Category: Publishing

What to expect when you’re expecting publication (part 3: what you WON’T be involved in)

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As you work with a publishing house to get your book published — you’ve been through the contractual phase and the content editing phase — you will find that there are several steps and decisions where you will not give input (indeed, the publisher may not ask for it). That can be surprising to some authors, so let me explain a few of those decisions here.

Title

I know, you struggled to get just the right title (and you should indeed deliver your manuscript with a title), but chances are high that the publisher will want to change it. This comes down to several considerations.

  • Marketability: Is this the best title to appeal to the target audience and to make sense to them?
  • SEO: Search Engine Optimization. Are there particular words that should be in the title that will be more useful for online searches?
  • Clarity: Maybe the title is too close to another similar title, so the change is needed to avoid confusion. Or maybe your clever title is deemed too vague or offbeat so that it would end up working against book sales.
  • Design constraints: Maybe it’s too long (or the subtitle is too long) and it’s just not working for the cover design.

The publisher won’t change the title without discussing it with you, but be aware of their knowledge of the marketplace and their marketing expertise. Of course, if you feel strongly, explain your side. But don’t be a diva. Work with the publisher.

Consider that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s initial title suggestions for The Great Gatsby included Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires. Trimalchio in West Egg, On the Road to West Egg, Gold-hatted Gatsby, and The High-bouncing Lover. His editor, the amazing Maxwell Perkins, offered the final title.

Cover and interior design

Leave this to the designers. There is generally an entire department dedicated to the cover and interior designs of each book.

The interior design has to do with making sure the number of words in the manuscript corresponds with the target number of pages–which will affect the font size, leading (space between lines), kerning (space between letters), margins, chapter starts (always on a recto? or can be recto or verso? drop cap at the beginning?), etc. Every element is designed.

The designer then creates a template (often in InDesign) into which the typesetter will flow the copyedited Word document manuscript.

Then, of course, he prepares the all-important cover design—the front cover (with title, subtitle, author, and artwork), spine (with title, author, and publisher’s logo), and the back cover (with synopsis, endorsements, brief author bio, and bar code with ISBN). He needs to know trim size and page count (page count affects the size of the spine), whether or not there are photos (and if they are black and white or color), and the target audience and tone.

The designer will receive from the editorial department a document that gives him the specs as noted above, along with a general overview of the book itself to help in creating the cover. For fiction, he needs to know the genre (a fantasy cover will look different from historical fiction), information about the protagonist/antagonist (what do they look like?), time period (1700s? early 2000s? future?), and specific title, subtitle, author name. For nonfiction, he needs to know the general topic and angle of the book (grief? joy? wombats? artificial intelligence?).

Trust these people. They have their fingers on the pulse of what designs are selling in the marketplace. You may have the opportunity to weigh in (they may give you a design or two to choose from), but beyond that, be careful. Don’t start to nitpick the design, ask for other colors, etc. etc. Stay in your lane.

In my latest book, the first cover design rendering was something I really really didn’t like. It made me cringe. I went back to my contract and, sure enough, it did say that I had the right to respond to the cover design. So, I did . . . kindly, gently, humbly, with my suggestions for what I thought would better reflect the book and its contents, even sending a couple of “idea photos.” The publisher was willing to revise based on my idea, and I received a cover much closer to what I had envisioned.

The cover the publisher creates is your cover. Try to love it.

Timing of publication

No, you can’t ask if they can “rush it a bit.” And also, no, you can’t ask if they can “put it off a little bit.” These companies are businesses and several books are going through the process at various phases week by week. Way down at the end of their massive schedule is the BBD (bound book date) for when your books will arrive. That was decided way back when your book was first acquired; various folks put your book on their schedule; the printer has a date set aside to print your book. The marketing department is working with various outlets to set up advertising to drop, podcast interviews, etc., all lined up to coincide with your book’s release. The train is moving. Stay on board. Keep your own deadlines that are part of the process.

Your publisher is investing a lot of time and money in you and your book. They want to see it succeed as much as you do. Trust them and their expertise to help your book be the best it can be.

https://tenor.com/view/peace-out-peace-sign-peace-ice-age-eddie-gif-12074097217783893288

What to expect when you’re expecting publication (part 2: working with your editor)

lindaktaylor2 Comments

If you’ve never worked with a publisher before, the next steps that will happen after you sign the contract may come as a bit of a surprise. However, your first task is to deliver the manuscript on or before the due date that was specified in your contract.

So do it and send it on time. Don’t let perfectionism or imposter syndrome kick in. You have a contract; they want your book; finish it; send it.

Once your manuscript arrives in the publishing house, the editorial director will set the schedule that will keep the manuscript moving through the publishing process to meet the to-printer date. Every step all the way up to your BB (bound book) and release date is laid out.

In large publishing houses, there may be several different people doing these editorial tasks with varying titles. In small houses, there might be one person who uses several freelancers. The editorial director will be in conversation with various people in the publishing house to schedule this book since there are also several other projects at various stages of production. The editorial director chooses and assigns the content editor, copyeditors, and proofreaders.

Let’s start with the content editor since that person handles the first stage of the process and will be working most closely with your manuscript and with you. But this is where I need to issue a warning. Be prepared for the editor to do a lot of work on your manuscript (a lot). Steel yourself for this. Most likely, it won’t be a pretty process. Most likely, you will have a lot of work ahead (a lot). But soldier on. The end result will be worth it.

