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The Big Bad Book Blog's Link Love
October 21, 2011
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by Carly Willsie
In true book nerd fashion, we’ve rounded up our favorite publishing-related links of the week for you! Read on to uncover the best in books this week. If you want to know about these links sooner than Friday afternoon, follow us on Twitter—@GreenleafBookGr.
- NPR launched the Back Seat Book Club this week, aimed at kids between the ages of 9 and 14—i.e., the secondhand listeners of NPR. They’re hoping to get tweens engaged by encouraging them to submit any questions or comments for the author of the month, who will subsequently respond on All Things Considered. This month’s pick is Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. Not gonna lie, we kind of want to join this.
- Mediabistro’s “Cubes”—a series of video tours of media headquarters—posted a video of Scholastic’s offices, headquartered in Manhattan. The office features a huge retail space, Harry Potter memorabilia, a living room, terrace cafeteria, and Scholastic’s credo printed throughout the office carpets (rumor has it there’s a misused comma in there somewhere—get it together, Scholastic). It’s pretty amazing—check it out.
- Having trouble coming up with enough great content to share with your audience? Have you considered tapping your entire organization’s brainpower? Content Marketing Institute recently posted a guide to engaging an entire organization to power content production.
- Twitter can be a crazy, chaotic place to navigate. Luckily, there are tons of resources to make it easier, including Xobni’s new “Implicit Twitter Feed” feature. They’ll help you locate social media users you should be connecting with based on your established online habits. Now you can find Twitter matches made in heaven!
- HBO is all about adapting books for television lately. Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections is in the works at the network, as is Mary Karr’s infamous memoir Lit. In addition, they’re tackling Karen Russell’s Swamplandia!, the adventurous story of twelve-year-old alligator wrestler Ava Bigtree. Michael Chabon, author of Wonder Boys and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, is also working on a script for HBO with his writer wife Ayelet Waldman; the show has been dubbed “Hobgoblin” and will center on a group of magicians who use their skills to battle Hitler in WWII (a premise similar to Chabon’s award-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay}.
- Mashable shared an infographic about Facebook today, and included random facts about the site’s users and habits. We didn’t realize that Facebook was the most-liked page on Facebook. How meta.
- Halloween is around the corner! As you’re gearing up for the holiday, why not geek it up with some literary jack-o’-lanterns? (Seriously, if anyone can copy that Sleepy Hollow one, let us know). Too cool for pumpkins? Galley Cat rounded up the best literary costumes, and Good Reads listed the most effectively terrifying horror novels.
- Robin Sullivan of Write to Publish ran an author branding series on her blog, discussing the dos and don’ts of establishing a powerful brand. (Her first tip? Find your passion; write your mission statement.) Read it and supplement it with our own branding and platform development series!
- The sixteenth annual Texas Book Festival is this weekend! Lots of big names will be making appearances in our hometown of Austin, including Molly Shannon, Susan Orlean, Jim Lehrer, and Paula Deen herself! Check out the schedule here. PS: There’s a Literary Death Match going down. Need we say more?
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A Good First Impression: The Difference Between a Foreword, a Preface, and an Introduction
September 8, 2011
by Carly Willsie
Last year the New York Times reported that 764,448 books were self-published in 2009—a figure up 181 percent from the previous year. In that same period, 288,355 were published with a traditional house, prompting the Times to declare that “book publishing is simply becoming self-publishing.”
With the majority of authors taking the publishing process into their own hands, writers have to fill in the gaps an editor or production associate would normally be responsible for. Structuring a book appropriately and effectively is one of those essential components. A book that begins with a bang can make the difference between a reader buying the book and putting it back on the shelf. We’re here to help you figure out what, exactly, goes into those crucial beginning pages.
The Foreword
According to the esteemed Chicago Manual of Style, a foreword is “a brief essay of endorsement that is written by someone other than the book’s author.” Your foreword should be written by a professional—preferably a person who is respected and well known in a field relating to your book’s topic. Use the foreword to establish your credibility; readers may not recognize your name, but if they know the author of the foreword, they’ll likely pick up your book. Forewords should only be a few pages in length and you should mention the foreword on the title page or cover to attract readers. Check out our previous post on getting great endorsements for your book; much of the advice also applies to requesting a foreword.
