New Page for Introduce Yourself Author Feature + How Guest Posting Can Help You Win

As we approach the end of the year, I am doing what I always do at this time. Revisit my pages, update them, move some things around and maybe change my theme. In doing so, I’ve compiled all the Introduce Yourself Interviews and stored them away on their own page. You can now easily access the author’s interview using the Introduce Yourself Author Interview page. If you are one of the featured authors, you can also easily access your feature if you need to copy and paste your link or share it.

As a reminder, I am still looking for authors interested in being interviewed by me on this page. When I took that extensive break the feature slowed down but I am now ready to start scheduling again. AND if I missed you, please resend your information to my email HERE.

Interviews are published every Monday (being it’s already Sunday afternoon here whether we have one tomorrow will depend on how early I get some questions in).

Here are some benefits of being featured on someone’s blog:

Whether you are guest blogging or being interviewed, promoted or featured, as a guest your work is introduced to a NEW audience. This gives people who have never heard of you or your books an opportunity to learn more about you, follow your blog and check out your social media pages.

I’ve heard it said that guest posting is FIVE TIMES GREATER than posting to your own blog. Now, I am not sure how accurate that is but I do know from experience that guest posting gives you the opportunity to connect with a new group of people and to share your expertise or skill. If you wrote a book, I believe you are an expert on the subject matter that you are writing or have written about. In fact, I believe we are all experts in some way. Everyone is a genius when we focus on our own individual gifts. We have all been given something special that others can learn from.

You could have been blogging for five years and promote your books the whole time only to find out, after posting to someone else blog, that few people knew you existed. That’s the power of networking. Being featured on someone’s blog is stepping outside the box. If you’ve been blogging longer than one year, chances are you are already comfortable with your own blog. If you want to continue this growth, step outside your comfort zone and introduce your books to a new audience. Why not start here? Whenever I publish an Introduce Yourself Feature, it always becomes the most viewed page on my site for that week and a few authors have even informed me that they have sold a book or two.

VISIT THE ORIGINAL POST HERE TO GET STARTED

and Remember, this feature is FREE.

Not interested in an interview but have books to promote? Just shoot me an email with your covers, links, bio, and release date. I’ll be happy to help you to spread the word!

Note: If you have any trouble with the email link or emailing me in general, use the contact page.

Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One), her latest novel available now on Amazon.com. Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at  yecheilyahysrayl.com.

Blogger Tip 02 – How to Reduce the Number of Images Required in Your WordPress Media and SAVE STORAGE SPACE…

Part 2 – How to Reduce the Number of Images Required in Your WordPress Media and SAVE STORAGE SPACE from Chris.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

WP TIP 1

If you use more than one image in your posts, then use WordPress Publicize to automatically upload your post to Twitter, Facebook, etc, or, manually upload them, the image last inserted into your post, is the one that will be displayed on your media.

To avoid the wrong image being displayed, either:

Insert it LAST

OR

Select it as your ‘Featured Image’

Authors especially would probably prefer their Book Cover being displayed, rather than some other, random, image.

WP TIP 2

If you opt for using a Featured image, or, have the same image appear more than once in your post (as I’ve done on this post):

You DO NOT NEED to upload the same image for each separate appearance!

Select the same image to be inserted wherever you want it to be shown in the post.

This will save taking up unnecessary space in your media…

View original post 45 more words

Blogger Tip 01 – How to Resize Images inside your WordPress Media and SAVE STORAGE SPACE..

Very good post from Chris on resizing your images to save storage space in WordPress so you don’t have to upgrade. No use spending money we don’t have to spend. I’ll be doing this tonight. #Winning

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Have you been using images that are VERY LARGE, and/or, PNG Format?

Have you been reblogging and noticed how LARGE, some folks make their images?

Result

Running out of space in your WordPress Media Storage and thinking about paying for more?

Unless you are displaying your own images / photos, and WANT to have them full size

Before you spend any money, go through your Media Storage images and reduce their sizes

You might be shocked at how much longer you can work with the storage space you save.

