Scribblings on Whatever

You'll Never Guess Where the Graham Cracker Came From

2/21/2024

Imagine sitting around a campfire on a cool evening toasting marshmallows over the flickering flames. Your gaze never wanders as the glowing white glob hisses and spits.

The marshmallow emerges from the flame at just the right moment as a golden brown work of culinary perfection. As the melted, gooey confection oozes across the top of a Graham cracker, you grin in anticipation as you gently layer on some chocolate and another crunchy cracker. You look. You admire. You taste. Heavenly.

S'mores, what would life be without them? The chocolate and marshmallows are the main attraction tempting our taste buds… but don't forget the humble Graham crackers holding everything together. If it weren't for them, we'd just have a melted, sweet conglomeration with nowhere to go.

We must thank Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), a Presbyterian minister, for the ingenious combination of ingredients that now bear his name. Even though his original recipe for Graham cakes bears no resemblance to what we enjoy today, the story behind Graham crackers remains quite intriguing.

Rev. Graham was a staunch social reformer and an advocate for healthy living. He preached that too much lustful living harmed the body, and excessive sexual activity caused ailments ranging from headaches and indigestion to pulmonary problems, spinal diseases, epilepsy, and insanity. He also believed that offspring conceived in this manner would die early due to weakened stock.

Graham endorsed a strict high-fiber diet consisting of unrefined wheat flour, no fat, and no meats to suppress those carnal urges. In addition, Graham discouraged the use of mustard and ketchup since, according to him, it also caused insanity.

Surprisingly, Graham's doctrine was accepted by a limited number of people during the American health craze of the 1820s and 1830s. His converts gladly confined themselves to Graham boarding houses in New York and Boston, adhering to the strict regimen.

The Graham cakes made their grand entrance at that time. The Reverend wanted a special treat for his faithful friends and meticulously perfected his recipe made with unrefined wheat flour and without any sugar or flavorings. It became a staple among his followers to supplement the high-fiber vegetarian diet.

As with all fads, though, Sylvester Graham's healthy living philosophy fizzled out. Yet, the Graham cakes lived on – slightly modified, of course.

Graham's name remained because of the use of his highly proclaimed unsifted wheat flour. However, that was the only ingredient that survived the transition from Graham cakes to Graham crackers. It's a mystery who first concocted the cracker version, but the revised recipe appeared in a cookbook in 1882. The rest of the story is history.

The crunchy wafer we all know and love come from the National Biscuit Company, a.k.a. Nabisco. They began marketing Graham crackers in the late 1800s. But their record-breaking success came in 1925 when the company introduced the Honey Maid line, and the delicious treat has remained popular since then.

Sylvester Graham probably spins in his grave whenever his name is used to describe the cookie-like treat made with refined white flour and sugar. But hey, that's progress.
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You may be wondering what the history of Graham crackers has to do with books or writing.
Answer: Absolutely nothing. I just thought it was an interesting tidbit of history. At any rate, this is our Whatever blog, so it still fits, sort of.
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Did you know…
I'm sure you know that S'more is a contraction of the phrase "some more." However, did you know the first recipe appeared in a Campfire Marshmallows cookbook in the early 1920s? The guide may have heralded the Graham Cracker Sandwich as an ingenious invention, but it was already a well-known treat for Boy and Girl Scouts alike.

The first official recipe for a s'more came out in the 1927 Girl Scout guidebook, "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts." While the book was intended to offer advice on being a good Girl Scout (always get a parent's permission before hiking!), its lasting legacy was the Some More.

The renamed recipe, credited to a troop leader named Loretta Scott Crew, calls for 16 graham crackers, eight bars of plain chocolate, and 16 marshmallows. The instructions say, "Toast the marshmallows to a 'crispy, gooey state.' Put the marshmallow on top of a chocolate bar, between two graham crackers, and voilà, you got a " Some More."

