#buying them one by one costs either the same or more per book

[chaos-has-theories]

IT IS DONE

All the Septimus Heap books, in one ebook, portable and searchable. Unstoppability for 4,99€

[olderthannetfic]

Any thoughts on authortubers offering writing courses and presenting themselves as writing experts, especially without proven records of success and evidence they follow their own advice? These courses are typically overpriced compared to what you'd get at a college, and these people's credentials are basically just that they're popular content creators. Obviously, teaching and writing are different skillsets, but these courses feel like an MLM scam in the sense that they are selling shovels after the (self-publishing) gold rush ended.

--

I have many thoughts.

I actually don't care if people have proven themselves in the sense of a mainstream book contract and a bestseller. I don't have that, and I offer writing advice all the time. A lot of writing advice, including mine, is pretty similar.

What makes a particular book/course/video/etc. on writing craft worthwhile is that it rephrases the same basic truths about writing in a way that makes sense to one's own particular brain. Maybe this particular book energizes one and makes one want to write because it phrases everything very positively instead of making one dwell on one's shortcomings.

Or it could be valuable and inspiring because one likes the person delivering the advice. Maybe one likes their work. Maybe one likes their vibe.

Now, if it's a book of advice on How To Play The Amazon Algorithm or other very business-oriented advice, then yes, I'd want to see that they have a track record of sales.

I'm not sure that the self-publishing gold rush has entirely ended, though it's evolving. (Amazon cracking down on erotica and moving to a payment-per-page model makes romance novels more profitable than shortform porn, for example.)

--

That said, yes, I agree that quite a few authortubers sound like scam artists. I don't need them to be bestsellers or traditionally published. I do care if they've actually finished a book.

I learned a lot by finally getting my shit together to write something long-ish and finish it. My insights after that are far more useful than anything I'd have said before.

For authortubers who do have books out, I don't recall finding any whose books I wanted to buy, but even more often, they don't seem to have any finished novels??? (Granted, novels aren't the only writing, but they're often what people are looking for help with.)

I back some favorite authors on Patreon, and I'm always pleased when they do writing craft posts. I should write some more of those myself. That kind of model works far better for me as a reader because whether or not everybody else has discovered this author, I like them and thus am interested in what they have to say.

--

In general, I would not pay a lot of money for a creative writing course unless you know exactly what you're going to get. College courses often focus on literary fiction, disappointing people who want to write romance, mystery, sff, etc.

I wouldn't trust a course that costs a lot either unless it's literally you paying for 1:1 mentoring or editing. The ones I've seen advertised on Youtube sound highly suspect.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Raising Prices

So I've fallen upon a claim that states: "Customers purchasing more of a product, means that product can sell for a cheaper price". This has to do with bulk purchasing, and easier money flow within the business entity.

This is one of the reasons behind "Trickle Down economics." It enables them to sell more for less. Though, whether or not they opt to take advantage of that is shady business.

What this means is that high demand forces supply chains to provide more supply, which increases demand on productivity and material acquisition.

Those end points of productivity and material acquisition are some of the worrisome key points we as employees think about, because it often results in an attack on wages first, instead of, utilizing technological advancement and ethical material prospecting.

This may tie in with another concept that says "as the supply of a product dries up, the cost of the remaining supply goes up in price." This happens for multiple reasons, at the end of the day it's to increase the operating budget for as long as possible.

Which is supposed to come with increases on expansion of productivity and material acquisition... Supposedly. Business people could probably tell you that's not always how it works.

What happens, is that sometimes entities decide to increase price in order to increase profit. Despite material and production costs remaining the same. They do this in an effort to expand and grow the business.

What ends up happening many times [citation needed] is that the increase in price, drives less people to purchase them. And they expect that the current customers will continue to purchase the product without going to a cheaper competitor.

Their reasoning is that they are selling the "normal" or "luxury" product, and their competitors are "inferior" products. Per the economic definition, though I'd wager some don't actually *mean* the economic definition.

In some cases this works out. Especially if a product can be resold for at least half of its purchase value at a later date. Retention of value is part of the reason to buy goods after all.

And there's thrift stores and goodwills all over that can make profit on used goods. But that's where it gets tricky; in this day and age, used goods are what we consider "inferior goods". And new goods are our "Normal Goods".

There is no "Luxury" brand, because our current definition of "Luxury" includes things out of reach for a normal person. Like a Yacht, or a house, or a Luxury Vehicle.

Which isn't quite true, because vehicles either drop in price like any other used good, or they are verblan goods. Which only retain their value *because* of the initial sale price, and manufacturing name.

No your Tesla truck will not be a collectors item until 20 years from now. There's really people on the waiting list expecting to resell their Tesla truck at 10x the purchase cost.

I bet a handful of people might even spend that much.

Which is actually a problem for Tesla, because they need feedback on the operation of the Truck in order to improve the quality in the future, but if people don't use them, they can't get that feedback.

And as we've already discussed, Used goods are Inferior, and so using a thing that you buy makes it worthless. So people buying goods as an investment won't use them, because that'd make them worth less.

It reminds of people collecting comic books, that don't realize the only reason golden age comics are so valuable, is because most of them were destroyed due to the war effort requiring the production of paper and cardboard.

Where the f* was I? because I went on such a tangent.

So they raise the prices thinking they're *luxury goods* which might initially look good on paper; less purchases, same profit. But what often happens is it kickstarts a cycle where less and less purchases happen. If you're calling yourself a "luxury product" eventually, people are going to start treating you like one, as they purchase alternatives instead.

Because of that key factor that consumers will purchase less of a luxury product, because of the budget requiring other luxury products.

Like Homes, and vehicles. Necessary Luxuries as opposed to Inferior Luxuries.

[acti-veg]

"Stirling’s students’ union would be much better off sourcing sustainable local meat and dairy produce from Scottish farmers instead. How can an avocado flown in from South America have eco-superiority over a piece of grass fed beef from a local farm?" How would you respond to this?

I would respond by asking what they think is outside this obvious false dichotomy, where we’ve only been presented with two options: what they think is the best possible meat option vs what they think is the worst possible plant option - does that sound like a fair comparison to you? Why even compare beef with avocado, which isn’t even a good protein source and wouldn’t be used in the same sorts of meals that beef would?

It’s also just objectively untrue. Transport is a small contributor to emissions. For most food products, it accounts for less than 10%, and it’s much smaller for the largest GHG emitters. In beef from beef herds, it’s 0.5%. You can read about this in detail here along with peer reviewed sources but the crux of the issue is that in terms of emissions, what you eat is far more important than where it is from.

As George Monbiot points out in his book Regenesis (an excellent and very well researched book on this topic): ‘You would have to ship a kilo of dried peas roughly one hundred times around the world before it’s greenhouse gases matched those of a kilo of local beef.’

Why did they choose avocado specifically for this comparison, rather than say, lentils, peas or beans? Because they assume it will serve their argument, but even this incredibly biased example is still wrong, beef and dairy rank alongside seafood as some of the most environmentally destructive foods you can eat, regardless of where it is from.

None of this is even mentioning accessibility, either. How many students can afford to buy locally raised beef? Do you know what it would cost for a student Union venue to stock only local beef and dairy, when compared with almost any other wisely chosen plant protein? We are talking many times the price for a product that is less sustainable and less healthy to boot.

A single serving of lentils is about 40p per person, and that’s just my local supermarket price for canned, ready to eat lentils - it isn’t even including wholesale or bulk savings - a student Union would almost definitely be paying even less. What do you think a portion of locally raised beef would cost, in Stirling, at a time when the price of meat and dairy is skyrocketing in the U.K?

It’s also far less inclusive than offering plants, allergens of course mean there needs to be a good range on offer but there are very few people who won’t eat chickpeas or lentils for spiritual or ethical reasons - not so for beef and dairy. This is just pure assumption based on misinformation - the entire objection is a non-starter. There are lots of good reasons to advocate for local foods over imported ones, but climate really isn’t one of them.

[cabiba]

JAMES RUSSELL

Here are the differences:

First, get the basics right. These fall under the category of don't do anything stupid: Don’t have a child before you finish school and get married. Finish school (high school and/or college). Don’t get addicted to drugs or alcohol. Better yet, abstain from both. Don’t break the law, especially illegal drug use. Don’t hang around with losers. Don’t date one. Never marry one. Second, position yourself to make money. Money is not going to come and find you. You have to go find it. :

Second, position yourself to make money. Money is not going to come and find you. You have to go find it. :

Be ambitious. Don’t settle for a life of low pay and low prestige. Don’t hang around with others who are not ambitious. Never marry one.

