One Space or Two Spaces After the Period at the End of the Sentence?

Posted in Article, good writer, helpful author tips, writing, writing tips by R. Lynn

I decided to do a little research about that pesky question of whether to use one or two spaces after the period at the end of a sentence. As a lifelong proponent of the two spaces camp, I now grudgingly yield to the 21st century and advances in typography to move to using only one space after the period.

Every major style guide–including the “bibles” of the Modern Language Association Style Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style–prescribes a single space after a period. The two-space rule began during the age of typewriters, when the spacing of letters was not proportional (as it is now) and using two spaces at the end of a sentence made documents more readable. The only computer font that is not proportional is Courier, which we do not use. (I don’t think anyone uses it anymore.)

According to an article in Slate (http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html) which addressed this very issue, “because we’ve all switched to modern fonts, adding two spaces after a period no longer enhances readability, typographers say. It diminishes it.” This same point was made by every major source that I researched.

So, I am waving the white flag of surrender in my ancient, Tyrannosaurus Rex hands to say that I think the switch to one space is the better and updated rule to follow.

I feel I can adapt to change okay, however, if you find yourself having great difficulty in making this transition, I saw the following suggestion in the online version of the Chicago Manual of Style: once the document is finished, use the Find and Replace feature to eliminate all double spaces. In the “Find” box, type two spaces, and in the “Replace With” box, type one space. Hit “Replace All” and you’re done.

R. Lynn Archie

www.rlynnarchie.com

23Oct2015

IS SELF-PUBLISHING RIGHT FOR EVERYBODY?

Posted in Article, helpful author tips, self publishing, self publishing pros and cons, traditional publishing, writing by R. Lynn

The book publishing world has gone through a revolution in recent years that is similar to the one that happened in music ten years ago when it became easy for bands to publish their own music and have their fans download it, instead of dealing with the middlemen – the record companies. With the rise of e-books it’s easy for authors to self-publish, rather than go through the laborious process of trying to get a book contract with a mainstream publisher.

But is it worth it? There are many pros and cons to self-publishing, and if you’re thinking of doing it, these are the questions you should ask.

How long am I willing to wait to get published?
If you have a story or idea that is just gnawing at you and you feel compelled to publish it, you’ll definitely get it into your readers’ hands a lot quicker if you self-publish. The traditional publishing route can take years, from the time when you send out your first manuscript to when the book actually gets on the market. If you self-publish an e-book it will be a matter of months from the time you write it to when you can publish it.

Am I willing to promote and market my book, or do I want somebody else to do that?
Traditional publishers do a lot of the marketing for their books, which takes pressure off the authors. If you self-publish, the marketing begins and ends with you.

Do I want to do all the editing, cover design, formatting, etc. myself, or do I want somebody else to do that?
Again, traditional publishers have the manpower to do the jobs involved in the book’s presentation. If you self-publish, you’re responsible for all that.

How much of a royalty do I want?
Self-publishers get to keep up to 70 percent of their book’s income. The royalty offered by publishers is usually in the single digits. Self-publishing is a viable option for some authors, but for others, it’s not as attractive as going the traditional publishing route. It’s a question you need to research and think about, to determine if it’s right for you.

R. Lynn Archie
www.rlynnarchie.com

20Apr2015

Just a quick Update

Posted in Article, ebooks, Free, indie author, writing by R. Lynn

Sunday was a busy day, but I made time to work on Trial of Marriage 3. Slowly but surely, I’m making progress. Since this is the final book of the series, it’s kind of sad to have the story ending because I’ve really enjoyed the characters. Nevertheless, I’m striving to make sure that all loose ends are cleared up and thoroughly explained. I really wanted to have the book ready by Mother’s Day; however, I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. But, I’ll keep you updated, and I’ll have a better feel about the release date around the middle of May.

The fact that someone other than myself enjoys reading my books means a lot, so thank you for your support. Oh before I forget, I wanted to mention that you should sign up for my website mailing list at www.rlynnarchie.com . I plan on doing spontaneous giveaways and freebie stuff for my mailing list participants.

Talk soon, and enjoy your day!

R. Lynn

15Apr2015

The Effect Duplicate Titles Can Have on an Authors KDP Select Bookshelf

Posted in Article, ebooks, helpful author tips, indie author, self publishing, writing, writing tips by R. Lynn

Do you know the protocol of having duplicate books on your Amazon KDP Select bookshelf? I didn’t before, but I do now. First off, as much as I would like to keep my bookshelf tidy by deleting unwanted things, unfortunately, there is no option to take that action. Maybe there is a way internally through KDP, I’m not sure, but what I am certain of is an author is not able to make it happen.

