Big News! Sequel to All That Glisters Now Under Contract
![Big News! Sequel to All That Glisters Now Under Contract Big News! Sequel to All That Glisters Now Under Contract](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Blog%20Post%20-%20OBB%20Book%20Contract_w140_h140/Blog%20Post%20-%20OBB%20Book%20Contract_04221021.png)
Prepping for Your Debut Podcast Interview
![Prepping for Your Debut Podcast Interview Prepping for Your Debut Podcast Interview](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/MightyBooksPodcastEpisode66_w140_h140/MightyBooksPodcastEpisode66_11190442.jpg)
What’s it like to be a podcast guest? And how do you prep? Read on for a few Tips & Tricks from my recent experience.
3 Reasons You Need Book Club Questions for Your Masterpiece
![3 Reasons You Need Book Club Questions for Your Masterpiece 3 Reasons You Need Book Club Questions for Your Masterpiece](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Book%20Club%20Art%2002_w140_h140/Book%20Club%20Art%2002_11130345.png)
Got book club questions for your masterpiece? Here are 3 reasons you need them:
- Book Clubs Are Influencers
- It’s Never Too Late
- Resources Abound
Read on for all the whats, whys, and hows.
Literary Easter Eggs
![Literary Easter Eggs Literary Easter Eggs](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/SpottingLiteraryEasterEggs%20Resized%20800x600_w140_h140/SpottingLiteraryEasterEggs%20Resized%20800x600_10281210.png)
Should you include literary Easter eggs in your manuscript? I did. Here’s why—
- Readers Love The Hunt
- Easter Eggs Reveal Character
- It’s A Sneaky Way To Foreshadow
A Surreal Night: All that Glisters Book Launch Party
![A Surreal Night: All that Glisters Book Launch Party A Surreal Night: All that Glisters Book Launch Party](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/TanyaWelcome_w140_h140/TanyaWelcome_10181230.jpg)
How’d it go? Book Launch Party exceeds expectations! Photos and brief recap.
What’s a Book Launch Party?
![What’s a Book Launch Party? What’s a Book Launch Party?](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/ATG%20Book%20Launch%20ScreenShot01_w140_h140/ATG%20Book%20Launch%20ScreenShot01_10100459.jpg)
What’s a book launch party? And how do you plan for one? That’s the topic for this week’s newsletter. And timely it is.
This Friday, October 13, 7-9 p.m., The Book Bungalow (St. George Utah’s local independent bookseller) will be hosting a book launch for All that Glisters.
What’s involved in throwing such a party?
Self Startability 2.0
![Self Startability 2.0 Self Startability 2.0](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/steam-train-pixabay.com_w140_h140/steam-train-pixabay.com_09270543.jpg)
What’s the secret to becoming a Self-Starter? Here’s my journey to find out and the resulting magazine article entitled Self-Startability—You Hold the Key to Your Own Ignition.
My Shard of Glass: How Save the Cat!® Saved My Novel
![My Shard of Glass: How Save the Cat!® Saved My Novel My Shard of Glass: How Save the Cat!® Saved My Novel](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Save%20the%20Cat!%20Book%20Montage_w140_h140/Save%20the%20Cat!%20Book%20Montage_09230443.png)
Today’s Pub Day!
![Today’s Pub Day! Today’s Pub Day!](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Social%20Media%20Post-Releases%20Today_w140_h140/Social%20Media%20Post-Releases%20Today_09191145.png)
A Debut Interview for a Debut Author
![A Debut Interview for a Debut Author A Debut Interview for a Debut Author](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Blog%20Post%20Debut%20Interview%20No%20Link_w140_h140/Blog%20Post%20Debut%20Interview%20No%20Link_09170922.png)
With my debut novel finally launching this week, my Senior Editor, Lea Schizas, reached out to interview me. Here’s the first draft of the transcript.
Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 2: Micro-level Foul-ups
![Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 2: Micro-level Foul-ups Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 2: Micro-level Foul-ups](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Galley%20Proof%20Nightmares%202%20Art%2002_w140_h140/Galley%20Proof%20Nightmares%202%20Art%2002_09081103.png)
Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 1: Macro-level Bloopers
![Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 1: Macro-level Bloopers Galley Proof Nightmares - Part 1: Macro-level Bloopers](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Editing%20Art%20Galley%20pexels%20wendelin%20jacober_w140_h140/Editing%20Art%20Galley%20pexels%20wendelin%20jacober_09030554.jpg)
Welcome back to the ongoing saga of my author journey. With the Copy Edits complete, the next step in my publisher’s manuscript workflow was reviewing the Galley Proofs. What are those? And what’s at stake when approving the Final Galley?
