Why Writers Need to Build An Audience

  

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

At every writer’s conference or group of writers, there is buzz around the word “platform.” Editors and literary agents are searching for authors with a platform or a personal connection to their readers. What’s that about? Many authors believe their task is to write an excellent book and get it to the right publisher. Don’t publishers sell books to bookstores? The questions are good ones and in this article, I want to give you some answers from my decades of writing books for publishers, yet also sitting on the inside of several publishing houses as an acquisitions editor. Admittedly publishing is a complex business and I’ve been studying the various nuisances of it for years (and still learning more every day).

              Writing a Good Book Is Foundational

While I’ve looked at thousands of submissions in my years in publishing, I also have interviewed other acquisitions editors. During one interview, I asked, “How do you know when you find a good submission?”

He said, “Terry, I read the first sentence and if it is a good sentence, I read the next one. If it is a good paragraph, I read the next one. If it is a good page, I read the next one.” You want to start your manuscript with a bang and draw the editor immediately into your writing. Don’t bury your best material over in a later chapter because the editor may not read that far. Good writing in your submission is essential.

Every Writer Needs a Proposal

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you need to put the writing energy into creating a proposal. I understand they take lots of work to create. Two of my proposals got six-figure advances from publishers (and I have lengthy stories about what happened with those books—for another time). Your proposal shows you understand the market and your target reader. It includes your game plan about how you are going to reach your audience and sell books. The proposal is an important document for you to write even if you self-publish. I have a free book proposal checklist. 

The Editor’s Search

I often tell authors that making books is easy but selling books is hard. Over 4,500 new books are published every day (including the self-published books). Yes that is a lot of books and why every author needs to have a plan and ability to reach readers. As editors, we are searching for these types of writers. 

Publishers produce beautiful books and sell them into bookstores (online and brick and mortar). Authors drive readers to those bookstores and sell the books out into the hands of readers. Publishers certainly have an investment in the books they publish but authors need to be even more invested in reaching readers. It’s what many people call building a platform (audience).

Action Is Key

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with this process and confused about what action to take. Here’s the key (no matter what you are writing): do something and do it consistently day after day. Here are some basic facts about this process:

• Everyone starts small and builds

• Your personal email list is more important than your social media audience

• You should focus on what you can control (email list) instead of rented media in places like Twitter or Facebook (which you don’t own or control)

• It takes hard work for every writer but you need to do this work

• There are many different ways to build your audience. Pick one or two and see what works best for your writing.

• If the process were simple everyone would succeed (sell many books),

• Persistence and consistency are important for every writer.

Every editor and agent is actively looking for the right author who is building their connections to readers and has learned how to sell books. I’ve been in some of the top literary agencies and publishers in the nation. From their questions, I know they are actively looking for these authors—no matter what how they respond to your pitches. Be encouraged and keep growing in your craft (ability to write) and your knowledge about your readers and the market. It doesn’t happen overnight but can happen if you continue to work at it. 

Tweetable:

Why Do Writers Need to Build An Audience? Isn’t that what publishers do? Get the details from prolific writer and editor Terry Whalin. (Click-To-Tweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Writing: A New Path

 

 Contributed by Margot Conor

It is perhaps not uncommon for people to choose a new path late in life. Sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances or hardship and often inspired by dissatisfaction or wanderlust. In my case, I didn’t know how desperately I needed a change, it was the pandemic lockdown that took me in a direction I hadn’t expected. Unlike many others, for me, isolation was a blessing. I’m an introvert, so, spending time alone or with my husband in our condo wasn’t a problem.

I had spent more than thirty years in the fashion photography industry, focused on getting my designers published. I also built portfolios for models, actors, and stylists. Many went on to work in the Vancouver film industry. I put together Fashion Shows and kept myself so busy, I hardly had time between events to do anything but sit at my computer and edit images.

For me, photography was about pleasing others. Getting each member of my team what they expected or needed. I didn’t take the time to think about what I needed. Maybe this is a common problem for women, but it came naturally to me, building others up, getting them seen, and helping them succeed.

