It seems that sometimes the winter can cloud my perspective on life. Cloudy winter days can take some of the zest out of life and increase negative feelings. Everyone has times when they need new perspective:  an author may be having difficulty finding inspiration to write, a business owner may loose site of their vision, or a parent may find it difficult to deal with the energy of their child. Spring always brings with it hope, new beginnings and sunshine.

Today was a perfect day to gain a fresh perspective on my life. The temperature was in the mid 50’s, the air was crisp and fresh, the sun was bright and warm, and the birds were chirping joyfully.  I went to the state park for a hike through the woods. Here is what I learned about life while on my hike.

• The path less traveled was traveled by someone before.

Even though the path I chose had not been traveled by many, there were signs I was not the first to hike it. It is comforting to know that no matter what challenge you are facing, someone was there before you. You may be dealing a financial set back, divorce, loss of a loved one or a chronic illness. No matter what the challenge, someone has been down that path before.

• It is easier to flow down stream.

As I sat and watched a small tree branch float down stream, I was reminded that we should be all be thinking downstream thoughts. By thinking about our vision and goals instead of our challenges and setbacks, we can move through life with less resistance. It was relaxing to watch my thoughts flow effortlessly down the stream.

• Obstacles on the path can be stepped over.

There where many obstacles in my path. Most could be stepped over or walked around. Most of us let obstacles stop us from reaching our destination. When an obstacle is in the way, it is time to reevaluate the path and find a way around the obstacle.

• Reflection brings inner peace and new perspective. 

By taking the time to reflect on the positive aspects of life, my challenges seemed to be smaller. If you are having difficulty finding inspiration to write or enthusiasm for your job, find time to get back to nature for reflection.   

Paths unknown to most
Trees fallen over the path
Vision clears the way

How do you find the promise of spring in your life?

If you're publishing your book without an agent, you need either a good fan base before publishing or great marketing skills to self-publicize. As a communication major at Truman State University, educated in both journalism and public relations, I was equipped with the necessary skill sets to both secure a fan base and market myself. 

You also need to analyze the market and figure out if your product or concept is over-represented or lacking. If you have the same plot line and characters that are popular on book shelves, more than likely you will not find an agent willing to represent you. If you have a unique story line and engaging characters and you still can't find an agent, my recommendation is to self-publish and find out how to self-publicize at the same time.   

The "Unwritten Letters Project" website gained popularity quickly because I presented it at a time when there was a need. People were interested in interactive websites and stories they could relate to. It's important to learn who your target audience is and study what they would be interested in reading, what it is they're willing to invest money into. I cannot stress enough how important it is to develop a strong online presence whether your product be a website-turned-book or an original manuscript.  Here are the steps I followed to create an online presence for ULP that lead to its success today.  

1. Make a website for your idea, book or project, whether it is a blog or your own domain. (I used GoDaddy.com and Wordpress - great service and easily navigated.)

2. Make sure your website is user friendly and aesthetically appealing. Ask yourself, why will my target audience want to come back to my website? What can I leave them with to remind them to revisit? Give them the reassurance that every visit to the website will be different and beneficial to them.
3. Create a Twitter page for your product and website. Look at @UnwrittenLetter to see an example. Twitter allows your audience to follow your updates and have a constant reminder of your online presence. I also recommend making an author Twitter page and website so visitors can contact you with questions or comments.
4. Create a Facebook fan page or group for your book and invite everyone you know. Sounds simple, right? It is. In the info section ask your friends to invite their friends and so on. Make sure you give a short paragraph on what your website or book has to offer them. Also, don't just include the same stuff on each site, Twitter and Facebook etc. You need to give them a reason to continually revisit each site and recommend them to others.
5. Network, network, network! I cannot stress this word enough. Find as many similar websites, authors who write within the same genre, publishing companies who like to assist new authors, bloggers who include links on their site, anyone willing to add your link to their profile and ask to network with them. I contacted dozens of people and asked to do link exchanges and was greeted with a lot of positive responses. If you're willing to scratch their backs, they will usually scratch yours.

