Monday, October 21, 2019

writing a synopsis of your novel





Are you thinking of querying a traditional publisher or literary agent about your novel? They may want a synopsis (or summary). A synopsis hits the story's high spots including giving away the ending. How can you do all that in 4 or 5 pages? With difficulty if you're like most novelists. Here are some articles that may help.


https://www.janefriedman.com/how-to-write-a-novel-synopsis/


https://jerichowriters.com/synopsis/


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/book-synopsis-tips_b_2426724


Sunday, October 20, 2019

the name Epp--what does it mean?

One of my great-grandmothers was MARIA EPP [1872-1926]. She's the woman at the far left in the photo. I did some digging to see what the name EPP means. A book on German names, DEUTSCHE NAMENKUNDE by Max Gottschald, says it came from the old German personal names EBERHARD and EBURWIN. These, in turn, came from EBER, meaning wild boar. Wild boar, or pigs, were among prized game. Naming somebody after the fierce strong boar was probably a compliment. Shortened forms of the name include EBO, EB, EVER, EWERS, ABBO, EPPO, and EPP. Several other sources agree with this. They include the book MENNONITISCHE NAMEN by Victor Peters and Jack Thiessen.


DEUTSCHE NAMENKUNDE says the name EPP also came from the old German personal names ADALBOLD, ADALBRECHT, ADALBERT, and similar. These, in turn, came from ADEL, meaning nobility or aristocracy. Shortened forms of these names, which are many, include APP and EPP.


The above authors do not explain how the B of EBER or the D of ADEL became the P of EPP. Since EPP is a short simple name, it could have started quite separately in the two different ways mentioned above. This could help explain why the name was widespread in Germanic areas from at least the 1300s on. Mennonite researcher Horst Penner says it was common all the way from Switzerland in the south to Friesland in the north.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

contacts: traditional publishing & self-publishing





Are you thinking of trying to get your book published by a traditional publisher [one who bears the cost of publishing]? Or thinking of publishing with a subsidy publisher [one you pay to bring your book out]? Here are links to useful contacts & info.

Traditional publishers in Canada https://canadianauthors.org/national/canadian-book-publishers/


Literary agents in Canada https://www.writersunion.ca/literary-agents


Self-publishing general information  https://writersguild.ca/resources/self-publishing/


Article that includes lists of self-publishing companies in Canada & the US https://3pennypublishing.com/selfpublishing-companies/


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

hiring an editor




Good article here on hiring an editor: kinds of editors, what they may charge, how helpful they can and cannot be, etc. https://www.critiquecircle.com/blog.asp?blogID=361&digest=70515

Thursday, October 3, 2019

a different kind of Christian publisher





Here's how this publishing company describes itself:


Sunrise Publishing is a brand new [Christian] publishing company dreamed up by authors Susan May Warren and Lindsay Harrel that focuses on combining the talent of new-to-market authors with the experience and mentorship of well-known authors. We're calling it the James Patterson publishing method. A lead author partners with a new or rebooting author to create stories for the readership of the lead author–and to create a platform for the new author. Think about it–when you find an author you love, you read everything by that author. And when you're finished, you're looking for someone to fill that story hole. More info at https://sunrisepublishing.com/about/