design Archives - Speakipedia

Want Great Art from AI? Be an Art Director!

juan — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:43:24 +0000

If you don’t collaborate with AI, you end up with what AI can do by itself—which is often less-than-satisfying, or with what you can do on your own. You’ll have to judge the quality of those results, yourself. So how … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #33: Lucille Ossai

juan — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 05:13:11 +0000

Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:02) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakipedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories from … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #31: Tamsen Webster

juan — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 03:56:11 +0000

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:06) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakepedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast 30: Patricia Fripp

juan — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 16:42:53 +0000

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakepedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #29: Susan Ford Collins

juan — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:17:39 +0000

Dave Bricker (00:06) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakipedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories from visionary … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #25: Rob Shanahan

juan — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 18:05:09 +0000

Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:07) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories from visionary speakers and thought leaders. From the heart of small town … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #17: Bill Stainton

juan — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 17:16:45 +0000

Transcript [00:00:00] Dave Bricker: Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is “Speakipedia Media,” brought to you by speakipedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing … More ☛

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About The Influencer Tools (Members Only)

Dave Bricker — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 13:54:59 +0000

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Speakipedia Podcast # 13:Rick Lozano

juan — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 22:18:02 +0000

Transcription Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speekipedia Media, brought to you by speakipedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛

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Rick Lozano appeared first on Speakipedia.

A Story of Steve Jobs, Creativity, Balance, and Success

Dave Bricker — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:00:38 +0000

“People from technology don’t understand the creative process … companies go through to make their products, and they don’t appreciate how hard it is. And the creative companies don’t appreciate how creative technology is; they think it’s just something you … More ☛

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About The Influencer Tools

Dave Bricker — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:26:17 +0000

The Speakipedia Influencer Tools are based on careful study of story structures. It’s easy to ask AI to “write a story” or “create an introduction for my next speech,” but unless we provide specific information and careful instructions, the AI … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:20 +0000

Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They’re low-hanging fruit for writers who abscond with them quickly instead of striving for excellence. But to the trained eye, writing clichés stick out like … More ☛

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Publishing Straight Talk

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:20 +0000

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Nonfiction Writing and the One-sided Sales Conversation

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:19 +0000

Business, technology, and how-to books can be viewed as one-sided sales conversations. Though the author may hope to sell products or services, what’s usually being sold directly to the reader is an idea—a strategy or philosophy that can be used … More ☛

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Verbs: Spice Up Your Writing with Verbs that Rock

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:19 +0000

Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, tone, and distortion controls that … More ☛

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Book Design Basics: Choosing a Book Font

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:18 +0000

Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the average writer. This article offers insights into fonts suitable for book typography. Though it won’t turn the average author into … More ☛

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Rethinking Book Cover Design

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:18 +0000

Book cover design tells the story of the story. It must convey the spirit and intentions of the author authentically, and it also has a few practical chores to perform. If a book cover design is to accomplish these things … More ☛

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Publishing Advice – Practices & Principles

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:17 +0000

The following publishing advice is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it valuable and encouraging, even if it changes your expectations. I’ve written and published 12 books. I’ve guided many remarkable people … More ☛

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Want a Traditional Publishing Contract? Do Your Homework

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:17 +0000

This article discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Abandon your biases, study the business of publishing, and choose the publishing method that best suits you and your book. Perhaps the biggest myth in publishing is that as a … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Two-Word Writing Clichés

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:16 +0000

Two-word clichés are perhaps the least obvious kind. Unless we’re vigilant, they sneak into our prose, steal color, mask our individual writer’s voice, and make us sound like millions of other writers who mindlessly employ the same worn out word … More ☛

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Book Design Basics: Quotation Marks and Primes

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:16 +0000

Writers often ask about the difference between “straight” or “dumb” quotation marks and traditional printers’ quotes, commonly referred to as “smart quotes” or “curly quotes.” Add in the need to distinguish between left single quotes and apostrophes, and the primes … More ☛

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Publishing Scams and How they Work

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:14 +0000

Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen to prey on writers who are unsure of the path. This article explains the basics of how publishing scams work … More ☛

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Book Giveaways: Are They Worth it?

