Rob Bignell's Blog, page 369

Value of creating your own publishing company

When you
decide to self-publish your book, you face two choices: Either you can allow the on-demand printing house to be your publisher or you can be your own publisher and essentially contract the on-demand company to be your printer and distributor.



Either approach is fine, but depending on your long-term writing goals, you may want to give serious consideration to creating your own publishing company. That’s right – you, too, soon may be a CEO and company president (and to think, you just wanted to write a book about vampires)!



Advantages of creating your own publishing company include:

g Avoiding the appearance of being a self-published book - You do this purely for publicity purposes. Many mainstream media will not give your book any attention if it’s self-published, and they can tell it is when “CreateSpace” and “Lulu.com” appear on the book cover. But how are they to know that “Spring County Publishing Inc.” or “Dream Achieved Publishing Co.” is really just a front for your self-published book?

g Improved marketing – Having all of your writings in a single catalog at one publishing company can make promoting and selling you books easier. Says Norman Stevens, founder and owner of Storey County Publishing Company, “It's really just a way to promote my books through a publishing company rather than setting up a new website for every book I write.”

g Creating future earning opportunities – If you write a series of books around a single topic or theme, especially if its nonfiction, you’re creating a franchise that then can be sold … and why not sell your rights to the series concept “How to Fix (fill in blank) with a Hammer” for hundreds of thousands (maybe millions!) of dollars once it becomes successful? You always can move on to a series of books about “How to Get Rich”.

g Greater control of your writings – Since you’re both the publisher and the writer, you can do whatever you like with your works and potentially garner higher royalties. That’s why successful songwriters and filmmakers often create their own publishing companies.



Still, creating your own publishing company does come with some disadvantages:

g Cost of creating a business – At least at first, you’re going to spend all of your book royalties (and money from your day job) covering a variety of expenses that come with establishing your own business, specifically state/local licensing and registration as well as state and federal taxes. You’re also going to at least need some accounting software and probably some classes on starting and running a business (Where you’ll discuss such issues as whether or not to be a sole proprietor, LLC, or a corporation.).

g Time of creating a business – If you start your own publishing company, you’ve become an entrepreneur. This likely means a lot of extra work for no long-term gain or benefit (especially if just publishing a single volume), and that’s a distraction from your writing. After all, the reason you’re self-publishing is to become a published writer, not the next Donald Trump.



Should you decided to create your own publishing company, you likely will still use an on-demand publisher to print your book. You get to list your publishing company’s name on the title page and book cover, though.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Second ‘Hittin’ the trail’ guidebook released

The second
ebook in my Hittin’ the Trail series went on sale today. Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Grand Canyon National Park offers the only complete list of day hiking trails in one of the nation’s favorite national parks. In addition, with one tap of the screen, you can:

g Plan days of fun family-friendly activities

g Reserve a campsite or lodging

g Receive a list of the parks’ current programs

g Learn about special kid programs

g Find directions, entrance fees, parking lots and more!

The book is available on Kindle, Nook/Kobo, iBook/iPad and other ereaders.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Tighten writing by not countersinking

One way
for an author to slow a story is to employ “countersinking.” A term coined by science fiction writer Lewis Shiner, countersinking involves making explicit the very actions that the story implies. An example is: “We need to hide,” she said, asking him to hide.



Countersinking is also known as “expositional redundancy” and for good reason; in the above example, the character’s dialogue already directly states that she thinks they should hide. So why repeat it?



Besides slowing the story’s dramatic momentum, countersinking marks the author as lacking confidence in his or her storytelling ability.



The solution is simple: Cut the redundant wording to tighten your writing. The above example could be rewritten as: “We need to hide,” she said.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Redbery Books in Cable selling my hiking books

Redbery Books in
Cable, Wis., is carrying three of my hiking books, Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northwest Wisconsin, Hikes with Tykes: A Practical Guide to Day Hiking with Kids, and Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities. My most recent of the three books, Headin’ to the Cabin describes more than a 100 day hiking trails in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix, Sawyer and Washburn counties, including more than two dozen in the Cable area. Redbery Books is an independently owned store located at 43455 Kavanaugh Road in Cable.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Editor reading father/hiking essays in Menomonie, Wis.

