| |
Other Authors
Grab Mike Scantlebury's free content feed for your web site
- Alternatives to communication
Hello? Anyone out there? Are you listening? Got something to say? Amazingly, everyone's talking but no one can hear a thing. It's a problem: the new Social Networking sites promised to put people in touch and help them to share and to talk to each other. There's a lot of noise but is there any communication? Can anyone really hear what anyone else has to say? Is there a point?
Date of Article: 14Aug2008 Category: Social View(32) EasyPublish(17)
- Alternatives to being natural
Smallpox is 'natural', it's just one of the things we don't really like in the world. But if it's yoghurt or blueberries, then the more 'natural' the better, apparently. We all love those 'natural' things. That must make them unique. In most people's lives, from the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed, practically everything we touch, use or make, is completely 'unnatural'. Is that so hard to appreciate? Date of Article: 11Aug2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(24) EasyPublish(16)
- Alternatives to sophistication
We get older. Do we get wiser? Unfortunately, many people in the advanced civilisations that we call The West seem to be content to revel in the baser instincts and count conquests of a personal nature amongst their rather flimsy list of achievements. What do we really have to boast about? Is there anything we can be really proud of? The list might be smaller than you think. Date of Article: 05Aug2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(88) EasyPublish(20)
- Alternatives to being Roman
We're here and the Romans aren't. That's a good thing, right? Well, only if you believe that they deserved to get overtaken by the juggernaut of history and we have something special that means we'll survive longer than they did. A thousand years? We've have to have something very special to be that good. Well, how do we compare? Let's see. Date of Article: 17Jun2008 Category: Politics & Government View(72) EasyPublish(49)
- Alternatives to GM foods
Well, somebody says that GM foods are good for you, but wait a minute, isn't that the same person who sells it to you? Isn't that the same person who is ripping off Third World farmers, stealing fields from Canadian farmers and concealing the amount of GM in everyday purchases like rice and soya? Uh, do they have my best interests at heart? Or is it their own interests that weigh most heavily? Who's the puppet, and who's pulling the strings? Date of Article: 09Jun2008 Category: Politics & Government View(87) EasyPublish(53)
- Alternatives on the road to addiction
If your children, or the children next door, turned to a life of dangerous drugs, you'd be only too keen to look for a reason and try and find an excuse. Is that any help? It might be that it doesn't matter how the habit started, especially after a few years. What matters is giving up the self-destructive habit. Then we can talk about it. If there's a problem, maybe we can fix it. But that comes later, once you're off the road of addiction. Date of Article: 06Jun2008 Category: Home & Family View(81) EasyPublish(30)
- Alternatives to the differences between men and women
Everything's out in the open, these days. Or so we are told. Unfortunately, we're not told everything. In doctor's surgeries and clinics, people find it as difficult as ever to have full and frank discussions. That can't be right, surely? We live in modern times. Not at all, says this article, and goes on to raise several important issues. Well, what do you think? Date of Article: 02Jun2008 Category: Health & Fitness View(75) EasyPublish(33)
- Alternatives to losing at gambling
Why do some people walk out of the casino with a fat wallet and some exit with no shirt on their back? What are the factors that decide winning or losing, and, more important, does this have anything at all to do with real life? Are their 'gamblers' at other things too, apart from cards? The answer, surprisingly, is simpler than it sounds, and the rules, if you choose to follow them, can produce worthwhile results. Date of Article: 21May2008 Category: Finance & Investment View(86) EasyPublish(40)
- Alternatives to reality, every day
So, what's it to be, young man? Why, you could be a famous sports personality, a singer or creative artist, all without work or effort. You could be rich, famous, an expert in your field, and all without practice. Uh, wait a minute: where are we going? You think it's possible to achieve anything without daily effort? Time to think again. Moving forward is easy, but you have to move your feet. One step at a time. Date of Article: 12May2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(138) EasyPublish(44)
- Alternatives to Fairyland
Children love fairy stories, tall tales of short elves and beautiful maidens. Is it fair to shatter their illusions and puncture their dreams? Certainly not! But what if that 'child' is 21, or 41, or 61? Should they still be allowed to believe in fairies? Doesn't someone, anyone, need to tell them the truth about the economy? Why should they be encouraged to live in Fairy Land forever? Date of Article: 04May2008 Category: Finance & Investment View(117) EasyPublish(57)
- Internet Authors are the new Black Swans
