Posts Tagged ‘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 »
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
It is important for your writing project to be consistent, which can be defined as accepting a style guide appropriate for your type of writing, (e.g., APA, MLA)* or by adopting a style of your own and using it throughout the project.
Examples of using consistency in writing include adopting:
- one font style and only a few font sizes (body font and title font)
- set margins, paragraph style, (e.g., justified), tabs, and bullets
- similar numbering, lettering and grammar for lists and bullet points
- terminology
- spelling style, (e.g., U.S. versus U.K.)
It is very difficult for a reader to look at multiple types of fonts, and mixed uses of italics, bold and underlined lettering. It is distracting, contributing to the view that the manuscript is disorganized and unclear. Headings, titles, and bullets or numbered lists should be consistent within the manuscript. The statements in these sections should be parallel (consistent in how they are presented in terms of the use of a verb tense or descriptive phrase). As an example, the list above uses a noun in each statement. The list below uses an action verb. The manuscript will appear to be well organized and readability and clarity will be improved.
What other steps should the writer include to ensure consistency?
- use an appropriate verb tense throughout the project
- incorporate one style for footnotes, citations and references
- develop spacing rules for sentences, paragraphs, and lines (single versus double-space)
- use one person style, (e.g., first versus third person)
- include a hierarchical system for titles and headings, (e.g., centered, flush left, capitalized, italic)
Being consistent in your writing and editing professionalizes the project whether it is a fiction or non-fiction manuscript. Two good references for font readability include: The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst and The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web. Italicizing book titles and putting a hyperlink in blue and underlining it are examples of a style that you would incorporate every time you include similar references.
The best way to ensure consistency is in the editing of the project. If you are using a style manual, most of the rules are outlined and the major task is to follow the guide. However, if the writing style is unique, the professional editor (or writer completing the editing) should keep a log as the project is reviewed to keep track of the different styles incorporated. The styles can be applied later on in the project. For example, note that your first use of a book title was underlined, and use this similar style each time a book title is used in the manuscript.
Style consistency is a characteristic of a serious and excellent writer. It also demonstrates to many of us who write and read and edit, a love of writing and the appreciation of a well-edited manuscript as an art form.
* APA is the American Psychological Association
MLA is the Modern Language Association
Tags: Add new tag, professional editor, Submitting for Publication, Writing for Publication, writing tips
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Monday, January 5th, 2009
One thing every professional editor must be very clear about is the variant spellings and meanings of words known as homophones. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, homophones can be defined as “one of two or more words (as to, too, two) pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling.” Therefore, a professional editor misspelling even one letter in a word can potentially lead to a change in meaning, sometimes one that is radically different from that originally intended by the writer.
Below is a list of some common homophones, which, for the most part, keep us professional editors on our toes (please note that all definitions have been taken from http://www.merriam-webster.com/):
1. allowed, aloud
allowed – “to assign as a share or suitable amount (as of time or money) <allow an hour for lunch>”
aloud – “in a loud manner”
2. bare, bear
bare – “lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering”
bear – “any of a family (Ursidae of the order Carnivora) of large heavy mammals of America and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, rudimentary tails, and plantigrade feet and feed largely on fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as on flesh”
3. cite, sight, site
cite – “to call upon officially or authoritatively to appear (as before a court)”
sight – “something that is seen”
site – “the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (as a building, town, or monuments)”
4. desert, dessert
desert – “arid land with usually sparse vegetation”
dessert – “a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal”
5. foreword, forward
foreword – “prefatory comments (as for a book) especially when written by someone other than the author”
forward – “near, being at, or belonging to the forepart”
6. groan, grown
groan – “to utter a deep moan indicative of pain, grief, or annoyance”
grown – “cultivated or produced in a specified way or locality”
7. hear, here
hear – “to perceive or apprehend by the ear”
here – “in or at this place”
8. idle, idol
idle – “lacking worth or basis”
idol – “a representation or symbol of an object of worship”
9. jewel, joule
jewel – “an ornament of precious metal often set with stones or decorated with enamel and worn as an accessory of dress”
joule – “a unit of work or energy equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through a distance of one meter”
10. know, no
know – “to perceive directly; have direct cognition of”
no – “used as a function word to express the negative of an alternative choice or possibility”
11. lie, lye
lie – “to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position; to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive”
lye – “a strong alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and for washing”
12. morning, mourning
morning – “the time from sunrise to noon”
mourning – “an outward sign (as black clothes or an armband) of grief for a person’s death”
13. nay, neigh
nay – “a negative reply or vote”
neigh – “to make the prolonged cry of a horse”
14. ode, owed
ode – “a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms”
owed – “to have or bear (an emotion or attitude) to someone or something <owes the boss a grudge>”
15. principal, principle
principal – “most important, consequential, or influential”
principle – “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption”
16. quarts, quartz
quarts – “a vessel or measure having a capacity of one quart”
quartz – “a mineral consisting of silicon dioxide occurring in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses”
17. rain, reign, rein
rain – “water falling in drops condensed from vapor in the atmosphere”
reign – “the dominion, sway, or influence of one resembling a monarch <the reign of the Puritan ministers>”
rein – “a strap fastened to a bit by which a rider or driver controls an animal”
18. scene, seen
scene – “one of the subdivisions of a play”
seen – past participle of see – “to perceive by the eye”
19. there, their, they’re
there – “in or at that place”
their – “of or relating to them or themselves especially as possessors, agents, or objects of an action”
they’re – “they are”
20. vial, vile
vial – “a small closed or closable vessel especially for liquids”
vile – “morally despicable or abhorrent”
21. weak, week
weak – “lacking strength”
week – “any of a series of 7-day cycles used in various calendars”
22. yoke, yolk
yoke – “a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together”
yolk – “the yellow spheroidal mass of stored food that forms the inner portion of the egg of a bird or reptile and is surrounded by the white”
Every so often, I will revisit this topic and provide more examples of common homonyms that professional editors encounter on a regular basis. Until then, acquaint yourselves with those listed above!
