Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 209

Does Every Writer Need An Editor?

There's been much to-do about the roaring stream of poorly edited books produced by "self-published" authors.

And, even though there can be valid reasons for not following the "rules" when writing, typos and fractured sentences will appear in any writer's manuscript.

Can they find these mistakes themselves?

I do suppose there are a precious few who could…

For the rest of us, there are editors.

While writing my novel, Notes from An Alien, I went to the Owner of Book Island, Selina Greene (former publisher), and let her know how poor I was and my concern about not being able to afford an editor.

She told me to contact my local universities and solicit the English Grad students.

After three phone calls and as many emails, I had found my editor and she only wanted an acknowledgement of her efforts in the book :-)

In a previous post, Should Writers Fear Editors?, I shared some of the common misperceptions of editors from an article by Alan Rinzler.

And, for those not challenged by near-abject poverty, I recently found some wonderful editorial information.

Eva van Emden is a full-time freelance editor with, of all things, her own editing blog :-)

And, though her full site is, justifiably, focused on offering a writer her own services, she provides much more, like these clear points of the purpose of an editor:

suggest improvements to strengthen the flow of your story or argument,
identify places where the phrasing is unclear and suggest an alternative,
catch embarrassing typos and spelling mistakes,
edit spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, punctuation, and layout to be consistent within the document and to conform to the appropriate style.

There's also a page of Editing Resources that includes the following topics:

Help with hiring a freelance editor

Editors' organizations

Dictionaries

Style guides and editing references

Writing resources

Editing Fiction

Book news

Free software

You might also want to visit her page describing the various types of editing :-)

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Tagged: Alan Rinzler, editing, editor, Eva van Emden, typos, unedited, Writing and Editing, Writing Resources

Can An Author Learn About Writing from an Economist?

In a previous post we asked the question, Can An Author Learn About Writing From A Singer?

One might think it easy to learn useful things about writing from other artists but is it feasible with other life-callings?

Tyler Cowen occupies the Holbert C. Harris Chair of economics as a professor at George Mason University.

He has a blog called Marginal Revolution.

In another previous post there was a video that explored The Danger of A Single Story.

In the video below, Cowen explores the danger of the Simple Story…

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Tagged: author, Economics, George Mason University, Marginal Revolution, Simple Story, stories, Tyler Cowen, Writing Resources

What *Is* The Right Word, Anyway?

Whether you're a writer looking for the right word or a reader wondering what that particular word means, dictionaries can be handy.

Still, dictionaries have been mere snapshots of an ever-changing language…

In the previous post, Dictionary Evangelist, there was an entertaining video of lexicographer, Erin McKean, who thought it was important to have a dictionary to which words could be continually added. Do checkout her creation, Wordnik, and add a few words :-)

I use a free program called WordWeb on my computer (which, sadly, is only for PCs) that lets me check spelling and meaning by highlighting any word in any program or web page and clicking a couple keys, voila!

And, if you want to trace the historical meanings and roots of words, even though many dictionaries have some of that, you might use an Etymology Dictionary.

Speaking of history, and staying with English, there is the famous dictionary of Samuel Johnson from 1755.

Going further into history and delving into the trials and challenges of lexicographers, spend some careful reading time with the Preface to Johnson's 1755 dictionary.

Care to share any really strange words with us in the comments?

Have any words you've created that you'd like to see in the language?

Any words you think should be banned?

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Tagged: 1755 Dictionary, Dictionary, English language, Erin McKean, Samuel Johnson, word, Wordnik, WordWeb

Some Reviews Feel Better Than Others

There are reviews and there are REVIEWS.

Even amongst all the good ones, there are those that make a deeper impression on the author.

And, there can be reviews that are good for the book but don't make the author feel good…

It's even possible to like bad reviews, as was indicated in our post, Bad Reviews Are Good ?

As far as Notes from An Alien goes, the post, "Almost" "Reviews", had me saying about a particular review, from a humble reader who struggles with the English language, that, "No writer could ask for anything more………"

Still, a treasured review from a humble reader is different than a treasured review from another author—cherished in different ways.

There are a few reviews from authors on our Review Page but one was just released that has special reverberations…

Jane Watson is the Australian author who wrote Hindustan Contessa.

You can read an interview with her here.

She is my best friend…

Some may think that last comment "invalidates" a review of my book from Jane.

But Jane knows me, perhaps better than anyone; and, knowing something about the author can infuse a review with special insights.

I'm including her review here but also giving you the link to it at Amazon since it could help sales a bit if you went to the site and rated or commented on Jane's review :-)

The Thinking Person's sci-fi

"I loved this book. Notes From An Alien is a deep epic with many voices, which work together to create a concert of meaning, which is both instructive and profound. The book is quite 'documentary' in style and structure, yet the writing has intense lyrical moments which draw the reader in.

"The story, told through science fiction, expresses the belief that world peace is possible and can be everlasting. The writer uses a clever technique of telling the story as a history of a distant planet. Soon however the reader comes to realize that this struggle could be the history of Earth itself in the future.

