Writing for Publication
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
 Last week I covered the ‘Why’ of writing book jacket copy, so now let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the ‘How’.
What is copy?
Book jacket copy isn’t about summarizing your project or providing the reader with a clear synopsis or plot spoiler; it’s about sales. Book copy should be short, succinct, and send a message. It should grab the reader and tell them why they should pick your book rather than the thousands of other titles packed into the shelves.
How do I write it?
First, and most importantly, you should draft a synopsis of your project. This will help you to determine which plot points you want to highlight and which you don’t want to spoil for the reader. Once you’ve got your synopsis down, there are three components to creating effective book jacket copy:
Attention
Start off your copy with a powerful hook that demands attention. Is there a central question or revelation in your plot? You might start off with the first sentence or two from your plot summary.
Interest
Intrigue interest and create curiosity. Again, book jacket copy is about sales, and copywriters generally have knowledge of certain key words that engage readers and get them excited about a book. These terms are specific to each genre and audience; the same words that entice a thirteen-year-old girl to purchase a young-adult book will be far different from the key words in place on the back of a literary novel aimed at an adult audience. Your best bet? Research your market.
Detail
Provide details about your story, but again, don’t turn your book copy into a spoiler! The best way to determine how much detail to include is to read other book jackets. Start with those in a genre similar to your book; copy on a romance novel, for instance, is going to be vastly different from a science fiction or horror story. This will also help you to get a feel for your audience and what they want to read.
You might even want to peruse the New York Times Bestseller List – pick up a couple of books on there and check out their jacket copy. The jacket copy may not be the only thing selling those books, but it can’t hurt to check out the success stories.
A final caveat: The length of the copy that appears on your book jacket is completely dependent on the final book design.
Book jacket copy is meant to be slightly over-the-top and sales pitch-y, so have fun with it, and take the opportunity to really make your book shine and out-sell all the rest.
While you may try to design and format your book jacket cover on your own, know that there are professional editors who do it for you. An experienced professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will create a professionally written book jacket cover that will capture your audience’s attention. This is short, succinct copy that sends a strong message about your writing.
Tags: book jacket cover, editing, editors, firstediting, Professional Editing, Writing for Publication
Posted in Book Editing, Christian Writing, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Write an engaging college essay to make your application stand out! A great essay could help you to pave the way to a brighter future.
Most college essay questions are designed as a way for colleges to learn more about you. So this is your chance to tell colleges about yourself. The first step to writing a successful college essay is choosing the right topic. Pick a topic that allows you to give colleges the best idea of who you are as a person. What are your interests? What are your dreams? What is important to you? These are all aspects of your personality that colleges are interested in.
Approach your college essay as you would any of your previous school essays. Begin with an outline detailing the structure of your essay, as well as emphasizing the main points. Think about your strengths and weaknesses, and then choose one or two positive aspects of your personality to demonstrate to the college committee. You can structure your essay in several basic ways. In your essay, you can focus on a single strength that you possess, elaborating on it in detail. Or, you can choose two or three significant aspects of your personality to discuss, devoting only a paragraph to each aspect. The narrative essay is also a common and effective format; in the narrative essay, begin with a short and engaging story about yourself, and then explain how that story relates to your personality. Illustrate your positive traits through the story, perhaps talking about an event that highlights your creativity, problem-solving skills, or your ability to help others.
When writing your essay, make sure to clarify the strengths of your personality, rather than simply stating things that you’ve done (ex. “I volunteered at an animal shelter”). Go the extra step to demonstrate how your activities reveal your personality and values (ex. “All my life, I’ve been extremely passionate about animal welfare and animal rights. While volunteering at the local animal shelter, I was able to put my passion into practice.”). Talking about your strengths and values gives a much deeper insight into your personality than merely listing some of your activities.
Finally, proofread and edit your essay. Make sure your writing reads smoothly, clearly, and is free from grammar and spelling errors. It never hurts to send it to a professional editing service for polishing, such as FirstEditing.com. Not only would a professional editor check for basic grammar errors, but an editor could also give you valuable feedback about the content of your essay. Also, many college essays have word count requirements; a professional reduction edit could neatly trim your writing down to the required word count.
A college essay is a great chance for you to show colleges your strengths. Approach it with confidence and dedication, and you’ll soon be off to a promising new future!
Tags: application, college essay, editing, editing service, essay, First, firstediting.com, How to, professional editor, student, successful, tips
Posted in Book Editors, Editing Skills & Services, Proofreading, Technical Editing, Thesis/Research Writing, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Set up a successful blog to promote your writing career. With either your own website, or using a free blogging platform, you can attract readers from around the world.
 There is no doubt that the internet has changed the writing world. Not only does it provide a new means for writers to get published, but it also opens a new avenue for writers to promote and market themselves. The creation of a successful website can enhance a writer’s reputation, resulting in an increase in sales. It could also attract attention to the writing of an otherwise unpublished author, giving that author the exposure that he or she needs in order to secure an agent or publishing contract.
