Writing Craft

Inside a Publishing Company

By Steve Laubeon June 18, 2012

by Steve Laube

I just returned from three days at the Write! Canada writers conference outside Toronto. During my time there I presented a six session lecture series on the Complete Publishing Process: From Idea to Print.

When the entire process is compressed into a short series like that it becomes evident how many people are involved in the publishing of a book at any given publishing company.

Recently Random House did a 10 minute video interviewing a number of key people in-house who are involved in the acquisition, editing, design, marketing, and sales of a book. Having worked for a publisher (Bethany House Publishers) this video made me smile as I remembered many of the great people I was privileged to work with (many of whom are still working there!).

What thoughts does this video invoke for you?

If you are self-publishing, how much of this are you doing yourself?

My Book is Like…

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 14, 2012

When I posted about writing great book proposals, I noticed a trend toward anxiety about the market comparison section. This is understandable since authors need to strike a balance between, "I am the next C.S. Lewis," and "You don't want to read this, do you?"

Aspiring to be like...

Most of the time, newer authors don't think about comparing their work to the work of others in the proposal. …

Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, comparison, competition

Do You Have Perfect Pitch?

By Karen Ballon June 13, 2012

Thanks so much for all the ideas for my mini-conferences. I’ll put those together soon.

Speaking of conferences, while I was at a writer’s retreat awhile back, I was struck, as I always am when in the company of writers, by the power of the right word used in the right way. On the first day of the conference, I had group meetings with the writers. This is where a group of writers come in, sit …

Category: Book Proposals, Conferences, Get Published, Karen, PitchingTag: Conferences, Pitching, Proposals, Query Letters

Fun Fridays – June 1, 2012

By Steve Laubeon June 1, 2012

M.C. Grammar.... ???

A pseudo-good idea gone hopelessly strange. Only two minutes long.

Category: Fun Fridays, GrammarTag: Grammar, Humor

The Synopsis Tells the Tale

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 31, 2012

Because the synopsis is so critical to a proposal, I decided to write this spin-off of last week's blog, "Keys to a Great Synopsis," in hopes of helping authors not only write more effective synopses, but to impart a bit about the fiction market, too.

When I read synopses from authors, much is revealed. For instance, I see:
Cozy mysteries that are meant to be romance.
Gothic plots presented …

Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, synopsis

A Time to Share

By Karen Ballon May 30, 2012

I’ve been thinking for awhile that I’d like to do some mini workshops on this blog. Now, I have a boatload of topics I could teach on. After all, I’ve taught or keynoted at writers’ conferences all over the country for the last 30 years. But here’s the thing, I don’t want to teach just another workshop. I want to help you with the issues you’re facing in your writing. So here’s your chance to …

Category: Craft, Karen, Writing Craft

News You Can Use – May 29, 2012

By Steve Laubeon May 29, 2012

Self-Publishing: Under 10% Earn a Living - An article out of Australia makes a bold claim. I would claim, however, that only 10% of traditionally published writers earn a living too. Of course that depends on your definition of "a living."

100 Best First Lines from Novels - In honor of the last two weeks where we talked about "first lines" I found this article from the American Book Review that …

Category: Craft, Grammar, Marketing, News You Can Use, SteveTag: commas, copyediting, Editing, Grammar, podcasting, Self-Publishing

Keys to a Great Synopsis

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 24, 2012

When I posted my ideas on some Keys to a Great Book Proposal, a few writers said they were challenged to write a synopsis. I agree that writing an interesting synopsis is difficult. However, it’s not an element you want to omit from your proposal because a synopsis orients the editor to the book’s contents. Here are my answers to often-asked questions: 1.) Do I need a …

Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, synopsis

What’s MY Line? (First Lines – Part Two)

By Karen Ballon May 23, 2012

I loved reading your favorite first lines last week. Isn’t it amazing how the right first line sets the stage, how it can pull readers out of reality deep into the story that’s being woven around them? I’m always awed at the power of the written word.

As I said last week, a group of writer friends likes to share the first lines of their works in progress. JUST the first line. Not the first …

Category: Craft, Karen, Writing CraftTag: first lines

Fun Fridays – May 8, 2012 -The Chaos of English Pronunciation

By Steve Laubeon May 18, 2012

Fun Friday - May 18, 2012

Quoted in its entirety from The Better Spelling Society (read their article the history of this piece). My favorite is the last stanza that reads "which rhymes with enough? Though, through, bough, cough, hough, sough, tough??"
The Chaos - by Gerard Nolst Trenité
This version is essentially the author's own final text, as also published by New River Project in 1993. A …

Category: Fun Fridays, GrammarTag: Grammar, spelling