Choice 'Bones of Advice' on Publishing - Donna Fawcett

We're pleased to have Donna Fawcett, with Duke the Chihuahua, as our Guest Blogger today on InScribe Writers Online.





Duke and I have both enjoyed seeing some of our work published. We have both been published in print and electronically.  Either way there are a few choice bones of advice we offer.

Our first tidbit is this: Make sure your manuscript is as finished as you can make it. Set it aside a few times so you forget its contents and then take it out and read it aloud. You will be shocked at what you have missed.

The second tidbit: Find an editor before sending it off. I was surprised at the number of editorial mistakes that are made by editors. It isn't on account of them not knowing what they are doing. It is due to the overwhelming number of manuscripts they edit. At some point, the brain switches off and mistakes are not seen. By having a second editor, we eliminate that to a certain degree.

Also, make sure the editor you hire is accredited by the Canadian Editors Association or has worked in a legitimate publishing house and make certain they edit in your genre.  (Editor's note:  You might want to read something Duke learned on that very subject in a posting here.)

As to e-publishing, the jury is still out on that. Duke and I have sold far more print copies than e-books in spite of the hype about e-books sweeping the market. It appears that readers do want all the sensory input that comes with a print book -- smelling the ink, touching the paper etc.

Having said that, my latest book, a tutorial entitled Duke the Chihuahua Writes! has now been released on Smashwords. I'll be better able to answer the e-publishing question in a year or so to see how things worked out.

~ Donna Fawcett

Duke and Donna have recently published their fun, new book entitled Duke the Chihuahua Writes! A Tutorial for Beginning Writers.

It's available on smashwords.com and can be purchased for $.99 US.