Crowdfunding conundrum: In these e-volving times, book lovers are getting creative when it comes to funding book projects. Unbound, described as "Kickstarter for books," is an attempt to crowdfund books by unknown authors. Though it has received much attention and adoration in the media, Unbound has been relatively unsuccessful. A recent Business Week article provides some insight into the problems with the service, and why funding from Unbound might still leave your project unfunded and unfinished. What do you think? Is crowdfunding a viable model for publishing?
Don't, uh, knock the, er, pauses: The traditional rules of public speaking dictate that verbal stumbles make you seem unprepared and nervous and are distracting to your audience. But author and journalist Michael Erard, who has written a whole book on the subject of "um," argues in a Slate column this week that filler sounds have an important place in language. Pauses give listeners a chance to prep for what you're saying next and they make you sound more natural. Though we would suggest that there is a difference between a thoughtful, silent pause and a jarring "um," "er" or (heaven forbid) "like," Erard's defense of these public speaking pariahs is definitely worth, uh, considering.
Battling the blogosphere: The blogosphere can be an infuriating place for the accomplished writer, with blogs putting out mediocre and/or unoriginal content often filled with typos that draw thousands of followers and hundreds of likes and retweets. But writer and marketing pro Jeff Goins suggests on Copyblogger that there may be more upside than dark side for writing professionals. Not only does the packed blogosphere create a sense of competition that forces you to write content that stands out over the noise, but bad bloggers also need good writing coaches and ghosts like you. How have you leveraged your writing skills to make your mark on the digital discussion?
Your favorite author's favorite tunes: Now that the music-streaming service Spotify is available in the United States, GalleyCat is wedding music and literature by creating playlists inspired by some of their favorite authors. So far they have mixes for Haruki Murakami and Kate Christensen. What other writer-inspired playlists would you like to see?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Around the Word
The Worst Sentence of 2011: The revolting votes are in, and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh professor Sue Fondrie has been officially declared the writer of the worst sentence of 2011. She won this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, named after Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, the author famous for having written the opening line "It was a dark and stormy night." The good professor's very bad sentence was this: "Cheryl's mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories." Check out the website for the runners-up in this year's battle of the bad-inage. (h/t GalleyCat).
Kvetch session, part 2: The timing of the worst sentence award was quite apt, what with the epidemic of rhetoric rage we seem to be experiencing these days. We've documented several of these gripe sessions about lazy language and clanging cliches here on the BloGG, from our discussion of vampire words to a poll Ragan is conducting on the worst writing pet-peeves. Now, our friend David Meadvin at Inkwell Strategies has weighed in with his team's least-favorite words as well. From the incorrect ("irregardless") to the overused ("basically"), this list will surely inspire you to come up with your own list of cringe-worthy words. Let us know which words you can't stand in the comments below.
Promotion, plus: Many of our friends in the publishing world are touting the potential of Google+ as a promotional tool for writers, and this week GalleyCat is out with some particularly useful tips on how to make the most of your new Google network. Check out their post to add your name to their Writers on Google+ directory and for links to tools for organizing, posting and networking. So far, how have you used Google+?
Read you like a book: Are you an introspective Salinger? Or a life of the party Vonnegut? Maybe a romantic Austen or macabre Shelley. As most bibliophiles know, the tomes on your bookshelf say a lot about you. Check out the Huffington Post's slideshow on what your favorite writer says about your personality.
Kvetch session, part 2: The timing of the worst sentence award was quite apt, what with the epidemic of rhetoric rage we seem to be experiencing these days. We've documented several of these gripe sessions about lazy language and clanging cliches here on the BloGG, from our discussion of vampire words to a poll Ragan is conducting on the worst writing pet-peeves. Now, our friend David Meadvin at Inkwell Strategies has weighed in with his team's least-favorite words as well. From the incorrect ("irregardless") to the overused ("basically"), this list will surely inspire you to come up with your own list of cringe-worthy words. Let us know which words you can't stand in the comments below.
Promotion, plus: Many of our friends in the publishing world are touting the potential of Google+ as a promotional tool for writers, and this week GalleyCat is out with some particularly useful tips on how to make the most of your new Google network. Check out their post to add your name to their Writers on Google+ directory and for links to tools for organizing, posting and networking. So far, how have you used Google+?