Learn which careers and jobs make the most money. (This is really basic. Don’t screw this up.)

Pick something that is hard to do. If it is easy or fun, everyone wants to do it and it won’t pay much money. If it is hard, it will pay lots of money.

Strongly consider a STEM degree (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.) There are shortages and starting salaries are high.

Consider being an entrepreneur and running your own business. Research this carefully as it is very risky.

Marry someone who is just as ambitious and as capable of making money as you. Don’t settle for anything less.

Be willing to work very hard. Work harder than anyone else.

Third, learn how to hang onto your money and not lose it or waste it:

Don’t borrow money for college. Find a way to work your way through. Go to junior college first as it is much cheaper. Consider the Army Reserves or National Guard as they offer GI Bill that will pay most of your costs.

Don’t borrow money for cars. If you buy good used cars, you can pay cash. Wait until you are older and wealthier to buy new cars.

When you do buy cars and if you do borrow, research the best way to buy and finance. It makes a huge difference long term if you are really savvy about this. Car sales and financing is a racket and they will rob you blind unless you know how to avoid it.

Learn to live frugally. There is a lot of info on how to do this on the internet. Learn to live below your means. (Recommend Dave Ramsey info and methods). Make living cheaply your hobby.

Learn to cook and plan meals and eat healthy. It’s a lot cheaper than eating out and it is the only way to avoid being fat. Try to eat out only one meal per week.

Be disciplined. Defer gratification. It’s part of the grit and determination thing. Be an adult.

Fourth, learn how to grow your wealth.

Learn how to invest money in stocks and bonds. Learn the miracle of compound interest. You absolutely need to learn this. Buy one of the investing for dummies books or something similar. Go to Investopedia, or the Fidelity or Vanguard websites and read and study. It’s not that hard once you get past the mystery of it all.

Always maximize your 401K or IRA withholding. These are the best deal you will ever get because they allow you not to pay income tax on everything you withhold. Some employers offer a match. A match is free money. Always take the free money.Save as much money as you can. Everyone should save a minimum of 10% of earnings. People who grow wealth faster do much more.

These are the differences between people who start out with nothing and become either rich or stay poor.

Granted, some people are born with low IQs, physical disabilities, or have bad parents. Some are never taught any of these principles. Some are taught that it’s somebody else’s responsibility to take care of them. It can be argued that these are poor due to bad luck.

[rentalsdirect]

Local vehicle rental company | rentalsdirect4u.co.uk

Rental Cars by Rental Direct4U — Don’t let your car break down or be damaged on a daily basis when you could have it repaired and on the road again in no time. If you have a rental car, then surge protection is essential, especially if you are renting from a company that doesn’t have its own insurance. With surge protection, you will have peace of mind knowing that the electronics inside are safe from damage caused by power fluctuations. Not only that, but if you ever have an accident, there is always the chance of losing all your personal belongings as well as the vehicle itself.

One great way to protect yourself is by renting a quality surge protector with USB ports. By plugging in your phone or other electronics with a USB cable, you can keep them safe and protected from damage.

Rental car brands are starting to offer special rates or discounts for car sharing members. You can sign up as a member and rent cars from the same company that you buy at a discounted rate.

One of the top rental companies in London, Hertz, is offering members a discount on car rentals. The company has partnered with Zipcar and offers an annual membership plan of £49.99 which entitles the member to two daily rentals. This membership plan costs £10 more than the monthly plan of £39.99. To book a rental through this membership plan, you need to book directly on Hertz’s website and enter your Zipcar membership number as your Zipcode. All Zipcar memberships automatically renew every three months and you’ll be charged a one-time, non-refundable fee of £24.99 upon renewal.

rentalsdirect is another rental car company that allows members to use their vehicles for five days without having to pay daily fees. rentalsdirect offers memberships with either hourly rates or a monthly subscription plan. The hourly rate costs £1 per hour and gives you access to drive your vehicle for 24 hours, while the subscription plan costs £12 per month and allows you to drive your vehicle for 48 hours per month for 12 months. Both plans require you to have a full tank of fuel when you start the day, so

Whether you’re looking for a car to ferry yourself to a family wedding or an SUV for the holiday season, renting a vehicle can come with a huge range of benefits. For example, renting a vehicle can be more affordable than buying one if you’re on a tight budget. Rental cars also make it easy to explore new places and get to know your surroundings better.

Another benefit of renting a vehicle is that it provides you with additional flexibility. You can choose when and where you want to drive, so you don’t have to worry about making time for car maintenance and upkeep. Plus, if you rent from a reputable company like rentalsdirect4u.co.uk, your vehicle will be fully insured, so there’s nothing to worry about when you’re out on the road.

Car rental has never been easier than with rental direct. This UK based company works with a number of local car rental companies to offer you the best prices for your next holiday or business trip in London. Whether you want an economy car for a short trip or a luxury car for a long trip, rental direct will help you find the right rental car at the right price. And, with free pick-up and drop-off and 24/7 customer service, renting a car from them is like booking a hotel and reserving a room online: it’s fast, easy, and convenient.

With all that said, there are still some things to keep in mind when renting This is not a full-service car rental company so you’ll need to do some additional research about the vehicle you want to rent.If you don’t have an International Driver’s License , you may want to consider using one of their partner companies as they will be able to guarantee your driver’s license If you are new to renting cars from different companies, it’s best to start small: get something reliable that fits your budget You should always make sure that the rental company has approved insurance coverage for your vehicle. Lastly,

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[givemmorg]

How do i unlock my mac email account

#How do i unlock my mac email account how to#

#How do i unlock my mac email account password#

#How do i unlock my mac email account how to#

You can then follow up with a photocopy of some ID and ask how to proceed. If the person on the phone can't help, just ask them if there is a postal mail address or person you can appeal for help in resetting the email address used for your Apple ID. (yes, I'm sure you know your birthday, but it could have been entered incorrectly or become corrupted along the way)ĭo try calling support one last time with some billing history and ask if you can provide a list of Apps and/or songs you purchased or have them ask you some of the history. If you have triggered the account to be into a locked status due to too many failed log in attempts, you will need the help of a human to get it unlocked when you no longer can receive email or answer both the birth day question and the security question to a machine's satisfaction. Any books, movies, or music distributed with DRM are also available without DRM if you look. (b) Your supporting the DRM technologies which create these problems. Google isn't finding anything for me though.Īs an aside, you should never buy DRM protected content in the first palce because : (a) Eventually you'll lose access one way or another, often by the company discontinuing the service. If it only give you encrypted music, then theoretically the iPod knows the authorization keys, meaning you've a slim chance someone discovered a trick for using the iPod's authorization to decrypt your music. Try any that look promising.ĭo you have an iPod? If so, try Graeme Hutchison suggestion. A priori, I'd imagine most/all require authorization since that's the easiest way, but perhaps some clever one does not. You say you still have the files themselves, yes? There are a variety of tools for removing iTunes DRM. But maybe you could get your account back by contacting Apple's legal department in writing. Imho, this sounds like way way too much hassle for a few hundred bucks. You could theoretically sue Apple in small claims court. Do not lie to your credit card company, simply push the dispute process as far as possible, the further it goes the more money they charge Apple. I doubt you'll get your money back, but you have a legitimate dispute with Apple, so stick them the dispute resolution merchant fees, which might cost as much as $30 per song. You're beyond the 60 day period, but maybe not the 1 year "claims and defenses" period. If Apple won't help, then collect your old credit card bills with iTunes charges, and speak with your credit card company about contesting those charges. You could warn them that you plan on contesting credit card charges if they cannot restore the account. Your iTunes account was presumably associated with your credit card, yes? You could attempt to prove you identity to Apple via that credit card connection. Is there a work around to this problem? The songs are stored on my computer – I just can’t play them. So, I have purchased hundreds of songs that I cannot play now. After going up three levels of Apple customer service, I was told that there was absolutely nothing they could do for me. When I called Apple to see if we could do something to unlock the account and tie it to my new account (which would have the same name, address, and other personal information), I was informed that Apple cannot unlock the account and that I had to have access to the old email account to access the account and authorize this new computer to play the music. Apple then locked my account for incorrectly answering the questions. I soon figured out that none of the questions matched my personal information so I am wondering if these questions were ever associated with my original iTunes account. I next tried the street I grew up on and that did not work either. I did so and Apple said that my answer was incorrect. The first one that came up was to enter my birthdate. Recognizing that I could not access the dead email account, I asked to answer the security questions.

