Should You Hire a Professional Designer for Your Book Interior?By

By Andrea Reider

Many independent authors design and format their own books to save money. Working with a professional book designer for your print book interior can cost between $2.00 and $3.50 per page, and there’s no guarantee that a book will sell enough copies to earn back that fee.

However, some authors may have good reason to hire a professional to work on their book interior. Even if you decide to design and format your own book, I hope to make you aware of important elements of book composition.

A professional designer can select the best fonts and graphic elements to showcase your work. Book designers often draw inspiration from the book cover design elements and fonts for the interior. Most professionally designed books use the cover design font treatments for the half title and title interior pages and often for titles and subheads. Designers typically use two main fonts for most books unless there is a reason to include other fonts. The main text is almost always set in a serif font. Times New Roman is a common default for word-processed files, but professional designers rarely use it for books. Some commonly used fonts are Garamond, Minion, Sabon, and Caslon, but there are many other fonts that work well for the main text. Designers may use a sans serif font for chapter titles and subheads.

Most designers will offer several different designs as a starting point with various fonts and design treatments and then come to a final design after feedback from the author. A great book design can range from a typographic treatment without any graphic elements, to an elaborate design using several different design elements. Some effective designs use a repeating image—often a line drawing or simple graphic—on chapter and part opener pages.

A professional designer can help an author determine the best size for their book. Considerations include the topic of the book, the prospective audience, the desired page count, and the most readable type size. There are several standard different book sizes. The most common is 6″ x 9″ but many books are set at the slightly smaller 5.5″ x 8.5″ size. If an author wants a book to have a higher page count, the 5″ x 8″ size is sometimes the best choice. Books with a lot of photographs are often set at larger sizes such as 7″ x 10″ or 8″ x 10″. Workbooks are usually set at 8.5″ x 11″. All of these are standard sizes offered by most print-on-demand services, including Amazon/KDP, IngramSpark, and most print-on-demand and traditional printers.

A professional designer makes sure that your book is properly formatted and adheres to the best practices for typography and layout. Many decisions go into formatting a book, including fonts, proper hyphenation, line endings, and page breaks. Most nonfiction books have chapters that always begin on a right-hand page, whereas the chapter openers for fiction books usually can begin on either left-hand or right-hand pages as they fall. There are good reasons for these long-standing publishing traditions. One big reason is that right-hand chapter openers make it easier for readers to find the beginning of chapters. Another reason is that if there is a change to any chapter that adds or deletes a page, it doesn’t affect the left/right page orientation of the rest of the book. Another consideration in deciding whether to begin chapters on a new right-hand page is the number of chapters or pages in a book. If there are less than 20–30 chapters in a nonfiction book, it’s usually a good idea to start chapters on a right-hand page. If there are more than 30 chapters, publishers often choose to begin chapters left or right in order to avoid having too many blank pages in the book and adding unnecessarily to the page count and printing cost.

Books that have part openers pages often start the part openers on a right-hand page and then the following chapters right or left as they fall, with the first chapter after a part opener usually beginning on a right-hand page.

A professional designer frees up an author’s time to focus on other aspects of publication. Books that are mostly straight text are relatively simple to format using online tools, but books with multiple levels of subheads, extracts, footnotes, and other elements can be a challenge to properly format even for an experienced designer.

Too many books are published with charts and graphs that makes them look amateurish, unprofessional, and are often difficult for readers to understand. Well-designed charts and graphs can set a book apart from those that are done using just basic Microsoft Word functions or produced through online formatting tools. A professional designer will know how to set tabular information in a way that is easy for readers to follow, taking into consideration factors like hyphenation, line length, and aligning numerical text on the decimal point.

A professional book designer ensures the best placement of photographs and images in the book. There are many conventions for proper placements of photographs and images, including the placement and formatting of captions. Most photographs and images are placed at the bottom or top of the next available space after they are called out in the main text. Most nonfiction books will call out a figure in the text by figure number. Some images can be placed within the flow of the text, but it’s often not possible to do so. Determining the best placement requires experience and good layout judgment. Most of the online tools do an inadequate job of formatting pages with images or photographs, often leaving large blank spaces at the bottom of pages. A professional designer knows how to fill out every page in the book in the best way possible and will rarely leave short pages with unused space at the bottom unless there’s a good reason for doing so.