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:14 +0000

Should you give away books for free? The value of book giveaways can’t be assessed by formula. The prevailing mythology suggests that the goal of publishing is to sell books, but the huge majority of indie publishers don’t do the … More ☛

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How to Produce Audiobooks with Amazon ACX

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:13 +0000

This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), I was able to audition voiceover talent, choose a professional producer, review the work in progress, and make my audiobook … More ☛

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Self-Publishing Scams: Keep the “Self” in Self-Publishing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:13 +0000

Here’s an addendum to Publishing Scams and How they Work. I wonder why so many authors, after spending thousands of hours working on a book, fail to conduct a few critical hours of research that will save them thousands of … More ☛

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Page Layout: Illustrated Books and the Rule of Thirds

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:12 +0000

This article explores page layout strategies for books based on the Rule of Thirds. A grid system based on traditional guidelines ensures harmonious proportions and placement of objects on a page. Page layout for books is governed by a range of factors. Trade … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Moving from Screen to Printing Press

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:12 +0000

Once you have your book cover design looking spirited and professional on your computer screen, how can you ensure that your masterpiece will translate accurately to the printing press? Ink on paper is an entirely different medium from pixels on … More ☛

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Fine Control Over Justified Text

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:11 +0000

Page layout programs like Adobe Indesign and Quark, allow typographers to exert fine control over justified text to remove gaps and “rivers.” The default settings produce “pretty good” results—better than a word processor—but a few small tweaks will dramatically improve … More ☛

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Simulating the Appearance of Traditional Print

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:11 +0000

Digital typography offers capabilities that printers working with hot lead type and wood type could only dream of. Digital type can be stretched and resized infinitely, justified within unusual boundaries, or wrapped around almost any shape. And yet, traditional letterpress … More ☛

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Book Design Basics – Use Hyphens for Justified Type

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:10 +0000

Hyphens are an important contributor to elegant, easy-to-read typography, especially when text is fully justified as is the convention in book typography. This article explains how justified text works, and how proper hyphenation improves the legibility of your type. Text … More ☛

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A Manuscript is Not a Book: Ten Tips for Manuscript Preparation

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:09 +0000

In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best of intentions as the writer attempts to create the feel of the finished book within the manuscript. Though they’re trying … More ☛

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Book Design – Revisiting Classic Layout for Print and EBooks

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:09 +0000

Book design has changed since publishing became a gigantic industry. Typesetting was once performed by trained craftsmen who apprenticed to masters before inking their own plates. Phototypesetting arrived in the 1960s and by the late 1980s, digital publishing transferred the … More ☛

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Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math?

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:08 +0000

You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you’re not selling books. What happened? You were supposed to appear on Oprah’s show. Terry Gross isn’t calling you for an interview. You may be an … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Shy Away from Timid and Passive Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

“Passive writing” refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was stolen by Jill. instead of Jill stole the money. This is confusing if you’re writing about Jill but perfectly acceptable … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Boring Words & Generic Descriptions – Not Nice!

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Generic descriptions are telltale signs of lazy writing. Add color to your writing by replacing overused and boring words. It’s such a nice day today. He’s very bright. My dog is really funny. Bill is a good soccer player. Shari … More ☛

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Writing is Design – Writing Dialogue: He Said. She Said.

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Dialogue presents challenges for writers. Some prefer to simply declare what was “said.” Many authors feel that “said” is both traditional and invisible: “I’m going to write some dialogue,” said Bill. “I look forward to reading it, ”said Helene. But … More ☛

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The Grammar of Book Design

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound “right” the same thing that makes an image “pop” or a jazz solo “burn?” The similarities are noteworthy but the differences are important. Just as the best of writers … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Avoid Bland Pronouns and Boring Verbs

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

As a graphic designer, I see numerous parallels between the values that create engaging imagery and the values that create engaging prose. So many designs fail because the designer arranged elements on a page without questioning their purpose, hierarchy, or … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Eliminate THAT Fat From Your Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

The word “that” is often abused. “That” is a perfectly useful pronoun but it’s often the useless fat that slows down an otherwise good sentence. I think that you and I need to talk. I told my readers that I … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012 Design Observer 50 Books-50 Covers award. Part 1 explored how most book design rarely rises above “competent.” Part 2 looked … More ☛

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Blogging to Build a Speaker or Author Platform

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:05 +0000

How can speakers, indie writers, and self-publishers use a blog to build a platform? This article explains how to publish online content to build community around your books. Build a Platform: Set up Your Blog A blog (short for web … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:05 +0000

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued “professional” covers taken from Amazon’s Editor’s choice list. Read that article first as it provides background for this one. The article looked at design elements that worked … More ☛

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Book Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror Stories

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:04 +0000

I recently responded to a question in a writers’ forum from an author who was in the process of designing a cover for her novel set in a swamp in New Orleans. “I chose a ‘swampy’ font that hangs down … More ☛

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How Many Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:03 +0000

Few subjects arouse more passion among writers and designers than the debate over how many spaces should follow a period. If you adhere to a style manual, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t specify a single-space. Chicago and … More ☛

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Co-Publishing – Alternative Path or Another Trap for Writers?

