Great Advice for E-book Writers

Like many aspiring novelists and writers who are seeking to take advantage of new opportunities in e-book publishing, I have been overwhelmed with all the possibilities.  And I've also been challenged by trying to navigate the technologies of ebook publishing.  For example, some ebooks are simply presented on websites as a pdf. file, but that is not the format to be used if a writer wants to sell books for use with an Amazon Kindle or a Barnes and Nobel Nook or an Apple iPad.  The Kindle Direct Publishing format was a pretty simple and accessible way to start, and I also discovered SmashWords which offered the platform to publish for numerous markets from Amazon to Apple.  However, the style and presentation expectations are different than preparing a text for a print publisher, and there is often much conflicting information on "how to format your ebook."

That's where Catherine Ryan Howard - aka - Catherine Caffeinated - is quite helpful.

Catherine's website is devoted to the craft of self-publishing, and Catherine is committed to sharing her knowledge of the industry.  In the world of e-book publishing Catherine seems to have tried it all, and she has numerous posts about all the different avenues.  For example, if you have questions on formatting or the business side of ebook publishing, Catherine has a page of links to all these issues.  I had uploaded my ebook to Smashwords, but I was delayed in getting it accepted to the Premium program because of formatting.  I couldn't completely remove the tabs or text boxes, and my ebook cover did not meet standards.  The tab problems resulted from me trying to adapt a traditional manuscript - because I wasn't going to retype 90,000 words.  Trying to understand Smashwords style guide was overwhelming, and I couldn't quite figure out the "nuclear option."  However, following methodically through Catherine's post solved all my problems.  This post by Catherine is the single most valuable ebook publishing post I've found so far.

I am really thankful that people like Catherine have put together blogs sharing their knowledge.  If you are struggling with how to publish your novel as an ebook, check out Catherine's blog.  And, of course, if you want to compensate her for all the help, you might consider buying one of her books.

Tax America's Junk Food Addiction

"But it tastes good."

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this lame excuse, or justification, for why some chooses to eat fast food, I'd be a very rich man.  And, I'd still be a lot healthier than the average American.  No one really thinks fast food is good food, and no one argues for its health benefits.  Few people would even assert that the poor quality of fast and heavily processed food is not a significant health concern.  Everyone knows it is.  Regardless, Americans are loathe to give up or concede to stiffer regulation to one of the most obvious contributors to the obesity and health crisis in the United States.  Too many Americans are simply careless when it comes to what sort of "food" they will regularly put into their bodies.

Americans, still, are conflicted over what to do about rising obesity rates and its clear link to fast food and processed food consumption.  Recent polls suggest that Americans actually want the government to do something about the country's obesity problem.  However, in their traditions of being clueless and hypocritical about what they want and what they think government should do, Americans also oppose any attempts by the government to regulate food or encourage healthier choices.  In reality, an individual has a right to eat whatever he chooses.  That said, with the American government responsible for the health care costs of millions of people on Medicare, the taxpayers do have a legitimate financial interest in improving Americans' eating habits.  Additionally, in the private health care system, healthier people end up paying the price for unhealthier ones.  And, taxing behavior to discourage excessive use is a legitimate and time tested way of modifying behavior - it clearly worked to lower smoking rates.  So, for all but the seriously irrational and ideological, taxes on diet vices should be considered a legitimate public health response.

The negative impact of eating fast food is most obviously because "there's no food in fast food."  Of course, it's not like anyone really believes fast food is good quality.  They are simply willing to feed themselves really crappy "food products."  And that is America's biggest problem - we have very low standards and don't treat ourselves very well.  Seriously, why would someone be willing to eat from the "dollar menu" - unless, of course, he really only values himself that much.  The problem is that in a complex health care system that leverages and dilutes risk through a large pool, one person's poor habits negatively impact the quality of life and cost of health care for others who actually "care" about their "health."  In other words, someone else's poor habits literally raise my health care rates.  So, yes, it is my business.