The Preface and Acknowledgments
The preface is where you get personal. In this section, written by the author, you can share why you were compelled to write the book and explain any interesting methods you used to create it. You should also use the preface to further establish your credibility and expertise to readers; show them why you are the perfect person to write the book. Feel free to use the preface to acknowledge the people who helped you along the way. However, if your acknowledgments take up more than a few paragraphs, put them in an entirely separate section labeled “Acknowledgments.”
The Introduction
The BPS Books Blog describes the introduction this way: “If a preface is about the book as a book, the introduction is about the content of the book.” Sum up the book’s theme in the introduction, but be careful not to go overboard. You want to tease the reader without boring them. Note that the introduction should be placed at the beginning of the text and be paginated with Arabic numerals—not lowercase Roman numerals like the preceding front matter. Writing coach Lisa Tener advises writers to “think like your reader” as they compose the introduction. Consider the introductions that have made an impact on you as well as the ones you bypassed. Go from there, and don’t be afraid to write the introduction after you’ve finished the rest of the manuscript.
You might also want to check out Pat McNees’ helpful blog post on the subject of front matter, in which she lists the order the separate sections should appear in. Of course, if you’re publishing a book in digital format only, there is some debate about whether front matter should be included at the beginning at all. DigitalBookWorld.com points out the benefits of moving the title pages, table of contents, and the copyright to the back of the book—namely that in digital previews, the reader will be able to start with the first chapter. Whether at the front or the back, the preface and introduction aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
As you move forward with writing and structuring the book, don’t take the beginning lightly. In a world where people have hundreds of thousands of books at their fingertips 24/7, a well-written, intriguing introduction, foreword, or preface can have an important impact on the reader.
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How to Write and Pitch Articles
August 10, 2010
by Shennandoah Diaz
Serving as an expert source and writing articles is an excellent way to build your credibility and promote
your brand. Not only does it get you more publicity, but articles are also a great tool for connecting with potential clients and acquiring speaking engagements. Articles are quick, informative, and can be included in a speaker’s press kit or given as a freebie to clients.
To develop a database of articles, start by making a list of topics you can speak on, such as “10 Things Every Leader Should Know” or “5 Ways to Improve Your Health While on the Road.” Don’t worry if you can only think of a few. This list will grow as your career continues and as you research more outlets for your ideas.
Next, identify publications that cater to your audience and that submit freelance articles. Look on the publication’s website for the submission guidelines; it is important that you follow these to the letter. Ignoring guidelines is usually grounds for an automatic rejection and does not present you in a professional light.
Here are a few more tips for developing and submitting articles:
- Make your articles concise and actionable.
- Use startling statistics or third-party facts to support your ideas.
- Tailor your article to the publication’s tone and audience. This may mean switching out certain terms. For example, you can substitute the term “customer” with “patient” if you are submitting an article on marketing to a medical publication.
- Leave out the self-promotion—that’s what your bio is for.
Above all, provide value. If your articles don’t have substance, not only will no one want to read them, but media professionals will not want to print them either.
If you’re a nonfiction or business author, it’s easy to repurpose some your book content into an article. Simply pull out a page or a few paragraphs that focus on a central topic or concept and add an appropriate introduction or summary.
There are also many options for submitting articles for content syndication on the Internet. Content syndication can benefit your website’s search-engine ranking and enhance your web presence. Here are a few syndication resources:
Free Resources:
http://e-articles.info/ This free article directory provides useful free articles, tutorials, and information resources about various life issues. Subjects include Arts & Entertainment, Finance, Dating & Relationships, Business, Technology, Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, News & Society, Sports, and more.
http://www.articlealley.com/ This site helps authors promote and syndicate their content on a large scale. Web content managers from thousands of partner sites use Article Alley to source free content they can include on their own websites.
http://www.articlesbase.com/submit-articles.php Similar to e-articles.info and Article Alley, Articles Base allows authors to submit articles to a comprehensive database. Articles Base is unique in that it includes an author bio box where you can promote your own webpage and personal brand.
Paid Resources:
http://www.isnare.com A $2-per-article submission charge makes syndication available to 1000+ websites.
http://www.rcplinks.com/Article_Submission.htm $25 for 100 links to your article.
Rules when submitting articles to content syndication services:
#1: No links allowed within the body of the article.
#2: No promotion of your company or book within the article itself.
#3: Links promoting your Amazon page or book website should live in the bio or “about the author” section. Use links sparingly in this section as an article will often be rejected if there are more than three.
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Big Bad Weekly Tip: Let the Online Writer Community Help You!
