Best-selling author Nicholas Sparks and his tales of love

If you are wondering just how well-known Nicholas Sparks is around the world, you can simply click on his Facebook official page which currently has over one million fans or check any best-selling list where his latest book is likely to be among the Top Ten (if not no. 1).

For the record, his books have been translated in over 45 languages, and he has sold books amounting to a total of a whopping $80 million. Many of his novels have also been adapted into highly successful films featuring Hollywood's biggest stars like Kevin Costner, Ryan Gosling, Richard Gere, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, and Channing Tatum. A film based on his novel, The Lucky One, will star Zac Efron and will be released in April next year.

And if you are wondering just how devoted his Filipino fans are, you need not wonder anymore. In his recent visit to Manila (his only stop in Asia) as part of his current book tour to promote his latest novel last October where he was scheduled for two book-signing events, fans lined up as early as 3am at the venues to get the chance to meet and have their Nicholas Sparks books signed by the best-selling author himself.

Sparks’ stop in Manila is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity believes Xandra Ramos-Padilla, merchandising director for books at National Book Store, the company which made Sparks’ visit possible. At a press conference held on October 27 at C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan City, Padilla attests that authors don’t come much bigger than Sparks. Perhaps that is why those who attended the presscon seemed like they did not have enough time to ask Sparks questions—a sentiment shared by inWrite who was able to attend courtesy of Francis Garcia of Buensalido & Associates Public Relations.

“You just can’t get enough of hearing those stories behind his books,” Padilla quips as she introduced Sparks, who was more than happy to oblige to inquisitive minds even though he just flew in the night before and most probably was suffering from jetlag. Sparks even apologized for his “long, convoluted” replies to questions—something that was actually a treat for those at the event, especially to those who were writers and devoted fans of his as well.

Sparks did not waste any time in giving his responses to the questions fielded to him and talked about his latest work, The Best of Me, his seventeenth published novel, which Sparks says is a story of “love and choices.” As of this writing, The Best of Me sits at no. 2 in the New York Times Best Sellers list of Combined Print & E-Book Fiction.

The Best of Me explores the story of two people who fell in love in high school in a Southern town. After graduation they went on their separate ways, and it was not until two decades later when they reconnect during the funeral of a common mentor from high school and realize that they may still have feelings for one another even though many years have passed.

His previous books have predominantly featured young characters, but the leads in The Best of Me are in their 40s.

“I think that when you reach your 40s, you’re kind of at that point in life where you do struggle with the what-ifs of life,” he says. “If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you still think that you can change things. You might say, ‘I could still have children, I could still get going in my career, I could still meet someone and fall in love.’ If you’re in your 50s, you kind of go ‘do I want to change?’ because you’re kind of settled. But 40s, you’re kind of right in the middle of this phase and you ask yourself, “How exactly did I get here?’”

Sparks also offered a few tips to writers on how to cope with writer’s block.

“I deal with writer's block every day. There are different ways that I cope with writer's block,” he says, adding that one way he copes is by working backwards. Sparks is not insusceptible to rewriting either as he shared that he is sometimes asked to do rewrites by his editor. He says that he finished The Best of Me right on time but had to do a few rewrites and restructure some of the characters.

There is no doubt that everyone at the venue were all ears listening to Sparks tell his stories but perhaps it was when he told his own love story that really got everyone’s attention.

Sparks recounted how at 22 years old, he met his wife Catherine during spring break, which is a time perfect for a “fling” and short-lived romances where it was very unlikely for one to meet someone he is going to spend his whole life with, but Sparks did. The day after they met Sparks told her that they were going to get married, and they did. Now they’ve been married for 22 years and have five children.

“Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard?” Sparks said, laughing. It may be crazy, but it definitely is a story that tugs at the heart, same with his many novels and no doubt many more novels to come.

Book enthusiasts promote reading through World Book Night

What better way to promote the love of books than through distribution of free copies of the best books? This is the idea behind World Book Night which will have its second annual celebration next year on April 23.

There is no denying the power of books, but today when technological advances are taking over how we live our everyday lives, books can easily get buried by e-readers, smart phones and iPods. Still, as Palanca award-winning writer Jessica Zafra wrote in her blog, “With a book, you hold the entire text in your hands so you get a sense of the whole. You feel the weight of the printed matter, you smell the ink and paper, and you flip through the pages with ease.”

While e-readers and the like provide accessibility, convenience and easy storage (especially when you have space issues at home) of reading materials, voracious readers still prefer to read books in their physical form.