#How do i unlock my mac email account password#

I clicked on the “forgot my password” link and Apple gave me the option of answering a few security questions or having my password sent to my email address. I tried several of my “usual” passwords, but none of them worked. When I clicked through the authorization screen, my original email address came up and asked for my password. I recently tried to play an Album and an error message came up that said that this computer was not authorized to play the songs and that I would need to access my account to authorize the new computer. Fortunately, I had my iTunes music backed up and when I purchased a new computer, I uploaded my songs. In the meantime, my computer on which my original iTunes account died. The original email address associated with my Apple account is no longer valid. I later moved my account to a personal rather than corporate email address and I have since changed jobs. When I originally set up my iTunes account, I used an email address from my prior employer.

[on-my-way-to-the-woods]

Cheap/Free Seeds & Plants

If you go to any given store, you’ll probably have to spend ~$3 (USD) per packet of seed, that adds up quickly if you have big plans for growing your own food.  Here are a few ideas for how to get cheap/free plants for your upcoming garden.

The Free Seed Project - www.robgreenfield.org/freeseedproject/ USA ONLY. If you can’t afford seeds, are growing food for others, and/or a first-time gardener you can sign up to get seeds through the free seed project.  In 2020 they were able to send out seed packets to 5,000 families/groups and this year they are hoping to do 10,000.  Their seed packets contain ~12 different kinds of seeds including carrots, kale, and herbs.  This is completely free, no postage charges.

Free Heirloom Seeds - www.freeheirloomseeds.org They have sent seeds internationally before, contact them for details.  Free Heirloom Seeds will send 4 free packets of seeds per year to any household that signs up.  There are many many varieties to choose from.  They ask for donations ($1.25 (cheaper than SASE)) to cover shipping, but will send you seeds anyway if you can’t afford that. If you’re looking to buy seeds for an entire garden, they suggest a $10 donation to cover shipping for 15 packets of seeds.

Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) A number of social media sites (Facebook, reddit, etc.) have groups for seed sharing.  Most of those offers are for Self-Addressed Stamped Envelopes.  All you need to do is get an envelope, add a stamp, address it to yourself, and then put that envelope inside another envelope that is stamped and addressed to the person you are getting seeds from.  When they receive your letter, all they have to do is open it, put the seeds inside the envelope that’s addressed to you, and put it out in their mailbox.  The cost to you is that of two envelopes and two stamps.

Seed Libraries If you’re lucky, you may have a small seed library nearby.  I’ve seen them in regular book libraries before.  Usually you “check out” (take) the seeds you want to grow and then in the fall you seed save from that plant and “return” (give) some of those saved seeds back to the library so others can grow it. There are a few different websites that try to keep track of seed libraries, but definitely also try to research if there is one in your town since not every library makes it onto those maps.

Seed Swaps Either in person or by mail.  If you have a bunch of seeds from last year, you can trade with people for other varieties.  Online groups can be found through social media (Facebook, reddit, etc.)  In person groups are harder, but try looking for a local gardening club.

Propagation Many plants can be grown from small snippets of adult plants.  Tomatoes are excellent at this as well as a number of herbs.  Figure out what plants other people are growing around you, look up propagation methods for those plants, and then ask your neighbor if you can take a few cuttings from their rosemary bush.

Produce Many different kinds of plants can be grown either through seeds collected from food you buy at the store or the root ends.  I’ve grown plants from leek ends, celery ends, lettuce ends, pineapple tops, potatoes, and squash seeds.  Many of the plants you’ll find in grocery stores are hybrids so you might not get the same exact sort of fruit you planted (or any fruit), but you have it already from food you bought so you might as well try it.

Wild Plants There are edible plants around, all you have to do is learn to identify them.  They don’t have to grow in just the wild though, we’ve been growing purslane in our garden that we started from cuttings found in the wild.  If you have a favorite wild plant you can always bring it back to grow close to home.  (Obviously, don’t introduce anything invasive and be 100% sure you have identified the plant properly)

The Seed Saver’s Exchange - https://exchange.seedsavers.org/ I’ve listed this one last because, depending on what you’re looking for, this one can be a bit more like buying stuff.  (I’ve even found Baker Creek peddling their seeds in there). Seeds are supposed to be free, with the money exchanged being for shipping/handling.  You can find excellent deals (especially if you’re looking for cuttings off of fruit trees/plants), but it all depends on the seller.  So what I’m saying is that there are definitely overpriced seeds on there, but it’s worth going through especially if you want a particular variety.  Even when prices are similar to what you’d find in a catalog, the shipping is the price so basically you can treat this as a seed catalog with free shipping.

[myautisticpov]

hey, I saw your post about audible's book returning thing and I have a tangential question. do authors make more from people buying their physical books or from kindle? I want to pick the one that's best for the author but I don't know enough to make that decision. I googled it and searched around a bit but couldn't find anything useful. it would be really great if you could let me know how it works!

It's probably difficult to find anything useful because

a) if an author has a publisher, all of the money from the sale goes to said publisher, and the nature of the contract with the author decides how much of a cut the publisher then pays out to the author for each type of sale. So, even with the same formats, two authors could be getting different cuts because they're with different publishers. Typically, the royalty cut from an ebook should be higher, as there aren't print costs for the publisher to pay, but they're generally accepted to not be high enough from most publishers.

b) There are other reasons for authors to want you to buy print books from physical book stores, rather than Amazon. Like, if you go into your local book store and ask for a book, the person behind the desk might go "oh, this is a gap in our shelves, I'll order a second copy and put it up" and then a casual browser who otherwise wouldn't have seen the book might pick it up, and the person behind the desk might decide to regularly buy new copies, since they're selling. (This also applies to libraries. Not the regular sales part, but the new browsers picking them up part, and plenty of library patrons also buy books.)

c) That's just for traditionally published authors, self-published authors deal with a different economy where we usually pay higher printing costs per book, (and there is an absolutely ridiculous returns system in most bookshops that can absolutely bankrupt you, but if you opt out, most bookshops won't stock you, so Point B doesn't really apply to us - except for the libraries addition because libraries have ebooks) so if the book prices are the same, we make a lot more from ebook royalties, but we also usually price ebooks cheaper, so idk about other people, but my royalties look about the same.

d) This is all assuming that you're buying books and not using Kindle Unlimited which is, again, a whole different economy where the author will make fewer royalties, but you reading the book will count towards the author's ranking on Amazon, taking them up the book charts so that more readers will see them (it also tells Amazon's algorithm who likes that kind of book, which then means that it shows it to more readers like you)

and e) There are other ways to pay the author more, like buying from their website directly or supporting them on Patreon (if they have these options available), but these don't count towards a book's ranking on larger stores like Amazon (or tells human booksellers that people like the book at stores that have them like your local physical store or ebook stores like Apple or Kobo) so while you're paying the author more once, the author isn't getting as much visibility from other avenues.

So, yeah, the answer is that it's a complicated web of more than just straight royalties, and you should either check what individual authors have said they prefer, or just shop in whatever format you prefer. Like, I'm literally dyslexic and have joint issues, I'm not gonna tell people to go to their local indie bookshops if, like me, they struggle to both hold and read physical books.

And if you're wondering how to give me the most money to support me, I only charge my Patreon when I release a book and you get all of the ebook files DRM free, so supporting me at the higher tiers would be the best way. Aside from that, buy from wherever you want in whatever format you want, just don't treat Amazon's lax returns policy like a library. Go and ask your actual librarian to stock my ebooks or audiobooks. Or go to my website and use the Pay What You Want system to get the books for free.

[lexa-lives-in-us]

Saving Tips for Hard Times

I found this old document where I collected a series of tips to save money. This is all part of my experience of when I was near homeless, and some work depending on where you live, some don’t. Here we go.

BILLS:

1. The optimum temperature for refrigerator operation is 5°C, and -18°C for freezer operation. As a rule of thumb, for each additional degree of refrigeration output about six percent more electricity is used.

2. Unplug your appliances. Lamps, microwave, tv, computers etc. They don't need to be plugged until you use them, and it saves energy to keep them unplugged. Therefore, money.

3. Do homework for phone companies and internet plans. Call them! Often they are toll free and if you mentioned that you were already with them or thinking of going with them and then found out another company had a better deal, they could offer you deals for lower prices. I had to do it all the time for my phone, until they couldn't really offer anything better.

4. BIKE. Invest in a used bike if you can, especially for the warmer months. It offsets the transit costs and better your health.