October 26, 2009
by GreenleafBookGroup
They say feedback is priceless. And we couldn’t agree more. Something writers often overlook, or skip entirely, in their writing process is feedback from fellow authors and readers. Specifically, getting constructive criticism and praise could prove to be invaluable.
And of course, the Internet has made it extremely easy to garner the opinions of others. When you get a moment, check out this Squidoo list of social networking sites for writers, most of which were specifically built for authors to connect with other writers, editors, readers, and reviewers. It’s easy to sign up and even easier to start getting worthy feedback.
Authors can also connect with other writers in Facebook Groups like this and Twitter groups like this and this.
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Introducing Austin Publishing University
July 21, 2009
by GreenleafBookGroup
We're teaming up with independent bookselling superstars BookPeople this August for the first-ever Austin Publishing University, a seminar series for authors and aspiring authors on how to get your book published efficiently and profitably.
If you're in the central Texas area, we'd love to have you join us on the first four Sundays in August at BookPeople (603 N. Lamar, Austin, Texas). Sessions cost $15 each or $45 for all four. Attendance is limited to 60 people per session. To reserve a seat call (512) 472-5050 or visit BookPeople.
It's going to be a fun, educational event—one we hope will untangle some of the complexities of getting a book produced, distributed, and marketed, as well as answer any questions on the publishing industry attendees have, whether basic or advanced. Be sure to visit our Facebook page, and if you're the Twittering type, you can tweet about Austin Publishing University with the hashtag #apu09.
Descriptions of the four sessions of APU after the jump.
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SESSION 1 – Ins & Outs: The Industry Overview
Sunday, August 2, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm
The publishing industry presents many business models for authors, each with its own set of pros and cons. This class will walk you through the industry and give you the tools you need to choose the best path for your project. Plus, you will gain a basic understanding of what it takes to successfully create and market content in the retail marketplace. Learn the ins and outs of traditional publishing, self-publishing, print-on-demand publishing, and hybrid models—and how to avoid publishing pitfalls along the way.
SESSION 2 – Hot Topic: Content is King
Sunday, August 9, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm
So you know you want to write a book, but the blank page is glaring at you and you just don’t know how to begin. Come learn some useful techniques for structuring the writing process, getting past the terrifying first blank page, and presenting your ideas in a compelling and engaging manner.
SESSION 3 – Killer Covers: Boosting Sales by Design
Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Book jackets serve a number of purposes that are essential to the success of your book. This class will teach you how to make informed decisions about your covers by examining a variety of topics including genre appropriateness, the role of research, concept and tone, using photography and/or illustration, branding a series, endorsements, author photos, printing technology, retail durability, Amazon thumbnails, and design trends. We will closely analyze examples of various cover designs including award winning work.
SESSION 4 – Storming the Market: Online, On the Air, and On the Shelves
Sunday, August 23, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm
As the old saying goes, it’s easy to write a book: Selling it is hard. This class will discuss how effective marketing strategies, combined with traditional publicity and new media, come together to create a successful book launch. We will review the basic timeline that you should follow, describing what to do before, during, and after your publishing date. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get the perspective of veteran publishers and retailers from both us at Greenleaf Book Group and BookPeople.
For more information about BookPeople, visit their site, or check out the fantastic interview they gave us a few months ago.
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Not Just for the Juvenile and Pockmarked: Writing Young Adult Fiction for All Ages
January 27, 2009
by Auburn Rutledge
During numerous rides down the noisy, crowded subway in my days as a student in New York, I found myself reacquainted with an old trick from my childhood. The trick was reading a book without anyone knowing you were reading the book, and it was simple enough: you took the cover of a more reputable book and slipped it over your own guilty indulgence (in my case, illicit paperback romances stashed in a dark corner of the local library).
What I found most droll about this trick on the subway was spotting the type of book most frequently hidden from the casual eye (though not my prying one): young adult fiction.
Harry Potter and its epic, dueling wand battles in a Les Misérables dust jacket. Twilight wiling away vampiric, romantic hours encased in War and Peace. And so on and so forth. Maybe the reads were irresistible, but the scrupulous readers sure as hell weren’t willing to let others know they had succumbed to the call of adolescent fiction—as if it would make them some sort of pariah if caught.
I sympathize most with the authors. Even those best-selling few whose stories engage readers of all ages are rarely considered to have written real literature; most regard their work merely as fanciful tales for angst-ridden, acne-plagued, guitar-playing, too-much-makeup-wearing youths and childish adults.
