Blogs

Say What?

5/8/2018

Q: How does the person who doesn't read much give himself away?

A: He writes words and expressions he's heard—or what he thought he heard—but never actually seen in print, often with amusing results.

Following are some words and expressions I've come across in emails, and yes even in books (Editor needed!), that reveal individuals who just don't read.

It's a doggy-dog world.
It's a dog-eat-dog world.
Meaning: It's a cut-throat and competitive world.

For all intensive purposes
For all intents and purposes
Meaning: virtually or in every practical sense

My next store neighbour
My next-door neighbour
Meaning: the neighbour who lives beside me

I ate too much. Case and point, I had four meals.
Case in point, I had four meals.
Meaning: to give an example

From all woks of life
From all walks of life
Meaning: from all occupations and classes

I was so hungry I had hunger pains.
I was so hungry I had hunger pangs.
Meaning: hunger contractions occurring in the stomach

You have another thing coming.
You have another think coming.
Meaning: You'd better think some more about this.

I could care less.
I couldn't care less.
Meaning: I care so little I couldn't care any less.

He put her up on a pedal-stool.
He put her up on a pedestal.
Meaning: to think highly of someone

He was 90 pounds soak and wet.
He was 90 pounds soaking wet.
Meaning: He weighs a bit less than 90 pounds. The idea is that to get his weight up to 90 pounds, you have to soak him completely in water, implying that he is underweight.

She squatted my butt with a towel.
She swatted my butt with a towel.
Meaning: She hit me with a towel.

I don't mind some construction criticism of my manuscript.
I don't mind some constructive criticism of my manuscript.
Meaning: a criticism that aims to help and improve the overall quality of a product or service

The Middle East is becoming a powder cake.
The Middle East is becoming a powder keg.
Meaning: A powder keg is a small barrel of gunpowder.

I'd just assume stand on the bus.
I'd just as soon stand on the bus.
Meaning: I would prefer to stand rather than something else that is possible.

You have a fair to midland chance of winning.
You have a fair to middling chance of winning.
Meaning: slightly above average

He was at my beckon call when I was sick.
He was at my beck and call.
Meaning: available whenever I asked

Jens Petersen is an editor with a wide range of clients. He primarily edits books, but also articles, brochures, advertising.
For more information, visit the website at: www.AuthorConsultants.org
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AuthorConsultants
He can be reached at PetersenEditing@gmail.com

Effective Writing Made Easy

5/27/2017

I just came across a method of time management called The Pomodoro Technique. An Italian productivity consultant named Francesco Cirillo came up with it in 1980, using a timer shaped like a tomato, hence “pomodoro”.

Research has shown that the brain can focus intently for 25 minutes but then needs a break. So, Cirillo's idea is to break up a large task, like writing a book, into 25 minute segments. Each segment is called a pomodoro.

Here's how it works:

Set a timer for 25 minutes and work until it rings.
Put a check mark on a piece of paper.
Take a three- to five-minute break (not work-related).
Repeat until you have 4 check marks.
Take a 15- to 30-minute break. The brain will rest and recoup, ready for the next round.

Using this method tells the brain there is a sense of urgency—time ticking down. And this in turn creates a sharper focus on the task.

So, how many pomodoros should you/could you do in a day? Well, that depends on you. If the job is boring, you might only do 8. If you are enjoying yourself and are on a roll, you might have a fabulous day and complete 16!

In any case, completing each pomodoro will motivate you to do another, and another. Keeping track in your Day-Timer of how many you complete each day will further motivate you. And keeping track will show you just how much you have accomplished.

This is a very simple tool to use and is guaranteed to motivate you to GET TO WORK!

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

Marketing Tip

11/16/2014

Using Endorsements in Another Way to Market Your Book

As we know, things that get shared and "Liked" the most on Facebook are images and quotes.

Add one of your endorsements to a photo of your book's front cover or a coloured background with your book's title and website address. Under the quote, put the name of the endorser.

Post it on Facebook and other social media sites. Include a relevant comment about the quote. Then tag the endorser so he/she and followers will see it.

Make an album on Facebook and/or a board on Pinterest to collect these endorsements.

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

Your Back Cover

5/15/2014

by Dominique Petersen

A book consists of two design elements: the cover on the outside and the layout and formatting on the inside. Today I'd like to talk about

THE BACK COVER

The back cover includes more items than the front cover. From top to bottom, they consist of the library category, the blurb, an endorsement, the bar code, the price, and the Publisher’s name (with or without a logo) and the website address under it. The font for the back cover should match the text that your book designer will be using inside the book.