The content editor is not going to be marking up your manuscript for spelling and punctuation errors. That comes later. Instead, the content editor reads the full manuscript and looks at the big picture. She helps shape the book (perhaps your chapter 3 should really be chapter 1 as it is a better beginning) and looks for issues of pacing, characterization, setting, consistency, plot, etc. She will make comments on the manuscript and write a (generally very long) letter, called the editorial letter, back to you filled with comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript.

This is probably the scariest part for every author. The editorial letter may, indeed, tear your manuscript to shreds (or so it seems). It may be 12 pages of single-spaced copy addressing every bit of your manuscript and offering suggestions. This article tells you more.

So, when it arrives and you first open it, you have my permission to sit down and cry. Do it. Close your computer, walk away for a day or two, get your bearings back.

https://giphy.com/gifs/angry-anger-sheldon-vysUmffUa9o4g

By the time you return again to the letter, you’ll see that the suggestions are (usually) right on. You’ll begin to see how much better the manuscript can be with the revisions suggested.

So get to work. If you have questions, contact your editor. Ask for a Zoom call to clarify if you’re unsure. Don’t do a lot of revisions if you’re not exactly clear what the editor is suggesting.

For the next few weeks, you and your content editor will go back and forth on the various edits and suggestions to determine what is going to make the book the best it can be. Understand that the content editor is acting as your “best reader” and is truly on your side in the process. She isn’t working against you, even if it may feel that way; she is in your corner all the way. And it’s a collaborative process.

Are editors sometimes wrong? Of course. But be open minded. There may be suggested edits that you just don’t feel will work. Talk to the editor and make sure you explain why. (Perhaps that random character the editor suggests that you cut is someone you know will be key to book 3 and thus needs to be introduced in book 1.)

Remember that schedule the editorial director set up at the beginning of this process? On there is the date for when you will have finished revising the manuscript and will turn in the final version that both you and your content editor are pleased with.

DO NOT MISS THIS DEADLINE. There are still several steps in the process — including copyediting, the interior and cover design approvals, typesetting, and proofreading. All of those people are anticipating receiving your manuscript and doing their work by their own due dates. If one of those dominoes falls, it can put your BB date in jeopardy. You don’t want that to happen. Besides delaying your book, you’re also putting in jeopardy any future prospects for working with this publisher on other books.

Your content editor is invaluable. Work with the person. She is your best friend during this process.

I bet you have never heard of Therese von Hohoff. She was the intrepid editor of To Kill a Mockingbird, working closely, across a couple of years, with Harper Lee to help develop the book into the classic it became. Through hours of back and forth, Lee and Hohoff worked out the various problems every writer encounters: the story’s through-line, the pacing, the voice.

At Hohoff’s urging, Lee worked with various POVs and voices, rewriting the novel three times—third person point of view, first person, and finally with a blend. At some point, they determined that the real story, the most authentic voice, lay with the six-year-old tomboy Scout, who could say and observe a lot of things that an adult narrator could not. The story goes that at one point Lee became so frustrated with the writing process she gathered up all the pages and threw the entire manuscript out her apartment window and into the New York City snow. She called her editor in tears. Hohoff told her in no uncertain terms to go outside, gather her pages, and keep working.

This is what a content editor does—challenges, questions, pushes (although, in today’s world, the editorial process will probably not allow for three years—books move much more quickly). This part is difficult because when you sent that beautiful manuscript in, you thought it was perfect, then suddenly, this person starts taking it apart piece by piece.

Just remember that with you and your content editor working together, the book will be better for it.

What to expect when you’re expecting publication (part 1: contracts)

lindaktaylor5 Comments

How do you read a book contract? What should you look for in a book contract?

Well, let’s chat. But first, I want to celebrate you writers who have received a YES from a publisher who wants to publish your book. (I’m focusing on the traditional publishers here; please be careful of a YES from publishing scammers. If you want to read my warnings, check out this post about publishing predators.)

But joy oh joy when a publisher says yes. There’s nothing like it.

After the celebration, however, I urge you to take a breath. You thought it was difficult writing the book; wait until you embark on the publishing process—starting with you signing a contract with the publisher.

Take the time to read and understand your publishing contract. Any contract is going to look like a bunch of boilerplate legalese that you just want to sign and be done with so you can get that portion of the advance (if that’s part of the package) or at least get going on editing. But never sign anything you haven’t read. I know, everyone accepts those “Terms and Conditions” on every website without reading them, but your book publishing contract is too important to sign without understanding everything in it.

If you have an agent, he or she will help you work through the contract and will negotiate any changes on your behalf. If you do not have an agent, this falls to you, so you must understand what you’re reading.

This blog in no way constitutes legal advice. I will point out a few items to be aware of in contracts—whether a book contract or a contract for an article. You should always read the whole document and question anything you don’t understand, ask for clarification from the publisher, or get legal advice. At the end are a couple links to articles that include helpful information about understanding the verbiage in contracts.

Following are a few things to look for in any publishing contract for any type of publication.

At the beginning will be a paragraph saying something about this agreement being made on a particular date (check the date) between the publisher (check name and address of publisher) and you (check that your name and address are correct). Then it will describe what it is you’re delivering. It may be the working title of the book or article or a description. Check this and make sure it is correct. These three items will be shorthanded as “Publisher,” “Author,” and “Work” throughout the rest of the contract.