When the pandemic swept through our lives, suddenly all of that went away. Everything stopped. The projects and fashion shows I had planned were canceled. Only the Fine Art magazine I publish was still produced remotely. But this left me a lot of time to write.
I have written all my life. Storytelling has always been a big part of my creative process and transferred into the visual work I created. What I never expected, was to become so over-committed that I would not have time to finish any of the many stories and manuscripts I have started over the years. They lay waiting for me to get to them one day.

The first year of isolation allowed me the focused time to complete my first novel. It took me two years more to edit the manuscript. First using AutoCrit, and then with the help of two talented professional editors.
 
My first editor has Asperger’s, she is brutally honest. I would receive my pages back full of red lines and it was crushing. She kept telling me the words need to flow like music. I swallowed my pride and stuck with her. She saw things differently and had unique insights. She questioned everything. It was exhausting and frustrating at times, but she presented something essential about the craft of writing I needed to understand. I want to say I did finally grasp what she had to teach me.

But that is not for me to judge. My second editor was much kinder but she cut a good portion of the story, and this was also necessary. I learned the value of having such insightful women behind me. They were tough, but they made me improve.

What happened when I finished writing my first novel, was a shift in direction which can only be described as owning myself. I want to do this… for me. I want my stories to have a life. I want it badly enough to do all the things I probably should have done as a photographer. Self-promotion can seem daunting, but you must do it.

So, I started to attend workshops, retreats, and events for writers. I attended marketing seminars for authors and filled notebooks with all their advice. I have no idea where it will lead me, but I do know one thing for certain. It is necessary to market your book. No matter how you publish it. You have to be willing to put in the work, and no one is going to do that for you.

I have to say there is no better time to be a writer than now. I am so impressed with how many supportive services and apps are available and I want to share some of them with you.

AutoCrit: 

I joined it before their 2.0 version. It is an excellent program that makes you see problem areas in your text. There are categories along the header, which break into sub-categories. For example, the header shows: Pacing and Momentum, Dialogue, Word Choice, Repetition, Readability, and Strong Writing. Under Strong Writing is: Showing vs. Telling, Cliches, Redundancies, Unnecessary Filler Words, Tense Consistency, Passive Indicators, and Adverbs. AutoCrit will also correct grammar and spelling. 

If you take your chapters through all of the categories, you will have a much-improved manuscript and it will save you money when you send it to a professional editor.

The new version is so much improved, I signed up as a lifetime member. I really admire what they managed to create. It has become more than a tool for editing. They have built a community with groups, and special interest clubs and they offer courses too.

I share these next links untested, I have not used them yet, but I intend to. I can follow up later with a review of how useful they actually are. But I was a bit dazzled by their presentations and feel they will be helpful tools…

Publisher Rocket: 

If your books end up on Amazon, this tool lets you drive your discoverability. They are all about tweaking the algorithm that chooses your categories and keywords. The top twenty books in your category gain the Best Seller Tags. At the time of this article, there are 11,200 Amazon categories, but as a default they only let you choose two, which are general categories based on BISAC. (Those are the indicators used by publishers who send books to stores, so they know where to shelve them). Publisher Rocket shows you options: less commonly used or more specific categories to choose from which will get top ranking. They show you how to post those better categories to your books.

For example, if your book has a general category like Science Fiction, there will be thousands of books in that grouping. If instead, you use Science Fiction / Military, you will have a much smaller group. You only need to sell more books in a week than the others to get top Best Seller ranking.

Patreon:

This is a site where creative people get paid to do their craft. I spent a few days researching the top-performing pages and was surprised to see Patreon has writers who in fact make a living just by posting there. Some release a chapter at a time. While others share short stories or graphic novels. Consistency is the key to success here. Posting on a regular basis to maintain audience engagement; if you foster a dedicated community of patrons and build a fan base you will have a decent monthly income.

For example, Nixia has 203 patrons and earns $993 monthly. Chris Vines has 298 patrons and earns $1,178 monthly. MonsterBait ~ Author C.M. Nascosta has 1,211 patrons but does not show her earnings. By looking at their profiles you will see all authors and artists vary in what they offer.

There are writers who offer services and produce videos or podcasts, these tend to bring in even greater revenue. Some have as many as 10,000 patrons!

