Helping to Change the World…Word by Word
The Steve Laube Agency
Helping to Change the World Word by Word
These famous brothers are so entertaining to watch, especially when playing their instruments.
I encourage those of you with kids to watch their classic film A Night at the Opera; make it a family night. We don’t want them to be lost to the next generation.
(If you can’t see the video in your newsletter, please click through to watch on the site.)
Many authors feel stymied by the dilemma of not having anything to talk about to build a platform and interest in a book that isn’t under contract. Yet as wordsmiths, authors can create entertaining and meaningful content to find a tribe. To wit: Talk about other people’s books. What are you reading? Why? What did you like about the book? Why is this one of your favorite authors? Author interviews …
Trim size is one of those terms we use frequently when talking about the dimensions of your printed book. The term originates from the printing process, where the book’s pages are initially printed on large sheets, which are then folded, glued, and subsequently trimmed to a specific size. (This linked video shows the entire book printing process.) Go to your shelf, pull down a few titles, …
There seems to be something in my eye. Maybe watching this video will explain. I’m not crying. You are crying. (If you can’t see the video in your newsletter, please click through to watch on the site.)
Jenga is a game invented over 50 years ago, consisting of 54 small wooden blocks stacked in a tower. Players take turns removing blocks from the stack and placing them on top, making the tower increasingly unstable. When someone causes the tower to fall, they lose. The trick is to place a block in a precarious position, so the next player has no option but to make the stack collapse. Personally, …
Take a close look at the picture above. Read verse 14 out loud. The word “not” is missing. As in “Thou shalt ___ commit adultery.” It is from an edition of the Bible published in 1631, now affectionately known as “The Sinners Bible” or “The Wicked Bible.” Adulterers of the realm celebrated! (Just kidding.) The Royal Printers in London, Robert Barker …
This coming weekend, a milestone will be reached. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system turns 60 years old. That seemingly simple group of digits has had a lasting impact on our industry. Book nerds of the world unite. Let’s celebrate sixty years of the ISBN! (Party balloons are floating and party horns are sounding.) Below is an edited version of something the International …
Dialogue is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s toolbox. A single exchange between characters can reveal more about their motives, personalities, and relationships than pages of exposition—and trust me, readers prefer dialogue to exposition. Done well, dialogue pulls readers into the story, making them feel like they’re actually part of the conversation. If it feels forced or stalls the …
I’ve written about this topic before, but thought it good to revisit it. There are some troublesome words regularly misused in emails or book proposals. Penultimate This term is often used carelessly to mean “the best” or “the greatest.” Penultimate means next to the last in a series or sequence. Not the best of the best. When used to mean “the best,” the …
Today’s video is a bit of a history lesson taught by a couple of archaeologists. They found what is believed to be the oldest full sentence written in the Canaanite language, 3,700 years old. To put this in historical context, this would be around 1,700 B.C., the biblical time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To best understand this video, I recommend enabling closed-captioning (click the …