Tags: Professional Editing, Professional Editor, Proofreading, Writing for Publication, Writing Process
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Monday, January 5th, 2009
 “I’m a good writer; I don’t need anyone else to read my stuff.” Ever said or thought that? Well, maybe it’s true that you’ve committed Strunk & White to memory; your work is polished, professional and print-ready; and publishers are scrambling to be the first to sign you.
On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, you’re like the vast majority of the human race and have issues with the use of “who” and “whom” and are never quite sure where to properly place that comma—or should it be a semi-colon?
This is where a professional editor can be a lifesaver. Professional editors know the proper use of “who” and “whom.” Further, they’re familiar all the mystifying little rules of grammar and punctuation that befuddle the average writer. It’s not only their job to know these things; it’s also their passion. You see, professional editors are those annoying people who just can’t help themselves: grammatical and punctuation errors seem to leap out at them, even in published books or magazines. They’re the ones who will read a passage in a great work of literature and, instead of sighing over its perfection, mull ways it could have been differently worded. They think nothing of telling store owners—politely, of course!—that their outside sign reads “hear” when it should read “here.”
So what exactly does this mean for the aspiring novelist or the student with a paper due yesterday?
A professional editor can check your work for mistakes that your word processing program’s grammar/spell check missed. S/he can suggest ways to better word sentences and even move entire paragraphs around to make your work read more clearly and logically. Professional editors can help ensure your work conforms to the style guide your instructor or publisher requires. In short, a professional editor can take your unpolished manuscript and turn it into a polished gem, ready for submission to those who will decide its ultimate fate.
And isn’t the ultimate fate of your work what it’s all about? A research paper turned in with numerous grammatical errors or using the wrong style guide will receive a failing grade. A novel submitted to a publisher with run-on sentences and improper use of quotation marks will be tossed into the reject pile.
Don’t let your hard work be for naught: before turning in that term paper or submitting that novel to a publisher, take the time to hire a professional editor through a firm such as FirstEditing (www.firstediting.com). It’s worth the money spent to make sure your work is as perfect as humanly possible.
Tags: Christian Publication, Professional Editing, Professional Editor, Proofreading, Technical Editing, Thesis Editing, Writing for Publication
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Sunday, January 4th, 2009
So now that you’ve gone through the final edit of your manuscript, before you submit your work, you have to take a look at the formatting and ask yourself, “How does it look?”
If you are submitting it to a publisher or agent, you really have to find out their requirements and follow them to a “T.” However, if who you are submitting your work to has no specific guidelines for submission, then you’ll just want to submit the clearest, cleanest copy you can. There are many books on the market that help with formatting—everything from query letters to manuscripts.
What your manuscript looks like says a lot about you as a writer. If you have several different fonts going on, some paragraphs are indented while others are not, or you flip-flop between capitalizing certain words it not only looks sloppy, but it shows that you don’t care much about your work and you may not be taken seriously. It also shows that you are an amateur. Whether you are a novice at writing or not, you can still present a clean copy. If this is something that you are submitting to a publisher, it can prevent your manuscript from even being read. Editors won’t waste their time trying to sift through a hodge-podge mix of formats.
The most important thing when thinking about your manuscript presentation is that consistency is key. If you start out putting your chapter headings in bold text, then continue throughout. If you start capitalizing a specific word or term in chapter one, then continue in that form. You get the idea. The inconsistencies can also be disconcerting to the reader; that is, if they continue to read it.
Obviously, a perfectly manicured and pristinely formatted manuscript cannot help you with poorly written content. So yes, the content is of utmost importance; but the appearance of your manuscript is what the reader, editor, agent, or publisher will see first, before they even read the first sentence.
Take the time to make your work presentable—it can make all the difference!
