Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about tips for writers based on the manuscripts I edit.
Category: Writing Business
This is our archive pageA Few Friends For The Journey
Marketing Tips From Cheri Cowell The profession we’ve chosen can be a lonely one. For a lot of writers this is a comfortable place to be–at home with our computers and books. But even for those who like solitude, there comes a point when it’s too much of a good thing. None of us were created to go it alone, and as Christian writers it becomes even more important for us to find ways to connect with others. Here are some ways you can find a few friends for the journey.
Tips from the Pros: Crystal Bowman
Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! This past spring I had the joy of serving on the faculty at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference with Crystal Bowman. I was impressed with her passion for writing for children, and you’ll be impressed with her creative ideas for speaking events. Crystal, how many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? Over 100 books for children. I have also written 3 books for women and contributed to several anthologies, but I have found my niche in the children’s market. Some of my latest titles are Our…
Courageous
Quilting Encouragement with Mary Tatem When I visit the Jamestown ship, the Susan Constant, which sailed from England to land in the wilderness of Virginia, I never fail to marvel at the courage of those who left the security of a known life style for the uncertainty of how they would secure the basic necessities. The 116 foot ship bobbed over the ocean for four months with seventy-one passengers crammed into the cramped spaces. I would hesitate to travel to the Bahamas on that little ship, let alone across the Atlantic. In May of 1607 when they disembarked on mosquito…
What If Somebody Else Publishes Your Idea?
Turns out, Shakespeare stole his play Othello from another author. I just read a blog that insists: “A little-known Italian novelist and poet named Giovanni Battista Geraldi, also known as Cinthio, wrote a short story in 1565 titled Un Capitano Moro, which historians have noticed shares certain elements with Shakespeare’s Othello. Which elements, you ask? Oh, nothing major; just the plot, characters, certain names, setting, and moral. Cinthio’s version of the story is so similar to Shakespeare’s acclaimed play that we’re surprised Shakespeare even bothered to change the title before ripping it [off].” In an era of no copyright laws,…
Tips From The Pros – Margaret Brownley
Hello from the battered state of Florida. My TIPS FROM THE PROS front porch is propped up with 2 x 4s. The power was off for days, so the fridge and the freezer received a good cleaning. Our gas grill got a workout, cooking up all the thawing meat from the freezer. We lost several days of sleep and gained too many pounds to count. All in all, another day in…uh, paradise. I do exaggerate a little, but we have to here is the land of blustery days and nights in order to keep our sanity. Oh, by the way, the…
What You Need to Know About Fulfillment Services
Marketing Tips From Cheri Cowell Fulfillment companies, also known as third party logistics companies (3PL), act as contracted warehousing and shipping departments for other businesses, and may be a good choice for you if you have ancillary products to sell in combination with your books. This is a primer on fulfillment services.
Tips from the Pros: Ellen E. Kennedy
Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the privilege of interviewing cozy mystery author Ellen E. Kennedy—who often goes by her very appropriate initials—EEK! All of us grammar lovers will enjoy her clever titles. Ellen, how many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? Four, plus “The Applesauce War,” a Christian romance novella in the Barbour Books anthology, The Farmer’s Bride. My latest titles are Murder in the Past Tense (2014) and Incomplete Sentence (2016) in the Miss Prentice Cozy Mystery series.
God’s Smile
Quilting Encouragement with Mary Tatem Lifting her feet high in order to run through the loose sand, the five-year-old girl’s face broadcast her delight in seeing me. She threw her arms around my legs. I bent to plant a welcoming kiss on her blonde curls, my heart awash with love for this precious child. Our faces beamed with smiles, and both of us laughed out loud at the joy of being together. In a moment she was back playing with her beach toys, but the bond between us was reinforced by that enthusiastic greeting. Her zeal wasn’t always so exuberant,…
Save Your Darlings
by Judith Couchman Might we in our rush to kill all our darlings risk beheading our only valuable bits of expression or insight?—John Crowley You write like crazy. Brilliant ideas spill from nowhere. Original word combinations flow. Then your editor says, “This passage doesn’t fit. We need to cut it.” The editor deletes paragraphs of your stellar work. You feel like you witnessed a murder. Traditionally, writers call these cherished but unusable passages and pages their “darlings.” Authors around the world, from Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch to Stephen King, have advised writers to kill those darlings: the gorgeous words, sentences, and…