America's Legacy (Part 1)

     People are often complaining about the state of affairs. They complain about the economy. They complain about healthcare. They complain about Social Security, government spending, crooked politicians, and escalating crime. These are just a few of the complaints. The problem is that they are pointing the finger in the wrong direction. Instead of pointing the finger at politicians and government leaders, they should be pointing the finger at themselves. That’s right. The reason the things are the way they are is because of us, the American people and the Church.
     Both the American people and the Church are responsible for the state of affairs. In 1963 the Supreme Court declared that prayer in school was unconstitutional (which is a lie). The American people did not protest. The church did not protest. Had they done so, there would be prayer in school today. Our country is based on the principle: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” This means that the people say what laws are passed and what those laws mean. If there is any question about it, then they have Congress to pass laws that address or remove any ambiguity. When prayer was banned from public schools in 1963, our nation took a turning point.
     Abraham Lincoln is believed to have said: “The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” When prayer and the Bible were banned from public schools, this nation began raising a generation of people who did not know God. These people grew up to become leaders in government and finance. Disaster is inevitable when these godless people made godless decisions based on godless principles.
     Look at our streets. They are filled with children and youth wondering around aimlessly, like sheep without a shepherd. Look in our prisons. They are overcrowded, filled with young men and women, primarily of minority descent, who never stood a chance because they were raised primarily by godless parents who left them to their own devises and the mercies of the streets. Many, if not most, of our young women are pregnant or single parents with no fathers in the picture.
     None of this is what God intended for us. He wanted us to be positive influences on our children and the children around us. Parents, along with teachers, are the greatest influences a child can have. It is no cliché that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. It is an opportunity to shape a life, an opportunity many parents throw away. Children are a blessing from God, but they are also a responsibility, as well. Unfortunately, too many parents delegate the responsibility of rearing, shaping, and influencing their children to the teacher, the preacher, and the television. Because we have not sown into the lives of our children, we are reaping a lost generation—a generation of godless people who will make more godless decisions based on godless standards.

Self-Publishing 101

If you've ever thought about writing a book, I advise you to do it. It can be rewarding in more ways than one. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, it can be exciting putting your words and thoughts on paper, bring a character alive or fleshing out a topic of interest to you. The daunting task can be in getting the book published. What do you do? Who do you talk to? If you go the tradition route, you will be better off hiring a literary agent who can help you navigate the publishing minefield. This can take time and be as much work as writing the book was. Another way that is becoming more popular is self-publishing. A number of authors have self-published. John Grisham, for instance, self-published his first novel, A Time to Kill.  James Redfield also self-published his novel, The Celestine Prophecy. There are other authors, such as Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe.

As with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to self-publishing. But I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Below, you will find information I have found in my self-publishing journey. Let my experience save you some time and trouble.

Advantages to self-publishing

If you have written a manuscript or are writing a manuscript and you are looking to have it published, you might want to consider self-publishing. There are several advantages to self-publishing. They include:

• 100% creative control

• Higher royalties

• Control over cover design and book layout

• Shorter time from manuscript to publication

• Most self-publishing firms have large distribution channels, such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, bookstore and ebook distribution

• Some firms allow your books to be tracked by traditional publishers such as Doubleday, Zondervan, and Harlequin.

• Author signs a non-exclusive license. This means that you can publish the same manuscript through several self-publishing firms or with a traditional publisher without violating any agreement with the self-publishing firm.

Disadvantages to self-publishing

Just as there are some upsides to self-publishing, there are also some downsides. They include:

• There are upfront fees that must be paid for publication. These fees differ depending upon which package the author chooses. They can run anywhere from $579 to over $6,000. (I’ve worked with two such firms. iUniverse (www.iuniverse.com) has some inexpensive packages but I found you get more for your money from Friesen Press (www.friesenpress.com).

• To have a better chance of high sales, it is important to get your books on bookshelves. To do this, you must purchase Book Return Insurance. This is usually in addition to the publishing packages purchased (depending on package; the more expensive packages include this service.) Book Return Insurance allows bookstore to stock your title without risk. If it doesn’t sell, they can return it to the bookseller and get a refund.

• Another thing that ensures high book sales is having a book free of errors, typos, verb-tense inconsistencies, run-on sentences, and other grammatical issues. To protect against this, you can purchase editing services. I believe I found better priced editing services at iUniverse. Friesen Press charges per every 100 word. You can also outsource this to someone who is good in English, such as a school teacher or a grad student.

• Many self-publishing firms provide marketing services for an additional fee. Some more expensive publishing packages include some or all of these services.

What are some self-publishing firms?

There are a number of different self-publishing firms out there. Each one charges different amounts for their services. You can do a Google or Yahoo or some other search to find them. Type in self-publishing in the search bar. Some of the more popular ones include:

Friesen Press – www.friesenpress.com

iUniverse – www.iuniverse.com

Xlibris – www.xlibris.com

Xulon – www.xulon.com

Last thingsJust as different self-publishers charge different amounts for their services, they also have different requirements in regards to the formats of the manuscripts they receive. They also have different requirements as to how manuscripts are submitted. Some accept electronic submissions; some may require the manuscript and supporting documentation to be mailed in. Some firms allow you to split your payments, while others require a one-time, lump sum payment. To find out what each requires and what each provides, you can visit their websites and request a free Author’s Guide. You will have to supply some information to get this guide but it may be worth it. You can also find much of the information you require by searching the company’s website.

Good luck and I’ll see you at the bookstore.

more »
HubPages