Read you like a book: Are you an introspective Salinger? Or a life of the party Vonnegut? Maybe a romantic Austen or macabre Shelley. As most bibliophiles know, the tomes on your bookshelf say a lot about you. Check out the Huffington Post's slideshow on what your favorite writer says about your personality.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Around the Word
Facebook for book-buyers: Part of the joy of browsing a brick-and-mortar bookstore is the opportunity to ask a knowledgeable sales clerk or stranger for a recommendation. And part of the joy of online book buying is being able to purchase the newest John Grisham without leaving your house. But what if you could combine the experiences with a social feature built in to the online book store? You could chat with customers browsing for similar titles, or ask questions of employees. Publishing executive and blogger Joe Wikert imagines the possibilities of this retail mash-up -- the social online bookstore -- and it sounds like a pretty neat idea to us. Would you go social when shopping for books?
Signed, sealed, e-livered: The book signing ain't what it used to be. A new service called Kindlegraph allows you to score a personally signed e-book, without ever being in the same room as the author. The way it works: sign into Twitter, find the book on Kindlegraph, and then your request is forwarded to the author, who signs a digital copy and sends it back to you. Though we sort of thought the whole point of going to a book signing was to meet your favorite author, this idea does have some cool potential as a marketing tool for writers. For example, TechCrunch writer Paul Carr offered to pen personalized haikus on Kindlegraph for buyers of his book. What do you think? Is the digital John Hancock the book signing of the future?
A grammar lesson for the dash-happy: The em dash-en dash debate has been around as long as word nerds have taken to the Internet to talk about it. You may recall a few months ago we highlighted the case against the em dash made by Slate writer Noreen Malone. Now Baltimore Sun grammar guru John E. McIntyre has weighed in on the dispute in a recent column, clarifying the difference between dashes and hyphens, and cautioning against using the dash too liberally. Which side of the dash controversy do you fall on?
Ladies and gentlemen, start your kvetching: All writers have pet peeve mistakes that really drive them crazy, like passive voice, use of cliches or misused homophones. Now you have an opportunity to have your grievances heard and counted. Ragan is conducting a poll via LinkedIn about which writing wrongs make them want to hurl their laptops against the wall most. You can cast your vote here.
Vital videos: Our friend David Murray at Vital Speech is seeking nominations for the Strategic Video Awards, sponsored by VSOTD's corporate parent, McMurry. The awards will honor the most persuasive corporate videos in a variety of categories, from training to sales to leadership communication. The contest aims to reward "not the style of your video, but the substance of your communication," so if your company has a video with something to say, make sure to enter before the October 14 deadline.
Signed, sealed, e-livered: The book signing ain't what it used to be. A new service called Kindlegraph allows you to score a personally signed e-book, without ever being in the same room as the author. The way it works: sign into Twitter, find the book on Kindlegraph, and then your request is forwarded to the author, who signs a digital copy and sends it back to you. Though we sort of thought the whole point of going to a book signing was to meet your favorite author, this idea does have some cool potential as a marketing tool for writers. For example, TechCrunch writer Paul Carr offered to pen personalized haikus on Kindlegraph for buyers of his book. What do you think? Is the digital John Hancock the book signing of the future?
A grammar lesson for the dash-happy: The em dash-en dash debate has been around as long as word nerds have taken to the Internet to talk about it. You may recall a few months ago we highlighted the case against the em dash made by Slate writer Noreen Malone. Now Baltimore Sun grammar guru John E. McIntyre has weighed in on the dispute in a recent column, clarifying the difference between dashes and hyphens, and cautioning against using the dash too liberally. Which side of the dash controversy do you fall on?
Ladies and gentlemen, start your kvetching: All writers have pet peeve mistakes that really drive them crazy, like passive voice, use of cliches or misused homophones. Now you have an opportunity to have your grievances heard and counted. Ragan is conducting a poll via LinkedIn about which writing wrongs make them want to hurl their laptops against the wall most. You can cast your vote here.