A professional book designer focuses on well-balanced pages. Online tools can produce uneven pages that aren’t balanced across page spreads. In a professionally formatted book, all page spreads are bottom aligned at the same point. Some pages may run one line shorter or longer than the typical page length, but a short page should never be followed by a long page or a long page followed by a short page. There also should never be more than two short or long pages in a row. These are the rules that have been followed by professional designers and typesetters for many years. It may not sound like a huge matter, but it’s one of the factors that go into making a professional-looking book.

A professional book designer pays attention to all page and line endings and breaks, setting each in the best possible manner. Professionals know many ways to finesse line and paragraphs endings and page breaks. A book that is set with bad or awkward endings and breaks can be annoying to readers and lead to a book being perceived as unprofessional and less credible. For good pagination, layouts should avoid widows and orphans, which are single lines appearing at the top or bottom of pages. Most books are set with hyphenation, which can be customized to specify the number of hyphens allowed (it’s best to set the hyphens for a maximum of two in a row with a minimum of three characters at the end or beginning of lines). Children’s and poetry books are usually set without any hyphenation. A professional book designer will know how to apply the rules, and in some cases, where to break or modify the rules to achieve the best possible layout.

A professional book designer can produce ebooks with advanced features. An ebook can look great on your computer screen, but appear terrible when uploaded to Amazon or other sites. Troubleshooting the errors can be a challenging process for even experienced ebook designers. Unfortunately, ebooks often end up looking like stripped-down versions of the print book because some of the features of print design don’t translate well to the ebook format. However, a good ebook designer can do many things to produce a better-looking ebook, including adding color to headings and subtitles and using color versions of any photos and images in the book.

A professional designer can help the author troubleshoot and fix any issues that arise when uploading files to the printer. All book printers, including Amazon and IngramSpark, require that files be formatted exactly to their specifications. It’s not uncommon for the printers to reject files for any number of reasons, sending cryptic error messages that can be difficult to interpret. Even files prepared by professional designers are sometimes rejected by printers for not exactly following their specifications. The issues are usually easily resolved, but for authors who format their own books, having their files rejected can be very frustrating and time-consuming.

While some authors can well format their own books, a professional can save you time and produce results that exceed the abilities of available online tools. As a professional book designer and formatter, I am honored to be able to use my skills to help authors produce attractive and readable books that enhance the reading experience and add credibility to their writing.

Andrea Reider

Andrea Reider is a freelance book designer and layout artist with many years of experience working with authors and publishers on just about every type of book, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s books. She lives in West Hollywood, California. Learn more about her work at reiderbooks.com.

Andrea Reider is the current designer for MWSA’s Dispatches magazine. This article originally appeared on Jane Friedman’s blog at https://janefriedman.com/should-you-hire-a-professional-book-designer-and-formatter-for-your-book-interior/.

Song Lyrics and Fair Use

Want to Put Song Lyrics in Your Book? Read This First.

Many writers want to include song lyrics in a novel, memoir, essay, or poetry collection. The instinct is understandable. A single lyric can evoke a time period, a memory, a deployment, a romance, a funeral, a protest, a road trip, or an entire generation.

But song lyrics are among the riskiest copyrighted material an author can quote.

This article is not legal advice. It is practical guidance for MWSA members and authors submitting books to the MWSA awards program.

The short answer

If you want to quote song lyrics in a book, assume you need permission unless you have a solid, documented reason to rely on fair use.

That does not mean fair use never applies. It does mean that “I only used a few lines,” “I credited the songwriter,” “the song is famous,” “my book is nonfiction,” “my publisher approved it,” or “my book is registered with the Copyright Office” does not automatically make the use legal.

Why are song lyrics different?

Song lyrics are usually short, creative, and highly protected works. Because songs are brief, even a few quoted lines may represent a meaningful portion of the work. A lyric can also be the most recognizable or memorable part of the song—the “heart” of the work.

That is why authors should be more cautious with lyrics than with short quotations from a long nonfiction book, a government document, a newspaper article, or a historical source.

