• A Story About Me

    A Story About Me — That’s Easy, Right?

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    We’ve all had that thought in our minds – “I should write down my life story and share it.” You may have endured several trials, climbed many mountains and witnessed several miracles in your timeline that could make even the most critical reader an instant fan. So, how do you start to put years of experience into a two- or three hundred-page book, preferably one that readers, outside of those you know, will want to pick up? Well, it’s not an easy feat, but taking the right steps to prepare the book will make the autobiography less impossible and more…

  • History Novel

    Letting History Speak in Fiction Novels

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    For all those history buffs out there, it can be a common complaint when it comes to fiction books. You pick up a book that takes place in a time period you enjoy (at least that’s what you read from the back cover) and prepare your mind to take a journey into another era of history. However, the setting, plot scenarios and even characters don’t seem to embrace the time period, making it a disjointed jaunt with no connection or enjoyment for the reader. How can you establish an image of a medieval castle in your mind unless the author…

  • Publishing Americana, Historical and Political Writing

    Wave Your Flag: Publishing Americana, Historical and Political Writing

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    In eighth grade, my American History class was required to memorize the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, and my teacher offered two points of extra credit for each word we memorized after that. I memorized the entire thing. Yes, you read that right. My fourteen-year-old-self memorized all 1,337 words of blissful Jeffersonian jargon in the Dec. of Indy. My love for Americana continued as a political science major in college, so it’s no wonder that few things get my nerd-nerves tingling like some good ol’ patriotic prose: Common Sense, The Federalist Papers…I know, I know, fight the inner urge to run outside…

  • Making your cookbook picture perfect

    Ask the Editor: Making Your Cookbook “Picture Perfect”

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    This month, Xulon Press is all about self-publishing your recipes—we’ve gone cookbook crazy! One of the most important components of a cookbook is, of course, the pictures! To get the skinny on how to capture your picture-perfect casseroles, sauces and sides, we’ve tapped into the brains of our resident food & photography experts. Meet our panel: Krystina Murray, Xulon Editor, blogger and passionate foodie; Nick Lopez, Author Support Rep and photographer extraordinaire; and Sabine Khouri, our super-trendy, tech-savvy Product Coordinator. Me: Thanks for getting together! Our authors have been pretty excited about this month’s topic. We all know that pictures are…