The alternative solution is to change your active book to an unpublished draft. And, if you want to start off fresh still using the same book title, but not wanting the baggage that goes along with it (e.g. reviews, editorials, etc.) you would then use the option “Add a New Book” to create a new book with the same title but under a different ASIN. To be frank, my thinking was the old, unpublished draft would be closed and obsolete, however, that wasn’t the case.

What I came to learn was if you have the same title book their detail pages automatically link within 48 hours after an additional edition or version is published as long as the content, title, and contributors are exactly the same. The only way to avoid this automatic action in the future is to change a small detail in the title by adding a subtitle or a change to the form in which the author’s name is written as desired. You might perform this with the unpublished draft so the system doesn’t feed and match details for similarities.

Though in my case, since it had already happened, it took a few times going back and forth in correspondence with KDP representatives to get things corrected. Things ended well, but it was a headache getting to that point. Hopefully my experience prevents you from making the same error.

R. Lynn

Website: http://www.rlynnarchie.com

4Apr2015

Now Available – Love vs. Career

Posted in Article, cover reveal, ebooks, indie author, promotion, self publishing by R. Lynn

https://rlynnarchie.wordpress.com/wp-admin/options-general.php

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOK TRAILER

VISIT MY WEBSITE: http://www.rlynnarchie.com

28Nov2014

Get a Free copy of my eBook – Trial of Marriage from 11/28 -11/30

Posted in Book review, ebooks, Free, writing by R. Lynn

I thought I would do a Black Friday special for the weekend. My romance novel Trial of Marriage is free for the entire weekend. Go grab you up a copy!!

Description:

Edited Version – Second Edition

Trey Moretti has it all, dream job, loving wife Angelique, and finally a baby on the way. What he does not plan on is his past sneaking up on him. Gradually things start to unravel as Trey fight to keep his family intact. But when that last big skeleton is finally out of the closet will it mean the end for Trey and Angelique?

**Warning, story contains profanity and scenes of sexual content. Intended for mature readers only.**

Happy Holidays,

R. Lynn Archie

25Sep2014

Helpful Tips for New Indie Authors

Posted in Article, ebooks, good writer, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

I noted in my prior post that it’s been a year since self-publishing my first romance novel, and I have to admit that my journey on becoming an indie author has been an enjoyable one. Throughout the year I’ve received so much useful writing advice and information; all which has helped me grow as a writer.

In this post I’m giving back in hopes of helping others; my advice for new indie authors starting out would be, have patience and stay committed. Everyone has hopes and dreams of becoming rich and famous, but realistically there’s a chance that might never happen. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in what you love doing, and what I mean by that is whatever you’re passionate about just stay focused on executing your goal from start to finish. When you can accomplish that then you will always succeed by coming out on top.

Lastly, one final point I’m going to share is do not burn yourself out. I did that writing my first and second novel by not allowing any downtime in between — that was such a bad idea and a big no-no. Nowadays, it’s mandatory that I take breaks in between writing projects. Trust me, even something as small as doing nothing for a weekend but being idle will do you a world of good.

Just remember when it comes to your writing routine make sure you choose a non-stressful schedule that works best for you. All things considered, being an indie author is great, and the best part for me is there’s no one to answer to because I’m the boss!

Talk to you soon,

R. Lynn

Website: www.rlynnarchie.com
Email: info@rlynnarchie.com

7Jul2014

Posted in blog tour, ebooks, Uncategorized by R. Lynn

Welcome Raquel Kechagias! Her Book Tour for the The Fire of the Soul Series stops by here on Day Three. I asked her to participate in a Q&A about her new release Last Ashes.

Synopsis

Chaos has descended on the Underworld, as promised. Anna is un-resigned to her fate as Christian’s ideal wife. She refuses to be weak and submissive but she knows the power he holds over her; if she denies him, everyone she loves will die. However, when dismembered corpses start appearing on the castle grounds, Anna finds her courage to fight against the evil in the world, starting with the Overlord.

~Q&A~

RLA: What is the name and genre of you latest work?
RK: I would classify my books as Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy. I say this for two reasons. The first is that there is a lot of romance in the story. The second reason is that there are a lot of dark themes in the books; including sexual abuse, rape and torture to name a few. There is one scene in particular in ‘Last Ashes’ that I was conscious and hesitant about including in the books. I won’t leave any spoilers but I’ll say this, the Mer-folk have no sympathy or empathy for any ‘Land-walker’ and those who help them suffer because of it.

