Category Archives: grammar

The Most Cost-Effective Way to Get Your Book Edited

Thinking of self-publishing? Should you choose the editing or editorial evaluation package from the self-publishing arm of a publisher, or from self-publishing houses such as Xlibris and Author Solutions? As a former in-house acquisitions editor at HarperCollins, a current ghostwriter … Continue reading

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Filed under book editing, book publishing, book publishing tips, developmental editing, developmental editor, editing a self-published book, editing techniques, finding an editor, grammar, hire a freelance editor for your book, hiring a developmental editor, hiring an editor, how to write a book, rules for submitting book proposal, self-publishing, structuring nonfiction, styling your manuscript, successful book proposal, write a bestseller, writing a book, writing critiques, writing memoir, writing self-help, writing your story

Ghost Writer For Hire: Help Writing Your Book

One of my hats is ghostwriting, and I just made a little promotional video about this service. (For those of you thinking of creating videos of your own to promote your work, I made this using iMovie software, stock photographs, … Continue reading

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Filed under ghostwriter, ghostwriting, ghostwriting techniques, grammar, hiring a professional ghostwriter, writing a book

BlogTalk Radio Show: Let’s Talk About Books with Nancy Peske and Stephanie Gunning

My dear friend and long-time colleague, Stephanie Gunning, had a great idea the other day: The two of us should do an online radio show in which we could share our insights about the book industry, writing books, marketing them, … Continue reading

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Filed under bestseller, bestselling author, Blogtalkradio Show, book marketing, book publishing, book publishing economics, book publishing revenue models, developmental editing, ghostwriter, grammar, HarperCollins Publishers, independent bookstores, Let's Talk About Books, sales book, sales of books, Stephanie Gunning, where to buy books, writing a book

Lessons for Aspiring Self-Help Book Authors: What NOT to Do to Your Brand!

As part of my research for a book proposal I’m working on, I’ve been looking at a bestselling self-help book that was recently featured on Oprah’s show. I see from the acknowledgements that I know the acquiring editor well; she … Continue reading

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Filed under bestseller, bestselling author, book length, book publishing, book publishing economics, book publishing revenue models, chapters, eReader, frontlist books, grammar, headers, listen to the customer, Oprah, pricing your book, sales book, sales of books, self-help books, structuring nonfiction, write a bestseller

Its vs. It’s, Misplaced Modifiers, and More

Here’s a cute article on some of the more common grammar glitches that plague authors. I see these come up a lot.   Regarding misplaced modifiers, remember that the clause at the beginning of the sentence needs to be checked … Continue reading

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Filed under copyediting, grammar

Do you have headers in your nonfiction manuscript?

If you’re writing a nonfiction book other than a memoir, you’ll need to break up your text with headers. Good headers are like signs on the highway that reassure you that you’re going in the right direction (“Chicago/O’Hare”), orient you … Continue reading

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Filed under grammar, headers, structuring nonfiction, styling your manuscript, Uncategorized

i.e. versus e.g.

One of the most common grammar glitches is confusion over the abbreviations i.e. and e.g. In fact, most copyeditors will replace these with the more recognizable English terms “that is” or “for example” to avoid any confusion. If you do … Continue reading

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Filed under grammar