Zoloft Medication Use, Dosage and Side Effects

Zoloft Medication Use, Dosage and Side Effects Bipolar Disorder Treatment Medications Print Zoloft (Sertraline) Profile - Use, Dosage, and Side Effects By Marcia Purse Marcia Purse is a mental health writer and bipolar disorder advocate who brings strong research skills and personal experiences to her writing. Learn about our editorial policy Marcia Purse Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on May 23, 2019 More in Bipolar Disorder Treatment Medications Symptoms Diagnosis Zoloft (sertraline) is a type of antidepressant commonly used for depression and anxiety. How does Zoloft work, what conditions can it be used to treat, what are some of the possible side effects, and what else should you know if youve been prescribed this medication? Zoloft (Sertraline) - How Does it Work? Zoloft (sertraline) is in a category of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs.) These medications work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin by nerve cells so that more serotonin is present. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that has been coined the feel good chemical. If you are interested, you can learn more about the chemistry of depression, and how the levels of different neurotransmitters in the brain may affect your mood. Conditions Treatable with Zoloft The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zoloft for the treatment of adults over age 18 diagnosed with: DepressionSocial anxiety disorderPost-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Panic disorderObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) Zoloft is also approved for OCD in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Zoloft and Bipolar Disorder With bipolar disorder, Zoloft is usually used only for acute bipolar depression. Medications such as Zoloft may trigger bipolar mania or hypomania, so careful monitoring by a physician is needed. Important Cautions About Zoloft Medication There are several important things to note if you will be using Zoloft. These include: You should not take Zoloft if youre taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), and there should be a two-week break between stopping or starting Zoloft and starting or stopping a MAOI. Serious, even fatal, complications can occur when these types of drugs are combined.The manufacturer advises that you should not drink alcohol while taking Zoloft.Do not discontinue Zoloft without talking to your doctor. You should also not stop taking Zoloft all at once to avoid SSRI discontinuation syndrome.Practice caution if you are using any other medications which may increase your levels of serotonin. There are several medications, both mental health medications and non-mental health related drugs, such as some pain medications, which can add together to increase levels. The resultant serotonin syndrome can be extremely uncomfortable but is often avoided by making sure your doctor is aware of all medications you are taking.It could take up to eight weeks before your medicine has its full effec t.Be aware that any antidepressant has the possibility of triggering hypomania or mania. Dosage and Administration of Zoloft Medication The way in which your doctor prescribes Zoloft, including the initial dose, will vary between different people and with different diagnoses. General information about dosing includes: The initial dosage of Zoloft is generally 25-50  mg, depending on the age of the patient and the illness being treated.The maximum recommended dose is 200  mg.Take Zoloft once daily, morning or evening.Zoloft can be taken with or without food. Zoloft and Pregnancy In March 2006 Health Canada issued a warning for SSRI antidepressants saying that there could be complications for infants born to mothers taking any of these medications, including Zoloft, during the third trimester of pregnancy. The manufacturers prescribing information states, Zoloft should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Zoloft Side Effects You may or may not have side effects while taking Zoloft, If you do, most people do not have all of the possible side effects. The most common side effects of Zoloft include: Decreased appetite or weight lossDiarrhea or loose stoolsDizzinessDrowsinessDry mouthHeadacheIncreased sweatingNauseaStomach or abdominal cramps, gas, or painTiredness or weaknessTrembling or shakingTrouble sleepingSexual side effects - Sexual side effects are quite common with SSRI medications. Zoloft has a short half-life (in comparison to Prozac, for example) and sometimes taking the medication after sex (at night or in the morning) when blood levels are the lowest can help. Learn more about how to reduce sexual side effects on antidepressants. All SSRI antidepressants have some potential to cause weight gain. Major Warnings Regarding Zoloft Medication The FDA has mandated that all SSRI antidepressants carry a warning contained in a bold black box regarding the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. Children and young adults who are started on Zoloft should be monitored very closely by a psychiatrist. Learn more about the risks and benefits of antidepressants in children. Zoloft Overdose Zoloft overdose can be serious or result in death. As with any medication, the possible benefits of the medication should outweigh the risks of taking the drug, including the risk of overdose. If your loved one is taking Zoloft, learn to recognize the symptoms of an overdose.

