Kindness for Weakness
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July 6, 2013

Kindness becomes weakness as boys become men in a place where violence is the solution to every problem. In Shawn Goodman’s new novel, 15-year-old James finds himself in an upstate detention center after his brother recruited him into drug trafficking. It’s a coming of age story set in a second chances plot. More Fight Club than Catcher in the Rye, Kindness for Weakness captures the… [Read More]

Jacqueline Louise Barrett Livingston Brisette (1943-2013)
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July 2, 2013

Jacqueline Livingston lived as an artist and died on the summer solstice, June 21, 2013, at home in Ithaca, NY, where she lived with her husband of 30 years, Leo Brissette. Born in August 1943, Jacqueline Louise Barrrett, grew up in Chandler, Arizona, where her father worked on the Air Force base as chief of the Fire Dept. He died when she was 12 years… [Read More]

What kind of editor do you need?
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June 18, 2013
Memoir Writing Workshop

It’s important for an author to know the differences between the various kinds of editing, and understand what professional services an editor may or may not provide. When you work with an editor, find one with whom you can clearly communicate your needs, expectations and working style.  Not all editors are the same. Copyeditors read your document and look for errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar,… [Read More]

Happy Father’s Day: For the love of books
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June 15, 2013

Growing up in a home with books explains, in part, my love of books. My father has always had a library. That Bob Swenson read Ariel and Will Durant’s 11 volumes of The Story of Civilization and William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, meant I surreptitiously read them too, in junior high. Cold War novels, international espionage thrillers, an occasional mystery, Michener,… [Read More]

How to Write Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal
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June 11, 2013
Writing Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal

There is more than one path to publishing today. Whether your plan is to seek a traditional publisher or self-publish, you need a book proposal. Consider it a business feasibility plan. Before you invest your time and intellectual energy to a book project, first determine whether there is market demand for your new product. Figuring out how you will harness that market demand and fulfill… [Read More]

Summer Reading List
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June 8, 2013

Good writers read good writing. While you are writing your work-in-progress, keep reading great books. Here’s our recommendations for a super summer reading list. Non-Fiction Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan Death in the Baltic: WWII Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff by Cathryn Prince Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill Good Prose: The Art of Non-Fiction… [Read More]

Prose: Good, Better, Best
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June 4, 2013

Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd have co-authored Good Prose: The Art of Non-Fiction and opened a window into writing and editing, writer and editor. Author of Strength in What Remains, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World, Tracy Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1981 non-fiction narrative, The Soul of a New Machine. Kidder established… [Read More]

Twitter is a research tool for writers
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June 1, 2013

Many authors simply dismiss Twitter. They imagine Brooklynites and Los Angelinos strolling city streets while on their smartphones punching tiny keyboards. If the demographics of your book’s readers don’t match those who use Twitter, why bother? No one seems interested in tweeting what they ate for lunch, where they went shopping, or the funny thing their kid said. How can you say anything meaningful or… [Read More]

Welcome Ava Russell, Intern
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May 25, 2013
Ava Russel is the Summer Intern for Swenson Book Development, LLC

Ava Russell begins her summer internship with Swenson Book Development LLC, on Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend. She is an English literature major at SUNY Geneseo. Last summer she interned as an editorial assistant for Fresh Dirt Ithaca magazine. Copyeditor for her college newspaper, The Lamron, Ava Russell also tutors fellow Geneseo students in writing. Spring semester in London gave her a permanent travel bug,… [Read More]

What does a book development editor do for an author?
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May 21, 2013

What does a book development editor do? Professionally assess your manuscript or book concept for its publishing potential Offer critical feedback and editorial guidance Serve as writing coach as the author completes a manuscript Collaborate in the development of a winning book proposal Position and package the book concept to specific publishers Research what publishers are looking for in the current market Conduct market research… [Read More]