Tuesday, 7 of February of 2012
The Best of Learning & Leading with Technology
Selections from Volumes 31-35
Edited by Jennifer Roland
With a large selection of articles from each of the regular sections of ISTE’s award-winning magazine, The Best of Learning & Leading with Technology is an excellent resource for new ISTE members or beginning ed tech users, and is a “must-have” volume for longtime fans of the magazine. Along with provocative columns, insightful features, and practical tips, a full-color section showcases some of the best artwork and covers from the L&L design team.
Order directly from ISTE or from Amazon or Powell's.
See further works here.
Deb Ng, of Freelance Writing Jobs fame, recently released Beyond Blogging: Using Your Blogging Skills for Bigger and Better Things.
Peggy Rowland posted a review and has convinced Deb to give away two copies of the book. Visit the Lively Women blog and find out how you could be one of the lucky winners.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
No, I’m not going to regale you with tales about my inability to choose between the stable family man-type or the insensitive rake. But I am going to use my blog to hold myself accountable for my word count. I haven’t decided whether I’m going to go with publisher word counts or word processor word counts as a general rule (I will be consistent, though, once I make the final decision), but I will be posting my word count here weekly as a means of making myself accountable for my goals.
I ended 2008 with a respectable 10,000 words (word processor count). But I’ve added few words through the month of January, and I’ve decided that beating myself up about it is not helping me get more words written. Instead, I’m going to unapologetically give you my word count once a week. I want 3,500 words written each week, and you’ll know whether I hit that.
I’m not going to spend post after post telling you why I haven’t hit my count or why I have (well, maybe a little–self-reflection is a goal here). I’m just going to keep a running word count in my sidebar for all to see. The little gadget is courtesy of Writertopia.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Prolific author John Updike died today as a result of lung cancer.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
It has been a week filled with lots of bad news about layoffs and downsizing at many media outlets and publishing houses.
In the spirit of “This, too, shall pass,” though, I’m not linking to the bad news and sensationalism. Instead, I’m looking to the future. The growth of electronic books will mean changes for novel and nonfiction book writers. The increased acceptance of online media will mean changes for article writers. So we look at the predictions and the information we have now and make our decisions about how we will progress with our writing careers.
Google & the Future of Books
A research librarian’s take on Google’s digitization of the global library. Robert Darnton discusses whether Google library is a fulfillment of the Enlightenment’s promise of information freedom.
Day One: New FOIA Rules
The Columbia Journalism Review presents a discussion of President Obama’s call for greater transparency in government and more responsiveness to Freedom of Information Act document requests.
Tasty Tomes: Writers’ Favorite Recipes
WTF, you might be thinking. This is an interesting article about a less-than-interesting topic, celebrity cookbooks. But, the writers who have submitted their favorite recipes are engaging in some great platform-building. (Come back Friday for more about platform, as I review Get Known Before the Book Deal.) Inclusion in a cookbook or some other sort of anthology could bring you new readers; some might even end up being your strongest brand champions.
Evil Editor
This blog pulls no punches in critiquing writing. It’s fun and a little frightening, and it contains some good hints if you can internalize the criticism and see how it applies to your own work.
When You’re Writing a Book…
The comments are actually the gold mine here, as commenters discuss the premise that you should be thinking about marketing while you are writing. I have envisioned the iTunes playlist I will post when my vampire novel is published (yes, I have to finish it first–more on that Wednesday). What marketing ideas have you come up with while you write?
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Secrets to Getting Published in Tough Times
Writer’s Digest hosted this free online seminar earlier this month. You can download the recording and listen to it anytime. Just click on the Recorded Sessions link on the left and then select the title.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
With the holiday, my schedule got a little wonky. So I’ve got the roundup for you today.
NEA Report Finds Fiction Reading on the Rise
OMG! We’re reading again! This is definitely good news for those of us who write fiction.
How the Big Gulp Approach to News Makes Readers Scram
Simon Dumenco does not support the Chicago Tribune’s newsstand format change. He thinks if you’re going to do a special version of the newspaper, it should actually be different in content not just design. He has some interesting ideas about why newspaper readership is declining.
8 Articles/Posts All Writers Should Have Read in 2008
And so begins the nightmare of recrimination that is January. Seriously, folks, these eight pages provide some insight into what the future will bring to we writers.
On Being So Busy You Don’t Have Time to Title Your Blog Entry
A humorous take on writers’ time wasters. Personally, I clean, as you may have gathered from my post yesterday. In college, my apartment was never so clean as when I had a paper due.
Why Would a Pro Write for HuffPo?
Michael Miner describes the trend that puts the “free” in freelancing: high-profile websites that don’t pay their authors. The argument is that the exposure provided by a popular website provides a platform that is worth hte lack of pay.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
My review of The Boss of You was included on the Breenie Books Blog Carnival on Sunday.
