Category Archives: epublishing

Nov 20 2011

Understanding The ISBN

Seal of the United States Library of Congress....

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For more than thirty years International Standard Book Numbers or ISBNs have been in existence. They were created through the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) in 1970. Currently R.R. Bowker is the United States agency for ISBNs and there assignment. Publishers and self published authors currently in the U.S. Can get ISBNs from www.isbn.org.

The ISBN is a books ordering number/identifier, in regards to it’s title. ISBNs are not required , anyone an publish a book without them. The problem with doing this makes it difficult for potential readers to find your book in the market place. Printed books, pamphlets, audio books, CDs and DVDs will have an ISBN assigned to them. Journals, periodicals and newspapers are a few examples of items that won’t ever have an ISBN assigned to them.

The format of an ISBN is broken up into 5 parts. You probably have seen the 978 or 979 prefix, which is always 3 digits. After the prefix is the registration number which is the country, geographical region or language area. This element can be 1 to 5 digits in length. The numbers next will indicate the publisher or imprint and my be up to 7 digits in length. The publication element is next and will identify a particular edition or format of a title. The length of this segment can be up to 6 digits. Finally, the check digit, it validates the rest of the numbering sequence. It is calculated by a Modulus 10 system in alternates of 1 and 3. when its all said and done an ISBN number will look like this:

978-0-7387-2644-1

EAN

Group

Publisher

Title

EAN = European Article Number, now the International Article Number (IAN)

Group = English Speaking Area

Publisher = Llewellyn Publication (in this example)

Title = True Police Stories of the Strange and Unexplained (in this example)

Check Digit = This is used and is a method of verifying redundancy.

Confused yet? You are certainly not alone. With all that is involved in assigning an ISBN number that is unique to a title, it’s no wonder only a few agencies have this task. To learn more about ISBN numbers, please visit www.isbn.org or visit the Library of Congress site at www.loc.gov or Publisher Services at www.isbn-us.com.

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Oct 30 2011

Know Your Copyrights!

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As writers we know we risk our work being copied or plagiarized every time we put something out there for the world to see. For the most part it shouldn’t be a concern. Writers should just write. Making a statement or sharing an idea is what writers long to do. Self expression should not be inhibited because someone doesn’t have enough talent or creativity within themselves to produce their own project. Having said that, your work is protected.

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

Just in case you were wondering what isn’t protected by copyright:

  • Choregraphics not recorded
  • Improvisational speeches or performances not written or recorded
  • Ideas
  • Works that come from common property and contain no original authorship

Want to learn more? Visit www.copyright.gov

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Oct 24 2011

Foreshadowing: Where To Begin?

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I’m not exactly sure what foreshadowing is, but I think I need to learn more about it and utilize it in my middle grade novel. Janice Hardy has a pretty good grasp on the subject at The Other Side of the Story.

Here is an excerpt:

But what is foreshadowing and how can an aspiring author achieve it?

I’ve discovered the most simple way is to either work backwards (in the case of a single book) or give yourself “play room” for future books in a series. To achieve a backward foreshadowing, you need to pick an element of the plot that you want to tease the reader with and then figure out a way for the character to come into contact with the element innocently. One example is our first Cat Adams novel, Magic’s Design. Publishers Weekly noticed the clever foreshadowing we used which I managed by backwards plotting.

Read more here:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/03/guest-author-cathy-clamp-foreshadowing.html

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Oct 16 2011

Writing For Middle Grade: Where’s Your Voice?

Choir Practice

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Writing for the middle grade genre does not feel like it should be a difficult task. As a matter of fact, I am having a lot of fun doing it. It’s my first project and I just want to write the story. Now that I am almost done with the first draft, I’m wondering if I am using the write voice and words for my characters.

I found some information that helped me clear any questions I might have about voice. Kids are very intellectual these days and we as writers need to be sure not to dumb down our manuscripts. Here are some helpful tips I found at YA Highway. Kristin Halbrook has written an excellent article on The Middle Grade Voice.

It’s important as a writer to capture the essence of each character, one way of doing that is to hang out with kids in the age group you want to write for. I have done that am hope that my manuscript will connect with my middle grade audience.

What has been your experience writing for the middle grade audience?

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Sep 26 2011

What Good Is Self Publishing?

Audience

 

If you’re wondering what benefit self publishing is to you, then you’ve asked a good question. Here’s the thing, your project is done and your ready to start selling. The only wait time is you preparing to upload it on a site or sites of your choosing, that’s it. Self publishing gives you control and on one else. Making more money with book sales has never been easier. Book distribution on various sites, gets your book to a designated audience.

If you just want to publish to share information, you can do that too. If you happen to make money while sharing your specific information, then self publishing is a win, win situation for you and your target audience. Feel free to give your information away. It’s totally up to you. Getting a book out for others to enjoy is ultimately what all authors long to do. Whether your book is a mystery, picture book or memoir, self publishing is the best way to get your quality information to the masses without having to wait on a publisher or agent to say when.

What good is self publishing to you? Feel free to share your thoughts.

 

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