Author, Musician, Editor, Writing Coach
We can’t help it. We look at the outer packaging and assess a number of things – is it a quality product? Does the information tell us what we need to know about what’s inside? How do we feel when we look at it? Does its outer packaging make us want to see what’s under the wrapping?
In the case of book covers, this is even more true. We know from numerous book buying surveys that a book’s cover design is an important influencer in purchasing decisions.
Read MoreHey, FreshVoicers…Happy New Year!
I’m excited about 2017, and I hope you are, too! Will this be the year you decide to start that book project? If it feels like the right time, then here are some professional nudges I’ve put together for you…
In Sheridan’s 18th Century play, The Rivals, a character named Mrs. Malaprop constantly used similar-sounding but incorrect words, often with humorous results: “I must crash a check”; “It’s my term to make them play,” and that sort of thing. Words misused in this way have become known as malapropisms after this hilarious character.
Eggcorn? Well it sounded like that…
Malapropisms, along with other kinds of misuses of words, like the recently-named eggcorns, mondegreens (mis-heard lyrics), mixed metaphors and the like are found everywhere–especially in the verbiage of politicians, celebrities, and the sports world. I don’t think this is because they’re more prone to it; they’re just more likely to have their utterances taped and re-broadcast for the world to see than are you or me. And, they’re often put on the spot and asked to respond to questions suddenly, or make their living talking a lot in public places. Read More
So this is Christmas, one of my favorite holiday songs goes, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun…It’s time to take inventory. But often we rush through the holidays, all action and no reflection.
The fall leading up to Christmas is the heaviest activity in the year for publishers and book printers; the rush to get what will hopefully be the gift book of the season out by early October is its own kind of tension. Having just completed one of those with an author and his book, I’m now taking a few deep breaths. Amid all the visitors, gifts, food and family, I’m feeling the need to make a little quiet space for my inventory.
One question I get often is “How do I make sure I craft the best title for my non-fiction book?” It’s a great question and shows that an author is clued in to how important is their book’s title (and sub-title!). Why is it so important? I think there are a few reasons, and maybe others have other ideas. (If so, please comment!) Here are a few of the most important: Read More
Think about what influences you when you browse for a book…do you read the book’s description, maybe read a passage or two, and check out the back cover or inside for reviews? And are you a critical reviewer of reviewers? Do you look at the credentials of the reviewers to see how “weighty” or valid they appear to be?
If you don’t, you’re atypical, according to the 2015 Canadian Book Buyers Report by BookNet Canada. Read More
So you know those Commandments, right? The one about adultery? God definitely meant it was a sin. Definitely. So imagine the impact when publishers of a new Bible in 1631 accidentally left out the word not in that particular commandment. Proud and loud, it advocated, nay, required that its readers fornicate away with those who weren’t their spouses by saying, “Thou shalt commit adultery.” Oops.
It’s hard to compare movies and books. They’re both telling stories, but one has to harness the power of descriptive language, while the other also equips visuals, music, actors, and special effects. Somehow books often prevail, either with rich story, or because the movie just couldn’t hack it.
Here, in no particular order, are 10 books that outshone their movie counterparts and one that didn’t.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I was mightily inspired recently by one of our authorpreneur clients who tested us on our theory of building an Audience Avatar. (I love it when they do that! It’s what keeps us on our toes.) I’ll get to that test in a moment, but first I want to share with you the two-phase process we go through. Step one was to have her coach (me, in this case) interview her as if she was one person at the centre of the most likely audience for her content.
I asked her to envision this person, give her a name, and describe her demographic characteristics. “How old are you?” I asked. “Where do you work? Are you married? Do you have kids?” We went on like this for about a half hour, exploring her Avatar’s life—her beliefs and behaviours, as well as spending, reading and communication habits. We dove into her key influencers, and discussed her hopes, dreams and fears.
In the third post in our series based on Indie’s Great Content Map, we focus on the ways in which you can help your content seekers stay on course as they progress through your blog post.
In Part 1, we presented the concept of the map, and in Part 2, Be the Captain, we discussed ways to brand your content so your travelers know who’s at the helm.
Once readers know who’s manning the ship, there are some key tools you can use as text signposts to get them and keep them on the path and eager for their next steps. Let’s look at three of the most common and examine why they work so well.