Now that we’ve dealt with the importance of having an A-1 attitude to fixing our mistakes, let’s move on to the B that stands at the basis of self-editing. No, not that “body language”, meaning the movements and gestures people and animals use to communicate with instead of verbal language. Here I’m using the term in a strictly literal sense, to mean the language—and the precise order of words—we choose to use for body text or the ordinary text of a document. Unlike the MS Word style “body text”, in this case body language is not about format or focused on outer appearance. It deals with the d ..read more

In the torrid summer of ’23 I posted this on my Facebook feed: The deed is done… “Becoming Janice” is now up and away to the first on my submissions list, Ylva Publishing. Feeling spasms of post-partum depression. Birthing Janice has taken more than two years of creative revision preceded by countless years of gestation. So what now? I’ll play the waiting game a while, then crack on with the next. Keyboard here I come! Soon after, I added: Hold me down before I float away. Just heard back from Ylva Publishing.  As written, the book doesn’t fit their list but let me quote from the reply of ..read more

How do they do it? All those authors who produce vast series of books? Some series vaster than others, like those produced apparently effortlessly by the super-prolific Alexander McCall Smith (to date he’s written seven huge bestselling series and umpteen successful stand-alones). Other writers are more modestly prolific, with anything up to ten or more titles under their belt, but hey, who’s counting? I have the greatest of admiration for any writer who can whip up a new book in a matter of months, or weeks, or days, when it has taken me years… and years to complete my meagre offering of two ..read more

Some people can write with both hands. If you can, you’re ambidextrous, a word derived from the Latin roots ambi-, meaning “both”, and dexter, meaning “favorable” or “right”. I can’t write with both hands (I’m left-handed) but I am edidextrous. The Triple-R (Ragini’s Rowdy Reference) dictionary defines edidextrous as coming from the verb to edit, meaning “to modify text in preparation for publication” and dexter, in its “favorable” sense. So, my made-up word describes someone who can edit on both sides of a sheet of paper, as it were. On the one side I edit for other people, and on the other ..read more

Pardon me while I do a Pointer Sisters but I’m SO EXCITED and just can’t hide it… Becoming Janice has just arrived from the printers in the United Kingdom. It was nerve-wracking waiting for the paperbacks to arrive but as ye olde saying goes, all good things are worth the wait. And, what an absolute delight it was to carefully slice open the first box, tremulously lift off the protective layer of heavy-duty wrapping paper and uncover a stack of perfect paperbacks. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of unpacking your own book, you will know exactly what a thrill it is to hold that first real book ..read more

by Fer Dillema, IWCN content manager At IWCN we’re thrilled to share a momentous milestone from one of our valued volunteers, Ragini Werner. After years of dedication and passion, on April 10th, Ragini is set to release her new book, Becoming Janice. Originally from Aotearoa / New Zealand and born to Dutch parents, Ragini has lived in the Netherlands for over 40 years. She’s been a cherished member of the IWCN for many years, and founded the Writer’s Club in its current form. Now, she invites you to join her on a journey through the pages of her new book, Becoming Janice. This will be her ..read more

The first blurb for Becoming Janice is in and I am thrilled to bits. Won’t say what the blurb says about the book in full, just share this juicy snippet: “I read it cover to cover in one go. Simply unputdownable!” So, what is a blurb and why is it so important? Simple answer: It’s a book marketing tool. Set clearly on the back cover of your book, or up front in the ebook, blurbs are catchy endorsements intended to convince people to buy your book. They signal what your book is about, and especially when they come from influencers, they provide social proof that buyers find important (have you ..read more

Pardon me while I do a Pointer Sisters but I’m SO EXCITED and just can’t hide it… Becoming Janice has just arrived from the printers in the United Kingdom. It was nerve-wracking waiting for the paperbacks to arrive but as ye olde saying goes, all good things are worth the wait. And, what an absolute delight it was to carefully slice open the first box, tremulously lift off the protective layer of heavy-duty wrapping paper and uncover a stack of perfect paperbacks. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of unpacking your own book, you will know exactly what a thrill it is to hold that first real book ..read more

Ever heard the saying ‘to coin a phrase’? People often use it ironically because they are not actually going to coin (i.e., create) something new, but rely on a tried-but-true saying (see what I did there?). Let me put a new slant on this old expression. For a writer, using coin in its slang sense, it could mean ‘to make money from a phrase’ (i.e., our writing). How good are you at making money from your writing? Let’s face it, there are two sides to publishing a book. The first side we all love and are good at: the writing. As for the second side, most of us neither love it nor are any good a ..read more

Meet Chris Houston, from The Idea Shop in Canada, who is marketing Ragini Werner’s new novel, Becoming Janice. Chris has been working on the book right from the creation of the striking cover by Iguana Books’ graphic designer Jonathan Relph. On meeting the real Janice for the first time, Chris said, “The book looks (and smells) great. I’ve been staring at it so long virtually, yet nothing prepared me for such a beautiful ‘objet’ to come out of the box! Bravo Iguana Books!” The post Meeting Janice appeared first on Ragini Werner ..read more