5. WALK. That's the same as the bike, honestly.

6. Pay your bills on time, you will avoid late fees which can up to HUNDREDS of dollars wasted over the course of a year. If you can, set up automatic payments so you don’t forget.

FRIDGE:

1. Every time the refrigerator door is opened, cold air escapes and warm ambient air enters. To compensate for the temperature increase in its interior, the refrigerator must then use energy to bring the temperature back down. Always avoid opening the door unnecessarily and for too long.

2. When defrosting frozen food place it in the refrigerator. Not only does this ensure that the food is carefully defrosted, its presence cools down the refrigerator interior, reducing the amount of work that the compressor has to do, and therefore lowering energy consumption.

3. Never put warm food in the refrigerator as this will heat up the interior, as well as other stored foods. Hot food should always be allowed to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator

MONEY:

1. Keep all the containers like glass bottles, juice bottles, jars, cans etc. Look for your Return-It depot and have trips to return them. They give back coins for laundry, small expenses etc

2. Use that junk mail. Go through it, find coupons for food, for essentials like toilet paper or shampoo.

3. CHECK. THAT. DOLLARSTORE. They often have things like pasta, ketchup, toilet paper, batteries etc for literally 1 dollar.  Pasta is pasta, toilet paper is toilet paper. Seriously. Don't need to spend 5$ on a shampoo bottle when you can have it for 1/5 of the price.

4. Do homework and check with different banks for which one offers a better plan. Some of them are willing to help out. Sit down with their advisors, find the best solution!

5. Use the envelope system! For example, one envelope with a label “food” the other with “entertainment” the other with “bills”. Then set the right amount of cash for each. That’s what you’re allowed to spend each month. If you realize you need more for food, grab it from the entertainment envelope. Adapt and arrange as needed.

6. If you can, set up an automatic saving (example 50$ every paycheck) for both regular saving AND an emergency fund.

7. Use the 24-Hour Rule. Avoid purchasing expensive or unnecessary items on impulse with a self-imposed 24-hour rule. For any non-essential item, wait 24 hours before purchasing. It’s perfect for online shopping where your items can simply be added to your cart to purchase later.

8. Make a grocery list BEFORE going to the grocery store and STICK to it. You’re going to avoid buying things you don’t really need.

9. DO. NOT. SHOP. WHILE. YOU. ARE. HUNGRY. Or you’ll end up buying food that you actually don’t need just because you feel snacky!

10. Only use ATMs from your bank, or you get charged small fees.

11. Set a “No Spend Day” per week, where you consciously DO NOT spend any money for that day.

12. Ditch the paper: Cutting out paper towels and using cloths and napkins that you can simply wash and reuse is a simple way to save.

13. After you wear clothes, hang them outside your wardrobe, on a door or something. You can air them out a bit, then stick them in the closet without washing. You can basically reuse the same clothes two or three times without having to wash them, sometimes they just need a bit of air and they won’t smell AT ALL.

14. If you don’t own or want to spend money on an iron, hang whatever blouse you need to iron in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will humidify the fabric and straighten it up.

15. Hang stuff to dry. Really don’t need to spend money on the dryer.

16. Sign up to the library. They have so many books and DVDs nowadays. You can also just go, sit at the library and stay warm for a while, so that you don’t have to sit at home and either suffer the cold or use money on your own heat.

17. Budget, budget, budget. Get a lil notebook, write down the monthly expenses, cut what you don’t need. It gets easier with time.

 FOOD:

1.       Make a meal plan. Write 10-14 days worth of dishes that you can do (lunch, dinner, everything you need). You can then toss them around as you go on with your week, but that way you have a pretty clear idea of what you use and the food you go through for how long. It also reduces the risks of getting take out since you already have plans for what to eat.

2.       Cook double! Seriously. Make that dinner and double it up. Leftovers can be frozen or put in the fridge for the day after.

3.       Meal prep. Once a week, prep a bunch of different recipes. Let them cool down, stick them in the freezer. At that point you’ll already have all these meals at the ready to just thaw/microwave or oven up.

4.       You don’t need pop. You don’t need alcohol. You most likely don’t need milk, but go for it if you wanna. Just remember dairy products go bad WAY more quickly than non dairies, so consider getting food and drinks with no dairy in them. Mainly, though. Water. Just drink water. Lots of it too! Sometimes our brain can’t tell the difference between hunger and thirst. You think you’re snacky? Drink some water instead! It’ll quell your hunger.

5.       Freeze fruit! If you think you’re not gonna be able to eat fruit in time, put it in a Tupperware or a ziplock and slap it in the freezer. You’ll be able to then use it for smoothies.

6.       Use the Italian saying “Colazione da re, pranzo da nobili, cena da poveri.” Which quite literally means “Breakfast as a king, lunch as a noble, dinner as a poor.” Breakfast should be very filling, carbs, protein, vitamins. It carries you for the whole day. Lunch should be quite filling too! But supper doesn’t really need a lot of it, and if you REALLY have to skip a meal, skip supper. Your body doesn’t need that much sustenance while sleeping.

7.       This is for the desperate times but I’ve done it, and I would do it again if I ever had to. Go to markets that have like… Fruits and veggies. Talk to them. Ask them “HEY, can I have the fruit/veggie that you have to throw away?” Ask them if you can have the ugly produce, the one that doesn’t look pretty enough to be put out. Or ask them to have whatever extra they have to dump because is past the expiry date. EXPIRY DATE IS USUALLY MUCH LONGER THAN WHAT THE LABEL SAYS. I wouldn’t risk it with dairy stuff or with things that are VERY expired, but one or two days? Totally fine, I promise. And if you have to? Dumpster Dive. Especially at markets with fruit and veggies that have to be sold on the same day (because it’s not considered “fresh” past that day.) Or behind pizza places like Dominos or Panago or whatever chain. They get pizza orders wrong all the time. Just give a peak behind these buildings and look inside their boxes. You have no idea how many times I found perfectly fine pizzas. For free! IF YOU DUMPSTER DIVE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GLOVES, A MASK AND PLASTIC BAGS TO PUT YOUR STUFF IN. ONCE AT HOME, DISCARD GLOVES AND WASH PRODUCE THROUGHLY. Also check tumblr for your divers community, they usually know the best spots.

 CLOTHES:

1.       Thrift shop! So many GOOD used clothes are out there! Honestly! My whole wardrobe is thrifted and everything looks brand new. It takes a bit of research and maybe that shirt you liked is not in your size, but you can find EVERYTHING, from socks to bras, at a thrift store. Don’t thrift underwear though. You want to go new with those.

2.       Invest in some needle and thread, then open youtube. There are SO MANY tutorials that teach you how to mend holes in socks and underwear. And really, no one will really notice if a mend is perfectly done or not. After a week, you’ll forget it too! But that prevents you from throwing away clothes that could just be mended a little.

3.       Something doesn’t fit you? Too small, too big? YouTube, homie. They have tutorials on how to fix these kinda things! All you need, again, is needle and thread.

4.       Organize clothes swaps with friends and/or neighbors. Everyone brings clothes they don’t need, put them in a pile. Go through the pile and grab whatever there is. There’s no money exchange, one could go home with 1 item and one could go home with 50 items. Who cares? The extra stuff… DONATE IT TO A SHELTER.

Feel free to add more, and stay safe!

[akatsuki-shin]

I... I don’t often call out anyone specifically using social media before, but... I saw this among the reblogs in my first post about MXTX novels English release announcement and I feel that this is just too much...

I’m not going to tag this with the fandom tags because this is literally just my personal rant, and I don’t want unpleasant things to appear when people are happily browsing the tags.

I also censored the person’s blog name. It’s not like I want people to mass attack them.

But I do have some things I want to say about this kind of mindset.

And this is gonna be a long post, so I’ll cut it with "Read More” later below as not to disturb anyone’s browsing experience.

Why do they have to split the books into multiple volumes?

First, you do realize that the original Chinese version and other languages versions are also in multiple volumes that don’t always be published on the same date, right?

SVSSS has 3 volumes, MDZS has 4 volumes, TGCF has 5 volumes.

With the English release, both SVSSS and MDZS get +1 volume while TGCF gets +3 volumes.

Why you ask?

Have you ever considered how long a single Chinese word would be if written in alphabets?

The word “人” in Chinese only needs 1 (one) character, while in English it would translate to “P E O P L E” = 5 (five) characters.

The word “知己” in Chinese only needs 2 (two) characters, while in English it would translate to “C O N F I D A N T E” = 10 characters, or “S O U L M A T E” = 8 characters.