Attribution is not permission

Giving credit is good practice, but credit does not replace permission.

You can properly identify the songwriter, performer, publisher, album, and year, and still have a permissions problem. Copyright is about the right to reproduce protected expression. Attribution answers the question, “Who created this?” It does not answer the question, “Did I have the legal right to use it?”

Copyright registration does not clear third-party material

Registering your book with the U.S. Copyright Office does not mean every quotation, lyric, photograph, poem, map, letter, or other third-party item in the book has been cleared.

A copyright registration creates a public record of your copyright claim in your own work. It is not a legal opinion that all borrowed material inside the book is permitted.

What fair use actually means

Fair use is a limited exception that allows some use of copyrighted material without permission. It is not a blanket rule. It is not a word-count rule.

Fair use is evaluated case by case under four factors:

  1. The purpose and character of the use

  2. The nature of the copyrighted work

  3. The amount and substantiality of what was used

  4. The effect of the use on the potential market for the original work

All four factors matter. No single factor automatically controls the answer.

Common misunderstanding: “It’s only one line”

There is no automatic “one line is okay” rule.

A short quotation from a long factual work may be low risk. A short quotation from a song lyric can be higher risk because the song itself is short and the quoted phrase may be central, memorable, or commercially valuable.

The question is not only “How much did I use?” It is also “What did I use, why did I use it, and did I use more than necessary?”

When fair use is more likely

Fair use is stronger when the author is using the lyric for criticism, commentary, scholarship, teaching, parody, or analysis.

For example, a music critic discussing the meaning of a lyric may need to quote a few words or lines to make the point. A historian analyzing protest music may need to quote limited lyric excerpts as evidence. A memoirist discussing how a song reflects the culture of a specific time may have a stronger argument if the lyrics are analyzed directly rather than merely included for atmosphere.

Even then, the author should use only what is necessary.

When fair use is weaker

Fair use is weaker when lyrics are used mainly for mood, decoration, nostalgia, emotional effect, scene-setting, or because a character is listening to or singing the song.

Examples of higher-risk uses include:

  • opening a chapter with a song lyric as an epigraph;

  • having a character sing several lines of a popular song;

  • quoting lyrics to create the emotional tone of a scene;

  • using lyrics because they “fit the moment”;

  • including lyrics without discussing or analyzing them;

  • using lyrics from multiple songs throughout the book.

Those uses may be artistically effective, but they are usually not the strongest fair-use cases.

“But my publisher approved it”

That may matter, but it does not end the question.

A reputable publisher may have obtained permission, reviewed the use, or made a fair-use determination. If so, the author should be able to provide documentation. But the fact that a book was traditionally published does not, by itself, prove that all lyrics were cleared or that a fair-use analysis was performed.

“But my attorney said it was fair use”

That may be enough for your own risk tolerance, but be prepared to document it.

MWSA does not need privileged legal advice or a full attorney-client memo. But if a submitted book contains song lyrics and the author relies on fair use, MWSA may ask for written confirmation that the lyric use was reviewed and determined to be permissible.

What authors should do instead

The safest choices are:

  1. Get written permission from the rights holder.

  2. Remove the lyric.

  3. Refer to the song title without quoting the lyrics.

  4. Paraphrase the effect of the song without reproducing protected language.

  5. Write your own fictional lyric.

  6. Use public-domain lyrics, but verify the public-domain status first.

Song titles are usually safer to mention than lyrics. For example, writing that a character heard “Fortunate Son” on the radio is very different from quoting lines from the song.

Public domain is not the same as “old”

Do not assume a song is in the public domain because it was popular decades ago, because the songwriter is deceased, or because the song is easy to find online.

Copyright duration can be complicated. There may be separate rights in the lyrics, musical composition, arrangement, and sound recording. If public-domain status matters to your book, verify it carefully.

MWSA’s position on submitted books

MWSA is not a law firm and does not make legal rulings on copyright infringement. However, MWSA may decline to review, score, award, or publish a review of a book if unresolved copyright or permissions concerns are identified.