The people behind World Book Night believe that there are “a million reasons to read a book” and are committed to the promotion of reading and books. Spearheaded by World Book Night and fully supported by the Publishers Association, the Booksellers Association, the Independent Publishers Guild, the Reading Agency with libraries, World Book Day, the BBC and RTE, one million books were given away for free by volunteers to members of the public across the UK and Ireland last March 5, 2011.

A total of 1 million copies of each of the 25 carefully selected titles were given away in street corners, on buses and trains, in cafés, pubs, bars, village halls, arts centers, libraries and bookshops, workplaces, hospitals and even prisons. The twenty-five titles were selected by a wide-ranging editorial committee.

For 2012, World Book Night will be celebrated on April 23 to coincide with UNESCO’s International Day of the Book and the birthday of William Shakespeare. Last October 24, the 25 titles to be given away were announced, and they are as follows:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Vintage)
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks (Little, Brown)
Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown)
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (Transworld)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Harper Collins)
The Take by Martina Cole (Headline)
Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell (Harper Collins)
Someone Like You by Roald Dahl (Penguin)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Penguin)
Room by Emma Donoghue (Pan Macmillan)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Little, Brown)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber)
Misery by Stephen King (Hodder)
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Transworld)
Small Island by Andrea Levy (Headline)
Let the Right One In by John Ajvde Lindqvist (Quercus)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Macmillan)
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell (Headline)
The Damned Utd by David Peace (Faber)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Transworld)
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Penguin)
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (Vintage)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Vintage)
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (Transworld)

It was also announced that the US will be joining the celebration of World Book Night on the same day in cooperation with Barnes & Noble, the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers and Ingram Book Distributors. The US World Book Night will select 25 titles as well.

Philippines Expected to See a Growth in UK Investments

According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for International Trade Group (ITG) Adrian S. Cristobal Jr., the Philippines’ “English-speaking business environment, multicultural sensitivities, and strategic location in Asia are attractive for British companies seeking to expand its business in Southeast Asia.” Because of such favorable factors, British companies are anticipated to invest and expand their operations in the country.

Moreover, the UK’s National Outsourcing Association (NOA) has also presented the Philippines the Offshoring Destination of the Year Award thrice—in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Big names like HSBC, BP, LogicaCMG, and Shell are among the UK businesses with operations in the Philippines.

Along with being recognized by the UK as one of East Asia’s major emerging powers, the Philippines is identified as “one of the largest and a key player in ASEAN” as well, thanks to its 7 percent economic growth rate plus the high increase in bilateral trade between both countries in 2010. The previous year, the Philippines saw its twenty-first trading partner in the UK, with total bilateral trade worth $547.21 million (or 0.65 percent of the Philippine’s total trade worldwide).

Further, the proposed European Union-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA), upon its approval, could very well strengthen the trade ties between the Philippines and the UK, the European Union’s second-largest economy. “As we work towards the EU-Philippines FTA, we hope that more business and investment opportunities will open up for both countries,” Cristobal shared. The island nation may serve as UK’s strategic gateway to Asia by means of FTAs the Philippines has with other countries.

Likewise, the Philippines is also looking forward to further developing its business ties with the UK, one of Western Europe’s trillion-dollar economies.

Also based in the Philippines, inWrite is a budding European company offering professional and quality proofreading, copyediting, and various writing services. For further information about the company and our services, e-mail us at info@inwrite.com .

For the full article, visit http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/310024/british-expected-expand-investments-here.

The Importance of Editors

Just how important are editors to an organization? James Mathewson, Editor in Chief of ibm.com, wanted to quantify the answer to the question. The answer: 30 percent. His words:

 But we can provisionally conclude that well edited pages do 30 percent better than unedited pages.

Edited Web pages had 30% better engagement (measured by clicks to the desired links) than the unedited work.

The results he got from his study were a bit surprising to the regular Joe, but not really surprising to someone who has had their work edited by a topnotch editor. When I switch hats from being an editor to a writer, I am still surprised by the errors I make in my texts, and the “obvious” improvements that other editors make to my work. When I say “obvious,” I mean the improvements that they suggest seem so simple and blatant that you wonder why you didn’t spot them yourself. Of course, that’s what editors are for.

For the whole article, visit http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/how-to-measure-the-value-of-editors/

A BookExpo America 2010 experience

Nothing prepared me for the immenseness and frenetic activity of BookExpo America 2010. NYC’s Jacob K. Javits Center was swamped with almost 22,000 attendees, all eager to participate in seminars about publishing, learn about the industry’s latest developments, track industry trends, and mingle with their favorite authors. Here's a link to the official article from Publisher's Weekly.