It's unclear when the name was shortened to simply s'more, but various Girl Scout publications referred to the treat as Some More until at least 1971.

Thanks, Dannye, for digging up these little-known facts! Now, I'm craving some gooey, toasted marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

How long has it been since you ate a s'more?

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My Fictional BFFs

1/31/2024

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Have you ever encountered a fictional character who instantly felt like a friend — someone who shares the same sense of humor, similar interests, and would have your back if the two of you wound up in a sticky situation?

My new Best Friend Forever comes across as a real person, not an imaginary person born from an author's imagination. Her experiences, feelings, and emotions make me laugh, cry, or cringe in fear as she peers around the corner to discover 'whodunit.'

For me, it's as if I'm not just reading a story. Instead, I'm actively participating in the action alongside my friend. Lately, cozy mysteries are my go-to evening read, where I imagine myself tagging along, pointing clues out to my companion. Even when the story ends, it's difficult to stop thinking about the book and being a part of the tale. I want to spend more time with my BFF.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was packing up my collection of paperbacks, I ran across Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern series. I was introduced to these stories over 30 years ago, but I still remember how much I loved them from page one. I recall several novels that captured my imagination, but nothing like the Pern books. They totally immersed me into McCaffery's fantasy world and didn't let go.

As I progressed through the series, I imagined being a Dragonrider and living in one of the weyrs. My best friend was my dragon. We fought thread together. We explored unchartered territory together. We were a team.

Of course, I interacted with F'lar, Lessa, Robinton, and all the other primary characters. Masterharper Robinton was my favorite human character and BFF. Everyone loved and respected him, and through McCaffery's outstanding descriptive writing, I got to know him and imagined being a part of his inner circle.

In my mind's eye, I rode with the Dragonriders who uncovered the long-forgotten original settlement. I witnessed the reawakening of AVAIS, the computerized artificial intelligence that had been buried beneath the deserted colony's sands for many years. I sat side by side with Robinton and the other leaders as AVAIS recounted the history of the early days on Pern. What an adventure!

Since then, I've 'befriended' other fictional BFFs, such as Doretta in Robert DeBurgh's Riders of the Wind. While Robinton and other literary personalities were friends, Doretta spoke to me in a way no fictional character has ever done before or since.

Quick note: I may be biased since my husband wrote this aviation-based historical fiction.

The tale revolves around his relatives engaged in this new and exciting profession. Over the years, Robert shared tales with me of his Uncle Charlie flying the newly charted mail routes and smuggling bootleg booze from Canada during Prohibition. Bob was proud of his mother, who earned a private pilot certificate when females were thought incapable of flying, and his father, an ace mechanic, devised ingenious ways to keep the planes in the air.

So, as I read each chapter and learned more about his family, it was easy to place myself in the cockpit alongside Aunt Doretta as she and Charlie explored flight routes over the jungles of the Pantanal and started their own airline. In the second book, Winds of Fate, Doretta fought against discrimination and sabotage as she delivered bombers and fighter planes to military bases across the US.

Robert confessed that he combined some of my characteristics with memories of his Aunt Doretta. That's probably why I felt such a kinship with her. She and I could have been incredibly close friends. I loved getting to know her and still regret never meeting this remarkable lady in person.

How about you? Have you ever encountered a fictional character who instantly became a friend? Tell us about your imaginary BFF in the blog's comments. Don't be shy. We won't divulge your secrets.

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We'll Be Back!

11/29/2023

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Well, we’re in the season of shopping, eating, worshipping, opening presents, and trying to finish off everything on our list for this year before we’re forced to think about next year. For Greta and me, our gift to ourselves this year is to take time off for the whole month of December.

For those of you who know us, you’re aware that we have a lot in common. Of course, we are both writers. Otherwise, having five blogs on our website together would be rather ridiculous! Besides this, we both have a passion for making a difference in the world in some way. We were both caregivers for our spouses and lost them within two months of each other in 2020.

