National November Novel Writing Month begins in a few weeks – challenging writers around the world to produce a 50,000 word work of fiction in just 30 days. That’s a pace to challenge the best of the professionals. Although it’s definitely do-able. Don’t forget, Jack Kerouac whipped out On The Road in one three-week writing … More It’s NaNoWriMo time again – and here’s the deal
On-line and off, one of the biggest challenges publishers wrestle with is colour matching. All sorts of systems have been devised to make it possible to take the special shade of blue the designer has come up with, reproduce it accurately in a proofing system, and make it reproduce just as accurately when printed. Some … More Revealing possibly the most useful publishing secret ever
I had to admit to my wife the other day the traditional publishing and bookselling industry isn’t as big as it was. Worldwide, but especially in New Zealand. Retail book sales here have dropped a compound 25 percent in the past two years, driven by a perfect storm combination of downloadable e-books and the rise of internet-driven hard-copy imports. People … More It’s not as a big as it was…reconceptualising publishing
Ever wondered what happens when a main-stream publisher receives a contracted manuscript? It’s worth knowing because even if you’re self-publishing, the process is industry standard – I’ve been through it many times, and it’s followed by everybody from Penguin Random House to some of the smaller houses I’ve published with. It’s evolved that way for … More Nine steps to professional publishing
Today I thought I’d reveal something about book binding. An ancient art – but also a modern one. And a subject that, really, authors need to know quite a bit about. The basic principle of book binding hasn’t changed for centuries. The issue is simple enough; getting individual pages – which are often printed in multiples on … More All about the ancient and modern art of book binding
If you’re intending to self-publish – or supplying a picture to your publisher that might be used in a print edition, the three terms you’re most likely to hear are ‘bleed’, ‘CMYK and ‘resolution’. They sound suitably mysterious but – as always – there’s no particular secret to them. And they apply both to potential cover … More Unravelling the mystery of making book covers
One of the biggest challenges for writers is knowing when to stop. When to let the book go and move on to the next. But it’s tricky. Even hard publisher deadlines don’t stop some authors from tinkering. Or even re-casting. That’s why contracts carry amendment clauses. Once a manuscript’s been proofed, everything that changes adds … More Essential writing skills: knowing when to stop writing and start publishing
A reader asked the other week what ‘Moral Right’ meant. It’s an interesting area for writers. Moral right differs from copyright. You own copyright on anything you create, by default. The copyright holder, alone, has the right to copy the work, but also has the power to grant a license to others to do so. When … More Writers’ rights with Moral Rights – a quick guide
People buy books for a lot of reasons. The main one is the emotional response they get from reading. And that’s true of non-fiction as well as fiction. But that isn’t the only reason. Why buy this book and not that? Why buy at all? A lot of it, it seems to me, flows from … More The dark secret behind better book sales
Although traditional publishing is in upheaval these days, there are lessons we can learn from its processes. The new age of e-publishing hasn’t changed the need for quality control – which trad publishing has had down pat for decades. The traditional publishing process breaks down into twelve broad steps. They vary a little from publisher … More Write it now: the twelve steps to traditional publishing
Matthew Wright 
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