There’s a first time for everything I can still remember my first real exposure to constructive criticism of my writing. Sophomore year of college, I received my first C+ on a paper in my entire educational career. Immediately, I rationalized the grade had to be a mistake. I read the remarks my professor left on each of the eight pages I’d written, and I grew defensive and angry. Preparing myself with counterpoints, I scheduled a meeting during office hours to argue my stance with him. Before I had the chance to challenge his grading, my professor hit me hard with…
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We’ve got some exciting changes coming to our Author Service Department this March. These changes will affect the way we do our job as your book publisher. Just as a book has a beginning, middle, and end, so does the process of creating a book. Imagine it like running a relay race. You will now have a dedicated publishing expert to run beside you through each leg of the race who will help you pass the baton (your manuscript) to the next publishing expert! Pre-production Pre-production is the stage you enter once you’ve selected your publishing package. It’s the first step…
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At this point, many of us know that the holidays are the biggest book-buying season of the year. That being said, books don’t sell themselves (usually). You’ll need to be sure that you’re doing your very best when it comes to marketing your book to help maximize your reach with those holiday shoppers. Just how many holiday shoppers are we talking? Check out this chart for the details. So, what are some of the ways you can ensure your book is one of the gifts that contribute to the $680 billion spent by holiday shoppers? We teamed with a few…
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Who doesn’t have a children’s book that they have cherished and grown to love over time, hoping to share with their children when they reach the right age? This month we’re talking about writing and self-publishing children’s books on the blog, and it reminds me of my love of reading—and how I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of books I read as a child, and still love to read as an adult. Children’s books regularly come through our editorial fingers, but what has become a noticeable trend in manuscripts is content gaps in storylines: characters disappearing and reappearing…