The Book Shepherd

Five Red Flags for a “Self” or “Indie” Publisher and Author

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:56:47 +0000

How to Avoid the Love, Prey, Eat Author Syndrome

Lesson #1 for all authors-to-be … Don’t rush to publish. Lesson #2 for all authors-to-be … Don’t rush to publish. Lesson #3 for all authors-to-be … Don’t rush to publish.

Do your homework. Authors must watch out for the unscrupulous types who prey on unsuspecting authors in the making who are so eager to see their work out there that they get trapped by the publishing predators.

Fact: If you are not the publisher, meaning that it’s not your publishing company’s name as the imprint, you have not self-published. Self means “self”. “Indie” means independent.

Fact: If you have to purchase your own books from a “self-publishing” company, you have not self or indie published. Publishers purchase books from a printing company, whether it’s POD or offset.

Fact: If you receive a “royalty” from a “self-publishing” company, you have not self or indie published. If you self/indie published, revenues from book sales would flow to you, not a small percentage that is split from proceeds after distribution/publisher takes a share.

Fact: POD is a printing process—print on demand. It is not a method of publishing.

Here are some of the types of predatory behavior to watch out for when selecting a company to work with. Head for the hills in warp speed if you encounter these flags:

1. The Free/Cheap Door to “Publish”: OK, the hook is in, you’ve followed the link—that special, low price deal to “publish” your book is now in domino mode. “Deals” upon more deals a la packages are opening up to seduce you. Sounds good on paper …is it/are they? You need to know what’s behind the door.

Get your calculator out and really determine what all this is going to cost you, include the a la carte menu. Then, it’s time to talk to someone like me—actually, you should have done it in the first place.

2. Guarantees of Success and Promises: Any “publishing” company that guarantees it will make your book a bestseller is lying. There are no guarantees. Period.

3. Minimal Books Must Be Purchased: Commonly used with the “pay to publish” or “subsidy” crowd, it simple means that you have to buy “X” amount of books—wither all at once as part of the buy-in deal or over a period of time. Pay to Publish means that … you the author … pay the company to publish your book. Understand this … it is not really a publisher—the financial risk/commitment is basically zilch. What it is, is a “packager” for doing the cover, layout, setting up print options, possibly getting you on Amazon (which it controls the listing)—that’s the business. If any books find their way to a book store, moneys come to them on your behalf, eventually to you.

Many that require you to buy books will often print them via Lightning Source (LSI) and add a surcharge on top of it. They make more money. The reality is, is that you can go direct to LSI or Amazon’s CreateSpace—get help and do it direct.

4. Exclusivity: Don’t. Before going with any company to help you publish your book, make sure you know what your escape clause is. You need to know how, and when, you can walk away. Don’t sign anything that says that it has to “mutually be agreed upon.” When it’s time for a divorce, it’s time. Don’t sign away your rights, especially your electronic rights.

5. Determine Predator Status: Before committing to anything, BEFORE PAYING ONE DIME, go to Google, type the company or person’s name—after it, add “complaint”, “problem”, “scam”, “con”, “rip off”, “lawsuit” and see what others around the web are saying. You can usually tell if they have a good reputation or are out to suck you, your bank account and credit card dry.

Hmmm … you should make this #1.

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com), an author and book publishing expert and the Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of Author U (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 30 books. Her latest, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is just out. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Publishing Predator Author Solutions in Class Action Lawsuit

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:47:32 +0000

The favorite sound of every publishing predator is: Cha-king … Cha-king … Cha-king

Author Solutions tentacles are massive. AuthorHouse is its flagship brand. Then there is Xlibris and iUniverse and Trafford Publishing and Booktango and Palibrio and those expanding “strategic partnerships” with Balboa Press (Hay House) | Archway Publishing (Simon and Schuster) | WestBow Press (Thomas Nelson)| Abbott Press (Readers Digest) | Inspiring Voices (Guideposts) | LifeRich Publishing (Readers Digest) … stealthful relationships that most authors are clueless that they have engaged Author Solutions/House until the emails and calls start.

Cha-king … Cha-king … Cha-king is filtered through the DNA of those who work for the Author Solutions empire, now owned by the Penguin Group. I wonder if the money counters at Author Solutions, also AuthorHouse and a bunch of its other branded names, truly believe that the little people—the thousands of authors who have been misled, abused, assaulted and then had the soul of their author essence literally sucked away because the author just couldn’t take it anymore—wouldn’t start uniting … squawking … and finally take some action?