"The plot turns in many remarkable ways but mostly the book seeds in the mind a desire to think about the worlds it describes and how they may have come about. The characters are finely drawn, not the least is the narrator, Sena, whose voice begins the narration in a most intriguing way. She has a poised intimate voice and her method of addressing the reader is arresting:

"'I am a woman from a star system about twelve light-years from Earth. If you choose to believe me, my story might be considered a history lesson—how to achieve unity and peace—a lesson that Earth desperately needs. If you choose to not believe I'm real, my tale might be considered a science fiction story about how to achieve unity and peace—a lesson that Earth desperately needs… I'll proceed on the premise that I am real.'

"How can we resist such an invitation to listen?

"She goes on to make the observation:

"'And, even though I'm speaking to you now in what's called first-person point of view, most of the story will be told in what writers call third-person omniscient, which means that the other people in this tale won't be the storytellers. This is what writers on Earth use to give them more freedom of expression—jumping from an overall point of view to very personal views and back out, much like what a camera does in a movie.'

"Which is apt because, for most of the book, I felt the reader was watching the stories unfold in a cinematic fashion, so much so that I am hoping that someone does make this into a movie! This is Dune without spice but with plasma as a far more potent symbol of connection. In fact as I read on I realized that Plasma was one of the most important 'characters' in the book. The concept of plasma as a connecting force or medium is fascinating. I found myself on several occasions looking up the index of science-based books in bookshops looking for the word.

"This is the Thinking Person's sci-fi, which is more speculative in nature than fantastical. The philosophy is about understanding the self as a part of a broader connected universal family. You are left with the conviction that the events it describes could happen and by the end Sena's words seem like a prophecy and a warning. Go read it!"

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Tagged: book review, FastPencil, fiction, Hindustan Contessa, Jane Watson, Notes from An Alien, novel, review

"Almost" "Reviews" . . .

How short can something be before the "experts" say it's not a review?

My dictionary gives a first definition as: "A new appraisal or evaluation".

There is a special page on this blog used for "normal" Reviews of my books.

This post will give three very short "reviews"… and, I'll add this post to the Review Page :-)

The first "review" arrived as an incident related to me by a prison librarian.

Johnpaul Mahofski placed my book, Notes from An Alien, in his library at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Maryland.

Someone checked it out then, a couple months later, someone else checked it in.

It was in bad shape, the pages and cover wrinkled so badly that Johnpaul decided he had to replace it.

My book had suffered the same treatment that books of the inmates' most popular genre, Urban Fiction, had suffered—being passed around so much they began to fall apart…

The second almost-review happened today.

Once a book is released and promoted on the Web, an author is well-served by having a Google alert set up to see everything being said and done about the book.

Without my interacting with Tamela Quijas, she created a post with images and links to my book, saying: "I've fallen head first  into the world of Sci-Fi.  I've absolutely LOVED the novels that have passed my desk…The latest Sci-Fi thriller on my reading list is Notes from An Alien…"

Tamela doesn't give any of her own opinions about my book but the layout of the post is "A new appraisal or evaluation".

The last review is still short but much sweeter.

My long-time, never-met-in-person friend Catherine Roberts had received a free copy of Notes from an Alien but was struggling with the language, not being a fluent English reader.

She went ahead and purchased the book and sent me this charming email:

"Yesterday I received your book in the mail, I already read most of it last night and today, I was already a bit familiar with it, since you sent me the whole script over the internet, but I find it much more interesting to read from the book …truely exceptionel good writing a bit complex in a few areas for me that is a norm since I never studied true difficult words in english, I look them up…also I think I reconize quite a few of the people that are mentioned in fictiouse names. I love the book Alex, and you are a absolutely great writer as far as I may state."

No writer could ask for anything more………

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Tagged: book review, Eastern Correctional Institution, Google Alert, Johnpaul Mahofski, Maryland, Notes from An Alien, review, Urban Fiction

What Will Happen To Print Books ?

Hold it in your hand…

Feel it and smell it…

Turn its pages…

Dog its pages, if you dare.

I, personally, feel print books will stay with us forever.

One good sign of this is an article in The Guardian by Robert McCrum called Traditional books, dressed to kill…

It's about publishers making hardbacks with covers that harken back to an age of marked respect for the printed book.

The standard, mass-market paperback may disappear but trade paperbacks could survive.

And, I certainly hope independent book artists survive—people like Mia Leijonstedt.

I met her on Google Plus and instantly fell in love with what she does with books.

This image is from her personal site:

Her comment on the next image is interesting:

"A dear friend and a truly wonderful human being inspired me with her request for a little book as a pendant… This one is covered in reindeer leather and incorporates a Sichuan Quartz ("Tibetan Herkimer") with a type of jasper called African Turquoise."

What do you think will happen to print books as ebooks continue to take the world by storm??

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Tagged: Arts, E-book, ebook, Hardback, Mia Leijonstedt, Paperback, Print book, Robert McCrum

Is A Book Ever Finished?

The poet, Paul Valéry, said, "A poem is never finished, only abandoned."

But, what about a book of fiction?

Many authors will admit that they wish they'd done things a bit differently in their already-published books and, at times, a second or revised edition is produced.

But what if an author could change the first edition without readers knowing?

