The Editor’s Fedora (Part 1 of 2)

Guest post
by David Antrobus
[This is part 1 of a 2 part post. See part two here.]

As an independent writer myself, and a passionate believer in the indie ethic, I also have to acknowledge one of its major downsides: a real or perceived shoddiness in the final product of self-published authors. Which is where I now switch hats and replace the bohemian beret of the writer with a more conservative form of headgear: the editor’s fedora, if you like. And no, I don’t actually wear hats; it’s a metaphor. Keep up.

But look. When it comes to editing, I have noticed a surprising amount of cluelessness out there in indie land. So, in the interests of demystifying it somewhat, I came up with this post. Let’s state some obvious stuff first. Continue reading “The Editor’s Fedora (Part 1 of 2)”

Mistakes Were Made: Confessions of an Indie Writer

I ran a promotion during the last week of November, and it blew my mind how much help I received from readers, supporters, and of course, my author friends. I felt as though I’d decided to move house, and didn’t tell anybody, yet all kinds of friends showed up to help me anyway. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had that kind of help right from the beginning of my career as a self-published author. There are things I’ve done solo too, though, and there are mistakes I’ve made along the way. Some of them have been significant, and in the interest of continuing to pay it forward, here are my confessions. I mean, here are some mistakes I’ve made. Continue reading “Mistakes Were Made: Confessions of an Indie Writer”

How to Make a Folder (Label) in Gmail

Making a folder for People, Places, or Things in Gmail

Ack! So many emails! How do I keep track of who is sending me what? I create a folder, that’s how! Creating a folder and moving your emails to it is very easy. There are two different ways you can do this.

In Gmail, just to be different, folders are called “Labels” – perhaps because you put labels on a folder? I dunno. Let’s just run with that, thought.

If you, let’s say, want to make a “filing cabinet” for a certain subject, you need to do that first. So, let’s make a label called “writing.”

Let’s start with the more direct way of creating a “Label” (herein known as folder).

Scroll over to the left sidebar and mouse over it. That will extend the screen a bit and will reveal the word “More” (see pink arrow).

Click on “More.” That will bring up a new screen (below). Continue reading “How to Make a Folder (Label) in Gmail”

Show Up

Over our gruel bowls in the Death Star’s break room (Kat threw some pumpkin spice flavoring into the pot for the holidays, thanks for asking, but oddly enough, it still takes like chicken), several IU minions recommended taking advantage of opportunities to promote ourselves and our work—and doing so in a nice, professional way, of course. Because you never know where these chances may lead. Recently I took advantage of one of those opportunities, but it almost took advantage of me. Let me back up a little and I’ll explain. Continue reading “Show Up”