#seattlegardens

Are you a lifelong learner? Continual learning is good for our brains! 

Publishing with a hybrid publisher taught me a lot. ✍️Authors I know who have traditional publishers sacrifice control over how their book looks; how they’re marketed & positioned; & they give up a lot of control over the content they create. For example, if a traditional author decides they want an audiobook, they can’t go off & create one on their own—It goes through the publisher.

I spent months learning how to write a book. I didn’t know there was a process. Each week, besides writing, fellow authors spent hours in live workshops & met with editors & coaches. ️ It was harder than the math class  I was required to take last summer, which nearly killed me.

In my weekly meeting with my editor, I told him NDP reminded me of the quote, “Give a man a fish,  & you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, & you feed him for a lifetime.”

The authors in my cohort were empowered because we had the support to learn how to do everything. ‍Our books perform better than the average first-time indie author. NDP showed us how to avoid the mistakes inexperienced authors make. NDP taught us to publish like a second-time author.

If you think you have a book in you, maybe consider checking out New Degree Press (or something like it). The winter cohort has begun, ❄️but maybe it’s something to think about for spring. Authors are international , & workshops & meetings are scheduled across 19 time zones. It’s amazing.

I’m not saying the experience was perfect, but it was perfect enough to get my book published & perform well! 

This post is what marketers call “UGC,” or user-generated content. UGC is powerful because it’s unpaid, authentic & trustworthy. If your friends share products or services because they like them, it’s likely UGC. (I learned that at Bellevue College!)

Happy weekends to you all & thank you again for your support! 
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Photos: #summerflowers #echinacea #echinaceaflowers #chrysanthemums #lavenderlove #seattlegardens #RainierValley #firsttimeauthor #NDP #newdegreepress #indieauthors #indieauthorsofig #UGC
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(at Rainier Valley, Seattle)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTY_OjFrIjg/?utm_medium=tumblr

Last week I listened to @GuyKawasaki interview @ericadhawan_ on the Remarkable People podcast.  She talked about digital communication etiquette & how messages can be misinterpreted sometimes because of age & channels. ‍♀️We need to be mindful of what’s appropriate when we communicate with people whether by phone, email, messages and virtual meetings. 

The subject of emojis came up, & how they’re perceived in a business setting. It reminded me of a recent exchange with my #NDP layout designer during the course of designing & producing my book, “Blogging on Instagram.” 

He said, “I’ve never had an author add appreciation of my work, or smiley faces in PDF comments. It made me feel great!”

I know Guy isn’t a fan of emojis but as you can see, I don’t hold back. After listening to the podcast & hearing that a younger woman using emojis (versus a man‍ of any age) is viewed as potentially incompetent, it made me wonder — do you view emojis as an indicator of incompetence?  I’ve received comments from people who love them, but maybe some feel they get in the way?

Quintly’s research showed posts with 10+ emojis have the highest engagement. Posts with zero emojis have the lowest. Adobe revealed the top 5 emojis (♥️) & reported 73% of users believe emojis help quickly share ideas; 63% feel emojis make team decision more efficient & 51% believe they reduce the need for meetings & calls.

Social media & business communications are different, but I’ve seen crossover in the way people communicate. It’s a way to mitigate the lack of in-person interaction. I can also see how emojis might be beneficial in one place & detrimental in another. ❌

On a related topic, I found a story by Alan Martin of The Bit that decoded the meanings of emojis to millennials. Tell me if you were aware the smile  is seen as passive aggressive?

What are your thoughts about emojis? Yay or nay ?
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Photos: #sweettomatoes from my sister’s garden in a #drollbowl. #sunflowerseason #rosecluster #sweetfragrance #onthevine #urbanfarmers #seattlegardens #beaconhillSeattle #remarkablepeoplepodcast
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. (at Beacon Hill, Seattle)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CS08G8MPlSp/?utm_medium=tumblr

Do you seek changes in your life, or does change happen to you? 

The past few weeks have been rugged.  On the heels of submitting my book manuscript,  IG made announcements about turning the platform into a ️ “video and shopping” channel. ️ It threw me for a loop, and I had to quickly pivot and recover.

Today a family member passed away.  It was anticipated, but even when we expect something like this, it sets a lot of things in motion including behaviors you don’t expect.h ⚙️

In thinking about uninvited changes, I found a resource. A book by M.J. Ryan called Adaptability: How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For. It talks about adaptability and how to master it. She made an important point: “Change isn’t the enemy—fear is.”  When you stop to think of it that way, you realize it’s true.

She says there are four steps we can take to help us adapt in the future: 

 Acceptance

 Expand your options

 Taking action

 Strengthen adaptability

It reminds me of a saying – there’s no use worrying about things you can’t change .

Do you ever think about how you impact others,  and how your absence would affect them? 

Wishing you all safe and peaceful weekends. ☮️

Photos: Taken last week when I was #onmywalktoday with my sister. #macroflowers #onmywalk #summercolors #summerflowers #pixelphotos #Seattlesummer #Seattleinthesummer #pixelphotography #macro_delight #Seattlegardens #seattleflowers

(at Madrona)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRayWwXsu0q/?utm_medium=tumblr