Have you completed your manuscript yet find that you do not know what to do next? Here are some tips for you. Just do not get frustrated by packing your bags and heading for the hills!

Before I started writing my novel Broken Chains, I did not know what was entailed in getting a book published. By the time I found out, it was too late to retreat. As an author, I have learned that the process is not all that straightforward. It not only involves writing, but also laborious developmental editing and copyediting, searching for literary agents, writing numerous queries, and most important promoting both your book and yourself as an author. To me, the process of writing is not all that difficult, but marketing is the most time-consuming activity.
 
Publishers expect you to have a web presence and have multiple accounts on social media, so that they can “inspect” your personal narrative and “size you up” or “take stock of you.” You have to allow for mounting numerous posts to make yourself known and your voice heard, not to mention obtaining as many likes on your Facebook page as possible (bringing dopamine to the brain) and garnering many followers on Twitter.
 
By the time I had almost completed my novel, I had learned that it is difficult to get a book published by well-established publishers. Large and some small traditional publishers do not accept manuscripts other than through literary agents. Hence, if you want to get published by a well-known publisher, you absolutely must engage an agent. However, it is not easy to arrange for an agent to represent your work. You can count on receiving many refusals from literary agents. However, before contacting agents and publishers, ensure that your manuscript is polished and error free.
 
You will be required to write a perfected, honed, chiselled, sculpted, punchy, and short “query proposal” or “query letter.” How do you provide information and details about your book, including the word count and genre? What makes it different from other books in that particular genre? Why are you the right person to tell the story? How do you plan to market it? You also need to compare your novel to bestselling novels in your genre and in the book market overall. You are also required to submit a brief synopsis of your book as well as your biography.


Before contacting literary agents, research their biographies and requirements and make sure your query meets their standards. Write to as many literary agents as you can, and do not give up until you get the answer “yes.” Do not send your query to more than one agent at the same firm or group; otherwise, you will get rejected. Send your query to one literary agent at a time, and if you do not hear from that agent after a month, contact the next one. Do not pay any literary agent anything unless a publisher concludes a contract with you. When an agent gets a publisher to adopt your book, then you will charged 15 percent.


While looking for publishers, you will come across two types: traditional and vanity. Vanity publishers will charge money for publishing a book. Stay away from them. Never pay a publisher to publish your book. Publishers have to pay you. Do not forget this! Traditional publishers will pay you royalties and sometimes an advance. There are some traditional publishers who will accept your manuscript without literary agents. However, larger houses will not accept your manuscript without a literary agent.


Do research about a publisher before submitting your work. However, if after years of trying to get published you decide to give up, then use such self-publishing websites as  Lulu, Amazon, or CreateSpace.
These are the links that will help you to reach both publishers and literary agents:

http://www.mdbookcovers.com/
http://www.pegasusbooks.net/
http://www.agentquery.com/default.aspx
http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/publishers-looking-for-authors.html
http://www.writersmarket.com/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2FMarketListings%2FLiteraryAgents%2F167797%2Cchalberg-sussman
http://www.agentquery.com/
http://agentqueryconnect.com/
https://querytracker.net/
https://www.awmonline.com.au/
http://www.critiquecircle.com/
http://www.everywritersresource.com
 

Many people suffer from depression in silence, a condition that affects a human being’s ability to function adequately and forge and maintain relationships with others. This condition can result from stress, one’s environment, chemical imbalances in the brain, situational negativity, and low self-esteem. To diagnose the real cause of depression and obtain correct treatment, one should visit a medical practitioner as soon as symptoms become apparent, which can prevent further complications that might lead to suicidal ideation or even damaged relationships and negative changes in lifestyle. Only a medical practitioner can prescribe the right treatment and thereby prevent a suicide and other long-term negative consequences.
 
Depressed people suffer from mood swings and live in darkness, feeling as if the whole world has fallen on their shoulders and everyone and everything are against them. One minute they are full of joy, while the next minute sadness fills their hearts. They may feel lonely, empty, frustrated, and hopeless--as if something is missing from their lives. They do not have the will to live anymore, with suicidal thoughts subsequently developing and evolving. This may not happen to everyone because people react differently, but depression is a serious condition. During these moments, they either shun friends or look for emotional support and understanding while becoming passive. Unfortunately, some of them get repulsed because of misunderstandings and as a result of appearing overly needy.
 
If you suffer from depression, let friends know about your condition. Join a group such as church or some other form of a support group that speaks to your activities or pursuits. The fact is that you require emotional support from good friends and a sense of community or beloning. Stay busy with activities that make you happy, including exercise and time enjoying natural beauty. Exercising helps to battle stress. Right after exercising, you feel better. Try it and let me know if I am right. Be sure to get enough sleep and adequate rest. Not sleeping enough can worsen depression and affects your daily functioning. Remember you have nothing to be embarrassed about and you are not alone. Do not suffer alone, but surround yourself with positive and understanding friends.
 
Turn to God, who never rejects anyone. If you continue becoming closer to God, you will gain a sense of grace. With God's blessing, your heart will be filled with joy and depression may diminish. At the same time, seek out medical advice. Doctors can prescribe medications and dispense useful advice. Sometimes, only medication and the right diagnosis of depression can provide a solution. If you do not see a practitioner, you may inch or even plunge toward suicidal ideation due to a sense of hopelessness.
 