For books submitted to MWSA, authors are responsible for ensuring that quoted song lyrics and other copyrighted materials are properly used. If questions arise, MWSA may ask the author to provide documentation showing that:

  • permission was obtained; or

  • the use was reviewed and determined to be fair use; or

  • the material is in the public domain.

If the concern cannot be resolved, MWSA may withdraw the book from review or decline to publish a review. This protects the author, the reviewers, and the awards program.

Bottom line

Fair use is real, but it is often misunderstood.

The safest rule for authors is this: if you quote song lyrics in your book, either get permission, have a documented fair-use basis, or leave the lyrics out.

A song title, a memory of the song, or a description of how the song made someone feel will usually do the job without creating the same risk.

Further Reading and Sources

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/

https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/introduction/getting-permission/

https://authorsguild.org/resource/fair-use-for-authors/

Click here to read our earlier article on this subject.

 Note: image is AI-generated.

Stop Shouting at Your Readers: The Perils of Overusing Exclamation Points

The exclamation point is like hot sauce — a little adds zest, but pour it on everything and you’ll overwhelm the dish. In writing, this tiny stick-and-dot carries weight: excitement, surprise, urgency, even delight. But overusing it can turn every sentence into a shout, making your prose feel frantic, childish, or insincere.

Why We Overuse Them

In our texting and emailing world, exclamation points have become the go-to signal for friendliness. A quick “Thanks!” feels warmer than a flat “Thanks.” Social media has only fueled this habit — with every short post fighting to convey tone without the benefit of voice or facial expression, punctuation has picked up the slack.

The problem? What works in a casual message doesn’t always translate well to professional or creative writing. Readers expect fiction and nonfiction to engage them through word choice, pacing, and imagery — not constant punctuation fireworks.

The Dulling Effect

An exclamation point is meant to elevate a sentence. But when you use too many, they lose impact. It’s like having someone yell in your ear for an entire conversation — eventually, the volume fades into background noise, and nothing feels exciting anymore.

Consider:

  • Overuse: She grabbed the letter! She tore it open! She gasped! She ran to the door!

  • Balanced: She grabbed the letter. Tearing it open, she gasped — then ran to the door.

The second version allows natural variation in tone and rhythm, making the moment more gripping.

Trust Your Words

Strong verbs and concrete details do the heavy lifting that exclamation points often try to do alone. Instead of “He shouted angrily!” you could write “His voice cracked as he slammed the table.” The image does more than the punctuation ever could.

When to Use Them

Reserve exclamation points for:

  • Moments of genuine surprise or alarm

  • Sudden bursts of enthusiasm

  • Punchlines or lighthearted exchanges in dialogue

Even then, one exclamation point is enough. Resist the urge to double or triple them — it rarely adds anything except a sense of amateurism. You’ll also lose scoring points with MWSA reviewers.

A Quick Test

After you finish a draft, do a search for “!” and ask yourself:

  1. Does this moment truly need a burst of heightened emotion?

  2. Could the feeling be conveyed more powerfully with stronger words instead?

If the answer is “no” or “yes, it could,” cut the mark.

Bottom line: The exclamation point is a spice, not a staple. Use it sparingly, and your writing will sound more confident — and when you do unleash it, your readers will feel it.

From Field Notes to Fiction: Turning Military Experience into Storytelling Gold

Every veteran has a story. Some are heroic, others heartbreaking—but all are worth telling. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, or creative nonfiction, your military experience gives you a unique lens through which to explore universal themes like courage, sacrifice, and resilience. But how do you turn those raw memories into compelling prose?

This week, we’ll help you bridge the gap between real-life service and unforgettable storytelling.

1. Start with the Truth

Before crafting fiction, jot down true stories or events that stand out—combat missions, boot camp memories, emotional reunions, or even humorous mishaps. These are your "field notes." Authentic details provide emotional weight and credibility, even if you later fictionalize them.

💡 Tip: Carry a pocket journal or use your phone to capture memory sparks when they come.

2. Identify the Emotional Core

What emotion drove the moment? Fear? Brotherhood? Grief? Focus on that feeling and build the story around it. The military is full of emotion hidden beneath professionalism—and that tension makes for powerful drama.

