Op-Ed: Choosing between printing hardbound vs e-books

Op-Ed: Choosing between printing a hardbound vs an e-book for your self-help books.

When it comes to printing and publishing a “how to” or self-help book, the choice of whether to go with hardbound or E-book is a no-brainer. Why? Because, information changes, particularly with self-help books. For example, if you’re giving your readers a list of telephone numbers and contact information, that information can be outdated at any time and you may need to change it to keep the information current. Or, new methods of dealing with a problem may arise or old methods may no longer be viable. If your book is in hardbound form, it is very difficult to upgrade or update the information without spending a great deal of money.

Let’s say that you’re writing a self-help book on how to do your personal income taxes. Every year, the tax code changes, minimums and maximums allowed for different categories are changed, and certain deductible categories may disappear entirely. Instead of having to go through the expense of correcting and reprinting your hardbound book, you may want to choose an e-book format so you can simply rewrite the updated information and upload your new version.

With e-books, you can correct website links, update statistics, or include new information without incurring a huge cost. You can expand certain chapters, add chapters or delete chapters, depending on what you’ve learned in the last year.

I’ve published both paperback and e-books, and if you’re working in nonfiction writing, it may be a better choice to publish your work as an ebook. You will have more flexibility and less cost if you choose this format for self-help books.

Why do people taking your photograph ask you to “Say Cheese”?

It is interesting to think about how the idea of encouraging people to smile for a photograph came about. Why, do you think, that in most of the earliest black and white photos, people looked serious, as if they’d just come from a funeral?

I have given it much thought and have come up with two ideas that may have merit: In the past, life was very tough, some people having to do lots of manual labor with not much money to go around. So, they looked serious because they were serious (about trying to survive, if nothing else).

Another thought that occurs to me, is that many people weren’t able to afford dentistry, so their teeth were not that good looking, and so they felt compelled to keep their mouths closed to hide blackened, rotting or missing teeth.

What do you think?

Stop looking for “THE ONE” for pity’s sake!

It seems that from infancy (women in particular) are taught that they are only half a person, that another person is needed to “complete” them, that they will be 100% only when another person is in their lives. Is it no wonder then, that many women get engaged and married young, barely out of high school, in order to fill up the emptiness inside?

This kind of pressure on a partner, to be the “other half”, is one of the reasons that many marriages breakup, the pressure to be someone’s “everything” becomes too much, and the partner feels drowned in the needs of the spouse.

Don’t believe for a second that there is only one (otherwise known as THE ONE) person who will love you. That doesn’t even make sense, in a world of over 7 billion people, the chances that there is more than one person capable of loving you is very likely!

Allow a relationship to grow through each of you becoming as whole as possible before you find a partner, then that relationship has a better chance of being a lasting partnership than if you depend on your spouse to fill up your emptiness.

(I’ve been married more than once and the last one is working out because I finally fixed the “holes’ in myself before getting married again.)

Some people just won’t take “NO” for an answer!

Some people just won’t take “No” for an answer!!

I just had the strangest thing happen to me. I was leaving a professional building dressed in business attire, walking along with a smile on my face and basically minding my own business. A young man (probably between 25- 30) complimented me, saying “you look very nice in that black suit this morning”. Hold on, that’s not the weird part.

I replied “thank you” and smiled, but continued to walk on.

“Are you looking for a boyfriend?” he asked.

“Oh, no, I’m married.”

“A black boyfriend?” he persisted.

“No. I’m happily married, but thank you for asking!”

I was surprised at his persistence; he was obviously much younger than I am, is good-looking and seems in good health. I’m beginning to wonder at this point why on earth he would want to pick up on me? I’m dressed fairly conservatively, and obviously haven’t skipped any meals lately, could he be looking for a sugar mama?

He had on a Lakers T-shirt, so in an effort to distract him from his current line of questioning, I asked him what he thought about the Lakers rejecting Phil Jackson as their new head coach, instead, choosing Mike D’Antoni.

He started explaining what he thought had happened, and why their new choice was a good match for the current Lakers lineup, which seemed to derail his attempt to pick up on me. I was floored when he claimed “I’m not racist, but all white people go for the money. That’s why they didn’t choose Phil Jackson, he wanted too much money”.

Wow, I wonder what he’d have thought if I came out with a comment like “I’m not racist, but all black people (fill in the blank here)”!!! I mean, the very definition of racism is making a sweeping generalization about an entire group of people, and that’s exactly what he did. He didn’t even seem to realize it.

I thanked him for his take on the Lakers, and started moving off down the sidewalk.

He flipped open his cell phone and said “just let me get your cell number”.

I shook my head, smiled and kept on walking. Some people just won’t take “No” for an answer!!

New Balance Shoes in Pasadena CA

I’ve been struggling with plantar fasciitis in my right foot for over a year and I’ve seen a podiatrist, chiropractor, masseuse and Reiki therapist, but to little avail. I did all the recommended therapy, including stretching my calves, wearing a “soft boot” to stretch my foot, cold packs and massage, but was still in a lot of pain.

Then last weekend my husband suggested we try New Balance Shoes on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. We were lucky enough to have Cesar as our sales associate, and he carefully measured both my feet, finding that one foot is slightly larger than the other. He also did a diagnostic test to see where the pain and hotspots occur, and found my right foot was over pronating (turning in) causing my entire leg to be out of balance.

