Books are my business. In the last seven to eight years, I’ve helped make people’s books come alive with manuscript editing, project managing books to print, graphic design and layout, and sometimes ghostwriting. So when a fellow member of an association – a friend – came to me to ask me to ghostwrite a manuscript, I didn’t turn him down.
When I first caught the writing bug in the Spring of 2006 I had no idea where to begin. Slow days at work were filled googling “writing tips” and “freelance writing” for information and inspiration. All this Internet research led me to varied websites, often with conflicting advice: write what you know vs. write what you like to read; writers must be readers vs. writers must be writers. I was confused to say the least. But as the vast, intricately linked world of the Internet would have it, just when I decided I was wasting my time, I stumbled upon a Yahoo group for writers that would change everything.
Last Friday, we jumped in the truck with Max and Mason and took a six-hour drive to Burlington, Vermont. The ride was absolutely gorgeous! Most of the fall leaves had already fallen but what remained were yellow and copper, painted amongst the evergreens and mountain rocks. There was snow at the top of Mount Washington. That was a treat to see! Driving through that part of the country, surrounded by colorful layers of mountains, cascading into the horizon, is beyond description. I was wondering what I’d done good recently to deserve being in that spot at that moment in time. God sure did some special work with his paintbrush on that stretch of highway!
After the Summer contest, I posted a missive about the common themes in entries submitted for the Summer 24-Hour Short Story Contest. We received lots of positive feedback so I’m doing it again this quarter.
Thanks!
Hi Angela,
I just have to tell you that you write the nicest acceptance letters of any editor I’ve worked with! You are so enthusiastic and encouraging! Thank you for making my day! 🙂
Diane Stark
Knute Rockne, head coach for Notre Dame’s “Fighting Irish” team brought his team to national prominence and wasn’t afraid of his critics. “If I flop, let’em pan me” he once said. It takes confidence to make that statement.
As I read it, I give up all rights if I submit to this [Glamour magazine] contest and the copyright is worthless. Do you agree?
Picture books rank among the hardest manuscripts to sell, and they can cost $100,000 or more to produce – an expense dwarfing that of the average paperback. Still, I wanted to sell mine.
Per my missive here on October 8th, Mason refuses to say, “I love you.” Since he’ll say anything else, including, “Bye Bye, Poo Poo” (while waving into the toilet), and since he’ll sing anything (including the Duff Beer song from the Simpsons, thanks to the teachings of his Uncle Chris), I’ve concluded that the only reason Mason won’t say he loves me is because he knows how badly I want him to say it!
Several months ago, we started offering a “disgruntled author’s special” to authors who aren’t happy with their current POD publisher. If they move their book to BookLocker, they only have to pay $99 in setup fees, which is the same special we give to all returning authors (meaning authors only pay $99 setup fees on their second and subsequent books published through BookLocker). Why do we do this?