Life is so unpredictable. Just when you were pretty sure that all swans were white, someone goes off and discovers Australia, where swans can be found that are black. No one was expecting that. Likewise, no one is expecting the edifice of Traditional Publishing to crumble, but after 250 years it is finally beginning to shake. Internet Authoring is the way of the future. That's a surprise too. Date of Article: 01May2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(107) EasyPublish(42)
- Alternatives to being the best
Every day is an adventure and every road we go down gives us a choice, which way to go next. What would you choose, good or bad, right or wrong, the worst or the best. Let's look at a few examples and see how frail and stupid we can all be, if we're determined and really put our minds to it. The alternative, of course, is always better, but how many of us can choose that route? Date of Article: 15Apr2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(113) EasyPublish(43)
- Alternatives to flouride
Why should we do what's good for us? Well, apparently, we don't. Despite all the good intentions in the world, not everyone is convinced that medicating the water supply is the best way to treat people in the 21st century. Anyway, they've found other things to do. These days it's drinking water out of a very expensive bottle. People don't always do what they're told! Sorry. Date of Article: 03Apr2008 Category: Health & Fitness View(79) EasyPublish(50)
- Internet Authors don't use quills
Every artist has a hero, someone they admired when younger and then set out to emulate. But do they copy the person or just follow in their footsteps? If you want to go the way of William Shakespeare does that mean you have to use a quill pen and write on parchment? Or is their another way? Perhaps we can learn from the best of new techology, while not ignoring the lessons of the past. Date of Article: 30Mar2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(173) EasyPublish(60)
- Internet Authors are farmers, really
As the age of Traditional Publishing draws to an end, authors are finding that the internet can now meet all their needs, for getting published and being heard. Writers make contact with readers through the web, get feedback and improve their craft. Their work grows in the sunlight of positive criticism, watered by the rain of encouragement. The author brings in a well-deserved harvest. Just like farmers, maybe? Date of Article: 24Mar2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(82) EasyPublish(43)
- Alternatives to Making Do
Why prepare? After all, a lot of famous people are renowned for being able to 'wing it', coming up with the goods off the top of their heads. Isn't it good to be spontaneous? Why not copy the rich and famous? Yeah, good, if you can. On the other hand, it might be better to make that all important first impression by knowing what you're talking about. Yep, that's an alternative. Date of Article: 08Mar2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(127) EasyPublish(80)
- Alternatives to pretending
We are who we think we are. Are we? Or are we who we say we are? Or, more accurately, we seem to be whom we pretend to be. That's good, surely, making out you're more than you are; more important; more - everything. Not according to this author. You spend effort pretending to be who you're not and you'll spend up, with nothing to show for it. Try another way. Date of Article: 03Mar2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(138) EasyPublish(58)
- Alternatives to positive thinking
What's all this 'positive' stuff? Why do we have to keep smiling? What's this obsession with always looking on the bright side. Maybe there are other world views, and this article points you in that direction, out there in the world, maybe China. Find out more about being positive where it counts, in planning and doing. After all, the question is, where are you - now and in the future - not what you can say about it. Date of Article: 01Mar2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(171) EasyPublish(69)
- Alternatives to Arrogance
We all get above ourselves, sometimes. We think we're pretty smart, pretty important, but as one successful entrepreneur likes to say, really we're just 'insignificant worms'. Actually, as the author of this article points out, we're lower than that, really a lot lower, which makes for humility maybe and a greater sense of perspective. After all, it's a big universe, isn't it? Date of Article: 22Feb2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(154) EasyPublish(69)
- Alternatives to being rescued by dolphins
Scientists are funny people. They're not content with knowing what they can see with their own eyes: they want to know 'why'. That's great, it's the foundation of modern civilisation, but not so helpful if you're in the sea, surrounded by sharks. And most of us are, aren't we? Date of Article: 11Feb2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(160) EasyPublish(76)
- Internet Authors don't need friends
You want to write a book and see it in print? So who do you think is going to help you? Not your 'friends'. Not the people who like you as you are and don't want to see you change. Not the people who are jealous of your talent and your ambition. Not the people on the same road, the same race track, aiming for the same finishing line. You think they'll help? Think again. You're on your own. Make the most of it. Date of Article: 03Feb2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(116) EasyPublish(71)
- Alternatives to Torture, part 2