One whipped author confessed that they reason he finally “signed” with them because he just wanted to stop the phone calls. The AuthorHouse phone machine was bombarding him with calls throughout the day. Stop the noise … stop the hounding … I’ll do anything to make it stop.

Please go away … and still, they don’t. And they won’t. Now the art of up-sale starts … you need this publicity package … it’s only $14,999 … What? … AuthorHouse sells stuff for 15 grand? Yes indeed … and it has a truckload of other services to seduce your ego or your ignorance as long as your credit card has an open line.

On the same day, two calls came in from authors who kissed off over $10,000. One woman was seduced by the allure of publishing with Hay House; she was a naïve author who flocked to Balboa Press because she truly believed that Hay House oversaw all things Balboa Press and ended up be dragged through the predator coals by the Author Solution organization.

Another was given a gift by someone close to her for a package with WestBow, not understanding that it was AuthorHouse who they would be dealing with, not Thomas Nelson. The mega amounts of money that she spent after the massive pitches are too awful to disclose, not to mention that they convinced her to print many, many thousands of books—far more than a typical print run a traditional publisher does today for most of its authors.

Many think that what they are getting is the “norm” … that’s because they didn’t know better—after all, if you are new to authoring and publishing, you may not know what “nice” is; what “professional” is. And heck, getting your book into the publishing arena ranges via Author House can start at their Foundation package for only $749 to their Pinnacle package to $2,299. The lower price won’t register your copyright but the higher price one will.

Enough is enough. A class action lawsuit was filed this spring.

From the website of the law firm of Giskan Solotaroff Anderson & Stewart LLP:

On April 26, 2013, Giskan Solotaroff Anderson & Stewart LLP filed a lawsuit against Author Solutions. Authors using Author Solutions have complained of deceptive practices, including enticing authors to purchase promotional services that are not provided or are worthless and failing to pay royalties.

If you have had any hiccups, I suggest you check into the class action suit that is building steam. Here’s the website: http://lnkd.in/KHAf2V

The lawsuit is over 30 pages. One section alleges (don’t you love that word!):

Author Solutions misrepresents itself, luring authors in with claims that its books can compete with “traditional publishers,” offering “greater speed, higher royalties, and more control for its authors.” The company then profits from “fraudulent” practices, the complaint alleges, including “delaying publication, publishing manuscripts with errors to generate fees, and selling worthless services, or services that fail to accomplish what they promise.”

It goes on to allege that Author Solutions fails to pay its authors the royalties they are due. A sentence that I’ve painfully heard multiple times.

And if you want to read the formal complaint, here’s the link for that gem: http://www.gslawny.com/files/stamped_complaint.pdf

If you feel that you have been duped or conned in dealings with any of the Author Solutions companies, speak up. If you know of anyone who has, contact them. Most people, no matter who they are, don’t. Whether it’s “I don’t want to get involved” or “I don’t want to let anyone know that I screwed up” or something in between, this isn’t a time to go silent. Silence condones bad behavior and bad business.

It’s shocking to me that authors continue to sign up with this group when there is so much out there. Are you putting the name of a company or person, followed by “complaint”, “con”, “problems”, “scam”, “ripoff” and “lawsuit”. Author beware. Stay away.

Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms Wins 3 National Book Awards

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:00:42 +0000

It’s a wahoo here in Colorado when I received word that Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (Mile High Press) won not one, but three different books awards. Last month, it was honored with the “best” in the Writing/Publishing categories from the Indie Excellence Book Awards, the International Book Awards and received the bronze from the Independent Book Publishers IPPY Awards.

As an author and publishing expert, I’ve worked with hundreds of authors and spoken to thousands. There are so many mistakes, all too common that could have been anticipated if Platforms had been developed. Every Author, every Book, needs a Platform. It’s the stage, the very foundation of your book and authoring businesses. Author and Book Platforms don’t happen overnight. They take time, and there are steps—some small, some large and some in-between—that will transition the author to-be from just an idea to a book that stars him or her as the expert or an amazing story-teller.

Platforms start with a statement of fact: why the author wrote the book; why the author should be the author for it; why the author is committed to its theme/topic; and what value the author brings to the reader. It is done with Confidence, Clarity, Competence and Commitment.

Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (Mile High Press, 10 x 7, ISBN 978-1-885331-41-0, $45) is an extraordinary and inter-active guide and workbook. It’s available at books stores and online. When you purchase the book, contact me directly: I’ll send you a link to unlock over $2,000 in videos and gifts to enhance and ease the publishing journey.