3. Create Composite Characters

You don’t have to name names. Combine elements of different real people into fictional characters. This allows freedom and protects privacy while preserving authenticity.

🎖️ Example: A hard-nosed drill sergeant who secretly writes poetry can be a memorable character drawn from multiple real-life inspirations.

4. Build a Narrative Arc

True stories don’t always follow a satisfying structure. Your job as a storyteller is to shape events into a clear beginning, middle, and end. Even loosely connected vignettes need momentum.

📘 Read: Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried to see how memoir and fiction blend into thematic storytelling.

5. Use All Five Senses

Let readers feel the weight of the rucksack, hear the rattle of the Humvee, smell the diesel fumes. Specific, concrete details bring your world to life.

6. Decide: Fiction or Nonfiction?

Creative Nonfiction: Stick to true events but write them like a novel—with scene, dialogue, and description.
Fiction: Let your imagination run, using real events as a jumping-off point.

Both have value. Choose what feels truest to your voice and your mission.

7. Join a Community

You're not alone. Many MWSA members have made this journey from service member to storyteller. Our Beta Reader Program and award-winning authors can help you hone your craft and find your audience.

Final Word

Your service was unique. Your story should be, too. Writing can heal, inspire, and preserve a legacy. So dust off those field notes—and start turning them into storytelling gold.

Mastering the Semicolon: A Guide to Correct Usage

The semicolon (;) is one of the most misunderstood punctuation marks in the English language. It sits somewhere between a comma and a period—stronger than the former but not quite as final as the latter. When used correctly, semicolons can add clarity, rhythm, and sophistication to your writing. Here’s a simple guide to help you use them properly.

1. To Join Two Closely Related Independent Clauses

A semicolon can link two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are closely related in thought but not joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as and, but, or so).

Example:

  • The meeting was canceled; no one showed up.

In this case, both sides of the semicolon could stand as full sentences, but the semicolon shows a stronger connection between the two ideas than a period would.

2. Before Conjunctive Adverbs or Transitional Phrases

When using words like however, therefore, meanwhile, or for example to link two independent clauses, a semicolon should come before the transition, and a comma should follow it.

Example:

  • She didn’t see the stop sign; therefore, she ran right through the intersection.

This helps the reader pause just enough to understand that what comes next builds on what came before.

3. To Separate Items in a Complex List

When the items in a list already contain commas, using semicolons can prevent confusion by clearly separating the items.

Example:

  • The speakers at the conference included Dr. Anne Moore, a physicist from MIT; John Taylor, a tech entrepreneur from Seattle; and Maria Sanchez, a journalist from Madrid.

Without semicolons, this sentence would be difficult to untangle.

What Not to Do with a Semicolon

  • Don’t use a semicolon to join a dependent clause to an independent clause.
    ❌ Because it was raining; we stayed inside.
    ✅ Because it was raining, we stayed inside.

  • Don’t use a semicolon in place of a colon to introduce a list.
    ❌ Bring the following:; a flashlight, a map, and a jacket.
    ✅ Bring the following: a flashlight, a map, and a jacket.

Final Thoughts

Think of the semicolon as a tool for connection and clarity. It allows you to show relationships between ideas with precision and elegance. While not always necessary, a well-placed semicolon can elevate your writing and make complex thoughts easier to follow. Use it wisely, and your prose will be all the stronger for it.

What Is a Comma Splice—and Should You Ever Use One?

A comma splice occurs when two complete sentences are joined only by a comma—without the right conjunction or punctuation. It’s a common writing mistake that can confuse readers or make your writing feel unpolished.

Example of a comma splice:
I love to write, it's my favorite hobby.
This sentence includes two independent clauses (complete thoughts) joined incorrectly by a comma.

How to Fix a Comma Splice

Here are three simple ways to correct a comma splice:

  1. Use a period:
    I love to write. It’s my favorite hobby.

  2. Use a semicolon:
    I love to write; it’s my favorite hobby.

  3. Use a coordinating conjunction (like and, but, or so):
    I love to write, and it’s my favorite hobby.

Are Comma Splices Ever Acceptable?

In most cases—especially in formal, academic, or professional writing—comma splices are considered errors. Editors and publishers usually expect them to be corrected before publication.

