By Shelley Sturgeon
It’s Thanksgiving in Canada tomorrow. Friends and families will be gathering over the long weekend to spend time together and enjoy big homecooked meals. I try to remember to be thankful for my many blessings every day, but this weekend especially I will be focusing on all that I am grateful for.
Today’s edition of This Week in the Blogs has even more than usual for your reading pleasure. Don’t miss it!
Anne R. Allen on Anne R. Allen’s Blog …with Ruth Harris
Author Pen Names: 5 Reasons they’re a Bad Idea in the Digital Age
“Is it easier to write freely if you hide your real identity behind a fake name? Should you use a different pen name for each genre you write in?”
David Wogahn on Author Imprints
What to Consider When Selling eBooks on Your Website: Pros, Cons and Tools
“Everyone knows you can make more money (or save money) by “cutting out” the middleman. That idea is even more tempting when you consider eBooks cost nothing to manufacture beyond the cost to create the first copy. So why don’t more authors and publishers sell direct to the public rather than stores like Amazon Kindle, Apple iTunes, B&N Nook, et al?”
Grace Tierney on Funds for Writers
Why Do NaNoWriMo?
“For half a million writers worldwide the month of November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). As a NaNoWriMo mentor and writer it’s the highlight of my writing year. Have you considered it?”
Erika Liodice on Writer Unboxed
How to Find the Right Developmental Editor for Your Book
“You can make change after change, only to find that your critique partners are never quite satisfied. If you’ve reached this stage with your work in progress, it might be time to seek the advice of a developmental editor.”
Sandra Beckwith on Build Book Buzz
5 book marketing tasks in 5 minutes
“Do you struggle to keep up with all of your work, family, and home responsibilities and find time to write and market your books?”
Too Good To Miss
Danuta Kean on The Guardian
Cover versions: why are UK and US book jackets often so different?
“The American edition of Hillary Clinton’s What Happened looks stylish and elegant; the UK one is dreadful. But the reasons that books differ so much across different markets isn’t solely down to simple sales”
Dean Wesley Smith on The Writings and Opinions of Dean Wesley Smith
Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Beta Readers Help You
“This chapter came from me just hearing over and over about how writers are using multiple beta readers. And I honestly just got tired of shuddering every time I heard that stupidity.”
New! The Book Construction Blueprint
Joel has partnered with ebook distributor and publishing services provider BookBaby on a great promotion for every indie author. For the next three months, BookBaby will make available his new book for free as a PDF download.
With 224 pages and almost 100 illustrations, this free guide includes what you need to create industry-standard print books your readers will love.
What you’ll discover in the Book Construction Blueprint by Joel Friedlander:
- How to pick fonts for your book interiors and covers, including lots of free options
- Why readers expect your books to be “industry-standard”
- Step-by-step instructions to handle short-run offset book printers
- Keys to understanding the “language of printing”
- Making the decision between Print-On-Demand and offset printing
- How to design details like running heads, text breaks, and indexes for your book
- Expert tips on preparing your Word files for book production
- And much more
If you’re planning for your book to hit the bookshelves in bookstores, you’ll need to make a leap to printing your books by offset printing. Don’t know how to do that? You’ll find expert advice and tips in this book. Click here to get your copy today: Free Book Construction Blueprint from BookBaby.
(If you prefer print books to PDFs, we will have a print edition of Book Construction Blueprint available next week.)
Self-Publishing News You Can Use
By Amy Collins
Ingram Spark Announces a new Landscape Trim Size
Children’s book authors who have been frustrated at the lack of ability to publish a book that is wider than it is tall can now choose the 11 X 8.5 trim size available at IngramSpark. Premium color and paper combined with the landscape size now allows children’s book authors and publishers to publish POD in a manner that competes more effectively with offset printing.
Links of Interest
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