Look and Search Inside a Book Online (Inside Search)
Have you ever found a book online about your favorite subject, but didn’t buy it right then because you weren’t sure what was inside? You may have gotten in the car and driven to the nearest bookstore to check it out before you made your decision … and bought it online later for less.
What about the book you’ve written? Can your audience look inside it online to help them make up their minds about it? How many more people do you think would buy your book if they could look inside and make a decision to buy on the spot?
You can now have your readers browse the inside of your book. Amazon and Google have started scanning the interiors of books so that their search engines would be able to retrieve and organize information from inside printed books as well. A few days ago Microsoft launched a similar program called Live Search Books. (Wheatmark is among Microsoft’s first book publishing partners.) Here are examples of a book published by Wheatmark shown by these three vendors.
Amazon.com – click on the book’s cover to see inside
Google Book Search
Live Search Books (Microsoft)
As you can see, people can look inside and browse the book before they decide to buy it. Don’t worry, the content is secure, you can neither download it nor read all of the pages online.
The ability to look inside your book, however, is only a small part of the overall benefit of the inside search concept. Sure, it helps for readers to peek inside your book once they’ve found it, but what about the part of your audience that has not yet found your book? How will they find it?
Enter the real beauty of inside search. Let me explain.
Take the book mentioned above, Arizona Laws 101, as an example. You are searching for books online for information about, say, DUI laws in the state of Arizona. If all that’s available to the search engine is the title of this book, it will not show up at all in these search results, since you were not searching for the phrase in the title. But if the search engine is able to search within the book, it will see that it has a whole chapter on DUI laws in Arizona. Therefore, the book will show up in your search results.
Try it yourself: Go to books.live.com and search for the phrase “driving under the influence in Arizona.” The book will be prominently placed in the search results, and it will even show you what pages contain the words you searched for.
Is your book full of keywords and phrases that people are searching for online? Would you like to reach readers who search online for topics that your book addresses? You should definitely make your book searchable inside.
How to Cook Up Sizzling, Enticing Titles
Guest article by Joan Stewart
Ask anyone writing a book to name the most perplexing decision they have to make—the one thing that can propel the book to the bestseller’s list, or send it on a quick trip to the remainder table. Many will tell you it’s the title.
OK then. Assuming the title is a grabber and prompts someone to pick up the book, what’s the next most important element that determines whether people buy, browse or bolt? Interesting chapter headings, of course.
In Internet discussion groups and during workshops for authors, many writers throw out dull, limp, convoluted book titles for critique, only to be advised that there’s a better one right around the corner.
Here are several techniques for coming up with enticing titles.
* The next time you’re waiting in line at the supermarket, or you’re visiting your favorite bookstore, scan the covers of magazines. Compile a list of clever titles that capture your attention, even if the articles have nothing to do with your book. Sometimes you can substitute one or two words to come up with a title that’s a perfect fit for your topic.
* Name the three biggest problems your book helps readers solve. You’ve just come up with three more possible titles or chapter headings.
* Write them down and let them ferment, then experiment with an unusual play on words.
* Brainstorm ideas with your friends. Give them three possibilities and ask them to choose their favorite.
* Scan titles and chapter headings in other books. Borrow a word here, a clever turn of phrase there. Keep massaging the title until you come up with something you like-and most importantly, something that others like.
* Some of the most successful titles are those that answer the reader’s question “What’s in it for me?” or “Why should I care?” People want books that will inspire, educate, calm, enlighten, humor and entertain. Choose a title that answers those two questions, and you’re well on your way.
* If you’re writing an advice book, the title can explain outcomes and the timetable for achieving them. Example: “25 things you can do this week to save thousands next year.”
Here are some ideas to get you started. All of the following titles, by the way, were “borrowed” from the covers of popular magazines.
A Part-Timer’s ______________ for a Full-Timer’s ______________
Bouncing Back from _____________
Cash in on _______________ Trends
Cool Tools for Today’s ______________
Common Errors That Kill ______________
Discover the 7 Essential Elements That Guarantee ______________
Finding the ______________That is Uniquely You
How to Get Other People to ______________
How to Handle ______________
How to Make ______________ Work for You
How to Make Your ______________ Dreams Come True
How to Turn ______________ into ______________
Mastering the Art of ______________
No More ______________
Part-Time ______________, Full-Time Success
Secrets of a ___________________
Straight Talk from a ______________
The Great _____________ Dilemma
The Most Beginner-Friendly ______________
The Best and Worst Ideas for ______________
The Complete Guide to ______________
The Worst Mistakes You Can Make When_____________ ______________
Time-Tested Tips for Becoming a ______________
Top 10 ______________ Do’s and Don’ts
What ________________ Doesn’t Want You to Know
When to ________ and When Not to ______________
Your Must-Know Guide to ______________
_________________ with Pizzazz!
_________________and Grow Rich
______________ on the Cheap
15 Ways to Get More from Your ______________
18 No-Fail Strategies for ______________
21 Secrets to Successful ______________
27 Ways to Keep Your ______________ Dreams Alive
32 Ways to Avoid the Worst ______________ Mistakes
41 Formulas for Fantastic ______________
10 User-Friendly Facts for ______________
11 Questions You Must Ask When You’re ______________
12 Tactics to Open Up ______________
13 Tips That Will Make a _______________ Smile
About Joan Stewart
Joan Stewart, a consultant and professional speaker, works with companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want to capitalize on free publicity. She also publishes the print newsletter The Publicity Hound, featuring tips, tricks and tools for free (or really cheap) publicity. For a free sample, send a check for $6 payable to The Publicity Hound to 3930 Highway O, Saukville, WI 53080. More tips are at her Web site at http://www.publicityhound.com
Contact her at jstewart@publicityhound.com.
