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Helping Maine authors share Maine stories
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10 Easy Things You Should Do  to Prepare Your Manuscript for Page Layout

4/30/2020

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    ​I’ve been working on a manuscript for two days, just cleaning up the copy, removing multiple tabs, excessive spaces, and de-capitalizing all-caps to make this manuscript workable. As I entered the second day of editing, I found myself wondering, how could that be? The author edited, proofed, and edited the work a second time. Why did I need to go over it again?
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    ​Because the author took it upon himself to format the script in MS Word in order to make it look better. While it might have looked better to him, within the unprinted formatting lies a hundred  manuscript mines, ready to detonate when put into another publishing program, blowing the whole thing to smithereens and  sending the format of the manuscript into chaos. 

  And while your publisher is perfectly capable of performing the following tasks, a few ways you can make your job and your publisher’s job easier is to take care of a few things in your document.​
1. Remove all double spaces after sentence-ending punctuation. A leftover practice from the days of typewriters and monospace fonts, this method of formatting has been rendered unnecessary. In fact, it’s often detrimental, with double spaces leaving ragged-looking spacing when using properly-spaced fonts. 

2. Spell out your numbers in non-technical text. All numbers under 100 should be spelled out. If you’re describing forty-eight of something, it’s forty-eight, not 48. Larger numbers get spelled out when rounded or approximations, with some exceptions. Just Write Books uses the Chicago Manual of Style for direction on numbers.

3. Remove all the -st, -th, and -nd suffixes after numbers in a sequence. As people read, they’ll naturally add these sounds as needed in the document. Although in British writing, these letters are printed, this is not written out in American English. 

4. Remove super and subscripts, except for footnote superscripts. These will be properly formatted during the typesetting process. 

5. Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms. Avoid confusing your reader with these unknowns. If you mention something the first time (with the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses), you can then use an acronym for it in subsequent uses. For the sake of clarity, don’t refer to something by its abbreviation or acronym the first time. 
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6. Don’t use jargon. When writing about an industry that uses specific terminology, it’s up to you to explain inside jargon or lingo or find other, more common terms that serve the same purpose. 

7. Remove extraneous formatting. Remove all tabs, multiple spaces and other unnecessary formatting from your document. These will be handled in the typesetting phase. ​
8. Use automatic page numbering. Using the page numbering function instead of adding page numbers manually helps with the editing and typesetting process.

9. Be consistent with how you handle the names of states.
Whether you abbreviate state names or spell them out, do it consistently throughout the entire document. If you spell out Connecticut the first time, don’t use CT later. Yes, spelling out Mississippi every time is kind of a pain, but if you do it the first time, do it every time. 

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10. Separate your document into chapters. Come up with good spots to break up your work, and try to keep their lengths somewhat consistent. You can use simple numbers or you can name your chapters, but it’s key to have a plan to follow. ​

All in all, it’s consistency and a lack of excessive formatting that will help your publisher streamline the editing process, and help you get published sooner. Follow these steps, and you’re sure to make your life, and the life of your publisher, much easier. 

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Just Write Books LLC, offers publishing consulting and coaching for writers.  JWB uses its proprietary High Point Publishing System with state-of-the-art technology mixed with old-fashioned writing, editing, publishing, and marketing skills to help writers become authors and authors reach their publishing goals. ​

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10 Simple questions to help you determine if your Book is worth publishing.

4/23/2020

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Welcome to the brand-new Just Write Books! As we take our first steps on our new journey together, let's talk about the ways we're ready to help you get your work into the world.

Let's start at the beginning. I hear it's a very good place to start. 

And as the world seems to slow to a crawl due to the global pandemic we’ve found ourselves thrust into, we hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy, and finding what you need to navigate these trying times. And it’s into these trying times, when we’re isolated in our homes, that we’re looking for ways to keep busy and be productive with our time. To which, you might be thinking… why don’t I finish that book I’ve always been meaning to write? And here at Just Write Books, we’re here to tell you, yes, you most certainly can. 
​In our new capacity offering writing consulting services, we’re here to help you get your book written, edited, published, and read by the audience that wants to hear what you have to say. Through the High Point Publishing System, we help writers hone their voice, sharpen their talents, focus their skills, and achieve their writing goals. 