However, there are some exceptions in today’s publishing world:

  • Creative writing: Some fiction writers use comma splices intentionally to create a conversational tone or a sense of urgency.

    She ran to the door, she didn’t look back.

  • Dialogue: People often speak in run-ons, so comma splices in dialogue can reflect natural speech patterns.

Even in these cases, the key is to use them sparingly and intentionally. Overusing comma splices—or using them by accident—can make your writing feel sloppy rather than stylish.

Final Tip

Know the rules before you bend them. In most writing, fix comma splices to ensure your ideas are clear and your prose is polished. If you choose to use them creatively, make sure it’s a conscious decision that fits your voice and purpose.

Goodreads Tips for Authors

We recommend this article from Goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2898-goodreads-tips-for-authors

Topics covered:

  • Connecting with Readers on Goodreads

  • Info on running a Goodreads Giveaway

  • Getting help from Goodreads

While you’re at it, visit MWSA’s page on Goodreads! You’ll find lists of MWSA authors’ books going back to our 2015 season.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/69843339-military-writers-society-of-america-mwsa


New Year’s Resolutions—MWSA Style

Tis the season to make resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, being a better spouse, family member, friend, etc., and then forgetting about the promises you made to yourself two weeks later. How about trying one or two (or more) of the following resolutions to make your 2025 a brighter and more literature-filled one?

Here are a few suggestions to get you started—­MWSA style. 

  1. Help an author get their book a bit more polished before it’s published by offering feedback via our Beta Reader Program.

  2. Buy an MWSA author’s book at least once this year.

    • Try browsing through our award winners to help you pick something worthwhile: https://www.mwsadispatches.com/award-winners

    • Have someone on your gift list you can’t imagine a present for? Buy them an MWSA author’s book as a gift.

  3. Order a paper copy of an MWSA book. Read it and then donate the copy to your local library to help someone else discover their new favorite author.

  4. Promote a fellow MWSA author’s book.

    • Tell your friends and family

    • Write about it in your author's blog

    • Mention it in your communications with your readers

  5. Write a review and post it on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, or wherever.

    • Although everyone knows that it’s better to give than to receive, giving AND receiving is even better. Use MWSA’s Review Swap Program to GIVE a review for another author’s book and RECEIVE a review of yours.

  6. Reach out to another MWSA author.

    • Post on their author page, social media account, or website

    • Send them an email

    • Go to an MWSA conference and talk to them in person

  7. Recommend an MWSA book to your book club.

  8. Share news about a fellow MWSA author’s success.

  9. Make sure you support your local bookstore.

    • Yes, buying online from Amazon is easier, but the trip to your local bookstore will pay dividends—to the struggling owner and you. You might even talk them into stocking one of your books.

    • Attend another author’s event at the bookstore.

    • Request that the bookstore stock one of your favorite MWSA books. While you’re at it, do the same thing at your local library.

  10. Help a fellow author by reviewing for MWSA.

Security Review of your Publication

Are you writing something that you’d like to have cleared by the Department of Defense or another agency?

Our members report varying levels of support and response from the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review.

https://www.esd.whs.mil/DOPSR/

Ten years ago, when I published my first novel, I asked the Defense Intelligence Agency’s public affairs office if my novel passed muster, but I never got a response. I’m not in jail yet, so I guess it worked. ;-)

What are your experiences? If you’d like to share anything with your fellow MWSA authors, please comment on this page.

A Goodreads Primer by Jim Tritten

Click to visit MWSA’s Goodreads page

Goodreads, often referred to as the Facebook or Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb) for readers and authors, is more than just a platform. It's a vibrant community boasting an impressive user base. With over 150 million members, 200,000 registered authors, and a staggering 3.5 billion books on file, it's clear that Goodreads is the go-to platform for readers and book recommendations. Let’s delve into why you should consider joining this thriving community.