Step 1:

Select an image and click on it to see it’s size (width x height in pixels)

and

how much it ‘weighs’ (i.e., how many KB or MB it is):

Step 2

My example has already been adjusted, but you can see it’s size and weight

To reduce them, click on the Edit Image button shown under the image:

Step…

View original post 127 more words

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Crossroads: Women Coming of Age in Today’s Uganda Edited by Christopher Conte

Title: Crossroads: Women Coming of Age in Today’s Uganda

Editor: Christopher Conte

Print Length: 180 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1507680228

Publication Date: August 30, 2015

ASIN: B014QBPALM

Crossroads is a fascinating anthology comprising autobiographical essays by several Ugandan women. I loved the opportunity to learn more about the Ugandan culture, the upbringing of African women, and how it is different (and in many ways similar) to the upbringing of Black women here in America. Rarely do we hear of what these women endure so it was refreshing to read about it. All of the stories have a common coming-of-age theme where the women discuss their experiences coming into womanhood among the customs and traditions of their country. We learn about their childhoods, sex, marriage, career, and livelihood.

All of the stories were compelling, but a few really stuck out for me more than the others. I enjoyed the opening story, for instance, about the meaning of names and the cashier mistreating the woman because of her name. I can relate to having a unique name myself and I am often asked the same questions that Nakisanze Segawa was asked.

Two stories had the biggest impact on me above all the others. The young women taken from their University without a word, abused and forcibly imprisoned was heartbreaking. I also found the customs surrounding the Ssengas both fascinating and odd.

By custom Ssenga’s are paternal aunts who assume special responsibilities and help to guide the women, their “nieces” in the ways of society. They teach the women how to behave, submit to a man, how to display class and grace, they monitor their manners and their ways around the house.

Ssengas teach young women about their bodies, hygiene, and sex, preparing them to be good wives. I love the concept of having someone there to mentor young women and to ensure they grow to be respectable wives and mothers. The fact that the Ssengas take over this role and not the mother is interesting to me. I found myself wondering if it would help for young women in the States, especially young Black women without mothers, to have this kind of guidance and support instead of having to figure things out on their own or in the street.

I enjoyed least the extent to which the teachings of the Ssengas went. It’s one thing to teach young women about their bodies and how to be wives, but the extent to which these women are obligated to serve their husbands is, in my opinion, oppressive. Some of the behaviors were utterly offensive and unwarranted. I support the idea of submitting. I think that men are the spiritually appointed head of the home and that wives should submit to their husbands as the Bible commands.

However, I dislike how submission is abused, manipulated, and twisted to support abusive behavior. Not only do women in America have an inaccurate concept of submission but so do women in other countries. Submission is not slavery; a man’s authority over his wife does not exempt him from certain duties and responsibilities or allow him to be abusive. Men are to love their wives as their own bodies, and a wife supports and respects her husband.

If done properly, submission and authority can work well but if not done correctly, can easily become oppressive for both parties.

Some great qualities are promoted in Uganda that many women across the globe can benefit from, but there are some things that we may find strange if we didn’t grow up that way.

This book sparks great conversation about the lives of women and is relevant considering the social and political climate of our time.

In what way does earning degrees and having an education balance with being good wives? Do the women defy tradition or follow it?

Movement / Strength: 5/5

Entertainment Factor: 5 /5

Authenticity / Believable: 5/5

Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Crossroads: Women Coming of Age in Today’s Uganda is available now on Amazon

About the Editor

Christopher Conte is an American journalist who spent fifteen years as a reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal before beginning a freelance career. He has traveled extensively throughout Africa, eastern Europe, and Asia, as a consultant for the World Bank’s International Finance Group. Conte has also worked as a trainer and mentor to journalists in Uganda, and other locations throughout Africa and Asia.

Self-Publishing: Don’t Forget to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page

UPDATED: The layout has changed since this post was last published in 2017. I am republishing this with instructions on using the new platform, which I have found more straightforward than the previous layout.

I read a ton of books written by Indie Authors. If I like a book, I am going to click on their name on Amazon.

What happens when I click on this name are two things:

  • It will take me to the author’s page with a listing of all their books to date, along with their bio, videos and photos, blog updates, and website link. (Update: Amazon Author Central no longer includes the blog posts.)

Or..

  • It will take me to a page on Amazon with a listing of that author’s book, along with a lot of other authors.

Authors, don’t forget to set up your Amazon Author Central Page. In this post, I show you how.

What is an Author Central Page?

Author Central is your author page on Amazon. If this is set up, readers can click on your name under your book as seen below…

Screenshot (15)

And be taken to a page that looks like this….

Page

Update: The page looks different now, but it still lists your books and other info as shown.

