Questions tagged [book]
Questions to do with fiction or nonfiction tomes, print or digital, either professionally or self-published.
174
questions
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Books sales volume data
I am looking for a database / list of books with sales volume numbers for each title. If this isn't available, then what is the best proxy for sales volume numbers that is available? I am not just ...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
How to format my book before sending it to a publisher?
I am looking to send a copy of a horror anthology that i finished recently to a publisher and don't know what the editing format of the pdf should be or how the letter to the publisher should go.
...
2
votes
2answers
108 views
Describing a Smile [closed]
Im trying to show the fact that in a picture my character is smiling, but I don't want to say
"we were smiling"
this is the sentence im trying to fix: "We were both smiling foolishly, he looked so ...
0
votes
2answers
81 views
What is the publishing service for both blog and book
I am planning to start writing material online. I need a single platform to host the following
A regular running blog
It should be easy to write and publish. Would prefer a simple near-vanilla ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
how to tell if a book will be a bestseller? [closed]
I wrote a novel and it is Science fiction based novel.
Almost every close friend of mine read the novel and none of them gave a negative response.
What are the possibilities that I need to assume, ...
1
vote
5answers
393 views
How to tell if my writing is nonsense? [closed]
So I am writing a book, the start of the book sounds interesting even to the my "board" of readers. After a while I had 586 words in total SO FAR,I am not sure if my writing is nonsense. This is my ...
5
votes
1answer
104 views
Synopsis for a village full of characters
My book is about a sleepy Devon village and is a compilation of tales that feature over thirty characters. They weave in and out of each other's stories, in the pub, Post Office and village shop etc. ...
4
votes
2answers
280 views
Is 7000 words too long for a chapter? [duplicate]
I've been working on a story for the last 4 years. It's just a personal project now and I've gone really in depth to clean up any plot holes I can readily see (thanks Cinemasins). I think I love this ...
5
votes
1answer
94 views
Why is it that when I get to the end of writing my book, I get discombobulated and want to give up? [duplicate]
I've noticed this about most of the books I write, except for my short stories/novellas. When I get close to writing the end, my thoughts become a chaotic mess, and I don't know how to properly ...
6
votes
2answers
231 views
How should I present a resort brochure in my general fiction?
In my story the protagonist goes to live in a health resort. The receptionist presents her with a brochure of activities. At the moment I have written like this in a word document;
After patiently ...
3
votes
2answers
56 views
Am I allowed to use art (album covers) in my book?
Am I allowed to use art (album covers) in my book?
If not what sort of permission would I have to obtain?
The album covers are not in the public domain.
4
votes
1answer
91 views
Different header numbering formats in a document
I am writing a document with several chapters. Each chapter title uses heading 1 and the chapters have the numbers 1 to 8.
All chapters are using header 1 so that I can build a table of contents.
At ...
3
votes
1answer
55 views
Writing a book review
I just came across a question that related to the topic of book reviews.
I wish to know, how can I start as a reviewer and where can I find sample reviews of some non-technical books or novels?
In ...
5
votes
5answers
291 views
Should I release my novel now… or miss a golden opportunity?
I just finished writing the first draft of my novel. (BTW, this is my first)
As luck would have it, something just popped up in the news which is directly related to my story. The topic has been ...
4
votes
2answers
84 views
How can I generate paperback book from iBooks Author?
I'm starting to write a book and I am considering to use the iBooks Author app since I tend to like Apple products. Through my research, I learned I can publish it into iBooks, export it for iBooks or ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
Do publishers care if submitted work has already been copyrighted?
I'm getting ready to start submitting a book I've written. I copyrighted an earlier draft of it a few years ago (as in submitted it for official registered copyright). The final draft has not ...