IngramSpark:

This company is an aggregator with worldwide vendors. I was interested to learn there are a lot of companies offering services to authors who in turn use IngramSpark. Like Book Baby, for example, are middlemen. You can go directly to IngramSpark and pay less. You have options: hardback, paperback, and e-books, all in one place. They have low title set-up fees and provide you with an ISBN. You retain all rights to your intellectual property, and they impose no order minimum. You control the pricing and discounts and returnability. They also have something called Book Brag where they feature authors monthly.

I’m new to this, but I’ve hit the road running. I hope to have more to share with you soon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margot Conor has been writing for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until the COVID lock-down that she had enough time to dedicate to the craft and bring something to completion. Having finished her first novel, she went through the grueling two-year process of editing. Now she has jumped into the author's world with both feet. She's preparing to debut her first novel, which means learning how to promote it. The last year has been spent attending many writing retreats, seminars, and writers' events. She also listened to presentations specifically on the topic of publishing and book marketing. She will be sharing what she learns with the reader.

You can learn more about Margot and her writing at her Facebook page. 

Woo Goals

 

What is woo? And how can you use it to elevate your writing ... and your business? 

Last month, I talked about the business of woo with Christy Maxfield of Purpose First Advisors, Mindset Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft, and Annie P. Ruggles founder of Quirk Works Consulting and the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy. 

Christy says, "The things you care about are woo!” According to Cliff, "Peace, love, and joy are found within you and by tapping into that higher power." "Woo," Annie believes, "is your personal energy and the energetic world of your business." 

To Tap into Your Woo  

• Cliff: Try meditation. Dedicate 5-10 minutes a day for starters. 
• Christy: Practice gratitude and extend blessings to others. Tell the universe that you are open to blessings – be clear, but leave it open. Trust! 
• Annie: Practice radical self-forgiveness

Woo Goals 

• Annie: Take the one thing off of your todo list that is nipping at you
• Christy: Take action on the thing that will make a difference. Invoke the woo and take the energy to act 
• Cliff: Read a book that will introduce you to new ways of thinking

Watch our conversation.

Final Thoughts 

• Christy: Trust yourself and trust the universe 
• Cliff: Whatever you focus on consistently, you will tend to manifest into your life 
• Annie: Be kind to yourself

When you love what you do, it shows. When you don't love what you do, it really really shows. 

If you are not feeling it, perhaps it's time to take a step back to remind yourself what it is you love about your writing projects and your business. Get back in touch with your purpose and you will discover your woo ... and find ways to share your woo with your audience, prospects, and clients!

* * * 

For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin! 

* * *

How do you woo? Please share in the comments. 

* * *

Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of  #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Here's What You May Not Know About Adverbs

Pesky Adverbs or the Means to Making Pure Gold?

 

Here’s What You Seldom Hear About Adverbs

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 
writer of fiction, poetry, and the multi-award winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

 

We are often warned that adverbs can be overdone. Then writers take the warning too literally; they think they shouldn’t use any at all! 

 

Of course, we wouldn't have adverbs if they didn't serve a purpose. But when we examine them—carefully (very carefully!) we often find that they duplicate a quality that the verb itself (or another adverb) has already achieved for us. That makes them redundant. 

 

Adverbs are often awkward. Or they slow down the forward movement of a sentence. Or both.

 

Authors often worry when an editor removes their adverbs. They think those edits will change their voices. Though an author can (and should) reject edits that he/she thinks aren't appropriate, these edits of adverbs rarely change a voice. Certainly voice isn't achieved by using adverbs or most other edits. It is achieved by much subtler elements of writing. Point of view. Use of colloquialism or slang. Choice of detail. 

 

For the most part, I think most writers worry way too much on having their voice changed and not enough about improving their writing skills.

 

Having said that, I worry more about editors who don’t really have the training to be editors. Would an editor really remove all of a writer’s adverbs? And how would a new author know if an editor is overstepping if he/she doesn’t have lots of information on editing under his or her own little writer’s belt?

 

I hope those of you who have been relying on an outside editor—someone you hired or a friend—will read The Frugal Editor in its 3^rd edition and now published by Modern History Press. It includes lots of do-it-yourself stuff. I know most authors—you?—don’t hire an editor for all the daily stuff they do like writing query letters, media releases, etc.) but this book also includes how to partner with an editor, how to save money hiring an editor, and how to hire one that is compatible with your personality and the kind of writing you do. Many good editors like Barbara McNichol (www.barbaramcnichol.com) specialize in specific genres, nonfiction vs. fiction, etc. Larry Brooks (www.storyfix.com) helps writers of fiction with structure. Good editors know that it is hard to be an expert at everything.