Until people care about their health, America will suffer from a health care crisis.  And eating fast food is quite simply careless.

No Vote for Barry Bonds - and Steroids Users - in Hall of Fame

Call me a purist and a holier-than-thou elitist, but I firmly oppose the inclusion of Barry Bonds and other steroid users in baseball's Hall of Fame.  As the voting ballots go out this week, and the debate over Barry Bonds' and Roger Clemens' worthiness of Hall of Fame entry goes into high gear, I stand resolute that sportswriters should "Just Say NO" to performance-enhancing drug use by professional athletes.  This week Denver Post sportswriter Troy E. Renck insightfully and succinctly expresses the reservations felt by many sports fans regarding steroid use and professional awards.  Certainly, there are logical arguments for and against the inclusion of the steroid users in the Hall.  If nothing else, their accomplishments and achievements in the game cannot be refuted.  And, many would argue that simply putting an asterisk next to the records - or setting up a "performance enhanced wing" of the Hall - would be sufficient.  Time will tell how society views these flawed men.  No man is the sum of his worst act, and perhaps a little forgiveness is due.  But, for the time being I like Renck's assertion that now is too soon for the Barry Bonds Hall of Fame dilemma to be decided.

Marketing an E-book

For many years, I imagined myself as an author, and I stumbled through the forest of traditional publishing for more than a decade, hoping an agent or publisher would punch my lottery ticket and make me a success with one or more of the novels I'd written.  Alas, it was never to be, though I had many great stops and starts along the way, getting interest and feedback from some top literary agents.  It was roughly a year ago, however, that I concluded I am not a novelist or screenwriter.  After speaking with a friend who had finally - and justifiably - secured an agency contract for his fiction, I realized that non-fiction writing is actually where I am successful.  Thus, I am refocusing my writing career by seeking to develop my blogging and newspaper commentary.

With that in mind I began to explore the possibilities of e-book publishing that have developed via the rise of Amazon Kindle Publishing, as well as all associated markets from direct e-book publishers like Smashwords to Apple iBooks and Barnes and Noble Nook Publishing.  As an experiment, I went ahead and self-published the one novel that I actually felt good enough about to present to the public.  The thought of vanity publishing always bothered me, but the rise of internet publishing - and the moderate interest my book always generated among agents - convinced me that I could move forward with the publishing of my novel with a modicum of my integrity intact.

Since publishing my novel I Don't Know on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords, I have generated very little in sales or interest.  However, that may be a result of the minimal effort I put into marketing the book.  That's a lesson for aspiring e-book authors - You have to do the marketing that would normally have been handled by your agent and publisher.  All I've done so far is post a link to Kindle Direct Publishing on my blog, and that has generated a few sales among my most loyal readers or curious blog wanderers.  How to Market an E-book from the eHow.com website is a pretty effective explanations of how to market ebooks, and it's certainly worth checking out.  As I learn more about the process and potentially publish more of my work, I will revisit the idea of e-book marketing and what are the best and most successful approaches.

Liberal Arts Colleges Struggle Amidst STEM and Business Push

Justin Pope of the Associate Press explores the challenges faced by the traditional liberal arts colleges that were once the heart and soul of higher education.  The liberal arts have been the target of contemptuous attacks in recent years as the American economy struggles to produce enough scientists, engineers, doctors, accountants, and technicians to prop up an economy that has become more efficient and, often, outsourced.  The myopic focus on STEM majors - and even STEM high schools - has led to claims by simple-minded business types who argue that the whole purpose of education is to prepare students to become effective workers in the marketplace.  And that Dickensian proposition is just sad.

The liberal arts - and notably liberal arts colleges - have been the foundation of our cultural soul for as long as we've been civilized societies.  Accounting and engineering may be the basis of the comfortable nature of our lives, but it is the arts and the deep thinking that makes those lives worth living.  And the success of corporations like Apple - a company which effectively markets its products via a focus on empathy and design - has depended on visionaries like Steve Jobs looking beyond simple market practicality.  Jobs wanted his products to feed our souls, even as it filled his bank account.  And it's the liberal arts that contribute to make humanity the focus of our business.

