5 o'clock Charlie

Whoever watches MASH knows what I am talking about. It's just something that you depend on from your enemy, that predictable cheap shot that comes at the same time, every time. Well after my encounter today I am actually feeling pretty good.

Life has a way of catching up with those "5 o'clock Charlies" we know and being bitter won't help. And on a lighter note, we often get good news after bad news! Today my good news is about my book! 

The design team is done with Songs of Many Seasons! Yeah Buddy!!! Check out the cover and back view. 

 

Remember don't let others depress you or bring you down. A long, happy life is the best revenge! 

The Folly of Facebook

Weekend update:
1. After weeks of being ignored, my editor came to see me! We were able to make some ridiculous headway in the final revisions of my new novel and map out the content for the sequel!
2. I should have my electronic plate proofs for Songs of Many Seasons by Friday!!
3. I found out some really interesting things about marketing and Facebook pages.

Let's talk about some controversial subjects to get going today. First, what is your personal opinion of what's happening in the NFL, currently? Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice...you should know both, or at least one story well. Here is a cap: Ray Rice knocked his wife out cold after she slapped him repeatedly and spit in his face. Adrian Peterson is accused of beating his child with a wooden switch till it caused lacerations. Now Facebook, Twitter, social media, and sports news stations are going nuts! It's an emotional topic for many people. It matters not where your opinion falls on either side. I am pretty heated too, but let's not get caught up. Take a step back with me and let's explore how issues like this can really affect your small business negatively.

(Peterson and son courtesy of google images)

(Rice and daughter courtesy of google images)

If you are like me you have a business Facebook page. Most people do, the harm that is posed by mega social issues like these above often doesn't hurt big business, but the small ones. Here's why. YOU. The owner, the proprietor of your small business website. You are human, you have opinions, but unless your personal account is distanced effectively from your business account, beware! Google +, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and all social media sites you own personally can either protect or seriously harm your small business by the content you post.

 For example, I am an Author. Any site I run automatically becomes a business platform to me because my name is on it. I have my image, my fans know who I am, what I discuss, and they are use to me. Your business may not be John Doe's Supplies, but as a small business, your name as the owner/proprietor is inexorably linked to your livelihood. Now listen careful: What YOU post on your PERSONAL accounts will in some way affect your business.

I purposefully avoid heated topics like the NFL's recent trouble. I may talk freely about the case, but I will not publish my opinions because I know that there are people online waiting to get into a dirty, ugly fight on both sides. Also, I don't want an opinion I hold personally to change my business image as an Author. I have tackled so many issues in my novels and poetry its crazy, but I don't want to influence the market in a negative way by openly getting involved in every controversy known to man.

Your business is your baby, protect it with guarded words and thoughtful speech. You won't ever lose business by posting hopeful messages, interesting tips, or stories of achievement on your personal social media sites. You will lose business, however, if you blare your opinions across the world wide web with powerful language while being inconsiderate to those who have an opposing view. You define your business with your personality. It shouldn't matter to a printer if a football player has seven children from two different relationships. It shouldn't matter to a fiction Author if a professional athlete has been married multiple times. We are our business, anything else is a distraction to our viewers and followers from what we do and who we are.

Remember though, there are some issues worth standing on. Moral integrity in business, kindness, love, encouragement, ethics, legal practices, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Express your opinions in areas where you can prove you are different than bigger, soulless companies. You care, the little guy matters to you. That is the opinion your viewers and buys care about. Don't waste words on situations to which you are unrelated, and if you are related, all the more reason to keep the matter amongst close family and friends. You would be surprised what such a little change can do to boost your image and help you stay focused in a blurring market of emotional sensationalism.

