When I sit down to work with a new author, I always ask them about their goals for their book, and invariably I get a version of the same answer: They want to make a difference in people’s lives. Very often, they want to change the way people think, elevate a conversation, and bring new […]
08 May 2017 in Finding Your Author Voice, HelpThis week the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) announced the changes that will be made to its upcoming new edition, which comes out in September. As an editor, a publisher, and a progressive idealist, I am applauding one of those changes in particular: approval of the use of the singular pronoun they. The English language […]
08 Apr 2017 in Inspire, Writing tipsOf all the book chapters you will write, your introduction is likely to confound you the most. What should go in it? How long should it be? Is anyone even going to read it? Most authors find themselves scratching their heads over questions like these. I hope to answer them here. A book introduction isn’t […]
06 Feb 2017 in Finding Your Author Voice, Help, Writing tipsWriting a book and becoming a published author is one of the very best ways for an accomplished expert to accelerate their business and raise the value of their brand. But book sales are just the beginning. The real fun begins when awards and accolades start rolling in. Robert Tercek, author of Vaporized: Solid […]
19 Oct 2016 in LifeTree Media news, PublishingWhat the heck is a hybrid publisher, anyway? And how do you know if you’ve found a good one? At its best, hybrid publishing offers many of the benefits of being published by a traditional publisher — including access to market (i.e. brick-and-mortar bookstores), high quality editing and design — as well as the benefits […]
03 Aug 2016 in Help, PublishingWhen it comes to conducting research for your book, not all sources are created equal. Freelance editor Shirarose Wilensky offers an easy rule of thumb to steer you toward reputable sources: start with print-based materials such as books, newspapers, journals and magazine articles, then move on to online sources. This is because although some web-based […]
11 May 2016 in Help, Writing tipsI was working with an author last week who was struggling to find his way with his manuscript. “When I talk about these ideas, I’m succinct, relaxed, sometimes even funny. But when I sit down to write, the words come out all formal and stiff. Why can’t I be myself in my writing?” Sure enough, his […]
26 Mar 2016 in Heal, Inspire, Publishing, Writing tipsYour book contains some of your best ideas. But do those ideas add up to a streamlined, compelling manuscript… or a pile of disorganized thoughts? When you’re outlining your nonfiction book, it’s easy to get so caught up in the content that you neglect to plan the book’s overarching structure. This can be a real problem because many readers will give […]
01 Mar 2016 in Help, WAW: Writing About Writing, Writing tipsI don’t believe in writers’ block, any more than I believe in washing-dishes-block, or dealing-with your-taxes-block, or confronting-a-scary-problem-block. I’m not saying that writing will always come easily, or that you won’t sometimes stop and find it hard to start again. Of course you will. What I’m saying is that the reasons for halting your work […]
04 Feb 2016 in Help, Inspire, WAW: Writing About Writing, Writing tips“Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” So goes the advice for which author and writing prof Anne Lamott named her classic instructional memoir. Wise words if, like Lamott’s brother, you’re churning out a school report on ornithology. But the rest of us can learn a thing or two from her approach, too. […]
31 Dec 2015 in Help, WAW: Writing About Writing, Writing tips