It's important to distinguish yourself from everyone else. Try to offer something unique and worthwhile. If you're the only one representing your product, you've self-published and you're thinking now what? Try these five steps and then think about a blog book tour. Google search "blog book tour" and browse through blogs who accept new books to be reviewed and contact as many as you can. Have books available to send the bloggers and try to have a new book review or author interview represented on a different site every day. It's a new media version of the book tour, but it's gaining more and more popularity and who knows, maybe it will lead to something larger for you and your book. It won't hurt. 

I hope this helps and be sure to check out my website at http://unwrittenlettersproject.com/ and purchase the book version featuring more than 100 never-before-seen letters through Amazon or LeClereBooks.com. Happy writing.  

It is not hard to see how reading for pleasure has declined over the years, especially for children and young adults. In fact, according to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), less then one-third of 13-year olds are daily readers, a fourteen percent decline from twenty years earlier. Among 17-year olds, the percentage of non-readers doubled over a 20-year period, from nine percent in 1984 to eighteen percent in 2004. It is a shocking truth. Another unpleasant fact found by the NEA is that on average, Americans ages 15-24 spend almost two hours a day watching television, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading.

The question that immediately comes to mind is why are young Americans not reading anymore? Well the answer is quite obvious. Why read when we have all this new technology to keep us entertained? Bored? Well get out your iPod, or get onto facebook, or turn on the TV. Little gadgets such as these are guaranteed to keep you occupied, and you do not even have to concentrate that much. That is another reason why reading is on the bottom of most peoples lists of fun. For children and teens, it is so much more fun to go play that new video game on Xbox live and talk with friends and get your heart pumping. With all of those exciting images and sounds, new levels, and a sense of danger, why not? The only problem with this is all of these new “cooler” ways to be entertained blows just good old fashioned imagination out the window. With all of these thrilling modern devices, what imagination once did is now handed to you, carefully crafted by someone else, with you in mind.

What can the excuses be for this decline in reading? Really it isn’t a secret, and I confess I have used a couple of these excuses myself. I took a survey around my school, and found that a popular response when asked if they would rather read a book before going to see its movie version is usually most people would rather just go see the movie. To be honest, I wasn’t very surprised. It is fun to go to a movie on a weekend night. It’s quick and, in a way, relaxing. Pretty much you just kick back, pop in some popcorn, and enjoy the film. What’s not to love? Don’t get me wrong, movies aren’t horrific monsters that ruin everything and they are a fun activity, but the impact they have on books is not easy to ignore.

Another reason for the decline in reading is the decline on how well Americans read. Unfortunately, since reading is no longer the most interesting pastime it steadily became neglected. It went from something everyone used to do, to something we all had to do for our education. Now when a book is issued for a class, all you can hear is a chorus of groans for all the potential time that will be wasted sitting reading that book. It will take too long; I have other things I would rather be doing; it is so boring to just sit and stare at a page. All of these are just some examples of why reading is no longer enjoyable for so many individuals.

It is disheartening to realize times have changed for the seemingly brilliant good book. It appeared like time could never erase the love and excitement of this now old fashioned hobby. It is disappointing to think so many people have given up on afternoons completely consumed with your head buried in a book. All the mystery, glamour, danger, horror, comedy, charm, romance, and adventure do not just exist on a screen! Don’t let the wonder of a new book just gather dust on a shelve somewhere. Rediscover the simple joys that are quickly getting left behind, and read a book.

Megan McClain attends Eastern High School in Louisville, Ky. She is interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

Having a book will increase your credibility in your field of expertise. You can promote your services by either selling your book or giving it to a new client. A brochure or business card is likely to be thrown away but most people will not throw a book away. They may not read it but it will be sitting on their coffee table or desk for all to see. It will be a reminder of your services every time they see it. 

For a minimal investment, a prospective client can buy one of your books and get an idea how you can help them. Reading your book will give the prospect a feel for your personality. 

If you are a public speaker a book will be a great promotional item. You can offer a copy of your book along with the registration fee which will add value to your presentation. You can also sell your book in the back of the room. How often have you heard a dynamic speaker and you want their book so you can take their message home with you? 

Your book does  not have to be a textbook to be effective. People today are busy and do not have time to read a big book. They want quick information that they can get in small bites. You can often get your message across in a small but powerful book.  

