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Showing posts from November, 2018

29 Best Websites to Download Free Ebooks

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Looking for free eBooks? Here’s our list of the 29 best websites for downloading free eBooks for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Google Play, iBooks, and more. Best Websites to Download Ebooks 1. Project Gutenberg     Project Gutenberg offers more than 57,000 free eBooks from the public domain. It is free to read and redistribute. There are no fees, and no custom apps required. You won’t find the latest bestsellers on Project Gutenberg, but you’ll find plenty of great classic books available 24/7 at no cost. 2. Open Library     Open Library is a non-profit Internet Archive that is open and an editable library catalog. 3. Google eBookstore     Google eBookstore has an option to access free books from the huge collection that features hundreds of classics and contemporary bestsellers. 4. Amazon Free Kindle Books     Amazon Free Kindle Books offers top free books for download. 5. Internet Archive     Internet Archive offers more than 15,000,000 freely downloadable bo

Common Grammar Myths You Should Ignore in Your Writing

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Traditional advice about English grammar is full of rules and suggestions, including many that accomplish little more than inhibit the communication abilities of writers who feel bullied to conform. Novices in a new domain might make it their goal to follow every rule for fear of making mistakes they won’t even have the faculties to recognize. This is generally a cautious and advisable strategy to follow, but only to a point. A wise and experienced writer can, in any situation, determine which rules are worth following and which will only muddle their intentions. Grammar Myths Here are the 6 top grammar myths that are just plain wrong. By ignoring these myths, you’ll be able to write better with less stress. 1. Beginning Sentences with Conjunctions Conjunctions are supposed to connect or create a relationship between two nouns, implying nouns must come both before and after each conjunction. This is why many traditional grammarians believe it to be improper to begin a sentence wi

List of Book Awards Contests (Updated 2018)

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Book awards contests can be a great way for a new or experienced author to win a prize, get recognition, and improve your chances at getting a major book deal. Award-winning authors tend to be more successful when it comes to finding a literary agent , getting a publisher , and selling more books. The problem is there are so many book awards contests out there, and many of them can be quite expensive. So you need to do your research to make sure you only enter your book into a contest that is likely to be worth it for you. That’s why our team put together this list of the 50 best book awards contests for authors. List of Book Awards Here’s our list of the best book awards contests. 1. Carolyn Howard-Johnson Website: www.howtodoitfrugally.com/contests 2. Random Rants Website: www.randomwritingrants.com/2016/01/08/2016-book-award-contests 3. Story Quest books Website: www.storyquestbooks.com/10-childrens-book-award-contests-a-list-for-self-published-authors 4. ARMACAD Websi

List of Hybrid Publishers

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Hybrid publishing is a relatively new term in the industry, and it can be very confusing because most publishing insiders have different definitions of what a hybrid publisher actually is. A hybrid publisher could be: A small press publisher that pays royalties and doesn’t charge any author fees. They often don’t pay advances. A publishing services provider (also called a subsidy publisher or vanity publisher) that charges fees to do editing, layout, and book production for authors. A traditional publisher that also sells publishing services on the side. Or some combination of all of these. Because hybrid publishing is such a vague and confusing concept, you should do extra research to make sure you pick the right publisher before deciding to sign a contract with a hybrid publisher. Note: We have not done business with all of these publishers, so you should do your research, understand what a publishing scam looks like , and get some good advice from an experienced professio

187 Book Cover Designers That Create Spectacular Art

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Finding a great book cover designer used to be really hard. But not anymore! Here’s our list of 187 of the best book cover designers in the world. List of Book Cover Designers Note: The pricing, turnaround times, and types of designs done vary from one designer to another, so don’t just hire the first cover designer you look at. Make sure the designer you decide to work with has designed books for your specific genre or niche before, and that they’re comfortable designing a cover in the style you’re looking for. For example, some designers only do photo manipulation with Photoshop, while others do much more advanced illustration work. 1. 1106design Website: www.1106design.com 2. Damonza Website: www.damonza.com 3. Ebook Launch Cover Design Website: www.ebooklaunch.com 4. JD Smith Design Website: www.jdsmith-design.co.uk 5. 17 Studio Book Design Website: www.17studiobookdesign.com 6. Derek Murphy at Creativindie Book Covers Website: www.bookcovers.creativindie.com We

Point of View Explained: Writing POV Correctly Can Save Your Story

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Writing in the correct point of view (POV) can make the difference between writing a blockbuster story and a complete dud. That’s because the POV you choose will determine how your reader relates to your story and characters. Reading a book with POV issues compared to a book with perfect POV is like watching a movie on your phone with one earbud that doesn’t work versus watching the same movie on an IMAX screen with Dolby surround-sound. Defining Point of View In writing, the idea of point of view (POV) describes the narrator’s position in relation to the events and action of the story. It comes down to a matter of perspective for your narrator. Similarly to how, in a debate or argument, somebody’s point of view can tell you how close they are to the subject of debate, in writing, the POV determines how close your narrator is to your story’s action. Let’s break it down some… 1. First Person Point of View Also called simply “first person,” this is when the narrator is a characte

6 Tips for Working with a Literary Agent

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If you have signed a contract with a literary agent or are considering doing so, you need to know how to create a great working relationship with your agent so you can maximize your chances of success. Many authors think they’ve got it made once they sign a contract with an agent, but at that point, your book hasn’t even been sold yet! The sad truth is that most authors who sign a contract with a literary agent don’t actually end up getting a book deal with a major publisher. Sometimes the book doesn’t sell because it’s not good enough, or it’s not a right fit for the market (according to the publishers), or because the agent doesn’t have the skills or experience to market your book effectively. But sometimes it’s the author’s fault the book doesn’t sell. If you don’t create a great working relationship with your agent, you could be sabotaging your success from the get go. Tips for Working with a Literary Agent When you’ve finally found a literary agent , there are a few things

Participial Phrases Explained with Examples of Great Writing

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In order to better yourself as both a writer and verbal communicator, always remember to take some time to improve your understanding of the English language, as your command of language is your one and only weapon in the war against obscurity and incoherency. Today, we at TCK Publishing wish to educate you on an oft-overlooked subject of English grammar: participle phrases, whose mastery you will soon learn is essential to a better understanding of language and writing. Wait, What’s a Participle? Simply put, a participle is a verb that functions as an adjective in a sentence . In order to act like adjectives, these verbs take on suffixes like -ing, -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne. “Heal” becomes “healing,” “light” becomes “lighted,” “rise” becomes “risen,” and so on and so forth. Simply put, a participle is simply any verb that modifies a noun or pronoun. Almost any verb can function as a participle if written correctly, but be careful to use the correct suffixes! Otherwise, you end

Show Don’t Tell Explained: Examples of Turning Bad Writing into Great Writing

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Show, don’t tell. Any writing expert will tell you it’s crucial to learn how to show action through your writing instead of simply telling the reader about it. Learning how to “show, don’t tell” in your writing can make the difference between having your novel relegated to the slush pile and getting a great book deal. So what does it mean? The Difference Between Showing and Telling “Show, don’t tell” means you must demonstrate action through your writing instead of having a narrator just talk about action. When you tell the reader that your protagonist is strong, brave, and intelligent, that’s telling , and too much telling makes for very boring reading. Instead, you should show the traits of your character through action. You can write a scene where the protagonist carries huge bales of hay on a farm weighing a hundred pounds each to demonstrate his great strength. You can write a scene where the hero must put himself in danger to protect someone he doesn’t even know to show