Publishers Comments – Page 23 – Rosepoint Publishing

Bought Any Clothes For Your Pet Lately?

No, this blog is not all about dogs, it just seems that way lately. I was struck recently by a couple pictures I saw of dogs dressed in human clothing and dogs painted to look like other animals.

My own dog, shown on this blog before, hurt her foot and has been way over attentive to it, licking the fur off and practically laying the foot raw. She is receiving an Epsom Salts soak every night, and it does seem to be helping a little, though my son and daughter-in-law thought she might need a plastic hood designed to keep an animal from aggressively attending an owie (sometimes REALLY important).

This is the third time she has had a sore paw (she gets stickers between her toes) and the second for the hood and once again, I was struck with how difficult it is for her to negotiate her normal routine. That hang-dog look is obvious; the change in attitude a dog exhibits upon being “dressed.” Is it really possible they can be embarrassed or demoralized? Ask most canine owners and they would say YES! (Once again creating an anthropomorphizing quality to a canine.)

So, besides the restrictions to eating and drinking, do costumes, clothing, or protective devices actually change a dog’s attitude? We know, depending on the costume or clothing, it can change the dog’s body language, which is especially important when confronting other animals.

Costume May Lead to Stress

The inability to signal other dogs might lead to stress, which in turn may make the dog less tolerant. If the dog cannot produce subtle signals, she/he may resort to more obvious or vocal signals–i.e., barking or lunging. Additionally, a change in temperament may change his normal pack order. Knowing your dog well will help you watch for important behavior cues.

While clothing or bootees might be a good thing in the winter for some thin, shorthaired or small breeds, it can in some instances allow the dog to overheat.

The Meaning of Dreams

We’ve all dealt with dreams, some better than others. And here again, the theme of getting older. But this lady continues to nail it square on–love her observations, sense of humor, and philosophy. Here for you to enjoy as well, “Life in the Boomer Lane.”

Life in the Boomer Lane

Life in the Boomer Lane has always taken an interest in dreams, specifically the following: What do my dreams mean? What does it mean when I know I am dreaming in the dream? Why do I remember some dreams and others not? Why can’t I have great sex in dreams? (Readers note: LBL has never actually had any sex in dreams. She didn’t mean to imply that she only had mediocre sex).

Scientists keep trying to come up with answers to explain dreams. About the only thing they can agree on is that, in most cases, one must either be asleep or in a semi-somnambulent state listening to one’s spouse drone on and on, in order to dream.

As a service to readers, LBL will now answer some of the top questions about dream:

Why do I dream?

The answer here is that, in the absence of dreaming, sleep is…

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Commute–The Train People

Taking a commuter train, I am sure, is somewhat akin to riding the Greyhound. There is an unmistakable impression that follows–the “train people.” But there are a whole myriad of train people; there were the train people that caught the rails during the depression hooking a ride to wherever the train was going, and the train people who refuse to fly–taking the “smell the roses” route of transportation–and then there are commuters.

In America, a steam engine was installed in a vessel in 1807 that hauled passengers from Albany to New York. England opened their first steam powered rail line in 1825, France in 1830, and Germany in 1835. In New York, a fella named Beach tried to create a secret subway system in 1870, but was denied any extension to his successful 400′ line.

Subsequently, subway systems were built world-wide including London, Paris, and Madrid. New York City built a subway that eventually became one of the largest in the world. (I’ve ridden “the tube” in London [awesome] and traveled under the English Channel from London to France–unfathomable [pun intended]. Commuting to work by rail was born!)

We became one of the faceless crowd as we joined the group boarding the South Shore Line in Portage, Indiana, for the Millennium Station in downtown Chicago yesterday for the bargain price of $4 one way per person. (It was built between 1901 and 1908.) The line that operates between South Bend International Airport and downtown Chicago is now an electrically powered inter-urban commuter rail service operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

There were people pulling carry-on bags we used to call luggage. There were students heavy laden with backpacks, shoppers, tourists, and people like us–out to enjoy a day in Chicago. The train, thankfully, was equipped with WiFi, but unfortunately didn’t keep everyone occupied, as we were treated to the lady on the way into Chicago on a non-stop conversation that no one in the car had a problem hearing. Likewise, a younger man on the way back had to involve us in this profanity filled, F-word laden conversation. At least the lady’s conversation included sage, age-driven advice. I didn’t learn a thing from the guy. ©2106 Virginia Williams

One More Little Mystery

I’ve reblogged other author posts before and I’ve commented on the uncertainties of getting older, including moving and some of the other issues plaguing the senior crowd. Nancy Roman looks at life in general at 65. I’ve been reading this lady for awhile and greatly enjoy her little forays into retrospection. She has a way of producing that nod, knowing smile, and agreement. Perhaps you’ll enjoy her posts as much as I.

notquiteold

I’ve written lately about a few little mysteries that have bugged me for a long time.