Structure: The Roadmap for Your Nonfiction Book
Guest article by Robin Quinn
Okay, so you have an idea for a book that’s exciting. You’ve done much of your research on the topic, and you feel ready to get started with the writing. Just what are your options for structuring your book? This article covers some classic structures that have worked again and again for nonfiction authors.
I’m a firm believer in charting your course before the writing begins. It will save you time and give your work flow and cohesiveness. A case in point: An author friend of mine likes to be more spontaneous and as a result overwrites. Though a New York house published her work in the past year, it took her 10 years to complete her psychology book. I have to wonder how much extra effort she expended because she didn’t carefully plot out what she wanted to write about ahead of time.
In contrast, this summer I wrote a soon-to-be-published book in just three and a half months. My chapters were clearly in place before the writing began. Though the order of the chapters eventually changed and a particular chapter emerged as a better choice for concluding the book, I knew what I had to cover when I sat down and started to write. This was the result of conceptual work that had been completed earlier.
Your Table of Contents
The Table of Contents is the basic outline of your book (in other words, its structure). It provides a roadmap for you as an author and shows where you will travel in the realm of ideas. Your chapters should accurately address the important topics covered in the manuscript. Eventually you will also structure your individual chapters with subheads that will show a sense of progress through those sections of the book too.
Classic Structures
Writing is, after all, a creative process, and different authors will give their own particular spin to books that cover the same topic. Therefore you will probably find that more than one structure would work with your idea. However it’s likely that one particular structure will make the most sense and best support the information you want to present.
If we look at structure as a roadmap, we can think of what type of tour we want to give the reader through our material. Here are the classic “travel packages.”
Chronological Order: This structure comes from a long line of oral storytelling. It travels through time as events emerge. A successful example of a book that utilized this structure would be And the Band Played On by Randy Shiltz. This author was a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle when AIDS was first recognized as a health threat to society. In his book, Shiltz walks the reader through the initial cases and the response from public officials. Types of books that use chronological structure include histories, biographies, and investigative reporting.
Classifications: Here the author divides the topic into categories. For instance, an author writing a horoscope book might start with an overview chapter, follow this up with one chapter for each individual sign, and then conclude the book with a summary or kickoff chapter. Another example would be Wayne W. Dyer’s Wisdom of the Ages: A Modern Master Brings Eternal Truths into Everyday Life. Dyer’s book presents the ideas of 40 of the greatest thinkers of the past 25 centuries. Wisdom of the Ages begins with an Introduction containing Dyer’s reflections on what is to follow. Each subsequent chapter covers a different thinker (from Buddha to Elizabeth Browning to Henry David Thoreau to Dorothy Parker). The last chapter is a compilation of thoughts from Dyer himself.
Step-By-Step Progression: An author using this style presents the more easily understood information first, then builds by adding chapters containing material of increasing complexity. Thus the earlier chapters serve as a foundation for the ideas that follow. Or (perhaps in a how-to book) the author may introduce concepts in the order that the reader would use or learn them. The best-seller In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want by Iyanla Vanzant is built on a loose step-by-step structure. Using the idea of moving up into different levels of a house, Vanzant explains how to progress from “basement” thinking and relating to “the third floor of love’s house.”
Literary Form: Another option for nonfiction writers is to borrow the literary order used in some novels and screenplays. Thus these books begin with an inciting incident. As the author (or the main person covered in the book) attempts to solve a problem, matters only become worse. Finally, the book culminates with the author handling the problem and learning something in the process. A nonfiction book featuring this structure is Running the Amazon by Joe Kane. It chronicles the challenges and difficulties experienced by a handpicked group of adventurers as they attempt to navigate the world’s longest river from source to mouth. Kane was brought along to write about the expedition but soon became more deeply involved. Nonfiction that can fall into the literary structure category includes biography and personal essay.
Of course, there are other structures beyond those described in this article; however, I think you will find that many are offshoots of those covered here.
Traveling with a Map
When you go on a car trip to the mountains, desert, or ocean, it only makes sense to study the map beforehand and plot a course. Are you in the mood for a drive along the back roads, or do time constraints demand that you travel the interstate? In the same way, when you structure your book, you decide what kind of experience you will provide for the reader, what territory will be covered, and what the destination will be. Of course, you want to remain flexible if additional stops (chapters) will enhance the journey. But you can avoid traveling down deadends if you give yourself time to thoroughly think through which structure will best serve your work.