Attending several of the seminars, I learned about the current worries of publishers and authors regarding the uncertainties due to the rise of digital content (ebooks, the different formats, etc.), but there was also a current of optimism in the air regarding the new opportunities available for the daring visionaries.
I had a talk with a number of publishers regarding publishing outsourcing, and it turns out most of them are very open to the idea, especially with editorial services such as copyediting and proofreading, which are normally done by US-based freelancers.

Oh, did I mention the book and bag giveaways? I got a ton of free books, all of different genres—general fiction, horror, mystery, non-fiction, self-help, children’s—you name it. I even met one of my favorite Christian authors, Eric Metaxas, and got a signed copy of his latest book in his Everything You Wanted to Know About God series.

My first visit to BEA was enlightening and fruitful, indeed! Looking forward to next year’s BEA!

Here's the link to the official BEA Web site.

Prime Opportunities for Speedy Editors

More and more people are getting their news online, according to an article in PressGazette.

     New research suggests that the amount of time Britons spend looking at news online has tripled over the last three years to around 22 million hours a month.

     This makes looking for news the second fastest growing way to spend time online, after blogs and social networking.

Traditional newspapers are feeling the pressure to adjust to the new medium, especially with the rise of ebook readers such as the iPad and Kindle. Today's Internet-savvy adults want their news right now, not tomorrow morning. With increased emphasis on the immediacy of news comes increased pressure for newspaper editors to spot errors in articles before they come out on their Web sites. In the current Web world, editors who work accurately and quickly will always have work.

Public Signs, Proofreading, You Know the Drill

We've tackled word errors in a promotional poster, a cookbook, and an inscription. Today we take on public signs. In Lewisham, South London, a keen-sighted law student spotted a huge "typo" on a road sign, according to www.thisislocallondon.co.uk.

Yee Shun Fung, of Courthill Road, Hither Green, was enjoying some spring retail therapy when she noticed a rather peculiar spelling of the word 'central' on a roundabout sign outside Beaumont Beds.

In British English, a cental is a unit of weight equal to 112 pounds. It's a good thing not many Londoners were confused by having a unit of measurement mixed in with the names of places. This is the sort of error that you would expect from an English sign in a place like China or Korea, where people aren't that proficient in English, but you would expect better from a place like London.

The article reports that Transport for London will correct the mistake within the next week. Maybe they need to hire a full-time proofreader as well?


(photo also taken from www.thisislocallondon.co.uk)

Hollywood Fails Proofreading 101

Good proofreaders and copyeditors know that names of people should also be checked. In a work of fiction, for example, they always take note of the names of the major characters and supporting characters, and make sure that these are spelled consistently all throughout. For works of nonfiction, checking the names of real-life people is even more important--nobody likes having their name misspelled.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recently made a faux pas, according to a story in The Huffington Post:

Julia Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday. She was the first 'Seinfeld' actor to receive the honor.

Unfortunately, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce misspelled her name on the star, leaving out the hyphen and the O in 'Louis.'

To the chamber's credit, the glaring error was immediately rectified. According to the story, Julia thought the mistake was hilarious and wanted them to leave it. If only other people were so understanding of misspelled names . . .

(photo also taken from The Huffington Post Web site)

Amazon and Kindle continue to post good sales numbers, but for how long?

Online retailer giant Amazon continues with its positive growth, according to a recent article in Publisher's Weekly. According to the article,

The Kindle continues to be the biggest selling single item for Amazon and the company said the number of e-books in the Kindle store has topped 500,000. Amazon has begun to sell Kindle through Target stores, but executives had no comment on plans for offering the e-reader through other traditional retailers. 

It remains to be seen if the Kindle will continue selling well with the release of Apple's iPad. The big question will be, how will all of this affect the publishing industry, and e-books in particular? (For our informative take on the future of e-books, complete with a local point of view, read e-books for the future.

Celebrate World Book and Copyright Day. Read a new book.

Today, April 23, is World Book and Copyright Day.  First celebrated in 1995, the special day is UNESCO’s way of paying tribute to authors and books. Everyone is encouraged to discover the pleasures of the written word and recognize the contributions of history’s great authors.