Vital videos: Our friend David Murray at Vital Speech is seeking nominations for the Strategic Video Awards, sponsored by VSOTD's corporate parent, McMurry. The awards will honor the most persuasive corporate videos in a variety of categories, from training to sales to leadership communication. The contest aims to reward "not the style of your video, but the substance of your communication," so if your company has a video with something to say, make sure to enter before the October 14 deadline.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Around the Word
Latest stats on the e-volution: The latest sales numbers from the Association of American Publishers, out yesterday, show that e-books are flying off the e-shelves. For the first half of 2011, e-book sales are up 160 percent over the same period last year. Print sales, though, have continued to take a hit. Paperbacks are still the best-selling format for books, but their numbers dipped nearly 18 percent over last year and hardcovers fell 23 percent. Begs the question: will hard cover be a viable format five years from now?
Iran's book-banning binge: Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, gave a stark reminder this week of just how repressive his regime is. Khamenei has put in place one of the world's strictest censorship policies, which has triggered a backlash from the country's intellectual elite, including a former culture minister. Appearing before a group of librarians and publishing industry leaders on Wednesday, Khamenei defended his literary crackdown by likening "harmful books" to "poisonous" drugs. The Guardian reports that words such as "kiss," "beloved," "wine" and "meditation" are often censored out during the lengthy approval process for books published in Iran.
Running with the big blog dogs: One question we hear often from our writers who are starting blogs is how do you attract readers? Pro blogger Jennifer Brown Banks suggests that one of the best things you can do is get some pickup and residual shine from one of the "big dog" blogs. Writing on Men with Pens, Banks gives some compelling reasons for why you should give guest blogging a shot and also provides some handy tips for scoring that top spot. Shameless plug: We're always looking for guest bloggers here on the BloGG, so leave a comment if you're interested in doing a guest spot.
Ugly Americanisms: The BBC recently ran a piece about Americanisms that have made their way into language in the UK. The reaction to the article was so strong that the BBC compiled and posted 50 of the most common -- and often revolting -- examples of Americanisms they received from readers. While some of the commenters seem to have their noses in the air -- one wrote, "I caught myself saying 'shopping cart' instead of 'shopping trolley' today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself"-- the list of hated Americanisms is pretty amusing to the language-loving Yank. "Can I get a..." "leverage" and "normalcy" all made the list. Our favorite: the outraged Brit who despised the American use of "bi-weekly" instead of "fortnightly."
Iran's book-banning binge: Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, gave a stark reminder this week of just how repressive his regime is. Khamenei has put in place one of the world's strictest censorship policies, which has triggered a backlash from the country's intellectual elite, including a former culture minister. Appearing before a group of librarians and publishing industry leaders on Wednesday, Khamenei defended his literary crackdown by likening "harmful books" to "poisonous" drugs. The Guardian reports that words such as "kiss," "beloved," "wine" and "meditation" are often censored out during the lengthy approval process for books published in Iran.
Running with the big blog dogs: One question we hear often from our writers who are starting blogs is how do you attract readers? Pro blogger Jennifer Brown Banks suggests that one of the best things you can do is get some pickup and residual shine from one of the "big dog" blogs. Writing on Men with Pens, Banks gives some compelling reasons for why you should give guest blogging a shot and also provides some handy tips for scoring that top spot. Shameless plug: We're always looking for guest bloggers here on the BloGG, so leave a comment if you're interested in doing a guest spot.
Ugly Americanisms: The BBC recently ran a piece about Americanisms that have made their way into language in the UK. The reaction to the article was so strong that the BBC compiled and posted 50 of the most common -- and often revolting -- examples of Americanisms they received from readers. While some of the commenters seem to have their noses in the air -- one wrote, "I caught myself saying 'shopping cart' instead of 'shopping trolley' today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself"-- the list of hated Americanisms is pretty amusing to the language-loving Yank. "Can I get a..." "leverage" and "normalcy" all made the list. Our favorite: the outraged Brit who despised the American use of "bi-weekly" instead of "fortnightly."
Knucklerap Corner (July Edition)
By Lauren Weiner
(Maybe) The Last Word on Vampire Words. . .
