New guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style are an enlightened step forward

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This 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 is one of the most shape-shifting languages in the world. Every year, English speakers add new words to the lexicon and repurpose old ones. Some of these innovations are widely adopted and become part of the language; others fall by the wayside. Ther... keep reading

An Editor Stumbles into a Writing Workshop

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Nine a.m. on a Sunday morning and I rolled into the conference hall.

I’d had a long week and was looking forward to sitting in back row of some interesting talks that I had no responsibility to develop, edit, or promote, until the caffeine from my large cup of tea kicked in. It was this editor’s day off! Little did I know I was about to discover something unexpected inside myself and to glimpse that spark that draws me to my vocation in the first place.

I set out to attend Limmud, an all-day festival of Jewish learning in down... keep reading

LifeTree Media to Publish Self-Help Book for Type-A Professionals by CEO Claire Booth

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Hybrid publisher LifeTree Media has signed Claire Booth, CEO of market research firm Lux Insights, for her upcoming self-help book, tentatively titled MEsearch: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Letting Go. The book is scheduled to publish in fall/winter of 2018/19.

MEsearch follows Claire, a type-A market research professional driven by ambition, competition and goals, as she attempts to understand why she never seems able to simply find joy in her out... keep reading

Footnotes vs. Endnotes: How to Choose and How to Use

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There are four ways to deal with citations, explanations and references: In the text, in footnotes, in numbered endnotes, and in contextual endnotes. Most publishers have a house style and preference for how and when they use each method. It’s useful for you to understand the difference and determine your own preferences, especially if you are self-publishing.

In text: Writing a reference directly into the text itself is the most reader-friendly way to cite your sources. This works best when the reference is simple and easy t... keep reading

8 Writing Habits for the Enlightened Author

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As writers, we consider it our duty to sit at our desks every day and put down ideas that we hope will inspire the masses and make a meaningful contribution to society.

Doesn’t mean we have to enjoy it. In fact, writing is very often painful, boring and difficult.

But it doesn’t have to be. By making some adjustments to the way you write–and the way you think about writing–you can produce more in less time and even enjoy doing it. Here are eight writing habits that will transform your work sessions from bitter and barren to the best and most productive par... keep reading

How to Write a Killer Book Introduction

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Of 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 strictly necessary in every book, but most non-fiction books will benefit from having one. If you’re going to include one, it’s critical to get it right. Potential readers often skim the introduction to help them decide whether or not to buy a book. An introduction that’s eng... keep reading

Venkat Venkatraman sets out new rulebook for business transformation in The Digital Matrix

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Professor Venkat N. Venkatraman has built a 30-year career on helping businesses adapt to technological change. A management professor and department chair at the Boston University Questrom School of Business, he is a top-cited researcher at the crossroads of strategy and information technology and was twice awarded an IBM fellowship for his work focusing on business challenges in the network era. In addition to his academic work, Venkatraman consults with companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Ericsson, Zurich Financial, ... keep reading

The Importance of Concept Development + Our Gift to You

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Did you know the screenplay to Casablanca, considered the greatest Hollywood film, was written in only two weeks?

If you have an idea for your book…

The LifeTree editorial team receives a lot of manuscripts that don’t have a purpose. The authors had good intentions, but they didn’t plan before they wrote, and poured countless hours of effort into something that requires even more work than sta... keep reading