UW Music 162 - 804 Words

Last Monday, I got to experience a sensational performance by the University Symphony, composed by Dr. Jonathan Pasternack, that enhanced my knowledge and emotional state through the uniqueness of both the symphony and opera act. Having only experienced a symphony once during the course of my life, I was ecstatic to attend such a soothing and joyful concert. The concert was fairly short, it last two hours, and consisted of 2 symphony songs and 1 opera act. The first two were symphony, which were played in a very unpredictable manner. The melody (violins) started off very slow and quickly increased their tempo. The orchestra performed many instances of crescendo and decrescendos; this kept the audience on the edge of their seats in†¦show more content†¦The opera in one act was hilarious and made the orchestra a lot more entertaining to listen to. It made the entire audience feel at ease because the opera was an act accompanied by a consistently steady tempo from the orchestr a: there wasn’t a two part section, slow and steady beat, but consist texture. Overall, the performance turned out a success. Both the symphony and opera act enhanced the audience with the feeling of warmth and laughter. The symphony made me to realize how each section is structured and in order, while the opera act was simple, yet made it very delightful to listen to. Also, It’s amazing how different the symphony and opera act turned out. The symphony followed a four-movement pattern: fast, slow, minuet/dance, fast, while the opera combined both musical and singing element. In essence, the combination of voice and strings as well as the unstructured nature and freedom of the opera led me to emotionally connect with all three pieces of the

Mexican History And Its Effects On American Soil - 1626 Words

The way history is portrayed often changes depending on who is writing it and which country it is from, to really grasp an understanding of The Punitive Expedition through the eyes of Mexican history it is essential to analyze Mexican Textbooks and how they portray it. Analyzing Mexican history will not only give insight to what caused Villas attack on American Soil, feelings towards the Punitive expedition, and its causes, but justification for Pancho Villas attack on Columbus in the eyes of the Mexican People. The following report will include a description as well as analyzes of Mexican Textbooks as well as connections to American history when accounts of history contradict. The punitive expedition began as a result of the attack on†¦show more content†¦Mexican history further solidifies the idea of a mutual friendship between Villa and the United states by stating â€Å"Villa trato de evitar, una y numerosas veces, los perjuiciousque el o sus soldados pudiesen ocasionar a los intereses y vidas de noramericanos, gracias a lo cual, gano la confianza de la gente y gobierno de Estados Unidos.† The key words within their portray of history is â€Å"trato de evitar† â€Å"gano la confianza† which give off the impression to the audience that Villa attempted his best to maintain a relationship with the US as well as implies that the American people were grateful for the courtesies that Villa extended towards them. The way Mexican history portrays the relationship between Villa and the US before the Columbus attack makes it seem as though they had a romanized friendship in which both parties mutually felt affection for one another , this to a certain degree is correct because they were mutual partners against Carranza for some time but in reality their relationship was not a friendship but a diplomatic relationship. The proof that the United States and Villa held a diplomatic relationship is that before holding relations with Villa the US was partnered with Carranza to oppose the power in government of General Victoriano Huerta which the US objected to and then when the US objected to Carranza they teamed up with Villa to oppose his power of government indirectly (Pancho Villa Attacks

One Tongue, Brotherhood and Equality Free Essays

string(23) " not stop their lives\." One Tongue, Brotherhood and Equality Language plays a vital role in shaping and constructing any society, community and also country. Not every country around the world has the same language, but English is considered as the most used international language. That is why in countries where English is not their national language, it is taught as a second language. We will write a custom essay sample on One Tongue, Brotherhood and Equality or any similar topic only for you Order Now English is so diverse and developed that, even within English speaking countries, there are sometimes more than a few hundred ways the same English is spoken: different states in the United States use different vocabulary to describe the same things, they have their own different accents and their own phrases and idioms. This is where the various conflicts start taking place: This having diversity within the same language within a country creates a big gap between people from different regions. How can the residents of a country stand united in better or worse if within the same country the residents cannot even agree