Self-publishing Manuscript Length Information

As you continue to develop your content, consider your market, and research self-publishing options, it might be helpful to consider publishing standards regarding page count.

The most important thing to recognize is the difference between your manuscript page size (which is most likely 8.5 x 11) and your published book trim size (which will most likely be smaller). Whenever a publisher discusses page count, or per-page pricing, it is based upon the size of the published page.

The most common published book trim sizes are 5.5 x 8.5 and 6 x 9, although many publishers will offer several more options.

If your manuscript is 100 pages long at 8.5 x 11, you probably have closer to 200 pages of finished text when the book is published. The good news is, your book just got twice as long, which in many cases improves the perceived value of your published book. On the other hand, some authors will be surprised when they see pricing based upon 200 pages instead of 100. Be prepared.

Keep in mind that production cost is directly related to page count. The more pages your book has, the more it will cost to print. Therefore, most authors keep their books between 100-300 published pages.

Have fun and keep writing.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Aurora of the Northern Lights

Aurora of the Northern Lights

by Holly Hardin

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Reader Views Kids:

“Aurora of the Northern Lights” is the story of a young girl named Aurora. Aurora’s parents meet in the cold lands of the Northern Fey.

Grace: “It’s cold and snowy here, do you think this is where the Northern Fey live Mom?”

Ella: “Maybe they live in the North Cold (what Ella calls the North Pole).”

Aurora’s father, William, becomes sick in the cold so her mother, Mistletoe, agrees to move to a farm where the weather wasn’t so cold.

Ella: “We moved but it’s still cold here, just like in Manitowoc.”

Mistletoe and William are thrilled with the birth of their daughter Aurora, and for seven years everything is wonderful. But, then all three of them get sick and Aurora’s parents don’t survive.

Grace: “That is so sad. That’s why we get shots, so we don’t get sick, right Mom? Are her Mom and Dad in Heaven now?”

Aurora feels lost, and when she wanders into town the people of the town shun her. She doesn’t know what to do when suddenly a witch gives her a charm to protect her from harm, and tells her that this is not her true home, she needs to head to the forest.

Ella: “What a pretty necklace!”

She does head to the forest, where she does meet some Fey. But, these are not her people and they too tell her to move on. But, their queen provides her with a nice wool cloak and oak staff for her journey.

Grace: “At least she’ll be nice and warm.”

After traveling through the bitter cold, Aurora is about to give up when she comes upon a castle. When she knocks, the door is opened by Santa Claus.

Grace: “Look Mom, Santa! I can’t wait until he comes!”

Ella: “Don’t forget to put a cotton ball on my calendar so I know how many more days.”

Santa invites Aurora in where she is welcomed by all, but she then sees a woman who looks like her. This woman is so happy to see her, because she is her Grandmother.

Overall I thought that “Aurora of the Northern Lights” by Holly Hardin was a well-written book; the only issue I had was that little Aurora was only seven when her parents died, and she was on her own and shunned by adults. But, it does show children that life isn’t always easy, and even if you are different you can always find people who will love you no matter what.

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/hollyhardin

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing News: Amazon & State of Colorado

News has surfaced regarding recent legislation involving the state of Colorado and internet retailer, Amazon.com.

Amazon is no stranger to moves like this, which along with the recently thwarted attempt to monopolize the sale of on-demand books through their printers, can be of concern to the rapidly growing self-publishing industry. For all those published and currently publishing authors, self or otherwise, this will have no impact at all on your book pricing and availability.

Have fun and keep writing.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing Advice: Ask the Book Doctor

Q: Can you tell me if reviewers ever judge based on editing/style? So many authors/editors do things differently that I guess they just look for consistency. What I was not sure about was use (or overuse) of commas. Can you tell me if commas should be in these sentences?

“That’s what I thought,” Mark said with a smile. (comma before “with”) and “Yeah, such a storm we had..” Mark said sarcastically.

Is it just preference? If so, would it look bad if the author put commas for some, and not for others?

A: Most reviewers consider everything about the book, including the cover, content, editing, writing style, plot, characterization, flow, resolution, and more.

The volume of commas is not important; what is important is that the commas must be used correctly. How can you know where the commas go, when we were taught one style in school, newspapers use another style, and book publishers use yet another style? Book authors (or their editors) should follow Chicago Style, which book publishers follow, because it dictates punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, when to spell out a number and when to use a numeral, etc. Once that style is followed, commas will be in the right places and the volume of them won’t matter.

As for your specific examples, the first example is fine, but the second one has two periods and no comma before the attribution. It should be written this way:
“Yeah, such a storm we had,” Mark said sarcastically.

If the attribution were a stand-alone sentence, the example would be punctuated this way:
“Yeah, such a storm we had.” Mark spoke sarcastically.

_________________________________

Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and answers at http://www.zebraeditor.com

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing in the News

“As a writer, I know how disheartening it can be to send a manuscript to a publisher and receive a rejection letter.

“The personal computer made it easier to write, but then the onslaught of manuscripts forced publishers to limit submissions to a query first or through agents. The economy made it too risky for publishers to take chances with unknown writers and one-book authors…

“How does a writer build a fan following when it seems impossible to even get one book in print?”

Check out the entire article.

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Aurora of the Northern Lights

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