 

Editing is a two-way street. There's gotta be some trust and also some confidence. The more an author knows about editing, the better equipped she or he is to discard or keep edits. That’s comforting. But it’s essential to know things like agents’ pet peeves. They rarely have anything to do with the grammar we learned in the fourth grade.

 

Essential? Yes, because those are the documents you send to the people who have something to say about the future of your book including newspaper and magazine feature editors, movie producers, and the millions of folks who read what you put out there on the web. So, yep. Examine every adverby "ly" word. And then use each one to your advantage. Know the adverbs we usually don’t think of when we hear the term adverbs (like “even” and “just”). There is a list in The Frugal Editor (see Amazon’s new series page for it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T .) Make a list of the ones you tend to overuse. Either discard each one or use one of the methods in The Frugal Editor to turn them into more visual writing. Their best quality? Adverbs can turn you into a magician—that is help you turn them into image-producing gold—similes, or better, metaphors.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults, and speaks on issues of publishing. Learn more about her other authors' aids at https://www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She blogs on editing at https://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com and all things publishing (not just editing!) at https://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

 

 

                                                                         LINKEDIN

The Writing Juggling Act

 

By Karen Cioffi

Writing a story is time consuming… at least to write a good story.

I’m sure there are writers who sit down and write a story in a day, but I’m talking about doing it right.

This is especially true of writing for children.

It’s so important to know the rules. Know what the standard industry guidelines are and adhere to them.

There’s a lot that goes into writing. And if you want it to be publishing and marketing worthy, again, you want to do it right.

But what happens when you finish your manuscript. You revised it, edited, and proofed it, and possibly even had a professional writer look at it.

Your manuscript, your baby, is ready to fly.

You enter the traditional submitting phase. You’ve done your research and have found literary agents and book publishers in your genre. The submitting process is in full gear.

This process can easily take longer than the writing process, but you need to persevere.

In the meantime…

Should you just sit around and wait for a bite from an agent or publisher?

Should you sit around and gather dust on your keyboard?

Absolutely not!

You need to move onto another story as soon as you start the submitting process on your first book. Once book two is being submitted, it’s onto book three, and so on.

This goes even more so for articles.

According to writing coach Suzanne Lieurance you should have around 12 articles out circulating to magazine editors.

This is how you get work.

It’s the writing juggling act.

Keep the stories or articles moving.

Once you finish one story, get started on the next.

Another aspect of the writing juggling act: Book Marketing.

While you do need to keep writing those stories and getting them published, you also need to work on marketing you and your writing.

Marketing is a part of every author’s writing life, if you expect to sell your books.

-The first step of marketing is to create a quality book.
-The next step is to submit your work – this is pitching your work.
-If you’re self-publishing, you will need to publish it and distribute it so it’s available for sale.

Once the book finds a home, it’s about creating visibility. If people don’t know it exists, you won’t sell it.

The marketing and visibility process is ongoing.

If you’re wondering if having to promote your books is a must, even major publishers expect their authors to have an online author platform. They also expect the author to be able to help sell their books through that platform.

And, small publishers expect you to do all the marketing.

Marketing is that important.

So, what are the basics of an author online platform?

-The first step is to have a website and keep it current.

-Next is to post to social media to bring awareness about you, your books, articles, or services.

This will take up any spare writing time you may have.

So, if you’re a writer, there is no such thing as downtime. It’s all about the writing juggling act.

This article was first published at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2021/08/15/the-writing-juggling-act/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter, editor, and coach with clients worldwide.

Karen also offers DIY How to Write a Children’s Fiction Book and
Writers on the Move Press (Self-publishing help for children's authors.)

