Writers and Editors

Many writers mistakenly lower-case short words in titles, even verbs (which are often tiny)

General rules (which vary somewhat according to style guides):

---In titles, do capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, the first and last words in a title and (per most style guides) words with four or more letters.

---In titles, don't capitalize (do lowercase) articles, conjunctions, short prepositions, and many words with three or fewer words.

---Major style guides: MLA Style and Chicago Manual of Style (for books), AP Style (for newspapers, etc.), and various other specialty style guides

Mind you, some publications use mostly lower-case in their titles (e.g.,

 

• How I Found Out I had Pancreatic Cancer   [problem words are highlighted in red--they should be capitalized]

     Good video, but "had," a verb, should be capitalized.

 

• The Basic Problem for Authors who write More than One Book
• What To Do if Your Book is Pirated: 6 Steps to Justice

• There are Three Ways To Create Evergreen Links 

      "Are" (a verb, the plural of "is") should be capitalized; "to" is one of the short prepositions not capitalized in the middle of a title.

• This is Why Book Marketing Doesn't Work
• What is Memory Care and How Much Should it Cost? (Assisted Living Today)   

• California's Collusion with a Texas Timber Company Let Ancient Redwoods be Clearcut

• What is AI and How Can Writers Use It?

      "Is," a verb, should be capitalized. All forms of "to be" should be capitalized when a title is capitalized.

 

• Top 10 Chronic Conditions in Adults 65+ and What You Can do to Prevent or Manage Them

• What do Anti-Freelancer Laws Mean for Independent Journalists?
     "Do" is as important as "Prevent" or "Manage" -- and it's a verb, so it should be capitalized.

• Is Plagiarism Illegal? What are the Legal Consequences? (Plagiarism.com)

---Is it Plagiarism to Pay Someone to Write for Me? (Plagiarism.com)  "It" is small but it's important.

• Your Story is More Important Than You Think You'd be surprised how many organizations get this one wrong.

•  An Air Force Career Held up Because of Debt Owed for Medical Bills

•  Who Calls and Where they are Referred

•  What is the Market Rate?

•  The Secret Donald Trump is No Secret

•  Words and Phrases that Make it Obvious You Used ChatGPT ("it" is a pronoun)
•  Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups, a book by James E. Birren and Kathryn N. Cochran.

     Capitalization of ‘through’ in a title follows certain style rules. In Chicago, MLA, and APA styles, ‘through’ should be capitalized as it’s more than four letters. But according to AP style, ‘through’ is considered a preposition and isn’t typically capitalized unless it’s the first or last word. AP style is for journalists, and this is a book, and "through" is more than four letters, so most book publishers would capitalize it in a title. [This is why, when you hire an editor, you should hire one who is familiar with the style for whatever product you want edited--newspaper-style or book-style.]  See Is “through” Capitalized in a Title?

• What is Typesetting and Why Does it Matter? (Michele DeFilippo, Ingram Spark) See Ingram Spark's useful online guide How to Design a Book.

    They should add a paragraph on capitalizing small important words.
• Who Calls and Where they are Referred

   

 

Find explanations here: Capitalization

Including whether to capitalize "black" for Negro.

The rule is NOT "Capitalize all the big words."

Many authors wrongly lower-case "be" and "is" and "are" and "am" and "up" and "do" in titles, but if you are fully capitalizing titles, all verbs, including all forms of the verb "to be"  and "to do" should be capitalized. "Is" and "it" should both be capitalized. Why?

• Capitalize brand names. For example, whiskey and cola but Seagram's and Coca-Cola

 

• What is phishing? How to recognize and avoid phishing scams | (NortonLifeLock) Phishing is a con game. Phishers are tech-savvy con artists and identity thieves who use spam, fake websites, emails, phone calls and instant messages to trick people into divulging sensitive information like passwords or account numbers. How to avoid them and what to do if you've been the victim of a phishing scam.
---Three common types of phishing scams (Government of Canada) The “free vacation” scam, the “fake government message” scam, and the “gift card” scam, plus The 7 red flags of phishing and How to keep yourself safe

---20 types of phishing attacks + examples and prevention tips (Clare Stouffer, Norton)
---Phishing email examples to help you identify phishing scams ( Dan Rafter, Norton)
---Spear phishing: Definition + protection tips (Ellie Farrier, CNBC)

• How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams (Federal Trade Commission) Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. But there are several ways to protect yourself. How to recognize phishing, how to protect yourself from phishing attacks, what to do if you suspect a phishing attack, how to do if you responded to a phishing email, and how to report phishing. 

