Thursday, November 28, 2019

12 Book Marketing Mistakes Every Author Needs to Ban in 2019

12 Book Marketing Mistakes Every Author Needs to Ban in 2019 12 Book Marketing Mistakes to Ban in 2019 Since the birth of Reedsy, we've had the chance to work with thousands of authors, helping them get their books out there in the most professional possible form - and to sell them.For many authors, selling a book is even harder than writing it. But whether you're self- or traditionally published, learning to market and sell your work is a key factor in author success. In this post, our co-founder Ricardo Fayet shares the 12 most common marketing mistakes he's observed in the past few years.  To make sure you aren't tripped up by these common traps, read on... Which of the 12 most common book marketing mistakes did you make in 2019? #pubtips 1. You’re marketing to everyoneMost of the time, when I ask authors who their book is for, they’ll tell me about their genre: â€Å"It’s for teenagers who are into Fantasy,† for example. Or sometimes, I’ll get an age group: â€Å"It’s for middle-aged women.† It’s not uncommon to hear â€Å"everyone† either.There are two big problems with this. First, you’re setting unrealistic expectations. Unless you come up with the next Harry Potter, not every teenager will read your book. It’s much more likely that only an infinitesimally small portion of them will. Learn more about how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.Which of these traps have you encountered while self-publishing? Or do you disagree, and think that they're not mistakes at all? Let us know what you think and share your experiences marketing your book in the comments below.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Definition and Examples of Grawlixes in Comics

Definition and Examples of Grawlixes in Comics The term grawlix refers to the series of typographical symbols (such as #$%!) used in cartoons and comic strips to represent swear words. Plural: grawlixes.   Also known as jarns,  nittles, and obscenicons, grawlixes usually appear in maledicta balloons alongside the comic characters who are uttering the oaths. The term grawlix was introduced by American comic artist Mort Walker (creator of Beetle Bailey) in the article Lets Get Down to Grawlixes (1964) and revisited in his book The Lexicon of Comicana (1980). Examples and Observations Mort Walker It started out as a joke for the National Cartoonists Society magazine. I spoofed the tricks cartoonists use, like dust clouds when characters are running or lightbulbs over their heads when they get an idea. My son Brian thought I should expand the idea and make a book of it. I spent many hours at the museum going over old cartoons and recording their language. I created pseudoscientific names for each cartoon clichà ©, like the sweat marks cartoon characters radiate. I called them plewds, after the god of rain, Joe Pluvius. I considered it a humor book. When it came out, I looked for it in the humor section of a bookstore and finally found it in Art Instruction. I inquired and they said, Whats funny about it? I said, The names. They said, We didnt know what those things were called. I said, They werent called anything till I called them that. It was another case of satire falling flat. I gave up and am selling it now as an instruction book.–Mort Walkers Private Scrapbook. Andrews McMeel, 2000 Bill Schmalz The symbols that work best [for grawlixes]  are those that fill up space: , #, $, %, and .  Hyphens, plus signs, asterisks, and carets (^) leave too much white space within the body of the  grawlix  for it to look like a single word. Wiktionary recommends #$% as the standard grawlix. This uses the five beefiest symbols in the order they appear on an American keyboard. (If you curse with a British accent, try # £%.)... Because it represents words spoken in anger or excitement, the  grawlix  should always end with an exclamation mark,  even if its an interrogative grawlix:  #$%?! Finally, as a word of caution, you should reserve your use of grawlixes for emails to close friends. Grawlixes are highly inappropriate for professional writing.–The Architects Guide to Writing: For Design and Construction Professionals.  Images, 2014 Shirrel Rhoades Cartoonist Mort Drucker [sic] invented an entire lexicon to describe such symbols.Emanata are lines drawn around the head to indicate shock or surprise. Grawlixes are those typographical symbols that stand for profanities. Agitrons are wiggly lines around a character to indicate shaking. Plewds are sweat drops that convey worry. Squeans are tiny starbursts or circles that represent intoxication or dizziness. Solrads are lines that radiate from a light bulb or the sun to indicate luminosity. And so on. A language all its own.–Comic Books: How the Industry Works. Peter Lang, 2008 Alexander Humez, Nicholas Humez, and Rob Flynn ï » ¿Other symbols reveal the mental or physical state of a character, such as squeans (the centerless asterisk-like burst marks in the air around the head of a drunk), spurls (the corkscrew line above a character who is passing out), crottles (the crosses on the eyes of someone out cold), or plewds (the teardrop-shaped indicators of sweat and/or stress)these last classified by Mort Walker, creator of the long-running Beetle Bailey comic strip, as a subcategory of what he calls emanata, along with the waftarom (the doubled curved line emanating from savory food) and the solrads and indotherms (wavy lines indicating that the sun or other object is radiating heat... ).–Short Cuts: A Guide to Oaths, Ring Tones, Ransom Notes, Famous Last Words, Other Forms of Minimalist Communication. Oxford Univ. Press, 2010

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Confusion and Loss of Direction in the 1960s Essay

Confusion and Loss of Direction in the 1960s - Essay Example Released in 1970, the album Let It Be includes popular songs such aslike Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road, Two of Us and Dig a Pony, among others (Beatles 1970). Despite the different topics and situations that the songs present, they commonly project common themes, particularly, confusion and loss of direction of the personas. Confusion and loss of direction are fairly common topics in the music of the 1960s andup to the 70s. Ritzen (2005) and Fendrich (1993) confirm this general atmosphere, which may be attributed to the wars of the time. In the songs of the Beatles, confusion occurs as a main theme, especially in the song Let It Be (Beatles 1970). The song begins with the lines, â€Å"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be† ((Let It Be; lines 1-3). The persona expresses being in trouble and seeking divine intervention. The statement, â€Å"let it be† further shows the persona's inability to decide by him and get over with his troubles. Confusion and loss of direction in the songs of the Beatles is mostly associated with travelling, being on transit, or going around in circles. This theme is strongly reflected by the song, Two of Us (Beatles 1970). The song begins with the following lines: Two of us riding nowhere spending someone's Hhard earned pay (Two of Us; lines 1–3) In the lines above, the persona does not know where to go and implies having no goal in life. In the song, Dig a Pony, the persona also demonstrates having no place to go and not thinking of what islies ahead (Beatles 1970). These feelings are expressed in the lines, â€Å"Well you can penetrate any place you go/Yes you can penetrate any place you go† (Dig a Pony; lines 6-7).