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Monthly Archives: July 2013
writing a cover letter (part one)
I’ll start by saying that there is no such thing as a standard cover letter. I’ve read a whole host of suggestions as to what constitutes a perfect cover letter and none agree completely. One published writer suggested avoiding a … Continue reading
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Tagged author, book, cover letter, manuscript, novel, write, writing
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copyrighting your work
If you’re unsure how to make sure the work is copyrighted then you’ve been watching too many movies. There is no need to have your work copyrighted before you send it out. The law is slightly different if you publish … Continue reading
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Tagged author, book, copyright, manuscript, novel, story, write, writing
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why you should choose to send your manuscript directly to the publisher
There are a few reasons you might choose to go straight to the publisher. a. You have no track record Agents get paid on commission only. Many literary agencies have more writers than they can currently serve. If you have … Continue reading
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Tagged author, book, Editing, manuscript, novel, story, write, writing
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agent or publisher first?
There is some debate as to which is advisable to pursue first, the agent or the publisher. First up, let’s confirm there is no right answer. Each has its own merits. So why should I choose an agent first? The … Continue reading
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Tagged agent, author, book, manuscript, novel, publisher, story, write, writing
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first impressions
Later I’ll discuss making your manuscript stand out. The easiest way of course is to send something that creates a bad first impression. It’ll stand out so much, you’ll get it straight back. The best first impression is to make … Continue reading
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Tagged author, book, Editing, manuscript, novel, story, write, writing
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submitting a manuscript
From editing, it seemed a logical step to talk about submitting your manuscript. And I’ll start by saying that the process of seriously considering sending your manuscript (MS) should not start until you have a perfectly edited novel to send … Continue reading
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closing out formatting your manuscript
Your MS should be printed on plain white paper and should not be stapled or bound. Do you have to follow the rules? The simple answer is yes. Published authors may get away with the occasional faux pas, but unless … Continue reading
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manuscript formatting (continued)
i. One of the most confusing issues in writing, is that a “line break” is also considered a scene break or point of view (POV) switch. An author should either use an extra double space (the ONLY time when this … Continue reading
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Tagged author, book, Editing, manuscript, novel, story, write, writing
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formatting a manuscript
So, here are the most commonly quoted rules for formatting your manuscript: i. Chapter breaks should be a hard page end. This means started on a separate page. ii. The accepted font is Courier. This is the one that looks … Continue reading
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starting a new chapter
There is much debate on where on the page to begin typing text upon starting a new book chapter. The most common approach is a Quad space (two double line spaces) from the top margin, after which the words Chapter … Continue reading
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