upon speaking one language in one particular dialect? Having one official language is like a bridge way between people from different nations, colors, ethnicities, and it tells that in spite of all the difference that there is among these people one thing is really common among them: The way they speak. It creates an invisible bond between these people and binds them in the tie of brotherhood. This is exactly what Kawame Appiah talks about in his essay â€Å"The Primacy of Practice†, when he mentions â€Å"cosmopolitanism. † Accepting different nations from around the world and within one’s own country with their variations and differences is what true cosmopolitanism is all about. English is a very diverse and lucid language which has derived numerous words from Sanskrit, Arabic, Spanish, French, German and many others. Leslie Savan in her essay â€Å"What’s Black, Then White and Said All Over† points out how â€Å"Black English† plays a major role in forming English. But even though Black English is so influential in forming the modern English that we speak today, it is not above criticism. Black English is mostly considered â€Å"ghetto† and an unsophisticated way of regular English. This division between languages creates gaps between communities of people within the same country which leads to one group of people feeling inferior to the others. This division and difference can only be solved if there was an official language that everybody speaks in. This will not only solve the problems that arise because of differences between various groups of people but will also create a tighter bond between everyone. And since United States is such a big country with a high population, it is necessary for this country to have a declared official language. Known as â€Å"the country of opportunities† and â€Å"the center of melting pot† United States is the home to millions of immigrants. Some of these immigrants do not speak English, but are still leading their lives here. Not knowing English proves to be a barrier for them and they face the difficulty of leading life without knowing it almost everyday. Since English is the de facto language of the United States, it is English that is mostly used as the most common way of conversation. Besides, all the official documentation, legal paper, bills and important papers are all written in English. This comes off as a great barrier for people who do not speak English or are not fluent in it. They always need an interpreter to explain things to them. This interpreter is often their neighbor, or a relative who knows English, or their school going children who know English. It not only makes things more problematic than they have to be, but also wastes time and energy on both sides. Even though translation in Spanish and Creole are usually given with a lot of official documentations now-a-days, it does not solve the bigger problems in the picture. Not knowing English limits people from communicating freely and openly; it hinders them from interacting and limits life choices for them. Since English is world popular and considered to be the international language, its value and importance is felt almost everywhere in the world and its impact can be seen in many people’s lives. For people living in the United States and other English speaking countries, its importance is felt at a higher rate than it is in other countries. Lives are really not so simple for people who do not know English in spite of living in America. One drawback of it is that, without knowing English hardly anyone in the United States can land on a white-collar job. No job or work is considered to be lower than the other and is as respectful as the profession of a doctor or teacher, but it is common for most people to wish to have a white-collar job and be in a real office. (And today’s society is set in a way which makes people feel that way. ) To be factual, not having some kind of intellectual job limits people from improvising their lives. They feel that they could provide better for their children and themselves if they were something other than non-English speaking miners or laborers. Besides a lot of people who used to have high-collar jobs in their native countries and live in the United States but do not know English go through mental depression when they find out they need to do â€Å"odd jobs† to take care of their families. This is when they give up and do not even try learning English thinking it is never going to be worth it and that it is too hard. Besides they think that, since America is such a multi-cultured country with diversity in people, ethnicities and (in this case most importantly) languages, they will not have trouble leading their lives. Not knowing English might be a barrier to them sometimes, but it is also true that, this definitely does not stop their lives. You read "One Tongue, Brotherhood and Equality" in category "Essay examples" Even than there are a lot of things missing from their lives: The feeling of loss at knowing that they could provide a better future for their children if they had known English and got a better job; the feeling of being a burden on someone for relying upon them to translate for them; or feeling like