Blogging can be an excellent way to keep readers coming back to your website, and thus, to build a growing readership. When choosing a host for your blog, there are many free blogging platforms, such as Blogger or WordPress. These are ideal if you’re looking for a quick, cheap, and easy way to start your blog. Alternatively, if you’re interested in having more control over your website, buying your own web address could be the right choice. Either way, when choosing your web address, remember to keep it simple and logical, so that it’s easy for your readers to remember; simply using your pen name can be a good idea.
When it comes time to start uploading those all-important posts, remember to keep the content relevant. If you created the writing blog to help promote your writing career, then stick to that subject. This is what readers will come to your blog expecting and wanting to read more about: you as a writer. It’s best to keep any unrelated venting about your personal life on a separate blog. Additionally, it’s always good to offer your readers something useful to take away with them, such as information about your latest published work and where to find it, advice on the writing process, any writer’s workshops that you’ve enjoyed, or editors and editorial services that you’ve found helpful (such as, First Editing).
Of course, as with any piece of writing, make sure your blog posts read smoothly and cleanly, free from any distracting spelling and grammatical errors that may undermine your credibility as a writer. Remember to always proofread before you publish! If in doubt, submit it to a professional editing service, such as FirstEditing.com. We’ll be happy to polish your blog posts for you.
Tags: blog, blogging, blogging for writers, editing, Editing Skills & Services, editors, First, firstediting.com, How to, how to blog, Professional Editing, successful blogging, writers
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Business Editing, Copy Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Newsletters, Novel Editing, Proofreading, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
 Yesterday we explained, How to Write a Press Release. Now that you’ve written your release, knowing how to send your release will ensure that it’s sent to the right hands for distribution. You’ve got the perfect event/product and you’ve managed to draft the perfect press release to highlight it. Now all you need is the right audience. Below is a list of tips on how to effectively get your press release into the hands of the media.
Query first
Compile your list of potential recipients by selecting the editors and journalists who may be most interested in what you have to say. Now comes the hard part – the best way to get your press release seen is to query each media outlet via phone or snail mail to ensure that they accept emailed press releases, and to obtain the most up-to-date contact information on where to send them to avoid the dreaded spam folders.
Know your audience
Get the full name, position, and email for the appropriate contact for your release. Sending a press release without specific contact information is the equivalent to folding your press release into a paper airplane and throwing it out your window. Only send your press release to one person per news outlet. The biggest complaint from editors? Receiving press releases that have nothing to do with what they publish.
Fax is dead
Send your press release via email; a stressed editor is more likely to grab a story from a format that lends itself to cut-and-paste. If you can make it easy for them to print your story, why not do it?
Don’t get attached
Format your email carefully. Don’t send your full press release as an attachment; due to the prevalence of computer viruses it is becoming standard practice to delete unsolicited emails with attachments unopened. Instead, include a ‘teaser’ of your press release in the body of the email, with a link to the full press release as it appears on your website.
Timing is everything
Mid-week is usually the best time to send out your press release, as editors aren’t swamped after the weekend but still have time to follow up with you prior to the next weekend. Avoid sending out press releases in and around known holidays.
Think big, but don’t be afraid to start small
Begin by reading the news; the content of your press release may unexpectedly become a hot topic. Trade publications, regional or local newspapers, free weekly newspapers or magazines, e-zines, newsletters, or other niche-market publications are all good places to send your press releases, in addition to national papers and high-circulation magazines. Remember, any exposure is good exposure!
Your editor at FirstEditing.com can review your release to make sure it’s consistent, error-free, properly formatted, and ready for distribution.
Tags: distribution, editing, Editing Skills & Services, editors, First, firstediting.com, How to, media, Press, Press Release, professional, Professional Editing, release
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Business Editing, Copy Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Newsletters, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
 A press, or news, release is a statement issued to the media to announce a range of news items, including events, awards, or new products or services, in order to generate feature news stories. In light of their aim, press releases need to be two things: accurate and interesting.
Journalists receive truckloads of press releases every day and therefore have standards as to what they expect to be included in each release.
The best way to tackle the fearsome press release is by answering the most basic questions every journalist asks when covering a story:
Who – What – Where – When – Why
Once you’ve got all of that information nailed down, you’re ready to begin drafting your press release.
The Headline
The headline is your chance to grab the attention of the journalist – remember, with press releases, you only get one shot. Encapsulate the content of your press release in one sharp, concise, and catchy sentence. Bold and center your headline on the page.
The Body
Begin with the date and city in which the news item originated; this can be done in point form.
Now, pull together your “who – what – where – when – why” into short, concise sentences that explains in brief detail what your press release is about.