Bonus Scene: Ever Wonder What Ended Up on the Cutting Room Floor?
![Bonus Scene: Ever Wonder What Ended Up on the Cutting Room Floor? Bonus Scene: Ever Wonder What Ended Up on the Cutting Room Floor?](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/dansamu%20pixabay%20movieCropped_w140_h140/dansamu%20pixabay%20movieCropped_08270810.jpg)
Why This Book? Why Now? The Motivation Behind All that Glisters
![Why This Book? Why Now? The Motivation Behind All that Glisters Why This Book? Why Now? The Motivation Behind All that Glisters](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/WheelbarrowOfCash%2003_w140_h140/WheelbarrowOfCash%2003_08170857.png)
“You know,” my wife said, “you should write a blog post about Why This Book? and Why Now? Readers want to know.”
She had a point. And so that’s what this week’s post is about—My motivation for writing All that Glisters. Along the way, I’ll explain why wheelbarrow economics scares the bejeebers out of me. Hence, the cute little illustration below that I collaged together.
Adventures in Editing Part 3: But Wait, There’s More!
![Adventures in Editing Part 3: But Wait, There’s More! Adventures in Editing Part 3: But Wait, There’s More!](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Editing%20Art%2020%20copy-editing-emerson23work%20pixabay_w140_h140/Editing%20Art%2020%20copy-editing-emerson23work%20pixabay_08120951.jpg)
Adventures in Editing Part 2: Lessons from a Manuscript Makeover
![Adventures in Editing Part 2: Lessons from a Manuscript Makeover Adventures in Editing Part 2: Lessons from a Manuscript Makeover](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Editing%20Art%2024%20pexels-suzy-hazelwood-3631711%20Mod01_w140_h140/Editing%20Art%2024%20pexels-suzy-hazelwood-3631711%20Mod01_08050959.png)
Alright, alright, alright, I know it sounds cliché but the editor is there to help you. My editor...your editor...all editors want what you want:
The best possible version of your book.
Sometimes that requires a makeover.
Adventures in Editing Part 1: Manuscript Under Contract, Now What?
![Adventures in Editing Part 1: Manuscript Under Contract, Now What? Adventures in Editing Part 1: Manuscript Under Contract, Now What?](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Editing%20Art%2022%20pexels-pixabay-261621%20Newsletter_w140_h140/Editing%20Art%2022%20pexels-pixabay-261621%20Newsletter_07290130.jpg)
In this week’s blog post, we pick up right where we left off—publishing contract in hand, cover design complete.
The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 2: The Mockup Process
![The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 2: The Mockup Process The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 2: The Mockup Process](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/Lessons%20Learned_Markus%20Winkler_pixabay_InkSketch_w140_h140/Lessons%20Learned_Markus%20Winkler_pixabay_InkSketch_07171030.jpg)
Here’s the follow-up to last week’s Mystery of Cover Art Design. In Part 2, you’ll get to inspect the mockups, see how my original recommendations to the cover artist proved unworkable, and watch the final design evolve. Man oh man, did I learn lessons along the way!
The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 1: Will I Recognize My Baby?
![The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 1: Will I Recognize My Baby? The Mystery of Cover Art Design - Part 1: Will I Recognize My Baby?](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/pexels-photo-3746960_Cropped%201020x1020_w140_h140/pexels-photo-3746960_Cropped%201020x1020_07140348.jpg)
In this blog post, we take a behind-the-scenes look at how a book cover comes to life—starting with the first steps in the process. For me, it was fascinating what’s involved. Expect surprises!
The Search for Clues in Picking the Perfect Author Photo
![The Search for Clues in Picking the Perfect Author Photo The Search for Clues in Picking the Perfect Author Photo](images/TopperJones/cache/images/TopperJones/site/Blogs/proportion/sherlock-holmes-1200p%20w%20x%20801p%20h_w140_h140/sherlock-holmes-1200p%20w%20x%20801p%20h_07070557.jpg)
I could use your help. I’m on a quest for the perfect author photo for my mystery series. There’s got to be some clues, right?
This is a mystery after all—or at least, mystery-adjacent. With so many photos of interest to investigate, I could really use an assist. Working together, we might just be able to find the right mug shot for a fledging whodunit writer.
All those responding to the request for feedback will be entered into a drawing for one of five signed copies of All that Glisters when it releases later this year. Details at the end of this post.