There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…
Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the…
The following publishing advice is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it…
This article discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Abandon your biases, study the business of publishing, and choose…
Writers often ask about the difference between "straight" or "dumb" quotation marks and traditional printers' quotes, commonly referred to as…
If you’re not using your Word Processor’s Track Changes function, you’re missing out on one of the best writing tools…
Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I'm usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches…
Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen…
Here's an addendum to Publishing Scams and How they Work. I wonder why so many authors, after spending thousands of…
Discussions of English Language pet peeves provide an entertaining forum for the expression of ire. In fact, if a “pet”…
The Oxford comma, or serial comma is a subject of constant debate among writers. Do we need that comma before…
You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you're not selling books. What happened?…
"Passive writing" refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was…
Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…
What do you think a professional editor's pay scale should be? Assume that a proofreader would be at the bottom…
I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher…
Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are…
One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural…
After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a…
The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…
Book reviews are critically important. Have you ever read a book hoping it would get better, only to find that…
Indie publishers complain that the mainstream publishing establishment acts as a "gatekeeper." Many readers rely on big publishing houses to…
Indie publishers are everywhere and so are indie bookstores, but apart from their names, the two have little in common.…
This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as…
Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a…
Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging…
There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…
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