Another section will probably talk about Grant of Rights or something similar. This can be confusing, so read carefully and understand what each item means. While much of this is the same in almost all publishing contracts, be sure you understand what rights you’re giving to the publisher. Following is a very quick thumbnail sketch of what the terminology means:

  • All rights. Avoid selling “all rights” to your work (especially a book). If the contract says this, you should question it, unless you have already discussed doing this work as a work for hire and giving up all rights to it. In some cases, such as for articles, it’s okay. For instance, when I would hire devotional writers for our Livingstone publications, I would ask them to sign a work for hire contract that specified that they were selling “all rights” to their devotionals. That meant that they would no longer own them once they were published in the devotionals we were creating. They were paid a flat fee, got a byline, but could never publish that devotional anywhere else. They had given up all rights. That’s fair in that kind of situation, but you want to be careful with your works. For example, if you’re getting a short story published in a magazine and you’ve given up all rights, that means you can never use it again. If another publication reads it and would like to include it, say, in an anthology, they couldn’t unless they buy the rights from that publisher. It’s best not to sell all your rights.
  • First serial rights. This means that the publisher has the right to be the first publisher of your piece. After that piece has been published, the rights revert back to you. Sometimes the contract will specify First North American Serial Rights, and that means you give those first serial rights but only in North America. You could then sell first serial rights to publishers in other countries.
  • Exclusive rights. This means you give the publisher the right to publish your work and it won’t appear anywhere else at the same time. Check the wording in the contract as publishers will put a length of time on this exclusivity—probably a few months to a year. After that time period has ended, you can publish your work in other places.
  • Worldwide rights. This gives the publisher the right to publish your work anywhere in the world.

Next, a section will talk about the work itself. This will include the date when you as author must deliver your completed piece to the publisher. Make sure that is the date you have already agreed to or understood as your due date.

There will be statements you must agree to saying that you have not already published this work, that the work is truly yours (not plagiarized and nowadays not AI generated in any way), that you have not libeled anyone, that you agree to obtain permissions for quoted material (and probably pay for them yourself), etc.

There will be a section about who owns the copyright. Generally, this should say your name. While you do give away some rights (as noted above), you own the copyright.

There may be material about the publication process—who is responsible for what. In my contracts, the Publication section deals with what I can expect the publisher to do and what the publisher expects me to do.

There will be a section dedicated to money. In a book contract, this will include how much advance is coming to you and when it will be paid. The publisher often pays a portion of the advance upon you signing the contract with the remainder coming after you deliver an acceptable manuscript. There may be inclusion here for the percentage paid to your agent if you have one.

For magazine articles, it will state the agreed upon payment—although be aware if it says “upon acceptance” or “upon publication.” Since publications often work weeks or months in advance, that article about Christmas that got accepted in June could be paid in June (upon acceptance) or in December (upon publication).

In book contracts, royalty information will be in the section dedicated to money, detailing percentages that will be paid out once you have “paid back” your advance through sales. Now, this can also be very confusing. Don’t look at these percentages and do math based on the selling price of a book. These royalties are percentages of the net made by the publisher on the sales of the book. It won’t be a large amount of money per book, but the percentage you receive should increase after an initial number of sales. There may be a different percentage for e-books or audio books.

There will be caveats for books sold to certain outlets or for books you purchase.  You should see a percentage discount for books you want to purchase yourself—say, to sell at a conference where you’re speaking. And yes, sorry, you do have to purchase your own books. Publishing is a business, and the publisher invests an amount of money into each printed copy. However, usually as part of the contract, you will receive a certain number of free copies upon publication. (That you will then unbox on social media, which is what everyone does.)

You will find information about when royalty checks will be cut and sent to you (usually quarterly). And again, if you received an advance, you won’t get any royalty until that advance money has been made back to the publisher through your book’s sales.

There may be information about marketing, about using your likeness in advertising, and about what marketing the publisher will do and what you will be expected to do.

Then there will probably be a lot of standard information absolving the publisher of a lot of responsibility. Read all of that carefully as well.

Don’t be alarmed, but don’t sign without understanding either. Most of these contracts are standard across the industry—especially if from one of the Big 5 or their imprints, or from a credible independent publisher.

Some websites that can give further information:

Publishing Contracts 101 (What You Need to Know to Protect Your Work)

Book Publishing Contracts: Checklist of Deal Terms

Again, congratulations on your success! Just take your time to make sure you understand your part of your publishing contract.

Next time, we’ll talk about getting ready to work with the editor at the publishing house.

How do I become an editor? (Part 2)

lindaktaylor1 Comment

Following along from Part 1 of this little series about becoming an editor, today we’ll talk about the copyediting process.

I tell my students that this (or proofreading) will be the entry level job in a publishing house. To break in, they will look for jobs as copyeditors or sometimes they’re labeled as editorial assistants.

In a publishing house, after the content editor, in consultation with the author, finalizes the manuscript and considers it solid at the big-picture level, the manuscript will move on to a copyeditor.

The copyeditor reads at a more micro level. The macro work has been completed, so the copyeditor focuses on every paragraph, every sentence, every word, every bit of punctuation. She reads closely for sentence construction—looking for dangling or misplaced modifiers, run-ons, lack of parallelism, correct subject and verb forms. He fact checks and queries if something doesn’t make sense. She marks if a transition is needed. He checks spelling, grammar, and punctuation and works to be correct without changing the author’s voice or stylistic choices. (Yes, sentence fragments are often just fine.)

