A-Z of Self-publishing and writing tips: Q - S
Continuing with my series of writing and self-publishing tips, today I will be dealing with a few common mistakes writers make in their manuscripts and also giving you a list of resources for writers and readers.
Q
Quotes, quotation marks
It doesn't matter whether you use single or double quotation marks for dialogue. Double quotes are more common in American English, whereas in the UK we tend to use single quotes for dialogue. The thing to note is that where you use double quotes for dialogue, you should use single quotes when you have speech within speech, and vice versa.
An example:
'Margery said she would be coming to tea; I asked her what time and she said, "See you at four".'
"Margery said she would be coming to tea; I asked her what time and she said, 'See you at four'."
Quotation marks are often used wrongly to emphasise a word in a sentence, when italics should be used instead, e.g.:
The meal was "delicious".
Italics should be used for emphasis:
The meal was delicious.
The reason I say that this usage is incorrect in this case is because the accepted use for quotation marks in prose (when not relating to the word itself) is for irony. So for example, in the above sentence by saying "delicious" in quotes, one might assume that the narrator didn't really like the meal.
You can use quotes to single out certain words in a sentence when the emphasis is on the word itself, e.g.
If you wanted to single out the word, 'horse' in a sentence, it is acceptable to use the quotes as I have just done.
Have I confused you enough yet? Good.
Who said writing was easy?
Another other thing I want to say about quotes is that the general rule is, where you use double quotes for speech, you should use single for highlighting other words. An example:
'Where are you going?' asked Jessica.
I wanted to tell her I was going home; I was tired, and needed to sleep. To be honest, I didn't really know where "home" was.
Question marks
Incorrect use of question marks. Another common mistake. I used to do it quite a lot which is why I'm an expert. (Having said that, I still do it quite a lot in my first drafts... )
Question marks should only be used at the end of a sentence when a direct question has been asked.
How are you?
Where are you?
Are you sure you know how to use question marks?
Some examples of inappropriate use of question marks:
It was possible Duncan was feeling the same way about it?
If he went to bed now, he might not be able to sleep?
Perhaps Matthew would ask her out?
I've also noticed a common usage of question marks in the wrong part of the sentence. For example:
Would he end up alone; someone once told him he might?
(Yes, that sort of mistake happens a lot!)
Would he end up alone? Someone once told him he might.
Much better, see?
So, we just need to think a bit more about where the question mark should be in the sentence.
R
Reviews
I could probably write a whole book just dedicated to these little things that mean a lot and then again don't mean much at all... Reviews... can't live with them, can't live without them.
For readers:
A heartfelt plea:
Please, please, please, WRITE A REVIEW IF YOU LOVE/LIKE A BOOK. IT MEANS A LOT, WHICH IS WHY I AM TYPING IN CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!!
If you don't love/like a book... be kind!! I cannot stress that enough. There will be things we don't like about a book, and I am all for free speech, BUT there is always something to like/love about even a rubbish book. DO NOT give a 1 star review unless you can back it up with a REAL reason. If a book has offended your soul, you can give a 1 star review... I have done so in the past. Otherwise BE KIND. Do you know how many months... if not years... of a writer's life is spent writing a book? They have written something AND had the courage to let others read it. That alone should warrant a bit of respect. No matter what a writer tells you, our books are personal to us. Most of my fiction contains stuff from my personal life which is fictionalised. Writers are often sensitive souls and may use their writing as a way of trying to comprehend the world we live in. DO NOT write a review without thinking about what you are writing. By all means, if you notice something the writer could have done better, point it out. Many of my more 'critical' reviews have pointed the way for me to become a better writer. HAVE A HEART when you're writing a review as most authors (especially independent authors who are just starting out) will read your review and WILL take it to heart.
Most writers will admit that their first book is not their best work, but having someone completely tear it apart in a review does no one any good. A writer improves with each book he or she writes. A little encouragement can go a long way.
Whenever I read a book that I don't like much, I try to point out the good and bad aspects in my review. If I honestly cannot give 3, 4, or 5 stars, I won't review it.
Be honest with your reviews. Even if you have a few negative things to say (among the nice things!!) the writer will thank you. Maybe not immediately, but later when they are more experienced.