After assessing  my condition, he suggested several pairs of walking shoes, and when I tried one pair on, I felt an immediate relief of the pain in my right leg and foot. The shoes have done much to correct the position of my feet while walking, and the absence of excruciating pain is both a relief and a blessing.

Cesar’s attentive, knowledgeable care in helping me choose the correct pair of shoes has resulted in much less daily pain when I walk and stand. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to you if you’re in the market for new shoes!

Politics mean poison….

I’m so sick of politics as it stands right now!!! I say let’s fire the lot of them, from all three branches of government, and start over. Politicians would have to use only their own money to run, no one would be allowed to “sponsor/buy” politicians, whether it be the Congress, Judicial system, etc. They could only run one term, no re-elections, so they’d keep their minds on the job, and all political parties should be equally represented. Time to dust off the brains of Americans and develop into a truly open minded, equal and representative government. (OK, now I’m hiding behind something large, waiting for the stones to start raining down on my revolutionary head.)

Op-Ed: Why graduations have become meaningless….

I guess there’s a lot I still don’t understand about the world.

Take graduation celebrations, for example. I think they’ve become undervalued through overuse, especially since parents start celebrating their child’s “accomplishments” practically from the moment of their birth. I mean, you’re celebrating their graduation from preschool? Really? What’s the big accomplishment here? That your kid now wears rubber panties instead of diapers and knows their basic colors?

Then there are the graduations from grade school through junior high. What’s so special about knowing sixth-grade math, English and history? This is the most basic of information and doesn’t really require a huge celebration when attendance is required in the first place. Then, parents want to make a big deal over graduation from junior high. Are we celebrating the fact that the kid has attended eight years of state mandated education?

And, this is not to mention the Mexican tradition of celebrating a girl’s 15th birthday, called a quinceañera, which can typically cost from $5,000 -$20,000 total! If this is what the kid gets just for reaching the ripe old age of 15, you can just imagine that their expectations for high school graduation will be sky high.

No wonder parents are going broke when their kids graduate from high school. How can you possibly top 11 previous years of gifts and celebrations? Between having to order up a limo to cart the kids from graduation to prom, prom dresses or tuxedos, graduation pictures, the graduation ceremony and prom, a parent may have to fork out anywhere from $3,000-$5,000 dollars. I ask you, where does it end?

If you plan to send the child on to college, prepare to go into deep debt. And I ask you, what an earth are you going to do for them when they finally graduate from college? Buy them a house?

I think that it’s harder and harder for a child to feel a real sense of fulfillment, when you reward them for common, everyday accomplishments. But then again, if you really need to buy your child’s affection, no price tag is too high.

Op-Ed: Drive Your Own Car Dammit!

Okay, it really makes me crazy when other people try to drive my car while I’m still driving it. I don’t mean lending my car to another driver, I mean, when other drivers (usually male) try to direct my driving while they are driving their own car!

Isn’t it enough that men have these huge trucks and cars so they can lord it over the rest of us? Why can’t they stick to bossing around their own girlfriend/wife/significant other? (And, I have no doubt that exactly how they treat them, like errant children or indentured servants.) And don’t get on your high horse thinking I’m sexist.

I’ve been driving for over 20 years, have a clean driving record, and haven’t had a ticket in 10 years. In all the time that I’ve been driving, I’ve never experienced a woman directing other drivers how to drive from inside her own car. But, I’ve often seen men waving at me to pass through an intersection, or trying to point me in the direction that they wish I would drive. As if I’m going to obey them like some dumb little kid!

It just drives me nuts. After all, if I’m in an accident and someone plows into me because I crossed an intersection before I knew it was safe, I would be responsible. My insurance company would hold me liable for the accident, not the guy who was waving me on through the intersection. Just imagine trying to explain to your insurance company that you made a left turn, or crossed an intersection because some stranger was imperiously waving you through. They’d laugh you right out of their office, not to mention cancel your insurance policy.

So be advised, Mr. Frustrated Traffic Cop, if you are trying to direct traffic from inside your car and some lady is pointedly ignoring you, go ahead and take your own darn turn. Drive your own car, because I’m not about to let you drive mine while I’m responsible to make my own decisions.

Buffalo Wild Wings Disappoints- BigTime!

Here’s my latest restaurant review, it’s my very first negative one!http://www.examiner.com/review/buffalo-wild-wings-restaurant-pasadena-disappoints

Why I’m against animal testing for smoking…..

We don’t need more animal testing to see if cigarette smoking causes cancer! People have submitted themselves to this type of testing for years;  they are the smokers who won’t quit smoking even after having induced cancer in themselves.

There is no ethical reason to continue animal testing, these animals are not volunteering for this type of inhumane treatment, and humans have the right to smoke or to quit smoking as a choice.

If tobacco companies really must continue “testing” this poison, just offer free cigarettes to people, and you’ll have all the willing test subjects you need.

After all, are you really interested in whether rats that smoke will get cancer?

These tests are redundant, as it’s a well documented fact that cigarettes cause lung, mouth and throat cancer, and many other smoking related illnesses.

Let people choose their own poison, but leave helpless animals out of the equation!