Slow down and get further
by,
March 7, 2014

Shortly after her novel Ten Thousand Saints came out in early 2011, Eleanor Henderson answered a question at a book reading held at Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca. When asked how long it took her to write the novel, Henderson said nine years. Nine years. She explained that the first version didn’t even include several of the central characters in the final version. It made… [Read More]

Spilling Ink on POV
by,
February 21, 2014

POV. Point of View. When you begin to write, you must decide who will tell the story. You will, of course. Duh. You are the narrator if you are the writer. But who are you? Are you the heroic character? The omniscient voice of God? The fly on the wall? Journalist reporting from the scene? How do you find the right narrator’s voice? One of… [Read More]

Capstone to publish Oscar and the Amazing Gravity Repellent by Tina L. Peterson
by,
February 14, 2014

Tina L. Peterson’s debut novel OSCAR AND THE AMAZING GRAVITY REPELLENT, about an intrepid third-grader who takes on bullies and other forces of nature with the help of a magical potion, to Alison Deering at Capstone, in a nice deal by Jill Swenson of Swenson Book Development, February 11, 2014.  Tina L. Peterson has been fighting gravity her whole life. She was never any good at… [Read More]

Leaning Into Love
by,
February 7, 2014

Jill Swenson: Congratulations on the forthcoming publication of your book, Leaning into Love: A Spiritual Journey through Grief, by Larson Publications in fall 2014. What is meant by the title of your book? Elaine Mansfield: After Vic’s death, I leaned into his love. I leaned into the love of the land, the life I created with him, our sons, close friends, and found support. Spiritual help came… [Read More]

“Meh.” The ending just didn’t do it for me.
by,
January 31, 2014
Using Citation Machine for Citations in Non-Fiction Manuscripts - Project Gutenberg Image

While a great first chapter may interest acquisitions editors in reading your full manuscript, your last chapter may determine whether you get a contract offer or not. Reader dissatisfaction with the ending is the kiss of death to book sales. Perhaps you’ve even put down some of these books that have very well crafted first chapters that landed them a book contract but couldn’t sustain… [Read More]

Chapter One. Page One. The good, the bad, and the cliché.
by,
January 24, 2014

The Pew Research Center reported last week that one in four American adults had not read a single book in the past year. The number of non-book readers has nearly tripled since 1978. If you want someone to read your book, you know it has to be good. Better than good. The 18-29 year old demographic is the most likely age group to have read… [Read More]

Beta-Readers
by,
January 17, 2014

You finish a piece of writing. It’s polished. It’s done. You feel the sense of completion in every atom of your being as a writer. Savor that moment. The end. Done. You save it. You print it. You revise it again. You read it aloud. It’s ready for reader feedback. So who do you ask? Not your lover or spouse. Not your best friend or… [Read More]

What belongs in the back matter of your book?
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January 10, 2014

Last week here, I presented the parts of a book which appear in the front of the book. Today, we look at the elements which make up the back matter. After the last page of the manuscript’s text, pagination continues in numerical sequence into the back matter. The front matter is paginated using lower roman numerals, however, the back matter is not. The specific elements… [Read More]

What belongs in the front matter?
by,
January 3, 2014

Front Matter is one of the last sections of a book manuscript for an author to complete. But it’s the first thing a reader sees. Before page 1, there are several items that appear in the front pages of any book. Some pages are mandatory: title, copyright, and table of contents. Others are optional, upon the discretion of the author and publisher. Every page before… [Read More]

Top 10 List for 2013: Good News from Swenson Book Development LLC
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December 27, 2013
Heirloom flower, Brooktondale, NY 2012

It has been a very good year for Swenson Book Development LLC and we credit the successes and accomplishments of our clients during 2013. 1.  Did someone slip President Obama’s speechwriter an advance copy of Seymour Smidt’s manuscript? His December address riffed on pages from Sy’s chapters offering a historical analysis of growing income inequality. I am so thankful Sy has recovered from a terrible car accident… [Read More]