This is fun to watch. Imagine how hard it was to edit this piece. But even harder would have been convincing hundreds of people in other countries to participate!
Hope this makes you smile today.
Resist the Urge to Explain Your Title
For fiction writers, there is an important self-editing technique called RUE (Resist the Urge to Explain). The problem occurs when an author overwrites a scene and explains every thought, movement, etc., or fails to allow the reader to fill in the details, thereby ruining the reading experience. The concept is described extremely well in Browne & King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. …
Book of the Month – February 2019
The necessity of proper grammar is a blessing and a curse. A blessing for clear communication and consistency in how we communicate. A curse because it can be so complicated—everything from spelling to punctuation to phraseology. To make matters confusing, there are conflicting style guides. The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook has some key differences from The Chicago Manual of Style (used by all …
Fun Fridays – February 1, 2019
Attention to detail. You’ve heard it as an important principle in writing authentic fiction and nonfiction. But who makes sure a movie pays attention to that detail? The script supervisor. Today’s video is a seven-minute education for a job that few appreciate. Our eyes will even pass over that name in the film credits. An editor will play this role with your book!
Will Libraries Eventually Pay Authors?
In 33 countries, not including the U.S., there is a program in place called the Public Lending Right (or PLR). As the PLR website states, “Public Lending Right is the right of authors and other rights holders to receive payment for the free public use of their works in libraries.” In other words, when someone checks a book out of the library, a certain amount is eventually paid to the author of …
Fun Friday – January 25, 2019
While the music on this video is amazing, it has a very fun feature. The best tambourine player in the world! After awhile I couldn’t help but smile and then laugh. Hope he brightens your day. Question: If this video is a metaphor of the publishing life and the author is the main singer, then who is the tambourine player? The editor? The agent? The marketing director? The reader? Feel free …
Glitch
The regularly scheduled post for today, Monday January 21st, did not go out to our newsletter subscribers as planned. Instead a fragment of a future scheduled post went out instead. Therefore today’s post has been moved to next Monday while we solve our technical glitch. Technology is great, when it works… Steve The Steve Laube Agency
Fun Fridays – January 18, 2019
This clever, tongue-in-cheek video is a great lesson for what should be our “word” for 2019: humility.
The Quest for Originality
Are you tired of being told by a publisher “We simply don’t do books like that”? or “Yours is certainly out of the box, but is not what we are looking for at this time”? What’s the Deal with Boxes? In general all books are sold under a category. Be it a fiction genre (historical, suspense, romance) or a topical non-fiction category (marriage, parenting, finance, theology). When you are told your …
Fun Fridays – January 11, 2019
Walmart created a fun ad about their curbside pickup service. Features some rather memorable vehicles. Enjoy! HT: Ronie Kendig