Now apply this to an entire novel. FYI, TGCF has more than 1 million word count in Chinese, so you can do the math by yourself.

I mean, just go watch the donghua or live action in YouTube. One single sentence in the Chinese sub is often translated to two or more lines in the English subtitle.

And have I mentioned that the English release will have:

Glossary

Footnotes

Character Guides

And I’m going to repeat this once again: In China and other countries that already get their official releases, it is also NOT always all released on the same date as a single set/box.

So yes, (not) surprise! For the Chinese release and official releases in other countries, you also often need to purchase multiple times, pay shipping fee multiple times, and wait for certain period of times until all volumes are released.

It doesn’t only happen to MXTX novels, it happens to almost all novels, be it danmei or not.

Why don’t they just wait for translations to finish and release it all at the same time/as a box set? Why the span of two years?

On my part, I already say above that in China and other countries that already get their official release, it’s also not always published all on the same date.

Other than that, I’m not an expert at book publishing, much less when the publisher is not from my own country. But maybe consider the following:

They’re releasing 3 (three) hugely popular IPs all at the same time. Maybe the preparations take more time and effort to ensure everything is flawless?

Since it is very rare (or maybe never, cmiiw) for danmei novels to be published in English, maybe the publisher is testing the market first? Because if they already release them as a huge bundle from the start and it somehow flops, the loss would be very big. If it works well, then good! Maybe for future danmei release, they will consider making a box set or releasing them within shorter timeframe. 

In terms of marketing, if they wait another 2 years to release it all at once, will the momentum still be there? You can say “so in the end it’s all about money”, but if not sales number and money, what else should the publisher expect to receive for their work? They’re already putting a lot of effort buying all three IPs from the Chinese publishers, proofread or even translate some from scratch, pay translators, editors, illustrators, printing companies, etc. If it’s not selling well simply because they release it at the wrong time, aren’t all these efforts going to be wasted? And you can bet there will be no more danmei published in English if their first try already flops merely because of losing the momentum.

Are there any other rules or regulations they need to comply that prevents them from releasing everything in one go? But once again, even in China and other countries, it is also not always all released in one go, so this argument is already invalid from the start.

But they make it so expensive like this!

I’m sorry to break it to you, but I’ve compared the prices to MDZS Japanese release + TGCF Thai release and... The price isn’t really that much different.

Btw, I’m using Google’s currency converter, in case anyone wants to know where does my calculation comes from.

Okay, so here’s MDZS Japanese version from CD Japan:

One volume of MDZS Regular ver. cost 1760 yen. This is 15,96 USD before shipping. There’s only like $4 difference.

There’s also the Exclusive ver. that cost 3660 yen (32,92 USD) but we’re not gonna talk about that because they’re basically making you pay for the bonus, which is some acrylic panels and illustration cards.

Now here’s TGCF Thai version from Sense Book:

Translation using Google Chrome page translate:

One volume of TGCF costs 360 baht. This is 10.77 USD before shipping. So there’s about $9.22 difference.

Again, notice the difference of word/sentence length in the Thai words and English alphabet.

"But there’s still difference in price and other releases usually gets merchandise!” - Correct me if I’m wrong, but the US is probably one of the most expensive countries in the world. Do you think the materials, printings, and manpower cost is the same with other countries? Especially compared to one in Southeast Asia.

“But it’s xxxx times more expensive than the original Chinese version!” - Excuse me, the original Chinese version doesn’t need to pay for translators, proofreaders and editors with multilingual skills, and purchase the IPs? If you think it’s more worth buying the Chinese version, then by all means go ahead.

------------

Some last words...

I’m not looking down on those in difficult financial situation, but hey, I’m not filthy rich either? I come from a third world country and even if I’m a working adult, I’m still in working middle class + I got my parents to take care of. My country’s currency is literally just a tiny 0.000069 USD per 1 Indonesian Rupiah.

Every single fandom merchandise that you see me bought, either I’ve saved up for that or I sacrificed other things to buy that. I just don’t show the struggle to you guys because why should I? I’m just here to have fun about the fandom I love, not to flex my struggling financial condition.

These official English release of MXTX novels? All 17 books are going to cost me almost HALF of my monthly salary. But hey, I think it’s a good thing that they didn’t release it all at once, so that I can save up between months to purchase them all and plan my spending better.

If you feel the price is expensive, especially if you have to ship from outside North America, consider the following:

Book Depository provide free worldwide shipping

The books’ ISBN numbers are all available in the publisher’s website, just show it to you local bookstore and ask if they can order it for you

Plus, there are already hundreds of generous fans doing free giveaways in Twitter, even the publishers are helping to signal boost this. You can go and try your luck if you’re really desperate.

Lastly, I know how much love we all have for our favorite fandoms, but remember that fandom merchandise is NOT your primary needs.

You are NOT obliged to purchase any fandom merchandise if you can’t afford it and you should ALWAYS prioritize your primary needs.

Also, if you still want to read the fan-translations that are still available, alright go ahead. But remember that the translators themselves already said fan translations in English are now illegal. You can read it. We all consume pirated contents at one point. But don’t flex about it and diss the official release just because you can’t afford it.

I don’t know if the person who made that reblog tags are going to come at me or not, but even if they do, I literally don’t care. I’m not gonna waste my time arguing with someone with that kind of mindset and will block them right on the spot.

Also Idgaf if they call me out or talk behind my back, I literally don’t know them, so I don’t care.

End of rant.

[jenniferrpovey]

ABC Test Explained

Okay, so apparently there are a lot of people who love the PRO Act.

For the most part, I love the PRO Act too. Unions are good. I’m not in a union (I’m in a guild, which is a different thing), but I could join two if I wanted to. In my specific situation, unions don’t benefit me.

But I want other people who DO need them to join them.

Unfortunately, something has been slipped into the PRO Act that is terrible in the same way SESTA/FOSTA was, except it’s not just for sex workers this time (not to diminish the impact on sex workers).

It’s called the ABC Test and there’s a move to make it the national standard for who is considered an independent contractor, across all industries.

It’s very simple. To pass the test, you have to meet all THREE of these criteria:

A. The worker is free from the employer’s control or direction in performing the work.

B. The work takes place outside the usual course of business of the company.

C. The worker is customarily engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business.

A. is pretty easy.

C. is mostly easy, but causes issues for publishing that I’ll explain later.

B. outlaws 90% of freelance work with NO workaround that I know of. (I have yet to consult a lawyer on this. Lawyers are expensive).

C primarily causes a problem for sensitivity readers. My last one was a college student who needed the extra money. Under this, I wouldn’t have been able to hire her. If you are looking for a very specific sensitivity reader, that will become illegal if this test is codified, because they will HAVE to be doing it regularly. That’s hard for if you want, say, an African-American asexual person. Multiple sensitivity readers probably won’t help. Also, if somebody has to be an employee, they also have to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. So much for hiring a sensitivity reader in Finland to make sure your Finnish character acts like a Finn.

B. causes a problem for *everyone*. As an author-publisher, I would no longer be able to hire an editor or a cover artist. Which means I would no longer be able to produce quality books.

I would have to onboard my editor as an employee every time I needed her, pay her by the hour not by the word, then fire her when she was done.

I could get around cover art by purchasing pre-made art, which is buying IP.

It’s also possible that a court could rule that authors are employees of the publisher, which would be absolutely terrible because then the publisher owns the book. Publishers might have to get around this by not providing editing/feedback, and the author can’t hire an editor, and...

 Basically, this would absolutely destroy publishing. I can think of workarounds such as author’s cooperatives.

The point is that if you need somebody to run your business they must be an employee. Which makes absolute sense if that person is working for you 40 hours a week...or even 5 hours a week.

It’s an undue burden if they are working for you 30 hours a year. Or once ever for 5 hours.

The point is to make us hire people, but we can’t. Instead, the only option for me and other self publishers will be to let down our readers either by ceasing publication or by producing inferior work.

If you enjoy self published books, if you enjoy books by diverse authors, if you enjoy weird shit that the big publishers won’t take a risk on, then please contact your Representative and Senator.

Do not tell them to vote against the PRO Act unless there’s no other choice. Tell them to push for an amendment to either carve out exemptions to the ABC Test or replace it for a more sensible test.

Biden has already promised to sign this. (Consider contacting the White House too).

If you are an artist who ever does work for a publisher, if you are an author yourself, talk about how it will affect your business.

If you are a reader, talk about how it will affect publishing as a whole.

