Your Book Contents: What's Optional and What Isn't?
Your Book Contents: What's Optional and What Isn't?

As those who’ve written books will tell you, it’s a major undertaking, and one that requires organization. It’s one thing to look at a book manuscript in Microsoft Word, but it’s entirely different when you start to actually put those files together, in order, as an actual book. You might start looking at various books in your office or home and realize that there doesn’t seem to be a cookie-cutter approach to books. They don’t all contain the same elements. So how are you supposed to know what the heck to do? What’s required versus what’s optional? I’ve got the basics covered for you with this post about the book sections/pages I get the most questions about.

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WritingJodi Brandonbook writing, Writing ProcessComment
Book Success Recipe
Book Success Recipe

Have you ever made chili but didn’t add enough chili powder? It might have tasted okay, but it wasn’t, you know, chili. Creating a book is similar in that the ingredients are all necessary, and they must work together in order to achieve the final dish (book) that you want. A successful book is equal parts strong manuscript, professional editing and design, and appropriate marketing plan.

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PublishingJodi Brandonbook writing, Publishing Plan, Editing, Author Platform, Book DesignComment
Working with a Book Writing Coach
Working with a Book Writing Coach

Editing has been, for my entire career, my bread and butter. However, I received so many requests to enter the writing process earlier over the last few years that I added coaching to my services in addition to editing. When you hire a copy editor, your manuscript is written. You can still make big changes to its structure, but that’s often easier to do before or during writing. Or what if you want someone to help you flesh out the contents before you start writing? Or what if you need help defining your goals for writing a book to make sure that your writing supports said goal (or goals)? Or what if you need help knowing how to approach beta readers and obtain reviews? Maybe you need help with all of that, or maybe just one or two or those things. Enter a book writing coach.

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WritingJodi BrandonWriting Process, Book Writing, EditingComment
Why Your Content Isn’t About You | Abby Herman
Why Your Content Isn’t About You | Abby Herman

Let’s be honest. There’s a reason you create content: To get your message out there so you’re visible and relevant. Of course that’s why. After all, you need people to notice you if your business is going to be a success.

But no one will to pay attention to your content if that’s the approach you take with it. It’s time to grab a new agenda and make your content about your audience. Not you and your products and services.

No matter who you’re marketing to, online business owners have very little time. So if you want them to consume your content, you need to make it worth their while.

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Book WritingJodi BrandonGuest PostComment
5 Ways to Power Through Your Writing Mindset Block
5 Ways to Power Through Your Writing Mindset Block

When it comes to writing, people generally fall into one of two camps. There are the people who love writing and do it whenever and wherever they can, and then there are the people who hide under their beds to avoid ever writing anything again. (Ok, I lied. There’s a third, small camp that doesn’t care one way or the other about writing...but they don’t matter here.)

If you’re in the second camp, it’s possible that you’re suffering from a writing mindset block.

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WritingJodi BrandonComment
Path to Publication, Part II: Traditional Publishing
Path to Publication, Part II: Traditional Publishing

Years ago, authors wrote a manuscript, photocopied it, sent it off to whichever book publisher they hoped would publish it, and waited. Those days are long gone. Most book publishers today, save for a few small and some niche houses, don’t work directly with the author until they’ve decided to publish a book. Rather, authors work through literary agents.

Today authors query a literary agency with their manuscript idea rather than a publishing house. The agent then queries (pitches) publishing houses on behalf of an author. When a publisher is interested, the agent negotiates the best deal possible for the author. A publishing house signs a book and handles the production (editorial and design), printing, and distribution tasks that self-publishing authors are responsible for. Authors typically work with publicity departments to coordinate marketing efforts, as authors assume some responsibility for marketing and promoting their books in today’s book publishing climate.

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PublishingJodi BrandonPublishing PlanComment
ISBN Basics: What Authors Need to Know
ISBN Basics: What Authors Need to Know

ISBN is book publishing-speak for International Standard Book Number. It’s a 13-digit number that’s used to identify and track (for sales inventory purposes) every book that is published for retail sale. Many self-publishing authors don’t pay attention to it, but that can be a mistake. This post explains what you need to know about ISBNs and how they affect you as an author.

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WritingJodi Brandonbook writing, Self-Publishing Comments
Grammar 101: Plurals and Possessives
Grammar 101: Plurals and Possessives

What is it about that harmless little apostrophe that trips up so many people? People ask me often about issues regarding plurals and possessives (and especially the dreaded combo of a plural possessive!). The basic definitions are simple enough, right?

Plural signifies more than one.
Possessive signifies ownership and belonging.

Yet this is one of those often-confused aspects of English, so this week we’re going old school — as in, elementary (middle?) school English class for a quick grammar lesson. Ready?

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WritingJodi BrandonWriting Tips, Grammar Comments
Conducting a Book Market Analysis
Conducting a Book Market Analysis

You won’t know what the market looks like for a book like yours without conducting a book marketing analysis. This is an important step of the publishing process whether you’re planning to publish traditionally or you’re planning to self-publish. (In fact, if you’re publishing traditionally, I can almost guarantee that this will be a required part of your submissions package.)

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Book WritingJodi BrandonComment
Why Your Subtitle Matters
Why Your Subtitle Matters

Sometimes book titles themselves are catchy and clever but don’t actually tell you what a book is about. Enter your subtitle. The subtitle can expand on the title. Don’t get me wrong: You WANT a catchy title so that it’s memorable, but you also want to be clear to readers what they’re getting in your book.

"Sometimes book titles themselves are catchy and clever but don't actually tell you what a book is about. Enter your subtitle." (Tweet)

Case in point: I recently received an email from a former editorial colleague, from my days working for publishers directly. She congratulated me on the publication of my book, Write.Publish.Market. and said that she had purchased 20 copies to gift to her editing clients. While I certainly appreciated her support (and those sales!), my book isn’t going to help her clients, who publish in academic journals. If my colleague had read my subtitle, she would have known: From Idea to Published Book: The Creative Entrepreneur’s Blueprint. My book is for book writers, not journal article writers, and it’s for creative entrepreneurs, not academics.

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PublishingJodi BrandonAuthor Platform, Self-PublishingComment
Off the Shelf: Essentialism
Off the Shelf: Essentialism

Every year is the year I’m going to declutter and minimize the “stuff” I have hanging around in my house. And every year…it doesn’t happen.

As a business owner, I’m in the same boat. I want to reduce the number of services I offer so I can simply focus on what I love (but I love it all). I want to stop being so busy and start getting more done (but there’s so much to do). Sigh.

I’ve read all the books and pretended to do all the homework, but yet nothing changes. So when I heard about the book Essentialism, I knew I needed to check it out. And you know what? I just think I might have gotten some key takeaways that can help me get to a more essentialist mindset.

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Off The ShelfJodi BrandonBooks, Guest PostComment