In addition, the copyeditor makes sure that the the manuscript follows house style guidelines. For instance, some Christian publishing houses may have a style that uppercases deity pronouns (He, His, Him, etc.). The copyeditor will make sure all pronouns for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are capitalized. However, if an author doesn’t want it that way (or if everything were vice versa), the copyeditor notes that on the style sheet. On that sheet goes anything specific to a manuscript that the copyeditor doesn’t want proofreaders to change when they do their pass.

The copyeditor makes the manuscript readable.

But wait, there’s more! The copyeditor also makes sure the front matter (title page, copyright page, table of contents, dedication page, etc.) and back matter (appendix, index, endnotes) are in place. He might often be charged with writing the back cover copy for the book.

Besides understanding the role and where you would fit into the publication process, what else do you need to know to be a copyeditor?

Grammar, punctuation, spelling

You need to absolutely know the basics, but beyond that, you must be willing to get into the weeds to really understand where commas should go, how to use semi-colons, nuking passive voice (when necessary), or how to render footnotes and bibliography entries.

Here are a few resources:

  • The students in my editing class use The Copyeditor’s Handbook (currently in its 4th edition) and the accompanying The Copyeditor’s Workbook (also currently in 4th edition). Working through these books will provide a solid foundation for you to know more than you ever wanted to know about grammar and punctuation. But to be an excellent copyeditor, you need these skills. I highly recommend these books for your personal study and reference if you want to be a copyeditor.
  • For fun and to test your skills, take advantage of several weblinks that offer grammar quizzes. See what you know; test what you still need to learn or improve. Try: Punctuation Practice Test; Free Grammar Quizzes (you can pay for more access, but try all the free stuff first); Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). Work your way through all of these. Find out your weak spots and then study up!
  • Work on your spelling and know the correct word. You do know the difference between disinterested and uninterested? Affect and effect? Venomous and poisonous? Save this link on your computer, Easily Confused Words, to check on words where you’re just not clear. Study them, learn them. When a word gives you pause, look it up! Your dictionary is still your best friend.
https://www.writeforharlequin.com/inside-harlequin-copy-editing-with-taryn-ortolan/

Style manuals, guides, sheets

You’ll need to know how to use style manuals; these industry “bibles” provide the standards for correct usage of anything from how to write people’s titles or addresses, to how to render times of day, to how to write centuries, to the order the front and back matter pieces. Study these books and always have them on hand as references when you come across something you need to know how to do correctly.

  • If you want to get into book editing, you should have a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style (currently in its 18th edition) or a membership to its website. This is the standard guidance for all of book publishing.
  • For magazine and news editing, which use AP style, you’ll want a copy of The Associated Press Stylebook (currently in its 57th edition).

Style guides are specific to every publisher, every organization. They should have standardized spellings and usages for words or other notations specific to the industry. For example, each Christian publisher may have a different way to write Bible book abbreviations and references, or different spellings for names of people or places (is it Ishbosheth, Ish-bosheth, or Ish Bosheth — actually all three are correct depending on the publisher).

If you’re working for a particular company as an employee or freelancer, get their style guide. The guide supersedes the style manuals (noted above), so you always go to the guide first.

As you work on a particular project, you may create a style sheet that will go with that project, noting any choices made by you or the author that differ from the style guide or style manual. For instance, I once proofread a book in which the author wanted the word Heaven capitalized. In most style guides, that word is lowercased, but because the author wanted it that way, that word went on the style sheet. That way, when the book went to the proofreader, he wouldn’t lowercase the word as incorrect.

Microsoft Word

Chances are you’re working in Microsoft Word, which is the industry standard for manuscript submissions. As a copyeditor, you can make use of the Editor tool (on the Home ribbon) that can do a quick check of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other writerly issues. I would only use this as a preliminary pass, however, as it isn’t perfect.

  • Learn how to do track changes. (And learn how to hide track changes while you’re working. That can help you avoid introducing errors while you copyedit.)
  • Learn how to accept and reject changes.
  • Learn how to do commenting. This is so important in explaining a change you’re making or querying when needed.
  • My YouTube channel has several videos that can help you with other tasks, such a inserting a title page, adding a Table of Contents, or doing basic cleanup tasks before you begin copyediting.
  • One video explains how to use templates and style tags. You may or may not need to do this for a publisher, but if it comes up, this video can help.

And note, never put what you’re working on into ChatGPT for a proofread or grammar check. You’re basically giving away that writing when you do so — someone’s creative work, a professor’s research, or company internal information. Steer clear!

Practice

Practice copyediting every chance you get. Offer to read the church newsletter or the worship song slides (!!). Anytime anyone has written anything, it needs another set of eyes. Let those eyes be yours.

Consider certifications

You might consider enhanced training and professional certifications through organizations such as ACES: The Society for Editing, EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association), or CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing & Proofreading, based in the UK), or other courses at local colleges or writers conferences. You will always learn something new.

After all, we editors are saving the world by fixing one typo at a time!

How do I become an editor? (Part 1)

lindaktaylor5 Comments

I’ve had several students take my Editing class and end up saying that it was that class that helped them discover what they wanted to do for a living. They’d been casting around, trying to be writers, and realizing that their love for words did not necessarily translate into becoming the next great American novelist. But give them a fresh manuscript to respond to, to make suggested changes on? They were off and running. They discovered that their love for words—both as readers and as writers—helped them be able to consider a manuscript, see the places where it fell short, and make suggestions. They wanted to become editors.