It will be a sad day if the liberal arts college goes the way of the typewriter.

Peyton Manning is Undoubtedly the 2012 MVP

Being from Colorado, I would be remiss if I did not post on the Denver Broncos and the Peyton Manning phenomenon after the Broncos wrapped up a 13-3 season, securing the number one seed and home field advantage in the playoffs.  This is a team that was 8-8 a year ago with little Timmy Tebow at the helm, and is now considered a favorite for the SuperBowl after only three losses to top teams, Houston, Atlanta, and New England.  With all that in mind, it is impossible to dispute the assumption that Peyton Manning should be the NFL MVP for 2012.

*check the link for more information on why it's not Adrien Peterson.

Do Video Games Make Kids Violent?

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting - or any mass shooting really - the talk will inevitably turn to the potential "cause" of violent video games.  Do violent video games make people violent or more aggressive?  Do they "desensitize" young people to violence?  Does that make them less empathetic and more prone to hurt, or simply not care about, other people?  It seems like an easy and obvious answer.  And, even the president of the NRA used "violent media" as an excuse for gun violence while, at the same time, defending guns.

Like all societal issues, the answer is not so simple.

Media certainly plays a role in our life, and it most definitely influences people.  However, it's a stretch to say that violent media, especially video games, causes people to commit violence.  That's true simply because the vast majority of people who use violent media do not, in fact, become homicidal sociopaths.  However, it is equally irrational to argue that violent media does not "influence" people.  Research over many years proves that media can desensitize viewers and users.  One of the most comprehensive studies by Iowa State psychology professor Craig Anderson proves as conclusively as can be done that "violent video game play does make kids more aggressive." Anderson's research is a review and synthesis of more than one hundred other studies, and the results are all but undeniable to anyone who respects science and research.

Of course, identifying these factors does not mean any change will come to society.  Video games - especially violent forms such as Call of Duty or Mortal Combat - are a huge billion dollar industry that is simply not going away.  That said, recent shootings such as Sandy Hook Elementary and the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting indicate a need and willingness to re-direct the public policy debate concerning violent media.  Commentators will continue to call for action limiting the usage of violent media, though that directive is most often aimed at encouraging parents to closely monitor their own children.  Most people will concede that the action has to come at the level of individual choice among parents and young people.

Young people will continue to play video games, and after tragedies like mass shootings, people will debate the effects.  Clearly, violent media did not create or directly cause the recent tragedies in Connecticut or Colorado or San Diego.  And the majority of people who are exposed to violent media won't re-create the violence in their real lives.  However, as the tragedies continue, people will hopefully consider the warning from psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax in his book Boys Adrift that violent media is contributing to "a growing proportion of boys who are disengaged not only from school but from the real world."

Advice to Daughter Leaving for College

As we move into the new year, parents of high school seniors are going to be both elated and traumatized as their children begin to receive their acceptance letters to college.  The reality of our most precious assets going out into the world ... alone ... is a time of melancholy as parents wonder whether they have done all they could do to prepare and protect their babies from the harsh realities of the world.  For blogger Amy Wrubble, this day won't actually come for sixteen years, as her daughter is only two.  However, she's not wasting any time and recently posted her letter to her daughter who is leaving for college.  Her advice is a catch-all for all the basics of parenting advice, but written in a fun, whimsical - and slightly but sweetly neurotic - voice, intending to level with her daughter:

Some of Amy's classic tips include:

• Don't do drugs .... or take the Whole Foods Approach and choose only "organic"

• Don't drink the punch, but instead stick to beer which will hopefully fill you up before you drink yourself to death

• No naked photos or tattoos

• Study philosophy and the humanities to feed the soul ... but accounting fills the bank account

• Embrace the opportunity to be politically and socially involved.

