Last fall, after a fellow author interviewed for a podcast, she said to me that she found it interesting that someone as articulate and accomplished as I was chose such a poor book title. Ouch! She was referring to my most recent novel, which … [Read more...]
How Beta Readers Made My Book Better — Getting What I Needed Helped More Than Getting What I Wanted
A year ago, as I was finishing the first beginning-to-end draft of my third novel, When I Killed My Father: An Assisted Suicide Family Thriller, I recruited a dozen beta readers to help me make it better. I asked for honest feedback, which I … [Read more...]
Great article on words that have at least two meanings
Thanks to BAIPA member, Chris Santilli Johnson, for this fascinating article that might prove useful in our writing efforts. … [Read more...]
Who Makes the Rules for the English Language?
A blog post by Arlene Miller, The Grammar Diva — As a copyeditor and grammarian, I sometimes find myself having to defend my position on a point of grammar or punctuation. For example, someone will ask me why I took out the comma … [Read more...]
Copy Editing Gripes
One of the more charming interviews on KQED Forum was January 10 with Benjamin Dreyer, Random House's longtime copy chief. His forthcoming book is "Dreyer's English." (Random House Copy Chief Advises on Writing Rules in 'Dreyer's English') I … [Read more...]
Writer’s World Consultations — From Finished Manuscript to Finished Book, Editing and Writing, Killer Book Blurbs
In addition to eleven workshops, a keynote by Lee Wind, the Q & A (a BAIPA favorite), and a variety of vendors, Writer’s World will feature three consulting opportunities, where you can sit down one-on-one and discuss your project — with book … [Read more...]
Footnote Format
If you're seeking guidance on footnote format, I found Citation Machine very helpful for books and websites. Put a book title or ISBN in, and it will pull author, publisher, etc. Put in a URL and it will pull information about it—title, author, … [Read more...]
Editor David Colin Carr Hosts “Craft of Writing” Conversations Thursdays at Larkspur Landing
Starting this week, I will be adding Craft of Writing conversations at 2:00 every Thursday, following David Kudler’s self-publishing open question period at Wise & Son or Starbucks (Larkspur Landing). Bring questions about structure, … [Read more...]
Heads Up! CreateSpace to Discontinue Editing, Design, and Marketing Services in April
A statement from Amazon, as reported in mid-January in South Carolina’s The Post and Courier newspaper, had this surprising news: “After a thorough review of our service offerings, we’ve made the decision to discontinue CreateSpace’s … [Read more...]
Need Help Getting Your Book Published and Promoted?
Most BAIPA members are authors, but a significant fraction of our members are service providers as well — editors, designers, printers, marketers, book midwives, and more. Let’s say you’re an author who needs help getting your book published … [Read more...]