When Gotham President Dan Gerstein polled GG habitués about “vampire words” that suck the life out of your prose, everybody sat up in their ergonomic desk chairs. All of a sudden it was a rush of e-mails – a veritable pet-peeve party that we at Knucklerap Corner found inspiring.
Bob Yeager gets annoyed when policymakers cap their thoughts with the phrase, “going forward.” So do we, Bob.
Other irritations we were glad to see singled out: “leverage” (Tracy Ivie) and “optics” (D.Z. Stone).
Sue Treiman subjected “impactful” to the ridicule it so richly deserves.
Zachary Janowski brought up “palpable,” as in, obvious or noticeable. We have a palpable sense that we hadn’t stopped to consider this. He may be right. Unless it’s needed for rhythm, strike it out.
Bruce Tallerman put his finger on corporate-style fakeness: “Can you please reach out to Bill?”
And finally, when Margaret Camp added her two cents to the discussion, they consisted of two syllables: “involved.” That one knocked us over. We will be sensitive to its use forever more. It encompasses huge, simply huge, swaths of mediocrity. “We thank our audience for getting so involved in this effort.” “Parents are too involved in their children’s lives.” “The involved procedure for getting a business license.” (What’s wrong with lengthy?) “ICC Prosecutor Willing to Get Involved in Case.” The less touchy-feely headline writers of old would have gone with: Willing to Join Case.
Stumbles of the “Gray Lady” Continue. . . .
New York Times, July 15, 2011. Jackie Calmes: “What makes a bipartisan ‘grand bargain’ so elusive are less the budget numbers, on which compromise could be in reach, than each side’s principles, which do not lend themselves to splitting the difference.”
The first verb, “makes,” is singular, properly matching the singular noun “bargain.” But then we get a noun-verb agreement error. “Are” should have been “is.” In other words, what makes it so elusive is less the numbers than the principles. This mess-up was on the newspaper’s front page above the fold.
New York Times, July 12, 2011. Mark Landler and David E. Sanger: “The turning point in the administration’s public posture came after angry crowds attacked and vandalized the United States Embassy in Damascus.”
A posture can turn, but why say that it has a turning point? Mixed metaphor. The authors could have pared it down: “The turning point came” when the crowds attacked the embassy. We would have known from the context what this referred to (the administration’s stance toward Syria).
New York Times Book Review, June 26, 2011. Jessica Bruder: “The microscope of adolescence also inflicts perceptual distortions.”
She meant that the microscope of adolescence distorts perceptions. “Inflicts” should be for a knife or something like that.
New York Times Book Review, June 26, 2011. Maria Russo: “Neither Dorothy nor Ros comes across as an exceptional personality, yet they were clearly ready for something more than the staid milieu upstate New York had on offer.”
The place had a milieu – of that we can be fairly sure. Saying it had a milieu on offer is jazzy while not actually making very much sense.
New York Times, November 21, 2010. Jon Caramanica: “That patchwork gnaws away at this album’s emotional impact.”
Since when does a patchwork have teeth? Mixed metaphor. And here is a dangling modifier from Mr. Caramanica: “By not allowing for responses to his work other than awe, the value of the work itself is diminished; it becomes an object of admiration, not of study.”
Kanye West, the one who does not allow responses to his work other than awe, has disappeared from the sentence. He needs to come after its opening clause.
Miscellaneous Mess-Ups. . . .
Workstew.com, June 26, 2011. Gerald V. Casale: “So, in the end our battles with the record label over our image, message, and the way business should be conducted, or our pronouncements in the press criticizing religious belief systems and duplicitous political policies were not the conflicts of our undoing.”
These things were not our undoing. That’s what he meant. Can skip “the conflicts of.” In fact it’s a corruption of an existing idiom (the cause of our undoing).
Washington Times, February 25, 2011. Lauren Weiner: “Anyone who reads it will no longer feel surprised that the health care overhaul, the conduct of the Iraq war, or many other hot-button issues are argued about in terms of its compatibility or incompatibility with a document that went into effect in 1789.”
The singular pronoun “its” has a plural antecedent noun (“issues”) and you can’t do that. To make the sentence consistent, change to: “many another hot-button issue is.” Knucklerap’s editor has it on good authority that that was what the writer originally submitted.
