Month: August 2020

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Reach Out To Your Readers Through Ebooks. It’s Easy!

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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This time last year, I was preparing to create my first ebook with the help of Blogchatter. I have dreamt of publishing my work since forever, but find the entire process of sending samples of publishers, waiting for a revert, and dealing with rejections too much to handle. I honestly don’t have the bandwidth to take so much on my mind. So does that mean I will never be a published author? I’d thought so.

Until I became a part of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival. Hesitatingly. Because, the entire idea seemed too good to be true! And like many of you who have joined the carnival the first time, I was very excited to see this take shape. I was apprehensive, yet calm because I knew the people behind this and knew that they will see me through till the end with this.

I published by first ebook Write. Edit. Promote. with Blogchatter and it got a delightful treatment over the next two months. After two months, I published the ebook on Amazon and have published another ebook since then, with the third one due next month. In this post, I wanted to share with you all my learnings from the entire process. I will be one of the mentors this year, so do not hesitate getting in touch if you get stuck anywhere with the process!

  • Decide the topic of your ebook very careful. You will need enough number of chapters to create a book, and they will all need to be related. This is specially important if your ebook is going to be a non-fiction.
  • Designing a cover is easy and there are many apps to help you with that, the most common one being Canva. A word of caution here, a book’s cover is the first impression a reader will have of your book, so design it well. When I say design it well, I don’t want you to learn designing. Just make a simple, attractive cover. Canva has a host of other tools and templates, or like me, you can not use any of them and just create your cover from scratch. Use colours that are pleasing to the eye, fonts that are professional and not fancy or kiddish, and keep the font size readable yet not too big.
  • Edit well. Use apps if you wish, or take help from knowledgeable friends. A book must be edited, for readers to appreciate and enjoy reading it.
  • Make sure you number the pages in your manuscript and create a table of contents which has the page numbers mentioned too.
  • Many authors don’t get into a acknowledgements but gratitude is a wonderful thing. Nothing is possible without a little direct or indirect help from the universe and its people, so thanking them is never too much.
  • Don’t forget to include the about the author section. Don’t brag too much here, yet talk about yourself in the best way possible. Don’t make the author bio too long, as well.

 

Be a part of Blogchatter’s eBook Carnival and your journey to becoming an author would be full of fun and pride. I wish you all the best with your journey of becoming an author from a blogger.

 

If you are a new author, download my e-books meant specifically for you:

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Have Allergies? Check What Goes In Your Mouth! #AllergyFree

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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Whenever I want to eat prawns, I remember an ex-roommate of mind. She was allergic to prawns and her skin would break out the very instance she ate one, if ever, by mistake. So there were a lot of times I’d see her ask if the food being served had prawns, even if the hosts never thought of including prawns in the menu! It was embarrassing for her, but it was also a matter of life and death. Yes, I’d heard of a few instances where people with prawn allergies had even lost their lives due to it.

Scary, isn’t it?

Food Intolerance vs Food Allergies

Living with her, I also learnt the difference between food intolerance and food allergies. Food intolerance symptoms are often limited to digestive problems, such as cramps, constipation or diarrhea. A food allergy has much more serious reactions in the body. A severe allergic reaction may involve swelling, hives, itching, dizziness and even life threatening anaphylaxis. A food intolerance is a digestive system response whereas a food allergy is an immune system response.

I personally don’t have any food allergies that I know of, but my husband is allergic to some foods so we need to be very careful about what comes in our kitchen and what we order when we eat outside.

Know what to look for in a food label

Eating out is a once-in-a-while occasion but food gets cooked at home everyday. Since we both love to experiment in the kitchen, we often buy new sauces, etc.
One thing we are both very careful about is checking the labels on packaged food. It is very important to know what to look for in labels and how to read labels for food allergies in India.
Not very long ago, I learnt that I need to pay special attention to anything that is under ‘may contain’ in the food labels. Also, if the label says something is free (eg) sugar-free, peanut-free, it could mean that there are extracts or substitutes which could be equally harmful to the person allergic. It is important to us that we know which allergens are lurking in the food.

Stay prepared if you have a food allergy

Food allergies can be triggered by even a small amount of the offending food so it is advised to avoid that food completely. The first step is to be sure of what you are eating. You can’t afford to be adventurous and try out new dishes without knowing the ingredients. That is why my husband and I make it a point to check labels while using exotic sauces. We also talk to the restaurant staff about the food we order.

In addition to this, carry an epinephrine auto-injector if your allergist feels you have a need. This is to save the person in case a severe allergic reaction like anaphylaxis occurs.
Staying aware about allergens and avoiding them completely also makes eating out/eating packed food hassle free!
Know more about allergies and their management here.

Disclaimer:
The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. This is a part of the public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi India. Sanofi India bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.

References:
1. https://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergy

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-
allergy/

 

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How To Become A Pro At Content Creation Right From The Beginning

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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The world is changing. More now, than ever before.

We are living through a pandemic and life as we knew it, doesn’t exist any more. Everything has changed, yet nothing has stopped. So, taking all the change in account, we all must move ahead and do things which will become the new normal.

Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” ~ Leo Burnett

One thing which remains normal, and is on the upward slide to become more than what it is, happens to be content creations. It is not bound by industries, time zones, currencies, region, or gender. Content creation is the fastest growing occupation at present, and it will keep on increasing. There is no doubt that this is going to be humongous. So, while the entire world is focused on cashing in on this, what about you? Don’t you want to become a pro at content creation and earn big bucks too? I am sure you do, why else would you even be reading this post, haha!

Content creation comes in many types. I am a word content creator, while there are so many successful content creators whose content exists on other platforms and mediums. There is no dearth of information to be retrieved from the internet, but when it comes to your career, the information has to be reliable, and explained how you need it to be. 

Let’s take written content, for example. Blogging happens to be one of the lucrative forms of written content. Look around, there are numerous bloggers out there. But are they all pros at it, making the big bucks, while working for the biggest brands? No, they are not. Only the best reach that stage, and they become the best only because they have studied the field and entered prepared.

For instance, if you want to set up a blog, what are the things you need to be aware of from before?

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” ~ Pablo Picasso

  • How To Find Your Niche
  • How To Identify Potential Clients
  • How To Create Your Own Portfolio
  • 6 Habits of Successful Content Creators
  • Tips To Become A Name To Reckon In The Industry
  • Using Social Media as a Tool
  • Difference Between Content Creation and Content Curation
  • Tips & Tricks To Become An Efficient Content Creator
  • Importance of Networking For A Content Creator
  • Dos and Don’ts of Being A Content Creator

When it comes to other mediums of content creations, there are similar yet different things which one needs to be aware of before stepping into the world. 

Wouldn’t it be great if those who are pros at their field, tell you how they did it? The graph is only going upwards and onwards, and there is no time like now to become a pro at content creation while building your business. Sign up to this online event where the best in the industry will tell you the secrets of their success through carefully crafted videos addressing every concern viewers might have.

If you are a new author, download my e-books meant specifically for you:

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