Use the third paragraph to give your press release a personal touch here – expose the ‘human interest’ side of your news item. Why will people care? Who will be affected? Explain in further detail why your item is newsworthy. Make it engaging and make it catchy. If it’s appealing, a journalist will bite.
Finally, don’t forget to include your contact information. The contact info you include should be specific to each press release, and should include the following:
Company name
Media department’s name and contact person (if applicable)
Business address
Telephone & fax numbers with proper country/city codes and extension numbers
Mobile phone number
Email addresses
Website address
Time of availability for contact
Final Tips
Use the Times New Roman font in size 12 to keep your press release clean and simple. Flashy fonts and layouts aren’t going to win you any points – they just mean more work for editors.
Keep it to one page. Once you’ve got a feel for writing press releases your goal should be to have your press releases published as-is. Papers today have shrinking page counts and are often short-staffed; if you can provide copy that’s publishable with little-to-no editing, you’re more likely to see your press release in print.
While creating a press release may need some practice, remember that you are not alone. Having another pair of eyes reviewing your press release is a very good idea. A professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will review your press release for editing and formatting to ensure your press release is perfected and ready for media submission.
Come back tomorrow when we explain “How to send your press release”
Tags: editing, editors, First, firstediting.com, formatting, How to, How to write a press release, journalists, media, news, news release, Press, Press Release, Professional Editing, professional editor
Posted in Book Editors, Business Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Newsletters, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
 Author bios are one way for the reader to get to know you, the author of their favorite story, article, or book, a little bit more intimately. This is your time to sell yourself to potential readers and editors. Including your author bio with queries and submissions enables editors to get to know you; who you are, where you’re coming from, and whether or not you’re a good fit with their publication.
Three tips for writing a strong author bio:
- Always write in the third person. This is the mark of a professional; a bio written in the first person is seen as amateurish, whereas a bio in the third person shows you’re taking yourself seriously as a writer.
- Include a few relevant publishing credits, educational and work experiences. They key word here is relevant.
Non-fiction authors, emphasize your expertise. Sketch out your background, including your publishing history, education, or work experience that makes you the perfect author for the topic you’re tackling. Include the titles of books, articles, etc. that are relevant only to the project to which you are attaching this bio. Remember, your bio is a sales pitch, so if you’re writing a book on the state of health care in the US, including the title of your first photography book probably isn’t relevant.
Fiction authors, emphasize your influences and writing style. This will help to situate potential readers before they dive in, and may also give added context to your work. If it’s appropriate, include a line or two about your choice of subject matter. Also, like the non-fiction authors, only include previously published titles in your bio if they are relevant to your current project.
Unpublished? Your best bet is to keep it simple. Don’t overload on biographic detail and never, ever lie; you’ll always get caught. If you lack publishing credits, focus on your education, work, or other experience that enabled you to write this work. Important words to live by: When in doubt, leave it out.
3. State where you live – not your address, but state and country will do – readers want to know where you live, especially if your writing incorporates local elements. Also, you many include a few familial or biographic details to humanize you to readers and editors.
Key words to take away: Relevant and Brief. Make sure every detail in your bio is relevant to the project you have written/are pitching, and keep your writing concise. Author bios can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to three or four sentences long. Keep in mind that in the case of bios, shorter is always better than longer. Scope out bios in magazines and on book dust jackets; practice by copying someone else’s bio.
While you shouldn’t experience anxiety over writing it, it is important to feel comfortable with your author bio. You never know what door it could open next!
Keep in mind that there are professional editors who can create your author’s biography for you. An experienced professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will create a professionally written bio which can be used on the back page of your novel or submitted with any publication.
Tags: Author Bio, biography, biography editing, editing, editors, firstediting, firstediting.com, manuscript editing, Professional Editing, publishing, self-publishing
Posted in Book Editors, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Novel Editing, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Sunday, April 4th, 2010
 The saddest truth in book sales is that even the greatest story on the shelf can’t sell itself without solid packaging. Book marketing is a big business, and most publishing companies have staff devoted to book design above and beyond the editorial team, including graphic designers, cover artists, and copywriters.
Typically, a copywriter crafts the text that appears on the book jacket or paperback cover. A copywriter may either be on the staff at the publishing house, or the publisher may contract out, or outsource, to freelance copywriters. Either way, it’s the job of the copywriter to craft a paragraph or two about your book that will sell it to readers.
Otherwise, and this too occurs more often within larger publishing houses, an overworked and underpaid editorial assistant may be tasked with crafting your book jacket copy. This is often viewed as an onerous task and is obviously less than ideal; while editors (and editorial assistants) are useful in helping to shape and enhance your story, they may not have the necessary ‘sales writing’ skills to entice the reader to purchase your book on the shelf.