A final and important point is -- your review does not have to be a masterpiece. It can be one or two lines saying what you liked about the book. You do not have to rehash the whole storyline in a review; in fact, I don't like the reviews that give away too much of the story. Be brief but say what you want to say. Why you think others should read the book. And, yes, say what you didn't like about it, that will help the writer; but try to be kind.
For Writers:
The best advice if you want to stay sane is DO NOT read the reviews. But most writers are curious creatures. Curiosity is one of the things that fuels our creativity. We cannot help but read the reviews, word for word... and then we concentrate on the negative parts of the review and start to cry... yes, I've been there a few times.
As you get more experienced as a writer, the bad reviews will not faze you as much (hopefully because you will have many good reviews to balance them out). I read a great piece of advice recently; it goes something like: one third of the audience will love your work, one third will be indifferent, and one third will hate it.
This puts things in perspective. If you have lots of bad reviews you're just not reaching the right audience.
Reviews are needed because the more reviews you have, the more sales you get; that's just the way it goes. Readers will be more likely to buy a book with 1000 reviews than one that only has 10. It seems more popular.
Whenever you're feeling down about a 1 star review, go and check out your favourite bestselling author's Amazon page; you'll see that even the big names get lots of 1 star reviews.
Finally, and probably the most important thing: a review is only ONE person's opinion. It doesn't mean your book is fantastic or rubbish. It means the book is fantastic or rubbish in THAT person's OPINION.
NEVER think that your work is that great that it should only ever get 5 star reviews... you are fooling yourself.
Resources for writers
We all know it's important for writers to make use of companies/websites that can help to perfect and promote our work. Here is a list of useful sites I have found and would recommend:
E-Book Formatting:
eBookBuilders: http://www.e-bookbuilders.com/
This is an e-book formatting company that will format your book as an epub and Kindle/mobi. I used the company for the kindle version of my novel Haunted, and was very pleased with the professional looking results, and the speedy service.
Ellie Mendez: http://www.ebook-format.com/
When I was looking for someone to format my book Coincidences for Smashwords I found Ellie via a fellow author, Susan Buchanan. eBookBuilders don't do Word formatting and Smashwords only accept .doc files, so I used Ellie's service for formatting. I was very pleased with quick and professional service, and the results!
Proofreading:
Proofread Julia: http://www.facebook.com/ProofreaderJulia
I usually use fellow writers for proofreading/beta reading, but have recently been introduced to Julia, who does this for a living, and she is good because I have read a book that she proofread You Wish... by Terry Tyler. She is in fact, Terry's sister. I am thinking of using her services for my next book. It's always good to have professional results.
Editing:
West of Mars: whttp://westofmars.com/susans-editing-...
Author Susan Helene Gottfried offer an editing service. I used her for my book, Haunted, and was pleased with the results.
Other editors that have been recommended to me by other authors are:
Dionne Lister http://dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.c...
Robert Helle: https://twitter.com/cubfan0217
All of the above services have reasonable rates, and it's definitely worth spending a bit of money to make sure you have a professional product.
Websites that are good for promotion:
BestsellerBound Recommends: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
This is a blog started by Darcia Helle, which I contribute to and help to maintain, along with author J. Michael Radcliffe.
If you're an indie author and would like to be featured, check our our submissions page and rules here: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
Celebrating Authors:
This site is similar to BestsellerBound blog; indie authors can choose from a list of promotional opportunities: http://celebratingauthors.blogspot.co...
World Literary Cafe: http://www.worldlitcafe.com/
This site does everything from promoting free Kindle books to interviews, and has special features; for example, there is a #WLCTwitterFollows group where you list your Twitter name and then people from the writing community follow you on Twitter & you follow back. A good way to build up a following.
Also, don't forget that doing interviews on your fellow authors' blogs is also good for promotion. As are giveaways (mentioned in one of my earlier posts in this series).
Review sites:
Orchard Book Club: http://www.facebook.com/OrchardBookClub
http://orchardbookclub.wordpress.com/
Juniper Grove: http://www.junipergrove.net/
BestsellerBound Recommends has a list of reviewers: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
The above review sites are also great places for readers to find new authors and books.
S
Spelling
Please don't only rely on spellcheck on your PC. It will not pick up words that can be spelt in different ways, e.g. there, their, they're, may have been used wrongly or you may have used 'if' instead of 'is'. Just because a word is correctly spelt, it doesn't mean there are no errors in the document. Again, this is where a good proofreader can come in handy.