Goodreads offers a unique opportunity for authors to connect with their readers on a deeper level. Imagine your book, like the 2024’s most popular book, The Women, being reviewed by a whopping 361,609 readers, who have collectively posted 44,801 reviews, giving it an impressive overall score of 4.66 out of 5.0. These reviews are not just numbers; they are your readers' voices, shaping your work's perception.[i]

This should signal to us that a large audience of users of this database routinely access book listings and express their opinions. Participation is also a straightforward way to keep track of what you have read in the past, much like you can do with movies on IMDb. The more books you enter that you want to, are, or have read, the better the software can recommend books for you to read based on your preferences. Amazon.com does the same thing based on your purchases and browsing history.

As an author, you can post an author profile with links to any work for sale on Amazon.com and attract fans and followers for you and your books. Goodreads will automatically import any book from Amazon.com that lists you as a contributor. A posting of your books affords you the prospect of adding an enticing description that might convince someone to purchase your work (helpful links to sites are included). It also allows you to introduce searchable metadata on your book by readers looking for various subjects and keywords. When readers have read one of your books, they click on a link to your author page and follow you. You can see what friends are reading and how they rank any book. Private messaging and group discussions are allowed between members of groups and friends.

As a publisher, and anyone that is an indie or self-publisher this means you, you will undoubtedly want to take advantage of a highly robust and free author page available to anyone Goodreads qualifies as a Goodreads Author. Generally, this is anyone with a published book who is listed as a contributor – thus including chapter authors for anthologies. As a Goodreads Author, you can post your photo, a bio, answers to questions the site or you provide, a video of perhaps you reading a portion of your work, a list with links to your books, a blog, lists of books you are reading, quotes by you, quotes by others that you like, results of polls, and authors that you like. This is in addition to groups you can join, friends you can collect, and announcements of events sent automatically to your friends, like on Facebook. There is a separate page for giveaways. You can enter some data initially, go back, and fill in the rest later. The author’s page alone should be sufficient reason to get involved.

Goodreads, like Amazon.com, now require separate author pages for each name under which you are published.[ii] Amazon.com owns Goodreads, and books listed on Amazon should routinely appear in it. A librarian group helps fix metadata problems. A Goodreads app is available on most smartphones, permitting access from your mobile device.

MWSA has an active Goodreads profile, where we post reviews of books submitted by members for our annual writing contest.[iii] Each awards season, we add books to a “shelf” for that season’s year. For example, here’s a link to our 2024 season page.[iv] As of now, we have posted over 800 of our MWSA authors’ books. We have forty-nine friends and sixty-two followers. In other words, creating your own author page and having MWSA post your book on our awards season page will help generate sales for your book.

Join your fellow members and take advantage of the opportunities afforded by this excellent and free program designed to support writers like you. Visit our page today… and don’t forget to become a friend and follower of MWSA’s Goodreads page!

 [i] https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/2024 and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305853-the-women

[ii] For example, https://www.goodreads.com/jimtritten contains my more recent publications where I used the pen name Jim Tritten while https://www.goodreads.com/jamestritten generally contains my older and academic publications. There is overlap just as there are on both of my Amazon.com author pages.

[iii] https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/69843339-military-writers-society-of-america-mwsa

[iv] https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/69843339?shelf=2024

Tips for Self Publishing by Janette Stone

Image by Bing Image Creator (see note)

MWSA member Janette Stone gave a presentation on self-publishing at our New London conference.

She graciously offered to share two documents from that presentation with our members.

  • Resources to add to your self-pub toolkit — covers author support groups, editorial services, cover design, formatting, awards, promotion, publishing services, marketing, free resources, and recommendations concerning the dreaded “author platform.”

  • Taking Care of Business — includes tips and resources for editing, cover design, formatting, Bowker, and much more.

Note that the AI we used to generate the image above either had a sense of humor or needed an editor (like all of us writers). SULF Publishing, really? ;-)

Self-Publishing & MWSA

Image from the Forbes website (Anna David MIKE CARANO). Click on image to go to article.

Image from the Forbes website (Anna David MIKE CARANO). Click on image to go to article.

I recently read an article on the Forbes website titled, The Biggest 5 Mistakes When Self-Publishing A Book. It provides an interesting take on the pitfalls of self-publishing--especially mistake #4. I'd have put it more "diplomatically," but the concept still applies. In this short article, I’d like to expand on that 4th “mistake” from my perspective as awards director.

