Tag: Hidden Traps

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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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Trapped in the Internet 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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Don’t respond to reviews

Reviews are a necessary part of the business. Without good reviews, a book never sees the positive side of the algorithms that promote your books for you. Without reviews, many readers will turn away from your book, particularly if it is an old book. And reviews help to build SEO traction on a book.

However, as important as reviews are, reviews can also be a dangerous area for writers.

Writers have lost their publishing contracts because they badmouthed a review on social media. Writers have been review bombed because of such deplorable behavior. But writers have also been attacked because they left a negative review on a competitor's book. In some cases, those attacks were warranted. In other cases, they weren't.

The most important aspect with reviews is to remember that reviews are NOT for the benefit of the writer. They are for the benefit of the reader. It's readers telling prospective readers what they thought of the book.

And when it comes to reviews, it is a very bad idea to respond to any reviews (or comments on those reviews) regardless of what you think of the review.

If you want to share those reviews with others, then cross-post it on your feeds. Acknowledge the good reviews that way, but DON'T RESPOND.

It's time to take a closer look at how responding to reviews, good or bad, could land you in hot water.

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Ding, ding, ding. We have an AI scammer!

The number of scams is on the rise. Systems like ChatGPT have made it super-easy for the charlatans to craft the perfect emails.

Scrape this website here of that information. Scrape that bit too. Oh, and get ChatGPT to run its own high-powered search. And tell the system to craft the perfect email that will suck the unsuspecting doop in.

As many of us start to see more and more of these emails, we’re starting to see patterns that seem to be the Hallmark of scams. But, it’s getting harder and harder to spot the scams. And for a freelance editor (and writing coach) such as myself, what might look like a scam on the first inspection (as it’s an email that follows the telltale signs of an AI scam), the email might indeed be a prospective client that I need to start courting.

In today’s post, we’re going to look at the tactics that scammers are now using. I’ll even attempt to provide tips on how to identify the AI scams for what they are (though the AI scammers are quickly evolving and they are wisening up to their own failings.)

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