I’m not much for social media. I cross-post from LinkedIn to Twitter and Facebook. I’m active on Facebook. I don’t do TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, or any of the myriad other social platforms. There are simply too many, and I have too few hours in the day and even less interest. So, let’s be candid: social media is not my forte.

It’s strange, though, what pops up in my news feed.

I saw a picture of the aurora borealis and clicked “Like” on it. Now I’m getting oodles of photos from diverse sites showing pictures of those mysterious and gorgeous northern lights. The same goes for the photos of the vintage Deusenberg, the skillfully crafted quilt, and the bouquet of flowers that crept into my news feed. Now my news feed is packed with such photos.

I once checked out a “DDlg” book because I’d never read one before, didn’t know what the abbreviation meant, and wanted to see if it was a new genre to add to my reading list. Um … no, it wasn’t. But now I get book promos for DDlg books despite my aversion to them.

I see memes of political and social commentary that align with my personal opinions more often than anything not corresponding to what I think and feel.

I just ordered a new butter dish on Amazon because I was feeling too lazy to go shopping. I wonder how long it will be before I start seeing ads for kitchen appliances and tools and dishes will saturate my news feed.

The interconnectedness of our lives is, frankly, disturbing. On one hand, I’m often intrigued by many of the book promos that pop up in my news feed. I enjoy seeing the various new books being advertised in my preferred genres. I even buy some of them. However, the deluge of advertisements overwhelms posts by people I know. I do a whole lot of scrolling to find an friend’s or family member’s update.

I’ve noticed that ignoring the multitude of posts showing off flowers, cars, castles/mansions, quilts, and more doesn’t make them go away. Even worse, advertisements for stuff in which I am utterly not interested (e.g., exercise programs) further saturates my news feed even though I occasionally go through the “don’t show me this ad again” routine that Facebook or LinkedIn demands to remove the content from my news feed.

Granted, I do participate in several online groups. My participation in these groups entails learning from others and teaching others. It’s a give-and-take exchange as well as a marketing activity. I hope that the contribution of my time and expertise convinces someone to hire me to either write, edit, or format their content, just as much as I hope to learn from other, more experience, better skilled professionals and maybe find one or two to assist me with my projects.

What’s old is new again. That pertains to just about everything. So, when it comes to a subject near and dear to my heart, I consider myself somewhat of an expert. Therefore, allow me to throw a few lessons learned at you if you’re someone contemplating on writing a book or if you have written a book and aren’t sure what to do next. Take these words to heart, because I won’t steer you wrong. I’ll help you get into this with your eyes wide open.
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• There’s a process to publication. If you wish to be traditionally published, then you must first understand that no literary agent or publisher is obligated to accept your manuscript. You pursue publication. To enhance your chances, do your research and follow the company’s author guidelines.
• If you decide to self-publish, understand the publication part itself costs nothing but time and a bit of effort. Getting your manuscript fit for public consumption does cost money, oftentimes a lot of money.
• If you self-publish, then you are the publisher and you assume all the responsibilities of a publisher. Those responsibilities include hiring professionals (like a traditional publisher does) to edit and format the manuscript and design the cover.
• Marketing sells books. Especially in the more populous genres, the only way to make your book stand out from its competition is a robust, strategic marketing plan rigorously executed. If you’re not good at marketing, hire a pro.
• Your book’s cover design is a powerful marketing tool. Hire a pro.
• The quality of your content may not be what persuades a reader to buy the book, but it will be what persuades a reader to leave a positive review and to purchase your next book.
• Good writing requires competent editing.
• Authors should never rely on their own editing. Hire an editor. Always.
• Editing software is helpful, but does not take the place of a human editor because it cannot detect nuance, plot holes, and continuity issues, etc. Editing software may introduce as many errors as it fixes.
• Your book’s description or cover blurb falls under copywriting, not content writing. It’s primary purpose is to convert potential reader into a paying customer, not to tell your story. Authors who excel at content writing often don’t do well at copywriting. Considering hiring a pro.
• Marketing does not guarantee sales. Any marketer who promises or guarantees a certain volume of sales is a liar. Marketing improves your book’s chances of selling.
• Good editing is invisible; poor editing is glaringly obvious. The better your editing, the less likely your readers will notice; however, if the editing is poor or nonexistent, then readers will most certainly notice and warn potential readers in their reviews.
• If you have an intriguing story idea but not the time, skill, or inclination to write it yourself, consider hiring a ghostwriter. A skilled ghostwriter won’t write just like you would—the reason you’re hiring a pro, right?—but perhaps the ghostwriter will write your story better than you could.
• Ghostwriters don’t write for free.
• There are different kinds of writing and editing. Someone who excels at one may not excel at another.
• Authors who self-publish need not feel obligated to do everything themselves. You are probably not an expert in writing, page layout, graphic design, and marketing. Stick with your strengths and hire pros to do what you don’t do well.
• Proper editing is not a one-and-done process. Your manuscript will need at least one round of editing followed by a round of proofreading.
• Entering character information and plot points into ChatGPT or other AI program and getting a story in return is not writing.
• Adverbs and adjectives are not bad; overusing them is.

