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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 26

Writing Craft

Count Your Many Phrases

By Steve Laubeon February 10, 2011
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We all have our pet phrases and they can inadvertently sneak their way into our manuscripts. Yesterday I came across a marvelous web site that can help you discover how often a particular phrase is repeated in your article or manuscript.

Using the Phrase Frequency Counter online, you can actually track what phrases are overused. It is also a great way to pick out those clichés that can creep into your writing.

Out of curiosity I tried the site out on the interview page on my web site. I discovered the phrase “retail potential” is used at least three times. This gave me the chance to review the piece and see if that needed adjusting.

Years ago I edited a manuscript that used the word “very” as an adjective (i.e. “the very idea” “the very book”) over and over again. After I redlined nearly all of them the author sent me a hilarious e-mail with the word “very” repeated 500 times. The author said he was getting it out of his system so I wouldn’t have to work so hard on his next book!

From what I could tell there is no limit to the size of the document you can paste into the search screen.

Let us know what phrase you overused in your work-in-progress.

HT: Shelf Awareness

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Category: Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

The Shack Gets Sued

By Steve Laubeon July 14, 2010
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Sad news from the LA Times that the author and publishers of The Shack are now in court fighting over the royalty earnings. Read the entire article here. Then weep. Then pray that cooler heads prevail and that it can somehow be kept out of the court system. The key element to the story, from my agent’s perspective, is that there was not a solid contract in place from the beginning. It …

Read moreThe Shack Gets Sued
Category: Book Business, Legal IssuesTag: Bookselling, Contracts, Get Published, Legal, Writing Craft

What’s up with Christian Retail?

By Steve Laubeon May 10, 2010
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Twice in the last 30 days I have been interviewed about the "state of the industry." The journalist's questions were insightful and thought I would share some of them with you. My answers have been expanded beyond the original ones since I have more space to work with here.

1. What do you believe to be the most important trend in Christian publishing and why?

This can be a complex …

Read moreWhat’s up with Christian Retail?
Category: Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Bookselling, Editors, Get Published, Proposals, Rejection, Writing Craft

A Year in Review

By Steve Laubeon December 29, 2009
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This is one of my favorite times of the year. The Christmas glow is still present and since the publishing world is, in essence, on vacation, it is a perfect time to to reflect on the past twelve months.

This was a hard year for many as the economy touched everyone in some way. And yet, despite the ominous cloud of doom and gloom, there were many exciting things to celebrate.

On a personal …

Read moreA Year in Review
Category: Agency, Awards, Get Published, PersonalTag: Book Review, Get Published, Writing Craft
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