What problems is MWSA seeing with our members’ self-published books?

Between a third and half of books submitted to MWSA each season are self-published or published via very small publishing houses (who may or may not have a full-time editor on staff or contract). Of those books, quite a few end up scoring rather poorly in our evaluations.

In almost every case, the most noteworthy problems are of a technical nature (grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc.). We also see glitches in layout--this is especially the case for eBooks. These types of shortfalls can usually be identified and fixed via a round of editing with a pro. But not all self-published or first-time authors are prepared to go that route (financially or emotionally).

What are your options as an MWSA member-author who isn't quite ready to work with a professional editor?

Use MWSA's Beta Reader Program to have someone other than friends and family check your work.

Through our Beta Reader Program (https://www.mwsadispatches.com/beta-readers), full members of MWSA can arrange to have another MWSA member-author go over their work. Most of our members are not editors, but having written books themselves, they probably have a different perspective than your run-of-the-mill beta reader. Also, since they don't know you, you're likely to get the honest feedback your family or friends might not want to share with you.

Run your manuscript through something other than your word processor's spell-checker.

There are several free or low-cost programs out there--Grammarly seems to be one of the most popular. Give them a try and see what works for you.

It's undeniable that self-publishing a book is becoming easier all the time. However, self-publishing a high-quality book still requires work. That's the difficult part, and MWSA would like to help you get there.

John Cathcart
MWSA Awards Director

Comma Wars

CommaWars.jpg

To comma or not to comma, that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The missing punctuation of outrageous run-ons,
Or to take arms against a sea of commas
And by opposing end them.

There’s no question that when it comes to writing, my wife is my fiercest critic, editor-in-chief, and most steadfast supporter. For the past 40-plus years, we’ve agreed on almost every subject—except for commas. Rather than continue our never-ending skirmishes, I thought it was time to do a little research. After a bit of digging, we discovered that we were both right—and wrong. 

Personally, when it comes to comma use, I had always subscribed to the Theory of Supplemental Oxygen. According to this theory, if you run out of breath and require supplemental oxygen at the end of a sentence, you’re probably missing a comma or two. Although probably true, is this a useful theory? Will it keep any writer out of trouble on the Comma Wars battlefield?

Given my personal experience as MWSA Awards Director—and as a writer and occasional Commakaze—I thought we all might benefit from a refresher course.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to offer a short series of excerpts from various Internet sources, outlining eight basic battlefield rules of engagement for the use of commas. Will this be a dull recitation of something we all slept through—I mean learned, during elementary and high school English classes? Maybe.  But perhaps it’s worth pointing out that one could say the same thing about the instructions that came with that new gas grill you bought at Home Depot.  You ignore those boring instructions at your peril.

After finishing these articles, if you don’t end up winning the Comma Wars, maybe you’ll at least be able to arrange a ceasefire.

rule1.jpg

Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction—such as: and, but, yet, so, or, nor, for—when it joins two complete thoughts or ideas (independent clauses).

Examples

1. Betsy read the author’s book, and then she filled out her MWSA scoring sheet.

2. Rob can apply the rules of grammar when writing his novel, or he can suffer the consequences when he doesn’t.

3. Jack and Jill went up a hill, but they didn’t come down together.

rule2.jpg

This comma informs your reader that you’ve finished the introductory phrase or clause, and you’re getting around to the sentence’s central theme.

Examples

1. When Nancy got settled at her desk to read her email, her cat decided it was time to play.

2. After suffering through the book’s early chapters, Jim discovered that the book included some worthwhile information.

3. Before she knew what was happening, Carolyn’s cat jumped on the desk and spilled her tea all over the keyboard.

That’s it for this battle in the ongoing Comma Wars.  In our next campaign, we’ll cover comma use…

  • between all items in a series

  • to set off nonrestrictive clauses (is that when Santa isn’t enforcing his naughty-and-nice list?)

If you want to jump ahead or download a comma study guide for personal use, you can do an Internet search for “comma use.”  I’ve found the one offered by Indiana University East very helpful.

https://www.iue.edu/hss/writingcenter/documents/Commas.pdf

John Cathcart
MWSA Awards Director

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