Authors can scour the Internet for articles and try to piece together a plan from various bits of advice; they can hire consultants; they can buy 1,000s of do-it-yourself books, but if they want to end up with a fully executable, complete publishing and marketing plan, they need to follow this “step-by-step” guide and workbook to put it all into place. With my 30+ years of publishing experience woven around 22 activities, illustrated and four-color throughout, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is the guide and workbook designed for Authors at every level.

Authors (new and not new) will discover:

How to create a successful book plan
22 Activities that will captivate your author and book development
How to identify which publishing venue is right
How to use simple ways to get to the core of their book
How to carve out the time and space to craft their masterpiece
How to ID which Internet and social media features will work for their book
How to steer clear of the publishing predators
What they need to create a successful book launch
Multiple resources for funding their book projects
How to use a story-board approach to layout their book

The savvy author won’t start their first or next project without it! Get your copy now. Amazon has it discounted.

Judith Briles and Guy Kawasaki at the Author U Extravaganza

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com), an author and book publishing expert and the Founder of Author U (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 30 books. Her latest, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is just out. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Author Ways to Support Our Troops this Memorial Day

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 27 May 2013 15:32:01 +0000

It’s Memorial Day … most plan a day of yard work, picnics, BBQ and hanging out with family and friends. Take a moment and give thanks and honor the men and women who have died for our country. Over 1.1 million have given their lives since the American Revolution—a staggering number!

For me, my weekend started with flying our flag Friday am; spending mega hours with two authors (five each) getting them back on track, let’s face it—refocusing and recommitting is critical to author success; planting a few roses and cleaning the koi pond; seeing Star Trek into Darkness (Loved it … but couldn’t watch it in 3D … I’m now one of those who can’t handle it due to headaches and pukeyness … and thank you to AMC for letting us move to regular screening and refunding moneys.); finishing planting flower pots; getting my favorite peach ice tea … and today, the official Memorial, I sip to our soldiers and deep dive into finishing client Courtney Miller’s debut fiction novel, The First Raven Mocker.

Here are two articles that I would love to draw your attention to. The first is on how to share books & eBooks with soldiers overseas—Memorial Day should be every day—please keep that in mind: http://t.co/d89qOPgs76

And the second is from one of America’s most prolific authors, Stephen King via his interview in Parade magazine this week. He offers savvy writing and author advice including why he doesn’t watch “Mad Man”: http://ow.ly/lqMRL
Be with your friends and family and honor those who have made that possible.

Author YOU! Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is a Triple Book Award Winner!

The Book Shepherd — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:06:51 +0000

I was honored with several awards—triple wins—this month for:

Author YOU! Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is the Winner in the Writing & Publishing category of the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards.

Author YOU! Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is the Winner in the Writing & Publishing category of the 2013 International Book Awards.

Author YOU! Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms is the Bronze IPPY Winner in the Writing & Publishing category of the 2013 International Book Publishers Awards.

My amazing team consisted of: Nick Zelinger of NZ Grapics designed the cover and interior; Don Side created the whimsical illustrations; John Maling the editing and Georgann Hall the final cold-eye editing; and the first printing was done by Tom Campbell with King Printing—all Author U members. All shared my vision, I couldn’t have done it without them.

6 Twitter Tips for Happy Tweeting Trails

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:34:03 +0000

Reach Your Audience …
6 Quick Twitter Tips for You:

1. GET the Most Bang

Know when to Tweet and where the audiences are. According to RadiumOne, there are two peak times during the day to Tweet:

10AM to 12PM and 8PM through 10PM

That’s it, at least for now. If you want to see the most shares, with the highest click-through, you should be Tweeting from 12 noon to 2PM. Remember, Tweets are global, which means global times zones. These cover the basics and a broad span to optimize your visibility.

Of course, this content regulation changes based on where your audience is. Key point: Connect with your audience when they are online.

2. Mix It UP

Variety is the spice of life and so it goes with your Tweets. Yes you can self-promote, but your promos are at the bottom of the feeding chain. Don’t OD your followers. If you have a special event popping, do a “fair warning Tweet—let them know that your stream will be heavy for a few days, then get back to supply terrific info.

Mix it up with approximately 40-50 percent of other people’s Tweets (as in a RT-Retweeting) and links; and 40-50 percent keyword/industry related content to highlight and brand you as a key thought leader and expert. When you are linking to your own articles and blogs, those would be included within this percentage. Somewhere in-between the 80-100 percent, you will slip in the straight-out “promo” for yourself to showcase what you do and have.