Show Vs Tell/Storytelling
One of the most common things that editors complain about is how much 'telling' instead of 'showing' there is in a book.
Telling would be e.g.
Adam used to work for a supermarket. He worked long hours. Never came home until late in the evening. His wife didn't like that. She always used to complain at him. Nagging. He hated the nagging.
Showing this would be, for example:
Adam turned his key in the front door.
'Where have you been?' asked Jodie, frowning. Her arms crossed in front of her showed that she was not happy.
'I've been at work.'
'You're always working! How long do bloody supermarkets stay open these days?'
'It's a twenty-four hour store.' Adam pushed past her and walked into the living room.
As you can see, there is more action in showing as opposed to telling, and readers prefer something that will help them imagine the story.
Having said that, I believe there is a place for both showing and telling in a good novel. Finding the balance is the tricky bit.
I find that my first drafts are always full of telling. This is because I believe in getting the story down on paper as quickly as I can. I then take my time to edit. I look for scenes that can be developed from the 'telling'. It's all part of the editing process.
Where there is too much 'telling' in a book, it often makes the reader feel dissatisfied. It make me (as a writer) feel that the book could have been improved if more time had been taken to develop the scenes.
Smashwords
Smashwords.com is a site where indie writers can publish an e-book so that readers can download from the site in any e-book format they choose. I think it's a great site and believe that many readers haven't heard of it. It tends to be only indie authors that use the site, which is a pity because there are lots of bargain books and fabulous reads on the site.
For writers, you can also choose to publish the book so that it's distributed by Smashwords to Barnes & Noble, Sony, iBookstore, and other sites.
If you're an author outside the US, you will need to submit tax details to avoid the withholding tax (much in the same way as Amazon KDP).
************************************************************************************
I hope you'll find the above tips and recommendations useful.
Thanks for reading.
Q
Quotes, quotation marks
It doesn't matter whether you use single or double quotation marks for dialogue. Double quotes are more common in American English, whereas in the UK we tend to use single quotes for dialogue. The thing to note is that where you use double quotes for dialogue, you should use single quotes when you have speech within speech, and vice versa.
An example:
'Margery said she would be coming to tea; I asked her what time and she said, "See you at four".'
"Margery said she would be coming to tea; I asked her what time and she said, 'See you at four'."
Quotation marks are often used wrongly to emphasise a word in a sentence, when italics should be used instead, e.g.:
The meal was "delicious".
Italics should be used for emphasis:
The meal was delicious.
The reason I say that this usage is incorrect in this case is because the accepted use for quotation marks in prose (when not relating to the word itself) is for irony. So for example, in the above sentence by saying "delicious" in quotes, one might assume that the narrator didn't really like the meal.
You can use quotes to single out certain words in a sentence when the emphasis is on the word itself, e.g.
If you wanted to single out the word, 'horse' in a sentence, it is acceptable to use the quotes as I have just done.
Have I confused you enough yet? Good.
Who said writing was easy?
Another other thing I want to say about quotes is that the general rule is, where you use double quotes for speech, you should use single for highlighting other words. An example:
'Where are you going?' asked Jessica.
I wanted to tell her I was going home; I was tired, and needed to sleep. To be honest, I didn't really know where "home" was.
Question marks
Incorrect use of question marks. Another common mistake. I used to do it quite a lot which is why I'm an expert. (Having said that, I still do it quite a lot in my first drafts... )
Question marks should only be used at the end of a sentence when a direct question has been asked.
How are you?
Where are you?
Are you sure you know how to use question marks?
Some examples of inappropriate use of question marks:
It was possible Duncan was feeling the same way about it?
If he went to bed now, he might not be able to sleep?
Perhaps Matthew would ask her out?
I've also noticed a common usage of question marks in the wrong part of the sentence. For example:
Would he end up alone; someone once told him he might?
(Yes, that sort of mistake happens a lot!)
Would he end up alone? Someone once told him he might.
Much better, see?
So, we just need to think a bit more about where the question mark should be in the sentence.
R
Reviews
I could probably write a whole book just dedicated to these little things that mean a lot and then again don't mean much at all... Reviews... can't live with them, can't live without them.
For readers:
A heartfelt plea:
Please, please, please, WRITE A REVIEW IF YOU LOVE/LIKE A BOOK. IT MEANS A LOT, WHICH IS WHY I AM TYPING IN CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!!