Weiner, a Gotham team member, was a speechwriter for U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
(Maybe) The Last Word on Vampire Words. . .
When Gotham President Dan Gerstein polled GG habitués about “vampire words” that suck the life out of your prose, everybody sat up in their ergonomic desk chairs. All of a sudden it was a rush of e-mails – a veritable pet-peeve party that we at Knucklerap Corner found inspiring.
Bob Yeager gets annoyed when policymakers cap their thoughts with the phrase, “going forward.” So do we, Bob.
Other irritations we were glad to see singled out: “leverage” (Tracy Ivie) and “optics” (D.Z. Stone).
Sue Treiman subjected “impactful” to the ridicule it so richly deserves.
Zachary Janowski brought up “palpable,” as in, obvious or noticeable. We have a palpable sense that we hadn’t stopped to consider this. He may be right. Unless it’s needed for rhythm, strike it out.
Bruce Tallerman put his finger on corporate-style fakeness: “Can you please reach out to Bill?”
And finally, when Margaret Camp added her two cents to the discussion, they consisted of two syllables: “involved.” That one knocked us over. We will be sensitive to its use forever more. It encompasses huge, simply huge, swaths of mediocrity. “We thank our audience for getting so involved in this effort.” “Parents are too involved in their children’s lives.” “The involved procedure for getting a business license.” (What’s wrong with lengthy?) “ICC Prosecutor Willing to Get Involved in Case.” The less touchy-feely headline writers of old would have gone with: Willing to Join Case.
Stumbles of the “Gray Lady” Continue. . . .
New York Times, July 15, 2011. Jackie Calmes: “What makes a bipartisan ‘grand bargain’ so elusive are less the budget numbers, on which compromise could be in reach, than each side’s principles, which do not lend themselves to splitting the difference.”
The first verb, “makes,” is singular, properly matching the singular noun “bargain.” But then we get a noun-verb agreement error. “Are” should have been “is.” In other words, what makes it so elusive is less the numbers than the principles. This mess-up was on the newspaper’s front page above the fold.
New York Times, July 12, 2011. Mark Landler and David E. Sanger: “The turning point in the administration’s public posture came after angry crowds attacked and vandalized the United States Embassy in Damascus.”
A posture can turn, but why say that it has a turning point? Mixed metaphor. The authors could have pared it down: “The turning point came” when the crowds attacked the embassy. We would have known from the context what this referred to (the administration’s stance toward Syria).
New York Times Book Review, June 26, 2011. Jessica Bruder: “The microscope of adolescence also inflicts perceptual distortions.”
She meant that the microscope of adolescence distorts perceptions. “Inflicts” should be for a knife or something like that.
New York Times Book Review, June 26, 2011. Maria Russo: “Neither Dorothy nor Ros comes across as an exceptional personality, yet they were clearly ready for something more than the staid milieu upstate New York had on offer.”
The place had a milieu – of that we can be fairly sure. Saying it had a milieu on offer is jazzy while not actually making very much sense.
New York Times, November 21, 2010. Jon Caramanica: “That patchwork gnaws away at this album’s emotional impact.”
Since when does a patchwork have teeth? Mixed metaphor. And here is a dangling modifier from Mr. Caramanica: “By not allowing for responses to his work other than awe, the value of the work itself is diminished; it becomes an object of admiration, not of study.”
Kanye West, the one who does not allow responses to his work other than awe, has disappeared from the sentence. He needs to come after its opening clause.
Miscellaneous Mess-Ups. . . .
Workstew.com, June 26, 2011. Gerald V. Casale: “So, in the end our battles with the record label over our image, message, and the way business should be conducted, or our pronouncements in the press criticizing religious belief systems and duplicitous political policies were not the conflicts of our undoing.”
These things were not our undoing. That’s what he meant. Can skip “the conflicts of.” In fact it’s a corruption of an existing idiom (the cause of our undoing).
Washington Times, February 25, 2011. Lauren Weiner: “Anyone who reads it will no longer feel surprised that the health care overhaul, the conduct of the Iraq war, or many other hot-button issues are argued about in terms of its compatibility or incompatibility with a document that went into effect in 1789.”