• Beware the “your domain has exceeded its disk quota“ Phishing Email (Nate Hoffelder, 6-5-24) One common feature shared by many hosting companies is that they will send automated emails if there is a problem with your account. Scammers know this, which is why they started sending out fake emails with warnings like “WARNING: the domain BLANK has exceeded its disk quota”. The scam email in fact looks almost exactly like the real email, so much so that I even thought it was real, and tried to solve the problem it reported. What the scammers want you to do is click a link in the email and enter your username and password.

• Phishing prevention and email hygiene (especially 2FA) (Harlo Holmes, Director of Digital Security, Freedom of the Press Foundation, 8-4-21) Most people are hacked via phishing attacks. Phishing is a social-engineering attack where an adversary crafts an email (or text, app message) in such a way to trick you into divulging information that could be used against you or your network; gain access to, and ultimately commandeer your account; or introduce malware and/or viruses to your machine. One of the most important advances in credential security is two-factor authentication.

      Two-factor authentication (or “2FA”) relies on the idea that services are more secure if you access them with something you know (i.e., your passphrase), and something you have (i.e. physical access to your phone). Turn on two-factor authentication for any and all services that you can, starting with your Gmail account. Better yet, get a security key, a small device that you either plug into your computer, or connect to your phone wirelessly, if it supports NFC, to enable this securely.

• What Is Two-Factor Authentication? (Brain Station) Links to subtopics along left side.

• What Is a Security Key? (HYPR) A security key, also known as a security token, is a physical device used for two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of online accounts and systems. Security keys are secondary hardware devices that rely on a primary device, such as a workstation, application or laptop. 80% of data breaches are the result of compromised login credentials. Security keys can help prevent data breaches by adding an extra layer of authentication while reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive accounts and systems.  

• The Most Common Types of Cyber Security Attacks (Bill Jefferson, Top VPN Canada) How they work and steps you can take to protect yourself against: Socially engineered trojans, malware, phishing, mining cryptocurrencies viruses, AI-powered attacks, denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), man-in-the-middle attacks (aka session hijacking). "One way to protect yourself would be to use a premium VPN service to mask your IP and hide your location, in conjunction with a good firewall and antivirus."

    I recall receiving an "email from PayPal, which looked legit and stated that my account had been frozen and that I needed to click on the link and log in to report the problem. The only issue is that the link directs you to a phishing website, where your information is stolen. The only way to avoid this is never to open emails or click on links without verifying the sender. For example, if you get an email from PayPal, don't click on the link in the email but visit the website by typing in the address manually."

• Defending Against Ransomware A Resource Guide from the PCI Security Standards Council.  30%of users open phishing emails, and more than 12 percent click on their attachments. Phishing emails are a common delivery vehicle for ransomware. These emails look legitimate, such as an invoice or electronic fax, but they include malicious links and/or attachments that can infect your computer and system. Criminals are attacking businesses with a type of malware that holds business-critical systems and data hostage until a sum of money is received. See additional resources in PCI's Document Library.