I realize this all sounds like a capitalist argument, but wouldn’t you rather have your favorite independent authors writing and not doing a ton of paperwork every time they release a new book...and wouldn’t you rather read books that had been edited by a person not the author?

To explain, if I have to onboard an editor as an employee, I have to:

1. Have them fill out a W-4 form.

2. Verify their immigration status.

3. Register them with the state. Brakes on! My editor is in a different state. I just got nexus in that state...which will last for years. Now I can’t sell books directly to people in that state without collecting sales tax. And I don’t even know HOW you do it when your employee is in a different state. This involves four different sets of paperwork.

4. Pay worker’s compensation, so if they get carpal tunnel working for me they’re covered. Given I can’t actually control their working conditions but am now liable for them.

5. Send them half a dozen OSHA and safety notices.

Then I have to have them track their time and bill me by the hour. Again, you can no longer charge by the word. I have to pay payroll taxes (which they normally do themselves for all of their projects at once).

Then when the project is DONE, I have to fire them, so I’m not paying worker’s comp until the next book is finished. Then do all of this AGAIN even if it’s the same editor.

This compares to one single tax form and a contract.

Then I have to do this all again for my cover artist.

Either my costs go up significantly, or I have to take workers’ comp out of the amount I’m paying them. So ONE of us loses a ton of money and BOTH of us waste a ton of time.

(My editor that I use will probably stop editing if this happens).

If I don’t do this, I could be fined $30,000...per violation...which would not just put me out of business but wipe out my savings.

If you value independent publishing, then please, again, tell your representative and senator how you feel about the ABC test.

Oh, and it also:

1. Destroys the owner-operator model of trucking. Prices on everything will go up and large companies that can employ their own drivers will benefit. I.e., straight into Bezos’ pocket.

2. May impact the ability of construction companies to hire subcontractors. It’s really murky at this point.

I’m going to have to consult a lawyer if this goes through and I may pay a few hundred dollars to find out I have to polish up my resume.

And how ridiculous this is has already been shown with AB5 in California. I want them to come up with a test which nails Uber, Door Dash, etc, but not entire industries.

[imma-fucking-nerd]

Sweethearted Security

(Nines x Reader)

A/N: here's sum good ol fluff for the hardass we all love. I was gunna say sorry if its ooc but then i remembered he doesn't have a canon personality lmao

————————————————

You were the adopted child of a very wealthy and highly powerful family. Normally any other family of your status would keep that little secret hidden at all costs. However your parents were quite public and open about the idea. It made the public think they were generous people. Again, unlike other families like your own, they actually were good people.

However kind they were, they still managed to acquire enemies of their own. Most of them being jealous of your families success. So naturally, you and your family were in constant danger with threats of assassinations. Your life moreso than your parents, considering you were the heir to the family wealth and also the perfect bargaining chip.

After the attempt on your life that nearly succeeded, your parents set out on a mission to find you the best body guard money could buy. And the best they got indeed. With enough promises of donating extreme amounts of money to the DPD, the captain finally gave in. Now, your family was the proud owner of your very own RK900 android.

He wasn't exactly the gift you thought you'd recieve on your 18th birthday. Quite honestly you were scared of him, despite the fact his sole purpose was to protect you. But that fear of him only lasted a couple of months before you got used to him. He wasn't given a name so you decided to call him Conan, and if you didn't know any better you'd think liked that choice.

Now you were well in your 20's and yet your parents insisted on keeping him around for your sake. Not that you were arguing to get rid of him per say. You were actually quite fond of his presence. When he was around you knew you were basically untouchable. You even swore that he seemed to form a sort of personality too, something he'd deny if you asked.

Even though he was programmed to do whatever you asked him to do, you still did most things for yourself. You didn't want to use him, no matter how many times he tells you that he's just a machine. That wasn't the case in your mind. He was more of a person than most the people you've met at all the social gatherings your family forced you to. So you made it a rule to yourself to never treat him like a maid, and if you do, pay him for it. Not that he'd ever accept the money. At least you could say you tried.

However there was one exception to that rule, and that was when you were sick. Which happened to be in the predicament you were in now. You woke up in the morning with the classic sore throat and stuffy nose that  felt dry and yet was runny at the same time. In other words, you felt like absolute garbage.

The moment you left your room you greeted by Conan, as always. He took one look at you, seemingly scanning you, before narrowing his icy blue eyes.

"You're sick," he deadpanned.

"Yeah, no shit," you shot back, sarcasm evident in your nasally voice.

"Then you should be going back to bed to rest," he said, taking a step infront of you to block you from going anywhere else.

"Yeah well I need the bathroom so," you trailed off as you easily stepped around him.

You didn't have to look at him to know his eyes rolled at you. One of his signature actions you've noticed.

After tending to yourself in the bathroom you left said room and tried to head downstairs. Emphasis on tried.

"And where do you think you're going?" you heard from behind you, already all too familiar with the voice of your bodyguard.

"Going to make some coffee," you replied although it sounded more like a question.

"No you're not. You're going back to your bed to rest. I'll get you whatever you need," Conan said, more like demanded.

"Conan, we talked about this. I don't want you running around doing shit for me when I'm perfectly capable," you said with a long sigh.

"I'm aware. However you aren't 'perfectly capable' at the moment. Therefore I suggest going back to bed, otherwise I'll take you there myself," as he spoke his lip quirked up into a slight smirk, knowing he'd won.

"Conan..." you whined.

"(Y/n)," he said in a warning tone.

"I'm serious, I'm fine. I'll just get some coffee quick and then I'll-"

"As you wish," he suddenly cut you off before leaning down and carrying you over his shoulder as if you weighed nothing.

"Conan!" you squeaked, causing a small cough to escape you.

"I did warn you, you decided not to listen," you could practically hear the smug smirk he wore as he carried you into your room and plopped you down on your bed.

"You know I hate it when you do that," you huffed, your mouth forming a pout.

"And you're aware that I don't really care," he sassed.

You rolled your eyes at him and crossed your arms over your chest childishly. When you met his eyes again you swear you saw a flicker of amusement in his usually hard steely hues.

"Now, if you're done being difficult. I'll go and make you a cup of herbal tea."

"But I want coffee," you whined, dragging out the 'e' sound for far too long.

"Herbal tea is healthier than coffee. It'll also help sooth your throat. Besides, you should really avoid ingesting excessive caffeine. Like you have been doing for the past several weeks," he spoke with the matter-of-fact tone he knew you hated.

Once again beating you in one of your many squabbles.

Sighing, you finally gave in,"Fine, whatever."

With that, Conan left the room to go fetch you your tea. He'd also make sure to bring back the bottle of cough syrup as well. He also had the thought of adding honey to your tea, for some added sweetness.

No one would ever be able to figure it out on their own, but Conan actually quite enjoyed taking care of you when you're ill. Or taking care of you in general. Being your protector. Of course, if you ever confronted him about it himself, he'd simply feign ignorance or straight out deny it. The good old 'just a machine' excuse. But that's all it was at this point, an excuse, because of you. Truth was over the years he had been at your side he had grown attached to you. He loved you, not that he actually realized it yet.

It took him much longer than his predecessor, Connor, to figure it out but he was capable of feeling. Of course, he still hasn't quite accepted the fact yet. Or show any signs of him being a deviant around anyone who isn't you. But hey, you just excited you saw even the slightest of signs really.

To everyone else he was still the same stone faced, emotionless, empty monster wearing humans skin. A machine ready to strike at a moments notice with no intentions of mercy upon anyone who dares face him. In many ways he still was that.

Conan liked to think he was able to keep that facade even infront of you, but you saw when that mask slipped. Hell, you knew he was capable of it even before he did. But to see it was something you'd never forget, and something you were excited to see more of. You of course never said anything about it though, wanting him to come to you when he's ready.

When he returned back to your room he was pleasantly surprised to see you laying in bed, scrolling mindlessly through your phone. You actually listened to him. It wasn't a particularly rare thing for you to do and yet it made his biocomonants feel all fuzzy. It was a feeling he had grown to cherish only because it was caused by you.

Once you noticed the android enter your room you sat up and scooted back so your back was against the backboard. Conan held out the mug of tea and you gingerly took it. The mug was emanating a warmth that was just hot enough to not burn your hand. And you had to admit, the tea smelt pretty nice.

"There, I trust I won't have to force you to drink it?" he asked almost playfully.

"Yeah yeah I bet you'd love that wouldn't you," you smirked before blowing on the tea a couple of times.