If you don't love/like a book... be kind!! I cannot stress that enough. There will be things we don't like about a book, and I am all for free speech, BUT there is always something to like/love about even a rubbish book. DO NOT give a 1 star review unless you can back it up with a REAL reason. If a book has offended your soul, you can give a 1 star review... I have done so in the past. Otherwise BE KIND. Do you know how many months... if not years... of a writer's life is spent writing a book? They have written something AND had the courage to let others read it. That alone should warrant a bit of respect. No matter what a writer tells you, our books are personal to us. Most of my fiction contains stuff from my personal life which is fictionalised. Writers are often sensitive souls and may use their writing as a way of trying to comprehend the world we live in. DO NOT write a review without thinking about what you are writing. By all means, if you notice something the writer could have done better, point it out. Many of my more 'critical' reviews have pointed the way for me to become a better writer. HAVE A HEART when you're writing a review as most authors (especially independent authors who are just starting out) will read your review and WILL take it to heart.
Most writers will admit that their first book is not their best work, but having someone completely tear it apart in a review does no one any good. A writer improves with each book he or she writes. A little encouragement can go a long way.
Whenever I read a book that I don't like much, I try to point out the good and bad aspects in my review. If I honestly cannot give 3, 4, or 5 stars, I won't review it.
Be honest with your reviews. Even if you have a few negative things to say (among the nice things!!) the writer will thank you. Maybe not immediately, but later when they are more experienced.
A final and important point is -- your review does not have to be a masterpiece. It can be one or two lines saying what you liked about the book. You do not have to rehash the whole storyline in a review; in fact, I don't like the reviews that give away too much of the story. Be brief but say what you want to say. Why you think others should read the book. And, yes, say what you didn't like about it, that will help the writer; but try to be kind.
For Writers:
The best advice if you want to stay sane is DO NOT read the reviews. But most writers are curious creatures. Curiosity is one of the things that fuels our creativity. We cannot help but read the reviews, word for word... and then we concentrate on the negative parts of the review and start to cry... yes, I've been there a few times.
As you get more experienced as a writer, the bad reviews will not faze you as much (hopefully because you will have many good reviews to balance them out). I read a great piece of advice recently; it goes something like: one third of the audience will love your work, one third will be indifferent, and one third will hate it.
This puts things in perspective. If you have lots of bad reviews you're just not reaching the right audience.
Reviews are needed because the more reviews you have, the more sales you get; that's just the way it goes. Readers will be more likely to buy a book with 1000 reviews than one that only has 10. It seems more popular.
Whenever you're feeling down about a 1 star review, go and check out your favourite bestselling author's Amazon page; you'll see that even the big names get lots of 1 star reviews.
Finally, and probably the most important thing: a review is only ONE person's opinion. It doesn't mean your book is fantastic or rubbish. It means the book is fantastic or rubbish in THAT person's OPINION.
NEVER think that your work is that great that it should only ever get 5 star reviews... you are fooling yourself.
Resources for writers
We all know it's important for writers to make use of companies/websites that can help to perfect and promote our work. Here is a list of useful sites I have found and would recommend:
E-Book Formatting:
eBookBuilders: http://www.e-bookbuilders.com/
This is an e-book formatting company that will format your book as an epub and Kindle/mobi. I used the company for the kindle version of my novel Haunted, and was very pleased with the professional looking results, and the speedy service.
Ellie Mendez: http://www.ebook-format.com/
When I was looking for someone to format my book Coincidences for Smashwords I found Ellie via a fellow author, Susan Buchanan. eBookBuilders don't do Word formatting and Smashwords only accept .doc files, so I used Ellie's service for formatting. I was very pleased with quick and professional service, and the results!
Proofreading:
Proofread Julia: http://www.facebook.com/ProofreaderJulia
I usually use fellow writers for proofreading/beta reading, but have recently been introduced to Julia, who does this for a living, and she is good because I have read a book that she proofread You Wish... by Terry Tyler. She is in fact, Terry's sister. I am thinking of using her services for my next book. It's always good to have professional results.
Editing:
West of Mars: whttp://westofmars.com/susans-editing-...
Author Susan Helene Gottfried offer an editing service. I used her for my book, Haunted, and was pleased with the results.
Other editors that have been recommended to me by other authors are:
Dionne Lister http://dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.c...