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:02 +0000

I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher as “someone who takes the risk on a book.” Vanity Presses represent themselves as publishers and accept royalties while the … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:02 +0000

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are not all that high, but self-publishers routinely fall short of them. If you want your book to be taken seriously, … More ☛

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Reality Checklist for Self-Publishers

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:00 +0000

One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural one, but for many self-publishers, it betrays a certain lack of awareness about the publishing business. Lest I sound holier … More ☛

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Self-Publishing & Vanity Publishing: Confuse Them and Pay the Price

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:00 +0000

What is true self-publishing? What is the difference between self-publishing and “vanity publishing” or “subsidy publishing?” How do these differ from “traditional publishing?” Don’t publish until you understand these terms; that knowledge can make or break your book. Learn about … More ☛

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Why You Need a Professional Editor

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:59 +0000

After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a professional editor and learned something important about self-publishing. No matter how capable you are as a writer and proofreader, you … More ☛

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Proposed Standards for Book Typography

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:59 +0000

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes, hyphens, initials, etc. Writers who do their own typesetting often produce mediocre results. Likewise, trade publishers sacrifice typographic aesthetics when … More ☛

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Self-Publishing: Art or Business?

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:57 +0000

The very idea of "book marketing" is vague. It's like subsuming advertising and fine art sales into a single realm of "image marketing." And in tacking marketing on as the de facto second phase of writing a book, a lot of worthy artists' resources are placed in jeopardy.

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Book Design Basics – Drop Caps and Initial Impressions

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:56 +0000

NITIAL CAPITALS have historical roots in the early days of book design; their use predates the printing press and the invention of moveable type. Today’s initial caps are not as fancy as those carefully rendered in gold leaf in ancient … More ☛

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Indie Publishers, Bookstores and Readers – the Indie Ecosystem

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:55 +0000

Indie publishers are everywhere and so are indie bookstores, but apart from their names, the two have little in common. “Independence” is a feelgood concept, but it’s often presented without any reference to that which a publisher or bookstore is independent … More ☛

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Book Design Basics – Dashes, Hyphens and Dots

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:53 +0000

This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as writers. The subtle intricacies of hyphens and dashes affect all authors whether they typeset their own books or not. Knowing … More ☛

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Self-Publishing IS Real Publishing-The Difference is up to You

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:52 +0000

The notion of real publishing as opposed to self-publishing and the stigma surrounding it is obsolete. I have no objections to traditional publishers but every one of them started off as a “self-publisher” with a first book. I have pretty … More ☛

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Book Design Basics: Small Capitals – Avoiding Capital Offenses

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:52 +0000

Use of Small Capitals—uppercase characters designed at lowercase scale—is one aspect of writing and book design that isn’t taught in grammar school. We all know every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. We all should … More ☛

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Book Design Basics Part 3: Running The Numbers

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:51 +0000

Part 3 of Book Design Basics explores better ways to present numbers on your pages. Numbers (called figures) look simple at first glance, but they present interesting typesetting challenges. Many digital typefaces offer several number styles but few designers know … More ☛

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Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:50 +0000

Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a reader spends staring at the text. An elegant book block is just as important. Decades ago, professional tradesmen practiced the … More ☛

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Book Design Basics Part 2: Optical Margins, Indents and Periods

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:50 +0000

Part 2 of Fundamentals of Book Design explores optical margins, paragraph formatting and spaces. Read about margins, layout and leading in Part 1. The self-publishing revolution is (aside from the Internet) the greatest thing ever to happen to freedom of … More ☛

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Self-Publishers Should Not Be Self-Editors

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:49 +0000

Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging friends who think it’s “wonderful you actually wrote a book” are not unbiased editors. A good editor will put your … More ☛

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Self-Publishing? Get Real(istic)!

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:48 +0000

There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in your book, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself some serious questions. Understand what you’re getting into and define success at its proper place on the spectrum between retail sales and artistic satisfaction. With some clarity, planning and management of expectations, even a modest publishing venture can be rewarding and satisfying.

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Runny Noses, Sunspots and Thesis Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:48 +0000

Thesis writing is one of the purest forms of self-publishing. In my work as a professor, I regularly encountered students who got “stuck” while writing their thesis papers. A good framework for developing, presenting and supporting a well-developed thesis reveals … More ☛

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Many Unhappy Returns – Think Outside the Bookstore

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:47 +0000

If you’re hoping to have mainstream bookstore distribution, using a Vanity Press may present some obstacles. Book buyers will likely tell you, “your book may be excellent, but you’re using a Vanity Publisher and the vast majority of their books … More ☛

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Tips For Book Cover Design

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:47 +0000

Most book designers make the same errors. One sore spot for me and with many of my university design students, is typography.