Bad things happen to bad people, don't they say? If people get tortured, it must be their fault, right? Nobody is going to break your legs without a good reason. Probably. On the other hand, if you had actually done something, you'd be in court, not in a dungeon, far from home and not known about. If you're secret, then who has got something to hide - you, or us? Date of Article: 01Feb2008 Category: Politics & Government View(120) EasyPublish(90)
- Alternatives to driving your life
Who are these people, speeding down the highway, overtaking dangerously and threatening lives and property? One thing is certain: they aren't successful in any other part of their lives, apart from burning rubber! Check out the reasons why we all need to be behind the wheel and in charge of our driving, not intimidated by it. Date of Article: 26Jan2008 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(143) EasyPublish(86)
- Alternatives to story telling
If the medium changes, so does the message - or so the message went in the 1970s. Does anyone still believe that? More likely, the skills, experiences and ingredients of good story telling have actually stayed the same over the years, even if quill pens have given way to computerised word processors. At least, that's what this author thinks. Agree? Or disagree, it's up to you. Date of Article: 23Jan2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(126) EasyPublish(98)
- Internet Authors are protest writers
If several authors are writing books on similar themes does this make a 'trend'? Traditional Publishers don't think so. They've never heard of Protest Novelists or Challenging Writers, but this could be the 'next big thing' in the world of books. To find it, you might have to look on the internet, but that's no bad thing. There's plenty of good stuff out there, just waiting to be read. Date of Article: 19Jan2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(111) EasyPublish(88)
- Internet Authors don't need prospectors
Publishers need authors, (they say). If that's so, why don't they read the stuff that arrives in the post? Because they aren't prospectors, says Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author. Publishers don't actually sieve the dross, looking for nuggets of gold. How could they? They're far too busy doing lunch and attending ceremonies, you know, important stuff, he says. Date of Article: 14Jan2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(114) EasyPublish(93)
- Internet Authors don't need needs
Ever wondered how to give the publisher exactly what they want? Forget it. Even if they knew, by the time they made up their mind, they'd have already moved on. Yes, check out Mike Scantlebury and see what he has to say on the subject of writing, publishing and finding out how to give the readers what they want - a much better idea. Date of Article: 10Jan2008 Category: Writing & Speaking View(124) EasyPublish(80)
- Alternatives to good ideas
All you need is a good idea, right? Well, no, because there's always the problem of other people. Some of them, out there, seem determined and doomed to mess things up. Watch out, in case they get in your way, and let Mike Scantlebury show you the real road to where you want to go. Date of Article: 22Dec2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(161) EasyPublish(98)
- Internet Authors don't need fame
Tough being an author? Even tougher being a publisher! But in the world of Traditional Publishing there's all kinds of self-inflicted pain, most of which is no help to themselves, or their clients. Tune in with Mike Scantlebury and hear why he's an Internet Author, not bothering with the follow-my-leader of the last 250 years, now hopelessly out of date. Date of Article: 21Dec2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(114) EasyPublish(93)
- Alternatives to great riches
You wanna be rich? But what is 'rich'? If it's so important then why is rich publisher Felix Dennis giving away ninety per cent of what he's got? Is there anything else in life? More important, is there something for you? What do you want? Join Mike Scantlebury in the discussion and think about making plans. Date of Article: 17Dec2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(122) EasyPublish(87)
- Internet Authors don't need nonsense
Okay, so you've written a book and you're looking for advice. It would be nice to hear from an 'expert'. Unfortunately, most people turn to publishers instead. What hopes have you got of learning anything? Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author, isn't impressed with the standards of feedback available. Hear his story. Date of Article: 02Dec2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(147) EasyPublish(93)
- Alternatives to good service
Met any surly waiters? Unhelpful Help Lines? Hostile helpers? Why do people think they can get away with it? You're the customer. Don't like it? Take your money elsewhere. Or, if you want to keep the custom, listen to Mike Scantlebury's sad experience and learn what he had to learn. It's an interesting lesson. Date of Article: 25Nov2007 Category: Business - General View(184) EasyPublish(102)
- Internet Authors don't need cut-offs
Close the doors. Don't let anyone else in. That seems to be the message from bureaucrats and rule makers the world over. Why? Is there really a question of Health and Safety? Or is it just that a man with a pen and a penchant for control has decided to make up a few rules, draw some boundaries and decide some outcomes. Is it necessary? Does it help? Let Mike Scantlebury take you through the arguments. Date of Article: 22Nov2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(156) EasyPublish(94)