The singular pronoun “its” has a plural antecedent noun (“issues”) and you can’t do that. To make the sentence consistent, change to: “many another hot-button issue is.” Knucklerap’s editor has it on good authority that that was what the writer originally submitted.
Weiner, a Gotham team member, was a speechwriter for U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Pricing Workshop Now Available Online
If you missed our free workshop Monday on writing pricing, the full video is now available online in two different formats, thanks to our partners at ASJA.
You can download it directly from the ASJA site. Or if you prefer something simpler, you can catch it on YouTube.
Thanks again to our panelists -- author Laurie Lewis, ghostwriter Ellen Neuborne, and agent Linda Konner -- for delivering a highly informative discussion.
P.S. For those of you interested in picking up Lewis' book on the subject -- What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants -- you can buy it here.
You can download it directly from the ASJA site. Or if you prefer something simpler, you can catch it on YouTube.
Thanks again to our panelists -- author Laurie Lewis, ghostwriter Ellen Neuborne, and agent Linda Konner -- for delivering a highly informative discussion.
P.S. For those of you interested in picking up Lewis' book on the subject -- What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants -- you can buy it here.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Around the Word
Self-publishing self-help: For those who are thinking about dipping their toes into the self-publishing waters, Mashable has kindly offered a handy step-by-step guide for using CreateSpace, Amazon's increasingly popular self-publishing service. CreateSpace offers easy formatting, distribution and marketing through Amazon, and seems like a highly accessible way to self-publish in print (e-book formatting is at an additional cost). Have you used CreateSpace? Let us know what your experience was.
RIP Borders: As most of our fellow word nerds know, Borders has officially bit the book bin dust, with the fallen giant announcing yesterday that it will shutter the rest of its stores and liquidates its assets. Many literature lovers are mourning the final chapter in this Chapter 11 saga, but as this Boston Globe story makes clear, most people are not wasting any time or tears in running into the arms of Amazon for their book buying needs.
"This is not for you": Unless you're directly mentioned, most people don't give a second thought to reading book dedications. But for bibliophiles, they can often be the source of revealing insights and juicy tidbits. With that in mind, the Guardian recently took a look at some of the most unique, and sometimes sassy, dedications written by famous authors. From Joe Abercrombie's often violent novels dedicated to his daughters ("For Grace -- One day you will read this and be slightly worried") to Mark Z. Danielewski's brutally honest dedication, "This is not for you," creative dedications tell a story all their own.
I can write that memoir in six words: If sunshine, barbecues and beaches make you feel all poetic, this contest might be for you. Next Monday in Manhattan, Smith Magazine is sponsoring the summer edition of their Six Word Memoir Slam. The theme? "Camp, Summer Stock, and the Family Vacation." For more details on the event, including how to enter, check out the 92YTribeca website. (h/t GalleyCat)
RIP Borders: As most of our fellow word nerds know, Borders has officially bit the book bin dust, with the fallen giant announcing yesterday that it will shutter the rest of its stores and liquidates its assets. Many literature lovers are mourning the final chapter in this Chapter 11 saga, but as this Boston Globe story makes clear, most people are not wasting any time or tears in running into the arms of Amazon for their book buying needs.
"This is not for you": Unless you're directly mentioned, most people don't give a second thought to reading book dedications. But for bibliophiles, they can often be the source of revealing insights and juicy tidbits. With that in mind, the Guardian recently took a look at some of the most unique, and sometimes sassy, dedications written by famous authors. From Joe Abercrombie's often violent novels dedicated to his daughters ("For Grace -- One day you will read this and be slightly worried") to Mark Z. Danielewski's brutally honest dedication, "This is not for you," creative dedications tell a story all their own.
I can write that memoir in six words: If sunshine, barbecues and beaches make you feel all poetic, this contest might be for you. Next Monday in Manhattan, Smith Magazine is sponsoring the summer edition of their Six Word Memoir Slam. The theme? "Camp, Summer Stock, and the Family Vacation." For more details on the event, including how to enter, check out the 92YTribeca website. (h/t GalleyCat)
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