Five Fixable Writing Mistakes

Writing isn’t an easy job. While you’re typing away at your manuscript, your mind is balancing storyline, character development, dialogue and more. For many authors, the technical aspects of writing are on the backburner. There’s nothing wrong with having less than precise writing in your manuscript. In fact, many authors purposefully disregard proper spelling and grammar to focus on content. Their editing process starts later, when authors send their manuscripts off to a trusted friend or use editing services to perfect their work.

Before another pair of eyes reads through your manuscript, proofread it yourself for technical writing errors. Specifically, there are five mistakes almost every writer makes that you can fix before your book hits the editing process.

Clichés
Old habits may die hard, but clichés will clutter your writing. Clichés are dog tired; readers will look over them and miss the good content underneath. Try starting your own clichés. Create fresh similes, metaphors and idioms.

One way clichés may fit into fiction writing is through character development. A dated, un-hip character may talk about the “good old days” or “wet their whistle” instead of taking a drink. However, it’s good practice to exclude clichés when you can. Better safe than sorry!
Word repetition

Have you read a book and noticed the author repeated a certain word throughout? The characters always “shudder” when they have a bad thought or the word “however” is on every page. Many authors have a crutch word they consistently use. Check for your own crutch word and use a thesaurus to diversify your manuscript’s vocabulary.

Too many adverbs
You have probably heard to “show, not tell.” Cutting out adverbs can help you do this. Adverbs like quickly, very, and incredibly can be written out with more visual descriptions put in their place. Instead of writing “Incredibly, the runner ran very quickly,” write, “The runner was a speeding bullet. Her feet pounded the ground and propelled her forward as she sped ahead of the others.”

Commas
When concentrating on developing your story and perfecting your message, your commas might get misplaced. While proofreading, ask yourself these questions:

Do you have commas inside quotation marks? For example, this is incorrect: “Hello” she replied. This is correct: “Hello,” she replied.

Do you separate modifying clauses with commas? For example, this is incorrect: Sally a very polite girl held the door open. This is correct: Sally, a very polite girl, held the door open.

Are introductory clauses separated by a comma? For example, this is incorrect: If she wants ice cream she should ask her brother. This is correct: If she wants ice cream, she should ask her brother.
Are you consistent with how you use commas in lists? For example, all lists could have a comma after the last word before “and,” like this: I like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. All lists could also go without the comma after the last word before “and,” like this: I like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Both are correct as long as they’re used consistently.

Technical grammar problems
Comma mistakes are common, but there are other grammar errors authors make when writing their manuscripts. Here are a few grammar mistakes that come up frequently:

Vague pronouns make writing easier, but can be confusing to readers. When proofreading, make sure you can attribute every pronoun to the noun it describes.

Its/It’s, than/then are commonly confused because most word processors can’t catch them if they’re used in the wrong context. Even humans have problems catching these errors because the words sound and look similar. Be careful while proofreading to be sure they’re correct. If you need a quick refresher, “Its” shows possession and “It’s” is the contracted form of “it is.” “Then” shows a progression, while “than” is used for comparisons.

Sentence fragments and run-ons can also be hard to catch. Make sure each sentence has a subject and verb, but doesn’t use a contraction after contraction to strand sentences together.

Don’t be discouraged if you see errors in your book’s writing. Remember, the most important reason why you’re writing a book is to spread a message. Proofreading, however, needs to happen once your story is written. Your message is a gift, and your writing is the packaging. Clear writing allows readers to understand your message fully. Fixing these mistakes yourself is not only easy, but it will speed up the editorial process and strengthen your story.

How to Publish a Book: An Overview of Traditional & Self-Publishing

For any writer who aspires to be an author, knowing how to publish a book is essential. It’s a common scenario — you have an idea for a book but you have no way of knowing how to translate that idea from your computer screen into print or online.

Now, more than at any other time in history, there are more opportunities and possibilities to write, share, and publish a story — and interact with an audience. Whether you are after the traditional publishing experience, complete with an agent, editor, and publisher, or want to self publish your book, it’s completely within your grasp. You decide what works best for you and your work.

We’re going to guide you through the book publishing process and give you the resources to choose which publishing option fits your work best. But first, you should know about traditional and self-publishing.