 

Reach More Readers: Go Bilingual

Soon my picture book, Tall Boots, will be
available in English and Spanish

By Linda Wilson  @LinWilsonauthor

While presenting programs about stories from my books at schools and libraries, I’ve gotten to know many students and teachers, some from EL (English Learner) classrooms. The EL students’ reading needs are being addressed with dual language books, or side-by-side books, for ages K-12. Many more books are needed. My experience could be because I live in the American Southwest—New Mexico. But the need is more widespread than that. According to the article in My Class Tracks, “How Many People Speak Spanish in the US in 2023:” As of 2022, around 42.5 million individuals in the US speak Spanish as their native tongue, accounting for 13.4% of the total population. Additionally, there are 12.2 million bilingual Spanish speakers living in the US.” I think we can all agree that this number will only grow.

The Need is Strong

Dual language books, also called side-by-side books, parallel texts, parallel textbooks, or interlinear books, are books that offer “two different languages on the same page with the second language being a translation (comparison) of the first.” 

According to the article, “The Case for Bilingual Books: 4 Ways Dual-Language Books Can Boost Biliteracy in Young Children,” by Melissa Taylor, March 18, 2021, in  the English learner (EL) student population is surging. “Parents are searching for ways to promote their heritage language, the language their children speak at home with them.” Taylor goes on to write, promoting a child’s language spoken at home “is not easy because, as many immigrant parents know, students lose their heritage language skills soon after starting school . . . Studies show that if the heritage language is not supported in school and at home, children can lose their ability to communicate in their first language within two to three years of starting school.” And most important to children’s authors, she writes: “Studies—backed by my first-hand experience—show that bilingual books are a critical tool.”

Where do we Come in?

What better way to meet the needs of EL students than to offer our books to them in both English and Spanish? If you need to find a translator, there are many companies that offer translation services to choose from. You can find these companies by googling, “Where to find Spanish speaking translators for my children’s book.” The cost, according to Google, is anywhere from $0.08 to $0.18 per word.

A guide book, “Your Helpful Guide to Book Translation,” https://gteloculize.com offers advice on how to translate a book:

• Establish an end goal—Why translate your book into another language?
• Determine your target market.
• Hire a professional translation service.
• Have your book edited and proofread.

In my case, I was fortunate enough to meet a middle school teacher whose first language is Spanish. She agreed to translate my picture book, Tall Boots, as a first project. If we succeed, we will work together on all my books. 

A friend, who is fluent in Spanish, suggested that I have our translation reviewed and possibly edited by a professor at the University of New Mexico, or another expert in the field, for Spanish grammar, as she said Spanish grammar is tricky. 

The company, 1000 Storybooks, that has formatted and illustrated Tall Boots and my latest picture book, Cradle in the Wild, has agreed to take on this project. They will create a new picture book to include Spanish text, using the original artwork in the current edition of Tall Boots.

If you don’t know Spanish, don’t let that stop you. I don’t know Spanish myself. I do believe that our bilingual books will be welcomed, and that we will be able to find help reading the Spanish texts to students from the teachers, teachers’ assistants, and even the students themselves. Just think how many more students our books can reach when offered in English and Spanish. And how many more students will enjoy our stories and learn the message that our books send. 

Sources:  https://unuhi.com/what-is-a-bilingual-book/ 

                https://imaginationsoup.net

Linda shares her picture book, A Packrat's Holiday:
Thistletoe's Gift, at a presentation in
Alamogordo, New Mexico

Linda Wilson writes stories for young children. Visit   Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L. Click the links for free coloring pages and a puppet show starring Thistletoe Q. Packrat. While you’re there, get all the latest news by signing up for Linda’s newsletter. 

 Find Linda’s books at  Amazon Author Page.

 Connect with   Linda: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

Celebrating the 3rd Edition of The Frugal Editor with a List of Resources

Recommended Reading, Listening,
 And Help from The Frugal Editor

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

 

   I am celebrating the release of the third edition of the second book in my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for Writers with peek at the Appendics for visitors to Karen Cioffi’s #WritersontheMove blog. It’s a list of recommended reading for authors, some of them oldies but goodies, some new. It is a way to express gratitude and underscore my belief that reading one book on any how-to topic for the publishing industry is never enough because there is no more frugal way for a newbie to learn more about a new career. A great book with notes in the margins is much, much less expensive that classes from respected writers’ schools. And there is no better way than to learn more about publishing than from experts who have been there, done that, and care enough to have taken time from that trajectory to share with other authors.