Although I had only known Greta on Facebook, I felt drawn to call her in the summer of that year to see if she wanted to work together. The three and a half years since have been a journey for us that has been a blessing as we each worked our way through grief. We haven’t hesitated to switch gears in finding a vehicle that allows us to express ourselves. We have worked diligently with hope and expectations on our journey. However, the one thing we haven’t done is allow time for ourselves, putting work aside.

So, for the month of December, we are pausing posts on www.SassyScribblers.com and all its blogs. I am in the process of moving out of state, and Greta has begun the search for her perfect place. We both trust that everything is in Divine Order. We are looking forward to the new year and moving into Act 3 of our lives with gusto! See you in January, 2024!

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A Curiosity Question for Readers

11/22/2023

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This is just a curiosity question for readers. I was listening to a person on the radio the other week who was saying that people just don’t read books with high word counts anymore. His reasoning was that people are used to the digital age, and it has become obvious over the last couple of decades that lengthy online articles do not enjoy the popularity of short ones. He contended that people’s attention spans are much shorter these days.

What do you think? Is this just an online phenomenon, or does it apply to eBooks and paperbacks as well? We would love for you to comment and let us know your preference and/or your thoughts.

We noted that for adult commercial and literary fiction, Writer’s Digest considers below 70K too short, but they consider 80-90K “totally cool.” Anything from 100–110K might be too long, and over 110K is considered too long. They stress that a writer should strive to follow the rules rather than pray to be the exception. Of course, this has more to do with traditional publishers, who have stricter budgetary concerns than those who publish independently.

Our question is not about publishing budgets, however. It is about the willingness of readers to dive into books of different lengths. So, based on the word count divisions below, we would love to know to which you are most drawn and why.

Short story: under 7,500
Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
Novel: between 40,000 and 70,000
Novel: between 70,000 and 100,000
Novel: between 100,000 and 130,000

Even though I am presenting the question, I would have a hard time answering it. Why? Because I would want to insist it depends on the story. However, once again, I would be distracting myself from the actual question: Does the word count of a fiction story have an influence on whether I buy/read it? Has the digital age spoiled us with its brief summaries attached to headlines so we don’t have to read further? Are we too anxious to get to the point, the climax, of a story that we can’t relax into the journey?

As writers we are interested in your take on this, of course, but as avid readers, we are curious as well. Looking forward to your thoughts.

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Risking: Living Without a Net

10/25/2023

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Risk (risk) n. exposure to the possibility of injury or loss or to a dangerous occurrence.

When most people think of risk, they don’t consider it the possibility of an undesirable event occurring. They consider it a probability! Why do we make that subtle shift and give support to the idea that risking will always result in loss?

As children, you were warned against all sorts of dangers by your parents and others who meant well. How many times were you told “Don’t cross the street by yourself. You’ll get run over”? Not that you might possibly get run over, but that you would likely be history! This leads to a pattern of avoiding anything which is unfamiliar or is not accompanied by an obvious escape route. Often, it leads to the implementation of tremendous amounts of structure in your life as you mature. You are resistant to change because change is always accompanied by the risk of the unknown.

This is unfortunate because too much structure leads to rigid thinking and a boring, uneventful life. To have diversity and serendipity in your life, there must be creative juices flowing. However, too much creativity without some structure leads to chaos. So, there must be a balance of the two. This is true of any risky venture as well.

How would you define risk in terms of your business life? More important, let’s determine what it isn’t. It isn’t seizing upon an idea and jumping in feet first. It requires structure and creativity. First comes the idea. For example, you decide that your business needs to be reorganized because the current organizational model isn’t working. Your production is mediocre, and the staff members are not contributing any more than is absolutely necessary. So, do you just go in on Monday with a new organizational chart, inform everyone of the changes, and walk away? If you try this, you would be putting risk into the probability category for sure.

