3 Important Reasons to Save Your Content

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Fireplace

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I am writing this blog post today because I was reminded of a horrible fire on Boxing Day in a former neighbourhood a couple of years ago, which was fatally for the lady living there. Her house burned down, caused by a corroded electrical cord or plug.  It always puzzles me how the insurance was able to find out what happened before the fire broke out in all this rubble.

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You Might Ask Why I Tell You this…
What does this tragic story have to do with writing or publishing? A lot! It has to do with your manuscripts and your readership lists, with your research for your book and many other files that are kept in your computer.  Can you imagine that your house burns down to the ground?  Would you have a back-up for your computer content in this case?  Do you have an external hard drive with your latest computer documents on it?  Is the content of each of your books on memory sticks? And where do you store them? In your own house?
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Should anything happen to your home, not only would your computer be gone, but also all your back-up devices… Think about!  Put this small items in your bank safe, your P.O. Box, or in one of your in-laws’ place – but nowhere near your main computer.
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Break-Ins
Let’s assume you never have a fire in your home.  Great.  Well, but there could be other disasters: break-ins…  A very good friend of mine, an artist and graphic designer had her huge Mac computer system with EVERYTHING she had worked on for the last three or four years (including some downloaded software and her images) in her office in the second floor.  It was summer, she had the windows open and while she was out only for a very short time around noon, to get some groceries, a break-in occurred.  The thieves climbed over the garage roof and managed to enter through her office window, stealing her computer equipment among other things.  She had no external drive, no memory sticks, nothing…  Years of work and expensive software was gone.
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Computer Imploded
Another scenario, which happened to me: Twenty years ago, I was new to computers, but had just bought an external hard drive and was waiting in my office for a computer technician to transfer the content from my Mac to the hard drive.  Preparing to move to another office, I wanted to have a back-up for my documents.  So far – so good.
This computer guy was late, and should have been arrived an hour earlier.  I moved the computer table from the wall, checking all the cords that I needed to pack later at this day and discovered a small red switch on the rear site of the Mac.  I gave it a closer look, but there was no sticker or anything indicating the purpose of this switch.  Nonchalantly I pressed it – and with a big bang my expensive Mac computer IMPLODED!
Still totally chocked I opened the door for the technician, who had arrived seconds later. He gave me this look… and few hope that he would be able to retrieve my files.  The computer was trash, as it was the switch from 220 V to 110 V that I had turned. But at least the technician could save my content for the hefty sum of $800 – a totally inflated price.
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So, these are just three examples what could happen with years of work, if you don’t take precautions.  Busy authors with several manuscripts – or even those with only one – need to protect their valuable content.  Remember: there is no insurance who will pay you for the loss of your data.  I hope I made you thinking about it.  Good luck that you never need your back-ups to replace your content.

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