 

In the Appendix of The Frugal Editor, you'll also find lists of the agents who contributed to the chapters on writing picture-perfect query letters, a short list of common errors, sample query letters, sample cover letters and even writing aids. Here are some recommended books, books I have read and found something new and important for my work in progress (WIP) or surviving the expectations of the traditional world of publishing. The editing process can be so much fun it become as addictive as chewing gum. Like chewing gum, there are some great benefits.

 

Editing

Lapsing Into a Coma: A Curmudgeon's Guide to the Many Things That Can Go Wrong in Print--And How to Avoid Them, by Bill Walsh.

 

Editors

Barbara McNichol, editor and writer, was introduced earlier in this book. Learn more about her at www.barbaramcnichol.com.

 

Dr. Bob Rich, an Aussie who can bring a worldwide sensibility for the English language to titles that would benefit from that expertise. Find him on Twitter @bobswriting.

 

Grammar and Style

AP Stylebook by Associated Press. This is the better of two major stylebooks for those who write for newspapers and other print and online media.

 

Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right, by Bill Bryson.

 

Chicago Manual of Style by the University of Chicago Press Staff. It’s the go-to source for authors of books as opposed to online or print media.

 

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss. For the author who doesn’t mind following strict grammar rules assiduously.

 

Far From the Madding Gerund, by Geoffrey K. Pullum et al. Those of you who are thinking what the heck is a gerund? are the ones who should be reading this.

 

Garner's Modern American Usage, by Bryan A. Garner, is complete and excellent for Americans. Choose the more formal style choices this book offers to avoid riling the ire of gatekeepers like agents and publishers. 

Grammar Snobs Are Big Meanies: Guide to Language for Fun & Spite, by June Casagrande. Use this book when you want to argue with an editor, not when you want to impress one. A more formal tome for that purpose is The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (Fowler and Burchfield). It isn't nearly as entertaining, however. And authors (as compared to freelance writers) probably won’t learn as much from it.

 

The American Heritage Book of the English Language is available only in hardcover and is expensive, but you’ll find features in it you love.

 

Perrin and Smith Handbook of Current English has been around so long you might find it in a used bookstore. When you’ve read it, you’ll know the difference between temerity and timidity—or at least know to look them up. “Half knowing a word may be more dangerous than not knowing it at all” is the kind of truth you’ll find within its pages.

 

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. A classic.

 

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, by William Strunk Jr. , E. B. White, Roger Angell. Do not read this until you fully understand the difference between a style book and a book of grammar basics.

 

The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotation, by David Grambs. Keep this one forever and add your own notes when you visit museums and other places where you might encounter words you don’t know.

 

Craft of Writing

Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella is a must-read because poor dialogue technique is a glaring tip-off to editors and publishers that a manuscript is written by a beginner who has not taken the time to learn our craft. Mini review from me: This book has everything you’ll ever need to know about writing dialogue.

 

Writing for Emotional Impact: Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader from Beginning to End, by Karl Iglesias. Authors of books can learn a lot from great screenplays. 

 

Custom Dictionaries

Many professional organizations will share their print conventions with authors—from medical terms to lists of shady trees. Just ask. 

 

You’ll find my recommendations for frugal learning for other aspects of publishing in all the books in my HowToDoItFrugally Series. Today we’re celebrating the release of The Frugal Editor’s third edition and, because blog posts must be more limited that books, it is only a taste of the resources you will find in it.) Nevertheless, a good place to start is to subscribe to this blog so you get their articles directly to your email box and when they arrive do a search using each contributors names. Most of them have at least one how-to book for you to consider.

~~

MORE ABOUT THE FRUGAL EDITOR

Carolyn and her husband Lance edit
his how-to book for immigrants.

          That would be me, as well as the name of the book I am celebrating today. In its first edition The Frugal Editor (the book) was subtitled Put Your Best Foot Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. I wrote it because I needed a text for the class on editing I would soon be teaching for UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program. At that time (2007), available books on editing didn’t cover what all writers needed including self-publishers. It turned out to be the winningest book in my series of books for writers. 

I also write fiction and poetry and I think my favorite award for them was an honorable mention from Writer’s Digest for my first full book of poetry, ImperfectEchoes. I love #sharingwithwriters as a presenter and with visitors who frequent blogs like this one. So this bio comes with huge thanks to Karen Cioffi, owner of this Writers on the Move and many others who are celebrating with me.