Developing a Course of Action
If you want to risk making a change, you must develop a course of action based upon the results you desire. If you only know that you don’t like what you have and want something different, you are taking the biggest risk of all!

You Have to Set Clear Goals
These goals can include organizational styles, production levels, interactions, as well as communication and motivational levels. It should include everything you consider important to the vision you have of your business. Once you have a clear vision, it is important to recognize at what level your business is functioning at the present. What do you think the problems are? Be specific. These two activities involve creating structure.

You might want to look at it like remodeling a house. You have an existing house with walls and all sorts of in-place connections for plumbing, electrical, and so on. You don’t want to move or tear down the house. You want to remodel. So you will have to deal with some of the elements that currently exist and decide how you can improve them.

You Use Your Creativity to Actually Develop a New Plan
You develop a plan that incorporates all the elements necessary for your business to reach the goal.

Your plan does these things:

addresses the problems that currently exist
establishes new functional relationships - better to use the skills of the personnel and to develop a sense of cooperation rather than subordinacy
streamlines the overall process and increases production without increasing overtime.

You present your plan to your staff for feedback. You are mindful of all their comments and suggestions. You adjust your plan where necessary. All these efforts involve allowing for the creative flow.

Risk Always Requires Courage
You have now balanced the elements of structure and creative function. You are focused on the end result you desire. You have gathered the forces of the others who must support this idea. Is the implementation of this plan a risk? Of course it’s still a risk! Change of any kind is a risk. The process of balancing structure and creative function does not remove the risk factor. It simply ensures that the risk remains in the realm of possibility rather than being highly probable. That’s the best handicap you’re going to get.

Remember how exciting it was at the circus to watch the trapeze artist who flew without a net? Imagine the courage it took for him to slip his fingers off that bar with no net and his colleague’s fingers just out of reach. Even though he had practiced for many hours with a net, when the lights went up, he had to be willing to trust the structure created by his practice and the creative function of his own abilities to lead him to success without a net.

To experience an invigorating life — personal or business — we must that same type of courage. The Old French origin of the word “courage” means mind, heart, and spirit, and it is from these places that structure and creativity emerge.

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Genesis of the Bad Seed Manager

9/27/2023

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How many managers do you know who have no management skills? I bet it didn’t take long for you to come up with several. It’s quite the phenomenon, but today I’m more interested in their ability to damage a business, possibly yours. A manager has a lot of leeway in how things are done. Consequently, it is important for the manager to be invested in the success of the company or the project.

If a manager is incompetent, it’s obvious how they can damage the business. What about if the manager is all about themselves? If this is the case, they can deliberately make sweeping changes to a business which will run it into the ground. I have seen this done.

Cut Your Losses?
So what attitudes should make you consider cutting your losses before it’s too late? Ask yourself if any of these describe your manager.

1) dictatorial
2) fails to listen to suggestions
3) unwilling or unable to explain rational reasons for changes
4) has a poverty consciousness
5) insincerity or phoniness when dealing with customers
6) fails to consider the long-term needs of the business
7) rarely institutes changes that increase the bottom line or improve the public face of the business
8) moody.

Okay, if more than one of these stands out for you, then you need to assess more closely what impact the manager is having on the bottom line of your business.

Qualities of a Good Manager
So, what should you require in a manager?

1) a person who is just as involved in the process every day as everyone else, who will step up when there is a need rather than putting a strain on others
2) a person who listens to suggestions and asks questions and then analyzes them against the mission of the business or the project
3) a person who thoroughly thinks through his/her actions before coming to a decision
4) a person who isn’t always expecting the next shoe to fall, who moves forward instead of always looking over their shoulder
5) a person who is always creating new ways for the business to prosper
6) a person who recognizes the importance of social skills in developing the reputation of the business.

Source of Some Bad Seed Managers
Of course, some people are just bullies, and the power of a management position allows them to exercise their power in a destructive way. However, there is another possible source for the emergence of an incorrigible manager: they have become the victim of a management concept.