In celebration of Father’s Day, I’ll be reading about hiking and fatherhood on Thursday, June 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bookends on Main in downtown Menomonie, Wis. The readings are of the completed essays in an anthology that I’m penning, Trails and Trials: Journeys of a Father and Son. Among the book’s topics: Fathers’ fears of handling a newborn, traditional vs. nontraditional roles of a father, and fathers being nurturers. Each essay shows how hiking offers the answers to these and other complex issues of being a father. After the reading, I’ll be on hand to answer questions and sign any of my various hiking books, the most current of which is available for purchase at Bookends on Main. It’ll be a great evening to visit Menomonie – the annual Downtown Clean-Up is that evening from 5 to 7 p.m. Bookends on Main is an independently owned and run bookstore, located at 214 E. Main St. in Menomonie.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Idlewild Outfitters carrying 'Headin' to the Cabin'

Idlewild Outfitters carrying 'Headin' to the Cabin'

Idlewild Outfitters
in Cumberland, Wis., is carrying my recent book, Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northwest Wisconsin. Headin’ to the Cabin describes more than a 100 day hiking trails in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix, Sawyer and Washburn counties, including more than two dozen in the Cumberland area. An independently owned store, Idlewild Outfitters primarily sells outdoors clothing and gear. Idlewild is located at 1414 2nd Ave. in Cumberland.




Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Maintain ‘fictional dream’ when penning novel

When writing
any story, your goal ought to be to create and maintain a fictional dream, or an “illusion that there is no filter between reader and events that the reader is actually experiencing what he is reading,” as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. defines it.



For the reader, one of the joys of literature is to be immersed in the fictional dream. As a writer, there may be no greater disservice to your reader than to break this illusion. As science fiction author and editor Stanley Schmidt once wrote, “Your job as a writer is to make your reader forget that he or she is reading …”



The stronger the fictional dream, the more immediate the story and its characters are to the reader. The payoff for the author is that his story’s message will stick longer with the reader – never mind that the author’s stature (and sales) correspondingly will rise.



Readers pick up a novel or turn to a short story in a magazine ready to enter a fictional dream. Like a football team that can score at will over an opponent, the author gives away the victory when he repeatedly fumbles.



To maintain the fictional dream, avoid committing these errors when writing:

g Pointless digressions - The reader expects that every sentence will move the story forward. Taking a side trip that serves no purpose in the tale delays this forward momentum, which should only increase until the story reaches its climax.

g Expository lumps - Explanations of procedures, how devices operate and future history often run too long and again break the story’s forward momentum. The best way to explain something is to show it in action and have characters give brief, partial hints so readers through their own thinking can figure out it out for themselves.

g Lists - Even worse than a lump is a list. The items in the list usually are superfluous to the story. If they aren’t, then their importance ought to be incorporated into the action.

g Turgid prose - Bombastic or pompous phrasing sounds unnatural. Authors should write as if holding a conversation with the reader, not lecturing and talking down to him.

g Unrealistic characters - If a character appears false, then the reader won’t identify with him or will find his actions unbelievable.

g Premise with holes in it – Stories make arguments and draw conclusions. If the argument is satisfactorily supported or steps skipped to reach a conclusion, the reader will questions about the story rather than enjoy it.

g Shifts in viewpoint - Changing the perspective from which a story is told can be jarring to the reader.

g Telling rather than showing - By telling what happens, as if giving stage directions, the reader is distanced from the action and the characters.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Spooner, Wis., bookstore carrying hiking book

Northwind Book and Fiber in
Spooner, Wis., is carrying my recent book, Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northwest Wisconsin. Headin’ to the Cabin describes more than a 100 day hiking trails in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix, Sawyer and Washburn counties, including more than two dozen in the Spooner area. An independently owned bookstore, Northwind Book and Fiber features titles by local authors and on local subjects, as well as locally made art and jewelry. The bookstore is located at 205 Walnut St. in Spooner.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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The St. Paul (Minn.)

Pioneer Press ran an article about my recent book, Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northwest Wisconsin in Wednesday’s edition. Headin’ to the Cabin describes more than a 100 day hiking trails in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix, Sawyer and Washburn counties. Of the book, the Pioneer Press wrote, “Instead of focusing on the more popular backcountry trails, he decided to find good trails that would be easily accessible from people’s cabins throughout the area.” The article appears on page A5 or can be read online.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Related articles

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(You can’t own) bachelors vs. bachelor’s degree

You’d think
someone with a college education would know whether or not to use an apostrophe, but apparently they don’t teach this anymore.



The professor says use an apostrophe. Why you ask, o seeker of knowledge? Because bachelor has two meanings: An unmarried man and someone (male or female) who has earned a college degree. Since the degree is owned by this graduate, an apostrophe is needed to show possession.

One more thing: Lowercase bachelor unless giving the name of a specific degree. So you can have a bachelor’s degree or a Bachelor of Arts Degree.



Bonus for advanced students seeking additional coursework: The same rules apply for masters degree vs. master’s degree.



Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Excuse me, er... Mam vs. ma'am