Virginia S. Anderson's Blog, page 11

A Tool for the Bravehearted: 350 Dialogue Tags!

Derek Haines at Just Publishing Advice says you CAN use dialogue tags besides “said.” I’d personally be really careful, and for goodness sakes, be sparing. But this is a great list to have in your toolkit. Let me know what … Continue reading →

Once More into the Dreaded Synopsis!

Via Chris the Story Reading Ape, this post by M. L. Davis at Uninspired Writers provides another template for tackling that hateful beast, the synopsis. We can never have enough weapons in this struggle, IMHO. Let me know if you … Continue reading →

Is There a “Morality Clause” in Your Book Contract? Better Look.

I personally found this piece from the New York Times chilling. It’s about publishers claiming the right to back out of your contract if, for any reason, you attract negative publicity. Here’s a particularly salient paragraph: This past year, regular … Continue reading →

“Writer Beware” Tells Us What to Watch Out For in So-called “Publishers”

Victoria Strauss is a gem. She does our research for us. What’s especially useful about this post is that she not only reviews specific scammers but also lists some specific clues that an author is being scammed. If you’ve been … Continue reading →

The Last Taboo in Y.A.?

I’m not a Young Adult author, but I found this piece from the New York Times intriguing. What do you think? Is “religion” as a central topic actually taboo (outside of the Christian publishing world,  I guess)? Have you read … Continue reading →

“The Book Designer” Gives Us Valuable Definitions: Copyright and License

Contributing writer David Kudler explains the basic terms copyright and license that many new authors may find confusing. (Joel Friedlander’s The Book Designer is a go-to site for a lot of extremely useful information about the publishing business. Check it … Continue reading →

Myths and Truths about Traditional Publishing—What It Was Like for Me.

I came across this post via Chris the Story Reading Ape (a crucial source for publishing tips and news). Steven Spatz, president of BookBaby.com, a book packager for independent publishers, lays out “Six Myths (and a Few Facts) about Traditional … Continue reading →

Excellent Explanation of ISBNs, Amazon, and Your Publishing Goals

I’ve included a chapter on ISBNs in my little book on formatting your paperback interior with Adobe InDesign (soon to be republished in an updated version), but this post from AuthorImprints is extremely clear, concise, and helpful. It explains in … Continue reading →

Speed-Write That Synopsis (or close)

This article by guest poster Romi Summer on Jami Gold’s site is one of the clearest synopsis-writing templates I’ve seen yet (thanks again to Chris the Story Reading Ape!). I especially like that it’s a primer on story structure as … Continue reading →

Punctuating Dialogue! Here’s How.

I wanted to write this, because I get so frustrated when I’m critiquing and I have to stop following the story line to correct the punctuation of dialogue. But I don’t have to write about dialogue because Reedsy has done … Continue reading →