• Mind Mapping Technique

    Ask the Editor: How to Outline a Non-Fiction Book

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    If you asked me to list the three fears I picked up in high school English, they would be diagramming sentences, red ink and outlining. I’ve never gotten past my red ink complex, but I can now see the true value in outlining any writing project before touching fingers to the keyboard. Contractors don’t build houses without blueprints. You can’t write something big (especially a book) and not use an outline; it’s the writer’s blueprint. The two most popular techniques are the mind map and the chapter-by-chapter outline. You can use them separately, or start with the mind map and expand into the…

  • Book Title | Xulon Press

    Ask the Editor: How Do I Choose A Title for My Book?

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    So you’ve selected the perfect topic for your book and are ready to get started. You’re probably thinking that your next step should be to write the title, correct? After all, it’s easier to write five words than five chapters! How do you sum up your literary masterpiece in a few short words? Have no fear: the second article in our new “Ask the Editor” series is here to help! Titling a book can be exciting, in the same way a proud new parent is excited when selecting the nomenclature for their firstborn child, but also exasperatingly daunting because unlike…

  • Xulon Press Editor | How to choose a topic for your book

    Ask the Editor: How To Choose a Topic for Your Book

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    “I’ve decided to write a book this year.” “Congratulations! What is your book about?” Oh yeah, that part. Shuffle feet. Stare at feet. Clear throat. Stall. “Well, I have a few ideas…” It’s a dilemma every writer faces: how do you choose what to write your book about? Particularly if you have more than one good idea? In the first article of the new Xulon “Ask the Editor” series, we’ve got some tips and tricks to help you get started! First, do you truly have two (or more) different book subjects? Or are they intertwined? Often, I hear authors say,…

  • The Three Most Important Rules for Every Writer to Know

    The Three Most Important Rules for Every Writer to Know

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    Have you ever held a lump of coal in your hand? It’s rough, nondescript and unappealing. Although it’s hard to imagine, that same lump in your hand could have worked its way from dustiness into the clean, glittering transparency of a diamond – but what would it have taken to transform it? Pressure and time.  Lots of pressure, over many years, but there’s no way to skip those two steps. If you want diamonds, you must have pressure and time. As already-published authors or would-be writers, you’re aware of those two elements within the creative process. You’re familiar with how…