- Alternatives to running for the bus
Why do some people always miss the bus? Maybe it's bad luck, and 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time'. Or maybe it's way past time for excuses and people have to start thinking and planning ahead, finding out what the bus timetable says and organising their lives, instead of embarrassing themselves. See what Internet Author Mike Scantlebury thinks. He might surprise you. Date of Article: 18Nov2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(198) EasyPublish(117)
- Internet Authors don't need Club Class
What have 'bacon bits' got to do with new novels and Internet Publishing? See what Mike Scantlebury has to say about the obsession of Traditional Publishers for the supposed First Class of novel writing, and check out what other options might be available for the aspiring author and would-be writer. Date of Article: 10Nov2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(135) EasyPublish(95)
- Alternatives to Plumbers
Why would anybody in England prefer to get their leaks fixed by Polish plumbers these days. Why would they? Why would they favour foreigners over their home-made counterparts? Could these Poles have something that English people don't? Are they doing something their British colleagues aren't? Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author, has an opinion. Date of Article: 06Nov2007 Category: Business - General View(264) EasyPublish(118)
- Alternatives to Heroes
Nobody said that life was easy, but why try and pretend that those who make a go of it are somehow superhuman? Because it excuses the rest of us. It can't be that we're laid back, lazy, lackadaisical and lecherous. No, it can't be. The few who achieve great things, we say, are somehow 'heroes', the rest of us aren't. Or aren't yet. Who knows, maybe we'll get the hint eventually. Date of Article: 03Nov2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(163) EasyPublish(99)
- Alternatives to Torture, 1
Do we have all the answers? If we know so much, why do we have to torture people to find out what they know? Why don't they tell us? Is it because they know less than we do? Internet Author Mike Scantlebury is good at putting the questions. See if you know more than him, and fill in your own answers in this conundrum of an article. Date of Article: 28Oct2007 Category: Politics & Government View(157) EasyPublish(114)
- Alternatives to books
Why are people so dense? Why won't they do what's good for them? Men in white coats have been sweating in labs for many years to invent the perfect e-book reader, so why aren't they everyhwere? Why can't people just ditch those smelly, crumbly, rotting woody things called 'books' and start living in Century 21? Ask author Mike Scantlebury and see if he has any suggestions. Date of Article: 26Oct2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(141) EasyPublish(82)
- Alternatives to filling teeth
There have been plenty of health 'scares' in recent years, but none more alarming than the one right under your very nose, that is, right in your mouth. Teeth fillings. They're harmless, right? Well, if you're a Baby Boomer, they'll be made of a metal amalgam that is mainly mercury. That's a poison, right? Maybe you need to know more. Date of Article: 24Oct2007 Category: Health & Fitness View(153) EasyPublish(85)
- Internet Authors don't need greed
Who needs money? Well, we live in a cash-based culture, so that must be everyone, right? Yes, we need funds but that doesn't mean we have to be in thrall to it. Break loose! Feel free! Hear what Mike Scantlebury has to say about why bother writing the book you've always dreamed of. Date of Article: 23Oct2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(128) EasyPublish(106)
- Internet Authors don't need timing
Unpublished authors are swamped by advice. Is any of it any good? Internet Author Mike Scantlebury comes out swinging, challenging the idea that 'timing is everything', especially away from the world of Traditional Publishing and out on the frontier of writing and the internet. It's a thrilling world out there, full of possibilities. Try it! Date of Article: 20Oct2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(177) EasyPublish(93)
- Internet Authors don't need advice
You're an author. You're feeling a little isolated, a bit lonely. You want comfort and encouragement. You ask for advice. Bad luck! What you get is unhelpful and contradictory. Better to ignore these offerings and get your work into print. On the internet. The only place that accepts whatever you have to offer and gives you feedback once the work is in print, not stifling your efforts before they ever see the light of day. Date of Article: 04Oct2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(121) EasyPublish(100)
- Alternatives to catching criminals
Why catch criminals? Because they do things that are against the law. British Internet Author Mike Scantlebury has noticed an alternative trend. Why not look as though you're doing something about it, without actually succeeding? That way, everyone is happy, including the crims. It looks good, it sounds good, it's just not real. Well, isn't that just like modern life? Date of Article: 01Oct2007 Category: Politics & Government View(152) EasyPublish(122)
- Internet Authors are Market Traders