Links to useful articles:
• Book Cover Design Basics (Ingram Spark)
• How to Design a Book Cover That Sells 101 (Dribbble)
• How to design a book cover: professional tips for success (Blurb)
• How Book Covers Are Designed (Penguin)
• The Art and Science of Book Cover Design in Book Publishing (David Taylor, Forbes, 3-1-24) Design that sells books. The front cover is the initial encounter with a book, enticing readers to explore the world hidden within its pages. A visually striking cover serves as the initial handshake between the author and reader, leaving a lasting impression that extends far beyond the bookstore shelves.
• Behind the scenes of book cover design (Tobias van Schneider, 10-5-20)
• Book Cover Art: Ownership, Use & Copyright (Creative Law Center) In both traditional publishing and indie/self-publishing, the cover art is a piece of intellectual property separate from the book itself. And in both cases, the ownership of the cover art and how it can be used is controlled by the interplay between copyright and contract law.
• How can I copyright or trademark the cover art of a book? (Quora)
• What Makes an Iconic Cover? (Clare Thorp, BBC, 6-4-2020) Covers can be a swift way to signal genre, but the good ones do more than that. They give face to a book’s personality.
• Case Study: Designing Covers for Academic Publishing (Jordan Wannemacher, Book Machine, 11-16-20)
• Research: A look at Book Cover Design Cover Design (Kindlepreneur) For self-published books.
• The 139 Best Book Covers of 2023 (Lit Hub)
• Effortlessly Create Book Covers that Sell, With DIY Templates & Tutorials (DIY Book Covers)
• How to Design the Best Book Cover in 8 Simple Steps (Dave Chesson, Kindlepreneur)
• 34 Book Cover Design Ideas to Inspire Your Creativity (Kindlepreneur)

• Best-Selling Book Covers for Self-Publishing Authors (Rocking Book Covers)
• The case for recognising book cover designers. And some favourite book jackets of 2015. (Trip Fiction)
• Best Book Covers of the Year (Lit Hub, for several years)
• The Unexpected Politics of Book Cover Design (Jenny Bhatt, Lit Hub) A book’s cover is both art and commerce. It has to make a reader pause their scroll-on-by behavior on social media and compel buying behavior.
• Case Study: Designing Covers for Academic Publishing (Jordan Wannemacher, Book Machine, 11-16-20) Contemporary academic nonfiction can illustrate complex topics in some incredibly clever and beautiful ways.

Comments?

Indie publishing, digital publishing, and POD resources'

Processes to understand if you self-publish

(printing vs. publishing, offset printing, print-on-demand (POD), traditional publishing, self-publishing, indie publishing, subsidy publishing, and even hybrid publishing)

This world of "indie publishing" is full of new opportunities and possible problems, and requires much effort, so do your homework, see the long-range picture, pay attention to rights you must know about, and do things right the first time to avoid expensive mistakes! This page of links should save you the time it has taken me to learn what's what! Many of the processes explained on this page also apply in traditional book publishing; they're here because you should understand them if you are self-publishing, to be successful and to avoid making mistakes.

Understand: Printing is not publishing. Self-publishing (a.k.a. "self publishing" with no hyphen) is NOT the same as "print-on-demand" (POD) publishing. Printing is only one aspect of publishing). It is also not the same as subsidy publishing (a new name for vanity publishing, in which the publisher's primary customer is the author, not the target book buyer). It is important to understand the differences between them, even if you have money to burn, because there are issues of control and ownership, as well as economics. Do not, for the sake of temporary convenience, give up rights you are entitled to and may want in the longer term.

Print-on-demand is a digital printing process with which you can print as few books as you want--one at a time (as they are ordered and paid for). A traditional publisher like Random House can use POD technology. So can a self-publisher (someone who publishes independently). They can print one book at a time or a few at a time. But a self-publisher can also use the same offset printers the regular publishers use, if printing in sufficient quantity (typically 500 copies and above). There are pros and cons to POD, but it is rapidly becoming more popular.

Publishing is the broader process that includes printing as well as editing, typesetting, design, production, publicity, marketing, and distribution. A commercial publisher (say, Doubleday) handles all of these steps and publishes the book under its own imprint, "licensing" rights from an author (often through an agent), covering the costs of production, and paying the author a royalty. A subsidy publisher also publishes under its own imprint, but expects the author or organization to cover the costs of production.  (Mind you, sometimes commercial publishers effectively do the same thing, agreeing to publish a book, or a special edition of a book, if the author/organization promises to purchase a sizable number of copies, enough to cover basic costs.) The subsidy publisher owns rights to the book and authors receive royalties, but any author expecting sizable royalties in this set-up is delusional. A hybrid publisher also expects the author to cover many of the costs, but in return the author gets a larger share of income than traditional royalties would provide. (As well in most cases as fewer sales.)

