In her “Ask Allison” blog, novelist Allison Win Scotch describes how painful reviews can be: “One of the toughest things about writing a book and putting it out into the world is being totally defenseless to the reviews that come your way…I've been blessed with this great review coverage and … [Read more...]
February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
How "Elevated" Should Your Writing Be? When was the last time you walked up to someone and said, “As per our conversation of the 10th, I wish to provide additional information which prior to this time was not available.” It’s probably been awhile since you said anything like that to … [Read more...]
February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
You're writing a health book for the popular press: what style of writing should you use? Unless there's a good reason not to, keep it simple. Always remember why you’re writing: to persuade or move your readers. The best way to do that is to keep it simple. Don’t try to impress your … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
You've finished writing your new health book, but it’s not quite as good as you had envisioned. The central idea is fuzzy, the various arguments don't connect, the case histories aren't positioned for maximal impact, the scientific explanations are confusing, there are too many studies, and/or the … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Becoming the author of a health book is an extremely powerful marketing tool for doctors, psychologists, chiropractors, nutritionists and other health care professionals. A book can… Greatly increase your public profile. Solidify your reputation as the expert in your field. Bring you guest … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Is self-publishing is a better approach than having your book released by one of the major New York publishers? Surprisingly, the answer is often yes. Part II of this two part series looks at the pros and cons of custom (self) publishing. Custom Publishing - Pros You're the one who … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Until relatively recently, the best way to publish a book was the traditional route, through one of the New York publishing houses. However, the publishing industry has undergone tremendous changes in the past few decades. As a result, it is now much easier and potentially much more lucrative for … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
People who call to inquire about hiring me to ghostwrite their books are generally surprised when I ask them why they want to become authors. It’s not a frivolous question, for the answer helps shape the book, determine whether “standard” or self-publishing is the better route, and spur the … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Who are the “interested parties” for your book? They are the people, companies or entire industries that want to see your book publicized because it shines a favorable light on them or their product(s). One of the major interested parties for my wife’s book Green Tea was Jamba Juice, a … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In 1998, my wife Nadine’s very first book – Green Tea: the Natural Secret for a Healthier Life – was published by Rodale. Unfortunately, Rodale considered the book a backlister from Day 1, so they did nothing to publicize it. We didn’t much care because we were so happy that she had become a … [Read more...]
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When you dream about doing publicity for your book, you probably envision appearances on the big TV shows like Oprah and Jay Leno, about live appearances on CNN, Fox and the big three networks; about interviews on coast-to-coast radio shows and blogs that receive hundreds of thousands of hits a day. … [Read more...]
February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There’s still more to the saga of my book The Healthy Prostate, which the publisher refuses to designate as out-of-print, despite the fact that it has been selling less than 20 copies a year for several years now. I received another call from the editor, who told me her boss had told her I … [Read more...]
February 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
Tuesday came and went, so I called the editor to ask what had happened at the editorial meeting. She informed me that her boss would not put The Healthy Prostate out of print, despite the fact that it had sold 13 copies during the past six-month period, and 4 copies in the period before that – … [Read more...]
February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I coauthored a book on prostate health back in the 1990s, and would now like to do another. Unfortunately, the “Competing Works” clause in my contract makes that impossible. According to the clause: “No Author shall, without the Publisher’s prior written consent, prepare or assist in the … [Read more...]
February 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Book publishers love long contracts. I have a contract from John Wiley that runs 11 pages; one from Rodale that takes up 17 pages; another contract from Broadway Books that “only” goes 10 pages but they're legal-sized; one from Penguin Putnam that stuffs 38 clauses into 11 pages; and others … [Read more...]