The first item is the library category. This is how the Library catalogues your book and how the bookstore knows which section to place it in. Some examples are: self-help, biography, business, children’s fiction, poetry, romantic fiction, personal growth, health and fitness, inspirational, etc.

The most important item on the back cover is the blurb. This tells the buyer what the book is about and why he/she should buy it. In other words buyers want to know “what’s in it for me?” Next to the cover, this is what makes the sale, so give this item a lot of thought. Obviously, there is not a lot of space to go into detail about the book—nor should you!—the buyer doesn’t have all night to stand and read the back cover. You want to say what you need to say in two paragraphs. Use the first to describe the content of the book—what it’s about. Use the second to point out why the buyer needs your book. Perhaps you could use a bulleted list on the benefits that will come to the buyer upon reading it.

A short endorsement comes under the blurb. This would be a recommendation of the book, why it should be read, what the person recommending it got out of it. You could include two testimonials, if they were just one sentence each. If you have several testimonials, it would be best to pick one for the back cover and then have them all inside the book on the very first page(s).

The next item is the bar code which encodes your ISBN number and the price of the book. This is what is scanned at the checkout. If you are intending to sell your book in stores, you must have a bar code. Your book designer can create it for you using your ISBN number.

The price of the book is very important. If it's too expensive, no one will buy it; if it’s too cheap, you won’t make any money on it after your printing costs. You need to set the right price. One way to get an idea of how much to charge is to check bookstores and see how much books in your category and size are selling for. Your Book Designer can also advise you on an appropriate price.

The Publisher’s name is the last item on the back cover. If you are publishing your own book, then this is YOU. The name can be something that has meaning for you, for example in memory of a parent who has passed away, for example “Victor Publishing”, a name amalgamating the names of your children, or the name of your company. I use “NikDesigns” for my Publishing name, as that is the name of my Graphic Design Business. You may even wish to use your own name or nickname, even your initials. Initials work well if you have three, for example, “DMJ Publishing”. One of our authors thought that she was being very outspoken in her book, so chose “Lippy Press” as her Publishing name. Two women who wrote a book together called their company “Two Wise Chicks Publishing.”

You may also wish to use a small graphic along with your publishing name—a logo. Your book designer can create one for you to use on your book and promotional materials.

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

Your Front Cover

4/30/2014

by Dominique Petersen

A book consists of two design elements: the cover on the outside and the layout and formatting on the inside. Today I'd like to talk about

THE FRONT COVER

The front cover needs to be exciting or eye-catching, yet simple. The ONLY three items it should contain are the title of the book, a graphic or photo, and the name of the author.

The first item on the front cover is the title. It should be prominent and describe what the book is about. If this can’t be done—for example, you want a short, “catchy” title—then use a sub-title to further explain your topic. For example, one of my children’s book authors chose the title “Whitey”, a catchy one-word title, but what does it tell us about the book? The author added a subtitle.
WHITEY:
Story of a Little Lamb
NOW we know!

Another author’s title is “Self-Hypnosis”. He added a subtitle to give the reader more information, but added it above the title:
Uproot Your Past, Nourish Your Present, Enhance Your Future Through
SELF-HYPNOSIS
Just a change in the order of title and subtitle made his book cover distinct!

A new trend that is becoming popular these days is using a short sales pitch, rather than a sub-title. It is usually in the form of a question and can be above or below the title. It too compliments the title and gives the reader more insight into the book's content. Here is an example:
Can one woman find happiness in spite of her past?
DESERVING OF LOVE

The title should be in a font that complements the illustration or gives the reader/ buyer a hint of what the book is about. For example, if the book has a Western topic, your designer may perhaps choose an Old West font. A scary children’s book with a font dripping blood would be effective. Fonts can also be “feminine” and “masculine”, convey a sense of fun, or seriousness for a book on business, or heavy for a book on weight-lifting, or have flowing script for a book on romance, and so on.

The second item on the front cover is an illustration. There MUST be an illustration —either a graphic, drawing or photo. Books having just text are boring and generally don’t attract the buyer’s attention. Of course, a book such as a Dictionary would only have text, but here the buyer is looking for a specific book, not browsing through a bookstore.

