When describing lake water, the words scummy and murky convey very different images, even though they’re synonyms. I had a preconceived notion of the word murky. I believed it portrayed water as dark, cloudy, and difficult to see through. I understood the word scummy to mean water that has a layer of algae on top of it, making it unpleasant to swim in or to… [Read More]
Whether you are starting a new research project or revising the final draft of a book manuscript, there are resources a nonfiction writer will want to keep closer at hand than a dictionary or thesaurus. Some of these references you may already be familiar with, but you may discover one or more here which belong on your desktop for handy reference. You are the subject… [Read More]
Countryman Press releases Linda J. Spielman’s new book, A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast, today, July 4, 2017. What makes this reference book so special is the meticulously drawn illustrations which portray a wide range of shapes and appearances for the tracks of more than 40 mammal species. Most mammal identification guides include iconic images of tracks which are rarely encountered in… [Read More]
Good writers don’t happen by chance. Chances are they draw from their favorite books to craft their own. What’s on your shelf? We encourage you to post your shelfie in the comments below and on Instagram. Six of our authors with forthcoming or new releases shared what is on their bookshelves, giving you an inside look at the books they’ve been reading. Check out their… [Read More]
In the past two years, the importance of Instagram for marketing books has grown exponentially. Readers, book reviewers, and now even publishers have adopted this new social media platform for marketing new releases. As of April 2017, there are more than 700 million users. And it is extremely popular with the millennials. If your audience is under age 35 or college educated, consider joining Instagram…. [Read More]