Certainly, we all want "the best" for our kids, though we know it has to do with them choosing wisely and making good systems.  We instill our kids with our values and lessons, but at some point they are going to be their own best selves, for better or worse in what we intended and hoped.

Getting Students to Work to Their Potential

An education writer I know recently asked me to respond to a parent's question about her son who "is mainly a 'B' student and seems to be fine with that even though he puts in very little effort to achieve those 'B's. He is in the mindset that B grades are good even though he is quite capable of A work with a little effort. How do I get him to work up to his full potential?"

Here are my thoughts on that difficult question:

Not to be cliched, but this is really a classic "You can lead a horse to water ..." issue.  Student motivation is our greatest challenge, especially in asking them to internalize that which they don't find immediately or intrinsically valuable.  Often the subject is a complete abstraction, as in, "when am I ever going to use algebra?"  The simple answer is that, regarding the using algebra or the names of Civil War battles or the make-up of a cell, they won't ever "use it." However, they will use the more developed brain that comes from acquiring knowledge and information and thinking critically about it.  Alas, that is a rather tough bit of wisdom for the average young person to get his mind around.

Some kids, of course, simply accept it and do what they are told.  Others question that logic, and in many ways we should applaud kids who question and challenge such conventions of society and education.  It is, obviously, in asking why and why not that our greatest advancements have come.  Additionally, for a student making Bs - even if (especially if) they come easily  - it's tough to argue he should strive harder when Bs will arguably serve him well and are evidence enough that he is above the curve.  Clearly, striving for mediocrity is never a good goal.  However, a "B" in my class is not an easy achievement and can even be a badge of honor.  Thus, I occasionally have to cringe when a child is told that an 87% is "not good enough."  I can tell you I've been the only "only B in high school" for a few kids over the years, and while it traumatized their parents at the time, it didn't prevent their child from any opportunities.

The child has to want to work to his potential, and there's no easy answer to how to make him want it.  I must admit that I have a child who is truly inspired by individual achievement and academic excellence, and I can't really explain why.  It is, seemingly, in his nature.  I didn't cultivate it in him any more than my other child who is certainly a good student but not obsessively curious and always wanting to know everything.  As parents and teachers we do what we can to help students value education and even excellence.  There are certainly helpful analogies and examples of why to value it, though society has far too often erred on the side of financial reward.  We encourage children to value education so they can "get a good job," and there is a part of that motivation which can be quite shallow.

Ultimately, we cannot "get him to work up to his potential" unless he wants to or is willing to give in to our demand or expectation or request that he do so.  Sometimes it is a maturity issue and students simply become more responsible.  Other times a certain subject or teacher will inspire such aspirations.  It can simply be moving on to college where the student has more autonomy and choice.  Alas, there is no simple answer to this, but I guess I have effectively evaded the question.

Making Money on the Internet

One of the funny little quirks of the internet - and internet marketing - is the massive proliferation of websites and blogs about how to make money on the internet.  The great irony is that these websites offering advice on how to "make money by blogging" are simply sources for the blogger to "make money by blogging."  So, apparently the best way to "make money by blogging" is to create a blog about how to "make money by blogging."  That said, there are ways to make money by blogging, and the amount of money depends entirely on the amount of time, effort, and skill the blogger can put toward it.  Aspiring bloggers and internet marketers can easily go blind - or get a case of computer screen vertigo - by surfing the net in hopes of finding information on "how to make money blogging."  However, there are some standard places, people, books, and tips worth checking out.

This platform Blogger is perhaps the easiest and most accessible of platforms for aspiring bloggers.  Wordpress is the other, and they are both free platforms - though Wordpress is only free at Wordpress.com, not Wordpress.org.  As far as making money, ad revenue is a primary source of income for bloggers and internet marketers.  Using Blogger, the primary way to access the revenue stream is by signing up for Google's AdSense program.  Of course, this is not an easy way to make cash unless you have a website or blog that attracts hundreds, if not thousands of viewers, a day.  And for that you need to produce compelling content.