a handicap at a social gathering where most people are speaking English and that they cannot participate, are some things that nobody wants in their lives. But in case English was declared to be the official language of the United States, these non-English speakers would be bound to learn it no matter what. As a result in the long run, all the above mentioned problems would be solved. Even if it might be hard for them in the beginning and seem like an extra botheration, eventually it will proof to be beneficiary for them. This will not only solve social problems but will fix a lot of the national problems too. Unlike a lot of countries around the world, United States government wants all its residents to participate in civics and politics. Residents who participate in working for the betterment of their country, who participate in general discussion about their country’s future are assets for the country. Residents, who know what is going on in the politics; who know about not just their rights, but also about duties towards their country are what makes the country run smoothly and helps it flourish. But for a lot of people not knowing English s stopping them from civics participation and they think there is no real need to learn English anyway. If English was the declared official language, no matter how hard anyone finds it, they will need to learn it if they wanted to live in the United States. It might seem unfair towards them since, â€Å"we have shared horizons of meaning, because these are debates between people who share so many other values and so much else in the way of belief and of habit, that they are as sharp and as painful as they are. † (Appiah 70). It is natural to feel one’s own way of speaking and native language is superior to any other languages. And logically speaking if any language was chosen as the official language for America, it would be English. But due to this people who speak other languages and not English will automatically feel left out and deprived. They might even feel that since they are the minority group, the American government does not really care about their emotions. But if they knew English and participated in civics they will find out that, they are benefitted more than the government. A lot of frauds, cheatings, money laundering, identity theft, property loss and crimes of other sorts take place with people who cannot communicate properly. For not knowing English, a lot of the people do not know about their rights, the benefits that they can get from their country and states or how to seek help in the time of need. Due to that, when immigrants become the victims of crimes, knowing proper English is often the case that could have helped prevent the crime. This is a vital reason why a country needs to have a declared official language which everybody will be obliged to learn. It is more beneficial towards the residents than it is for the government. Language is very changeable. It does take a lot of time to change a language which has been established as a well developed grammatical form of communication, (such as English) and also for such a long period of time. But changes do occur and these changes are within most people’s viewpoints only if they are willing to see. Looking at the different states within the United States, listening to the diverse way of people expressing their thoughts using totally different vocabulary is just a small way of showing that a language can even alter within its own territorial boundary. One word which is common to one particular state becomes foreign to another state and â€Å"Origins tend to get lost in the roaring mainstream. † (Savan 368). But not all changes are for the betterment of people. Language is like an identity which binds age old traditions and speaks of a country’s history. It is a way to hold up uniqueness of one’s own country. For example, Bangladesh had its war of liberation that was mainly based on its language movement. The people of Bangladesh could not tolerate when the Pakistani government tried to force Bangladeshi people to give up their national and mother language Bengali and make Urdu their declared national language. But this hurt the Bangladeshi people’s feelings: they did not want to give up their freedom, because to them their country’s language was a symbol of freedom and identity, which to many people are the biggest and most valuable assets. Now-a-days, a lot of English words are lost with the pace of time but this language is the symbol of freedom, virtue and of American dream, unity and nationalism, like the language Bengali is to the Bangladeshis. To hold the uniqueness of the American history, to stick with its age old liberty and freedom, it is important to make English, which was the founding fathers’ language, make the official national language of the United States. United States of America has been thriving with its mixed cultures, millions of different races and ethnicities from all around the world and hundreds of different languages. But in spite of thriving economically and politically there seems to be a difference that is too obvious to go unnoticed. This difference can be less of a discrimination if there was one language everybody used. It will make people think equally of each other since â€Å"there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus [. ]† (Appiah 58) and help them realize that even if there are such drastic differences in the way of lives of most people they are really not so different from each other after all. How to cite One Tongue, Brotherhood and Equality, Essay examples