3. Get Your Peeps Attention

Snappy, Sassy, Salty is what you should be thinking. Grabbers plain and simple and to the point. Peeps like numbers—Top 10 lists, or 5 lists or any lists like Tips, Snafus to Avoid, How to, etc. Give them a promise; ask a question; or a goose, meaning a call to action—sometimes a “go-go-go” does the trick.

4. Watch Your Words

Numbers, meaning characters, count. Twitter is a land of 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Do yourself a favor and limit to 120 or so. That allows for easy RTs of your entire message vs. forcing the RT to edit your message so resend to his or her crowd. Seems logical, yet most max out their Tweets. Help your followers out.

5. Don’t Limit Your RTs with the Wrong Handle Usage

One of the great secrets in Twitterland is the misuse of the “handle” of a fellow Twitterer. At this stage in the game, you should know that the “@” precedes your Twitter name. I’m either @MyBookShepherd or @AuthorU, depending on which line I’m Tweeting from.

If I Tweeted:
6 quick Twitter tips to reach your audience pronto

from the @MyBookShepherd and you thought you wanted to share it with your followers, you might say this:

@MyBookShepherd: 6 quick Twitter tips to reach your audience pronto

Nice … but wrong. If you want to start a Tweet with a “handle,” put a period in front of it, like this:

.@MyBookShepherd: 6 quick Twitter tips to reach your audience pronto

That’s because the Twitter elves see it as a reply and it just goes back to me. A better way would be to put it like this:

6 quick Twitter tips to reach your audience pronto @MyBookShepherd

and you get rid of the need for the period and save a character!

6. The Great Hashtag Debate

Do you or don’t you use the magic # sign in front of a few words in your Tweets. My answer is a quick “yes.” Limit it to two or three and find your Tweets landing in spots and on other Twitter streams. Most likely, you will gather new followers. Think of Hashtag land is an estate with various houses scattered throughout. If you are an Oprah fan, you will find that she uses #SuperSoulSunday; I’m a The Voice fan—at the bottom of the TV screen, scads of #TheVoice appear throughout the program of other fans Tweeting their likes; and if you watch many of the news programs, it’s common to see their running footers with hashtag commentaries and to hear the anchors asking you to send your comments into the show with a preferred hashtag.

For me, I Tweet often, using #book, #author, #amwriting, #getpublished, #authoru #marketing, #pr, #bookcoach, etc. Areas that I want to reach out to get my words and thoughts out to, as well as connect. The question isn’t whether you should or shouldn’t use them. The question is: when are you going to start?

Twitter and Tweeting is a powerful tool for your book marketing efforts. Use it frequenting within your Tweets to build your community of fans and followers. It’s worth it.

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd, an author and book publishing expert and the Founder of Author U, a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 30 books. Her latest, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, is just out. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book Publishing on RockStarRadioNetwork. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Authors, Judgment and Publishing Predators

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:19:49 +0000

What do you do when you’ve been “had” in the publishing game/maze?

Who’s the book-buster you call in?

Do you moan and groan that you’ve been screwed?

Do you spend countless hours in phone and email hell trying to get to someone who’s going to fix whatever needs fixing on your book?

Do you cave in, with book tail between your heart and soul and just slink away?

Do you make a variety of excuses as to why you are in the mess you are?

Do you ignore that you’ve been treated like a piece of yesterday’s trash?

Do you …

How about: let’s kick in “your better judgment” Do you … and get the heck out of dodge?

Stop working with the people and group that have zapped you. Just stop. Lick your wounds; you made a mistake that is costing you time, energy and money. I know, it’s the money thing that keeps people in the book and author abuse cycle.

If you don’t, it will suck the passion out of your book and you. Tell everyone you know who they are, what exactly has been the pits and engage with someone who knows what they are doing. And listen to them; dump your ego, not your vision.

There is too, too much information out there available with a few clicks to weed the publishing predators out. Google the names; add “scams”, “problems”, “cons”, “complaints” after their names—read every one of them. Predators & Editors should always be checked out. Ask, Ask, Ask. I had someone who called me last week who admitted after I asked him why he signed with Xlibris–he was sick of being hounded by all the phone calls and just wanted them to stop. He signed a contract, gave them money … because he wanted them to stop calling him!

Authors—the boiler room operations of Author House, Author Solutions, Xlibris, iUniverse, etc., have hundreds of people “hounding” naïve authors-to-be around the clock—it’s their “job”—they are author hounders, lurking in the shadows, ready to root into your creative juices, and yes, your personal vanity, to get your wallet and book.