For a free publishing consultation for a little book, please contact us at http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/contact/

Having made the decision to publish independently, many authors attempt to cut costs by doing their own book design.  Some leave cover creation to the experts, but keep interior layout for themselves. “I know my way around Microsoft Word,” they think. “How hard can it be?”

It’s true, interiors will be easier for a novice to learn than covers. While cover design requires knowledge of sophisticated and expensive image-editing software (think Photoshop), you can get away with using whatever word processing program you used to write your book for your layout. Additionally, the bar is lower. Your cover is one of your most important marketing tools, and as such it needs to be exceptional. The interior only needs to look professional and readable—you don’t have to get too fancy. 

That’s the good news if you’re a do-it-yourselfer. The bad news? “Professional and readable” is harder than you think. A lot harder. Before you jump in, take this quick quiz. Answers are below.

1. Which typeface do you want to use for the main text?
2. Where should you set your margins?
3. Where should the page numbers go?

• Typeface.

Many authors pick Times New Roman because it’s the default in their word processing program. It seems like a reasonable choice. It works well onscreen. The problem is, its aesthetic charms don’t translate to the printed page. The results look more like they belong in a Word document than a professional book. Other body fonts are a lot more readable and much nicer looking.

• Margins.

If you make these too narrow—another common mistake—you’ll lose readability. The human eye doesn’t like to horizontally scroll too much, and it’s impossible to decipher text that’s too close to the spine.

• Page numbers.

Did you say the top of the page, away from the spine? That’s a good answer ... most of the time. On pages where a new chapter begins, the number goes at the bottom, and there are no running headers. And on blank pages, there’s no page number at all. (Sounds obvious, but a lot of do-it-yourselfers get this wrong.)

Am I saying that you shouldn’t design your interior if you didn’t know the answers? Not necessarily. In making your decision, you should take two factors into account: your goal for the book, and how much time and effort you’re willing to put in.

Your goal for the book

A professional interior enhances your book’s credibility. An unprofessional one destroys it.

So if your goal is to sell as many copies of your book as you can, or to use it to promote yourself as an expert in your field, your best bet is to hire somebody who designs for a living. If, on the other hand, you’ve written a family history whose intended audience is ... your family, you might be able to get away with do-it-yourself. Aunt Tillie isn’t going to refuse to read your book because the blank pages have numbers on them.

Time and effort

If you’re into do-it-yourself projects—if you’re the kind of person who gets excited about remodeling your own kitchen, or putting furniture together—then you might find the process fun. That’s important. It means you’ll do your homework, and you won’t give up when you run into the inevitable obstacles, such as Microsoft Word refusing to leave the page numbers off your blank pages. (I said you could “get away with” using a word-processing program for layout, but Word, WordPerfect, and the like aren’t really layout programs, and getting them to do some of these basic things can be monumentally frustrating.)

If none of this sounds interesting or enjoyable to you, you might want to rethink the idea. Yes, you can save money by doing your own design, but what is your time worth?

Ultimately, the decision to do it yourself or hire out is yours. My advice is to take into account everything you’ll need to learn and do before making that decision. It isn’t as easy as it looks!

Susan Wenger is a designer at Wheatmark, Inc., http://www.wheatmark.com, a company that helps independent authors achieve publishing success. You can find more of her writings on the Wheatmark Publishing Success Blog, http://www.wheatmark.com/index.php?/blog.

And in this perfect day have you ever just wanted to let loose and just do what makes you happy, even if what you're thinking would seem a bit childish? Well, what is holding you back? 

Everyone has their own personal list of activities they love and have always wanted to do or places they have always wanted to visit. Almost like your very own life wish list. So what if, what you feel like doing at that time, is going to an ice cream place and buying a sundae and putting 5 different toppings on it, one of which may include gummy bears?

So what if you want to find the coolest water gun and have an ultimate water balloon and water gun battle with your friends like you used to?  Maybe it is really hot outside, and you always wanted to see if you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Well go get that egg, because it is time to have some fun. 