Working Women And Family Lifestyles Essays - Housewife, Marriage

Working Women And Family Lifestyles WORKING WOMEN AND FAMILY LIFESTYLES The issues and concerns of this course are ones with which I am able to identify. Having been married for eight years, a working women and mother qualifies me to give much insight to each of the components listed in this course. My essay will address the following: Past and present status of women in the work place Balancing career and family Career Choices The future of the family In addition, I will expand on the implications of single parenthood and how it affects womens careers and raising a family. PAST AND PRESENT STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE WORK PLACE Every day in some office, bank, store, school, or wherever women work, someone announces an engagement or a wedding. But unlike past generations, the announcement doesnt automatically mean the employee is leaving. She is just adding a new dimension to herself-marriage. Unlike her predecessor, she will work for a much longer period because she can decide when to begin her family. If she decides to have a family, her leave of absence is apt to be less than five years, because she is a member of the new breed of women who attempt to combine the roles of career woman, mother, and wife into a workable package. Wives have been working for a much longer period than most people think. Before the Industrial Revolution, even wealthy women worked long hours supervising the needs of large families, household servants, and slaves. Most American families engaged in farming then. Often husband and wife worked together in order to make a profit. During the time of the Revolutionary, women worked in the fields plowing and harvesting, because all males were away fighting the war. By the eighteenth century, women were employed in all occupations working side by side with men. This may sound unusual, but, in those days, all occupations were based in the home or at a nearby office or workshop. Women and children helped male family members build successful firms. The nineteenth century brought the beginning of a technical era with the center of economic activity moving away from the home into factories and offices. Most occupations came to be viewed then as unsuitable for women or incompatible with their chores in the home. Very few jobs remained that were considered appropriate for women. As a result, most upper and middle-class women left the work force. As the American population grew and the labor shortage eased, the opportunities for women became even fewer. By the nineteenth century, the practice of paying women less for the same job done by men was well-established. Just a glance at today's classified ads in any newspaper will refute the argument that a woman's place is in the home. In the past, women worked mostly out of necessity. But now, many women work because it is self-fulfilling. When I was a child, both my parents worked. During the eighteen years I lived with my parents, they earned MBAs and in my mothers case a Ph.D. I grew up believing that to be successful, I must go to college, establish a career, get married and have kids. It never occurred to me to be a housewife and stay home. I did go to college at eighteen but dropped out to get married at age twenty. I worked while my husband finished school. I wanted to wait to have children until I was in my later twentys and hopefully have the chance to finish school and establish a career. Life did not quite work that way. At twenty-one the first little, surprise bundle of joy came along. So by age twenty-two, I had a year old baby and was working full-time. I did not feel right about staying home. I did not think I would be respected. Four years later I had another baby girl. I continued to work but not climb any ladders to success partly because my husband moved every two years for his company and partly because I was not focused. I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up and in my heart I wanted to be home with my babies, for awhile at least. I wanted the opportunity to further

Free Essays on Plato Vs Aristotle