I've read and researched a fair amount of info on internet marketing in creating my blogs.  One of the first resources I accessed was a man named Darren Rowse who has a popular blog info source called ProBlogger.net  Darren's cite is a great place to check from time to time for basic information, and he will inspire with his tales of moneymaking.  He also has a book worth reading called Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income.  It's worth reading, though you must accept that you won't be making this money quickly or at all.  It takes a lot of time - blogging for a living is exactly that - a full time job.

Another successful internet marketer I've read is Joel Comm, whose book The AdSense Code, was informative and inspired me to expect the six-figure income of internet dreams.  The book and Joel's site and info are worth the time.  But, I've never come close to equalling Joel's success.  I also read Mark Anastasi's book The Laptop Millionaire: How Anyone Can Escape the 9 to 5 and Make Money on the Internet.  The book was certainly "inspiring" and somewhat informative in terms of using e-commerce sites like Clickbank.com, though it follows the trend of most internet marketing books which are mainly stories of how the author did it, and not much info on how to replicate their success.  And, Mark Anastasi is a man not without controversy.  So tread lightly when researching people promising riches on the internet.

The NRA Response and "Plan" for Armed Guards in Schools is Naive and Foolish

The psychological aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy was worsened on the one-week anniversary of the shooting, when the National Rifle Association (NRA - the gun owners' lobby) broke its silence with a statement by NRA president Wayne LaPierre that ignored all gun control and mental health discussions and instead asserted that the solution to the issue of mass school shootings was to put an armed guard in every school.  In a meandering speech that blamed violence on media which glorifies violent shootings, but ignored blaming the guns in those films and video games, LaPierre did not move the discussion of America's gun violence forward.  In fact, he may have set it back decades - back before the Brady Bill and the shooting of President Reagan.  Lest we - and he - forget that John Hinckley managed to shoot several people by walking right up to the Secret Service and opening fire with a handgun.  Imagine if he had walked up with an assault rifle.  

Alas, it shouldn't be surprising that the lobby for the gun industry argued that the solution to decreasing gun violence is more guns. The sad reality is that no one is going to prevent mass shootings by psychotic individuals when they live in a world where they can access high capacity weapons and find areas where people congregate.  In regards to schools, it's worth noting that America has 100,000 public schools, and that doesn't even include private schools and day care facilities.  Arming them won't stop the carnage because it's simply infeasible.  My school has four buildings covering nearly ninety acres with no less than twenty-five entrances.  There is simply no way an armed guard will provide any guarantee of protection.  

Granted, many of these schools already have armed guards in their schools as part of what is called the School Resource Officer program.  However, as Mary Elizabeth Williams reminds us Columbine High School had an SRO who engaged one of the shooters.  Beyond that, gun supporters seem to forget that a shooter at a military installation - Ft. Hood - managed to shoot dozens before being engaged by military police.  As far as armed citizens goes, does anyone remember George Zimmerman?  Armed citizens have not prevented mass shootings, and could seriously make the situation worse.  At both the Gabby Giffords shooting and the Oregon mall shooting, armed citizens did not take down the shooter, and they worried more about accidentally killing innocent bystanders, as happened when police took on a shooter outside the Empire State Building.  The worse aspect of the NRA's response is that it creates a false sense of security that is far more likely to cause harm than guarantee protection.

In looking at the cost-benefit analysis, it's worth considering all the reasons "The NRA's Plan Won't Work."  I fully support the SRO programs we have in place, and I have no problem supporting them. But extending them into all schools won't prevent tragedy, and it is a wasteful and naive allocation of resources.  To simply equip all schools (not including private schools and day cares and churches and malls and community centers) with a full-time police officer would cost a minimum of $50 million a year, and they would be occupying schools year-round on the one in a million chance that a shooter would appear with no guarantee that the officer would provide any greater protection than police simply responding to calls as they did in Connecticut in under ten minutes.  The reality is that "the odds of any one school being attacked" are very, very small.  And the money spent on arming them could be used in countless other beneficial ways, not the least of which is on "counselors [and psychologists] to work with and engage young people years before they become angry loners."