You were just about to take a sip before Conan stops you as he pours a spoonful of the opposite of sugar, "Before you drink your tea you should take this."

Before you had the opportunity to take the spoon for yourself, Conan was already holding the spoon in front of your mouth. You felt your cheeks starting to flare up and you looked up at him with wide eyes. He only stared at you expectantly. Before he spoke up with some some snarky remark you quickly leaned closer to take the spoon in your mouth and swallow the syrup. When you leaned back you averted you eyes from him awkwardly.

"Now you can enjoy your tea," he chimed with satisfaction.

You quickly brought up the mug up to your face and gingerly took a sip. You'd hope that Conan would think the heat in your face was caused by the hot beverage and not because of him. Conan might have been new to the whole understanding human emotions thing, but he was by no means clueless. (Unlike his predecessor) He knew exactly what he was doing.

After taking your first taste you hummed at the pleasant sweetness. He must have added honey, your favorite. Your lips curled up into a small smile.

"Thanks Conan," you said sincerely, smiling up to him.

"Of course, (Y/n)," he replied with a slight bow of his head.

Your smile widened and paused just before taking another sip of your tea, "you're uh excused by the way."

With another nod Conan left your room. It wasn't long before he returned with an old paper book in hand, must have gotten it from your Dad's library. He then took a seat in a chair by your side on your right, opening to the page you assumed he left off. You never got why he liked to read books when he could probably download the whole thing in a matter of seconds. But you never spoiled his hobby. It was nice to watch as his striking blue-grey eyes glided across the paper. He almost looked at peace. Almost.

His eyes flicked up to meet yours and you immediately looked down into your mug. Your cheeks were darkening in embarrassment. It wasn't the first time he had caught you staring, and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

"I recommend you try and sleep after you've finished. The more rest you get the faster you will recover," Conan said, cutting the growing awkward silence.

"Yeah, yeah," you waved him off, no longer having the energy to argue with him.

Conan's attention went back on his book, the tiniest of blink and you'll miss it smiles gracing his features. Meanwhile you tried to keep your attention on your phone as you slowly finished your tea. Emphasis on tried. But you just couldn't stop your eyes from glancing up at your favorite android. It wasn't your fault Cyberlife made him so perfect.

Eventually, you finished your tea and oddly enough you felt very tired. You placed the mug on the end table beside your bed before a yawn escaped you.

"You should rest," Conan said, not looking away from his book.

"You drugged me didn't you," you squinted at him, your lips pursing.

Conan looked over at you with a blank expression, "No, but if that's what it will require for you to rest then I will."

You couldn't stop the smile from spreading on your face and you rolled your eyes playfully. You knew he was only kidding and it wasn't an actual threat. Then again, maybe it wasn't. Either way, your soft chuckle at his maybe not joke made him feel nice.

"Sorry to spoil the fun but I think I'll pass," you said as you laid in bed and got yourself comfortable.

Conan only rolled his eyes at you before returning his attention back to his book.

Luckily the cough syrup was enough to allow you to easily fall asleep without any interruptions of coughing. You were out like a light for a good few hours. But as the medicine slowly wore off, your coughing became more frequent. You were also sniffling more often as well. It was when Conan heard soft whimpers fall past your lips when he set down his book and went to get you more cough syrup. He could have just waited until you officially woke up, but he didn't see the point in needlessly making you suffer longer than required.

Once he returned to your side, he gently shook your shoulder and softly called out your name. It didn't take more than a few moments before your (e/c) eyes fluttered open to meet his ice cold ones.

"Conan?" you mumbled sleepily.

"My apologies for waking you (Y/n), but I think it would be for the best if you took more cough medicine," he informed you slowly so your waking mind could understand.

You nodded in agreement and replied with a little, "okay."

You sat up slightly as he opened the bottle of the thick deep red liquid. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes you tried not to think too much about the strong, very unpleasant, taste. At least it worked well. Just like before, Conan guided the spoon to your mouth but this time you didn't hesitate to take it.

"Good, now you can go back to sleep," Conan said, an almost tenderness to his voice you thought you imagined.

At his okay you plopped back down. Conan took this as his cue that he was excused but just as he turned to leave your side he stopped when he felt a tug on his jacket. Looking back, he raised a brow in question.

"Is there something you need, (Y/n)?" he inquired.

"Can you lay with me?" you asked, half asleep.

Conan didn't respond right away, he just stared down at you. At the lack of an answer a small frown tugged at your lips and you let him go, assuming his answer was no. So you layed back down, mumbling a short apology.

When you closed your eyes you heard a soft sigh, that you knew was unnecessary, before the mattress next to you dipped under new weight. Your eyes fluttered back open and you were delighted to see Conan laying next to you. He was watching you from the corner of his eye as you scooted closer to his form.

All you did was lay next to him for a short while, testing the waters. You honestly never thought he'd let you get this close to him. Let alone lay with you. It was nice. But you were becoming more sleepy and wanted maximum comfort. So, in a fleeting moment of bravery you shifted to rest your head and an arm on his chest.

Immediately you felt him tense underneath you, and you half expected him to push you off. But to your surprise, he placed a hand on your back and slowly traced up and down your spine. It was a comforting action that made you subconsciously snuggle up closer to him.

Conan never ceased his fingers that traced your spine, telling himself it was for you. Even when he presses a soft kiss to the crown of your head, he told himself it was just to make you feel better. But when he ended up brining up his free hand to pet and play with your hair gently. It was hard to convince himself the action absolutely for his own enjoyment. After all, you had been asleep for at least five minutes at that point.

"Sleep well, my heart."

———————————————

A/N: short (at least by my standards) n sweet. Love to see it. But i feel like my writing is garbage. Like I feel like i keep using the same words and phrases n shit. If anyone could lemme know if im just overthinking it or not please leave a comment or dm me or something! Hope y'all enjoyed 💙

[tlbodine]

Things That Do (And Don’t) Sell Books (in my experience)

I’ve just finished reading this book:

I am both amused and a bit disheartened to have read the whole thing and discovered that I knew pretty much everything in it. Amused, because I guess I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge over the years. Disheartened, because it clearly has not led to me becoming the break-away success I always dreamed of. Ah well. Live and learn. 

I’m all about transparency in this business, so I wanted to talk honestly for a while about book marketing and what I’ve experienced in terms of what does and does not seem to work. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so chime in with your own experiences! 

Branding and Audience 

The first third of Burke’s book is dedicated to this aspect, and it’s an important marketing step that’s easy to overlook. The idea is basically that you can’t market a product unless it has a brand identity. To create your brand, you need to do the following: 

Identify the audience who you are trying to reach with your work, or who would be most receptive to what you’re writing

Identify your dreams and goals so you have a clear picture in mind of what you want to accomplish 

Figure out how to position yourself in such a way that you a.) stand out from the competition but b.) people can still relate to and understand at a glance

Find a way to communicate your brand consistently in terms of the language used, your aesthetic, the way you act online, and so forth. 

When it comes to brand-building as an author, I think I’ve got a bit of a corner nailed down. I at least hope to be perceived as someone level-headed, thoughtful, generally positive/empathetic and humanist, but also critical and looking deeper into the meanings of things -- all of which are traits I personally possess and which are baked in to the work I do. In support of that branding, I curate my activity online as best I can: I post things that are of a certain horror aesthetic that I feel overlaps with my own interests/style; I give writing advice and boost people in the community where I can; I wade into discourse selectively and thoughtfully; I give media reviews and analysis that I think would be interesting to like-minded people. 

The “identify the audience” part is much harder for me. I’m still honestly not sure who my ideal reader is, or where exactly to go to find my audience. At this point I’m kind of scattering crumbs of myself out into the wind and hoping it will attract people who will, in turn, be interested in the work that I do (and both willing and able to support it financially). 

Things I’ve Done With Varying Degrees of Success: 

Aforementioned blogging activities. I have slowly but steadily grown my following her on tumblr and other social media sites as well as my author newsletter on substack, but it’s not clear to what extent that following translates into book sales. My writing advice posts vastly out-perform all of my other content, but I haven’t seen compelling evidence that the people interested in my writing advice are especially interested in my fiction -- it seems to be two separate groups, with maybe a sliver of overlap. 

Content marketing with more short fiction. This seems like it should be the safest, surest way to find more readers, but it’s time-consuming and discouraging because of the discoverability cycle. My horror flash fiction posts don’t get nearly as many notes as my advice posts. My attempts to get into the big anthologies that pop up have so far amounted to little, although I do need to write more. It’s just that coming up with new ideas and writing them all the time is a lot of work, and if it’s not paying off maybe I’m still better off dedicating that work to my novels. 