2
votes
2answers
81 views
How do I make a contract with multiple authors
Someone suggested that I should make a question on this. I am making a book with multiple authors and we're all under 18 and I'm wondering how to make contracts with them. Just to say I'm trying to ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Quoting Yourself
I am editing a book for a writer who has quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The first chapter has a quote of her own. It's weird, but it's what she wants. Do I just treat it like the other ...
6
votes
3answers
244 views
Is it true that a great cover is enough to sell many copies of your book
I've come across podcasts and internet articles about self-publishing in which they basically say that books with fantastic covers and interesting blurbs tend to sell lots of copies even if the actual ...
2
votes
5answers
327 views
Is my book too weird to be published?
This question may have already been answered, but I'm just making sure.
So, I'm just making a silly book for fun. It's short (compared to other books) but I'd say it's decent. However, let's say I ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
Is there a way to get historical sale details (specifically geographical areas) on a book?
I ask for legal reasons concerning trademarks, where it's necessary to know where books were sold and when.
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Chapters of a Book and Story Structure of McKee
Considering the "story structure" proposed by Robert McKee; like:
A story is a large structure composed by acts which are composed by sequences which are composed by scenes, which are composed by (...
6
votes
2answers
85 views
Problems with picture alignment in Microsoft Word - which other DTP software can I use?
I have been struggling to write a book on my 14 years research. I have used Microsoft Word exclusively, but I have a problem that the book uses lots of pictures, sometimes six per page and this is ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
Question about the basic elements of Mckee's view of writting
Well, in the first pages of chapter 2 from [MCKEE.R. Story. itbooks. New York, 1997.] Mckee present to us some basic elements of which a story should be costituted of. Of course that this is him view ...
6
votes
3answers
352 views
Should I write a companion book/blog?
As a spinoff to this question: Incorporating research and background: How much is too much?
I'm writing a middle-grade fantasy novel with a historical fiction component based in Ancient Egypt. I'm ...
asked Mar 1 '19 at 19:06
0
votes
3answers
134 views
Using words from another book
So, I thankfully own a video-game history book which I anticipate using to write, rather, a Christian, family-friendly account of this subject. To be clear, I'm not going to be rephrasing from the ...
6
votes
1answer
74 views
Materials to promote my book in person
Say I have a book...or a comic series...or a podcast...or another published work.
Marketing written or scripted works is perfectly on topic here, and most of the promotional materials are also ...
asked Feb 22 '19 at 16:21
5
votes
2answers
246 views
Does every story really represent a life-story, as McKee advises?
In Robert McKee's book STORY, he says that a whole life story of a character must become a story well-told.
So, it seems that the concept of "story told" is a representation of a "life story" that ...
3
votes
1answer
778 views
Standard Margins for 6x9 Size Book
I'm editing/formatting a book for a client and I've run into a bit of a technical issue--I've never formatted a book for print before and I can't seem to find the answer to the following question:
...
1
vote
0answers
68 views
Hooking the Reader. Feedback Needed [closed]
I am writing a new adult urban fantasy novel. The following is the beginning of my current book:
My hand gripped her fragile, human arm. Her warm energy waited just beneath her skin. I stared down ...
3
votes
2answers
160 views
What are the legal concern if our story turns out to a duplicate of an existing copyrighted story? [duplicate]
I am a part semi-professional writer. I usually write articles/column for newspapers, stories for magazines and blog posts on websites. I have also written and published a fictional novel that I ...
1
vote
2answers
115 views
How to sell your book?
Writing a book is only half the job. Selling it is the other half. So I was curious, what are good practices to sell your book? To sell all your copies. To make a demand higher than supply.
Many ...
3
votes
3answers
144 views
How should I calculate the rate for a book I am writing as a co-author?
I work full time as a writer and a friend and long time collaborator of mine has asked whether I can help co author their book.
This job would entail two or three evenings a week on top of my job. I ...
0
votes
2answers
168 views
How to insert music lyrics on an book
i'm writing a book where the protagonist is a musician, it's a novel, and in those books I think of drawing a scene where his passion is listening to him. What's the best way to insert a scene like ...