Numerous experts in modern time regard Plato as the first genuine political philosopher and Aristotle as the first political scientist. They were both great thinkers in regards to, in part with Socrates, being the foundation of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to proceed with improving the society in which they were part of during their existence. It is necessary therefore to analyze their different theoretical approaches regarding their philosophical perspectives, such as ethics and psychology. This paper however will mainly concentrate on Aristotle’s views on friendship and how it impacts today’s society. The main objective in Plato’s philosophy is a creation of a perfect society. He constructs a foundation for a utopian society in his book â€Å"The Republic†. The purpose of his thought process was to cleanse his society of the woes he felt plagued it and construct a new one. Plato lived during the Peloponnesian War, which consequently lead to the end of the Athenian democracy. He had eyewitness account of his mentor’s (Socrates) trial and execution. Bitter and angered by the political corruption that gripped the Athenian democratic government, he disengaged from participating in politics. He strongly felt that neither a moral individual nor a state that is rational could be established in a democratic environment. Plato felt that the common man wasn’t intelligent or capable of dealing with concepts that influence the state such as economics, policy of foreign affairs and other relative matters. He viewed political incumbents in Athens government as being elected for matters that were irrelevant to main factors that affected the state. Another danger was that excessive liberty for the people of the democratic society could potentially lead to anarchy. In Plato’s perfect society, he forged ahead to eliminate the disease (pluralism of f riendship) that plagued the human character a... Free Essays on Plato Vs Aristotle Free Essays on Plato Vs Aristotle Numerous experts in modern time regard Plato as the first genuine political philosopher and Aristotle as the first political scientist. They were both great thinkers in regards to, in part with Socrates, being the foundation of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to proceed with improving the society in which they were part of during their existence. It is necessary therefore to analyze their different theoretical approaches regarding their philosophical perspectives, such as ethics and psychology. This paper however will mainly concentrate on Aristotle’s views on friendship and how it impacts today’s society. The main objective in Plato’s philosophy is a creation of a perfect society. He constructs a foundation for a utopian society in his book â€Å"The Republic†. The purpose of his thought process was to cleanse his society of the woes he felt plagued it and construct a new one. Plato lived during the Peloponnesian War, which consequently lead to the end of the Athenian democracy. He had eyewitness account of his mentor’s (Socrates) trial and execution. Bitter and angered by the political corruption that gripped the Athenian democratic government, he disengaged from participating in politics. He strongly felt that neither a moral individual nor a state that is rational could be established in a democratic environment. Plato felt that the common man wasn’t intelligent or capable of dealing with concepts that influence the state such as economics, policy of foreign affairs and other relative matters. He viewed political incumbents in Athens government as being elected for matters that were irrelevant to main factors that affected the state. Another danger was that excessive liberty for the people of the democratic society could potentially lead to anarchy. In Plato’s perfect society, he forged ahead to eliminate the disease (pluralism of f riendship) that plagued the human character a...

How You Should Be Launching Your Books

How You Should Be Launching Your Books How You Should Be Launching Your Books in 2015 - An Interview with Eliot Peper â€Å"For someone who loves a book, what would make their day? What would make them happy or make them think of it again or think that it’s cool? I’m always struggling with that.†This is a quote that defines startup-fiction author Eliot Peper. He writes for his readers and would do anything to make them happy.Dedicated readers here at the Reedsy blog may recall that we interviewed Eliot back in July of this year, a few months after the release of his first ever book, Uncommon Stock. If you do, you might also remember the mood in which we left the interview: â€Å"Eliot Peper is the nicest man in the world.† He’s a great, positive guy to be around, and overflows with excitement not just when he’s talking about his writing, but also the aftercare of publishing and promotion.So we’ve brought him back again! And what better day for it than today, for the official launch of the second book in the Uncommon series, ‘Uncommon Stock: Powe r Play’! What’s changed for Eliot since he launched his first book? One one hand, a lot: the first book was a real success and garnered some fantastic reviews. On the other hand, not much: Eliot stays true to his credo: â€Å"At the end of the day the people who read my books, my actual readers, they just want the next book†.How do you successfully launch a book? How do you connect with readers? How do you work hand-in-hand with your publisher to spread the word? All this gravitates around the fundamental notion of â€Å"creative marketing.†If you’re a writer, the big takeaway from this interview is that promoting your book isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s not, as Eliot put it, ‘a black box.’ You need to approach it as a creative challenge, just like you would writing a book. You don’t need to worry about doing what everyone else is doing - in fact, marketing, just like writing, just like anything creative, ma rketing is one of those disciplines where you win by breaking the rules, by being bold, by experimenting. If you think of something that sounds cool, that sounds interesting, like it’s something you haven’t seen done before - that’s a sign you should give it a try. Because, generally, those are the people you remember.As the saying goes, â€Å"here’s to the crazy ones.†I recommend you first read our previous interview with him and then put your headphones on, grab a cup of coffee, and join our hangout here. For the unconditional lovers of the written word (like myself), I’ve transcribed below some of the most insightful parts of the hangout. REEDSYApart from granting us this great interview, what are you doing for the launch of Uncommon Stock: Power Play?ELIOT PEPERWe’re trying to line up a bunch of fun stuff. Book launches are interesting, and particularly for fiction, because it’s not obvious what a book launch should be. Many authors, aspiring authors, or readers sort of assume that if you work with a big publisher, they have a big marketing plan ready for you: maybe you’ll have billboards on the subway, or maybe you’ll be in a private jet flying around the country to do book signings or stuff like that.Obviously, that doesn’t really happen. But even the less sort of over-the-top versions either don’t happen, or don’t work very well. I have a friend who published a major business book this year. They had a lot of traditional marketing behind the book; they actually had billboards and stuff like that. And they were still frustrated, they actually felt that it didnâ€℠¢t really allow them to capture new readers.Of course, for non-fiction it’s a little different, but for fiction, it’s actually pretty simple. The way that I try to think about our launch efforts, and the way I then try to work with independent publisher, FG Press, is to consider the book’s launch from the readers’ perspective.It’s very tempting to thinking of it from the publisher’s perspective – and that equally applies to the author’s perspective if you’re self-publishing – to think through â€Å"How would I want to get the word out.† But that doesn’t work very well. Really, what you need to think about is: â€Å"Why do readers check out new books in the first place?† Those are the people that you are trying to reach.Now, I am a voracious reader – I read dozens and dozens of books a year – and I know that, especially for fiction, the way that I discover a new author, a new seri es or a new book is because someone recommends it to me. It’s really straightforward. A friend says: â€Å"Hey Eliot,   I just read X and you would really like it, so you should probably check it out.† And I do the same - if I read a book I really like, and I know I have a friend who would get a kick out of it, I let them know. A couple of books I recommended this year are Whisky Tango Foxtrott, by David Schaeffer, which is great; The Martian, by Andi Weir; The Magicians, by Lev Grossman, which I just got into even if it was released back in 2009†¦ That’s how many readers discover new books.   So when we think about what a book launch even means aside from just allowing people to buy it, we try to think about it from that point of view.For example, this conversation is great because there are people who are following Reedsy and who are interested in becoming independent authors, who think about what it means to be an independent author, and if they get a kick out of this conversation maybe they are going to go check out Uncommon Stock, right?One thing that is also definitely worth mentioning is that today, the book Uncommon Stock 1.0, the first one in the series that we released back in March, is actually free on Amazon. It is free today, tomorrow, and Friday. So you can check out the story for free, and if you like it, do me a solid and leave a review and buy the sequel! That’s a fun experiment that we’re doing. In addition to that, over the past six weeks we’ve been releasing the entire first book serially on Medium, which is a sort of new blogging platform. We broke the book up into 10 parts and we’ve been releasing each part along the way, so you can follow the story (one new part comes up a week). Right now, we’re about to release part 6, and by the end of the year the whole book will be available for free on Medium, forever.REEDSYExactly, and I think that most of the successful authors we s ee out there during the marketing. I can recall you interviewing Joanna Penn on a similar Hangout a few weeks ago; and I see Joanna at a lot of conferences and events. Basically, these conferences are a way for her to get her message across, let people know about her, her blog, her advice, etc. and she always seems to have fun doing it.So I think lots of authors see marketing as a hustle, when it should be seen as something to experiment and get creative with, just as you’re doing.ELIOTYes, I think Joanna does this phenomenally well: she’s found a niche where her message is also relevant, that’s why people want her to speak at those conferences. And authors can do that in different ways. Hugh Howey for example has been writing a lot about the publishing industry, as