Tools for Writing by the Sea Wendy Van Camp Welcome to Newport Beach, a coastal gem nestled in Southern California. Its allure is undeniable, beckoning travelers with its glistening shores and cerulean waves. Spanning over ten miles along the public park system, the Balboa Peninsula showcases the beauty of the California coast. It’s a place […]
Why Translating Your Book May Require a Cover Change—and What to Do about It Grace Snoke You are expanding your market base and audience by translating your books into foreign languages, and now you’re ready to make a critical decision: do you keep your existing cover design, or do you create a new design that […]
A Look at Whether AI Can Help You Produce Translations Cheaper From direct sales to AI-generated audiobooks, technology is rapidly advancing, opening doors to new publishing mediums that were all but closed to most authors in recent years. Those seeking opportunities to reach new audiences often turn to translations, making further use of their intellectual […]
Joe Solari In the second installment of his quarterly series, Managing Director of Author Nation and business expert Joe Solari explores what it takes to build your audience as an indie author. Most industry advice focuses on targeting new readers and drawing them into your funnel—but what about the superfans you already have? Solari says […]
Gill Fernley Your book is finally finished, and it’s been edited to within an inch of its life. But you’re not quite ready to publish yet. As well as a quality, genre-specific cover, you’re going to need to get your book formatted for every way you want to publish it: e-book, paperback print, large print, […]
Eryka Parker Book formatting lays the cornerstone for captivating your readers from the very first glance. Beyond aesthetics, it plays a crucial role in enhancing the reader experience and establishing the credibility of your work. Meticulousness and attention to detail are necessary during the writing, marketing, and production stages, especially considering the wide variety of […]
Maria Connor You read the how-to book. You borrowed the spreadsheet your author pal created. You invested in the trendy project management software. You have a checklist or three. Yet every time you launch a book, you cringe—because you forgot to order a cover and realized this when you were uploading the book two hours […]
They say a picture is worth a thousand words—but if that’s the case, the exchange rate into dollars must be equally impressive. After all, picture books in the US children’s book market are worth $2.6 billion, according to IBISWorld (https://ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/childrens-book-publishing-united-states.) Picture books are written and published for children ages three to eight. Typically, parents read […]
Key Definitions to Remember When Formatting Your Book Your story is written and edited. The next hurdle is how to make it available to your readers. There are several options: you can use software such as Vellum to create a stunning e-book and print version. Or you can pay someone else to do it. Or […]
Formatting with Professional Programs Have you ever picked up a book and enjoyed just looking at it? You may not have recognized why, but if you learned something easily from a book, it’s likely because the design enhanced your comprehension of the material. Chances are high the designer used InDesign or Affinity Publisher to layout […]
Have you ever read a book and gotten lost because you didn’t know who was telling the story? Choosing the correct point of view is an essential decision for an author when starting a new project. Strong works are clear about who is telling the story and to whom. There are four types of Point […]
There’s nothing quite like holding your book in your hands—an actual printed copy whose pages you can flip. For fiction authors choosing exclusivity for e-books through Kindle Unlimited, print is an easy way to dip your toe into the wide marketplace without losing those page reads. For nonfiction and children’s book authors, print often makes […]
Backstory is what happened to your characters before page one of your story. Not everything—the reader doesn’t need to know what she had for breakfast on her tenth birthday, unless it led to anaphylaxis, and that pertains to the story you’re writing. Backstory adds depth to your characters. It helps the reader to connect with […]
An Editor’s Guide to the Proces Note: All editors are different. Just because one editor may follow process A, does not mean that a second editor following process B is wrong. This breakdown is intended to provide general information to get you started, but your mileage may vary. Types of Editing When we talk about […]
When and Where to Spend Your Limited Resources What if we told you that your book doesn’t need to be perfect to be published? Following the Michael Anderle school of thought, the goal is to hit a MVP—minimum viable product—with our books. We want to write to genre expectations; it’s the story and characters that […]
“The End.” You’ve typed the final words, and your manuscript is complete. What next? If you’re like most people, this is when you search for an editor. Even talented writers need a second (or third) pair of eyes to look over the manuscript and polish it so that it gleams. Assessing Your Needs First, assess […]
How to Use the Magic Melding of Letters and Art to Sell More Books Typography is more than letters spelling out your title. It’s the music to your lyrics. The frame for your painting. The signboard for your reader’s journey. Together with your title, author name, and cover image, the magic of type draws readers […]
Drafting is how we get books. Books are our business. This means drafting is our business. Finishing our drafts is our top priority. No finished draft, no book. No book, no readers. The perfect first draft, that great inspired work that flows from the divine muse through us onto the page is a myth. Perfection […]
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