Self-publishing means paying for all the costs of publication and managing publication yourself. Organizations often self-publish, typically creating an imprint just for that purpose. The biggest problem with self-publishing (apart from learning how to handle production) is distribution. The big advantage is that you have more control over the whole process, keep more of the revenues from sales, and can get copies of the physical book in your hands fast (as fast as you can handle all the processes yourself).

     What makes self-publishing more acceptable these days than vanity publishing is partly that the major publishers are not buying as many books (with big advances) as they used to. Instead of spending moderate amounts on lots of authors they are putting big money behind a much smaller group of what they presumably hope will be blockbuster bestsellers. So some authors are deciding they are better off investing in themselves and turning out a book relatively quickly than they are taking a lot of time finding and selling yourself to a traditional publisher, hoping that that publisher does a good job, and being disappointed. Hybrid publishing is a notch above self-publishing, the promise being that you won't have to supervise all aspects of production yourself, but it is expensive.

     This site can help you select which services to use: Best and Worst Self-Publishing Services Reviewed & Rated by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi, Alliance of Independent Authors) See also Choosing A Self-Publishing Service. The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) Guide. ALLi's Watchdog Desk maintains this extremely useful multi-page list of ratings. (Report your good and bad experiences to them.)

Steps you pay attention to:

Choosing a good printer

Getting an ISBN number from Bowker

Getting copyright forms and registering with the Library of Congress (and getting the Cataloging in Publication form from the Library of Congress early so you list the right CIP data on the copyright page if you want your book in libraries)

Getting a bar code for the cover (for scanning price, etc., in bookstores)

Making sure all the right pages are in the right (standard) place and order (copyright page, preface, etc.)

Arranging for and supervising  the book's cover design (an important investment--don't do an amateur cover)

Arranging for endorsements and testimonials (blurbs) to go on the cover or inside first page

Developing and following a marketing plan

Arranging for publicity (free coverage as opposed to paid-for advertisements and commercials)

Arranging for radio and TV appearances, book signings and other public appearances

Making sure you're listed in all the right online places, and so on.
    

Marketing a book can take almost as much effort as writing it. You're not done when the manuscript is completed! But this is also true when you are published by a regular publisher; you can't expect them to do much for you, and whether they want to publish you will depend partly on how good they think you are at marketing yourself.

This is a world full of new opportunities, new problems, and lots of effort, so do your homework, see the big, long-range picture, pay attention to rights, do the work, and don't expect miracles.

 

Links to practical explanations on this site:

Scroll all the way down--some of the best bits are toward the middle or end.

 

• Printing is not publishing. Publishers don't own printing presses.

• Self-publishing 101: Basics of self-publishing

• Self-publishing and print-on-demand services
• Publishing scams, bad deals, vanity/subsidy publishing and presses, and author mills
• Secrets of success for indie authors
• Self-publishing (a basic booklist)
• Blogs about self-publishing

• Key submissions and self-publishing services

• Pros and cons of self-publishing

• Self-publishing success stories

• Hall of Fame of self-published authors

• A few books that were self-published

• Hybrid publishing
• Hybrid authors
• Subsidy publishing

• Self-publishing and print-on-demand services

The differences between Ingram Spark, Lightning Source, Kindle/KDP, Draft2Digital, Apple Books, Lulu, etc.
     (knowing that CreateSpace and KDP merged, etc.)
• Printers and printing
• Kickstarting your indie publication

• The truth about print-on-demand (POD) publishing
• Ebooks and self-publishing (ins and outs, pros and cons)
• Self-publishing children's books

• Book design and production
• The essential parts of a book
• Standard order of parts of a book
• Acknowledgments page
• Copyright page--what it should contain

• The index

• Book printing and binding, explained and illustrated
• Why you should get your self-published book edited
• Editing, design, and production (overview of the process)
• Mastering InDesign (book design software)
• Books on how to design books
• Book formatting
• Footnotes and endnotes (InDesign)
• Fonts and typography--the basics