Some important – like I NEED some answers concerning the assassinations that changed our lives.

And another from my childhood –the Betsy Ross tale of the five-pointed star– that I was able to solve in a few minutes, now that we have Google. (Of course, it took me much longer than a few minutes to duplicate the solution.)

So here’s the last in my little series of unsolved mysteries. And in addition, I get to pay tribute to a sweet woman that I knew for a short time back in the 70s.

In 1976, I got a job.

This may not seem like a big deal, but getting a job in 1976 was no easier than it is right now. I was 25 years old, a BA in English, living with my…

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Successful Blogging – What Is Your Niche?

So much talent out there to help, mentor, encourage, and push an entrepreneur into successful blogging. Or from successful blogging to successful freelancing, promotion, or sales. I love writing–one thing it’s not–is boring. There are so many creative ways to exercise the expertise or talent. And it is always a resourceful and satisfying outlet. Fortunately, now you can find so many experts out there, there is little you can’t satisfy by researching successful bloggers. I have several “go-to” bloggers that seem to have no limits on topical advice.

The Take Action WAHM

One of my faves is The Take Action WAHM (work at home mom). I spend a LOT Of time reading–that is in addition to my review reading. Always something new to study–here it’s the “niche.” Goodness! I’ve read numerous articles on identifying my target audience and to be honest, it is not something I can zero in. If the goal is sales of historical fiction novels, my grandfather’s books seem to cross all boundaries. Women buy for the men. Men buy for their…sons(?) The young buy for their grandparents; the elder for their grandchildren. Only those who have to study it in school do not love history. And McShane’s stories are full-on Irish blarney–hard to separate fact from fiction.

Kelly writes for stay-at-home moms, the pearls and perils. She contributes to her family’s finances through affiliate marketing and freelance writing. She has a vast archive of information on her pins “Blogging A to Z.” Kelly found her niche. Continue reading “Successful Blogging – What Is Your Niche?”

Not a Whimper – Hard Lessons for Dogs

Cats can be very dangerous, if you’re a dog. Whether it’s instinctual for a dog to chase a cat or just that most cats immediately go into fight or flight–most being flight–they absolutely demand the pursue response.

Let me just say, I don’t think dogs are born with the need to chase cats. My theory is that it’s the cat’s fault. Or, perhaps, secondarily, the human’s fault (moi?) for trying to get an older, resident cat to accept a puppy. Accept a puppy? Not going to happen. In our house, the cat (fight) tried to relieve the puppy of one of her eyes. Scared the puppy so much, she decided all cats must die. And she’s held to that mantra ever since.

I am usually very careful about having Frosty around cats in the cat’s domain. Hubby–not so much. This morning, little Frost (all 13 lbs. of her), launched off the kitchen chair after the gray house cat in my son’s house (flight).

She landed wrong.

Lots of blood and a visit to super-vet Dr. McPheron of Crown Point, and it was decided Frosty will live. Our son asked how “Stubby” was doing, but it’s apparently not more than a lost toenail. We have something to give her for pain control and she appears to be sleeping comfortably at present.

Is It Time To Dump Smashwords For Kindle?

I gave up on Smashwords this week.

Their Wide Variety of Formats

I’ve monitored my stats almost every day since I downloaded the first manuscript for my grandfather back in 2012–and the stats are dismal. At the time, Smashwords seemed like a good addition to my marketing plan when I published with Amazon and their Kindle site. If you aren’t already aware of Smashwords, they publish and make available ebooks bestowing freedom to authors to set their own prices. Smashwords further makes available your digital downloads to Nook (Barnes & Noble), Apple IBooks, Scribd, Oyster, and Kobo, and allows downloads in EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats.

It’s not as if they aren’t busy trying to help promote their authors and introduce them to new readers. When writing this post, they were currently running (July 1 – July 31) their annual Summer/Winter Sale. In view of the complete lack of activity (probably not their fault) on any of my listings, I declined to join the sale. They keep up dialog in their “Site Updates” as well as “Press Releases” in which they recently noted Smashwords and Publishers Weekly joined to launch an ebook best seller’s list.

