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Stay up to date with the events and knowledge that are shaping the publishing industry.
How to Procure a Cover Designer for Your Book
You should never judge a book by its cover, but that won’t prevent potential readers from passing over your book if they don’t like its cover artwork and design. So how can you commission a book cover that both attracts readers’ attention and accurately...
Before You Start Writing Your Book: Twenty Things to Consider About Your Story
Are you considering writing a book? Maybe you have a vague idea of a story you’d like to tell, but you aren’t quite sure, or maybe you have a solid idea of what you want to write, but … What might you be missing? When I started writing my (still unfinished) book a...
Technically Speaking – Part 2
Part I of this two-part post focused on the five major steps to successfully approaching a technical writing project without a technical background. Now, in this second installment, we’ll focus on the list of 10 tips and tricks to successfully making that project...
Word Count in Novels: Is It Important?
Word count — it’s a simple enough thing — write the words and count them. But do word counts really matter when you are writing your novel, and is book length an important thing to consider before publishing? Although there’s no absolute answer, and there’s always...
How to Be a Good Beta Reader: Reading in Exchange for Critique
What Is a Beta Reader? A Beta Reader is asked to read an author’s work when they’ve finished their original edits, but before the professional editing has begun. They help the author handle big-picture questions regarding story, pacing, plot, character, etc. While...
What’s in a Name? How to Make Sure Your Book Title Looks and Smells as Sweet as a Rose
Maybe I’m showing my age here, but when I was a young adult, I loved going to Barnes & Noble to peruse the new book titles to see what spoke to me. We’re told not to judge a book by its cover, but a cool title on said cover is always helpful in catching the...
ISMTE Recap: When It Comes To Preprints, Trust, but Verify
With the open science movement growing in popularity in the last decade, preprints have become a bigger and bigger part of the publishing industry. They’ve also, in some ways, become a bigger and bigger problem for the publishing industry as well. ISMTE’s recent...
Navigating Reviewer Fatigue
Peer reviewed journals often try to promote timely publication as a selling point to potential authors. An efficient publication process is crucial for scholars who are publishing time-sensitive research and who are required to publish in many disciplines for...
ISMTE Recap: Is It Time To Pay Peer Reviewers?
It’s been this way for decades, but one of the biggest hurdles in peer-reviewed literature is waiting for peer reviewers. Yes, at the end of the day, no matter how good or important an article is, its processing time and publication date will ultimately be...
Technically Speaking – Part 1
If you’re not a technical expert, the terms “technical writing” and “technical editing” can be intimidating—but they don’t have to be! Editing this kind of writing isn’t all about having an advanced degree, because the purpose of editing isn’t to be a subject...