  

Bob's Your Uncle...Intelectual Property Up For Grabs

The ultimate in colloquial speech. Entomologists are baffled, people have supposed...but no one knows the truth about the funny little phrase: "Bob's your uncle." I would love to survey all 90's babies and see if they heard that phrase for the first time in the animate 101 Dalmatians. Trust me, as a little kid, that was funny stuff. Because I actually had an uncle, named Bob. Except he demanded to be called, "The Great and Wonderful Uncle Bob..." Again, narcissism doesn't run in my family...right.  
So, a little bit of education now. This phase can mean many things, listen up all you internet surfing softies born in the golden age of brutish slang; as opposed to the iconic slang of my time ;-) I digress. The proper use of this 3 word combo is to evoke a sense of mystic ease while doing a chore, job, or explaining steps.
Example: "Look; run in, grab the loot, and bob's your uncle; we're living like kings!" Notice the many pitfalls if the plan are neatly summed up with Bob's Your Uncle?
While everyone is puzzled about the phrase, what I want to know is not who is Bob or who was his nephew or niece...but what impossible circumstance did Uncle Bob overcome? It must have been pretty stinking impressive. Considering it was 1880s time frame possibly earlier I wonder what it could have been? Puzzling, no?
Either way I feel like there could be a book written about the crazy impossible things Uncle Bob did, and no, I am not referring to my Uncle Bob. But it would be a great idea for a children's story book. Do you know how many little boys would laugh if every weird situation in the book was solved by some mysterious power of "Bob's Your Uncle?" How about all the Uncle Bobs that would buy the book and be like, "Yes, I am magical." Its a golden idea right? I should publish the book myself.

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So, now we get to the meat of the article and talk about the BIG mistake I made with this post. Most people worry about their intellectual property when signing contracts to turn over or release their art. It is a valid concern. But few think of their intellectual property before contracts. What does this mean? Well consider this.
If I did want to publish a book for children, using this idea (and trust me the thought crossed my mind) I made a huge mistake by sharing that idea with the world before I developed it further. The intellectual property I own, you own, and everybody owns is idiosyncratic ideas and projections. Once you share your intellectual property freely, people are free to take the ball and run with it as they like.
Continuing the notion that I wanted to publish this book. Telling the world my idea leaves anyone in the world free to write/draw the book and market it as their own. Imagine my dismay as I finish the cute little manuscript, only to find out a book with the same core thought is released. A publisher would be crazy to agree to print my work. And I could say all I wanted: "that's my idea!" But, legally next to nothing could be done because the idea came from my public blog, and the story gendered from a private source.
The moral of this story is that your ideas and future projects should have a certain anonymity to them if you want to receive credit and/or compensation. Your ideas are your property, intellectual property to be exact, but if you spread them someone can take your metaphysical idea, make it physical, and they own it. Not you. Unless it's irrelevant that the public know what you are up to and what you are working on as an artist, please keep in mind that the first two w's in www, stands for world wide. Don't get hurt as an artist and protect your intellectual property in and out of contracts.   

PS: I will not be mad, insulted, or upset if anyone uses this idea to publish a good book for children with little cartoon pictures. All I ask is for you to let me know, because seriously, I would love to do review on that! 

To Publish or not to Publish...

Most people I know want to be writers. They think they want to be published and have a major contract and all the glory that goes with it. 

Pay attention to the operative word in that sentence...think. That's right, most people see the gold and glory and don't know what goes into it. Hours and hours of PAIN! It's like pregnancy except gestation can take years. The publishers are the doctors and your in full blown labor trying to get your baby out into the world. It's not fun. But ask any mother if it was worth it...

Now that you've been warned here is the good news. Go for it! Accept that it's a process that is not easy, be ready to make mistakes, be ready to embrace criticism, and be ready to stand on your own and still have the courage to move forward. 

Most authors (and some mothers) will tell you, "It's so hard- it's this- it's that." "Don't do it." I read 0 encouragements as an aspiring author months ago. 0. And dozens of painful, mean spirited articles about why I should give up. Because hundreds are like me and I am a poor writer because if I wasn't I would already be published. I was told by every word they wrote to give up. But I didn't. 

If you want to write and publish here is my advice. Don't let the negative, sorry stigma other have burden your own success. If they want to complain or quit let them, but don't you dare let go of something you believe in. Don't give up something you value because of someone else's thoughtless remarks. Authors are sensitive, we hurt easy. I half think the big ones that tell us newbies to be quiet are because they fear that we could compete with their books. It's a fair market, write better then me and I won't hold it against you, I will even buy your books.

