I used my blogging time slot to write a guest blog this morning. I’ll give you the link when it is posted. It’s on a subject I think many of you are interested in—what are the chances of and how do you manage to get your self-published book published traditionally? Stay tuned.
Yesterday I located a computer file I was unable to find. I want to share some tricks that might help you do the same in the future. I was desperately looking for my most recent version of the book I am currently revising for the publisher. I flat could not find it. I knew it was in my computer, but where—under what name? So I settled on a file from the original edition of the book and I was meticulously comparing it to the most current edition of the print book and making necessary changes. What a process!
I got to thinking about it and realized that I may have the file I wanted in an email as I had sent it to my page layout person as a Word document. Before I could check, I discussed my dilemma with him and he said, “I have your original document on my computer. I always save the original separate from the PDF file I create.” He found it, told me the file name and, of course, there it was in my computer. Lucky break!
Sometimes as I’m working on a client’s book, I will attach a copy of the document to an email to another address here in the house. That way, if my computer crashes and I lose everything (even though I do have a backup hard drive), I can retrieve the manuscript without having lost all of my edits.
Hey, how do you write “website,” “Website,” “Web site?” I’ve adopted “website.” But as I was conducting research for my revision, I checked the 16th (latest) edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (used by most authors) and see that they recommend “website.”
I hope that all of you who follow this blog or stop in periodically are looking forward to a super successful and fulfilling year as a freelance writer or author. What are your publishing plans for 2011? Finishing a book, landing a publisher, building your freelance career, selling 5,000 copies of your book??? Let me know. Also tell me what types of information and resources you need in order to reach your goals and I’ll see what I can do to bring it to you.
Make it a happy and successful New Year all year.