The New Year 2019 dawns with wonderful news in American publishing: Book sales continue to grow each year. There’s not a better time to write and publish a book. However—the “December squeeze” that publishers have experienced in recent years became a December crisis as 2018 drew to a close. In …
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“Should I mention Barney?” Rabbi Robert Alper asked me as we were proofing his Author Bio. Barney is the rabbi’s lovable dog, often mentioned in Bob’s stand-up comedy. At Front Edge Publishing, we get lots of questions about the important “Bio” that appears on many prominent bookstore pages. In this …
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Front Edge Publishing Editor David Crumm reports on the latest sales trends, which show print books continuing to grow in popularity on the strength of nonfiction. In particular, books on religion continue to be a strong segment of the market. E-books remain a small but important segment of sales, each …
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Now, it’s time for the fun part of a book launch! This is the point, close to completing a book, when we summon our allies and angels to help us. In our Metadata 101 series, David Crumm writes about gathering the Foreword, Preface, Introduction and endorsements for a new book. …
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Just as important as the text inside your book are the words you choose as an introduction to potential readers. Editor David Crumm offers helpful tips for writing crucial summaries called Short and Long Descriptions, which show up prominently on bookstore websites. …
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As we wrap up our three-part look at the importance of book awards, we’ve already covered the value of entering book contests and the savvy strategy of aiming at regional honors. In this third column, Editor David Crumm offers five helpful Dos and Don’ts for authors hoping to win a …
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Book awards heighten the authority of a book. Readers are impressed that independent judges have concluded your book has special value. In this first of three columns about book awards, Editor David Crumm explains why awards matter in marketing new books. He also answers questions such as: How many book …
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This past week, several of us from Front Edge attended the annual independent publishers conference hosted by the giant book wholesaler Ingram and its cutting-edge team at Lightning Source. Each year, the conference shares the latest news, research data and ideas for improving both Content and Production. In this column, …
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In preparing our authors’ manuscripts for publishing, we often discuss placing epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Epigraphs are a classic element in book design, dating back more than 300 years—and they’re also as contemporary as current best sellers. Editor David Crumm lists 10 reasons epigraphs can be a …
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This summer, Internet users around the world are seeing notices about new privacy protections at popular websites. A European Union law regulating the collection and use of our personal data went into effect and, because the Internet is global, everyone is involved in the effort. In this column, we provide …
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