• Book distribution and fulfillment

     (Wholesalers and distributors)

• Firms that distribute self-published print and ebooks
• Getting reviews and promotion for self-published books
• Marketing and selling your self-published book
• Selling your book to bookstores, schools, and libraries How, when, and where to register copyright
• ISBNs, LCCNs, CIP, PCNs, BISAC, WorldCat, barcodes, and other product identifiers
• Copyright, work for hire, and other rights issues

See also
   Secrets of successful book covers and titles
   Great covers sell books, but what makes for a great cover?
   The rising star of audio books
   For editors and publishing professionals
   Style, grammar, and word choice (for editors and copyeditors)
   Editing and revising fiction

 

Want to self-publish eBooks? To read up on digital publishing (eBooks and the like), see sections on
eBook publishing
Publishing and ePublishing, 
eBook Basics and Beyond,
Ebook devices and platforms
E-book rights, developments, conflicts, pricing, and struggles for market.
Ebook formatting vendors

"Quality is more important than quantity.One home run is much better than two doubles." ~ Steve Jobs

---

 

[Back to Top]

• How Much Could I Make as a Writer? (Mary Adkins, blog and video) The nice thing "about an advance, is that if your book doesn’t sell as well as hoped and therefore your royalties don’t cover your advance, you still get to keep it. The advance is yours no matter what happens. Since many books don’t make a profit, especially for first time authors, this is a very good thing for you as the writer.

    "But while many authors make money beyond their advances when their book sells, in the data I’m sharing here, I'm just talking about advances so that we can reliably estimate guaranteed income. First, what does it mean to “sell” a book, and what’s an advance? How much can you make altogether by writing a book? How much will I make per book sold? Full of practical information on numbers, chiefly from a novelist's viewpoint.
---HOW MUCH can you expect to MAKE ON YOUR BOOK? Mary Adkins' free on-demand workshop with new data on fiction book advances broken down by genre. "After gathering data from hundreds of published authors anonymously self-reporting their earnings, I will share a breakdown of book advances 2016-2022, along with takeaways, insights, and publishing tips."

[I have not reviewed the workshop. Let me know what you think.]

• How much to charge for various functions and for various types of product (Pat McNees, in one of many sections of my Writers and Editor sites that contains lots of links to useful information)

    What can a writer or editor expect? Proofreader? Designer? Ghostwriter? Copywriter? Resume writer? Video producer? Some of the sites and articles linked to report ranges of fees reported in various genres, at various levels of expertise or complexity; some are articles on how to set rates. Some freelancers distinguish between a business model ("This is how much I charge") and a contractor model ("This is how much I pay").

• Common pay rates and ranges for writers and editors (Writers and Editors) "Cost. Quality. Speed. Pick any two."

• AB5 and Related Problems in the Gig Economy (Writers and Editors) AB5, the PRO Act, the ABC test, and other threats to freelancers' and independent contractors' livelihood. Under California's AB5, anyone providing labor or services for pay is considered an employee unless they pass all three components of the "ABC" test (explained).
As one writer explains, "This national rule is an attempt to impose on the entire country the horrific AB (Assembly Bill) 5 passed in a California a few years ago, written by a labor leader named Lorena Gonzalez. It has resulted in tens of thousands of independent contractors losing their work, from artists and musicians to many seniors who supplemented their Social Security with side gigs such as playing Santa Claus." Read up on this if you don't already know about it.

• Kill fees (Writers and Editors) For writing articles: Your contract "should include a kill-fee clause with a minimum of a 25 percent payment of the fee if the article is deemed unacceptable."

• How (and how much) do ghostwriters charge (Writers and Editors page) See also Credits--who gets them? If shared, who gets top billing, with what wording? (Writers and Editors)
• Landing the book deal (Writers and Editors) What draws an agent or editor to a book or leads them to reject it.
• How to make money as a freelance writer or editor (Writers and Editors) The good, the bad, and the truthful