Visit the carnival here for a wide array of reviews: http://breenibooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-review-blog-carnival-9th-edition.html
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
A few years back, I got really into Flylady as I worked toward removing clutter from my life.
Since getting married and moving into my new home with my husband, I have kind of gotten away from the routines she suggested.
So, when we came back from our second vacation of the winter, I realized that our house was a disaster. Yesterday, instead of writing, I spent my entire day cleaning the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom. I sorted through a lot of clutter, and those rooms look so much better. I find an uncluttered bedroom much more soothing, and I definitely fell asleep much easier last night. (A hard day of cleaning might have had something to do with that, too!)
But, I was unhappy to lose what I had planned to be a productive writing day. And I could have prevented that loss by keeping up on my cleaning routines so things didn’t get so out of hand. Things were so cluttered that I simply wasn’t able to think about anything except how much the clutter was annoying me!
I’m in a good place now, and simple routines can keep things up. Next holiday, I will be able to do the things I want: take the dogs hiking and get a good chunk of writing and querying done.
How about you. What things interrupt your productivity?
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears
When Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears set out to begin their own web design company, they looked for books that would help them start their small service business. They didn’t find what they needed, so they did what they thought was best, learning lessons, making mistakes, and experiencing successes along the way. After they became successful, they decided to help the next generation of women entrepreneurs by gathering their experiences into a how-to manual.
The unique focus on small and service-based businesses makes their book unique, as does its focus on women entrepreneurs. Unlike mompreneur titles, The Boss of You doesn’t speak down to the reader or tell her that she will make millions in a year by mass producing her special gadget.
The book takes you through the idea stage with worksheets that help you focus and develop goals and a mission statement. They include advice on what to avoid and how and when to ask for help. Bacon and Mears then move you into the budgeting stage and prepare you to open your doors, begin production, or start offering your services–whatever benchmark is most appropriate for your business.
Once your business is up and running, they guide you in marketing, public relations, and advertising. Their chapter on networking is particularly useful. Networking can be scary, but Bacon and Mears have tips to help you get over your fear and find the methods of networking that work best for you.
The final section of the book discusses managing growth. Many businesses fail because of poor growth management, whether owners allow their business to grow too fast, stretching themselves beyond their ability to provide services, or keep them from growing at all, staying in their comfort zone rather than looking for new clients and projects. Their own stories help guide you in knowing when to hire help and how to keep your employees happy. Bacon and Mears also ensure that you celebrate your achievements–important milestones and anniversaries that signal your continued success.
They close the book with a resource guide and a call to share your own experiences with other up-and-coming businesswomen through mentoring, presentations, and pro bono or volunteer work. This focus on giving back is a hallmark of the women’s business culture, a much more collaborative than competitive sorority that is ignored or maligned in much of the business literature.
The tips and advice Bacon and Mears offer is a perfect fit for a fledgling writer trying to figure out how to structure the business side of things. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
I’m wishing you a happy Monday with a set of good read for the week. Enjoy!
The New Austerity in Publishing
Like other industries, publishing appears to be tightening its belt. Gone (for now) are the big expense accounts and annual raises. I think this is a temporary measure, and things will return to what has been considered normal after a few years of belt tightening.
Publishers Keep Bidding High on New Books
It looks as if the world of the mid-level author will remain the same, as publishing houses use the blockbusters to subsidize the smaller selling titles. That is good news to those of us who may have been a little worried at the staffing cuts at the big guys. That does bring up a question, though. If publishing houses are putting out the same number of books with less staff, does that mean more of an editing burden will fall on the author?
The Worst of Being an Editor
This little list made me laugh. I spent 12 years editing academic research journals and magazines for a nonprofit publisher, so I feel the Blood Red Pencil’s pain. I once drew an apostrophe on a menu for a frequent lunch hangout because I just couldn’t stand it anymore.
What’s a Slush Pile Anyway?
I’ve always wondered about the slush pile. You read books and stories about the glamorous discovery of an author in the slush pile. But does it really exist? Apparently it does, at least for literary agent Rachelle Gardner. I echo her thankfulness that the pile is now virtual rather than physical.
Resolutions
Ya gotta love writers. Not only do we make new year’s resolutions, but we also write them down and revisit them toward the end of the year. Here is one such example.
Instant Rejection
This is an old post, but it is evergreen info. Please don’t make these mistakes. In fact, don’t even make the mistakes Janet mentions in the last paragraph. She may overlook them if everything else in the pitch is golden, but why give an editor or agent a reason to form reject you?
A Fiction Book Proposal
Great tips for preparing your proposal. Of course, make sure you check the submission guidelines for the agent/publishing house before you send your proposal–just to make sure you know exactly what they want and the right person to receive it. Previous posts have discussed query letters and the nonfiction book proposal.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
