Here's a fantastic selection of tools for writers of any style. This is a list of tips aimed at improving your writing skills that I cribbed from another site here. Before you start firing off submissions to publishers or you embark on that eBook writing project, do yourself a favor and review.
All of these tools come various sections of Poynter Online which is a rich resource for journalists. If for some reason you want to see last year's post (for the comments perhaps), you can do so here.
According to the Financial Post, "The average skimmer who picks up a book spends eight seconds looking at the front jacket and fifteen seconds skimming the jacket." You can't judge - but you can sell - a book by its jacket. Here are several suggested book jacket design techniques that the great designers use:
The necessaries for your front jacket: The front jacket should provide your book title, subtitle, and author name. Potentially, and often missed are including blurbs and/or testimonials from important people.
Think of your jacket like a billboard. The best designs transmit the book's significance at a look, with simple, uncluttered design. Unique, distinctive, bold, colourful pictures work well. But keep the graphic style uniform with the content and personality of the book. Make sure there is a fundamental focal point to your design.
I recommend using bold, distinctive typography on the front jacket. When choosing colours, consider how thesecolours will look when transferred to black and white so your jacket will reproduce well in black and white ads, catalogues, and flyers. Also make sure the font you use for the title is legible from a distance and suitable for the book's subject.
Jackets that scream "layperson" and have a "do it yourself" look make it difficult to get rid of your book at all. If you lack ability in this field, seek the services of an experienced book jacket designer. A professional designer has the creativity, skills, software, access to stock photography, and printing knowledge that will make your jacket stand out above others in the marketplace.
What should you put on the spine of your book? Your name, title, and publishing company's logo show up on the spine. Make sure the information on the spine is clean, shipshape, and intelligible. I recommend using bold, complementary lettering on the spine as well.
Important items you should include on your back jacket. Place the category name in the upper left-hand corner to help stores and libraries shelve your book properly. Write a headline that clearly addresses who should buy the book. It should be followed by sales copy explaining what the book is about. Then provide a short bulleted list of benefits to skimmers.
I recommend including no more than three testimonials and endorsements, as well as your bio and photograph. Close to the bottom, put back copy in bold. Position the price in the lower left corner of the back jacket. Also include the 13-digit ISBN number for cataloguing and the bar code in the lower right corner (below ISBN number), which stores and libraries use for scanning information and price.
Don't forget to include recognition for your book jacket's artists, photog, and/or designer.
You now have a good impression of what makes a sound book jacket design. Remember, book jacket design is a form of casing-and good packaging attracts buyers to products. That's why successful companies corporations spend $1,000,000s researching the best product packaging possible.
Well, I was re-reading a cool book - one that I remember from my early 20s called "Nature's End" by James Kunetka and Whitley Strieber, lo and behold I discover that one of the authors, Streiber, has revealed the greatest unknown fear from his life with a book published back in 1988 called Communion: A True Story.
I didn't know this, but it was on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months after publication.
It is the implausible story of his having been in contact with (to quote the dustjacket copy) "intelligent nonhuman beings in his isolated cabin in upstate New York." Encounters with "visitors" which, Strieber alleges, have been occurring throughout his lifetime.
Since the book was published, the subject of abductions by alien or "nonhuman" beings has brought forth a flurry of new books on the subject - thanks X-Files! - but Strieber's best-selling volume has faded from discussion.
Thisstory gets weirder, though, according to Wikipedia he refers to the beings as "the visitors," a name chosen to be as neutral as possible, and leaves open the possibility that they are not extraterrestrials and even that they exist only in his mind.
Since the book was published, he has repeatedly expressed his frustration with what he feels are fantastic claims incorrectly attributed to him.
Strieber went on to write three more books about his experiences with the visitors, Transformation (1988), Breakthrough (1995), and The Secret School (1996). Each was commercially less successful than the last, and all three are now out of print. I haven't read any of them, but am trying to track down some copies.
Interesingly, moreso - according to Wikipedia - Strieber co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm (1999), a book about the possibility of rapid and destructive climate change, with Art Bell. He has said that it was based largely on things the Master of the Key had told him about the environment. The book served as the inspiration for the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and Strieber later wrote a novelization of that movie.
Born, raised and a resident in Illinois for most of her life, Valerie Connelly now lives with her husband, Michael, in Wisconsin north of Milwaukee. She divides her time between publishing, writing, teaching, painting landscapes and waterscapes, and traveling to visit her grown children.
Valerie shares her experience as a publisher:
I am a realist. As a publisher of books, this is an essential personality trait. So many of the authors I work with and for are purely dreamers that I have to be a realist. Reality has a face, and it is made of numbers ¯ mind-numbing, dream-busting numbers.
Here are some of those numbers that will boggle the mind of even the most sober realist.