Why this day in particular? In 1616, this was the date renowned writers Shakespeare, Cervantes, and and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. Also, authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla, and Manuel Mejía Vallejo either were born or died on this date.

inWrite encourages everyone to pick up a new book and start reading again today. Who knows, that book you read might change your life. At the very least, it will give you a new perspective on things.
For more information about World Book and Copyright Day, visit the UNESCO site.

A Morbid Recipe, or Why Proofreading is Important

From a BBC news article:

An Australian publisher has had to pulp and reprint a cook-book after one recipe listed "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.

The article states that the publisher, Penguin Group Australia, had to reprint 7,000 copies of the book Pasta Bible because of the error, costing them 18000 USD.

This is a good example of why you should spend a little money on hiring a competent and experienced proofreader. Spell check software such as MS Word's spelling and grammar check will not be able to spot an error like this, because "people" is correctly spelled! For copyediting and proofreading, nothing will beat a skilled editor.

The misprint may be funny, but the amount spent on correcting the error after publication is no laughing matter. Spend a little on proofreading and copyediting, save a lot of money in the long run!

Marketing Materials Also Need Proofreading

Sometimes, even the best marketing executives stumble and make simple English mistakes. Below is a promotional poster for the release of a Harry Potter book.

See if you can spot the error:

The most creative marketing text is made foolish by the simplest errors. The lesson for everyone is: Always proofread your texts. Get someone else to do it as much as possible.

If you need expert proofreading, let me refer you to our Proofreading Services page.

An inWrite experience

Several months ago, a friend of mine informed me about a part-time job opening with inWrite. I thought it was perfect for me because I loved to write. I applied for the job, took the tests, and waited for a reply. A few months later, I got an email asking me if I was interested in a full-time position with inWrite, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It takes time to be an efficient proofreader/editor. The Chicago Manual of Style and the Merriam-Webster dictionary become your best friends during these times when you are still trying to learn the ropes of the profession. Who would’ve thought that there should be a dash between the words ice and cream when using it as an adjectival phrase in sentence? Yes, I didn’t know that either.

From the short time that I have been working with inWrite, I have already learned a few things. First, your head should be free of distractions when editing a document. A well-rested mind makes a world of a difference when you start to look for errors in a paper. Second, if you are not a hundred percent sure if something is right or wrong, consult the dictionary or the Chicago Manual of Style (or whichever standard you use). Third, always review your work because no matter how certain you are that you’ve caught all the mistakes, most of the time you will still find errors when you go back.

As they mentioned in the previous blog posts, being a writer and an editor is a completely different thing. Being an editor requires you to be technical, while being a writer calls for creativity. Now that I am an editor, I have to say that I am enjoying seeing the other side of the spectrum.

The Shift From Writing to Copyediting

Some differences are not obvious.

A few months ago, I made a career shift from article writing—for a fitness magazine—to copyediting. Since both disciplines involve words and punctuation, I figured it would just be a breeze to adjust and be acquainted with processes, rules, and other specifics that go along with my new designation.

How did I fare?

The transition wasn’t devoid of bumps, but I’m quite satisfied with the pace of my progress. In writing my assigned articles, content was of utmost focus and importance. As in TV commercials, I had to reel in the viewers to keep watching (reading) and hopefully buy the product (magazine).

The first few manuscripts I edited, I saw myself as being the viewer (reader).
I observed that:
- I was more focused on whether or not I was entertained.
- I was able to edit faster if I liked the story, probably because I looked forward to knowing what happens next.
- much like leisure reading, my pace depended on the pace of the story, e.g. I tend to read faster when there is a chase sequence or a suspenseful scene, and slower when reading the emotions of the character.

Suffice it to say, I wasn’t consistent with my output—late submissions, reedits.

By getting acquainted with the process and logging in more editing time, I was able to lessen reedits and have time, in some instances, to do “rush work” while in the middle of editing a manuscript.

Being a good copy editor requires you to be more patient and meticulous as compared with being a writer. I now pay more attention to structure and rules. An advisable technique is to focus on words, phrases, sentences, and punctuation, without much concern on the plight of the characters.

Writing articles kept me focused on a limited range of subjects, especially since my previous employer was a theme-based magazine. With every manuscript, you get acquainted with certain words and jargon, depending on the subject, and it opens your consciousness to a plethora of new knowledge and information.

To be good at both writing and copyediting, you have to master each field’s pertinent and distinct essentials. The transition in shifting from one to the other is not as simple as it may seem.

Choose one.

