Happy Easter 2016

It’s Good Friday today. We have come a full circle. Here we go, celebrating spring for the second time since this blog exists. At this time of the year, so many things are happening.

A new year, a new season, warmth, sunshine, spring, baby birds, baby bunnies, changes everywhere.

Of course, I could write all kinds of stuff right now, bunny verses, bible quotes, reminders of what Easter means. Deep in my heart, I keep a special key to the Easter time… to each one of us, it might mean something else! Should we care? Should we discuss? Should we argue?

I don’t think so – we should celebrate a new spring and an amazing and wonderful holiday together.

 

Picture courtesy of: http://easter-pictures.tk/easter-chick-pictures/

 

Right now I’d love to take the opportunity to thank you once more for making this blog such an adventurous experience for me!

AND OF COURSE:

I wish you and your loved ones:

Picture courtesy of: http://investorplace.com/2015/04/happy-easter-images-pictures/11/

 

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Picture courtesy of: http://allwall.xyz/easter-wallpaper-565/

Writing a Query Letter #wwwblogs #writinganovel

Query letters. Am I the only one who is scared of them and really wants to do it RIGHT? Not only ‘right’ but ‘RIGHT’… I think this is such an important blog post who might give me more than a hint! Thank you Alison for sharing this!

Alison Williams Writing

While it’s true that the world of publishing is changing, and that many authors are happy to self-publish, some writers still wish to find an agent, and so will need to introduce themselves with a query letter.

What’s important

It’s absolutely vital to remember that this letter is the first example of your writing that an agent will see, so make it count. These are the key things to remember:

• Address your letter to a specific agent – avoid Dear Sir/Madam.  Using a name shows that you’ve selected that agent – not just stuck a pin in ‘The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook’
• Make it clear you’ve done your homework – state why you’re approaching that particular agent (similar authors? Looking for your genre?)
• Make your book sound interesting
• State the genre and word length
• Include any details of your writing history – competitions, publications, experience
• Keep it formal, keep it…

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The Espresso Book Machine: an Update

Nicholas C. Rossis provides us with great information on the ‘Espresso Book Machine’. Thank you very much for this great work, Nicholas! We really appreciate it!

 

 

Nicholas C. Rossis

Many of you were taken by the Espresso Book Machine by Xerox and the news of the first European Print-On-Demand bookstore opening in Paris. You had many questions in regards to the resulting book’s cost, the quality of printing etc, so I thought I’d come up with a little more information on the technology.

the Espresso Book Machine

Brandon Badger, Product Manager on Google Books, and Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books, discuss the Espresso Book Machine in the video below:

You will notice that it’s really a fancy laser printer with great collating and trimming features.

However, I couldn’t help but notice that the pages are A4-sized and printed in a portrait orientation (see 1’53” or image on the right). That means the machine is ideal for textbooks and reports, but fans of literature may find the end result unflattering.

At least, it’s not…

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