The invention of the child-proof medicine bottle proved to work too well on many occasions. Today’s video demonstrates.
Do You Tsundoku?
You may have heard of the numerical Sudoku game, but I play a much better game. And a lot more fun. Tsundoku. Do you tsundoku? That may be unfair, so let me have the Cambridge online dictionary give you the definition: The practice of buying a lot of books and keeping them in a pile because you intend to read them but have not done so yet; also used to refer to the pile itself. Until I recently …
Fun Fridays – August 25, 2023
I sing bass. But this fellow sings BASS. The note he hits at the end? Impossible. Enjoy the video!
A Is for Attribution: And, With, or Ghost?
Sometimes it is helpful to review publishing terms to make sure we are all talking about the same thing. The cover of a book invariably will state the author’s name. Every once in a while there are two or more names listed (i.e., Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins). The use of “and” or “with” is the code word that tells the reader what type of professional relationship is between these names on the …
Fun Fridays – August 18, 2023
Is your deadline looming? Today’s image vividly expresses what every writer feels like as the day nears.
Who Owns Whom in Publishing?
Updated August 2023 (first created November 2011) For a comprehensive list, check out The Christian Writers Market Guide. Available in print at your favorite retailer or as an online subscription (updated frequently) at www.ChristianWritersMarketGuide.com. My emphasis in this post is the Christian publishing industry. There are many fine commercial publishers that do not publish Christian books …
Fun Fridays – August 11, 2023
Today is the last of the “Dog Days of Summer,” and major league baseball is in the home stretch. Thus, it is wonderfully appropriate to post today’s classic video, “Who’s on First?” by Abbott and Costello.
Four Million Books Published Each Year?
I read a statistic that estimates there were four million new books published in 2022 (sourced from https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-book-industry-statistics/). This includes all self-published books (at least 50%) and traditionally published textbooks and books for the trade. This means there is a new book published every eight seconds or nearly 11,000 per day, every day of the year. With our …
Fun Friday – August 4, 2023
Today’s Fun Friday is a bit more educational, but still fun! Learn, in three minutes, how wool goes from a sheep to your sweater and the ingenious processes that go into it. Much like all the various parts of making a book, it takes a lot of work and many smart people involved in the process. Enjoy! [If you are unable to view the video in your email newsletter, please go to our website and …
Do Gimmicks Work in a Book Proposal?
Here are a few “gimmicks” I’ve received over the years from people who mailed their book proposals to our office: Cover letter printed on fluorescent paper A twenty-dollar bill inside the SASE A wooden treasure chest full of chocolate gold coins A signed photo of basketball player Michael Jordan A rock (in a proposal about God as our rock) An 18″x24″ piece of artwork, …