Too often, business owners or boards of directors give people management positions who have inadequate experience, minimal leadership skills, and/or no social skills. One of the reasons this occurs is outlined in the Peter Principle. If you’ve ever worked in a medium-sized to large-sized business, I’m sure you’ve seen this concept in play. A person is doing a great job in their current position, and suddenly he is promoted based on his current performance. Sometimes this works out, but if promotions continue to be handled this way, said employee will eventually reach a “level of respective incompetence.” In other words, he will now be in a job for which he is not truly qualified. He has been promoted to his level of incompetence.

The impact on this person can vary. Often, the stress can cause them to derail important operations. Then, as a matter of survival, they may begin blaming those who work for them. Eventually this will lead to attrition in production. A year or two down the road, those who promoted this individual will start to wonder what happened. Dare I say it? Duh!

Don't be fooled. It doesn't just occur in larger businesses. As entrepreneurs, we can become somewhat dependent on certain individuals who have been performing specific jobs for us. In our enthusiasm for their work, we approach them about taking on another facet of our business. After all, outsourcing is supposed to be the game plan for entrepreneurs. Often, this individual may be as hungry for business as we are and overestimate their own skills to our detriment.

I heard a story a few years back about a writer who did this very thing with a contractor. Her enthusiasm for this person's work caused her to take her eye off the ball. It resulted in her learning a very painful lesson, financially and reputationally.

The bottom line is that as decision-makers, we should praise people for their expertise but not make the mistake of assuming they naturally have the skills to move to another level. They may, but they may not. As decision-makers, we must be prudent in our business decisions.

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Are You POV-Biased?

6/28/2023

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Several social media posts recently have caught my attention from people who are dismissive of first-person narratives, unless, of course, the book is an autobiography or a memoir. One person wrote I have trouble getting into first-person present tense stories. Each one so far feels like they chose 1st person present in order to immerse the reader but it's so cheap. 3rd person limited past tense all the way for me. Another asked, Am I the only person who despises first-person narratives?

It’s sometimes difficult to determine if it’s the first-person point of view or the use of present tense that distresses some readers. I, of course, have my own opinion about the use of first person and present tense. Instead of dismissing them in general, I base my opinion on the individual books. Writing in first person as well as writing in present tense can be tricky. Some books I’ve read succeed. Others don’t.

There are many more highly successful books in first person than you may think. In my research on this subject, I encountered an article by Diane Callahan that covers the topic much better that I could. If this is something about which you’re interested in learning more, click on The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction in First Person at this link: https://medium.com/swlh/the-complete-guide-to-writing-fiction-in-first-person-d1aedc104cab

Whether you're a reader or a writer, do you have a bias?

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What Are Americans’ Reading Habits According to Latest Survey?

5/24/2023

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According to Pew Research Center, eBooks reached a decade high in 2021 with 30% of the American readers having read at least one book in this format. Also in 2021, the percentage of American readers who listened to an audio book also presented a new high of 23%.

It’s interesting to note that 33% of Americans read books in both print and digital formats (eBooks and audiobooks). Approximately another third only read print books. Surprise! Only 9% only read in the digital formats. Sadly, 23% read no books at all.

Although so many of us authors feel compelled to offer eBooks in this digital age, 65% of American readers read at least one print book in 2021. This was not the high of the decade, but it was a recovery from the Covid years. The average of books read by Americans in 2021 was 14 books, but the median number of books read by individuals was five. This is identical to the first year of assessing Americans’ reading habits in 2011.

Do Education, Income, or Demographics Affect These Habits?

The figures from the recent survey by PRC indicate that college graduates are more likely to have read books in all formats compared to other educational levels. Urban readers have a bit of an edge on suburban and rural although it is not a large gap.