If your book has a serious topic, for example, a business book, a photograph is your best choice. This lends credibility to your topic and elegance to the front cover. You must be sure that you own the rights to the photo. You can’t just open any book and scan in a photo to use. You may use one that you took yourself (get the subject’s permission, if necessary), you may buy a photo from an online photo site, which is then owned by you, or you may buy CDs or books to use, but be sure they say that the photos are “royalty free”. If not, you could be sued by the owner of the photo for using something that belongs to someone! If you don't have something specific in mind, your book designer can help you find and choose an appropriate photograph.

A graphic for the front cover could also be serious, if drawn nicely, or could be fun, such as a cartoon. You want to draw attention to the cover so that the reader/buyer will pick it up. So, using a bright cartoon, if it complements the title and content of the book, of course, would do just that. Again, you/your designer must own the rights to the graphic.

One of my clients found the perfect graphic on the Internet for me to use to design a logo for her business to add to her back cover. I told her that we couldn’t just use someone’s art so she found the artist’s e-mail address on the site and wrote to ask his permission. He was complimented that someone would want to use his art for a logo, and not only gave his permission, but also sent her a large, high-resolution copy of the art for me to use. He might have charged her a fee as well, which would have been appropriate.

You may wish your book designer to use a drawing or painting for your cover. This is also very effective and makes your book unique, with a one-of-a-kind illustration. You may draw or paint the picture yourself, or pay someone to do it and you would then own the painting. To get it to the cover, you would stand it up against the wall—be sure that it is straight, not on a slant! Then take a picture of it with a digital camera. For a smaller drawing or painting, you can lay it on the bed of a scanner and scan and save it to your computer. Your designer can give you further information on the size and resolution needed.

The third item on the front cover is the name of the author. Now, if you are a well-known and famous author, your name would go on the top of the front cover in big, bold letters. This is actually done to MARKET the book by advertising it as being by a famous author. If you were to do this on your first book, it would be laughable! You need to have your name in fairly small letters on the bottom of the front cover. It should also be in a font that is NOT the same as the title/subtitle font, or it looks like it is part of the title.

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

10 Mistakes Authors Make when Creating their own Book Covers

2/5/2014

by Dominique Petersen

I have seen many examples on the Internet of poorly designed book covers, especially eBook covers. In fact, there is a site at LousyBookCovers.com filled with pictures of book covers that authors have done themselves.

Here are 10 mistakes that I have seen authors make.

1. They create the cover themselves, or have their son/daughter/Aunt Martha do it— rather than having a professional design it.

2. They use a low-resolution photo or graphic for the cover photo, rather than the high-resolution that the Printer requires. This results in a fuzzy photo when printed.

3. They use a photo “off the Internet.” Photos on the Internet are owned by someone. If authors don't have permission to use someone's photo or art, they could be sued. They need to get permission or buy a photo from a stock photo site and read the fine print to ensure the photo can be used specifically for book covers.

4. They use background and accent colours on the cover that clash with the colours in the photo on the front. The front cover is designed to entice a potential buyer to pick up the book. If the colours are distracting and ugly, the buyer will be put off rather than attracted to the book.

5. They use a text font for the book's title, rather than a display font. This screams “amateur.”

6. They make the front cover too busy by adding too much information; for example, an endorsement or a list of the bonus material contained within. This distracts from the title of the book and the photo. The front cover does not need to be a “book trailer.”

7. They put their name across the top of the front cover in large print, as if they were famous authors, when the book is the only one they have ever written.

8. They give the whole story away on the back cover, so why would prospective buyers spend the money to buy the book? The back cover blurb is intended to intrigue and entice buyers to find out more.

9. They put their photo and bio on the back cover when they are first-time authors. Since their name is not a selling point, it is better to use that space for an endorsement to market the book and place the “About the Author” inside the book on the final page.

10. They underprice the book because they feel that they can't charge a high price for it. This only serves to undervalue their work in the eyes of potential buyers.

Having your book cover professionally designed is just as important as having it professionally edited. It needs to look good and sound good. You worked hard on the content; show it off to its best advantage!

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

Design Tip

1/5/2014

PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT FOR FORMATTING
by Dominique Petersen

As a book designer, one of my pet peeves is authors putting two spaces after each period in their manuscripts.

The habit of using two spaces comes from a time when most typewriters used monospaced fonts. Adding an extra space after the period at the end of a sentence made the text easier to read.