Here’s a secret for those of you who, despite the notoriety and oft-maligned reputation of young adult fiction, wish to join its ranks: realize that you are not only writing for the juvenile and pockmarked. Assume that your writing must encompass the emotional, mental, and intellectual depth, the intricate and multilayered psyches, of a broad range of ages. Know this, and you are far ahead of those who see such books in simplistic, shallow, and purely one-dimensional terms. Said people include critics of the New Yorker, as demonstrated in this recent roundtable discussion of Kathe Koja’s Headlong (much thanks to Nathan Bransford’s blog for providing the link).
After reading it, though, I think that [teenagers should reconsider reading the book]. It was far more subtle and experimental than I expected, and Lily is a complete character, with all of the obsessions that come with being a teen-ager, but also—and here’s where the book diverges from 2-D portraits of teens—an often touching sensitivity, and, amazingly for a main character, a very realistic insensitivity and self-obsession. A potentially boring heads-tails vision of morality is mercifully absent, and the book isn’t sanctimonious, much. And the plot was unpredictable. I don’t know that I’ll be reading a lot of Y.A. in the future, but I don’t feel that I wasted my time.
Well, it’s good to know your time wasn’t wasted. I’ll admit I always found the New Yorker entertaining but somewhat pretentious, and this only serves to reinforce my bias. As if a book cannot be approached with an open mind because it is (ostensibly) written for someone who is not yet old enough to have earned a college degree, or had a forty-hour workweek, or gotten married. These critics seem to forget the vast range of experience behind such books—the authors themselves—who have carefully woven their own taste of the “real world” into a novel that, despite the fact it may feature a fifteen-year-old girl as protagonist, can be as powerful and moving as any of Victor Hugo or Leo Tolstoy.
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Parallelism and Justice for All: Balance as a Part of Good Writing
February 15, 2007
by Jay Hodges
What do we want? Syntactic equality. When do we want it? Now! Parallel syntactic elements—words that serve the same function in a sentence—must be treated equally to foster peace, love, and (most importantly) understanding. The key is creating balance among similar words, phrases, and clauses in each sentence you write.
In the following sentence, for instance, the meaning is clear, but the sentence is clunky and stumbles to an end: Bernice likes eating cake, drinking coffee, and to read the Big Bad Book Blog. When the syntactic elements are treated equally, however, the sentence has much more poise: Bernice likes eating cake, drinking coffee, and reading the Big Bad Book Blog. A less concise but no less balanced version of the sentence could be the following: Bernice likes to eat cake, to drink coffee, and to read the Big Bad Book Blog. With a slight change in syntax to make the gerund or infinitive phrases parallel, the sentence now has a more refined demeanor. Plus, it’s more reader friendly.
Enforcing parallelism is a surefire way to guarantee readers will pick up what you put down. In the following sentence, for example, it is unclear what Martha actually likes: Martha likes saving whales and people. Does Martha like people and also saving whales, or does she like saving whales and saving people? Recasting the sentence with a parallel structure would clarify what Martha likes to do: Martha likes saving whales and spending time with people.
Parallelism is also effective in lists. I have several goals this year: to write a book; to publish my book; and to sell lots of copies of my book. The equal treatment of these elements effectively shows how they roll together under the banner of “goals for the year.”
Now that you’re aware of parallel structure, putting it into practice will become second nature and your writing will be better for it. Activists have never had it so good!
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That Which Is Correct and That Which Is Not: Knowing When to Use That or Which
March 30, 2006
by Jay Hodges
A common assumption writers make is that that and which are interchangeable. They are not. That is a defining or restrictive pronoun, which means that the information following it is necessary for the sentence to make sense. Which is a nondefining, or nonrestrictive pronoun, which means that the text following it adds information that is not necessary for the sentence to make sense.
Compare the following sentences:
The book that John wrote is a bestseller.
(Indicates which book.)
The book, which John wrote, is a bestseller.
(Adds a fact about the book in question.)
Go on a which-hunt to make your manuscript as error free as possible before you submit it. Here’s a quick test you can use:
Pull out the clause that begins with either that or which, and then read your sentence. Did the omission make the sentence unclear or change its meaning? If so, you should use that. If not, go with which. Check it out:
Please hand me the bowl that my mom gave me.
I’m going use the bowl, which my mom gave me, to serve a salad.
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