Internet Authors set up scruffy and unprofessional web sites to display their wares. What does that remind you of? Why - the market stalls that clutter the pavements of downtown areas in cities all over the world. Maybe this 'new wave' doesn't need the plush offices of Traditional Publishers. Maybe they scorn the fripperies of clubs, lunches and award ceremonies. The question is - are the books any good? Date of Article: 23Sep2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(142) EasyPublish(118)
- Alternatives to Viagra
Men are hopeless. Most of them are useless in bed, and worse, they don't want to discuss it, so will never find out where they are going wrong. Problems? Viagra is no answer, but who wants to hear that? What man wants to hear how he can improve his performance if it involves time, effort and - worst of all - talking. No, far better to waste money on the internet and hope the little blue pill isn't 'fake' ! Date of Article: 18Sep2007 Category: Health & Fitness View(134) EasyPublish(129)
- Alternatives to diets
Got a plan? Sure, lose weight. No problem. But which fad will you be following today? The grapefruit? The seaweed extract? The squashed snails soup? Listen to what internet author Mike Scantlebury has to say on the subject and start living. Dieting is not a way of life for those who really want to make changes. Think ouside the box and inside your heart. There's things to talk about. Date of Article: 15Sep2007 Category: Health & Fitness View(102) EasyPublish(98)
- Alternatives to drugs
'Advice for parents'? Who needs it? But author Mike Scantlebury is reassuring when it comes to thinking about the lessons that wise elders are sharing with the young, like 'Study hard' and 'Work for tomorrow'. It may not be fashionable but the alternative 'philosophy' is based on a lie, says Mike, exposing the sham justifications that allow young people to pollute their bodies, crash their minds, and hock their future. Date of Article: 09Sep2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(177) EasyPublish(131)
- Alternatives to gangs
What are teenagers really getting up to in their spare time? Should parents worry, or is there something more positive they can do? Join self-help expert and Internet Author Mike Scantlebury in an exploration of social trends and sample a sliver of the book he is currently working on, full of useful, no-nonsense advice for parents. Date of Article: 06Sep2007 Category: Home & Family View(140) EasyPublish(127)
- Internet Authors live in the present
Bad day? If you're already feeling bad, it's hard enough to cope with the 'here and now'. And who knows what disasters tomorrow may bring? Talk to Mike Scantlebury and hear why it's a good idea to 'pick yourself up' and start again, but even better to brush off the dust of defeat as well as keeping your head out of the clouds of what might be coming. (It might not.) Let's talk about 'now'. What can we do - today? Date of Article: 01Sep2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(162) EasyPublish(108)
- Internet Authors free the genie
What if? What if? The perennial call of the dreamer, the visionary, and the Internet Author. Such creative writers have seen the future, and it's not as we know it. It includes the end of the domination of Traditional Publishers and the rise in importance of The Reader, the ultimate customer of all writers. People may now make their livings on the net. What next? Mike Scantlebury has a prediction. Date of Article: 29Aug2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(148) EasyPublish(105)
- Internet Authors don't need money
Every author wants to make a fortune, right? Of course, so that they can pay their publishers back for what they owe them; their agent; the PR guy; and the trainee who fetches the coffee. Oh, and the plush offices. The authors pay for them, don' they. Not much gets through to the creators of the books, but you wouldn't expect that, would you? You would? Seriously? Date of Article: 24Aug2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(148) EasyPublish(110)
- Alternatives to leading a double life
Every one of us is a superhero. You may not see that, because most of us spend more time living as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter, than we do as Superman. Unfortunately, keeping such secrets is hard work and uses most of our energy. We don't have much thought and inspiration left to perform super deeds, when we're pre-occupied hiding. Why not make a change? Dash into that phonebox now. Get changed. Date of Article: 19Aug2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(178) EasyPublish(146)
- Internet Authors don't need Patrons
What year is it? What century are we living in? It seems like Traditional Publishers don't know. They like to pretend that 'publishing is a business' and that it's 'all about the money', then they pick and choose authors like they're actually the aristocratic Patrons of old, preferencing grand and flowery Literature over best-selling schlock. What's up with these guys? Can't they make up their minds? Date of Article: 13Aug2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(145) EasyPublish(131)
- Alternatives to morality
Some people say 'If it ain't against the law, then why can't we do it?' but there is more to life than that. There's morality. People might disagree on the details but discussing 'right and wrong' is topical in any culture. What works now? Join Mike Scantlebury in thinking about consequences. Date of Article: 11Aug2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(129) EasyPublish(140)
- Alternatives to the past