And Amazon, with all its bucks, needs to kick up its quality control. The results are hit and miss on printing and layout quality for its CreateSpace program. CreateSpace is a pay to publish method, let’s call it what it is. The choice for cover presentation—gloss or gloss—is dismal. Lightning Source is leap years ahead of it. Certainly OK for a “galley” and ARC strategy or to “test” the grounds for a book … but to sell in physical quantity/quality—to compete what books that authors and publishers of any size are putting thought and money into—not so hot. If you don’t care what the physical presentation of your book is, then it doesn’t.

When I look at the finished results of the vanity, pay-to-publish, subsidy crowd, and hear the author tell me in writing or in person that they are OK/happy with the results … just what are the results being comparing to? If he or she doesn’t know better … well … is that really OK? Your choice, you choose … and look in the mirror when you do. I would choose to get out of dodge and start over. Yes, you are out some money and time. And yes, you will get your book and author life back. The book-buster is in the mirror. Your choice, you choose.

Nonsense … or Creativity Starter?

The Book Shepherd — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:50:14 +0000

That, Dear Watson (or Author), Is the Question!

When is nonsense “nonsense” for an author and when is it the perfect kick start to get you out of a writing rut, book marketing rut or just see something from a different perspective?

Recently, I posted a video on several of my social media sites that contained a video of 10,000 iPhones doing the domino dance. First thoughts when I viewed it: Who has time to do this? Who even thought it up? When and where in the heck did they gather up 10,000 iPhones (Apple headquarters)? How much time did this take? How many misfires were there? Etc.

After viewing, it left me with a smile and an “OK, it’s a long day ahead, I need to do some final re-writes on the For the Love of Paprika cookbook that I’m working on for/with a client; I’ve got two sets of handouts to create for speeches in the next two weeks; I’ve got …. You know it–you’ve been there. Nonsense may just be the answer face it—a fun way to start it ….” and who knows what creative things are going to pop. And let’s face it; we all need a mental break during our days … even when in the depths of a project.

Here’s the video: http://ow.ly/kbmak

Take less than two minutes to watch and then ask yourself, “What goofy, nonsense thing has opened up paths for me?” Hey, it sparked the idea to write this short blog … an idea that I didn’t have when I opened my laptop at 5 am. Now, back to the other work …

Inside The Covers – Front Matters

The Book Shepherd — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:30:09 +0000

Author Smarts … How to Sell to Libraries

The Book Shepherd — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:09:48 +0000

This week celebrates National Library Week. For authors, libraries can be your best friend. With over 100,000 throughout the country, their budgets still purchase approximately $2,000,000,000 in books each year—two billion dollars! That’s what the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group report.

So … the question is … are you getting your share?

Befriend your local library and librarian. Let them know about your book.
Offer to do a program—especially if you are a children’s author. Many libraries have author programs and are enthusiastic in working and featuring authors—stick your neck out. And if you get invited, make sure you encourage others to come. Bodies count!
Ask for testimonials and endorsements.
Make sure you share reviews and any media clippings with your librarian … the one you befriended!
Donate a book to the library—it just may be the thing that generates a purchase order.
Encourage your followers to contact their libraries to request your book and tell them tell their friends to check it out as well as them.
Librarians pay attention to reviews. The Library Journal is a key one—usually requires a four month lead before official publication date.
The read the Library Journal thoroughly—depending on your marketing budget, you might want to consider an ad in one.
Libraries buy from distributors—key ones are Quality Books, Unique Books and Baker & Taylor. Make sure you have representation with at least one of them.
Make sure you have a media release/flyer about your book (include a cover picture on it. Include the price of the book and your ISBN as well as who distributes your book. Send it directly to libraries or participate in a coop mailing, such as the one that IBPA does to both academic and public libraries each year.
Get online and/or make phone calls and determine who the Collection Development Librarian is (make sure you spell the name correctly. Send them your flyer.
Consider making a collage of reviews that you received and creating a flyer as an attached to anything that you send out.
If you have the opportunity to attend of exhibit at a Library trade show, do it. There may be a signing you participate in (that means you give books away (make sure there is a flyer in each for additional ordering information).
If your book has won any awards, make sure you include them within your flyer. If the honor comes to you and your book after your initial contact, it becomes an excellent opportunity to follow up.
Don’t forget to let your librarian know that you have an ebook or an audio book.
When libraries order a book, they pay for it promptly. It good thing for the author.

Yes, celebrate your library … it, they, do lots for you and your book … not to mention the community.

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com), an author and book publishing expert and the Founder of Author U (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 30 books including her latest, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.