Panelist at Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable event
Paula Fleming will be a panelist at the Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable (MBPR) event on Wednesday, November 18: “Contract Negotiations 101: Cover Your Bases While Building Relationships.” The panel discussion will be held at the Open Book on 1011 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis. Fellow panelists will be the author business consultant and former agent […]
The road to quality: The book production process
Young musician: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Maestro: Practice, practice, practice. Author: How do you produce an excellent book? Editor: Process, process, process. Yes, it’s an old joke, but it’s true. A quality book the author is proud to have his name on is the result of a rigorous process with many steps […]
5 Tips for writing a first draft
I recently saw a meme on Facebook that went something like “I write whole books in my head when I’m in the shower. Then I sit down at the computer, and wat r werds?” If you climb a ladder and look straight down, you know intellectually that you’re only 5 or 10 or 15 feet […]
Dressy or casual? How to write in a conversational tone
One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether it’s OK to use contractions. See what I did there? I used one! So yes, unless you are writing in a very formal style, such as the style you would use for an academic journal article or many textbooks, it is perfectly acceptable to […]
Tools of the trade: A necessary investment
I am often surprised by posts on message boards for professional writers and editors in which the poster asks, “Do I really need to buy the Chicago Manual of Style? It costs money.” Another question that often comes up is “Do I really need Microsoft Word, or can I get by with a free, open […]
Structure in an unstructured life: The Pomodoro Technique®
As a freelancer, you set your own work hours, subject only to client deadlines. Hopefully, most of your projects are fun and interesting and you can’t wait to get to work on them. After all, freelance writing and editing are the perfect jobs for the chronically intellectually curious because we’re always learning something new. Inevitably, […]
How are publishers using content management systems?
The September Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable event featured guest speaker Colleen Cunningham, senior technical production specialist at F+W Media. As content increasingly gets published to print and electronic formats, publishers are using content management systems (CMS) as a central repository for text, images, and design choices. In the CMS, content is stored in XML, a […]
Book review: ‘American Nations’ by Colin Woodard
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard Viking Penguin (2011), hardcover, 371 pages This book is a good high-level history and analysis of how and why different non-native cultures got established in North America and then spread to dominate different regions. Woodard makes broad generalizations about […]
New release: ‘How to Use Mediation’ by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton
Fleming Editorial Services is proud to have helped Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton develop and produce her book, Nipped in the Bud, Not in the Butt: How to Use Mediation to Resolve Conflicts over Animals. Doug and Paula handled editorial, and Nat Case of InCase LLC designed and produced the cover, interior, and print and e-book. The […]
New release: ‘Brew Law 101’ by Candace L. Moon
Congratulations to Candace L. Moon and Stacey Allura Hostetter of the Craft Beer Attorney law firm on the release of their new book, Brew Law 101, California Edition. This volume covers what craft brewers need to know about the law and includes useful checklists to keep track of the many details. Another great feature is […]