RLA: Tell us about ‘Last Ashes’.
RK: What can I say about my new book? Honestly if I could sum it down to one word it would be ‘intense’. There is endless action. There are situations where we see Anna struggling to be more, to do more than she’s ever thought she was capable of. We see the same of some of our favorites and not so favorite characters and even the new characters. One of the biggest things to happen in this book is that we get two see two characters, who were only mentioned before, in action. So yea it’s intense!

RLA: Did you find any character(s) in your book hard to write?
RK: I found that there were a few characters that were hard to write. It wasn’t so much the character themselves but rather that it was writing the characters to be more than what they had been mentioned to be. For example Manea and Novak. I also found writing Christian’s ‘good side’ to be difficult as well. It’s difficult to build these characters up, to continually say that this is what they are and then all of a sudden bam! They’re something entirely different to what I’ve been making the characters and readers believe. It’s difficult but fun and certainly worth the effort.

RLA: What can we expect from you next?
RK: There’s a few projects I’m working on at the moment. The first is ‘Blood Magic’ which is going through the editing stages. It’s a prequel and spin-off from the story, featuring Adrian or aka ‘Shade’ as the main character. There are several characters from the series and new characters as well. The second is ‘The Eternal Flame’ the final book in the series which I’m currently drafting at the moment and the third is my next series ‘Hell-bound Angels’ which I’m planning and plotting away at. It’s something I’m really excited about. It’s entirely different to ‘The Fire of the Soul’ but I know you will all love it.

RLA: Where can readers purchase your book?
RK: At the moment you guys can purchase my book at Amazon. Within the next two weeks you’ll be able to purchase paperback copies and copies from iBooks, B&N, Smashwords, Nook and Kobo.

~About Raquel Kechagias~

Racquel Kechagias was born in Sydney, Australia in 1991. She is the oldest of seven children and although they drive her a little mad she loves them to bits. Racquel spent her childhood nose deep in a book, preferring their company to that offered by the outside world. At the age of 8 she had grown past the children’s section of the literary world and began to grow up with company of the greats such as Shelly, Stoker, King, Tolkien and Poe. From that moment she was inspired by the intricate worlds. She longed to share the knowledge and passion that it took those authors to create their worlds and from that moment on her life was transformed. Racquel Kechagias is the author ‘Last Ashes’ the second book in the ‘Fire of the Soul’ series.

~Connect with Racqual Kechagias~

Website
Pinterest
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

6Jun2014

Here it is …Full Cover of Trial of Marriage 2: Sacrifices

Posted in Article, ebooks, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

Update: It’s final live – Click here

Here it is! The cover for Trial of Marriage 2: Sacrifices, the second book in the TOM series. The book is available today, June 6th.

You definitely don’t want to miss this amazing new installment in the series! On sale from 6/6 to 6/8 for .99 cents, here’s the link.

5Jun2014

Day 3 – Cover Reveal for Trial of Marriage 2

Posted in Article, ebooks, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

Today is Day 3 of the cover reveal for “Trial of Marriage 2: Sacrifices” (Trial of Marriage Series or TOM Series). I’m so excited for tomorrow, June 6th the full cover will be revealed and TOM2 will be available on Amazon.

Here’s the book blurb for Trial of Marriage 2: Sacrifices:

It’s been a wonderful year of growing and being in a good place since Angelique and Trey reunited. However, whenever there is something good, something bad is not too far behind. In their lives, the term ‘happily ever after’, is becoming difficult to achieve.

Out of her coma, Bryn Thornton has been busy getting her life back in order and that has included building a friendship with Angelique. Opening up a new branch of her design company in Pittsburgh, she stuns Angelique by offering her a dream job opportunity she can’t refuse. Accepting the position, however, brings forth positive and negative reactions from Trey, and to make things worse, she also has to deal with her new co-worker, Chad Worthington. He’s tall, good-looking and minus a few characteristics, he’s almost a carbon copy of her husband. She can’t put her finger on it, but she can feel in her gut that there’s something unscrupulous about him.

The issues surfacing around Trey and Angelique are not only restricted to them, and if they aren’t careful, they will extend out to their son. No matter how hard they try to rectify things individually for the sake of their family, matters only seem to deteriorate.

Secrets have always been a big thing with Angelique, but unfortunately she hasn’t fared any better, and the one she has inherited is tearing her apart emotionally. There’s a giant bomb ticking that is about to explode. Neither of them has learned from past mistakes and they have taken their second chance of happiness for granted. They say love can conquer all, but will it triumph this time?

Last call … if you still haven’t picked up your copy of the first book you can still get it today for $0.99, here’s the link to get your copy http://mytinyurl.com/fsmh1gg19c