About Robin Quinn
Robin Quinn is a writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles. Through her editorial firm, Quinn’s Word for Word, she offers developmental consulting, manuscript analysis, substantive editing, content editing, copyediting, and copywriting services. Quinn’s Word for Word also provides support for self-publishers through all phases of book production. For more information, call (310) 838-7098 or e-mail quinnrobin@aol.com.
Your Book and the Library of Congress (Copyright)
The third way the Library of Congress may be involved in your book is through the U.S. Copyright Office, which is located within the Library of Congress. In the previous two posts about the Library of Congress we discussed the LCCN and the CIP data.
Copyright Registration
Registering your book with the copyright office has nothing to do with the LCCN, the CIP data, or with cataloging your book. Therefore, getting an LCCN or CIP data for your book from the Library of Congress does not amount to copyright registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. If you so choose, Wheatmark can secure copyright registration for your book, or you can apply for one yourself directly.
Keep in mind that registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office does not establishyour copyright for your book; rather, it confirms it. Your work is already under copyright protection whether you register it or not. Once you have finished writing your original work, nobody else has the “right to copy” it, therefore you already enjoy copyright protection in the U.S. Wheatmark will print “Copyright © 2007 Jane Doe” on the copyright page of your book in your name whether you want it registered officially or not.
Your Book and the Library of Congress (CIP Data)
We have been discussing the Library of Congress’s role in the publication of your book. Today we will discuss the CIP data.
Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) Data
Because current cataloging data will not be available by the time your book is released, the Library of Congress provides a shortened, barebones cataloging copy to publishers so that they could print that in the book in advance. CIP data, a bibliographic record based on the subject and content of your book, allows libraries to easily catalog your book. This way when librarians receive your newly published book, there will be already enough information in the book for them, even though the Library of Congress hasn’t yet created the definitive cataloging data.
When you publish your book with Wheatmark, we can provide cataloging-in-publication data for your book and include it on the copyright page. Your CIP data will be prepared by professional catalogers.
Finally, the Library of Congress provides yet another service to authors and publishers: copyright registration. We’ll take a look at this tomorrow.
Your Book and the Library of Congress (LCCN)
“Will you send my book to the Library of Congress?”
This is a question we often hear from our authors. The answer is yes – unless we misunderstood your question.
Let me explain.
The Library of Congress may be involved in several different aspects of your book’s publication. The first one is the LCCN.
LCCN — The Library of Congress Control Number
Local librarians want to be able to shelve a new book correctly as soon as they receive it. They do not have the time to catalog every single book upon receipt, so they turn to the Library of Congress (LOC) for help. They connect to the library’s database and download the cataloging data that has been prepared by the LOC’s catalogers. To find the data, they use the LCCN that’s printed in your book.
Thus, before your book is published, Wheatmark applies for an LCCN from the Library of Congress. This number is then printed in your book, so that when a librarian needs to know how to shelve it, he or she will be able to look it up in the Library of Congress.
Once your book is published, Wheatmark will send the finished copy to the Library of Congress to be cataloged. The cataloger will check the finished book against the LCCN and prepare the cataloging data for the library’s database. This is when your book really gets cataloged; up till now it’s only had a “control number” (LCCN).
So far, so good.
The problem is that the Library of Congress has a tremendous backlog and so it is likely that when your local librarian receives a copy of your new book, the cataloging data is not yet available for download. To top it off, the LOC does not guarantee that it will catalog every book that it receives.
Fortunately, there is a remedy: advance cataloging-in-publication (CIP) data. We’ll take a look at this tomorrow.
Does Your Publisher Offer Returnability?
If you’re just beginning your research into publishing companies, don’t be surprised if you stumble across a number of unfamiliar words or concepts.
Initially, you may be put off by these terms. But, please – for the sake of your book – don’t be!
Now that writers have become self-publishers, it’s important to learn some of the vocabulary of traditional publishers.
Today’s publishing word? Returnability. What does it mean? And why should you care?
In layman’s terms, returnability means “whether or not a bookstore can return books to a publisher that they cannot sell.”
Now, let’s pretend for a moment that instead of writing books, you sell books in a lovely little neighborhood bookshop. Every writer in your town dreams of walking into your store and finding her book inside.
Needless to say, you’re inundated on a daily basis with requests from publishers to stock their writers’ books.
How do you, the bookstore owner, decide which books to carry? Since you don’t have time to read all of the books yourself to judge their quality, you have to come up with another criterion.
A good one to use would be returnability, because the financial future of your little bookshop depends on it.
If a publisher whose books you like offers full returnability, your bookstore won’t assume any financial risk by choosing to stock those books.
If the books don’t sell, you simply return them to the publisher at the publisher’s expense.
You – the bookstore owner who’s interested in staying in business – would be wise to choose only to stock books that come with full returnability attached to them by their publisher.
So what does this mean to you, the writer?
Quite simply, it means that you must make sure your publishing company offers full returnability on your book.
Without returnability, your book won’t make it onto shelves – and how will your readers find it then?