Safeguarding Your Livelihood

By Jana Oliver, @crazyauthorgirl

Part of the Indie Authors Series

If writing is your business, protect more than just your words. 

It seems this fall has been one of considerable personal challenges, not only for indie authors but just about everyone in the U.S. (and elsewhere). If you live in the Pacific Northwest or the Southwest, you’re fighting fires. If you’re in the Caribbean, Texas, Florida and Gulf States, you’ve got multiple hurricanes to contend with. In short, it’s been a nasty time for a lot of people.

Though my situation is nothing like those mentioned above—a self-imposed house sale and a move out of the country—there are similarities in the preparation required to keep my business on track. Because no matter how creative we are, it all comes down to keeping our work safe.

When Was the Last Time You Backed Up Your Writing?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This week's Refresher Friday is a reminder that as the year comes to an end, it's a good idea to backup and save all the work we did.

It's that time of year again, when many of us are carting our laptops around and writing in strange places--be it for NaNo Write Ins, or traveling to see family over the holidays, or sneaking out of the house while family is visiting to get some work done.

With all this mobilizing, the odds of a backpack slipping off a shoulder or chair and breaking something go way up. All it takes is one unexpected moment for damage to befall that computer we love so much. If that damage prevents us from retrieving thousands of words of our writing...oh, the horror.

The Single Biggest Mistake Self-Published Authors Make

By Marcy Kennedy, @MarcyKennedy
 
Part of the Indie Author Series

You might have come here thinking I was going to make a statement about hurting our platform by responding to negative reviews. Maybe you thought I was going to talk about not copyrighting our work or about giving things away for free.

I’m not talking about any of those things.

The single biggest mistake an indie author can make is failing to properly back-up their work.

Don’t laugh. Don’t brush it off. Please don’t stop reading.

Wait! Back Up: Protecting Your Writing Files

By Technical Tom 

The Fiction University Tech Guy

Well, it's that time of year again. With a fresh set of resolutions in hand, we make bold plans, set strong agendas and optimistically get ready for the new year.  If you are anything like us, that level of motivation will last about 10 days, maybe two weeks, then it's back to business as usual. So my goal today is to capitalize on the heady “I can do it” feeling that is coursing through our veins and help you make a solid positive step for your new year.  Something you can accomplish in less time that a Geico commercial promises to save you 15% on your car insurance.  This can save you a lot more though.  It can save your world.