2
votes
3answers
105 views
Software for writing a book similar to Resnick-Halliday
Which is the best software to write a book which is similar to Fundamentals of Physics by Resnick and Halliday?
I want to self-publish a book (on physics) on Createspace but have no idea regarding ...
6
votes
1answer
100 views
Mentioning famous person in autobiography
I've been writing an autobiography about sexual abuse that happened to me throughout my childhood. The abuser was the dad of a famous singer. Once I was old enough (18) to leave home and file charges (...
3
votes
2answers
77 views
Can I include a short biography of the person to whom my book is dedicated?
I am writing a non-fiction, somewhat historic, book and I want to dedicate it to a person who did pioneer work on Education in Science in Brazil. She has
passed away recently and was professionally ...
-2
votes
3answers
473 views
How do I write implied rape in my book? [closed]
I'm writing a book and I want to write a chapter where the antagonist beats the protagonist and, well, I want to imply that he rapes her without really writing details about him raping her or writing ...
10
votes
5answers
4k views
Is my book too similar to Harry Potter? [closed]
The story takes place in a fictional country I created.
There are 6 main characters, 3 girls and 3 boys.
They are all "gifted" which are people with special abilities.
There are 3 types of gifted, ...
2
votes
2answers
477 views
How many book pages would 891 words be?
I'm writing something and the font is Alegreya in 13 font size. So far I have 891 words and 4 pages. How many pages would that be in a book?
8
votes
2answers
153 views
What is the correct way to use semicolons vs. commas vs. em dashes?
In Sabriel by Garth Nix, near the beginning of Chapter Two, there is the following sentence:
Anything powerful enough to cross the Wall usually retained enough magic to assume the shape of a soldier; ...
4
votes
1answer
47 views
CREDIT: Doctoral student helping his mentor/professor write a book
Excited for an opportunity to help a mentor and professor complete the writing of his non-fiction poli-sci themed book by providing some 'conceptual editing and framing'. Over half of it is written ...
1
vote
1answer
75 views
good Wordpress theme for blogged book? [closed]
Leaving aside whether I ought to blog my book or not, I am doing just that. Each blog post will be a section, multiple sections will be a chapter, etc.
Currently I'm looking for a good wordpress ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Info for use of Wikipedia articles
Can I use Wikipedia articles (under creative commons) to write a book and sell it? I read the rules for using Wikipedia articles but I am still not sure I properly understand it. I want to write a ...
6
votes
4answers
302 views
Is it okay to publish a fan-fiction book from a TV series?
I'm 13 years old and I'm writing a story called 'Destiny'. This book is a fanfiction of the TV-Show "Merlin" (the TV series 2008) and I've added a character into it. There currently is no book of ...
2
votes
2answers
5k views
Printing a book in word - double sided, multiple pages on one sheet
I want to print a mini book, of about 8 pages, one one sheet. It should be something along the lines of this, which I have tried. But this is not double sided, so when you are done, you see blank ...
4
votes
2answers
116 views
Should I be leary of “How To” books?
Have any of the successfully published writers here found the various best selling "How To" books dangerous, in that they guide aspiring writers into producing cookie cutter works?
I'm currently ...
0
votes
2answers
81 views
Thinking about a good beginning [closed]
I want to start writing a fantasy reincarnation novel and I want a good beginning but I can't decide. By now I have:
Being killed by a friend (doesn't matter the location)
Being killed by a friend (...
3
votes
2answers
68 views
Writing an image Utopia book
Planning on writing a picture sci-fi book about Utopia.
The book will not have a plot (story), sequence or any conclusion. It will have approximately 30 illustrations generally depicting a search for ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
How do I finish my projects?
I just want to make sure everyone knows, English is not my native language, so if there are any spelling errors or similar, that's the reason.
I'm a 20 year old student who writes novels during my ...