At Book Expo 2007, the buzz was saying that in 2006, 280,000 titles were published in the United States alone, which meant 80, 000 more books were published in the United States than in 2005. This means that of the titles published in 2006, each title had 279,999 competitorslast year. However, only a relatively small portion of these titles actually sold books in quantities that were notable. Why? Because there were 279,999 competitors for the readership's attention, and some titles were far better promoted than others. Some had money supporting their visibility. Some had a famous name as the author. Some had a famous person as the subject of the book. Some had the power of Hollywood emblazoning their tales with films. Some were a phenomenon like we have not seen before. Of course, that phenomenon was Harry Potter. But, the fact is the vast majority of these titles sold 100 copies or less.
Now, let's project conservatively into the future. If this increase were to continue as it did just last year, adding 80,000 books to the pile of newly published books each year until 2015, by that time, each book will have 999,999 competitors, and 5,572,000 more books will have been published in the United States alone. This is simple, third-grade math.
Ms. Connelly's years as an advertising copywriter, graphic designer and print shop owner served her well as she founded Nightengale Press in July of 2003. By January of 2007 Nightengale Press has published more than 40 authors, with 57 books among them, and several more coming through the process into print every month. Nightengale Press has evolved into Nightengale Media LLC offering its authors a first class website, bookstore, marketing opportunites and more.
Masako's Story; Surviving the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima by Kikuko Otake Ahadada Books, 96 pages, Perfect bound Paperback, $12.50 ISBN 978-0-9781414-6-2 Soon to be available from SPD.
For a downloadable PDF of this Press Release, click here.
On August 6, 1945, when the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Furuta family was living one mile away from the hypocenter. Five year old Kikuko, her mother, Masako, and her two brothers barely escaped with their lives. However, their soldier father was not so fortunate. Masakonever talked about her family's experiences on that day and the grim days following the bombing. Then one day, Masako started to talk about what happened-breaking a silence of nearly fifty years.
Written by Kikuko (Furuta) Otake, now an assistant professor of Japanese in the United States, Masako's story is a bilingual collection of prose-poetry, based on the true story of her family's tragedy. The appendix presents the original Japanese poetry written to capture the story as her mother said it in Hiroshima dialect. Moreover, the English translation is written with an "Objectivist" lineation similar in its understated power to Charles Reznikoff's "Testimony":
After crossing the Aoi Bridge, I walked diagonally across the grounds of the Gokoku Shrine To take a short cut. Oh. That ground was filled with hundreds of people with horrible burns Scattered everywhere. Many of them were dead. But those that still lived, Begged, "Mizu! Mizu o kudasai," in faint whispers. Soon my way was blocked by their outstretched arms. One of them even grabbed my ankle, though feebly, To stop me from running past him. His burnt skin sloughed off his fingers, As I pulled from his grip.
(pg. 23).
Kikuko Otake's Masako's Story is a powerful addition to the literature of the Atomic Bomb, and yet more evidence that we should all work together to stop the Nuclear madness.
Thirthy-three Names of Things You Never Knew had Names:
AGLET-The plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.
ARMSAYE-The armhole in clothing.
CHANKING-Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits.
COLUMELLA NASI-The bottom part of the nose between the nostrils.
DRAGÉES-Small beadlike pieces of candy, usually silver-coloured, used for decorating cookies, cakes and sundaes.
FEAT-A dangling curl of hair.
FERRULE-The metal band on a pencil that holds the eraser in place.
HARP-The small metal hoop that supports a lampshade.
HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER-A 64th note. (A nd is a demisemiquaver, and a 6th note is a semiquaver.)
JARNS,
NITTLES,
GRAWLIX,
and QUIMP-Various squiggles used to denote cussing in comic books.
KEEPER-The loop on a belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle.
KICK or PUNT-The indentation at the bottom of some wine bottles. It gives added strength to the bottle but lessens its holding capacity.
LIRIPIPE-The long tail on a graduate's academic hood.
MINIMUS-The little finger or toe.
NEF-An ornamental stand in the shape of a ship.
OBDORMITION-The numbness caused by pressure on a nerve; when a limb is 'asleep'.
OCTOTHORPE-The symbol '#' on a telephone handset. Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 9 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.
OPHRYON-The space between the eyebrows on a line with the top of the eye sockets.
PEEN-The end of a hammer head opposite the striking face.
PHOSPHENES-The lights you see when you close your eyes hard. Technically the luminous impressions are due to the excitation of the retina caused by pressure on the eyeball.
PURLICUE-The space between the thumb and extended forefinger.
RASCETA-Creases on the inside of the wrist.
ROWEL-The revolving star on the back of a cowboy's spurs.
SADDLE-The rounded part on the top of a matchbook.
SCROOP-The rustle of silk.
SNORKEL BOX-A mailbox with a protruding receiver to allow people to deposit mail without leaving their cars.
SPRAINTS-Otter dung.
TANG-The projecting prong on a tool or instrument.
While normally paper books and literature resources still have the greater market in terms of status and market share, publishing eBooks continue to encounter growth and technological progress that make it apparent that this type of publishing is here to stay and perhaps will accrue more strength in the future. As you probably know, the Internet is all about information and automation. Internet users want information and they want it right now. That's why eBooks are considered to be the "just latest greatest" online product. They provide web surfers with the information they desire and can be instantly downloaded.