​The first step in that process is a simple one, and that is to find out if your book is worth publishing in the first place. Because writing is a process not for the faint of heart; it requires a considerable time commitment and a large degree of patience. So, before you set out on your journey of publication, you should ask yourself: Is my book worth publishing? 
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“I will be forever grateful to you, Nancy, for believing in me and supporting my writing.”
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     ―Norma Salway, retired first-grade teacher and author of I’m Just a Kid You Know, Touched by a Hummingbird and The Attic & ME.
That’s the backbone of our questionnaire, which can be found here. As you fill this out, you’ll break down the basics of your book, getting into the meat of who wants to read it, why they want to read it, what subjects your book discusses, and start the process of finding the best way for it to reach its intended audience. 
Once we receive your answers, we can begin a conversation about the best way you can achieve your writing goals, using the information you’ve provided. From there we can discuss editing and publishing, although that’s a few steps down the line. 
Take the Questionnaire
So, to all aspiring writers, welcome! We’re looking forward to receiving your works and we’ll talk with you soon! 

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The Transformation of Just Write Books

4/9/2020

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    ​For fifteen years, Just Write Books has been proud to bring Maine stories from Maine authors to the world. From Tom Seymour bringing us along with him on tours through the Maine woods and waters, to the history of our home state’s cities, all the way to fantastical stories of science fiction, fantasy, and horror told from Maine’s artistic students, Just Write Books has brought a variety of tales from Maine to the page for you to enjoy. 
    ​Now, sadly, Just Write Books will, beginning today, no longer operate as a publisher of books. While our love of Maine, its residents, and its stories have not abated, and the author’s stories have their markets, and people who want to read those stories, we have made the decision that we can find better ways for them to get their stories out into the world. 

    To that end, we’re working diligently to find new homes for all our authors, and for those of you who still wish to follow them, we will be posting information about where to find them here, so keep an eye out. Be they through other publishers or publishing houses, or making the transition to digital publishing through Amazon, our stories will still be available. 
    Just Write Books will continue to help new authors achieve their publishing goals using the High Point Publishing System, which we've developed over five decades. We will help authors finish their outstanding projects, market their work, and ensure that their books reach the right audiences. 

   This is not goodbye. Just Write Books will not be shutting its doors. Instead, our business is transforming into our next iteration. Many of you know that we becan as Just Write Communications in 1990. In 2005, we morphed into publishing and now into offering publishing consultation and coaching for writers.
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Over the years, we've worked with some truly spectacular writers and had the privilege of helping them tell their tales and teach us so much.

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As for Nancy E. Randolph, the creator of all this, she will not be idle. On top of consulting and coaching, she’ll also get busy finishing her own books.
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Oh, and don't worry about Ben. Even if he's working from home, he'll always have plenty to do around the office.
      If the last fifteen years have taught us anything, it’s that this wonderful state of Maine is full to bursting with incredible stories, and that incredible people like you want to read them. So even though Just Write Books is reaching its end as a publisher, our work never ends, the stories told through our publications will find new life in new places, and our authors’ works will continue on.  ​
    ​So, thank you all for an amazing fifteen years. Thank you for buying our books, for reading our tales, for sharing in the life and creativity that Maine has to offer.
    ​As a thank you for all your patronage and support these last fifteen years, we’re offering 50% off all of our remaining books. Everything in our store is half off. And since we won’t be ordering any more books, this is your last chance to pick up your favorite books from our website, for yourself or as gifts. 

As for what come next, be sure to watch this space! There's much more on the way, and we're going to start by sharing with you how to utilize our consulting and coaching services in another week's blog post! 
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So join us next week, and let's raise our mugs together to a new challenge and new writing adventures! 
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    Author

    Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books offering consulting and coaching for writers.

    An active community member she co-­chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.

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Just Write Books
13 Williams Drive
Topsham, ME 04086

Phone: 207-729-3600

What our Customers say

Nancy E. Randolph, JWB owner, markets my titles on a wide scale. She also sets up book signings. I find it infinitely more enjoyable and rewarding to work with this Maine-based publisher than to deal with national publishers from out-of-state.
Finally, JWB does not publish just any aspiring author. Randolph is very selective, accepting only material that she is convinced will sell. I highly recommend JWB to any author. 
Tom Seymour, author of Wild Plants of Maine and many other titles.

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