(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Sometimes I think there is simply no way to finalize a manuscript – particularly a book-length manuscript! Can you tell I’m working on the copy edited version on my soon-to-be-released book on getting a book written?
After I accepted or rejected the changes made by my excellent copy editor, I printed out the manuscript one last time. Or maybe not. Part of the reason is she suggested I double-check the look of the headings and subheadings. I do that sort of thing best when I have actual pages to work with.
It was also time to give the book one more reading …read more

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I got the copy edited version of my book on writing books back. I have to tell you, I wasn’t anxious to open it; in fact, I postponed it two days. I was afraid of what I would see for two reasons.

It’s always hard to look at any criticism, even when I’m the one who asked for it.
I hired a new copy editor and wasn’t a bit sure how she’d work out.

So far I’ve been delighted. She did exactly what I asked – that is, she didn’t do any rewriting, corrected mistakes and highlighted anything that confused her. I’m …read more

Yvonne Russel over at Home Biz Notes scoops me again! In a post called “Free – Penguin Authors Guide To Online Marketing – A Great Promotional Tool,”
I suggest you go right over and download it. It’s a 64 page ebook with some cool graphics and, it looks like, some sage advice. I haven’t read the whole thing on this Sunday morning, but I have read enough to be sure it’s worth the time to download and at least scan.
What I haven’t figured out is why Penguin has put together such a helpful guide. Usually this sort of thing is done …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
One of the reasons I like blogs so much is I don’t have to try and track everything I think I should write about here. For example, I’ve been a proponent of ebooks since the beginning; I’ve been singularly unimpressed with ebook readers. Fortunately, Joe Wikert over at his Publishing 2020 Blog takes time to track these devices.
Today he’s got a post called Sony Reader Now Selling at Target . Using Google Trends, he’s tracking Amazon’s Kindle (current price, $359) and Sony’s Ebook Reater ($299 at Target). It’s amazing. He speculates that Amazon doesn’t get the market as well as …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Arghhhh. I’ll never finish this d**n book! At least it almost feels that way. This morning when I started I had about 30 pages to go. Now hours and hours later I’ve still got 16 pages to go. It keeps growing! I’ve gone from a 20,000 word count a week or two ago to over 31,000 – yikes that’s a lot of writing. I didn’t realize I’d done that much!
But it all needs to be done! The book is better for it. Pant pant pant. I feel like I’m chasing these last few pages.
Oh well, back at it.
Write well and …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
I am so not a copy editor, and I am so appreciative of the good ones I know!
I’m doing the final pass on my book about how to write a book. I call it a pass, rather than an edit because I know I’m missing things. I always do! I am not one of those people who is good with tiny details.
If you looked at my cottage, you’d see what I mean. At first glance it looks pretty good, but I haven’t made my bed in days! And I’ll bet there are dust bunnies, maybe full grown dust rabbits …read more

Books are not only hard to write, the manuscripts tend to get long and messy. I’m going through the draft of my book about writing books and my headings are all messed up. I also changed typeface for the body somewhere in the middle. Plus, I started drafting in double space and then, as I got closer to completion, switched to single, except there are three or four sections that didn’t get switched.
As I’m editing and realized it was past time to set up a style sheet for the book. A style sheet simply defines the style, like typeface, type …read more

I finally got around to checking out one of the advertisers here, CreateSpace. At first glance it appears CreateSpace was perhaps set up to compete directly with Lulu.com – unless you want premium services, there are no fees to upload your book, etc.
What I didn’t realize until I got to the bottom of a page is that the company is owned by Amazon, the giant online bookstore.
Because I’ve been following Angela Hoy’s Booklocker lawsuit against Amazon for insisting self-publishers use Amazon-owned BookSurge if they want to be treated well at the online bookstore, I sent her a quick email …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
John Kremer, expert on book marketing has featured some great book covers on his blog. The post is called Great Book Covers and he’s right; these are dynamite.
Since your book’s cover is your book’s billboard, it’s important the design be eye catching. What tickles me about this selection of book covers is the variety. Each speaks about the book it represents, visually. A nifty and worthwhile trick.
I think my favorite is Facing the Moon, but that monochromatic look certainly wouldn’t work for many books.
Which one do you like best?
Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Joe Wikert does it again, this time by pointing to a new blog called Self Publishing Today. The author is Ray Robinson who is with Dog Ear Publishing, a company that offers a variety of self-publishing services.
The blog looks good. For example, on August 25, Robinson posted Self Publishing Hits – The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry and Lorna Page. He tells the story of self-published fiction that went mainstream with a 2 million dollar advance. But he does more than just report that fact. If you read the whole entry you’ll find all sorts of marketing hints.
On August 19th, …read more