Traditional Publishing

Traditional book publishing is when a publisher offers the author a contract and, in turn, prints, publishes, and sells your book through booksellers and other retailers. The publisher essentially buys the right to publish your book and pays you royalties from the sales.

If you want to publish a book traditionally, most writers need to find an agent. In order to find one, you must identify the right category for your writing. If you are or want to be a non-fiction writer, you will need to submit a book proposal with three sample chapters, and a synopsis of each chapter. If you are writing fiction, you must have your manuscript complete.

Once these steps are accomplished, you’re ready to write a query letter. This letter is what you will send to potential agents. It’s important to mention the different parts that make up a query letter. You should be sure to mention the synopsis of your book, the chapter summary, the market or audience your book is meant for, and a description of yourself.

Self-Publishing

There are a variety of different publishing models, including print-on-demand, vanity, subsidy, and self-publishing.

Print-on-demand (POD) publishers accept all submissions &emdash; anyone who is willing to pay is published. POD publishing uses printing technology to produce books one at a time through a company at a cost-effective price. The books are printed individually as orders come in. Therefore, you can adjust the book’s supply to meet the reader’s demand.

POD cuts back on costs and eliminates the need for space to store unsold copies. Typically editing, proofreading, or marketing is offered at an additional cost and you make money off of royalties from sales. In terms of rights, some can go to the POD publisher for a set amount of time but this varies depending on the publisher.

A vanity publisher, also known as a book manufacturer, publishes any anyone’s work provided they have the money to pay for their services. The manufacturer prints and binds a book on the author’s dime and does not offer editing, marketing, or promotional assistance. However, the author owns the printed books and retains all profit from sales.

A subsidy publisher is similar to a vanity publisher in that the author has to pay for the printing and binding process of the book. However, this type of publisher contributes a portion of the cost to editing, distribution, warehousing, and marketing. In this case, the publisher owns the books until they are sold and the author makes money from royalties.

Self-publishing requires the author to invest their own money to produce, market, distribute, and warehouse the book. While this can be a huge time commitment, the process can be more cost-effective than vanity or subsidy publishing.

What’s the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing?

In traditional publishing, the publisher handles the marketing, distribution, and warehousing for your book. This is the traditional method to book publishing because there is no expense to the author—mainstream publishers make a profit from the book’s sales.

Whereas in self-publishing, depending on which type of publisher or platform you choose, the majority of the work falls on your shoulders and you pay for all expenses. The main advantages of self-publishing are that you control when the book is published, you retain all rights to your book, and you receive 100 percent of the profits.

In both cases, you have the option to choose what format your book will be published in—printed book, e-book, audio book, cd, dvd, and many more. If you pick an e-book, which is essentially a book published in digital form and available on e-Readers and other electronic devices, it can be downloaded instantly, has the ability to be translated into different languages, and can never go out of print. However, the as e-book formats and file types develop and change over time, many may need to be converted to a new file or format.

How do I know which one is right for me?

If seeing your work in print is to fulfill a personal goal you have or you view yourself as a hobbyist, choose vanity publishing.

If you’re writing a family history, memoir or book of poetry that has a limited audience, and don’t want your book stocked at bookstores, using POD is probably to your advantage. They are often nonreturnable, not sold at a discount, and you won’t have to store any unsold books.

Printing in bulk via self-publishing may be your best bet if you have a visible platform established to reach your audience, both online and offline (such as a website, Twitter handle, and Facebook fan page), have credibility with your readers in your genre/category and are prepared to dedicate your time to marketing and promoting your work.

Self-publishing is also a good option if you have a time-sensitive manuscript, as a commercial publishing company can take up to 18 months to get your book from manuscript to final production.
On the flip side, here are a few things to consider. If you don’t know how to find or reach your readers, don’t have an online presence, don’t have the time to spend online or dislike social media, want to be in a brick-and-mortar type of bookstore and have a publisher handle the marketing for you, the traditional publishing route may be the best option.

Ultimately it is up to you to decide!

How to self publish a book.

If you want to self publish a book you must choose a platform or provider. Abbott Press, a division of Writer’s Digest, offers publishing packages fit for any author. Plus, you retain the rights to your book and have the freedom to publish your book on your own time.

