I had never paid much attention to crows. I thought they were just noisy, obnoxious pests. At least, that’s how I saw them when I lived back in Ontario. But then we moved to “Supernatural” British Columbia in 2012, and a couple things changed my mind about these black rascals.

It was low tide and we were strolling along the beach out in front of the 486-ton white rock looking for interesting stones and shells. Although I heard no sound other than the light lapping of waves, I started to get an odd sense – as if we were being followed.

I stopped suddenly, turned around and saw one lone crow following in my footsteps as I picked up and discarded unwanted stones. My sudden stop and about-face caused this crow to stop suddenly as well, and he seemed to look around as if to ask, “What’s wrong – is someone following us?” It was a comical moment and I began to wonder if there was more to crows than I’d previously noticed.

Shortly after that day, we noticed a particular crow near our own home. He had a broken beak but it never seemed to prevent him from hunting for food and having success. We named him “Brokebeak” and began throwing a few peanuts out for him and a couple of his pals.

About this time, we also embarked on an intensive walking program to both lose weight and get in better shape. Our walks would usually take us from our East Beach location heading west along the White Rock Beach promenade, all the way uphill on Oxford Street, then east on 16 Avenue into town where we would stop sometimes for a cold drink before continuing the trek back home.

What we noticed when we reached the alley leading to our home – and with still about one kilometre to go – was the sudden appearance of our new friends. I commented that they seemed to recognize us. Ric threw them some peanuts that he had in his pocket and they dove for them.

Yes, they had recognized us as we’ve since learned. They can recognize faces and they know people who are kind to crows and those who aren’t. While they can be both thieves and pranksters (more on that to follow), they also demonstrate a lot of intelligence.

They tend to follow us some distance when we go for walks – even as far as the White Rock pier or farther. Often Ric has gone out among the tidal pools at low tide with his tripod and camera, and our feathered friends will show up, patiently waiting for treats to follow after he takes his pictures.

Our crow pals also seem to watch the house, and when they spot our car pulling out, they swoop in and fly along beside the car to get our attention. They’ll often fly along side until they get their peanut rations. And they also watch for us to return home. But we have one rule: if they’re noisy, they get no reward. Only quiet birds get treats.

[CROW-recipes]

We don’t expect everyone to share our love of crows, but there’s no denying their intelligence and cleverness. While that might not encourage affection, it should at least afford them a bit of respect.[CROW-walker-EDGAR]

[CROW-head-EDGAR]

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Whether you’re a brand new author about to launch your first book or a seasoned writer with several ISBNs to your name, self-publishing your next novel might be the best option. Self-publishing no longer has the stigma associated with it of being the last option for the rejected author. Keep in mind too that many publishers will not consider proposals directly from authors, only from literary agents. Here are some additional reasons why you might want to consider publishing your next project yourself.

1. Control

You have full control over your project, from the title and content to the layout and design, including the cover art. You won’t be at the mercy of a publisher that wants to convert your work into something totally different than you intended, changing not just the title but also the main message or plot. While all wise authors would do well to have their work proofread and edited for grammar, as well as for clarity, consistency, and continuity, the self-published author retains control over all final decisions. You can choose to accept or reject suggestions as you see fit. However, if you take the time to seek out experienced editing and design professionals, you should give their expert opinions due consideration.

2. Time-Sensitive Material

If your current project contains time-sensitive material that needs to be available immediately, you’d be better off publishing it yourself. When your manuscript is accepted for publication by a mainstream publisher, your book will be published according to their timeline, not yours. Often the wait to see your work in print, from the time of acceptance to the time of actual release, can be anywhere from several months to — even more likely — a year or longer.¹

3. Keep Your Own Profits

You’re the one who did all the hard work, so why shouldn’t you keep all your own profits? It isn’t wrong to want to be rewarded for your efforts instead of enriching some publisher’s bank account. While it’s true a mainstream publisher invests (and risks) a great deal of money getting an author’s work into the public’s hands, the book is still the author’s baby, and as such, it will still be up to the author to promote their own work. (See my next point.)

4. Unlimited Promotion

You are your own best promoter anyway, so why rely on the false assumption that mainstream publishers will look after all the tedious marketing stuff for you. If you’re under the impression that once a publisher accepts your manuscript they’ll forge ahead with endless promotion of your book, you’re going to be in for a big let-down. Unless your name is Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, a mainstream publisher will devote only the most minimal promotion to an unknown author’s work. If you want your book promoted, you’ll still have to do it yourself if you ever want to see positive sales results. Keep in mind that you are just one of many authors that a publisher handles, and you will therefore be competing with many other like-minded writers for the publisher’s limited time and resources. Since you’ll be responsible for much of your own promotion, why not do it right from the start.

5. Avoid Rejection

If this alone is your reason for self-publishing, then it’s not enough. Still, if you have a product that you know is salable, but publishers just can’t see that, then avoid wasting time with repeated rejections and self-publish instead. Perhaps you have a unique point of view on an already popular topic, and publishers refuse to waste time on your work when they feel the niche it fills is already saturated. Or perhaps your niche market is too narrow for a mainstream publisher to see the sales benefits. If you’ve already done your own market testing to know the demand is there, then self-publishing is the route to go.

Self-publishing in the digital age has gotten even easier and less costly for struggling (and sometimes starving) authors. No longer do you need to spend your life’s savings or take out a loan to see your book in print. Thanks to the popularity and variety of ebook readers – not to mention the tablets (iPad) – the digital book market is booming; with ebook sales ever on the increase year after year, while the sale of physical books continues on a steady decline.²

Maybe you still want to see your book in a professionally printed format, and that’s entirely up to you. If you self-publish, expect to pay a small fortune for that honor. But even if you go the printed route, you should also include an ebook format for those (like me) who no longer buy the dead tree versions. Don’t exclude the only part of the book market industry that’s actually growing.

Remember: Even if you decide to self-publish, you will still need a professional-looking cover and a professionally edited product if you want to have success in the very competitive industry of selling books.

***

Sources:

1. Donadio, Rachel. “Waiting for It”. The New York Times Sunday Book Review. February 3, 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/books/review/Donadio-t.html.

2. BBC online. “E-book sales grew by 54% in 2011”. BBC News Entertainment & Arts. May 1, 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17905387.

J.K. Rowling has decided to loosen up on her own restrictions:

Subscribers of Amazon Prime, a service providing free shipping and discounts for $79 a year, will be able to borrow these bestsellers for free from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, reported Xinhua.

Author J.K.Rowling has been refusing to sell Harry Potter in electronic form through book retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble in the US.

You can purchase the collection of ebooks directly from the author’s site.

Note the yellow-highlighted word here:

Lose is a verb; loose is an adjective

Do you ever mix up “loose” and “lose”?

Loose is an adjective meaning the opposite of tight or contained. Examples:

• My shoelaces are loose.
• I have a loose button on my sweater.
• The neighbor’s dog was allowed to run loose all the time.

Lose is a verb meaning to suffer loss or defeat. Examples:

• If the hockey team loses their next game, they won’t make the playoffs.
• Sometimes I think I’m losing my mind.
• I think I’ve really lost my keys this time.

In the example in the above graphic, somebody posted the news story too quickly without proofreading their title. It should read:

Victoria police lose track of riot gear, including tear gas and shotgun

As for the story itself, hmmm…