It’s a typo! They happen.

Posted on February 28, 2020September 3, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

If there is one constant within the world of publishing, it would be that typos happen. It doesn't matter how many times you go through a piece of written work, there will always be something that's missed. You could have six different sets of eyes on it, and things still slip through. And the longer that piece of writing is, the more likely that errors get missed.

To complicate matters, you might have the cleanest copy on the planet, but errors creep in during typesetting too. At every stage of the writing/editing/publishing process, there is an opportunity for an error to be introduced—and for that error to get missed.

It happens.

I'll be the first to grant you that when a piece of writing is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, it's frustrating to read. However, I have said it time and time again: if a story is gripping, most readers will be willing to overlook the odd typo or grammatical error.

As writers, we need to accept that typos WILL happen.

As editors, we need to accept that we're NOT perfect.

However, there are some people out there who are Grammar Nazis from hell and will publicly shame you for making innocent typographical errors. It's because of these jerks (and that's what they are) that many writers and editors despise the idea of blogging. They're afraid that their writing might be torn to shreds because of those innocent mistakes. But what the Grammar Nazis forget is that mistakes happen.

The production schedules for a blog are tight. Certain steps within the editing process are sometimes missed. The thorough care that we give our novel writing is not given to this short piece that is going to go up on the web within hours. Newspaper articles are much the same in that respect. Mistakes creep in, it's the nature of the beast. But when the public shaming starts…

***Breathe… Just breathe…***

I think it's time to put reality back into the blogging world and remind a few editors that we're only human.

So, You’re Starting a Blog…

Posted on January 24, 2020December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

At some point within a modern writer's career, they will be forced to face that common internet-based question: To blog or not to blog? I have written about this multiple times now, and I will say it again, hopefully for the last time (though I know it won't be).

A writer should blog ONLY if they want to.

Seriously! If you don't want to blog, then DON'T. It doesn't matter what others say. A blogger who doesn't want to be doing it is so obvious and it could be harmful to your reputation as a writer.

If I was to ask you why you're blogging, there is only one answer I should get: "Because I want to." If you say anything else, then you need to go back and read my post about blogging misconceptions. If after reading that post you want to blog, then by all means, carry on. Otherwise, I'll see you in my next post.

Now that we have your reasons to be blogging out of the way, let's carry on.

I, like many other writers, spend a significant amount of time reading blogs, gleaning whatever information I can about the various aspects of the publishing industry. And there are a lot of things that I see with those blogs that are frustrating and quite frankly a bit of a turnoff.

And it's not just me. I have spoken to other writers, and we're all commenting on the same things. Yet, we see them over and over again, because some content marketer thought they would be a good idea.

It's time to tidy up the blogging world and highlight some of those ever-important Hidden Traps.

In this post, we're going to explore the content of blog posts—possible topics, the language and voice, and the paragraphing, as well as images, headings and those little things that are 100% in your control as the blogger.

So, let's get to it.

Writer Blogs and Misconceptions

Posted on January 10, 2020April 26, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

It’s the start of the year, and many writers are setting out to work harder and do more to get their names out there. For some writers, this will mean publishing another book—or a first book as the case may be. For others, this will be building their online presence, looking at their social media options. For others, it will mean a revamp of an old website—or maybe building a new website. And there will be some writers who have decided to try their hand blogging.

Blogging is one of many different ways to build your online platform and following. Through blogging, you can make your website more attractive to readers, enticing them to visit on a regular basis. Through a constant turnover of new web content, you can even improve your SEO ranking.

It's not surprising that many marketers recommend using blogs to drive traffic to a website. And it's not surprising to see so many writers turn to blogging in an attempt to build a following. Hell, I blog in part for that reason. But if you’re not careful, blogging can quickly lead to writer burnout or leave dispirited writers in a state where they just want to give up.

Blogging is NOT for everyone.

It's time to dispel some of the myths surrounding blogging and make people face the realities before they fall into one of the many Hidden Traps associated with online platforms.

The Importance of Press Kits—Even for the Debut Writer

Posted on August 16, 2019December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

Some years ago, I encountered a post that spoke about the importance of having a press kit on your website, even if you were a debut writer. By a press kit, they meant having downloadable pictures and copies of your bio of various formats, and of course, information about your new book. The press kit could be used by anyone for almost any purpose, but it was a form of advertising.

I have no idea on what blog I saw that post on all those years ago, but I remember getting my A into G and putting together a press kit page on my personal website, complete with information about the book that was being released at the time. Since then, I have updated the page to focus on more recent publications, and I keep updating it.

However, in the last week, I have discovered how important having the press kit page really is.Read More→

Is your profile a turnoff?

Posted on July 26, 2019January 25, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

Publishing has always been a business, and writers are expected to build brands, which consists not only of the books they write, but also of their social media and online presence. Our non-writing activities have always been a part of this whole marketing thing, and how we handle that message is just part of the game. However, the internet has added a "now" component to the marketing equation that wasn't there before, and disaster is waiting to happen.

Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog (and my personal blog) will know that I'm a big fan of protecting oneself on the internet, protecting one's physical and cyber security, as well as one's reputation. But there could be aspects with what you are doing that could be a massive turnoff... and you don't even know it.

