By now, you are heartsick and tired of looking at the images of the horror and devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. However, if you are an author and self-publisher, it pays to look at this disaster as a wake-up call.

Just for a moment, image that a disaster stuck YOUR home. What would happen to your writing and to your business? Could you keep things going if you had no electricity, no internet connection, or no phone service? How could you continue to sell your books, even if you were unable to get online to process orders?

There are several important steps all authors and self-publishers need to take immediately to ensure that your books and your business are protected from natural disasters, fires, and unexpected events like plumbing leaks or computer meltdowns.

* Your number one priority should be to create several back-up copies of your manuscript. You can burn it onto a CD and store it in a safe deposit box. Send a copy to your mother or friend who lives out of state. Another option would be to consider creating a private blog where you can immediately access your work from any internet connection. For a free service check out www.livejournal where you can set up a totally private blog. Another option is www.blogger.com but blogs there may be accessible via blog rings.

While your printer will have a copy of your manuscript, it will be in PDF format so that you will not be able to make any changes. I suggest saving both a PDF and Word document of your completed books and a Word document of any works in progress. Don't forget to have a back-up copy of any cover art as well.