Free Downloads

I have to hand it to Mark Coker. It is not as if he hasn’t tried getting some of us off the sidelines. His free downloads, “Smashwords Style Guide” and “The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success” are comprehensive and indispensable for an Indie author as the publishing format on Smashwords is neither as easy nor forgiving as Kindle.

Spoiler Alert: You have to sell at least $10.00 in royalties to warrant payment. After the first blush of sales were over, I was still under that amount and will apparently carry the embarrassing sale record to infinity. This is no small entity. They are dynamic; have published over 416,638 books in all genres with over 65,000 of those books free.

So, what’s a mother to do? Guess it’s time to begin a new campaign!

Editorial Reviews

It all began this week with a review for a new author buddy of mine who introduced me to a couple nifty little Amazon website author page opt-ins I hadn’t previously noticed. Sometimes, you just have to hit me upside the head! Carlyle Clark, author of Children From Dark Houses, immediately included in his “Editorial Reviews” a couple sentences from my recent review of his book. Those Editorial Reviews show up prominently near the top of the book information. It succinctly brings to the surfer’s attention pertinent blurbs from your reviews. I loved it!

Reviewers Information

Also, I got to looking at (Amazon) Reviewers information. As I mentioned before, I’ve been receiving many requests for reviews. Therefore, the time came for me to expand my reviewer information and add a link to connect me from Amazon. Learning new stuff is exciting, isn’t it? Ah, but as seniors sometimes tend to do, I digress.

So then, what was the whole point of “unpublishing” my books from Smashwords? Have I succumbed to KDP? It’s just easier. Smashwords didn’t make sense for my little books and having that link also limited some promotional abilities from Amazon. I needed Amazon more.

Twelve Points for Review Submission

Most new Indie authors believe reviews are the make or break of a book and aggressively pursue them.

There are numerous articles on the algorithm Amazon uses to determine Best Sellers Rank. While it is generally considered to be reviews that help to get you to the top of the pack, it isn’t, according to what I’ve read. Amazon won’t disclose its algorithm, but will readily agree that good reviews do seem to help drive sales, which IS the major contributory factor in Best Sellers Rank.

I’ve written before on reviews, discussing whether or not 300 five-star ratings are really all bogus or not. Having written and posted 1,000s of reviews myself, I’ve always strived for honesty, striking a balance between what I liked about the book as well as what I didn’t. The books I review are a mix of Indie books, as well as best-selling authors, and posted those reviews whether the author needed them or not. In addition, in an effort to accommodate a larger variety of genres, I got the CE involved in reading and giving me his synopsis. That also becomes a review.

Reviews can run anywhere from a short informal paragraph or an in-depth analysis of the book of more than 500 words detailing not only the description of the plot but a critical view of how the topic was handled. Point being: Did you agree with the observations or challenge every posture? I’ve developed the following twelve points in the submission of my reviews.

My reviews include:

1 Whether or not the title reflects the topic of the book.

2 Did the cover convey the genre; show you what the book is about without your having to read the blurb?

3 Was the setting properly introduced–did you know where it was located geographically or what year it was?

4 Did the opening chapter grab your attention and did the plot hold your interest throughout the remainder of the book?

5 Is the dialogue believable, natural, or forced?

6 Are the characters properly fleshed out? Can you identify or connect with them?

7 Did the protagonist and antagonist convey a strong opposing emotion?

8 Are the same scenes repeated, albeit with slightly different wording, until you “heard it all before.”

9 Is the plot unique? Is the book outside your normal genre?

10 Did the story end with a plausible climax, wrapping up the loose ends to a satisfying degree, or suddenly end when it appears the author is over-the-top tired of the whole thing.

11 Is it full of typos, edit errors, misused words, missing words, or extra words that should have been deleted from the final edit?

12 Can you honestly recommend the book? Can the book be recommended outside the reader’s normal genre?

Review Format

Since I have been receiving review requests, I thought it was time to change the way I post the reviews. Therefore, after the blurb and review, the format will be changed to reflect additional information about the author, the genre, the publisher, and the date published, followed by the review. The review will be posted on this blog as well as on Amazon and Goodreads. Many of the books are received through NetGalley and most reviews are also shared on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.