Despite what one might assume from book clubs and readers’ groups, men read about as many books as women. According to the survey, the percentages in the “read a book in any format” category indicate that people read less as they get older. I have to confess that this is not the case for me (I fall into the 65+ category). I admit that I haven’t read as many books in the last several years as I did earlier in this millennium, but I believe I’m reading more in a year than I did in my twenties. To be fair, when I was in my twenties, print books were the only choice most of us really had. Audiobooks were available on cassette tapes in the 1960s and didn’t come out on compact discs until the 1980s. It was easier to just carry your book with you!

What About the Reading Habits of Kids?

In both 1984 and 2012 PRC determined that 53% of nine-year-olds read for fun nearly every day. In 2020 it was down to 42%. Those who reported they never or hardly ever read for fun was 16% in 2020 compared to 9% in 1984. In the 2020 survey, it appears that American girls are more likely to read for fun than their male counterparts.

The bottom line indicates that in 2020 compared to 2012, every group of nine-year-olds across the racial spectrum read for fun less in a range of 9-12% declines.

Do you think social media is having an affect on this decline? As an older adult with no young children in my life, I can only consider what I observe. It seems that really young kids I see at stores and restaurants are totally engrossed in their cellphones. Maybe they’re reading a book? I have no idea, but it does make me wonder if surfing isn’t having a deleterious effect on their reading habits now and in the future.

Thoughts On the Subject

If you’re an author, do you feel Americans’ reading habits are having an economic effect on your bottom line?
If you’re an author, how do you feel about only offering the eBook format?
As a reader, do you agree with the survey by Pew Research Center?
As a reader, how do you feel about the reading habits of kids being affected by online surfing?

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Can Sensitivity Reviewing Go Too Far?

4/26/2023

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An Example of Sensitivity Critiquing of Classical Literature: Roald Dahl

According to the BBC, below are some of the changes being made in Roald Dahl’s books.

• Augustus Gloop, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as "enormous."
• The word "fat" has been taken out of every book - according to the Telegraph.
• Mrs. Twit, from The Twits, is now described as "beastly" no longer "ugly and beastly."
• The Twits has removed the word "weird" from the sentence "a weird African language."
• "Crazy" and "mad" have also been taken out of the books.
A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister used a word created by Dahl to support his opposition to the changes. “When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees with the BFG [Big Friendly Giant] that we shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words.”

If you’re interested, here’s a link to Roald Dahl: the best gobblefunk words: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jun/14/roald-dahl-dictionary-best-gobblefunk-words

While Travis Croken, national co-chair of the Canadian Authors Association, believes using sensitivity readers to rewrite classical literature like Dahl is problematic he does believe employing them to work on in-progress manuscripts can be an important aspect of the writing process.

Examples of In-process Critiquing

A British Columbia sensitivity reader told an author of an unpublished manuscript that her autistic lead character, who spent her time hating herself and being a burden to her family, was a harmful characterization and needed to be changed. There was no mention of how the story played out. Did the character eventually evolve into a better state of mind or was her role to demonstrate to readers, even autistic ones, how unproductive her attitude was?

One sensitivity reader makes the point that often authors are writing about situations they know nothing about. She is non-binary and finds that despite their research, cisgender authors may tap into stereotypes or utilize damaging tropes. I understand that as authors we cannot always walk in another’s shoes, but I find it interesting that in reviewing a fantasy book, she found fault with a black character who turned into a Minotaur being described as monstrous and bestial. She saw this as a dangerous stereotype. My clinical observation is to ask: If the character were not black and still turned into a Minotaur in this fantasy novel, would you still consider it a stereotype?

Being a fantasy novel and the character being a Minotaur, having the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man, which has often been described in mythology as being monstrous and ferocious, doesn’t it seem like overreach to assume that the author’s descriptives were aimed at the character’s race rather than at the Minotaur itself? If one sees this as impossible to view other than as a “damaging stereotype,” it opens the door to authors being unable to exercise their imaginations or create characters that are anything but perfect by someone else’s standards. Censorship of societal issues should not be applied without context.

