First Step in Publishing Short Stories Reading

First Step in Publishing Short Stories - Reading
By Vivian Gilbert Zabel

When I took composition classes in college, I often became frustrated with all the reading I had to do, story after story after story, many times thousands of pages per assignment. Yet as we discussed the stories and what made them interesting or what didnt, I was learning how to write. Even today, as I read and review, I learn more about what makes a good story and what doesnt.

I used the reading, discussion, and then writing idea when I taught, too. I tried to highlight one or two concepts per story, then had the students write something using those concepts and any others we had already covered. First, though came reading and reading and reading.

As I read the September, 2005, issue of The Writer, I discovered an article by Erika Dreifus titled Learning short-story writing by example. She agrees with my university professors and me: We learn by reading closely and reading as writers attending to the ways others employ the elements of fiction: setting, plot, character, theme, and so on.

So where can a person find short stories to study, ones that will help learn correct story writing? Of course books of short stories are found in all book stores. In fact Holly Jahangiri and I have a collection of short stories for sale at Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobles. Plus many bookstores connected to colleges have anthologies for sale. If someone couldnt afford to buy an anthology or collection, used bookstores or libraries carry them.

Web sites can be found that have stories and advice for writers. The Internet is an interesting and impressive source. Some magazines still publish short stories. Searching in cyber space will locate many that do.

The best help found in reading, though, is to read well-written short stories, and read, read, read.

****

Sources:

1. Dreifus, Erika, Learning short-story writing by example, The Writer, September 2005.
2. Notes and lesson plans by Vivian Zabel

Vivian Gilbert Zabel taught English, composition, and creative writing for twenty-five years, honing her skills as she studied and taught. She is a author on Creative Writers ( http://www.Writing.Com/ ), and her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vzabel. Her books, Hidden Lies and Other Stories and Walking the Earth: Life's Perspectives in Poetry, can be found through Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

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SelfPublishing Tips for Formatting a Book

Self-Publishing Tips for Formatting a Book
By Yvonne Perry

Ive heard it said so many times, Ive always wanted to write a book, but I don t know where to start. Well, its no more difficult than learning to play the piano, I tell you! Joking aside, here are some pointers that will help you get your rough draft book ready for the printer.

First of all, you have to actually get the book into an electronic format. I suggest you type up your text into a Microsoft Word document. The printer may prefer the document to be sent as a portable document file (pdf) by using Adobe Acrobat, Quark, InStyle or some other layout program. Using styles in Word can present an unstable document when opened in a different version of the program. But, for the typesetting, editing and formatting phase, I find Word does a great job.

Does Size Really Matter?

Yes, when it comes to cost savings it does. The average paperback book size is five inches wide by eight inches tall which is one-half the size of a sheet of 8.5 by 11 inch paper. Finished size for hardcover books is 5.5 by 8.5 inches because the cover overhangs the papers edge. However, the page size and setup is the same for paperback or hardcover. Youll need to select page setup from the file menu and open the tab called paper size, then type in the above mentioned page dimensions. In order to get the margins to print correctly and allow enough room for binding you need to set up your page with (.50) inch margins on the top, bottom, and outside margins. Be sure to click on mirror margins and set the inside to (.75) inches. Most people my age wear readers or need bifocals, so a comfortable reading font (typeset) sizes for book print is between 11 and 12 points. Verdana is my favorite font because it is easier to read. I find that Arial font is hard to read because the is and ls are too close together. Each line should have about 50-60 characters, including spaces. Each page should have approximately 40 lines. This should give you about 250 words per page.

Learning to use styles can drive you crazy, but if you are up for the challenge the feature can save you time. It allows you to create uniform text, paragraph settings, character spacing, and other qualities to selected portions of text. You can have the title in one font size and bold style, the chapter headings in a smaller font such as Times New Roman, and the body text in Verdana or whatever font you like best. Using styles will give the book a consistent look. Another advantage is when you change an attribute of the text in one paragraph, everything with that style will automatically update throughout the entire book. Pretty nifty!

Youll need to have headers and footers with chapter titles and page numbers. These are added by selecting view from the MS Word toolbar to open the header and footer. Then, type in your chapter title, author name or the book title, add the page number, etc. Section breaks will need to be created in order to define and customize the chapter headings. Use insert also on the MS Word toolbar to add a section break.

Self-publishing means you have to do everything yourself or else outsource various tasks. As writers we can get so close to our writing that we cant see our own typos. Even if you are an excellent writer, you will still need to have someone proofread your book because whatever you send to the printer is what is going to be printed.

If you are thinking of self-publishing your book, you should read Peter Bowermans book The Well-fed Self-Publisher ISBN 0967059860. It could save you a lot of time and money!

Yvonne Perry is a metaphysical freelance writer and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services based in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her team of ghostwriters service clients all over the globe by offering quality writing on a variety of topics at an affordable price. If you need a brochure, web text, business document, resume, bio, article or book, visit http://www.yvonneperry.net.

Peter Bowerman will be a guest on Yvonne's podcast Writers in the Sky in January 2007. Sign up for the RSS feed now so you don't miss the show. http://feeds.feedburner.com/audioacrobat/ZOhd.

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How to Choose Publishing Companies

How to Choose Publishing Companies
By Olga Kellen

We are not talking here about big publishing companies that accept only agented submissions; you do not choose them, they choose you. Or more likely they do not. Then, you decide to go the independent route and self-publish or use the help of small publishing companies or POD (print-on-demand).

Or maybe you decide up-front to publish your book independently without wasting many months, or sometimes years, searching for a literary agent and/or conventional publisher.

What are the most important criteria to take into consideration while choosing help in independent publishing?

First. Watch your author's rights. If you pay for publishing, even if only for some of its expenses, then all rights for your work must be yours. Period. Also beware of contracts where publishing companies promise you a lot, but do not say explicitly that your work will really be published and when. You can get into that legal situation without being paid a dime, just by signing; but getting your rights back if your work is not published can cost you money.

Second. Watch your book cost. Some POD will produce a book for more than other similar books cost at a bookstore. Then you won't ever break even, to say nothing of ever making any tiny profit from your book. Keep in mind that if you are going to sell through the usual distribution channels, wholesalers and stores, each of them get their cut - and it is not tiny at all.

Third. The last, but not the least! Think of future book sales before going to print it. How and where are you going to SELL? Most independent publishing companies can only offer you the possibility of selling through their online store, where your book might be lost among many others. In that worst-case scenario, nobody will even know your book exists, nobody will be looking for it, it is not being promoted in any way, and no sales result. Then, book publicists are very expensive and do not guarantee sales in any way. You are on your own, with your inventory not moving at all! What will you do?

So many things to consider before starting...

As of today I am not aware of any independent publishing companies or services that are a really one-stop-shop for all your needs as a self-publisher - from preparing your manuscript for printing to marketing, promoting and selling your book. If you know one, please share the name with me.

Olga Kellen,
LinkedIn member
http://www.linkedin.com/in/olgakellen

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