publishing Archives - Forever Young Autobiographies

Errors in print: Who else wants to get over book typos and misprints

How to deal sanely with publishing errors and bad editing in 4 steps

After decades working as a newspaper journalist and life-story writer I have seen all kinds of errors in print.

From Page 1 headlines with words misspelled to factual inaccuracies in opening sentences and gaping white holes where pictures weren’t printed.

Certainly I’ve seen errors made by others and by myself printed into thousands of copies.

Indeed the realisation of spotting a mistake after printing can make you feel ill to the pit of your stomach.

But today I’m here to tell you it is not the end of the world (yes really)!

And in fact I’m going to give you four ways to move past that ‘icky feeling’ and celebrate publishing an autobiography, memoir, biography or other life-story project – warts and all.

Print run: Decide how many books to print like a boss

Ask Nicola Q&A: What a life-story coach knows about book print run numbers + print numbers

Hello and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.

As a life-story coach I get many queries about planning, creating, polishing and publishing.

And in this series my answers aim to help new creators just like you!

This edition of Ask Nicola starts with the question:

I have finished writing my autobiography but don’t know how many books to get printed? Who and what should I consider before placing a print run order?

Wow, how exciting you are getting ready to print your life story – congratulations!

Now keep reading to find out how many books I suggest …

Book dedication: How to do book dedications in 5 minutes

Amazing secrets about dedication meaning and book dedication examples

We are giving thanks this week as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas holidays loom.

So today’s life-story article is dedicated to … dedications!

Indeed it’s funny how important things can fly under the radar.

Certainly when sitting down to write there is much to think about and consider.

For example, planning, writing, editing and polishing our autobiography, memoir, biography or other life-story project.

However, it is important to remember to write a dedication before printing.

So let’s take a look at what exactly is a book dedication, why it’s needed and how to craft one.

Ask Nicola Q&A: 4 tips to remember when turning a book into an ebook

What life-story writers ought to know about creating a hyperlink, how to make a PDF + more!

G’day and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.

As a life-story coach I’m asked many questions about planning, writing, polishing and publishing life stories for family and friends.

And in this Q&A series I explain how I help writers just like you who are sitting down to write an autobiography, biography, memoir or other life-story project!

So this edition answers the question:

How can I make an ebook? Is it as simple as saving my Microsoft Word manuscript as a PDF file format? What other things do I need to think about?

Ask Nicola Q&A: What you should know about Forever Young Autobiographies publishing services

Forever Young Autobiographies publishing services. Open book sits on a beach with pages curved into a heart shape. Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Everything you need to know about my new life-story publishing services

Hello and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.

As a life-story writing coach I’m asked questions about planning, writing, polishing and publishing life stories for family and friends.

And in this series I reveal how I help new writers just like you!

So this edition of Ask Nicola answers the following question:

What are the new Forever Young Autobiographies publishing services? Can you tell me more?

Thanks for this top question!

I’m super excited to now be able to offer Forever Young Autobiographies publishing services (plus a special readers’ deal below!) in addition to writer coaching calls.

Perhaps you don’t want to sit down to write, are time poor or worried about technical hurdles to publish an autobiography, memoir, biography or other life-story project?

That’s were I can help as a professional life-story coach and experienced daily newspaper print editor.

Book launch: A toast to 8 book party tips to try

Super book launch ideas + book launch party suggestions

What’s the next best thing after finishing your autobiography, memoir, biography or other life-story project?

Holding a book launch party to celebrate!

Certainly finishing a book is a momentous achievement and definitely deserves to be shared and enjoyed.

Coronavirus has put a dampener on parties, as I recently found out firsthand with my grandmother’s book.

But a celebration of some description (while observing health restrictions) should definitely be entertained after all the time spent sitting down to write and navigating the planning, writing, polishing and planning phases.

So let’s get this party started with eight top book launch tips …

Book layout: Don’t start a book layout without these 7 book-design tips!

Amazing book page layout help about fonts, chapters, running heads and MORE!

Ever get the feeling you are opening a can of worms?

I sure do when I check my young bug-loving son’s pant pockets to put on a load of laundry.

What will I find: a ‘fossil’ rock, a dead caterpillar, a fistful of sand?

Likewise, you might feel you have opened a ‘book layout’ can of worms when you get to the polishing stage of your life-story project.

This is because book layout and design terms can seem like another language!

I recently went through the book layout process for my grandmother’s autobiography.

So today I’m breaking down the key terms in plain English for newbie writers.

Keep reading for my top book-layout tips and secret book-design weapon …

Ask Nicola Q&A: How to take the headache out of high-resolution images

The easy way to image resize and save high-resolution photos. NOW!

Hello and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.

As a journalist and writing coach I’m asked lots of questions about planning, writing, polishing and publishing life stories for family and friends.

And in this series I give you a behind-the-scenes look at how I help new writers just like you!

This week’s Ask Nicola answers the following question:

Help! I am getting my book printed and have been told the JPEG pictures are not good enough quality. What does this mean? How to fix?

How to get your own book printed without going crazy!

3 simple steps to deciding paperback vs hardcover + book trim sizes + types of paper

Getting ready to publish your book can feel amazing.

You are on top of that writing mountain that has taken you months, if not years to climb.

The end is in sight!

While you will be excited to finally hold your book in your hand there is one last step: publishing.

If you decide to hand write, home print or email your life story to family and friends – terrific!

But if you want to use a book printer, like I’m doing for my grandmother’s story, printing is one last learning curve you need to scale.

A printer does just that – prints.

They typically won’t guide you through all the different printing options from sizing to paper and cover type.

That’s all up to you to decide.

In this article I go over how to get your own book printed by highlighting some of the key printing terms, explaining what they mean and why you need to know them.