There’s an author photo, bio, display of all the books you have on Amazon next to your photo, and at the bottom. You can also add your blog feed to your page and videos.

Update: You can no longer add your blog feed.

Getting Started

First, go to https://authorcentral.amazon.com/ and sign in.

The layout of the page has changed. You used to see this page…

Now it looks like this…

And it is a lot easier to set up this way.

On this page, go to Edit Profile

It will take you to a page that looks like this.

Upload your photo here…

Add a bio here and media like photos and video

Now add your books…

Scroll back up and click on Books

It will take you to a page that looks like this. If you have books already added you should see them here.

If you have no books added, simply click on the Add a Book Button

And then search your book on Amazon by your Name, Title, or ISBN

  

Now go back to profile and click here to see your page on Amazon.

It should take you back to this page

Now test it. Go back to your page and click on your name.

Screenshot (15)

If set up correctly, it should take you back to the page you just left.

Another thing that makes this cool is that your bio will also show up on the book page where readers have bought it. And once again, it is the opportunity for readers to follow you! It looks like this.

I hope this has helped someone!

Check out more Indie Author Basics Here.

The Butterfly is Supposed to Struggle

2017-11-19 13.46.01

Maya Angelou said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” No one likes to struggle because the pain, of any kind, does not feel good. In fact, many of us probably spend our entire lives seeking to struggle less. To reduce the chances of pain and heartache in our lives, of embarrassment and of shame.

The only problem with this is that the butterfly is supposed to struggle. It is how it achieves its beauty in the first place. The butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the cocoon pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without this struggle, the butterfly will never, ever fly.

To my beautiful butterflies out there, don’t try to circumvent the struggle, don’t bypass the pain or override the alarm. Let what needs to happen, happen and listen to what it has to teach you because the struggle is necessary for the growth. The struggle is good if you want to fly.

bitmoji478888671

On “Keeping it Real”

Time for some real talk before the week ends.

I am sitting here getting some work done before the sun sets and a thought came to me. It’s a thought I’ve thought on many times before and that I voice with my husband many times over, though I’ve never said much of it publicly. The thought is in keeping it real. I don’t like the term and frankly, the fact it has become a catchphrase annoys me. I understand what is meant by it. I know how important it is to be real and to “tell it how it is.” I understand no one should ever water themselves down and more, no one should ever sacrifice their integrity for the sake of being “Liked.” That’s not the part that annoys me. What annoys me is when we use this term to assume things about people that are not true, we perceive wrongly and our discernment is off. Why is this? Because “Real” is different for each individual but we act as if it means the same for everyone.

Just because I limit my profanity, read the Bible, encourage people and don’t say the first thing that comes to my mind doesn’t make me fake, for instance. This is who I am and these are things I do even when no one is looking. I am not perfect just a little boring. I like to read all day, spend time with my family, write, laugh and drink wine. That’s literally it as anyone who knows me and has been around me more than 5 minutes could testify to. No one is worth me getting out of character for so I don’t try to “fit in” by being unfiltered. That would be fake of me.

Another example is on telling the truth. I do understand the realness that deals with being open and frank about things. I encourage it because it’s needed. For example, women, don’t get with a man just because the sex is good.

That’s a form of keeping it real or telling it like it is because you are telling the truth. But, this doesn’t always mean the person is being real either. I’ve spent years around people who were direct, forthcoming, and to the point but were still phony. Not because I think they should tell all their business or because the things they said weren’t true but because they were not being a real reflection of who they truly are.

YYUXJsQ

My point is what’s real for you isn’t necessarily real for someone else. You may be funny, loud, quiet, outspoken, reserved, or direct. My blog has a serious feel to it because that’s my persona. I’m a serious person. I expect your blog to reflect your persona. If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re truthful like in our example, if you tell people how it is, no filter, be that. The point is, people don’t have to act like you or do what you do to be authentic. They may post a lot or post a little but that doesn’t mean they are trying to get something out of you. They may tweet a lot or post on Facebook or IG a lot, that doesn’t mean they are seeking attention. Maybe they are just “doing them.” Maybe they actually enjoy blogging. Maybe they enjoy posting. Perhaps it’s fun to them. Maybe the standards and limitations you apply to your own space don’t apply to them. Maybe, just maybe, this is who they are. Remember this the next time you judge.

 

Enjoy your weekend people.

bitmoji1051355227
How did I change clothes so quickly? Tee hee.