• How to Show Emphasis Without Typing in All-Capitals

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    As an editor here at Xulon Press, I have read hundreds of manuscripts. Maybe even thousands. However, the top three things that I’ve seen on a consistent basis is: overuse of the exclamation point, misuse of the semicolon, and capitalizing words and phrases in order to convey emphasis to the reader. While we’ve covered the first two, we haven’t covered what it means to capitalize entire words and phrases, so allow me to explain. It’s pretty well-known that if someone says something to you through text, email, instant message, or any other written/typed communication in all capitals, it means they’re…

  • Book Search Optimization, Metadata

    Xulon’s Book Search Optimization / Metadata Service: Explained

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    Out of all the services that Xulon Press’s editorial department offers, there is no guessing which one is the most complicated to our authors. In fact, the average person probably doesn’t know what “metadata” or “search optimization” means. It probably sounds like a few technical terms that only a Google engineer could possibly understand, right? Wrong. It’s actually a pretty simple concept, if explained in layman’s terms and not technical terms. Xulon Press offers, for an additional fee, a “Book Search Optimization” service or what is sometimes referred to as a “metadata” service. Most people these days get a lot…

  • Research Your Rhetoric: Generalizations and Citation

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    Generalizations are a common aspect of rhetorical communication, as it creates a common ground in conversation. In any area of education and entertainment, viewers/readers are subjected to generalizations, as they are easy to relate to and often contain a grain of truth. This post will briefly examine the pros and cons of generalizations/stereotypes and the importance of citing content in your manuscript. Generalizations are convenient, because the writer is allowed to classify a subject effectively. They function as stereotypes would to bring awareness to commonly known subject matters. However, this can be tricky, because there are always exceptions to stereotypes…

  • Exclamation Points

    The Weight of the Exclamation Point

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    Since I started here as an editor at Xulon Press, nearly eight weeks ago, I have read at least one hundred manuscripts. Almost every manuscript I have edited and reviewed has been nonfiction. They have all been unique in their focus, voice, and message, but almost all of them have contained at least one “common writing error” that I usually have to suggest needs to be changed. The top three “common writing errors” I personally have picked up on are as follows (in no particular order): overusing the exclamation point, writing words/phrases in all capital letters, and misplacing of the…