Jera’s Self-Publishing Blog
Welcome to our blog! We post articles to help the self-publishing and indie author. You will find articles on writing tips, book design, cover design, eBook, book marketing, and of course information on the business of self-publishing.
Be sure to check out our self-publishing packages and our video library.
Why is Creative Writing Held at Such a Low Standard?
A writer is a person tasked with a difficult job—to take words and make them beautiful. Writers paint vital images for their readers, images that stimulate the mind, images that satisfy, bewilder, and fascinate the human psyche. This art, the art of writing, is...
Introducing our intern, Caroline Franklin
A little girl sat at a desk that her father painted for her, complete with drawer handles carved into butterflies and located in such a way that it faced the prime species of pear trees for climbing, which lie just beyond the windowsill. A feeling of failure rushed...
Keyboard Shortcuts in Word
When you spend your days in Word like I do, shortcuts are lifesavers. Fortunately, Word has several that are quick and easy to learn and will save you a lot of time and effort.! If you want, print out a copy of this list until you have them memorized. Word also allows...
4 Reasons Your Book Isn’t Selling
You’ve been marketing your book like crazy all over social media to find that the only buyers are, well, people you know. And while that’s a good start, it’s not going to pay the bills. So, what are you doing wrong? Your Cover Is Crap The truth hurts, and a lot of the...
What to Expect When You’re Self-Publishing
You’ve written a book and have decided that self-publishing is the route for you, but are you ready? Publishing a book is a process—and an accomplishment!—so it’s important to know what you’re getting into, to plan in advance, and not to rush. Have Realistic Goals and...
3 Words You Need to Stop Capitalizing
One of the most common mistakes I come across in editing is capitalization when it isn’t necessary. It may seem impossible to know all the rules of capitalization without keeping a dictionary or the Chicago Manual of Style at your side, but here are three examples to...
3 Reasons You Should End a Sentence with a Preposition
The English language grows and changes every day, which means grammar rules must change with it. One such rule is ending a sentence with a preposition. Yes, you can do it! In fact, I’d say you should! First of all, what is a preposition? Prepositions show the...
How to Use Find and Replace in Word
Find and Replace is one of the most time-saving features Word has to offer. If you’re not using it, you should be! Keep reading to find out how. To begin, hold down CTRL+H on your keyboard. This should open the Find and Replace window. (Note that CTRL+F opens the Find...
Have You Heard about ’S?
If you’re like me, adding ’s to the end of a word that already ends in an s to make it possessive is almost a physically painful experience. It’s not what I was taught, and it just looks wrong! But the rules have changed over the years, so I must—begrudgingly—teach...
The Dangers of Plagiarism
The first time (that I know of) I was plagiarized was in college. Someone had copied and pasted at least three of my sentences on an online message board where we were to post weekly thoughts about our assigned material. Now, these weren’t commonly worded sentences,...