In my Editing class, we cover all stages of editing. I explain to my students that they probably won’t naturally enjoy all three of them—content editing, copyediting, proofreading—instead, they’ll probably take to one over the others. Inevitably, by the end of the class, some have discovered that they love the big-picture editing; others really liked the grammar portion of the class and wanted to copyedit because they can get in and mess with the sentences; others particularly enjoyed the proofreading we did on PDFs because they loved looking for errors.

It’s natural to gravitate to a particular form of editing. However, if you truly want to try to do this as a potential career, your starting point is going to be in the area of copyediting (more on that in upcoming posts). Rarely do content editing jobs open up without requiring several years of experience. However, that doesn’t mean, if this part really does come naturally to you, that you can’t do this as a freelancer.

Learning the phases of the book editing process and putting them in the correct order.

Of course, some students realize that they don’t like any of it and just want to stay on the other side of the table as writers. That’s fine. I tell them that at least the class gave them an understanding of what editors do so that, if and when they get a book contract, they’ll understand how their editor is trying to help them.

So whether you’re thinking of hanging out a shingle and doing freelance editing, or if you’re looking for a job at a publication of some kind (whether books, newspapers, or magazines), over the next few posts, I want to share with you key things to do to help you become an editor.

Content editing: the big picture

Let’s talk about the first pass on a manuscript: content editing. This has other names — sometimes developmental editing (which goes back a couple of steps and helps an author actually put together the book) or line editing. In any case, content editing is big picture editing.

For fiction: You’re reading for plot, setting characterization, rising action-climax-falling action (Freytag’s triangle), pacing, and theme. Do you want to keep reading? Is the story compelling?

For nonfiction: You’re reading to make sure the topic is covered well, that the book flows logically, that it’s written well for the target audience, that sources are noted and correct, and other things depending on the manuscript. If you’re working on a memoir, many of the factors you watch for in fiction also come into play.

Genres matter

Just as you may find yourself drawn to different types of editing, you will also find yourself drawn to different genres when it comes to what you like to edit. And you can gain expertise in those genres and focus your editing there.

For example, in nonfiction, content editing a memoir will be different from content editing a self-help book; in fiction, content editing a romance novel will be different from content editing a fantasy or sci-fi novel. Not that you can’t cross genres, but you’ll find a comfort zone and will be able to do your best work once you find it.

When content editing, it helps for you to understand how the genre works. If you love fantasy writing and understand it and hope to edit it, then continue to read lots of fantasy. Read your favorite fantasy authors, read blogs by fantasy writers, read the best of the best. And then, for good measure, read a few bad books as well so you can discern what is making the difference. When you’re marinating in a genre, content editing that fantasy manuscript will be easier because you’ll more easily see what’s missing and what will improve it. You’ll recognize the overused tropes and you’ll get a sense of what draws you as the reader into the story.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should read only fantasy. Read widely. Read the classics. Read outside your favorite genre. Read nonfiction books about writing and editing. The more that you learn about the process for both writers and editors, the better content editor you’ll be.

Stay in your lane

When doing this pass, you don’t worry about grammar or spelling or sentence structure—instead, you’re reading to see how the whole book hangs together. Your mind can’t process the big picture elements if you’re also trying to correct grammar and punctuation along the way. Besides, you may end up having the author cut or revise whole sections of the book, making it a waste of time to copyedit the detail. Leave that for the copyeditor who comes next in the process after the manuscript has been finalized by the author and content editor.

Follow along in coming weeks for more on becoming an editor, focusing on the copyediting role.

4 reasons to attend the Taylor University Professional Writers Conference

lindaktaylor1 Comment

One of the hats I wear is coordinator of the annual Taylor University Professional Writers Conference, held every summer on the university’s beautiful campus. And I am inviting you.

Just a little over 10 years ago, we started this conference, wondering, “If we build it, will they come?” Well, came they did, and we’ve been running a successful conference ever since. The conference is a natural outgrowth of the Taylor University Professional Writing major, where students are trained, among other things, to navigate the world of publishing. Meeting and networking (and sometimes interning) with agents, authors, editors, and social media experts from across the Christian publishing industry is just one of the many plusses of our program.

Here are 4 reasons you should attend our 2025 conference:

1. It’s short and inexpensive.

Our General Conference runs a day and a half and is packed with sessions and fun. It runs from Friday, July 25 at 1:00 to Saturday, July 26 at 5:00. During that time are options of 32 different sessions, 3 keynotes, open mic readings, faculty book signing, and one-on-one appointments.

And all of that (including meals) for just $139. You’ll get Friday dinner, and Saturday breakfast and lunch, and all of the activities above. If you’d like to stay overnight on campus, you can for an extra fee of $70/night.

2. Add a day for some extra, advanced training.

For $139, including meals, you can opt to come to one of our pre-conference tracks. Beginning at 1:00 on Thursday, July 24 and ending with lunch on Friday, July 25. This is an opportunity to go deeper with a particular topic. You can choose from the following two options.

Option A: Deep POV / Prepping Your Proposal

In this Advanced Track, you’ll be privileged to learn from literary agent, Linda Glaz, who had been acquiring manuscripts, editing them, and coaching writers for 13 years. You’ll learn on Thursday about deep POV, the kind of writing that will deepen the experience of the reader and allow him/her to stay in the characters’ points of view. Then, on Friday, you’ll do a deep dive into how to write a solid book proposal–one of your first steps for the gatekeepers in the publishing work.