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Terms and Conditions

Dave Bricker — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 13:15:31 +0000

Speakipedia Affiliate Program Terms of Service Agreement By signing up to be an Affiliate in the Speakipedia Affiliate Program (“Program”) you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”). Speakipedia reserves the right to … More ☛

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Publishing a Book: Beware of Vanity Publishers

juan — Thu, 16 May 2024 18:34:03 +0000

Here’s a useful definition. Think of a publisher as an individual or entity that assumes the financial risk for a book. A publishing house buys your manuscript, pays you a small advance against hope for royalties, and earns a profit … More ☛

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Speakipedia Podcast #1: Bruce Turkel

Dave Bricker — Thu, 09 May 2024 12:00:32 +0000

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:06) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakipedia .com. I’m your MC Dave Bricker bringing you straight talk and smart strategies … More ☛

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Bruce Turkel appeared first on Speakipedia.

How Do I VideoConference with PowerPoint?

Dave Bricker — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 11:02:58 +0000

In default mode, as soon as you hit the “play” button on a PowerPoint™ presentation, it takes over your entire screen. This makes it impossible to access your videoconferencing software. Some people try to circumvent this by showing their slides … More ☛

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Cut the Clutter! Simplify Your Slides

Dave Bricker — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 13:12:58 +0000

The speaker advanced to the next slide and began to explain. I suppose this might make some sort of sense if someone breaks it down for you. We can see the progression from purple to green to blue to red … More ☛

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PowerPoint and the Bleeding Edge

Dave Bricker — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 22:57:19 +0000

A power saw is a wonderful tool, but if you don’t have any training or skills, it’s easy to sacrifice a finger on the altar of ignorance. Sadly, the same thing could be said about PowerPoint. How can you use … More ☛

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Speechwriting: Cut THAT Fat

Dave Bricker — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 19:09:21 +0000

“That” is often useless fat that slows down an otherwise elegant sentence. Fortunately, misuse of “that” is one of the easiest writing patterns to find and evaluate. I think that you and I need to talk. I told my … More ☛

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PowerPoint: What Size Should My Slides Be?

Dave Bricker — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:32:28 +0000

In the “old days,” computer monitors and televisions all had a 4:3 aspect ratio. What does that mean in English? It means that the ratio of width to height is 4 to 3. So an old monitor might have been … More ☛

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Green Screen Setup with King Charles

Dave Bricker — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:19:04 +0000

Why do I keep a cardboard cutout of King Charles in my green screen studio? Well, no offense to Chuck, but I shopped around and he was the cheapest life-sized cardboard cutout I could find. And why do I want … More ☛

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Why Do Speakers Charge So Much?

Dave Bricker — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:58:44 +0000

Celebrities can charge enormous fees because people will pay to be in the same room with them, and when an organization brings in a celebrity speaker, they look well-connected and influential. But what about business speakers who routinely charge 5-figure … More ☛

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If You Want Money, Ask for Advice

Dave Bricker — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:18:56 +0000

If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for money! This is a longstanding fundraising mantra and it works. If you’re looking for money, ask for it. You’ll receive an avalanche of ideas, recommendations, and advice … More ☛

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Storytelling Mistakes: The Data Dump

Dave Bricker — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 21:47:28 +0000

WordPress is a content-management platform used to drive over 455 million websites. Written with open-source technologies like PHP and MySQL, this free software is supported by a huge developer community that extends its functionality through thousands of free and commercial … More ☛

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Why AI-Generated Marketing Copy Misses the Mark

Dave Bricker — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 14:00:37 +0000

Is AI-Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we’ve been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing … More ☛

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Sound Advice for Writers & Publishers

Dave Bricker — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 15:00:26 +0000

The following advice on writing and publishing is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it valuable and encouraging, even if it changes your expectations. I’ve written and published twelve books, and I’m … More ☛

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Problem-Solving & Storytelling: Understand Their Story

Dave Bricker — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 15:00:42 +0000

Use storytelling for problem-solving. Think about the various stories involved in a conflict and plot a course for resolution. Seen through the StorySailing™ spyglass, a story is analogous to the voyage of a sailboat across the rocky, stormy seas of … More ☛

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Don’t Hire Experts and Tell Them What to Do!

Dave Bricker — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:00:30 +0000

Too many professionals buy the story that expertise is a commodity: Hire an expert, tell them what to do, and get the job done. Experts are experts because they know more than you do about their professional discipline. Experts are … More ☛

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Potent Verbs Spice Up Your Storytelling

Dave Bricker — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 15:00:21 +0000

Verbs are the engines that move your writing, your speaking, your readers, and your audiences but many authors ands presenters don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, … More ☛

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Storytelling and The Avant Garde

Dave Bricker — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 16:00:29 +0000

An accomplished jazz musician, educator, and friend pointed out that too many virtuosic young players blow a lot of noisy notes with fire and conviction, ignore the structure of the music, and brand themselves as “avant garde.” To his ears, … More ☛

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The “Become a Millionaire Speaker” Story

Dave Bricker — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 15:00:35 +0000

A friend asked if he should take a day off work to attend a free “Become a Millionaire Speaker or Coach!” seminar. No. Don’t quit your day job—even for a day. I’m sure the session offers hours of true and … More ☛

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