What's so good about the past? It seems so certain, so solid. It's there to tell us who we are and where we came from. Actually, it doesn't exist. It's there in our heads and we have to recreate the details in our minds. It's actually as flabby and full of fantasy as our dreams about the future. Let Mike Scantlebury demolish your obsessions and chip away at your bad memories. After all, they're holding you back. Date of Article: 07Aug2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(124) EasyPublish(131)
- Internet Authors have feelings too
You've written a novel? Sure, you want to get it published. That's easy, if you're a robot. On the other hand, if you're a human being with genuine feelings, then you're going to stumble, fall, and eventually be totally defeated by the humiliation of rejection that seems to be the norm being handed out by Traditional Publishers. That's enough. If you want another way, try Internet Publishing. It works. Date of Article: 03Aug2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(181) EasyPublish(136)
- Alternatives to emotions
There's a mountain of books out there that will encourage you to 'listen to your heart' and 'go with your gut'. Mike Scantlebury, ever helpful, swims against the tide as usual and urges caution. Just because you feel something inside, it doesn't mean that it's going to help you with your life. It might just be indigestion. Or it might be an innate fear. Fine, but if you want to move forward, you need more than that. Date of Article: 30Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(154) EasyPublish(179)
- Alternatives to SUMO
'Moving On' is good advice for all kinds of self improvement, but is it essential to 'Shut Up'? Mike Scantlebury explores the options for trying to ditch bad feelings and make progress in your life. Find out what 'SUMO' means, then compare it to 'TOMO' or 'SOMO'. One way or another, it's possible to get to where you want to be. Date of Article: 26Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(139) EasyPublish(152)
- Alternatives to speed
Who do we think we are fooling? When we rush around hectically, always hurrying, do we seriously think that people are conned into believing that what we are doing is important, and where we are going means anything? Are we rushing in order to convince ourselves that any of it really matters? Date of Article: 19Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(130) EasyPublish(128)
- Internet Authors aren't Dummies
Why do would-be authors put themselves down? Why do they assume they must be 'dummies', just because they haven't been published - yet? Everyone has to start somewhere, but why should clever, creative people assume they have to go back to kindergarten? Get your books out on the internet and sidestep the harrassing and negative feedback, so-called 'advice' and putdowns. Date of Article: 16Jul2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(161) EasyPublish(164)
- Alternatives to standing still
It's common sense. Standing still takes no energy and jogging burns up calories. Wrong. Life's not like that. Every day we struggle and strain just to stay where we are, not because we like it, but because it feels familiar. We interpret that as comfortable and safe. Wrong. Changing course is almost as difficult as staying in the same rut. Try it. Date of Article: 12Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(157) EasyPublish(153)
- Alternatives to The Switch
Why make a big deal out of it? If you really want to be rich, there must be a simple place to start, surely? Mike Scantlebury takes up the challenge, by giving you a simple exercise, so simple that 99 out of the hundred people who read the advice are sure as hell not going to take it. 'First make me rich' is the usual demand. No, that's not it. First do and act like you're rich is actually the best place to start. Everything else follows. Date of Article: 08Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(158) EasyPublish(197)
- Alternatives to working
People are careful not to pick your pocket, but somehow they still expect to be given the keys to your car and the password to your bank account. That's stealing! Why go onto the internet and expect a new set of morals to have taken over? Why should you profit from someone else's hard work? Is it because you simply don't want to have to work? Is there any alternative? Date of Article: 04Jul2007 Category: Internet Marketing/Online Business View(158) EasyPublish(169)
- Alternatives to the downward spiral
How come 'bad luck comes in threes'? Because good luck comes in 3s too, and 5s, and 7s. Things are linked. One item often piles on top of another. If it's bad news, then there's more to come, and soon you're on the downward spiral. But - something that most people don't stop to think about is that good news never travels alone either. One good thing can lead to another. There's an upward spiral as well as a down facing one! Date of Article: 02Jul2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(146) EasyPublish(169)
- Internet Authors aren't losers
Authors who feel depressed and defeated by life need to realise that they are only feeling bad because they are currently trapped in a game, run by biased people with their own agenda. Writers need to keep on writing and start making their own rules, using the Internet to find a home for their work and coming to terms with the way the world actually works - badly for struggling authors. Date of Article: 28Jun2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(170) EasyPublish(151)