Robert Helle: https://twitter.com/cubfan0217
All of the above services have reasonable rates, and it's definitely worth spending a bit of money to make sure you have a professional product.
Websites that are good for promotion:
BestsellerBound Recommends: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
This is a blog started by Darcia Helle, which I contribute to and help to maintain, along with author J. Michael Radcliffe.
If you're an indie author and would like to be featured, check our our submissions page and rules here: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
Celebrating Authors:
This site is similar to BestsellerBound blog; indie authors can choose from a list of promotional opportunities: http://celebratingauthors.blogspot.co...
World Literary Cafe: http://www.worldlitcafe.com/
This site does everything from promoting free Kindle books to interviews, and has special features; for example, there is a #WLCTwitterFollows group where you list your Twitter name and then people from the writing community follow you on Twitter & you follow back. A good way to build up a following.
Also, don't forget that doing interviews on your fellow authors' blogs is also good for promotion. As are giveaways (mentioned in one of my earlier posts in this series).
Review sites:
Orchard Book Club: http://www.facebook.com/OrchardBookClub
http://orchardbookclub.wordpress.com/
Juniper Grove: http://www.junipergrove.net/
BestsellerBound Recommends has a list of reviewers: http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...
The above review sites are also great places for readers to find new authors and books.
S
Spelling
Please don't only rely on spellcheck on your PC. It will not pick up words that can be spelt in different ways, e.g. there, their, they're, may have been used wrongly or you may have used 'if' instead of 'is'. Just because a word is correctly spelt, it doesn't mean there are no errors in the document. Again, this is where a good proofreader can come in handy.
Show Vs Tell/Storytelling
One of the most common things that editors complain about is how much 'telling' instead of 'showing' there is in a book.
Telling would be e.g.
Adam used to work for a supermarket. He worked long hours. Never came home until late in the evening. His wife didn't like that. She always used to complain at him. Nagging. He hated the nagging.
Showing this would be, for example:
Adam turned his key in the front door.
'Where have you been?' asked Jodie, frowning. Her arms crossed in front of her showed that she was not happy.
'I've been at work.'
'You're always working! How long do bloody supermarkets stay open these days?'
'It's a twenty-four hour store.' Adam pushed past her and walked into the living room.
As you can see, there is more action in showing as opposed to telling, and readers prefer something that will help them imagine the story.
Having said that, I believe there is a place for both showing and telling in a good novel. Finding the balance is the tricky bit.
I find that my first drafts are always full of telling. This is because I believe in getting the story down on paper as quickly as I can. I then take my time to edit. I look for scenes that can be developed from the 'telling'. It's all part of the editing process.
Where there is too much 'telling' in a book, it often makes the reader feel dissatisfied. It make me (as a writer) feel that the book could have been improved if more time had been taken to develop the scenes.
Smashwords
Smashwords.com is a site where indie writers can publish an e-book so that readers can download from the site in any e-book format they choose. I think it's a great site and believe that many readers haven't heard of it. It tends to be only indie authors that use the site, which is a pity because there are lots of bargain books and fabulous reads on the site.
For writers, you can also choose to publish the book so that it's distributed by Smashwords to Barnes & Noble, Sony, iBookstore, and other sites.
If you're an author outside the US, you will need to submit tax details to avoid the withholding tax (much in the same way as Amazon KDP).
************************************************************************************
I hope you'll find the above tips and recommendations useful.
Thanks for reading.
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J. Michael
(new)
Jan 26, 2013 02:34PM
Excellent post, Maria! Especially your comments regarding reviews. I think you are absolutely correct on a writer's progression too - I think my books have grown as I have developed as a writer (or at least I hope so!). :)
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Thank you, Michael. I think we definitely continue to improve. The more we write, the better we become. I know I'm still learning and I've written loads of books. I love your writing and think you're one of those writers who seems to write without effort, but that usually means that a whole lot of hard work has gone into a book.
Fabulous post once again, Maria. I didn't know about the use of single quotation marks in the UK. And I agree wit J. Michael...great advice for readers and writers about reviews. Excellent resources!
Thanks, Jen! Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, that single vs. double quotes thing had me confused for a while because I thought I must be doing it wrong; turns out I was reading lots of books by American writers LOL. I looked it up on Wikipedia... so it must be right, hey? ;)
