publishers

Speakipedia Podcast #19: Humphrey Bower

Dave Bricker (00:00) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media…

4 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast # 9:<br>David H. Lawrence the XVII

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:01) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakypedia…

6 months ago

Publishing Straight Talk

There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose

Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They're low-hanging fruit for writers…

6 months ago

Book Design Basics: Choosing a Book Font

Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the…

6 months ago

Rethinking Book Cover Design

Book cover design tells the story of the story. It must convey the spirit and intentions of the author authentically,…

6 months ago

Publishing Advice – Practices & Principles

The following publishing advice is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it…

6 months ago

Want a Traditional Publishing Contract? Do Your Homework

This article discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Abandon your biases, study the business of publishing, and choose…

6 months ago

The Perfect Book Sales Page

Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I'm usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches…

6 months ago

Book Giveaways: Are They Worth it?

Should you give away books for free? The value of book giveaways can't be assessed by formula. The prevailing mythology…

6 months ago

Publishing Scams and How they Work

Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen…

6 months ago

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

Here's an addendum to Publishing Scams and How they Work. I wonder why so many authors, after spending thousands of…

6 months ago

How to Produce Audiobooks with Amazon ACX

This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange),…

6 months ago

Page Layout: Illustrated Books and the Rule of Thirds

This article explores page layout strategies for books based on the Rule of Thirds. A grid system based on traditional guidelines ensures harmonious…

6 months ago

Book Cover Design: Moving from Screen to Printing Press

Once you have your book cover design looking spirited and professional on your computer screen, how can you ensure that…

6 months ago

Fine Control Over Justified Text

Page layout programs like Adobe Indesign and Quark, allow typographers to exert fine control over justified text to remove gaps…

6 months ago

Book Design – Revisiting Classic Layout for Print and EBooks

Book design has changed since publishing became a gigantic industry. Typesetting was once performed by trained craftsmen who apprenticed to…

6 months ago

Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math?

You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you're not selling books. What happened?…

6 months ago

The Grammar of Book Design

Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound "right" the same thing that makes an image "pop"…

6 months ago

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

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012…

6 months ago

Blogging to Build a Speaker or Author Platform

How can speakers, indie writers, and self-publishers use a blog to build a platform? This article explains how to publish…

6 months ago

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

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…

6 months ago

How Many Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate

Few subjects arouse more passion among writers and designers than the debate over how many spaces should follow a period.…

6 months ago

What’s a Professional Editor Worth?

What do you think a professional editor's pay scale should be? Assume that a proofreader would be at the bottom…

6 months ago

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

I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher…

6 months ago

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

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are…

6 months ago

Reality Checklist for Self-Publishers

One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural…

6 months ago

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

What is true self-publishing? What is the difference between self-publishing and “vanity publishing” or “subsidy publishing?” How do these differ…

6 months ago

Why You Need a Professional Editor

After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a…

6 months ago

Proposed Standards for Book Typography

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…

6 months ago

Straight Talk About Book Reviews

Book  reviews are critically important. Have you ever read a book hoping it would get better, only to find that…

6 months ago

Gatekeepers and Self-Publishing

Indie publishers complain that the mainstream publishing establishment acts as a "gatekeeper." Many readers rely on big publishing houses to…

6 months ago

Self-Publishing: Art or Business?

The very idea of "book marketing" is vague. It's like subsuming advertising and fine art sales into a single realm…

6 months ago

Book Design Basics – Drop Caps and Initial Impressions

NITIAL CAPITALS have historical roots in the early days of book design; their use predates the printing press and the…

6 months ago

Indie Publishers, Bookstores and Readers – the Indie Ecosystem

Indie publishers are everywhere and so are indie bookstores, but apart from their names, the two have little in common.…

6 months ago

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

The notion of real publishing­ as opposed to self-publ­ishing and the stigma surrounding it is obsolete. I have no objections…

6 months ago

The Single Most Important Contribution to Publishing

Many readers still love to feel the subtle emboss of letters stamped on paper with metal type. I was rummaging…

6 months ago

Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading

Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a…

6 months ago

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

Part 2 of Fundamentals of Book Design explores optical margins, paragraph formatting and spaces. Read about margins, layout and leading…

6 months ago

Self-Publishers Should Not Be Self-Editors

Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging…

6 months ago

Book Distributors: What’s in it for Publishers?

There is a direct relationship between the number of sales you can expect from a book distributor and the value-added…

6 months ago

Book Typography: The Crystal Goblet by Beatrice Warde

Designers, writers and publishers will benefit from Beatrice Warde’s eloquent perspectives on the craft of typography, the power of type…

6 months ago

Self-Publishing? Get Real(istic)!

There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…

6 months ago

Many Unhappy Returns – Think Outside the Bookstore

If you're hoping to have mainstream bookstore distribution, using a Vanity Press may present some obstacles. Book buyers will likely…

6 months ago

Stop Picking on POD

A great technology is getting a bad rap for the wrong reasons. Print On Demand (POD) technology is often mislabeled…

6 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #8: Maureen Mahoney

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:05) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia…

7 months ago

Publishing a Book: Beware of Vanity Publishers

Here's a useful definition. Think of a publisher as an individual or entity that assumes the financial risk for a…

7 months ago

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