- Alternatives to The Secret
What's the attraction of a secret? Why go out looking for something new when you already have the answer in your own hands? Are the answers we already know too mundane and too much like hard work that we have to go on seeking, questing, even when the only things we ever find are the same old tired formulas and exhortations. How old do we have to get before we will start looking in our own backyard for the wisdom we already possess? Date of Article: 20Jun2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(166) EasyPublish(206)
- Alternatives to excuses
Trying to get out of bed in the morning? It might be helpful to think about what's going through your head. Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author and creator of many self-help books and articles, looks at a few examples and asks some hard questions. Most important, if you aren't fooling anyone else, why go on trying to fool yourself? Date of Article: 17Jun2007 Category: Self-Improvement/Motivation View(176) EasyPublish(201)
- Internet Authors aren't carnivores
Calling people names doesn't solve anything, and for Traditional Publishers to pretend that Internet Authors aren't what they claim to be is hardly going to advance the debate. Join Internet Author Mike Scantlebury in looking at the pros and cons of putting up your newly-written book on the web, and just see if what he is saying doesn't make sense. It could be the best move you made all week. Date of Article: 15Jun2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(154) EasyPublish(143)
- The 7 Levels of Publishing, Part Three
At last, the Third Part of the trilogy brings an end to the saga. It's not Shrek, Spiderman or Oceans, but it does help to explain how such ideas get into print and reach the reading public, as well as why many of them fail. What's the best thing for authors to do? How can they get their efforts published? Mike brings his incisive wit to bear, and turns the spotlight on an industry in crisis. Date of Article: 14Jun2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(161) EasyPublish(239)
- Internet Authors are the new Slush Pile
Why do publishers contradict themselves? They want first choice of new novels, but maintain a publication rate that is suicidally low. They underestimate the internet and want authors to try them first, but give no guarantees that submissions will even be read. If authors choose the web as a priority, then Traditional Publishers will have to become Internet Prospectors, digging for gold. Date of Article: 03Jun2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(185) EasyPublish(149)
- Alternatives to Education Meltdown
Starting your life at school and going on through education is a learning experience for most of us, but we don't want to hear about you. Here in England we only want to talk about people at the extremes, the brightest at one end and the dumbest at the other. Why? Can't we have a debate about education where we begin to mention the majority, for once? Date of Article: 31May2007 Category: Politics & Government View(196) EasyPublish(187)
- The 7 Levels of Publishing, Part Two
In this second part of a long article, Mike Scantlebury continues to expound his theory that Traditional Publishers and authors want completely different things. He shows how Internet Publishing can help the struggling author and provide precisely what they are looking for, without any of the angst, frustration and disappointment found by pursuing Traditional Publishers. Date of Article: 22May2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(174) EasyPublish(238)
- The 7 Levels of Publishing, Part One
Why would any struggling author want to risk the ritual humiliation of submitting their works to Traditional Publishers when there is a new modern alternative? Mike Scantlebury starts to lay out the 7 Levels of achievement if publishing in a challenging and thought provoking way. Date of Article: 17May2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(334) EasyPublish(172)
- Why Internet Authors don't need surfers
Internet Authors try to sell books on the web, but they waste time and effort appealing to surfers, people who are quite clearly not interested in printed material. Surfers have short attention spans and are looking for easily accessible thrills and excitement. They don't have the means, or the inclination, to look at novels, stories, or old-fashioned texts. So then, who are the ideal customers for Internet Authors? Date of Article: 11May2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(216) EasyPublish(182)
- Internet Authors aren't Newspaper Columnists
The internet is new, so why do critics insist on seeing it as a mere reflection of existing systems and cultural norms? Bloggers aren't journalists and people who write articles for the web aren't media pundits. We're in a New World and old traditions are dying. Isn't that the truth? Date of Article: 06May2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(239) EasyPublish(198)
- Why Internet Authors don't need Critics
New authors are getting conflicting advice about whether to try their luck with Traditional Publishers or use the new resources of the internet. Which is best? Which will bring results? Mike Scantlebury has his own ideas. He is an Internet Author and believes that Traditional Publishing can no longer meet the needs of the aspiring creative writers out there. Date of Article: 01May2007 Category: Writing & Speaking View(256) EasyPublish(232)
|