First, set a goal. Do you aspire to see your name in print? Do you want to achieve commercial success? Or perhaps you want to supplement your speaking career or business. Having a goal in mind before you start the self-publishing process will not only help keep you focused, it will help determine the right publishing package and services you need in order to help you reach that goal.
Second, choose one of Abbott Press’s five publishing packages that meet your publishing needs and will help you achieve your goal for your book. If your book needs polishing, you can also select additional marketing, editing and design services from its services store. Whenever you select and purchase the publishing package that is right for you, you are ready to take the next step.

Submit your manuscript and other materials for your book. An Abbot Press Check-In Coordinator will help you through the submission process and ensure that the details of your submitted materials are in order and ready for the book production process.

Once you’re ready for the book production process, Abbott Press will create your book’s interior and cover and send you electronic proofs for your review and approval. They strive to ensure that your distinct voice comes through and that you receive a book that you are happy with. Plus, you can take advantage of their expertise and experience while staying in control each step of the way.

Lastly, publish and promote your book! Once you’ve approved your book for publication, Abbott Press will send it to their printer and distributor, making your book available for purchase on a variety of major retail sites, including Amazon.com. You will receive the first printed copy of your book as well.

How do I publish my book, traditionally?

6 Tips to Come Up With Great Ideas for Writing

Idea creation may seem a random and even mystical process, but there are simple and practical ways to increase your chances of how to come up with great ideas for writing.

All writers know it’s impossible to have great ideas all time. Sometimes you feel stuck, and it frustrates you, doesn’t it?

What is an idea?

Everyone wants to come up with a brilliant idea every time it is needed, but have you ever thought about what an idea actually is?

An idea is a connection. Any idea, even the simplest one, is an association with your previous and already known ideas. Our minds constantly form such connections, often spontaneously and unconsciously.

Another interesting feature of these connections is that they cannot be predicted. Often, an idea will be formed when two very different notions merge in an  unexpected or unusual way.
Here are six tips that can help you develop an excess of ideas:

1. Expect the appearance of ideas

The first step is to get rid of limiting beliefs such as “I am not a creative person.” Put away the prejudice that only a few chosen ones can create good ideas. You are a writer, you have some readers (whether you write a novel or short stories), and your ideas have worth.

2. Greet all ideas, even those that seem stupid

Never focus only on creating great ideas. Strive for quantity instead of quality at first. Most people fail to come up with ideas because they fear their ideas will be “stupid.” Never mind: ideas that are considered stupid today may become the basis for the revolutionary ideas of tomorrow. And when you finally have such an idea, no one will remember the less fortunate ones.

3. Be open to new experiences

The more you deal with different situations, people, and places, the more fuel you give your mind to form connections. Learn to celebrate diversity of life: travel, try new food, read magazines you do not usually look at. Do not be afraid to do the usual things in a different way.

And read! Yes, the more you read, the more experience and ideas you get. As well-known master of horrors Stephen King said:

If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time to write. Simple as that.

4. Save your ideas immediately

Develop the habit of recording all your ideas. Use your notebook, tablet, or voice recorder. The manner of saving ideas does not really matter; just make sure you always carry the means to record them. If you fail to write down ideas, you will end up forgetting most of them. Even worse: you will forget you even had an idea. Each time your mind recognizes your attention to its ideas, it rewards you with more ideas.

Don’t be so sure that you will remember all the ideas that come to you. As we all know, the brightest ideas have a habit of arriving in a bed while you are trying to fall asleep: “Hello there! I am your brain and I see you are trying to fall asleep. Let me generate a lot of brilliant ideas you’ll definitely forget in the morning!” Your best companion is a notebook, in which you can write down all your thoughts.

5. Be grateful for ideas

Whenever you come up with great ideas for writing, be thankful for them. By developing this habit, you create an additional positive reinforcement, a stimulus for your mind, which encourages the creation of more new ideas. It may seem a little bit strange, but it works. Just try!

6. Realize ideas come and go

If you find you can’t come up with any ideas for a few days, do not worry—it’s normal. Ideas will arrive suddenly, one by one. Sometimes ideas arrive so quickly you will barely have time to write them down. Always be prepared to take full advantage of the flow of ideas when it begins to gush.