 2011 by Lillie
Table of contents for Time Management
- Time Management 1: Prioritizing
- Time Management 2: Organizing
- Time Management: 3 Executing
In the last post, we talked about what I believe is the most important element in time management: prioritizing.
Now, let’s talk about getting organized. As I have said, I’m only sharing what I do, not giving expert advice. So I won’t cover the various time management tools that are available. You can keep a paper-and-pen to-do list if you find it helpful. You can use very sophisticated time and project management software if you need it to stay organized. Or, most likely, you will use something in between. Find what works for you—and use it.
I use Outlook as my primary organizer because I can integrate my email, calendar, and to-do list in Outlook with documents. For example, I receive an email from a prospective client asking about my editing a book manuscript.
- I reply to the message with a PDF document with information for clients, explaining what I need to give a quote: pages for a sample edit, a synopsis or chapter summary, and answers to a few questions.
- I drag and drop the message into Contacts, creating a contact file with the author’s name and email address along with the message.
- I create a mail folder for the prospective client as a subfolder of “prospective clients” and drag and drop both the original message and my response into the new folder.
- If the prospective client replies with questions or incomplete information, I respond and store the messages in her mail folder. If she sends some of the requested material, I create a new folder in My Documents, as a subfolder of “prospective clients,” which is a subfolder of “clients” and save any attachments there.
- When the prospective client has sent all the information, I drag and drop the message into Tasks and assign a due date. Depending on the client’s needs and my work in progress, I try to do sample edits and quotes within a few days.
- When I work on the quote, I drag and drop the task into Calendar and record the time I spent.
- I continue to file messages and documents in the prospective client’s folder until she is moved to “clients” or the “not accepted” subfolder of prospective clients.
- If the client does accept my proposal and hires me to edit her manuscript, I continue to keep her records (both email and documents) organized in the appropriate folders, to schedule the steps of her projects in Tasks, and to record the time spent in Calendar.
Here are some of the key elements of my organizational system that make it work for me:
- My office is virtually paperless, so I don’t spend time filing or looking for paper documents. Most of my work is electronic, and when I receive paper documents (such as contracts), I scan them and store them electronically.
- My files—both email and documents—are organized in categories with main folders and several layers of subfolders: My Documents/Clients/John Smith/Book 1/Drafts, …/Book 1/Cover ,…/Book 1/Layout, …/Book 1/Promotion, etc.; …/Book 2/Drafts, etc.; …/Website/Design, …/Website/Backups, etc.
- With rare exceptions, my email inbox is emptied daily. When I check email, I try to process it at the same time. Unless I am in a hurry because of a scheduled appointment or deadline, I read and delete or file messages in the order they are received. If I need to do something in response to the message, I create a task for it as described above and file the email. Determining whether to save or delete a message can be challenging. Sometimes I think I should have a current subfolder under each client to file those iffy emails that I really don’t need to keep permanently, but I do need to keep while I’m working a specific project. But I haven’t done that, so I have more emails in file than I ideally should.
- I have created documents with information on my services (a general document covering writing and editing; a document for editing clients with instructions on what I need to give a quote; and documents for self-publishing, formatting, resume, business, and website clients) as well as information for blog guests. When I get a query about work or guest posting, I reply with a very brief note and the appropriate document. I also have template emails that I use to cut down on the time and thought required to respond to similar emails.
- My task list includes everything I need to do—phone calls I need to make as well as major projects. I don’t depend on my memory for anything—and if I do try to rely on memory, I’m reminded very quickly that it doesn’t work.
- I record everything on my calendar–and I mean everything. There are two reasons for this: 1) I charge an hourly rate for most of my clients, because I do a variety of small jobs throughout the month, and it’s not feasible to give a flat fee quote for each one. If I don’t account for all my time, it’s easy to overlook a quarter hour here and a half hour there of billable time. By keeping track of all my time, I don’t forget those small jobs. 2) I can see how I spend my time. When I start feeling unproductive, I can look at the calendar and see large chunks of time marked Personal, which generally means I’ve had to help my husband more than usual. Or I may see large blocks of time marked Email/Blogs/Facebook and realize I need to be more selective in my blog reading. If I didn’t see that time written in my calendar, it would be easy to say–and believe—that I don’t spend much time online. I categorize and color-code every activity, so it’s very easy to tell at a glance the amount of time I spent on client work compared to the time spent personal activities, social media, and everything else.
- In addition to the Outlook Calendar, I also maintain two separate calendars in Word documents. My blog editorial calendar has my posting schedule—all the holidays and special occasions/events I want to blog about marked on the appropriate date, guest posts and reviews or interviews I have scheduled, and ideas for topics to write about. Although I have major deadlines in Outlook Tasks, my project calendar contains more details about large jobs. Those details include deadlines throughout the project for other people—the author, an associate who does a round of edits, the cover designer, beta readers, and others—and interim deadlines for me—first/second/third round of edits due, interior layout, upload file to online printer, review printer’s proof. I find this much detail clutters up my Outlook calendar but is very easy to see when laid out in a one-page monthly calendar with nothing but deadlines on major projects visible.
This describes the tools and system I use for organization. You may prefer a different tool and another system. It doesn’t matter how simple or complex your system is. What matters is whether it works for you. If it is effective for you, it is a great system.
Next time we’ll talk about what I do on a daily basis.
photo credit: romana klee