Option B: Comics Unlocked

​Your teachers (two Taylor U students) have been interested in comic books for their entire lives and are excited to share their knowledge with you. In their Comics Unlocked sessions, you’ll learn the history of comics, the craft of comic book creation (including formatting, script writing, pacing, and page layout), the artist/writer collaboration process, and possible paths to publication. You’ll also have the opportunity to work on your own comic book pitch and plan.

3. Do both a pre-conference track and the general conference for a reduced price.

If you choose one of the pre-conference tracks AND the general conference, you get both for $249. You’ll move seamlessly from having lunch on Friday after your pre-conference session to the general conference that begins at 1:00 p.m.

Some snapshots from our 2024 conference.

4. We’re great for all ages, types, and levels of writers.

Never been to a conference before? We’re ready to help you navigate with our friendly faculty and helpful staff (who just happen to be Taylor U Professional Writing students).

Just getting your feet wet in the writing world? We’re great for beginning writers to learn about what it takes and how to get started when it comes to being a writer.

Think you’re too old to start writing? You’re never too old. Lots of Bible characters have taught us that.

Think you’re too young? If you’re at least 16, we especially want to invite you to the conference. You’ll get to take part in all the sessions and networking, plus our college student staff will give you evening activities and a sense of what college life is all about.

Thinking you’re too advanced to need a conference? Maybe you’ve been around the industry a long time; maybe you’re a published author. Even so, there is never a time that you don’t need a refresher or some encouragement. And even better, you bring your expertise to those newer writers.

Check out the conference website at www.tupwc.com and register today!

A “Find Your Tribe” gathering of nonfiction writers at the 2024 conference.

Create a personal social media calendar

lindaktaylor1 Comment

As I mentioned in a previous post (4 keys to your author social media strategy), you as a writer need to be on social media, you need to choose the platform(s) that most works for you, and you need to be posting consistently.

“Aye, there’s the rub” (to quote Shakespeare). It’s difficult to be consistent.

In that post, I suggested that you create a weekly schedule that you can keep up with (and because that weekly schedule can repeat, you easily have a monthly schedule). I said that perhaps on Monday you’ll share on Facebook about something you learned in research for your book. On Wednesday you’ll post on Pinterest some photos you found about the time period of your historical fiction. On Friday, you’ll share the link to an article you read that was pertinent to your book’s topic. On Saturday, maybe a Canva-created quote from your book.

But if you’re a visual person like me, perhaps putting this on a calendar (physical or electronic) will help this make sense. This will keep you from worrying about posting or getting behind and having lapses of days or weeks at a time.

As I was posting around the release of Pathway to Publication, I needed to create a visual plan to help me to both remember to post and not stress about remembering to post.

Below is a sample week that I created at the time. This one week provided a template for the rest of the month — which then created a habit that’s easy to remember. Each day I describe a post or two and which platform. Of course, when I feel inspired, I can post more often. I take Sundays off and breaks on Saturdays between blog posts. And I only blog once a month. I wish I could do more, I just don’t have it in me with my other responsibilities.

Sample One Week Social Media Calendar

MonTuesWedThurFriSat
Insta and X: Create a Canva with helpful line from book.
Post.		FB and X:
Post regular weekly Typo Tuesday pictures.		X: Share a link to an article of interest about writing or books.Insta and X: Post humor meme about writing, teaching, or books. X: Ask convo starter question. Insta: Photo “day in my life.”Website: Work on blog. Plan 1x or 2x month. Share on FB & X.

You may have other social media to post on, or you might set aside a day each month to work on a newsletter. The point is to decide what you need to do and then schedule time each week or month to get it done.

So much less stress when you just have to do what is scheduled on each day to do!

Beyond the weekly schedule, I try to be aware of annual holidays and special days throughout the year tied to my brand — writing, editing, books, communication, teaching. (The following are courtesy of the Days of the Year site.) These can help focus the quotes I use.

  • January: New year, resolutions, how you can set up for a successful writing year, setting goals; January 9 (National Clean Your Desk Day); January 23 (National Handwriting Day)
  • February: God’s love for us; February 7 (National Send a Card to a Friend Day); February 14 (International Book Giving Day); National Library Lovers Month; Freelance Writers Appreciation Week (second week)
  • March: March 2 (Dr. Seuss Day); March 2 (World Book Day); March 4 (National Grammar Day); Easter (March or April)
  • April: Easter (March or April); spring cleaning; April 6 (National Bookmobile Day); April 20–26 (National Stationery Week); April 23 (World Book Night); April 27 (World Stationery Day); April 30 (Independent Bookstore Day)
  • May: My college students graduating; May 3 (Write a Review Day); May 16 (National Biographers Day); May 19 (National Notebook Day); Memorial Day
  • June: my professional writing summer academy week; June 23 (National Typewriter Day)
  • July: Info about the upcoming Taylor University Professional Writers Conference (held end of July); July 1 (Write a Letter Appreciation Week); July 4 (Independence Day); July 30 (Paperback Book Day)
  • August: Prep for the teaching semester; August 5 (Blogger Day); August 9 (National Book Lovers Day); August 31 (We Love Memoirs Day)
  • September: Back to teaching; Read a New Book Month; Sept 1 (World Letter Writing Day); September 6 (National Read a Book Day)
  • October: October 1 (International Coffee Day); October 18 (National Chocolate Cupcake Day—I love cupcakes; sue me); October 29 (National Cat Day—I own way too many cats)
  • November: November 4 (Fountain Pen Day); November 15 (I Love to Write Day); Veterans Day (I’m an Air Force brat); Thanksgiving
  • December: December 21 (National Short Story Day); Christmas

Now if you check up on me, you’ll probably not see this continued activity because I know what I should do but am not very good at execution. I did fairly well around the release of my book but have not been consistent since. Writing this post is making me think I need to get myself back on track.

