Month: March 2014

Getting It Right: Fire

Photo courtesy Ross Beckley
Photo courtesy Ross Beckley

Smoke Signals
Guest Post
by John Kenny

The theatre manager told us we would have to leave if we couldn’t be quiet. A group of fellow firefighters and I were howling with laughter as we watched “Backdraft”. Kurt Russell was dashing through a blazing inferno, coat open, boots rolled down and with no breathing apparatus.

Even the rawest recruit knew that in real life Russell would be dead two steps in. What was missing was the single deadliest thing in a fire – smoke. Hollywood leaves out the smoke, or at best shows a light mist, because if they showed what it was really like all you would see would be a black screen. At best you’d see an orange glow as the camera got close to the fire.

Smoke is the product of incomplete combustion due an inadequate supply of fresh air (oxygen). This is exactly what happens inside a tightly closed home or other structure. Furthermore the smoke has nowhere to go. Sitting around a campfire the smoke simply rises and blows away. Anyone who’s had the smoke blow in their direction knows how uncomfortable that is – the coughing and stinging eyes. You can imagine what it’s like inside a building: even if you could keep your eyes open in that stinging murk, the smoke rapidly builds up until you literally can’t see the hand in front of your face. Continue reading “Getting It Right: Fire”

The Case for Legible Titles

illegible titlesAs you are aware, the most common issue we see with books during the vetting process is an unclear or confusing book description. The second most common issue: unreadable titles on book covers in thumbnail size.

Who cares? Right? It’s just a tiny book cover. No one expects to read it in that size.

Um, wrong.

Just last week, our Lynne Cantwell wrote about the Marketing Rule of 7 – that it takes at least seven instances of someone seeing your book before they actually purchase it. Well – what if those seven instances are in thumbnail size? Do you think they will remember to purchase a book when they can’t read the title? Moreover, will they even notice it to begin with? Probably not. Don’t waste a chance to get in front of someone and make an impression.

Here at Indies Unlimited, thumbnails are generally 120×177 pixels, which on my laptop ends up being around 1.75 inches high by just under 1.25 wide. There is no specific industry standard for thumbnails, (on WordPress it’s 150×150) and the size varies from site to site. Then, add to it people viewing sites on their tablets and cell phones – and you can end up with some mighty small thumbnails. Can you read your title under those circumstances? You may want to check. Continue reading “The Case for Legible Titles”

How to Hire an Editor, Part 2: Ask Questions

iStock_000016462169XSmallIn Part 1, we reviewed the different types of editing so you can determine what you need and therefore, what kind of editor to seek out. Now that you have a few names, start a conversation.

Where to even begin?

This is why it’s so important (if at all possible) to have an idea of what kind of editing you need. What you’re calling “editing” might not be the same thing your potential editor is pricing you on. It’s your book and your money, so you would do well to know what you’re getting into. Continue reading “How to Hire an Editor, Part 2: Ask Questions”

Do You Review?

Simon GoodsonGuest Post
by Simon Goodson

I’m going to make a few assumptions here, but I think they are all reasonable. First assumption – if you are reading this then you are an author or involved in publishing books. That won’t be true for everyone, but I’m pretty sure it covers most of you. That means you know how hard it is to get each and every review. You know how important reviews are. You know the excitement when you realise there’s a new review for one of your books.

Next assumption – you read a lot of books. If you’re an author you read far more books each year than you write. If you’re a publisher I bet you still read a lot of books outside of work. There was a time, before I started writing seriously, when I would read four or five books a week. I read a lot less now but it is still thirty to fifty books a year. Maybe more. Continue reading “Do You Review?”