Seen inside a public toilet stall: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below. (My sons do that… and our toilet works.) On a readerboard outside a pre-school: This sign intentionally left blank, just like your child’s mind. (Should parents interpret this as a compliment or an insult?) In an office break room: After tea […]
[ Read more ]Did you know… …John Lennon was murdered December 8, 1980? … the computer mouse was developed December 9, 1968? … Emily Dickinson’s birthday was December 10, 1830? (a fact every poet should have memorized!) Whenever your blog post idea bank runs dry, consider writing an article that focuses on a historic event, date, or […]
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I eagerly downloaded and printed a 30-page Special Report from a well-known blogger. Highlighter pen in hand, I began reading, expecting to find many nuggets. I did do a lot of underlining, but not the things the author hoped I’d highlight.
Instead, I marked 10 words and phrases the author used repeatedly. Here they are, followed by my translation of each:
[ Read more ]When I was preparing a media kit for an author who’s written a book for addicts, I discovered the following question (which the author intends to be used in a media interview): Your book is over 200 pages long; surely the addict will get bored and roll joints with the pages rather than read them? […]
[ Read more ]In Home to Holly Springs, the latest installment in the best-selling Mitford Series, Jan Karon creates characters so real, you feel as if you’ve known them your whole life. She’s one of the few authors who can—in the course of one page—elicit both laughter and tears from me. Her books harken back to the good […]
[ Read more ]Sign of the times: Royalty publishing houses are getting into the self-publishing biz. I have mixed feelings about Thomas Nelson’s entrance into the world of self-publishing — so mixed at this point that I don’t dare write about it. So, for now, I’ll point you to two excellent articles that examine the how and why […]
[ Read more ]Update: In early 2012, Google removed the Wonder Wheel feature. I’m sad, because it was WONDERful. So this post is no longer valid, unless we can somehow convince Google to bring back the Wonder Wheel. Have you heard of a cool Google tool called the Wonder Wheel? It’s a great way to help you […]
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In the movie, Miss Austen Regrets, an admiring fan gushes to Jane Austen, “I could write a book.” Jane gives him a long look, then replies, “And you are most welcome to do so.” Over 80 percent of the U.S. population believes they have a book brewing inside them. I’ll bet you do! But should […]
[ Read more ]I was helping an author revise the bio that would appear on his book’s back cover. Here’s the copy he sent me: I have been a widower since 1978, when my wife pasted away from cancer, we had 11 children of which 3 have past away. We’ll ignore the run-on and jump straight to this […]
[ Read more ]When the students at Middletown Area High School in Pennsylvania picked up their yearbooks, they were in for a surprise. On four of the yearbook’s 176 pages, last names of students were changed to creative new monikers: Max Zupanovic became “Max Supernova” Kathy Carbaugh became “Kathy Airbag” William Givler became “William Giver” Cameron Bendgen became […]
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