What about you? What do you do to stay motivated and consistent with your social media postings?

Gif courtesy of https://metricool.com/social-media-gifs/

How to spot (and avoid) publishing predators

lindaktaylor3 Comments

I’ve seen it happen one too many times (and one time is too many) — well-meaning writers get caught in the net set by predatory “publishers.” The writers thought they were getting published, only to find themselves with an inferior product (if indeed they end up with any product at all) and out a whole lot of money.

In a writers Facebook group recently, someone posted that they had received a phone call from a publisher who wanted to publish her book. She had some red flags (how did they even get her number, she wondered), so she asked the group for advice. Thankfully, every response warned her that this is a scam. I so appreciate all those seasoned writers in the online world helping one more person to not be a victim.

It’s sad to say, but the world is full of folks who are ready to take money from us moony-eyed writers who simply want to get our words out there. So how do you spot a scam?

You can spot these “publishers” by how eager they are to publish your book. Their process is simple. They will target you, do a sales job, flatter you and your book, make big promises, and then ask for money.

The fact that they target you is the first red flag. That’s not how the publishing process works. Generally, literary agents and acquisitions editors are wading through piles of proposals. They are working with the folks who know the process, not out seeking newbie writers and calling them on the phone offering to publish for a fee.

Let’s say you wrote a post on Facebook about finally finishing the writing of your book and then, magically, you receive an email or phone call from a company that effuses about your book and says they want to publish it!

Wow, you think, I didn’t realize it could be so easy!

Well, my friend, it isn’t. These folks are simply preying on new authors who haven’t yet gained the knowledge and experience of what it takes to publish a quality book. In short, they will publish anything as long as they get their money from you up front. They have no editorial standards. Their goal is not to create a quality product or see your book do well.

They are going to approach you first, flatter you, do a sales job, ask you to send them your manuscript, and ask for a credit card number for a large chunk of money (we’re talking in the thousands: $4K, $5K, $12K) for a list of services that they say they will provide (some of which are virtually meaningless, others that may or may not be delivered or may not be up to industry standards — such as their editorial process). They will send you a contract but generally the terms are not standard in the industry.

Hear me say this: These publishers are not trying to work with you to create a book of high quality. They just want your money.

https://tenor.com/view/alert-scam-sheep-zombie-lies-gif-21519331

You see, with traditional or independent publishers, they invest in your book so they have an interest in it selling well. They vet your work before publishing by studying your book proposal and sample chapters. They edit and copyedit and proofread and lay it out and create a compelling cover design and help with marketing. Because they make an investment in your book, they want to see it do well. They want to make back their investment and make money on it so that you also can make money on it.

Not so with these scam publishers. You will pay money and have no say over anything. Most detrimental of all, they contractually often take away your rights to your book — meaning you actually no longer own your book. You’ll have paid out of pocket and lost control of everything — including your book. It’s a lose-lose. These predatory publishers can afford to publish anything (no matter how poorly written or how poorly someone they hire edits it) because they aren’t making money on the sale of quality books — they are making money off you, the client. You pay them up front, so they get their money regardless of what happens with your book sales.

There is absolutely no risk to them. Some may offer up a little bit of service, but very often you will find yourself with a poor quality product that only works against you. Again, it’s a lose-lose for you.

Note that I’m focusing on those places who contact you. These may fashion themselves as “publishers” or “hybrid publishers” or “self-publishers.” And unfortunately this puts a bad face on the legitimate self-publishing or hybrid companies that, while they do charge money for their services, are working on a business model that is trying to help you create a superior product. See the link in the bulleted list below of ratings of self-publishing companies.

The key is, if it sounds too easy and too good to be true, it probably is. So before you outlay a chunk of your life’s savings, do some thorough research.

  • Look for information about the company online, especially complaints.
  • Check out this list of ratings for self-publishing companies.
  • Insist on receiving a sample contract that you can review. (If they want money first, don’t give it to them.)
  • Ask for some names of books the company has published that you can review. (Even if the company is legit, you do want to see what other types of books they publish so you know if you want to be part of their catalog.) If you can get your hands on physical books, even better, so you can check the quality. Get in contact with those authors online to ask about their experience.
  • Check out this post with more information about what to look for in order to avoid publishing scams.
  • Check out Writer Beware for other advice.

Chances are, you do all of the above with that publisher who called and flattered you, and you’ll discover a scam. Steer clear. Ultimately, you may continue your quest to get traditionally published, or you may steer toward a hybrid or self-publishing route. But you’ll be in charge, you’ll research and contact legitimate companies, and you’ll be able to create a product you can be proud of.

4 keys to your author social media strategy

lindaktaylor3 Comments

As much as I talk and teach about social media, I have rarely written about it on this blog. Turns out, 2015 was the last time. In rereading that post from nine years ago, I see that it stands the test of time. While social media constantly changes, some things stay the same. One thing that is the same:

If you want to get your book published, you need to be out there on social media.