Today, fonts on computers are proportional and the extra space doesn’t improve readability. In fact, it makes the text look like it is riddled with holes—especially when formatting the manuscript into the book in which the text is justified on both sides.

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

Tips for Avoiding Strain While Writing

12/16/2013

Photo: www.NikDesignsGraphics.com

by Dominique Petersen

Do you sit at your computer, working on your novel, for hours at a time? If so, here are some tips to help you avoid strain.

Have your monitor positioned correctly: a little lower than eye level and directly in front of you, about 18 to 30 inches away.

Adjust the brightness of the monitor so that it is not glaring in your eyes; adjust the contrast so your eyes can better distinguish all items on the screen.

Make sure the chair you are sitting on allows your feet to be firmly on the floor.

To avoid staining your neck and shoulders, make sure your keyboard is at elbow height.

Avoid reaching. For example, make sure your mouse is right beside the keyboard at your fingertips.

Avoid fluorescent lights and sunlight and instead use soft lighting and blinds to cut down too-bright lighting that makes the items on your screen hard to see.

Blink your eyes frequently and walk away from your desk every now and then—go get some coffee or a breath of fresh air.

Look for products that will make your work easier. For example, a padded wrist rest at your keyboard or a stand to attach to the side of your monitor on which to place any papers you are typing from.

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is a published author, graphic designer, and part-time food photographer. For more information, visit the website at www.NikDesignsGraphics.com and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NiksBooks or www.Facebook.com/NiksPikks
She can be reached at NikDesignsGraphics@yahoo.ca

English Language Trivia

12/16/2013

by Jens Petersen

Q: Where did the expression “Catch-22” come from?

A: Catch-22 is the title of Joseph Heller's 1953 novel about bomber crews during World War 2. It refers to a paradox: attempting to escape makes escape impossible. In the novel, bomber crew members apply for exemption from highly dangerous missions on the grounds of insanity. Applications are rejected, since anyone who would apply for exemption from going on these missions must be sane. The expression “damned if you do, and damned if you don't” covers the situation.

Today the expression is often misused to mean any difficult situation.

Jens Petersen is an editor with a wide range of clients. He primarily edits books, but also articles, brochures, advertising.
For more information, visit the website at www.AuthorConsultants.org
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AuthorConsultants
He can be reached at PetersenEditing@gmail.com

The Essential Writing Tool

12/15/2013

by Jens Petersen

Whether you are writing an article for a magazine, an email, a blog, or a book, there is one essential tool you need—a good dictionary. Always have it at hand and use it often, whenever there is any doubt about a word or phrase. It can save you some serious embarrassment and preserve your credibility with your readers.

Don't rely on the accuracy of a word or phrase you've heard but never seen in print. I come across these misshaped constructions all the time; here are a few examples:

The wrong way: per say — That's how it sounds, all right, but it's not correct.

What it should be: per se — This expression is Latin and means by or in itself, intrinsically. For example, “I'm not opposed to capital punishment per se.”

The wrong way: wrecked/reeked havoc — The first verb makes no sense since it means to destroy the havoc, and the second one doesn't smell too good.

What it should be: wreak havoc - The verb means to vent or inflict, for example, “They wreaked havoc on the enemy.”

The wrong way: I nipped that problem in the butt! — That's quite colourful, but can we solve a problem that way?

What it should be: I nipped that problem in the bud! - That's the correct expression, of course. It refers to the practice of nipping a plant in the bud to prevent it from flowering. So the expression means to prevent a potential problem from becoming bigger.

The wrong way: a mute point — The adjective mute means unspoken or unable to speak.

What it should be: a moot point - The correct adjective in this phrase should be moot, which refers to something that is debatable or of no practical importance. For example, “That point may make for a good discussion, but it is moot.”

If we are in the business of using words, we need to be clear about what they mean, i.e., we need to use a dictionary. Writers often use words without a clear understanding of their meaning. Here is an example:

“I literally died of embarrassment.” A horrible way to go, I know, but can one really die of embarrassment? When you use the word literally, you are describing something exactly as it happened; you are being literal—using the strict meaning of the word.

Jens Petersen is an editor with a wide range of clients. He primarily edits books, but also articles, brochures, advertising.
For more information, visit the website at www.AuthorConsultants.org
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AuthorConsultants
He can be reached at PetersenEditing@gmail.com