Giving Feedback to Writers

Nothing is scarier for any aspiring writer than to receive negative feedback on his or her work, yet nothing is also more helpful. A manuscript returned with red slashes and notes all over for revision or rewriting can traumatize a new writer.

In the same vein, nothing is more challenging for an editor than be given a manuscript that doesn’t meet expectations, and then have to spend time reviewing and improving it.

Getting and giving feedback each have their own pitfalls. As an aspiring writer who is still getting it, it’s hard not to take criticism personally. Er, what constructive criticism? And as an editor giving feedback, it’s difficult not to feel disappointed when you correct the same mistakes over and over. Argh, I have to review it again?

At some point, tension can escalate between the two parties given that the revisions are inadequate and the deadline is dreadfully approaching. To avoid this from happening, let me share a few points to remember before writing feedback and batting that “eagle-eyelash”:

1. Nothing should be personal. Discuss (or diss) the document, not the writer. Avoid comments or criticisms that could undermine the writer’s confidence.
2. Give the writer an idea of what to fix. Explain why you found something to be wrong, instead of just marking it in the document.
3. Focus on the content first, the organization and structure second, and then the mechanical errors: typos, spelling, grammar and style, etc., last.
4. Train writers by giving them useful feedback, so you can avoid (or at least lessen) the same mistakes in his or her next document.
5. Strike a balance between giving constructive suggestions for improvement and providing equally supportive feedback by commending the good points, giving helpful suggestions, and important notes at the end of the document.

Self-publishing your book

A lot of first-time authors are now getting themselves published through self-publishing. I found a great post containing a list of companies who can help you through this process.

http://www.jatinmahindra.com/2009/06/29/self-publish-your-book-guide-to-the-best-self-publishing-services/

Is a good writer automatically a good editor?

Being a writer entails being able to transform thoughts and concepts into words.

But what about being an editor? An editor not only has to be a good writer, but he also has to have the ability to step out of his work and look at the words in a different way. When you edit your own work, you have to put on your "editor's glasses" and look at your work like it was done by someone else. Objectivity is an important quality for editors. This is why it is often hard for writers to edit their own work--it is hard to be objective about your own writing.

Professional editors and proofreaders are another step up the ladder. Editing for a living requires not only skill, but experience and aptitude. As I mentioned in my "What makes a good proofreader?" article in the inWrite Web site, these are the qualities of a good editor/proofreader:

• A word lover – all writers and editors should have this quality.
• Enjoys the hunt for errors – a proofreader should love his work.
• A perfectionist – even if only for words and sentences.
• Meticulous and eagle-eyed – he or she should be able to spot inconsistencies in style and format. Attention to detail is very important for a proofreader.
• Reliability – of course, a good proofreader always delivers his work on time.
• Concentration – four hours into the task, a proofreader must be able to work with the same intensity and focus as when he or she started the task.
• High standards – a good proofreader must have excellent standards regarding the English language. He should know his noun from his pronoun, his verb from his adverb, and his hyphen from his em dash. He should know when and how to use the elements of language.

So, is a good writer automatically a good editor? I'll leave the answer up to you.

The importance of an editor's background

inWrite employs a number of skilled editors and writers from its home base in the Philippines, one of the best English-proficient countries in Asia. However, we also have some freelancers from different areas of the world such as Australia, Denmark, and the US. We even have a native South American writer's CV in our files.

Some projects require a "local" to do the writing or editing. For example, an Australian editor would do a better job editing a newsletter for an Australian company or a manuscript about Australia simply because he/she knows what's going on in the area. The context of a text is very important, as any good writer knows.

Filipinos, who are very well-versed in American culture (having been occupied by the US for several decades), do a good job with texts from the US. They absorb and assimilate different cultures quickly, as the British, Japanese, German, and other expats here can attest to.

Remember, when you are looking for an editor or writer, always consider his or her background as well as his/her skills.

Outsourced Proofreading and Copyediting: A Trend in Publishing

More and more publishing companies are now looking to save on costs. An increasingly popular way for them to save money is by outsourcing their copyediting and proofreading tasks. Full-time copy editors and proofreaders entail many costs -- aside from the overhead, factors such as payroll taxes have to be considered.

When companies outsource, they are actually buying business services from another company. Doing so allows them to avoid paying employee expenses and administration fees. If they pay for X amount of words or Y amount of hours, this is money well spent since they are paying for the actual time and effort spent for the task, and not for time spent on coffee breaks and idle chatter.

For more information about outsourcing your copyediting and proofreading tasks, drop by inWrite's Web site at www.inwrite.org.