So how do you build a social media strategy? I know many of you struggle with this. But every publisher or agent will tell you that it is vital that you have a presence on social media. Let me help you get over your distress and offer four key points.

1. It’s not all about you.

That’s meant to make you feel better. Being on social media as a writer means the privilege of engaging with your “tribe” (a Seth Godin term), the community of writers — and not just writers, but writers writing in your genre, published and unpublished, local or around the world. On social media you find and follow those people. It has never been easier to connect with your favorite authors and with other likeminded writers working in the trenches. Seriously, we need one another.

Make your social media about those folks. Celebrate their successes. Read their books and learn from them, then share them on your social media, write reviews, be excited. Point to others, not at yourself. The more you do this, I guarantee you’ll begin to build a network of people around you who will support you when your time comes.

2. But you should also share about you–authentic you.

But at the same time, you need to let people see a window into your world. You’re not just lurking over in their world while presenting a blank slate about your own. That’s hardly helpful because the whole purpose is to join these networks of people. So let them know you a little. But be you. Be authentic.

Share about your writing process: was today a great day of writing? Why or why not? What works best for you? Share about what you’re researching and learning. All writers know the rabbit trails we can get on when we’re researching information on the internet. What new pertinent (or not) information did you learn today? Then you can get a little more personal.

Pinky is not helpful at all.

You don’t need to go overboard, but do know that people are interested. Talk about how your cats are not helpful. Pets are always safe and fun, especially if you don’t want to share family photos or information. Fine, just stick with your writing. I would advise you to stay out of politics unless that’s what your book is about. Just stay on brand. You can do all of these whether you’re blogging or posting on social media.

3. You don’t need to be everywhere.

You can’t do every social media platform and do it well. After all, you have a book to write and, I assume, probably a million other things going on in your life. You should be on the platforms you’re comfortable with and where your readers are. I would advise that you have a website, because that is your own piece of real estate that all of your social media can point back to. This is where you have your author photo and bio and your blog (and yes, you need a blog so it can showcase how you write and that you can indeed write).

From there, perhaps you just want to do Facebook. Or Goodreads. Or Pinterest. If you’re writing YA, then you need to be where the young people are, which is probably Instagram. Study how to use these platforms well. Find your favorite authors or writers you admire and see what they’re doing on these platforms to give you ideas.

4. Post and engage consistently.

This ties back to the “if you want to get published” theme and the “you can’t be everywhere” idea. You may despair that you haven’t been active for a long time or you don’t have many followers. That’s okay. Start back in again, and then create a weekly schedule that you can keep up with. It has to work for you or it won’t work.

Perhaps on Monday you’ll share on Facebook about something you learned in your research. On Wednesday you’ll post on Pinterest some photos you found about the time period of your historical fiction. On Friday, you’ll share the link to an article you read that was pertinent to your book’s topic. On Saturday, maybe a Canva-created quote from your book.

Then, as people engage with you, engage with them. While many social media experts will talk about how you need X number of followers to even be considered for publication, that’s not true everywhere. If you’re building a following and engaging with your followers, if you’re actively and consistently posting on brand, if you’re showing yourself as winsome and creative and someone any publisher would love to work with, well, you’re doing it exactly right.

Realize you’re building relationships. That’s the most important thing you can do as you build your social media and create your author platform. It’s not all about you. You don’t have to become an internet influencer posting selfies all day. In fact, that’s the opposite of what you want to do. Focus not on yourself but on your tribe and your readers. Put good content out there that will be interesting and helpful to them.

Be you. Be there. Enjoy. Drop your blog link or social media handles below so I can follow you!

Formatting your Word documents the way publishers want them

lindaktaylor4 Comments

Microsoft Word can be a mystery, I know. I have worked on manuscripts since way before Word came to be (back when we carried our precious documents from computer to computer on the 5-1/2 floppy — yes, actually floppy — disks). Well, and before that, I worked on an actual typewriter. But I digress. Over the years, I’ve seen the Microsoft Word program change and evolve, making life so much easier for all of us writers.

As I created both my Word by Word book, and then it’s companion titled Pathway to Publication, I wanted to give my readers material to help them with the formatting of their Word documents to the standards that most publishers require. In this post, I talked about some of those standards. In many of my “Let’s Get Tech-y” posts, I gave step-by-step instructions along with screenshots to help Word help you do what you need to do.

But guess what? I have now actually entered the world of YouTube <raucous applause>.

Minions image courtesy of GIFER

I mean, I currently have 8 videos and 2 followers, so I’m basically an influencer now.

In any case, I will continue to create simple videos to help writers navigate Microsoft Word on my YouTube channel (@lindataylor4207).

So far, I have the following videos for your enjoyment:

Creating a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word (2 Options)

Creating a Copyright Page (and Noting Bible Versions on It)

Creating a Title Page in Microsoft Word

Inserting Page Breaks (and Why You Should Do So)

Adding Page Numbers AND Adding Page Numbers Except on the Title Page

Deleting Double Spaces, Replacing Hard Tabs, and Fixing Those Pesky Straight Quotes

Building a Manuscript Template

Adding Style Tags to Microsoft Word Documents

Help me help you. If you have a question about something in Microsoft Word, feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer and add the video to my channel.

Happy writing, everyone!