I could go on, but this has run long enough.

I do business as Hen House Publishing, and I offer freelance services in writing (ghostwriting), editing, and book design. I don’t offer cover design or marketing, because those are not forte.

If you have a story in mind but not the time, skill, or inclination to write it, then contact me at henhousepublishing@gmail.com to write it.

If you have drafted a manuscript that you want to publish, contact me to editing it at henhousepublishing@gmail.com.

If you have an edited manuscript ready to be formatted for publication, contact me for book design at henhousepublishing@gmail.com.

I took a break, as often happens, from the current work-in-progress (WIP) because I wrote my protagonist into a corner and needed to ponder how I’d get him out of that predicament without erasing and rewriting a substantial portion of the manuscript. I think I’ve figured that out. Strangely enough, it was the character’s father who provided me with that inspiration. So, once again, I’ve resumed plugging away at the keyboard to push the story along. I need to keep at it, because I’ve slated this book–Champion of the Twin Moons, Book 5 in the Twin Moons Saga—for release in June (or earlier if I can swing it). There’s a whole lot to do yet!

In the hopper …

Meanwhile, I’ve got more books simmering on the back burners of my mind and which I hope to produce yet this year:

• Triune Alliance Brides Series: The first book was Triple Burn. The sequel is Double Cut, which is available for pre-order now and will be released on March 15. The third book and fourth books will be (1) a bride for the third planet in the Triune Alliance and (2) a bride for the general superior introduced in Double Cut.
• Russian Love Series: After a long hiatus, I returned to this popular mafia romance series with a character who demanded his own story: Ciro. Ciro’s story, Russian Revival, was published on January 15. But wait, there’s more! The series isn’t finished. The next book will feature characters introduced in Russian Revival: Sergio and Susan.
• Twin Moons Saga: In 2022, I returned to this fantasy world of mighty fae and other supernatural creatures with Knight of the Twin Moons. In 2023, I’ll be back with a fifth book in the series: Champion of the Twin Moons. (This is the WIP referenced above.)

Will there be more books? Of course! I just don’t know what they are yet. Don’t despair if you prefer those one-off stories. I’ll produce more of them. Those stories keep my mind fresh.

On the freelance front …

With regard to business as usual, there’s the freelancing aspect of my livelihood that cannot be ignored. I have come up with a package deal for ghostwriting I call the Rapid Release Program. This package is based on the favorable algorithms Amazon uses for new releases. An author who releases a lot of books frequently benefits from those algorithms through enhanced placement, better promotion, and increased sales. Here’s how it works:

1. You sign a 6-month commitment for the production of one novella (approximately 20,000 words) per month.
2. You provide the background information needed to produce each book.
3. I do the heavy lifting (i.e., ghostwriting) and deliver a draft to you within 15 calendar days.
4. You review the draft and return your requests for specific changes within 7 calendar days.
5. I revise per your feedback, proofread, and deliver a high-resolution PDF file (for print) and an EPUB file (for e-book) for upload to Kindle Direct Publishing.

The price of the package is $1,500 per month.

Make sure you get a copy …

Finally, I’ll be attending several events throughout the year in the capacities of author, artist, and freelance writer/editor. To each of these events I bring a limited selection of my books. (Bringing copies of every title just isn’t feasible.) However, it’s come to my attention that some folks want to make sure I have copies of certain titles available. Therefore, I have created a pre-order form.

Use this pre-order form to let me know which event you’ll be attending and which title(s) you want me to reserve for you. I’ll make sure to keep copies of those books on hand for you. All pre-orders must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the event. If you want a copy of a book that is not listed on the pre-order form, purchase it from Amazon and bring it to the event where I’ll be happy to autograph it for you.