So, while most of the time you may not be writing your own book jacket copy, it’s still important for any writer to be able to do so. Here’s why:
- It allows you the opportunity to succinctly summarize your book and revisit the story – it’s like going through a copy edit of the plot.
- It allows you to make sure you’ve been writing towards your target audience, OR it can help you to determine the target audience for your book.
- If you’re sending query letters out to publishers with hopes of selling your manuscript, you’ll essentially have to write a paragraph to pitch your idea anyway.
Finally, once your dream publisher has picked up your book, you’ll be able to ensure that the copy your book jacket receives is the copy it deserves. Next week I’ll discuss tips on how to craft top-notch book jacket copy that will have readers grabbing your books off the shelves.
While you may try to design and format your book jacket cover on your own, know that there are professional editors who do it for you. An experienced professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will create a professionally written book jacket cover that will capture your audience’s attention. This is short, succinct copy that sends a strong message about your writing.
Tags: book jacket cover, editing, fiction editing, firstediting, novel editing, professional editor, tips for authors
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Editing Skills & Services, Manuscript Editing, Novel Editing, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
 Professional Editors If thousands of titles are published every day, how are you ever going to make your book stand out? I’ve read that the average person spends 8 seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds on the back. The fact of the matter is that good testimonials can, and do, sell books. The reader is looking for a reason to purchase your book. It’s up to you to hook them.
Testimonials are short blurbs, sales pitches, or reviews of a book by people with credible links to the content. Big-name blurbs carry weight and can move books like nothing else. Below are a few tips on how to solicit strong, credible blurbs for your book.
Send the galleys, or printers’ proofs, to at least four respected professionals in your field for peer review. This is a common practice. Then approach your peer reviewers for testimonials. They’re now familiar with your work and won’t be surprised by the query.
Next, you have two options. You may offer to write the testimonial on behalf of those you have queried. Draft a suggested testimonial and include a cover letter acknowledging their expertise in the field and that you are including a first draft to get them started.
The possibility is to call the person and use quotes from your conversation to craft a blurb.
Both of these options allow you to draft a strong jumping-off point for your testimonial writers. They’ll come up with something better, make minor changes, or sign off on what you’ve written; no matter what, you’ve got a strong blurb that will help to sell your book.
A few words of caution:
Like most good things, blurbs are good in moderation. A few on the back cover by reputable players in your field will help the sell the book. Three or four pages on the inside, unless the book is an international bestseller, is probably overkill.
Try to reach out to respected peers in your field, but be wary of those that have been termed in the industry as “blurb sluts”. An author’s name found too often blurbing similar publications may reduce the value of the testimonial for your book. Look for thoughtful readers willing to offer genuine reviews and comments. There’s no point in misleading the reader with a testimonial; everyone knows it’s what’s inside that counts.
While you may try to design and format your book jacket cover on your own, know that there are professional editors who do it for you. An experienced professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will create a professionally written book jacket cover that will capture your audiences attention. This is short, succinct copy that sends a strong message about your writing.
Happy blurbing!
Tags: book jacket cover, editing, firstediting, professional book editors, publication tips
Posted in Book Editors, Manuscript Editing, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Editing, whether it is for an academic journal, a short story submission, or a non-fiction manuscript for publishing, always follows basic rules of grammar and punctuation. This blog will help you learn the basic rules of em dashes and ellipses, and how to use them accurately in your work. While this blog will assist fiction writers most often, this is a useful skill to have in your writing arsenal.
The em dash
 Em Dash The em dash is a longer dash that is similar to a hyphen. It is used to show a pause in a quote that is all one sentence, and it is also used to show when one sentence trails off and another begins.
For example,
“I hope that you have told me the truth – you don’t always.” This quote is all one sentence, but there was a pause in between the words truth and you that are represented by the em dash.
OR
“He just walked right in through the – He didn’t even think to announce his presence!” This shows that one sentence trailed off and another began – NOTE the capital letter to begin the second sentence.
When typing in Microsoft Word, you can prompt one of these dashes by placing a space after the last letter of the word, hitting the hyphen key (next to the zero) and then pressing your spacebar again before typing the next word. Most Microsoft Word applications use an auto format that will insert the em dash for you.
Ellipses
 Ellipsis
In contrast, the ellipsis is used to show when a thought trails off and the sentence is incomplete. It is a series of three dots.
For example,
“I just couldn’t believe what he was…” she muttered, as if to herself.
These quotation marks most often trip up fiction writers, as they’re used often in dialogue. However, whether you are writing a fiction piece, or working on an academic submission, please remember that the professional editors at Firstediting.com are always here to assist you with your work. Happy Writing!
Tags: editing, editors, ellipses, firstediting, Professional Editing, Proofreading, The em dash, writing tips
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Business Editing, Christian Writing, Copy Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Newsletters, Novel Editing, Proofreading, Technical Editing, Thesis/Research Writing, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
|
