Newest publishing Questions | Wyzant Ask An Expert

08/08/19

Why do ebooks often mimic the layout of the printed page?

I was recently editing a novel destined to be published primarily in e-book form, and made a list of pre-press instructions, to be followed when the final text is agreed upon. Some of these... more

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Publishing Writing Contracts Ebook

08/07/19

Will e-books prevent books from going out of print (and rights from reverting)?

In the old days, books went out of print shortly after it stopped being profitable for the publisher to print new runs. My understanding is that good contracts had clauses that caused the rights... more

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Publishing Writing Notes Style

08/06/19

Notes Placement?

Why is it standard for a book's notes to be placed at the very end of the book—book endnotes—while only a small minority of books place each chapter's notes at the end of each respective... more

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Publishing Writing Novel Fiction

07/31/19

What exactly do I do to get published?

I'm interested to know what the publishing process exactly entails for future reference. I'm in my last year of school and I recently finished my first substantial piece of creative writing (a... more

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Publishing Writing Plot

07/29/19

Publication: What to do about a high wordcount debut novel?

I'm a strong believer in books/novels being as long as they need to be; if it turns out short, don't try to pad it out, and if it's long... unless there's chaff to cut out, it's long for a... more

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Publishing Writing Book Copyright

07/29/19

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... more

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Publishing Writing Translation International

07/16/19

Do publishers really need to translate between UK and US English?

Is there really a need for a book to be translated from UK to US English? I'm nearing completion on my own great work, and just want to know if it is truly worth doing a British and an American... more

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Publishing Writing Novel Style

07/16/19

How much does style contribute to the overall value of a novel?

I've recently got a crushing critique. The critic pointed out I was obviously unfamiliar with the basic tools of the trade and that my style was non-existent. She insisted that "everybody can... more

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Publishing Writing Money Self Publishing

07/11/19

Can I self-publish on a reputable publishing platform, and how much would it cost?

With the barrier to having a publisher sign a new author seemingly high, especially without prior success or experience, are there any good author-funded alternatives out there to the repeated... more

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Publishing Writing Copyright

06/25/19

What are those "countdown" numbers on the copyright page?

On the copyright pages in many books I find the following "countdown" numbers and I am wondering what the significance of this is?In a non-fiction book I have, "The Call of the Mild" it looks... more

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Publishing Writing Self Publishing

06/25/19

Pros and Cons of different styles of publishing?

I was reading on the meta site that someone thinks we're hostile to self-publishing, and I read over some old questions looking for evidence. I didn't really find signs of hostility, but I... more

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Publishing Writing Book Isbn

06/19/19

What is the difference between ISSN and ISBN?

Can anyone explain in layman's terms, using simple terminology, what exactly is the difference between ISSN and ISBN? There are lots of links on the internet, but they are complicated and use legal... more

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Publishing Proofreading Editing Academic Writing

06/17/19

Academic books published by university presses: How much expertise do the editors have?

I'm talking about books on specific academic topic, e.g. history of the Aztecs before colonialism, which are published by [university presses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_press) like... more

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Publishing Proofreading Editing Freelance

06/01/19

Should I have my work edited by a freelance editor before seeking publication?

I have a friend who is a freelance editor and I was planning on employing her to look over my novel before shopping it out to publishers. However, I don't know if publishers like this or not.Do... more

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Publishing Proofreading Editing Copyright

05/29/19

manuscript new versions and First Publishing Rights?

If you self-publish a version of a book, and then edit it, can you still traditionally publish it offering First Publishing Rights? Essentially I am asking if a partly re-writen draft is it... more

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Publishing Career Development Short Story Cover Letter

05/25/19

What should be in a cover letter for short story submission to a magazine?

It's been about five years since I last submitted any of my work for publication, and my memory of what I was taught then to put in my cover letter is getting rusty. What kind of information... more

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Publishing Geography References

04/28/19

Where can I publish my paper for free?

Is there any magazine (or some other such place) where university students can publish a GIS/Geo related article freely (in English or French)?

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Publishing Proofreading Book

04/10/19

How many errors per page volume is typically "okay" in a book?

Suppose I'm in charge of getting a three hundred page book published. I'll do all reasonable things to get it proofread, but still there is a chance that some errors will persist.Now the book goes... more

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Publishing Proofreading Editing Short Story

04/09/19

What are the common editing requirements for a short story in an anthology?

What kind of responses will come back from an editor after a short story is accepted in an anthology? Specifically, is it common for a writer to hear that an accepted story has potential but needs... more

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Publishing Writing Proofreading Editing

03/25/19

Do I have any control over the grammar of my novel?

English grammar is generally pretty black and white, but there are a few areas under debate. For instance, should a series of three have one or two commas? For example: >The coach was black,... more

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Publishing Writing Proofreading Editing

03/23/19

First-time meeting with publisher & editors (What to expect)?

My fiancée is a first-time children's book author. What should she expect from her first meeting with the publisher and editors? Any advice? They've already seen some samples of her unpublished... more

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Publishing Writing Proofreading Journalism

03/19/19

How can I distance myself from an article published under my name, with edits I disagree with?

I wrote an article for a university newspaper that summarizes incidents involving racism on campus. After edits, the sentence structure became uniformly long instead of varied, straightforward... more

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Publishing Writing Proofreading Editing

03/18/19

How much leeway can be expected from an editor regarding my preference for nonstandard punctuation?

As I hope to present a unique style to the world, as I am not especially tolerant of being told I'm doing things "wrong" when that's a subjective statement related to writing style, and as I've... more

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Publishing Grammar Writing Articles

03/16/19

Which one is acceptable in an academic paper? Fig 4. show or Fig 4. shows?

Is it right to say: > Fig. 4, **Show** the wireless transmission of data. Shouldn't it be: > Fig. 4, **Shows** the wireless transmission of data. By the way, another question would be,... more

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Publishing Proofreading Editing Process

03/15/19

How can I make my 'first draft' good enough to be published?

One of my bugbears about writing is the editing process. I'd much rather get it right first time, rather than chop this and change that afterwards.Other industries would not tolerate the rather... more

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