I am not a supporter of knee jerk, black and white "answers" that offer only a false sense of security.

Teachers Will Not and Should Not Carry Guns

It didn't take long in the aftermath of the latest mass shooting at a school for the discussion on gun violence and gun rights to intensify.  Sadly, it went pretty quickly where I thought saner heads would prevail.  Thus, in less than a week Governor Rick Perry and numerous other public figures called for the arming of teachers and administrators as a way to deal with this tragic condition of our society. In fact, one rural district in Texas allows concealed weapons because they "can't afford" security and are thirty miles from town.  Guns in the classroom.  Hmmmm.  I honestly can't believe that seemingly rational people would pose such an idea.  But, they did.  So, let's be clear about one thing.  Guns in the schools is not the answer.

America certainly has a problem with gun violence.  However, I am not going to assert that any specific gun legislation would curtail that.  Additionally, America has a problem with mentally ill people becoming deranged and acting out violently and publicly.  But this is not simply an issue of mental illness.  The sad reality is that we have a considerable number of mentally deranged people who don't get the necessary treatment to prevent them from acting on homicidal impulses.  And it is far too easy for these people to gain access to implements of catastrophic destruction.  Yet, it's not simply a matter of passing an assault weapons ban or perhaps strengthening the health care system.  One is an easy act; one seemingly impossible.  And neither will solve the problem.

Neither will armed teachers and principals in school.

In the past decade, schools and public buildings have made great strides in putting together response plans to decrease the impact of these tragedies.  But we haven't decreased the tragedies.  And armed teachers won't help.  For one, it's simply not going to happen.  I and millions of other teachers and school officials would simply refuse.  Secondly, proponents are delusional if they think that teachers and administrators would calmly and effectively be able to take out a shooter.  Police officers and soldiers practice shooting and crisis situations for thousands of hours - and they still make mistakes.  They still don't hit the right target.  They still commit friendly fire.  They still die in shootouts.  And they are trained to do nothing less than take out assailants.   The average citizen will not do better.  This is true, despite many middle class suburban Rambos out there who think a math teacher could step into the hallway and squeeze off a few rounds with little problem.

Certainly, there are plenty of commentators who are decrying the gun violence and calling for action on gun control or mental health issues or both.  And there are extreme views on each side.  However, some important perspectives on the seriousness of the issue and the need to act now are worth considering.  EJ Dionne of the Washington Post asks "Will We Forget the Kids Of Newtown?" If society does nothing different, if people ignore President Obama's simple point that "we can do better," then Dionne's concern will be realized.  One significant issue will be the impact of high capacity weaponry.  And, I'll admit that I've long wondered how that is defensible.  As Robin Williams asked years ago on stage, "Is there some big-ass moose out their with a bulletproof vest and night vision goggles?"  The assault weapon/machine gun issue seems to fall in with the laws against hand grenades and flamethrowers in my opinion.  On that issue, William Salatin offers some thoughtful commentary on "The Volume Killers" and the significance tied to how quickly these people have inflicted mass carnage - a scope that is simply not possible with lower capacity weapons.

America has plenty of guns.  Plenty.  And more guns are not the answer to gun violence.  Schools should maintain crisis plans and lockdowns, cities should promote the presence of SROs - school resource officers - and communities should seek to get better at identifying potential threats.  That said, it won't be perfect.  There will be more tragedies.  There will always be these types of tragedies.  But we can do more about it.  And, so, I will say it - we should consider some restraints on the gun industry.  A country that requires registration and licenses for people to own or operate a car, or sell cookies out of a home kitchen, should certainly require more stringent and traceable licensing of deadly weapons.