So, don't let refusal letters, editors, authors, or anyone else tell you, you can't do it. Because the truth is, if you do it with all your might, you will succeed. 

Succeeding isn't a $1,000,000 contract, or a fan base that worships you. It's your book, your baby, finally making it out from the stereotyped womb of unworthiness to the light of individualism. 

Blog, get one reader and you've already proven people wrong. Because even if only one person reads your work, you touched one life. Sometimes the world focus too much on the big names like Nicholas Sparks, Stephan King, and Stephanie Meyers. Not that they aren't amazing, not that they don't have greatness; but there is greatness in you too. The same greatness that these people have is inside you in a unique form. Don't try and be them, it will only mask your true talent, you don't have to be or say anything that isn't 100% you. 

I don't make money from this blog, I am not trying to sell you something, I am only trying to undo the hurt that others may have caused you or someone you know. Don't be depressed. A single, true fan is better than the 100,000s people buy to look popular. Yes, people actually buy viewers to look like they are popular. 

So if you ever meet me on the street, conference, book signing, or anything; I will answer the question the same any day of the week. To publish or not to publish...my answers is: Publish. A blog, a book, a news article, whatever it is; publish and don't look back or be anything but you. 

Updated Contest; news

I am so excited to announce my book has officially been set and I have already spoken to the design team that are constructing the cover. This is a huge first step for me. 

Songs of Many Seasons is so close to debuting! See the full discription at: www.booksbyvera.wix.com/veralynn  

Also if you were wondering here is your first hint for the contest; what does Nona mean in Korean? 

(Don't forget post your answer to the blog and sign up via my website.) 

Bloggables and Swashbuckling

My life as an author basically consists of lots of sleep, writing, and a little odd jobs here and there. Since I started this blog I have had the time of my life building up my fan base and just finding interesting things to say to engage an audience. One thing that never works, math titles. Don't try it. It kills views.
So today, as I was rummaging through my office (fancy word for any place I have cluttered to death) I found all sorts of old poems and stack of papers that are ages old. And my first two thoughts were: I wonder if this would make a good blog and this page looks like a pirate beard, hahaha arrrrrg! You can guess which one I had more fun with off the bat.

 

(This is totally what I saw in my mind

check out the original at DeviantArt)

So going through your old writings can be a horror storm of emotions, but ultimately its like watching a child grow. You can see how you have evolved and honed your skills, maybe even realize your old self had a purity to it that you would like to regain. Whether is looking at pictures of your youth or seeing something your wrote in third grade, those things are priceless treasures. (And no I am not an narcissist...maybe)

(My reaction... "A pirate cross dressing princess...next story!")

So now for the informational section:
Would any of you believe that the posts on a blog that generate the most views are the nonsensical ones? I totally was taken by surprise on that one. Apparently according to feedback and viewer trends, not many people are interested in step by step instructions and clear cut plans, but would rather be distracted by an amusing post with once central lesson. So as you go about creating your blog or even having conversations about your business, keep it interesting.

As many of you are aware the goal of this blog is to help people get to know me, and perhaps even learn a few things themselves about marketing, authorship, writing and such, but by popular demand I am changing things up. So look forward to more fun posts and a lot less technicalities.  

Nerb or Voun...you decide

"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

-Robert A. Heinlein-

Take some time and reflect on two basic parts of speach. The noun and verb.

Now, consider these three nouns: Love, happiness, you. Only one is also a verb...which is an interesting thing to recognize. It's like a voun or a nerb. When you tell someone "I love you", you are using the words in an actionionable (verb) sense, but you are also implying that your love is a thing making it also a noun. Looking at the reverse, when you say "I am looking for love," the word is a noun, you are looking for it, making love a thing. Yet, in "looking for love" you are also giving it an actionable quality because we associate the word with feelings and responses. Love may be equivalent to a gift of roses or love may equal a no invitation to an upper class date. Either way it is a thing (noun) that is irrevocably associated with particular actions (verb).  Neat huh? Take that Engish 101. 

If you have a favorite voun or nerb post it here!