Tag: Hidden Traps

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A laptop and smartphone display code and a large yellow envelope as smaller envelopes scatter across a world map, suggesting fast, global digital communication.

The Importance of Whitelisting

Most of us don't think about whitelisting at all, myself included. An email has found our inbox, so we think that everything is all hunky-dory. And in an ideal world, that would be a fair assumption. However, the moment anything changes, communications that have been finding the inbox can suddenly be moved to spam… or some other folder that removes it from view.

And that's exactly what happened with the move of my email list to a different email management system in 2026.

I always knew that I would need to rebuild my "trust" with the delivery systems. This would have happened regardless of the system I moved to, simply because the email header information would have changed, and systems like Gmail need to reassess it. And this is where whitelisting plays a role.

In today's post, let's talk about the importance of whitelisting and why it's important to advise subscribers to your newsletter to whitelist your email address or domain even if they are getting your emails direct into their inbox.

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Woman in purple shirt covering their face at the center of a red target, surrounded by pointing fingers.

The AI Witch Hunts Have Started

Authors losing contracts. Editors being sued. Contests coming into disrepute. And all this pales in comparison to the slander and accusations that are flying in every which direction.

I'm seeing an increasing number of posts from self-publishing authors now afraid of being accused of using AI to write their stories. Some of these posts are in response to random comments about covers that they've just had commissioned, suggesting that the author was scammed by someone using AI in the design. Other posts are because the author favors punctuation that has now become a "tell-tale sign" of whether someone is using AI or not—like a writer not using AI is not capable of producing anything that might be grammatically correct. And let's not forget the authors who are being accused of using AI to pump it out at a rapid rate, just because they're publishing six books a year. Yet, I personally know Harlequin Romance writers who are contracted to do just that—write at least six books a year.

Unfortunately, when the lynch mob gets an idea stuck in their heads, there's nothing that anyone can do to prove otherwise.

The mob says it's so, so the mob must be right. Right?

WRONG!

Yet, it doesn't take away the fear.

Emotions are running high, and those with the pitch forks are ready to pounce. And many authors are now scared… and all because of the AI mess that has landed at our feet.

It's time to put a little perspective into this and right-size the situation.

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Initial Communications Say More Than You Know

Don't delude yourself: first impressions matter. We judge people by those first few seconds, and it is incredibly difficult to change someone's opinion after that judgment has already been made.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Yet we do it ALL THE TIME.

There are countless examples where first impressions matter. But the one arena that people tend to forget about is digital communications (email and social media). It has become way too easy to send off emails, treating it like a text message with a friend, rather than a business or formal method of communication.

I can rant until I'm blue in the face about social media interactions, but today, I want to focus on email communications and the hidden messages that exist in those lines of email.

I will be taking examples from some of my communications with prospective clients, paraphrasing and hiding the identity of those email writers. But I want to give you some insight into the subtext I gleaned from those emails.

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To AI covers or not to AI covers? What a loaded question.

It's something that has been on my mind for a variety of reasons lately.

Is it acceptable to use an AI cover on a human-generated book or not?

Many of us will likely have an instinctive answer that will go one way or the other, but the question is not clear-cut.

First, we have AI-generative tools being embedded in photoshopping programs, making it difficult for graphic designers to avoid AI when designing our book covers. Then we have book awards saying that books will be discounted from consideration if any component of the book was AI-generated, including the cover, even though the competition is for the content; and the cover is technically not part of the content, especially when you consider that the change of a book cover does not require a new ISBN to be issued for that book.

And let's not forget any ethical concerns that might arise.

Cost is often a factor here. Though there is no guarantee that an AI-generated cover would be cheaper than a human-created one.

But putting all of this aside, it is still a valid question. Is it okay for a human-generated book to use an AI-generated cover?

In today's post, I want to explore the consequences of such an action, addressing questions that some self-publishing authors might have regarding AI covers.

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Silhouetted hands pressed against a glowing green field of cascading digital code—evoking themes of digital entrapment, cybersecurity, or being trapped inside a virtual world.

Why I’m not on Substack

Substack has become a popular site among writers. It's a combination of a blogging engine mixed with a social media community. But it's because of the email list concept and monetization that the site has gained favor.

It's provided a way for newer writers to build a mailing list without laying out the expense of having a custom domain. And it's provided a way for writers to make money off their content as they write it.

I have to admit that I can see why it's gained popularity among both new and established writers. But despite its popularity, it's one site that I'm unlikely to adopt within my own platform.

Let's take a look at the functionality of the site and why I've chosen to use other systems for the same functionality.

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