After your book has gone through the editing process but before final printing, you should receive a printed copy of your book. This proof copy may or may not be bound. This is a great time to read your book yet another time and look for any typos or words that aren’t quite right. Hopefully […]
Picture books are tougher to write than you think. The words have to be simple enough to fit the age group, but interesting enough to catch the parents’ eye. Rhyming is good for children because of the sing-song tone which is comforting to them. But it can’t be annoying because the parents need to keep […]
Creating cover art is a specialization in the book world. It is NOT my specialty. There are trends to track, colors to express emotion and fonts that convey meaning. In the traditional publishing world, the author may or may not have input into the cover process. As a hybrid publisher, I’m able to guide my […]
When my daughters were Girl Scouts going door-to-door selling cookies, it was hard to get them to see the long-term rewards of knocking on doors today. I had to break it down for them. They would determine what they were going to spend their cookie profits on, and we would work backwards to figure out […]
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Slider_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Writing for Young Adults I recently took a workshop led by Jessica Grace Kelley and Hannah Capin about writing for young adults. Both Jessica and Hannah have published young adult fiction and had a lot to offer to the class. First thing to realize is that Young Adult is not a genre, it’s […]
The Unexpected Struggle of Using Unexpected Words Too Often Did you ever read a book when the author uses a word that sticks in your brain? Maybe it’s a new word you’ve never heard before. Maybe it’s one you haven’t heard that often. It’s a great way to expand your vocabulary. But when the author […]
Chicago Manual Style – Time So how do you do with commas? I think I’m pretty good most of the time. It took me a while to adjust between the military writing style using American Psychological Association and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) used in novels.You may have heard that it’s optional to put […]
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The stated goal is to write 50,000 words—an entire novel—in one month. But the real goal is to motivate you to write. I find getting started is the hardest part. I have an idea. I even have a whole book outlined in my head, and I could tell […]
Just finished the Williamsburg Book Festival. It’s a great chance to connect with readers and writers-in-the-making. I love sharing a story. Your story can be about anything–totally fiction, autobiographical about how you were raised, a children’s book teaching a lesson. Stories are fascinating! And I love helping them reach the world. I was encouraged today […]
I just read a great article by Gary Smailes that does a fantastic job of outlining the differences between Traditional Publishing, Indie Publishing, and Self-Publishing. I highly recommend it to anyone that is considering publishing. The first thing I always ask my clients is, “What is your reason for publishing?” Keep that in mind as […]
There is so much more to writing than writing. It never ceases to amaze me how much more time I spend on my writing career that doesn’t involve getting my story on paper. There is setting up book signings, then doing the signs for it, then the pre-advertising, and, and , and… Oh, but before […]
I read an article from NY Book Editors where they highlighted 18 different writing apps to help writers get motivated or organized. I tried out a handful of them to see if they were useful. First off, I must remind you that everyone is different. What works for me, may not work for you. I […]
No matter how good of a writer you are, you need an editor (or editors!). Don’t fool yourself. There are multiple options to search for an editor. The internet is full of advertisements. Don’t jump at the first one you see. If you have writer friends, ask them for recommendations—learn from their mistakes. If you […]
Don’t make my mistake. I’m going to get ahead of myself, but I want to keep you, the reader, on the right track. I jumped from writing to publishing. There is so much more in between and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes. As a start-up, I wanted to do the economical […]