do a number of author authors. You’re going to attract different people by writing about different things.But you know, here’s an example of something fun: I was recently in Boulder to visit with FG Press, and we recorded a series of video interviews where I spend 20 minutes just talking to each member of their team about what they did to make the book a reality. I talked to their editorial director about the editorial process for the book, what it looked like behind the scenes, to the designer about typography and cover design, etc.And that second interview has an interesting story: for the cover design, it’s a top-down still-light photo of a laptop with a cappuccino, a book and a handgun on the table. It looks pretty cool, I’m really happy with it. That was our concept and FG Press actually did the photoshoot. They’re in Boulder, which is this nice little mountain town. So they got a gun, and went to the different coffee shops around the office, but none of the coffee shop owners would allow them inside with a gun! And that became a huge problem because they really wanted to have a nice ceramic cup with a cappuccino in it and a nice drawing in the foam†¦ So if they couldn’t bring the gun into the coffee shop, how could they bring the cappuccino in the cup to the gun, without the latte on top degrading?In the end they had to come up with this system where they had to have everything ready in their office to take the picture and then rush the cappuccino over there. So it’s cute, you know, it makes for a really interesting story.Also, they re-did the cover for Uncommon Stock: Version 1.0 as well. You’ll notice that it has these leaves in the background, there’s a knife and a backpack, and this burning paperwork. Well, that burning paperwork are real termsheets from Foundry Group that they actually issued to Mozaik, per that press release that we were mentioning.So they went outside, they were on the street in Boulder, collected leaves from the whole neighborhood, made this whole setup, and started burning the termsheets under the camera taking a time-lapse (see below). Obviously, people we re stopping, looking at that and asking what the hell they were doing†¦So the good thing with these little stories is that if you pick up the book, you’ll think (hopefully) â€Å"oh, that’s a nice cover†. And then you read it and you think â€Å"oh, that’s a cool book†. Well, if you liked the book it might be fun for you to know that background story, it’s like a â€Å"behind the scenes† for a DVD extra.Now, we’re going to be able to show these videos, and you could call that marketing, but it is certainly not how it felt! We didn’t feel like we were trying to sell something, we were just thinking: this is a funny story, let’s talk about it.REEDSYNo, absolutely. And I’ve heard of something similar that some authors do: they intentionally cut scenes from their book – often also because the scene wasn’t 100% necessary or relevant – and release that scene a few months after the bookâ €™s launch to keep readers engaged, which I think is very important.Now the great thing for you now is that for this second launch, you already have an established reader base, right? So how does that change things?ELIOTOh yes, there’s actually a number of dynamics that this changes and which should be very obvious but I haven’t really been thinking about. Like, in the beta process of writing the second book it felt very different from writing the first. Because when writing the first, nobody cares, it’s really just you†¦ When writing book 2, you feel more like you’re writing for an audience, because there are these people who’ve been leaving reviews on Amazon for the first one and are waiting for the second one.And that’s true on the launch end too. For example, here’s something that I think every author should do, especially if you’re writing a series: I went on Goodreads, a book review platform, and also on Amazon t o check the reviews of the first book. Now, on Goodreads, you can actually message the people who leave you a review. On Amazon, you can’t do that, but you can comment on their review. So I went through these, and for every reviewer who liked the book, I messaged or commented them and said: â€Å"thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the book. As a writer, that really makes my day because I get feedback from people and it seems you got something out of the book so it’s really rewarding to know about it. If you’re interested, I’d like to thank you by offering you a free Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of the sequel.†Because these people have already proved that they’ve liked the first book enough to leave a review, so getting a direct message from the author offering you an early version of the sequel, that’s pretty awesome, right?And I was really shocked at the results. Our â€Å"conversion rate† (the number of people who r esponded to that) was extremely high. So I’m hoping, now that they have the ARC and have read it, that when the book comes out they’ll write another review and share it with their friends. Being able to do that is really something that makes the second launch different from the first one.REEDSYThanks for your time Eliot.