Sending ARCs to book bloggers/reviewers/booktube etc. I sent out dozens, if not hundreds, of these and got next to no response. I do think part of the problem is that, at the time, I had no Twitter presence, and -- like it or not -- there seems to be a bit of cliqueishness to this aspect of the book world. Now that I’ve spent more time on Twitter ingratiating myself with the horror community, I suspect I’ll have a somewhat easier job securing blurbs and reviews at least from the people in my extended social circle. But I won’t know until I try it again. *I also know I would have greater success with this if I’d been sending paperback ARCs instead of digital. I didn’t, because the cost of buying more author copies + shipping was prohibitive. 

Author Newsletter. I maintain mine in conjunction with my Patreon account. I send a monthly news round-up, making a point of shouting out both industry news and the milestones/achievements of others in the community as well as providing what I hope to be value-added or interesting content (in the form of blog posts my patrons vote on). It does OK. I average a couple of new sign-ups per month this way and tend to hover around a 25% open rate, which isn’t terrible. But it’s not great, either, and I won’t know for sure whether any of those opens will actually yield sales at any point. 

Interpersonal relationships/community building. Hands down the most successful “marketing” thing I’ve ever done is make friends with people. My writing discord group is small but very close-knit and interacting with them is one of the genuine highlights of my day. I didn’t really make it with mercenary intentions of selling books, but it has directly resulted in sales. Similarly, there are a handful of authors from Twitter and Wattpad that I’ve developed genuine friendships with, and we buy each other’s books and support one another. This whole community aspect is extremely rewarding and I’d do it whether or not it sold books, but it’s also not exactly easy to scale. I can only maintain genuine friendships with so many people. 

Posting in reading groups. The books that allow self-promo are so saturated with it that nobody pays any attention. The good groups do not allow self-promo, unless it’s in the form of getting down in the comments and recommending a book on a per-person basis to people looking for a specific thing, and only then if you’re not being spammy. Again, this is time-consuming. You could spend your entire life in these groups, hand-selling books to these people, and maybe picking up a few sales. They do seem like a good place to identify trends, though, so they’re good for market research if not direct selling. 

Things I Have Not Done, But Which I Suspect Would Sell Books 

Paid promotions. The golden ticket for book sales still seems to be landing a BookBub promo. If you’re unfamiliar, this is where you price your book at 99 cents or free and then pay bookbub to include it in their deals newsletter. Bookbub is very popular and moves a lot of copies. Ideally, you want to set it up so that your cheap book is the first in a series, and people snap that up and then come back to read the rest. This requires you to have written a series. Also bookbub is expensive because these are premium ads. We’re talking hundreds of dollars for one ad. There are other book promos that are cheaper but don’t have the same buy-through rate. 

Ads on facebook/amazon. I’m only dimly familiar with the ins and outs of these ads. They can be relatively cheap, but the amount of visibility they have is tied to your budget -- so the more you can spend on a campaign, the better your performance will be. 

Calling bookstores/libraries and asking them to order. I should do this. I have not done this purely because I am a coward. 

I am not certain what more I can do to promote my books without spending money. 

I understand the “spend money to make money” concept, but I also understand the “I have a limited budget and cannot spend it willy nilly on things that still might not actually pay off, especially considering how expensive self-publishing is when you want to do it right.” 

...This post ended up in a much more bitter place than I meant for it to. Sorry. I’ll check in if I remember additional points that could be successful strategies. 

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[lillupon]

Sugar Daddy!Wonwoo

I said SUGAR DADDY WONWOO as a joke, but now I can't stop thinking about it? Look at this smug yet indulgent smile...

Click for the gif set that inspired this!

Like, holy shit, here's a guy who knows he's intelligent, successful, and attractive.

Let's make Wonwoo a corporate lawyer, early to mid-thirties, and already damn good at what he does. He has a young brother, Seokmin, who is entering his first year of university, and who also happens to be friends with Mingyu.

Being the good older brother he is, Wonwoo offers to take his younger brother shopping for school supplies: textbooks, headphones, a printer, a new laptop, etc., etc.

Seokmin invites Mingyu along, because he knows how overwhelmed Mingyu is by the massive shift in environment--Mingyu grew up in the countryside and is the first in his family to graduate high school, let alone pursue college.

The first time Mingyu and Wonwoo meet, Wonwoo is in a collared shirt and pressed slacks, a belt and tie to complete the look. Even under the summer heat, he looks cold and beautiful and austere: not a single hair out of place, no sheen of sweat on his forehead. Meanwhile, Mingyu is sweating through his threadbare t-shirt and basketball shorts (he had to run for the bus to Seokmin's house). He wipes his palm on his shorts before shaking Wonwoo's hand. The contrast of their hands is striking: Wonwoo's pale and slender fingers against his own tanned and stocky ones. Mingyu maybe shakes Wonwoo's hand for longer than is appropriate, but he can't help himself. He's never met a man so smart and beautiful. Wonders how the hell someone like Seokmin--who doesn't even know that red and yellow mix to make orange--is related to a man like this.

Wonwoo drives them to the Pledis University in a car called a 'Tesla'. Where Mingyu grew up, he's never seen a Tesla before. In his hometown, most people drive scrappy and rusted old cars that have probably been passed down from grandfather to father, and then finally to son. Wonwoo goes to pay for the parking, and Mingyu almost faints when he sees the price per hour. If this is any indication of how expensive university is, Mingyu doesn't know how the hell he's going to afford anything.

Wonwoo leads them into the bookstore. It's crammed full of people getting ready for the new school year. Mingyu spots someone carrying a twin-sized mattress through the cramped aisles, smacking people along the way. Everyone here either looks bright and excited, or dead inside. There's no in-between.

They hunt down Seokmin's books first. Mingyu trails behind the two brothers, eyes sweeping over the bookstore. It's massive and cluttered. Mingyu feels lost and overwhelmed and hurries to catch up with Seokmin and Wonwoo.

While Seokmin is searching for his required reading, Mingyu takes in the outrageous price tags of the books. He does a double take, thinking perhaps he misread the price. There's an extra zero in there, he's sure. And then his stomach sinks. He can't afford this. All the money he saved up working over the summer barely covers the cost of textbooks for the first year. He's supposed to do this four more times for his four years of college? Does he really need all these textbooks to do well in his classes? Maybe he'll be fine without them? But he wants to do better than 'fine'. He wants to do well in school and make his parents proud, show them that they aren't wasting his money by investing in him.

"How about you, Mingyu?" Wonwoo asks. "What books do you need?"

Mingyu flushes. Doesn't know how to say he can't possibly afford these things. He wonders what Wonwoo thinks of him when he looks at Mingyu. "Uh," he starts, when he realises Wonwoo is still looking at him expectantly.

"Mingyu is in the same literature and math class as me," Seokmin says, plucking up a math textbook, and then weaving through the aisles to grab a text for their literature class.

Mingyu resigns himself to buying the textbooks. He'll just purchase books for the first semester, and then take a look at his budget for the second semester.

They line up for the cashiers. It's a long line. Mingyu clutches his textbooks to his chest, occasionally stealing peeks at Wonwoo, whose brows are drawn into a vee of concentration, and whose thumbs are flying across his phone. A tiny frown tugs at his lips. Then, Wonwoo sighs and tucks his phone away. Looks up and sees Mingyu looking at him. Wonwoo smiles, and it feels like the temperature has gone up ten degrees in the bookstore.

Mingyu sets his five textbooks on the counter and takes out his wallet. Like everything else Mingyu owns, his wallet is also worn. The stitches are frayed and poking out. The cheap, synthetic leather has cracked. It's also held together at the center by duct tape. $496.12, the cashier tells him. Mingyu has never spent that much money in his life all at once. College is full of new experiences, he supposes. He fumbles for his credit card. The plastic card is lodged stubbornly within its slot, as though it doesn't want to give up its money.

And that's when Wonwoo reaches past him, swipes his card, and punches his PIN into the machine. Mingyu's head whips to face Wonwoo. He stares, eyes rounded, mouth having comically fallen open in shock. The only syllable he can manage is, "Wha--"

The corners of Wonwoo's mouth lift in a close-lipped smile, then crack to reveal a sliver of straight, perfect teeth. "Consider it a graduation gift."

Dumbly, Mingyu says, "But I haven't graduated yet."

Wonwoo laughs. "A high school graduation gift, I mean."

So. That's how it starts between them.