Hi Pam,

I know exactly what you're saying. I am so much more selective about my reading now than I was when I was younger. But what I try to filter out more than sex or violence is material that completely bores me.

Life is short! My time is valuable. I used to be very compulsive about reading a book all the way through, but now I have no hesitation about abandoning a book in midstream if I hate the way that it's written, or if it fails to maintain my interest.

Don't worry about my posts :-) I'm always posting.

Best, Sigrid

Hi Eveline,

Oh, I definitely wouldn't want a lot of expletives. After all, my mother has to read it! I just can't have some tough, tatooed guy saying stuff like "Gee whiz, that stinks!" But I'm reviewing the MS now to see what words I can omit without losing the realism and crisp dialogue.

Thanks for your input :-) Sigrid

[ March 29, 2005, 03:30 AM: Message edited by: Sigrid Macdonald ]

P.S. Eveline - We both have two things in common. We're in Ontario and publishing with Lulu. How did you like them? I did my first book with AuthorHouse but will do the second with Lulu.

How do you find the shipping charges? I keep getting conflicting reports as to what shipping will cost. At first, the checkout said $12.80 per book (!!!) but then today it said, $8.80/US. A woman on the forum said I could use the USPS Global Mail service for $4.00 per book but I don't see the option anywhere in the purchasing section.

How do you order your books and what do you recommend for your friends in terms of shipping options? Thanks. S.

Sigrid,

Not everyone wants (or cares about) squeaky clean. If your book description mentions that some of the characters are drug addicts, most people can figure out that both language and situations might be rough. People who are looking for lighter or more "pristine" fare probably won't pick up your book at all.

I'm writing about my past experience with cancer. It's not a pretty picture, and I hope no one would expect it to be. Just write the best book you can.

Sigrid
So far I've just put an e-book out at Lulu so I don't have any shipping problems yet, but I am thinking about a second print book and hoping to use Lulu.

I've been reading all your posts re your shipping costs and experiences, very carefully while I decide what I'm going to do next. I have some time to look things over.

I like Lulu so far for what I've been using them for, but shipping is definitely a concern.

Perhaps, if more Canadians start to use Lulu and express concerns about the hefty shipping charges, Lulu will find some less expensive alternatives??

Sigrid,
I call myself a New Thought Christian if I'm forced to choose a label. I prefer to think of myself as a spiritual being having a human experience.

I agree with Meredith. What I read has more to do with whether it's entertaining for me or inspirational or informative. I do draw the line at gratuitous sex and violence because it is just that - not warranted by the circumstances or context - and is designed to try to get my attention with flash rather than quality.

However, I do not judge written or visual material by anyone's rules but my own because I believe that only I should be the judge of what impressions I take into my mental/spiritual world. It is not really the material usually that gets people in an uproar. It is that the material threatens some rule or regulation they adhere to. It is true that some things are in poor taste because they are gratuitous or directed toward hurting another person in some way. However, we always have the choice to walk away from it. Unfortunately, in my opinion, too many people feel they also have the right to determine what everyone else reads or sees.

I say write from your heart. Don't worry about trying to please everybody because that is impossible. As a writer you have an obligation to entertain or inform, but most of all to encourage others to think for themselves.

<Just write the best book you can.> Thanks, Meredith. That's really what it gets down to, isn't it?

<<I'm writing about my past experience with cancer. It's not a pretty picture, and I hope no one would expect it to be.>> Oh, I'm so sorry. I hope that you're feeling much better now. Good for you to write about it! You can help hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people that way.

My first book was all about my experience with total hip replacement. I was hit by a drunk driver when I was 28 and sustained multiple injuries. 20 years later my hip joint collapsed on me and I required the replacement. I wrote all about it in my book GETTING HIP. It's really nice to share our first-hand knowledge about an illness with others who were going through it. Doctors write from a completely different perspective.

Good luck with your book! Sigrid

Evie, Oddly enough, the shipping price changed from more than $12 to $8.80 last time I checked. Now people are recommending that I use the Global Priority service, which is only $4.00 US... I think if I persist with this, I can get a better price.

It would be great if you could get your book into print. E-books are wonderful but there's nothing like the printed page. Sigrid

$4.00 US is probably pretty standard shipping rates for shipping outside the States...can you choose the Global Priority through Lulu????

I didn't put "Heart's Desire" into print at Lulu because the church still has several print copies available to sell and I want those to go first. I just wanted to offer an E-book option so I could get some practice at Lulu and just have that option available I agree E-books are fine, but I prefer the printed page myself..

Thanks for all the info you are sharing re your experiences with Lulu.