Authors often use their imaginations to present societal conditions as they exist in order to inform those who are uninformed about those situations. Not all instances are designed to express disapproval of someone or some way of life. Once again, context is important. I once had a reader who, after reading a couple of chapters in one of my books, felt the female character was not portraying the strength she expected. Of course, she didn’t read the book in which this female’s character evolved into a strong, independent woman.

Author Keira Drake had the release of her book postponed because early readers pounced on what they termed “racist trash.” The Continent is a fantasy novel about two warring nations. Apparently describing one nation’s warrior as having “reddish-brown skin and painted faces” is one of the things which set them off. I admit that I haven’t read the book, but it’s difficult to see exactly how imaginary peoples in a fantasy novel could offend anyone.

Writers’ Opinions

American author Francine Prose doesn’t believe authors and publishers need to hire sensitivity readers. “Few of us are working in so much isolation that we can’t find someone who we trust about a certain subject and say, ‘You know, you think I’m getting this wrong?’”

Award-winning author, Kate Clanchy, who went through the gauntlet with several sensitivity readers offers her opinion in an opinion piece. The title is “How sensitivity readers corrupt literature: They sullied my memoir to suit their agenda.” https://unherd.com/2022/02/how-sensitivity-readers-corrupted-literature/

Writer Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound, told NPR.org the following: Literature “comes from curiosity about how other people live; it comes from the desire to break down the barriers between us. And I just don't know how you do that if you have someone looking over your shoulder and sort of coughing slightly to let you know when you're off."

Sensitivity reader Dhonielle Clayton says, "I'm not in the business of censoring people. I'm in the business of checking to make sure what they're doing does not have harm and repercussions for the people that they are writing about. Because people don't realize the power of words and the power of bad representation — it can haunt people."

Do Sensitivity Readers Have Value?

If all sensitivity readers approach their work like Lynn Brown in New York, then it can be a good thing. She believes her role to be pointing out if the character feels stereotyped or if the character from particular segments of society would speak the way the author has written. She also believes she should point out if the author is developing the character in a stereotypical way to the point of being offensive to those readers of similar backgrounds.

One sensitivity reader believes that any author writing across cultures should use a sensitivity reader, especially in books for kids. I agree that accessing feedback from persons who are in the population group of your characters if different from your own is as reasonable as accessing experts in periods of history or professions used in your book.

My Opinion

I think classic literature should be left alone. It smacks of trying to rewrite history, an offense on the lips of millions today.
Advising authors on a work-in-progress is fine and can perhaps rectify one-dimensional stereotypes as well as clichés as long as the author has the final word.
As mentioned earlier with the Minotaur example, context should always be considered. If a book is a fantasy or a science fiction, it is especially important to honor that they do not usually mirror reality.
Let us all remember that when talking fiction works, fiction is defined as “literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people,” who I assume cannot be offended.
The difference between censorship, such as banning books, and sensitivity readers is that censorship is the suppression of content. As long as sensitivity readers’ opinions are held to the standard of suggestions, there is no suppression.

In today’s hair-trigger, hyperreactive social media landscape, as the New York Times describes it, readers can often assume it is their job to nitpick everything they read. Sometimes you have to wonder if they took the time to enjoy the stories in the books they post about. If such “heightened scrutiny” continues, many writers of fiction will refrain from including other cultures in their writing, resulting in a more homogenized body of literature.

We want to know what you think. Do you believe books should be altered and possible offensive words and content be removed, or should the books be left as they are?

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Book Publishing – Self-Serve or Full Service?

3/29/2023

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The debate continues. Is it better for an author to self-publish or go with a small independent press? A third option is to hire a literary agent and try to get in with one of the big guns. Unfortunately, the chances of this route being successful are not too good, so 99% of us will probably stick with self-serve or full service.

But before we delve into this discussion any further, there is another venue I must mention: pay-to-publish companies.

