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Resources for Book Authors and Publishers

Preparing • Writing

Polishing Publishing 

• Marketing

 
Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made by All My Best to list reliable sources and provide accurate information. Nevertheless, All My Best shall not be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting from readers' use of, or reliance upon, the information and links that appear on this page. All My Best has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to herein and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Preparing

Demographics, Community: http://www.esribis.com/ (On the left, click on "Profile neighborhoods with Community Tapestry to learn about your market" and then enter a zip code. You'll get a text description of the neighborhood as well as basic demographic statistics and comparisons to national averages.)

Economic Census: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census.html

Library of Congress: http://loc.gov

What Editors Do: Your Editorial Services GPS (PDF table): http://goodwaystowrite.com/for-authors-and-or-editors/table-showing-what-editors-do

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Writing

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

   Dictionary.com (dictionary/thesaurus/encyclopedia): http://dictionary.reference.com

   The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasure of Terms & Literary Quotations, by David Grambs and Ellen S. Levine (expanded 2nd ed., paperback, 2014). Described by Tina Jordan as a "reference book of purely descriptive terms... like a thesaurus, only better, and packed with real literary examples." https://www.amazon.com/Describers-Dictionary-Treasury-Literary-Quotations/dp/0393346161/ 

   Wikipedia (consumer-maintained encyclopedia): www.wikipedia.com


Grammar Help

   Capital Community College: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

   The Definitive Guide to Grammar: a collection of 23 resources to help improve your grammar. It includes articles, self-help tests, videos, and other teaching materials. https://wordrater.com/grammar-guide

   Rutgers: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing

   The Ultimate Grammar Resource Guide: http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/ultimate-grammar-resource-guide.php


General Writing Tips

    From All My Best: Click here for overview and details

    From Word Tripper Tips: Subscribe to Word Tripper of the Week for word choice guidance

    From Open Colleges:  http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/careers/blog/5-handy-tips-to-improve-your-writing-skills

Inspirational Quotes, 140,000: http://www.en.thinkexist.com


Style Manuals

   AP—The Associated Press Stylebook: https://www.apstylebook.com/

   APA—Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: http://www.apastyle.org 

   CMOS—The Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/

   Disability Language Style Guide: https://ncdj.org/style-guide/

   Gregg—The Gregg Reference Manual (online): http://www.mhhe.com/business/buscom/gregg/

   MLA—Modern Language Association: http://www.mla.org/MLA-Style/The-MLA-Style-Manual


Terminology

   Abbreviations and What They Mean:  http://www.abbreviations.com

   Compound-Word List by Steve Wilbers (when to join as one word, hyphenate, or leave separate): http://www.wilbers.com/part24.htm

   NiftyWord (casting the net for just the right word beyond synonyms and antonyms): https://niftyword.com


Transcription and Word Processing

   Compudex Fail Safe Transcription by Bernadette Coley will convert your neat, handwritten book-manuscript copy or audio file into a downloadable MS Word document. Also available are fact-checking services for books, magazines, television movies, films, or plays to assure accuracy in such matters as names, dates, places, and statistics. https://compudex.co/

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Polishing

What Editors Do: Your Editorial Services GPS (PDF table): http://goodwaystowrite.com/for-authors-and-or-editors/table-showing-what-editors-do

Parts of a Book (front matter, body, and back matter): https://www.thoughtco.com/basic-design-of-a-book-1077295

"Common Formatting Issues in Microsoft Word: Four Easy Tips for Authors" (guest blog post, June 2017) by Lynette M. Smith: http://blog.polishedpublishinggroup.com/2017/06/common-formatting-issues-in-microsoft-word-four-easy-tips-for-authors/

Cover Design for Your Book—Tips and Resources: https://www.logodesign.net/book-design-resources

Proofreader Marks, Standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proofreader%27s_marks

Copyediting and Proofreading Advice for Authors: Video podcast interview with Lynette M. Smith of All My Best on Biblio Files with host Bonnie Dillabough: Part 1: Manuscript Document Formatting and Copyediting. Part 2: PDF Layout Check and Proofreading

"How to Format a Manuscript" for a literary agent or acquisition editor, by Holly Lorincz, Editor, Lorincz Literary Services: http://literaryconsulting.com/formatting-a-manuscript-for-queries/

80 Common Layout Errors to Flag When Proofreading Book Interiors (handbook) by Lynette M. Smith. Judge's commentary from the Writer's Digest Book Awards: "... a solid guide for authors who want to make sure their work is as polished as possible. This is a user-friendly checklist, grouped by topic for a systematic approach." http://goodwaystowrite.com/for-authors-and-or-editors/layout-proofreading-handbook

Thesis/Dissertation Formatting & Editing Professionals (Association for Support of Graduate Students): http://asgs.org/dissertation-consultant-directory/  

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Publishing

How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider's Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published, 5th Edition, by Jody Rein with Michael Larsen (Writer's Digest Books, Sept. 2017), ISBN 978-1440348174. "The insider's step-by-step guide to proposals that get you published." https://www.amazon.com/Write-Book-Proposal-Step-Step/dp/1440348170/

U.S. Postal Service Shipping Rates: http://www.usps.com

Writers Boon (free publishing and marketing roadmap featuring publishing experts, DIY tools, and how-to guides in over 250 topics): https://writersboon.com

Writer's Market: http://www.writersmarket.com

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Marketing

The Best Website Builders is an in-depth review by John Stevens of the 10 most popular website builders as of April 2019; provides a way to know which of these beginner-friendly platforms best meets an author's website needs and budget. https://hostingfacts.com/website-builders/

MakeAWebsiteHub.com is a great resource to help book authors with every step of building and maintaining their website. In addition to website- and blog-building guides, the site also has reviews for all of the popular website-building software and web hosts, so authors can make the best choices for their needs and budget. https://makeawebsitehub.com

Book marketing tips and book promotion ideas from expert John Kremer. http://bookmarket.com/

How to Make Real Money Selling Books: A Complete Guide to the Book Publishers' World of Special Sales, by Brian Jud. 384 pages, ISBN 978-075002137. Proven strategy for selling books to non-bookstore outlets such as discount stores, airport shops, gift stores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs. https://www.amazon.com/Make-Real-Money-Selling-Books/dp/0757002137

Writers Boon (free publishing and marketing roadmap featuring publishing experts, DIY tools, and how-to guides in over 250 topics): https://writersboon.com

Writer's Market: http://www.writersmarket.com

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80 Common Layout Errors to Flag When Proofreading Book Interiors

layout errors   More Info

"This handbook is amazing. I am doing a great deal of formatting these days, and the words resonate with me. I have encountered many of the issues mentioned, and plan to buy the [paperback] book and keep it handy so I can help my clients by providing the best possible proofreading and formatting." —Judy Vorfeld

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