Who came up with that hidden rule that says when you become an adult you have to stop doing what once make your cheeks hurt from too much laughter? Dig up those carefree days and give stress and worry the day off because if you want to go to an amusement park, eat way too much cotton candy, ride all the biggest roller coasters, and then sit in photo booth with your best buddy now is the time. You just might surprise yourself, and end up with one unforgettable perfect day.

What is something you love to do? It doesn't matter how silly! What is on your life wish list?

Megan McClain attends Eastern High School in Louisville, Ky. She is interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

One type of self-publishing is euphemistically called Vanity publishing or Vanity press. The name vanity publishing stems from the fact that certain publishers, for a fee, will publish any work, without regard to quality. Since many authors would be willing to pay a fee just to see their name in print, (no matter what the quality of the manuscript), vanity presses gained a reputation of being more interested in the money they got from the authors than in the quality of work as trash got pumped out into the book market. 

The truth is that because a vanity press is not selective in the work that it publishes, books published under a true vanity press are not seen as prestigious or as credible as those published elsewhere. This is unfortunate because this automatically lumps both good and bad books together by reputation only. This stigma attached to vanity publishers has only recently begun to be re-evaluated as the publishing industry’s choices have expanded and new vanity presses have changed the vanity press business model by offering editorial review and services. 

Hybrid vanity presses have emerged which are changing the way the public is looking at vanity publishing. Author House, IUniverse, Lulu, UPublish, Xlibris are all examples of hybrid vanity presses. Like vanity presses, they will publish any work for a fee, no matter the quality of the work with no editorial quality assurance review. However, these houses have added editorial and design services that an author can pay for, thus making them not true vanity houses, but rather vanity hybrids. If an author takes advantage of the editorial, cover design and layout services, these presses can produce excellent work. 

Why would any author want to publish with a vanity house if it has such a bad reputation? There are several reasons. Maybe an author has a book for a very small business niche, or a collection of poetry, a memoir, a genealogy or family cookbook that they want published. They are more interested in making a name for themselves within their niche or giving away their book to friends and family than in profiting from the sale of their book. As long as an author provides their own editorial and design services, then a vanity publisher may be the most cost effective way of getting their book out in print.

 Time is another issue. A traditional publishing house can take up to three years to get out a physical copy of a book. Vanity publishing can get books out much quicker, in weeks rather than years, since there is no review process. 

Other authors may see this work published by a vanity press as a stepping stone to get a traditional publishing house’s attention for a second work. Traditional publishers rarely will even look at an author who has not been previously published. If an author can publish a good product through a vanity press, do enough self promoting such that there are a reasonable number of sales, then those successful results may provide the foot-in-the-door needed to obtain a traditional publisher’s attention for a second book. 

Finally, some authors just do not want to give away control of their book. Since a vanity press does not change anything, the author is not giving up their control. However, an author has to balance keeping control against the stigma of going with a vanity publisher. But to some authors, control is more important than what other people think.   

Despite the historically bad reputation that is attached to a vanity press, a vanity press can be a legitimate publishing option. The assumption that a work published by a vanity press is one that could not be published elsewhere nor be a commercial success is no longer automatically correct. By doing their homework and taking advantage of the extra services offered, an author may get a great book through a vanity publisher with the advantages of self-publishing and the look of traditional publishing.

How many times have you handed out a business card, knowing full well it was just going to end up in the big round file? Or as a book mark in the latest Harlequin or subway train thriller? How many times have you looked at your business card and wondered how you could use it to tell people what you really do?

 If you’re like most entrepreneurs and professionals, the answer is “lots”, “all the time” or maybe even “every time I give one out”.

Let’s face it the business card just isn’t a sales tool anymore. People have too much information flying across their desks. They get lost. They get repurposed. They get damaged. They get thrown out. 

And yet, there is another way to use these inexpensive rectangles.

You see the real reason that people treat business cards so cavalierly is that they’ve forgotten the individual who gave them the card. Or they don’t believe they have a need for the person’s services. 

And that’s where a how to book comes in. 

All it takes is a line on the card “Call me to get my free book on …” One short line can turn this small piece of future landfill into a valuable direct action opt-in return card. And while a business card can’t do very much selling a how to book can be your best sales tool. 

Why is a how to book such a great sales tool? 

There are a lot of different reasons why a how to book can be such a great aid. I’m going to hit on just a few in this article. 