Pay-to-Publish
A Vanity or Predatory Publisher is in business to make money off the author. So they charge ridiculously high prices and don't care about their substandard products or the authors. Yet, as long as people willingly pay their fees, the industry flourishes.

Not all pay-to-publish presses are out to get you, though. There are some Service Publishers who honestly want to help authors publish their books. However, they must charge a fee to stay in business.

The problem is weeding out the good guys from the bad guys.

There is a difference between vanity and service publishers, but neither one is worth the sizeable investment necessary for their services. The best solution is to stay away from all pay-to-publish companies.

Self-Serve or Full Service
What is the most advantageous route for you? There are advantages and disadvantages to either selection. An independent press does all the prep work necessary to publish your book but takes half of your royalties as compensation. For some folks, it's well worth the monetary sacrifice to have someone else do the editing, formatting, cover design, and publishing! A drawback to an independent publisher is the time factor. Getting your book on the market can take a few months to almost a year.

If you have the funds to pay for the services you cannot do yourself and want to keep all the royalties as well as have total control of the whole process, then self-publishing is the way to go. It's a lot of work, but help is available whenever needed. Plus, you can work on it at your own pace.

Of course, an individual's preferences determine which path to take. What works for one person may not be suitable for another. You just have to do your research and decide for yourself.

I spoke with two established authors who followed different routes during their publishing journey. Hopefully, their experiences will assist you as you wade through all the information available on the internet.

Independent Presses
Sharon Ledwith never had any interest in self-publishing. Instead, she concentrated on finding the ideal small press that worked best for her. There are many out there, and even though they offer the same services (editing, formatting, designing a book cover, and publishing), they differ in the support and attention they give to the author, as well as the quality of the books they put out.

She has worked with two small presses. The first, Musa Publishing, went out of business in 2015. Sharon says, "I would compare them to a puppy mill publisher where they would churn out as many eBooks as possible in different genres. They were helpful as far as learning the ropes about being a published author and what is expected from their authors, but that's it."

The publisher she is with now, Mirror World is totally different. According to Sharon, "They are very supportive and grounded and only publish about six books a year." Along with the typical small press services, they also pay for a virtual week-long book tour, share marketing and promotion, and will print up advertisements when Sharon requests them.

Mirror World's earnings come from 50% of the eBook’s royalties. So, the publisher has plenty of incentive to put in the work and do it right!

An added bonus of living near Mirror World's headquarters, Sharon gets to join them at book shows and art markets. She is delighted with the choice she's made and recommends small presses over self-publishing. "I love to work with a team."

Self-publishing
On the other hand, KS (Kat) Brooks disagrees. She began her writing career as a traditionally published author. At the time, that was the only choice. There was no such thing as self-publishing. Kat comments, "You got published by one of the big publishers, or you didn't get published."

Nowadays, it's a different ballgame. There are choices, yet Kat highly recommends self-publishing. She says it's available to everyone. You do all the work yourself—hire an editor, make a cover, format the books—and keep all the royalties, as opposed to sharing the royalties with a publisher.

"With all the resources available online, an author no longer needs to rely on hiring a publisher. On Indies Unlimited, we have pages on editors, cover designers, and beta readers. There are also many other resources out there as well that will guide you through the process."

As far as sales go, Kat believes some small presses price things in a way that do hold authors back. "But a lot of them have smartened up and changed their models and now try to price ebooks more competitively, but many others will not."

With all the pros and cons considered, Kat always tell authors starting out to go with self-publishing. “I mean, the real question is, why go through a middleman? Why give someone a cut of your hard work when you can do the same thing and keep all the money?"

Decisions, Decisions
Whether you're publishing your first book or your tenth, the goal is the same – produce a quality product that is well-edited, has an appealing cover, and will please your prospective readers. How that task is accomplished is up to you.

Do your homework before making a decision. Then see what fits your style and go for it. Good luck!

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