For one thing, publishing eBooks over normally printed material has a smaller ecological upset because it does not involve the cutting down of resources. As we continue to progress technologically, and whileour natural resources continue to decline, we might eventually see a ban on printing normally and instead, all reading material will be passed through an eBook publisher.
Before that though, we already see some advantages and disadvantages in traditional printing of books to publishing eBooks. While the main disadvantage of eBooks over paperback is the fact that not all electronic books can be read by the same eBook reader. This means that you will need to have different eBook reader tools to support all types of electronic books that are published.
On the other hand, publishing eBook has many benefits, one of which is the fact that it is an affordable alternative to printing in full coloured. Some eBook formats support a full book layout, which can include images that will register beautifully on the screen of the eBook reader tool. It would cost quite a lot to print full-coloured layouts for traditional hardbound or paperback books. While in publishing eBooks, the full coloured image is rendered into the format needed and can be continuously distributed to readers without having to use a single sheet of paper or several liters of ink.
The most popular ebook formats used on the Internet are the Portable Document Format, better known as PDF, and the Hypertext Markup Language, better known as HTML.
Although both formats are highly popular, you must look at the entire picture prior to making your decision, as there are pros and cons associated with each format.
Another advantage to publishing electronic books instead of regular print formats is that you allow the reader to store lots of full-length electronic books into their handy eBook reader tools. This way, again, fewer resources are used and the book's transportability is improved. One can have a whole library in the palm of their hands with one single tool that stores and displays published eBooks. Some eBook reader tools also have provisions for a wonderful library interface to help one store and manage numerous and varied electronic books.
Another addition to its mobility is the eBook reader's adaptability to any lighting conditions. Publishing eBooks will help the reader to be able to enjoy their book even if there is little or no light at all because these reading tools always come with back lit screens. This gets rid of the need to a light source which makes the eBook very adaptable and mobile indeed.
Yet another advantage to publishing eBoooks is in giving the content several augmentations. There are some publishers and eBook reading tools that allow for formats with audio and video components, making the experience of reading eBooks even more special. This is especially helpful for publishing eBooks that are supposed to be for educational purposes.
Self-publication of a neatly produced, high quality (the paper is never less than 100 gram, preferably 120 gram) booklet with a smart Photoshop cover professionally folded and stapled makes a great gift, or maybe a summary of a good year at the writing group, a fundraiser for a school, or a memorial for a special person.
Why bother to go through all the heartache and hassle of fighting to get your precious memories or thoughts into mainstream publication? Your own PC, printer and digital camera are waiting to make someone's day. If you really want to go big and produce a novel, there's the internet or print on demand (no surplus stock there!).
Getting published by a mainstream company is great, but in all honesty, how many of us can reallyafford to give up the day job, even when we've signed that contract? Such a long, heartbreaking haul for what? The joy of writing should be just that - the writing.
Define your audience and publish yourself. Get your books and anthologies into the hands of people who really want to hear from you - whether it's one copy, or a couple of dozen through print on demand.
Check out the rest of the article here. An interesting perspective, nonetheless. Could it be that the joy of writing is fuel that drives the desire to write? It's this joy that sustains a writer's identity rather than the promise of being published?
I'd like to think so, but from the volume of submissions Jesse and I receive, it's likely not!
Coming soon from Ahadada Books — Masako’s Story: Surviving the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, when the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Furuta family was living about one mile away from the hypocenter. Five-year-old Kikuko, her mother, Masako, and her two brothers barely escaped with their lives. However, their soldier father was not so fortunate. Masako never talked about her family’s experiences on that day and the days following the bombing. Then one day, Masako started to talk about what happened — breaking a silence of nearly fifty years . . .
Kikuko (Kay) Otake was five years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945. In her book Masako's Story (forthcoming from Ahadada), she offers a survivor's perspective.
Professor Kikuko (Kay) Otake was born on February 22, 1940 in Osaka, Japan. She earned her B.A. from Tsuda College of Tokyo, Japan in 1962 in English Literature. In August of 1968, she came to the US and in September 1987 earned her M.A. in Education from California State University in Los Angeles.
Professor Otake is an award-winning poet who regularly publishes tanka and haiku.
Although your promtoional handouts should have relatively little text - your Book Fair literature should be engaging and informative. The pronotional literature you distribute at your next show will probably be the only part of your press that follows your prospective readership back to their home. Make sure that your literature is well-designed and easy to understand.
What to Include in your Literature
Every publisher is different, so be sure to tailor your literature to the particular genres and titles you offer. Your promotional literature should be consistent with the design of your Book Fair display and the overall scheme of your Book Fair booth.
Generally speaking, ever pamphlet or Book Fair giveaway that you distribute should contain the following information:
Your Contact Information
Your Company Name
Your Company Logo
Pertinent information about the genrea and titles that you wanted to highlight at your Book Fair exhibit.
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