Tags: Article Submission, Christian Publication, Christian Writing, How to Submit an Article, Journal Submission, Manuscript Submission, Professional Editing, Submitting for Publication, Submitting to a Publisher, Thesis Editing, Thesis Planning, Writing for Publication
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Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
If you’ve just finished writing your novel and you’re ready to send it off to publishers, be sure to read these helpful tips first. Although various publishing houses have their own guidelines, there are standard guidelines you can follow to ensure that your manuscript is easily readable and professionally presented.
First, be sure the font is Times New Roman or Courier. These fonts ensure that each character is the same width; therefore the manuscript looks as if it has been typed on a typewriter. Use a 12 point size, even for chapter headings.
Double-space the text, and be sure it is aligned to the left and NOT justified. Some readers will not even look at a manuscript if the text is justified.
Indent each paragraph with a 0.5 inch tab. Use 1-inch margins all around. Do not leave extra spaces between paragraphs. Chapter numbers and titles may be proceeded by an extra space (for a total of 4 spaces between title and text), but remember to be consistent. Begin each chapter of the book on a new page, and leave a space between the chapter number/title and the text.
Do NOT use bold typeface. Italics are acceptable, and underlining is always fine. It is traditional to underline all text that you wish to be italicized, but it has become acceptable to use italics since computers have replaced typewriters.
Do NOT use large or unusual fonts, bold typeface, or artwork. The style and appearance of your manuscript should be simple; it is not your finished book yet.
Place a running header including page numbers, your last name, and the title or partial title of the book at the top right of every page (except the title page).
Prepare a title page that includes the following information: first and last name, address, phone number and/or email, and word count. Place this information at the top right on the page. Place your title in the center of the page with a byline right under it.
The Great American Novel
by Jane Smith
(OR)
The Great American Novel
by
Jane Smith
If you use a pen name (alias), use that name in the byline and in the running headers on each page (but use your real name in the upper right corner).
You may begin the text of the story on the title page itself, or you may elect to begin on page 2. It is always best to begin with Chapter 1 or the prologue (rather than including dedications and acknowledgments; those can come later). Remember that your goal is to capture the reader’s attention right away.
Print on 8 _ by 11 inch white paper using black ink. Only print on one side of each page. Do not staple or bind the pages. (Use “A-4” paper if you are in Europe.)
Of course, if this all sounds like too much, you can hire professional editors to properly format your manuscript. This is especially useful if you have completed your work in a style that does not comply with these guidelines and you do not have the time or energy to make changes to the entire document yourself. In the process of writing and revising your document, you may encounter formatting issues (such as pagination) and elect to hire a professional to format the final version—this is not uncommon. In fact, many writers hire professional editors to assist them with the technical and mechanical aspects of the writing process.
A properly prepared and presented manuscript is important because it gives the publisher an indication of your knowledge and seriousness, and it makes reading as easy as possible for the person reading your work. In some cases, publishers will not even read a manuscript if it is improperly presented, so a great looking manuscript can increase your chances at publication.
Tags: Christian Publication, Christian Writing, Manuscript Submission, Submitting for Publication, Submitting to a Publisher, Writing for Publication
Posted in Book Editors, Christian Writing, Manuscript Editing, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
One fundamentally important aspect of professional editing is the process of fact checking. According to Wikipedia, fact checking can be defined as checking “factual assertions in non-fictional text, usually intended for publication in a periodical, to determine their veracity and correctness.”
This isn’t exhilarating stuff. In fact, generally, fact checking is probably the most tedious and mundane aspect of a professional editor’s job. However, although this particular aspect of editing may appear to be quite dull, its importance is unparalleled. Oftentimes, there is nothing worse than misspelling a company’s name, misusing a particular reference or even misrepresenting a product’s intended use. Therefore, professional editors must always ensure that their clients get their facts straight!
Fact checking is normally a fairly easy process that can be done via the Internet. For example, if an editor was reading text in which the writer made reference to the company “Walmart,” a quick visit to the company’s website would reveal that the correct spelling of the company’s name is, in fact, “Wal-Mart.” Not a big deal, right? Perhaps not to the average reader, but should a Wal-Mart representative ever come across this misrepresentation, the source of the original content could be in for a battle. And, let me reassure you, the fault will not lie in the hands of the professional editor, but rather on the writer of the piece of work, the owner of the website on which the material appears, etc.
What do to? Hire a professional editor! Now, this is not some clever tactic to generate more business for FirstEditing.com but rather is merely a reality check! Professional editors know that fact checking is a part of their day-to-day editing routine, thus in the hands of professionals, your work will never to subject to an embarrassing error.
Essentially, what fact checking does is ensures that all material used is correct and cannot result in a potential lawsuit (it’s incredible what can get you into trouble these days!). Professional editors are there to make your work factual, thus decreasing your chances of misrepresentation. Ultimately, it’s what we’re paid to do!
Tags: Fact Checking, Professional Editing, Professional Editor, Writing for Publication
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