When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, “write a book” and “get published” are consistently some of the most popular. But what if you’ve already written a book and gotten it published? This month, we turn to our PR Manager, Ceci Hughes, to discuss New Year’s resolutions for what comes next! Q: What are some manageable, bite-sized first steps a new author can take to market and promote their work, if they don’t know where to start? A: Publicity and marketing can often seem daunting for first-time authors. If you’re feeling anxious, I recommend starting by asking yourself how mu ..read more

Q: Of all the disgraced former presidents available, is there any special reason you chose Millard Fillmore to host your ghostly tours through American history? A: Why Millard Fillmore? I read years ago that some folks in the city of Buffalo had a tradition of lampooning President Fillmore on his birthday. Scores of people would gather at his grave on January 7th to bask in his obscurity. This struck me as a delightful tribute, and I’ve carried it with me. In my way, I’d say I was honoring the tradition of giving this man a bit more than perhaps might be expected. In addition, I also carry wi ..read more

During my publishing career, I’ve learned that after a children’s book is published—after the editing, design, printing, and launch—it takes on a life of its own. Through the mysterious machinations of book distribution, copies finds their way to bookstore shelves, library reading rooms, school classrooms, homes, and finally, children’s hands—and there, they become something more than just words on bound paper. For those young readers, that book becomes a teacher, guide, or a friend—sometimes for life. Stop a moment and think of the books you enjoyed when you first began reading. Perhaps read ..read more

Q: How did you choose your Six Revolutionary WOW Factor Women? Did you know all of their names before setting out to write this book, or did you set out to research inspiring women of the era and discover them in the process? Which figure did you personally find most inspiring? A: Writing is a curious journey. Topics somehow find me, invade my thoughts, and refuse to let me rest. I started out researching an ancestor, Sidney Johnson McMechen, who exchanged her comfortable life in Maryland for pioneering life in wilderness near what later became Wheeling, WV. I wanted to understand how her life ..read more

If you’re a writer, you already know writing is hard, and usually slow. And although it’s deeply satisfying when your article or poem or book appears in print, publishing your writing is even harder and even slower than most writers expect. Even when you think the last “i” is dotted and the last “t” is crossed in the final draft of your manuscript, your journey is just beginning. Then the submission and editing process begins! Some authors feel their writing doesn’t need to be edited, so they move forward rapidly, only to end up publishing a poorly edited book they wind up regretting. To tho ..read more

A friend of mine recently shared an experience he had while teaching some years ago. One day, he took a group of inner city kids on an outing to the James River and was astounded to learn that not one of them had ever swum in a river, or even seen one up close. They had only read about rivers, herons, and woodlands, or seen them in pictures—even though they lived only a few blocks from the James. Over the last few years, Brandylane has been proud to publish dozens of children’s books, including illustrated picture books, chapter books for advanced readers in late elementary school, and middle ..read more

Q: Both of your Peter Polo books are full of rich cultural and geographic details of the time period. I understand you’ve spent a good deal of time in Asia yourself! What would you say sparked your interest in the history of the Silk Road? ​ A: I started reading about Marco Polo when I was in elementary school, and I was especially interested in his adventures along the Silk Road. His tales of encountering new foods, customs, and landscapes really stoked my imagination, and I tried to read everything I could about the history and culture of that part of the w ..read more

In today’s crowded digital world, searching for and finding the right publisher for your poetry can be hard, frustrating work that often comes down to pure luck. Years ago, poets often published a chapbook, a collection of ten to fifteen poems assembled in a small volume, often saddle-stitched or artfully handmade. Chapbooks are still common among new poets who want to publish and print a limited number of copies of their work for their family, friends, and community; and they are still an excellent way to produce a small, attractive, polished sample collection with which to query larger ..read more

Watch Rose Ayling-Ellis read Kara Navolio’s Everybody Can Dance! on BBC’s CBeebies Bedtime Stories program. The post CBeebies Bedtime Stories – Everybody Can Dance! appeared first on Brandylane Publishers, Inc ..read more

I’ve always believed that if you learn the vocabulary of a profession or field, you can understand it much better—and this is certainly true of publishing. Publishers often use language unfamiliar to laymen—terms like developmental editing, line editing, and copy editing; soft proofs, hard proofs, interior proofs, and cover proofs, and others. Often, some of the most confusing terms for new authors are those that involve the period between the moment they finish working with their publisher to edit and revise their book, and its actual publication. When all files are appro ..read more