Probably, the most important is that if you write a how to book of your own, you will automatically gain credibility. You suddenly become an expert. After all, a real publisher has said your ideas have merit. You must know what you’re talking about! See, they agree! Copywriters call this social proof and it’s a key element in any sales letter. People like to know that they aren’t alone in their judgment. That’s why copywriters use testimonials in sales letters. And the opinion your potential customers form based on other people’s opinion is usually unchangeable.

The second is that if you write a how to book it will naturally express your opinions and attitudes. That gives your reader a chance to experience what it would be like to use your services. Are you easy to get along with? Are you funny? Are you relaxed? Are you formal? All these questions get answered by listening to your writing style. All these are answered if you write your own how to book. 

Which of course, leads directly to the third benefit to be gained if you write a how to book. If you design and write a how to book with the specific intention that it will be a business card, you can turn it into a super-sales letter. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What do you want people to know about your skills? What do you want people to know before they deal with you? How can people get into an argument with you? All of these can be dealt with – either to promote or reduce the effect – in advance.Your how to book can be designed to be a super-resume but without all the crap that goes along with a typical resume. 

Of course, there is a downside if you write your own how to book. 

As your reputation as an expert grows people will think that you charge more than your competition. And a certain number will decide that they can’t afford you – before they talk to you. So you’re just going to have to raise your prices to what your customers think you’re worth. Don’t laugh, a major expert (a real one not a media guru) had to advertise that his prices were very affordable (and negotiable). Seems his clients were willing to pay more than he was charging and he hadn’t raised his rates quickly enough. Besides groups he liked helping thought they couldn’t afford him. All because he had become an acknowledged expert in his field!

To take a look at more articles like this one please visit http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/. To subscribe to his free course, "How To Write "How To" Books in 24 Hours or Less" visit his site at http://www.learningcreators.com

Start by carrying a pad of paper and a pen with you, wherever you go. Make a list consisting of anything and everything that you might want to write about. Pay extra-close attention to the problems facing those around you and try to find out what topics people are most interested in reading about. Also list things that you are passionate about and any topics in which you hold considerable expertise.

Add to your list groups of people that you would like to reach through your book. Think about different age groups, different groups in the workforce, people with special interests, etc., and write down topics that might interest them.

Start narrowing down your list. Choose the topics and audiences that are most important to you and that you know the most about. Remember that the topic needs to be something that pertains to your audience; it must be one that the audience will be interested in if you want your book to be successful.

When you start writing your book, be sure to keep your audience in mind the entire time, and do not stray off topic. You must stay focused and use language that your audience is sure to understand. These things are essential if you want to keep readers interested in your book.

==>Amanda Free is a Communication Major at University of Louisville.

If you were not in the lucky 1-3% accepted by traditional publishing houses, and if you wanted to publish your work, you needed to somehow get your book out there by self-publishing whatever way you could. So, for publishing purposes, anything other than traditional publishing fell under a “self-published” umbrella. 

Although there have always been very successful self-published authors (e.g., Willa Cather, e.e. cummings, T.S. Eliot, Benjamin Franklin, Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Rudyard Kipling, Louis L'Amour, D.H. Lawrence, Beatrix Potter, Anis Nin, Gertrude Stein, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoi, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Virginia Woolf just to name a few), self-publishing has always been under a “not as good as traditional publishing” stigma. However, with recent technological advances, various different methods of self-publishing have come into their own in the recent years and self-publishing has taken on a more respectable label. 

There are still the “vanity press” houses which will publish anything that comes their way (hence the name “vanity press- i.e., publishing houses which court the vain people who want to see their name in print). These vanity publishing houses do not do justice to the self-publishing industry by allowing poorly written, and poorly edited works to be published. 

However, there are many and varied kinds of self-publishing houses out there that do care what they publish and these companies are slowly eroding the self-publishing stigma. They provide all editing services for an author and want to see a good book getting out into the market. 

The bottom line for authors that do not have a contract with a traditional publishing house is to do their homework and find a self-publishing company that will enhance their writing experience and produce a work that they can be proud of. Self-publishing can be a viable way to get your masterpiece out into the public.