Category Archives: Editing—Publishing—Writing

How Do I Get My Book Published?

Posted on June 19, 2014 by martinrowe

Once a week (at least) I receive an email from a friend who has a friend who’s written a book, and has no idea how to get it published. Can I help them? my friend asks. They don’t know what … Continue reading →

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A Berryful of Berry

Posted on April 18, 2014 by martinrowe

I’m quite proud that everyone I’ve published at Lantern Books is still talking to me (when they haven’t died, that is), isn’t badmouthing the company (at least, not so I know—thank you, authors, for your discretion!), and receives royalties and/or statements twice … Continue reading →

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The Rights and Wrongs of Translation

Posted on March 4, 2014 by martinrowe

Authors contact us at Lantern Books frequently because a devotee in another country has either offered to translate their book or has already done so and is looking for a publisher. What should we do? the authors ask. Consider this … Continue reading →

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Show Me the Money!

Posted on March 4, 2014 by martinrowe

Occasionally, a prospective author will ask us at Lantern whether we give advances. Our answer is “no.” Here’s why. An advance is in effect an interest-free loan to an author. It’s meant to provide them with financial resources to enable … Continue reading →

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Reasons to Write a Book #3: The Medium Demands It

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

I’ve already touched on the compulsion one has to write and third-party credibility as a reason to write a book. Another, perhaps subtler, reason I like to give for writing a book is that it demands certain disciplines and constraints … Continue reading →

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The Em-Dash, En-Dash, and Hyphen

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

Among my many faults as a writer, I tend to overuse the dash—the em-dash, that is. A colon would work just fine in beginning a list or creating a long enough pause to make the phrase or clause that follows … Continue reading →

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Editorial Pet Peeves #2: Have You Finished Yet?

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

I receive a lot of manuscripts that the author tells me he or she’s finished with. This is usually a very loose translation of one or more of the following: 1. I’ve written around 75,000 words and that seems to … Continue reading →

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Editorial Pet Peeves #1: The Double Space After the Period

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

One of the first acts I perform when I receive a manuscript electronically is to find-and-replace double spaces with single spaces. It takes only a few seconds and it removes all those unnecessary gaps between words that will only irritate … Continue reading →

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Sometimes “Said” Should Be Taken as Read

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

When I was writing my zombie–P. G. Wodehouse spoof Bertie Wooster and the Lizard King, I decided to set myself the extra challenge of never using the verb “say” following direct speech. In other words, no “he said,” “she said,” … Continue reading →

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The Wodehouse Estate (Or the Importance of Permissions)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by martinrowe

In the spring of 2010, I was seized—if that’s the word I’m looking for—with the idea of a mash-up between zombie fiction and the works of Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, the English-born humorist and creator of the loveably dimwitted Bertie Wooster … Continue reading →

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