With digital publications, this is a possibility…

Does it matter that a certain set of readers have one ending to a story and a latter group have a slightly different ending?

Cleaning up typos is one thing—is changing the meaning of a passage or chapter somehow wrong?

I published a novel in May and immediately read a print copy—realized some things could be changed—decided to leave it as it was published…

However, Bethanie Blanchard, a writer for the Australian publication Crikey, has a recent article called, E-publishing and the dangers of malleability.

In that article, she says:

"Taken to its logical conclusion, if it became the norm for authors to endlessly revise their novels with no announcement in the (apparently) same edition, reviewing would become redundant. Why spend all your time reading a novel and carefully crafting an analysis when the text could change at any time? For authors desperate to have their works reviewed, the whole thing seems counter-intuitive."

And the readers? Is it fair to alter a text behind the scenes, change the thrust of a story, create a readership that could be considered divided into various camps that aren't clearly aware of their different experiences?

Would it be fair to have one reader, having seen the protagonist hide in a store while his girlfriend walked by with another man, get into an argument with another reader who'd seen that protagonist decide to confront his girlfriend openly (even though the man is the woman's brother)?

When does a book stop being written?

What are the responsibilities of an author to their readership?

Another quote from Blanchard:

"The importance of books, essays, commentary – whatever their topic or form – is in their status as time capsules. They show us how far we've developed, how our thinking has changed and attitudes evolved. To alter texts to suit the current moment is to find ourselves trapped in the perpetual present. Though I don't think this will be…the 'future of books', it's an interesting reminder of the dangers of covert malleability for online and e-book publishing."

What are your thoughts and feelings on this issue?

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Tagged: Bethanie Blanchard, Crikey, E-book, Ebook Revisions, fiction, Paul Valéry, Readers, When Is A Book Finished

Press Coverage and Media Reviews Don't Help Sell Books?

I've been around the block quite a few times and it's common for the Hype to be much bigger than the Facts.

The sad thing is how much folks believe the Hype…

Joe Konrath has been referenced here many times. Yesterday, he posted an article called, The Value of Publicity.

Among a raft of bomb-shell statements, this derived excerpt is somewhat mind-boggling:

"…I often get interviewed….You'd think all of this publicity has lead to increased sales of my ebooks.  You'd think wrong.

"The people who buy me are readers, and the vast majority have never heard of me. Readers find me on Amazon, because Amazon has made it easy for my books to be discovered."

He says that his press and publicity is read by writers and those in the publishing industry; and, he keeps track of his sales spikes so he has proof that the Hype isn't true.

This is a man who's made $140k in the last 30 days. He says, "I made it because I positioned my titles [on Amazon] properly."

The article also has 8 points to prove his sales aren't affected by publicity and 6 points for writers to ponder in their effort to reap sales.

And, as for the effect of social-networking, he ends the article with this comment: "And feel free to tweet this. It won't help me sell many ebooks, but it could help your peers."

Can Konrath's experience be extrapolated to other writers? Many of Joe's commenters seem to be justifying that…

I've always found Konrath's experiences fascinating.

What do you think?

Is Konrath the Hype and traditional reviewers and media's coverage the innocent victims of one writer's vilification?

Is the traditional publishing industry blind to the ineffectiveness of their standard methods?

Is Konrath an anomaly?

Do writers need to consider Amazon as their go-to platform for sales success?

I'd love to hear your ideas, feelings, and opinions…

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Tagged: Amazon, Book Reviews, E-book, J. A. Konrath, Joe Konrath, Kindle, Media Coverage, publishing

The Internet Could Be In Bad Trouble

Watch this video and, please, leave a comment…

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Tagged: Censorship, Internet, Internet Censorship, Protect IP, SOPA, SOPA Act

How Can Writers Avoid Being Scammed?

A writer sheds blood, over many months or years, to finish a creative work.

They strive, for many more months or years, to attract a traditional publisher.

They finally grow weary and anxious and fall into a publishing scam…

I feel lucky I avoided the years of attracting a traditional publisher by taking the non-traditional path sooner than many.

I was also lucky in finding a "publishing-aid company", FastPencil, that's reputable.

I like to think my Muse guided me to FastPencil since there are so many seemingly attractive "options" open to aspiring writers these days.

I discovered an article recently on the Accredited Online Colleges site called, 10 Common Self-Publishing Scams You Should Be Aware Of.

I'll give you their list but be aware that each topic-heading in the article is hot-linked to another article on that particlular subject:

Excessively flattering offers

Promises that are too good to be true

Copyrighting tricks

Crazy contracts

Suspect marketing

Vanity publishing

Guaranteeing success

Promises to make your book "available"

Editor services and referrals

Offering discounts to authors for resale

I'll also direct you toward a site run by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, WRITER BEWARE.

This site has been around quite awhile and is of help to aspiring authors even if they never go near the indicated genres :-)

And, to stay on the bleeding-edge of nefarious activity, they also have the Writer Beware Blog.

If you've heard about or been involved in any publishing scams, please share with us in the Comments…

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Tagged: Author Scams, FastPencil, Mystery Writers of America, publish, Publishing Scams, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Writer Beware, Writer Resources