I'm talking about the overall message behind what it is that you're posting. I'm talking about your profile as a whole: the bio, the photos, and the individual messages. I'm talking about the public face that you present to the world.

And it all boils down to two things: politics and religion. They are both incredibly sensitive topics, but they also have their fingers wrapped around almost everything that we do.

Let me explain further.

Mailing Lists: Unsubscribe Doesn’t Mean Forgotten

Posted on May 31, 2019December 9, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation for the EU) is now a few years old. As a global internet-based society, we're still trying to get our heads around the implications of the legislation. As a small business owner, I too have been trying to understand. However, over the past few years, I have noticed a few quirks about the way email mailing lists are handled, identifying some of the hidden traps within the systems. There are things that we need to be aware of from both sides of the equation.

The biggest hidden trap is associated with the right to be forgotten. Under the GDPR, if you want your email (and other contact details) to be removed and deleted from a database, you have that right. However, most people assume that just by unsubscribing to a mailing list that is what you're doing.

WRONG! Unsubscribing from a mailing list does not mean that your details have been deleted from the database. Let's delve into this particular issue based on my personal experience.

Facebook: Is it time to panic about security?

Posted on September 30, 2018December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

Facebook has hit the news once again with yet another security breach. This time, the breach was a flaw in the View as... feature built into the platform to give users the ability to see their profiles and pages as another user would see them. It had to do with some combination of settings between this feature and the uploading of videos that gave some hacker access to over 50 million people's data.

News of the breach is EVERYWHERE! There is even a public statement about it on the Facebook site.

To be honest, I'm not surprised this has happened. As much as people like to pretend otherwise, the internet and social media are still new technology. Yes, sites like Facebook have been around for a while, going public in 2004. However, what Facebook looked like in 2004 is NOTHING compared to what it looks like today. Social media as a whole is dramatically different. Same too with the internet.

More and more people are joining the world of the internet. For much of the Western Society, it has become a massive part of our lives. My children are now required to sit certain school exams or submit assignments online. This is the world we now live in.

With the changes in the world, we were bound to face issues surrounding privacy and security. The question is: is it time to panic?

In a one-word answer: No. In a longer answer: No, but it is time to examine our practices and take steps to protect ourselves.

Here is a list of steps you should take to protect yourself on the internet, not just Facebook.

The Must-Have Website

Posted on September 28, 2018September 16, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

When I first started down the road towards publication myself, I did an extensive amount of research trying to understand exactly what I needed to do to make it happen. There was this one thing that kept cropping up, time and time again. Platform. Website. Website. Platform.

When I saw this constant theme of website for writers, I wanted to run screaming. There was no way I wanted to stress myself with having to do all the coding associated with having a website. And the cost... I could barely afford my internet bill. But if I wanted to make a name for myself as a writer, I was going to have to suck it up and just do it.

I was pleasantly surprised at how simple — and cheap — it all was.

I created the first iteration of my author website, with all the bells and whistles, within 30 minutes. I kid you not. And all it cost me was time. That website was FREE.

Don’t blame Facebook for sharing data that you already share.

Posted on June 22, 2018January 23, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

Facebook and Zuckerberg have found the news again, but this time it's about sharing data with the Chinese. This is not exactly a surprise, especially after what was revealed earlier this year. Lawmakers and government officials have the right to be up in arms about this, because sharing of data was independent of any privacy settings that you might have had on your accounts. However, do we really have the right to complain about Facebook sharing data that we already share publicly?

Don't get me wrong, I think this breach of privacy and security is a serious issue. Earlier this year, I posted about how to access some of the hidden Facebook features that were associated with synced contact details from smartphones. However, there is another whole range of security and privacy settings that most people either can't be bothered with or don't know about. Yet, many are complaining about data being shared when they themselves are the ones publicly sharing the data.

To Review or Not To Review?

Posted on June 15, 2018January 23, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

The topic of reviews has come across my feeds a lot over the past few weeks, and I find myself feeling like a broken record, giving the same advice over and over.

First, there was a discussion on Facebook where a writer taking part in a book review cooperative felt bound by the rules of the cooperative: if you can’t leave a 3-star review or higher, then you’re out of the cooperative. Let’s ignore that this is unethical and deliberately misleading. If you feel a book is only worth 1 star, then you should feel comfortable giving that book 1 star. (Not that I would, but I will come to that later.)

Then, I encountered a fellow editor who was suffering a review dilemma, where she felt that a book in question possessed glaring editorial flaws, yet she knew others who adored the book. To complicate matters, she knew the author personally. She was asking a group of editors how she should handle the book review, worried about the negative impact on her editorial business if she promoted a book that was poorly edited.

This was closely followed by discussions about Amazon’s glitch in their reviews system that was impacting ALL products on their sites: non-verified reviews were being restricted.

I’ve heard others recount their own experiences regarding reviews, and discuss tactics for Advance Reader Copies (ARCs). Meanwhile, the same advice keeps pouring out of my fingers and onto the feeds.

NEVER review a book on Amazon, Goodreads or similar sites. Instead, recommend.

Let me explain why.