 If your depression is caused by environmental factors or even abuse, then take leave of those surroundings and begin all over. If low self-esteem exacerbates depression, try to adopt a sense of self-confidence and daily positive affirmations. For instance, remind yourself: “I am intelligent and beautiful. I deserve only the best. I love and I am loved. I deserve to be loved and treated with respect. I have a right to be happy and I deserve it. I am worth everything good.” Remember that you deserve the best and that those who rejected you were not genuine friends. Forget, forgive, and move on.
 
My dear readers, I believe in you and know that you are beautiful souls that deserves happiness, love, and peace. Pray and ask God for those desires in your life and, most important, believe that God will answer soon. Always see your  doctor as soon as possible. Please share this text if you know someone who suffers from depression

Over the course of years, many couples  try to have a child, yet to their disappointment they are unable to conceive. Some of them may even give up trying, instead choosing to adopt. However, for many couples there exists a new solution called assisted reproduction. Why should a couple try this innovation if they are unable to conceive?
First, both the male and female partner need to consult a doctor and establish if there is a medical reason why they are not capable of conceiving.
A variety of different tests will determine the best course of action to increase this puzzle-and riddle-like chance for a successful pregnancy.

About these developments, I interviewed Juliet Skinner, MD (the consultant gynaecologist and head clinician at the Barbados Fertility Center) for a more detailed explanation of infertility treatments available for couples. 
 
“There are many couples who suffer from infertility. What are the reasons for not being able to conceive?”
There are many reasons why a couple may not be able to conceive: there could be female factors or male factors, or even a combination of the two. There may not even be any obvious medical reason at all: this is known as unexplained infertility.
Whatever the reason for infertility, if a couple has tried for a year with no successful outcome, then they must seek medical intervention. Depending on the diagnosis, it may be necessary to try iIntra-uterine insemination (IUI) or a fuller form known as an vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Each couple we treat is individual, and no two couples are the same. We take a detailed medical history from both the male and female partner, and ask for tests to determine the cause of their infertility.


“What kind of tests are performed?”
Male infertility is very common and affects about one in twenty men. Our intention is to analyze the male partner's semen for its motility, which shows how well the sperm can swim. In turn, we examine the morphology; this is the shape of the sperm.
Female infertility is far more complex, and there are certain diseases such as poly cystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and fibroids, which all affect a woman's ability to conceive. Age plays a substantive role in female infertility. Moreover, men and women are unlike, with women born with all of their eggs and after 35 there is a marked decrease in ovulation.
We also specialize in reproductive immunology and advanced fertility treatments such as hysteroscopy and laparoscopy. We take into account many factors and determine the best course of action for each individual patient. 


“Can you please tell me the difference between IUI and IVF?”
IUI is the introduction of prepared sperm into the uterus to improve the chances of pregnancy. IUI can be used when the female partner has open fallopian tubes and the male partner has normal semen parameters.
IVF refers to the procedure whereby the embryo is fertilized outside of the body, so the female eggs are retrieved and are placed in glass with the male partners prepared sperm. When we fertilze these in the embryo, these are then transferred back to the uterus.
 
How much do these procedures cost?”
A couple can only try IUI if the female has open fallopian tubes, and this procedure starts at US$375 for the procedure. A full IVF cycle is US$5750. However, as we treat each couple based on their individual medical history, costs can vary depending on the medication that they need to prepare for treatment. We work hard to keep our costs down and have not increased our prices since 2007. This makes us a very attractive option for couples in Europe and the United States, since our costs can be as much as half the cost.

"What options do a couple have if the male partner’s sperm is of poor quality?”
In such a case, we prepare the sperm in such a way as to use the male partner’s sperm of the best quality, and we can also take sperm directly from the testis, if necessary, to find sperm that is strong enough to fertilize the egg. In addition, if necessary, we can also use donor sperm.


"What is Clomid used for?"
Clomid is used to stimulate the ovaries and, in turn, release eggs from the ovaries.

“Is it true that after IVF some women taking Clomid, as well, become pregnant with more than one child?”
Clomid increases the number of eggs that we retrieve and, in turn, means we can end up with more than one good grade of embryo, which in turn has a good chance of survival. The decision concerning how many embryos we transfer back to the uterus is taken in consultation with the couple and very much depends on their medical history.
 
 "I have heard many positive stories about your Barbados Fertility Center. What makes you different from other fertility clinics?”
We offer our patients individualized care, and we do everything we can to increase every couple’s chance of success, even if that is only 1 percent, since that 1 percent could mean a baby!
We combine cutting-edge treatment with holistic therapy at our on-site spa, The Life Wellness Center, which means our patients are at their optimum of relaxation to undergo treatment. We have a high success rate of 80 percent of women under 35 and offer low-cost treatment compared to our international competitors.
Finally, we are JCI-accredited, assuring our patients of the best practices upheld at BFC .We are listed among the elite group of clinics that hold JCI accreditation, about which we are proud.
 
I would like to thank Juliet Skinner, MD, for this valuable information. If you have tried for over a year to conceive, please contact the Barbados Fertility Center at
+1 246-435-7467 or visit their web site at www.barbadosivf.com for more information.