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THE author enabler
by joanna brichetto
by Sam Barry
bridal dreams come true “Cult favorite” wedding blog StyleMePretty branches into book mode with Style Me Pretty Weddings (Clarkson Potter, $30, 256 pages, ISBN 9780770433789) by Abby Larson. This gorgeously illustrated volume is sure to have a broad appeal beyond its built-in blog readership. The allure of style choices will be irresistible to anyone planning a “bespoke wedding,” the wonderfully old-fashioned term for a marriage ceremony customdesigned for the happy couple. After
ous of all) “ruthless self-talk,” the whispers in your ear that you are not good enough to do what you’ve set out to do. In the same spirit of keeping those enemies of creativity at bay, the second half of The Muse Is In provides a “Day-to-Day Maintenance Datebook,” 365 gems of advice from many angels of creativity on how to keep your muse present and accounted for. This nugget from A.A. Milne (on his birthday, January 18) is not to be pooh-poohed: “Ideas may drift into other minds, but they do not drift my way. I have to go and fetch them.”
TOP PICK IN LIFESTYLES a thorough introduction on “The Anatomy” of such an event—including how to select a “couple style,” a feel, a venue, a color palette and the sources of your own inspirations— Larson details various options for wedding styles, ranging from “classic” to “whimsical.” Much of her advice may seem out of range for those of us not quite so well-heeled as the brides on view here, but Style Me Pretty nicely addresses budget constraints, suggesting (for example) “incredibly inexpensive” carnations for a centerpiece that “would take your breath away” . . . but not your bank account.
CULTIVATING CREATIVITY
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“Creativity” is the buzzword of our epoch, a democratic awareness that artfulness is everyone’s birthright and not only the province of “artists.” Jill Badonsky travels around the world, speaking at conferences and giving workshops to help everyone from filmmakers to business executives unlock their inner Edison. The Muse Is In (Running Press, $18, 238 pages, ISBN 9780762444670) offers heaping bushels of Badonsky’s wisdom, slyly arranged as a DIY manual of instructions for opening up your own box of creative tools. The first half of the book offers strategic advice on how to do battle against the “demons” who threaten our creativity at all times, a legion that includes fear, perfectionism, procrastination and (most insidi-
Americans have been in love with the lawn for far too long. Our green dreams are fueled by a nightmare of pesticides, fertilizer, gasoline and water consumption, all to maintain a sterile monoculture of little use to human or beast. But coming up with alternatives is tricky. What we need are easy, functional, earthfriendly lawn substitutes, and here’s a book-full for the taking: Lawn Gone! Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard by Pam Penick. Whatever your experience level, climate, lifestyle or needs, landscape designer and garden writer Pam Penick has solutions. She provides a gorgeous variety of options and inspirations: native, low-mow lawns; lawnlike mixes of grasses and flowers; full-on wildlife habitats; children’s playscapes; patios and walkways for entertaining; ponds; multi-use hardscapes and more. As a bonus, she includes regional plant recommendations and tips for smoothing the way with neighbors and homeowner associations.
Lawn Gone! By Pam Penick
Ten Speed $19.99, 192 pages ISBN 9781607743149 eBook available
GARDENING
Practical advice on writing & publishing for aspiring authors
TRICKS OF THE TRADE Dear Author Enabler, I received an answer from a trade publisher requesting that I send my manuscript. What should writers know about trade publishing? Is it better than other kinds of publishing? Does it guarantee sales? And what do you know about Holiday House? Laura Crowder Ohio, Illinois To answer your last question first, Holiday House is a reputable, established publisher of children’s books. Trade publishers sell to the broadest possible audience through retail bookstores and libraries. These publishers are the source of the majority of books that make the bestseller list, and in an era of bigger and bigger conglomerates, there are fewer independent trade publishers and more divisions and imprints within these larger entities. When you go to a bookstore or library to get a specific book, chances are it was published by a trade publisher. Trade publishing is neither better nor worse than other types of publishing, such as academic publishing—it simply has a different focus. Trade publishers want to reach the greatest number of readers as quickly as possible. The trend in trade publishing is toward signing up books that are likely to be immediately profitable. However, no one can guarantee sales.
WELL VERSED Dear Author Enabler, I would like to ask for information on promoting my book, Enero en Poesia. I have an ISBN for it and it appears at a few public libraries here in the Rio Grande Valley. I would like to know if I could find a publisher to promote my book. I’ve looked into self-publishing but this seems a bit expensive to me. I feel I have a title and content that can sell. Sergio Lopes Houston, Texas Most poets who succeed in getting their poems published in book form do so by first getting individual poems published in poetry journals. I suggest you submit your work to literary magazines and journals, which will lead to recognition
among editors and your peers. Once your poetry has appeared in some periodicals, submit your collected work to the small presses and university publishers best known for publishing poetry. You might want to start in your home state of Texas. Self-publishing is also an option. There are so many ways to selfpublish today, including eBook only, that cost need not be the deciding factor. But I’d suggest exhausting the traditional path first.
FROM THE INBOX For you writers on a budget who are in need of a good copyeditor, Dawn Kline of St. Germain, Wisconsin, offers this suggestion: “I am writing my first book and pinching pennies like everyone else. I would like to remind your readers that public libraries are wonderful and free resources. My local library directed me to a writer’s group where I can receive free editing, proofreading and feedback. Local colleges might also have students who could lend a hand for free or barter.” Also, more vigilant readers wrote in about the epidemic of hair-tucking and other clichés in novels: Kathleen Winkler of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, spotted two hair-tucking incidents. From The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty: “He reached up under the brim of her hat and pushed a loose curl behind her ear.” And in Sarah Jio’s The Violets of March: “ ‘OK, honey,’ she said, tucking a stray lock of my blond hair behind my ear, ‘I’ve missed you.’ ” C.C. Harrison of Anthem, Arizona, says, “I can handle hair tucking, but what about lip biting? For years every romance novel I read had the female character biting her lip, chewing her lip, gnawing her lip. Who does this? Do you bite your lip? I don’t.” Ron Timmons of Indianapolis wonders if any fictional police officer has ever had a good cup of coffee. “It’s always ‘burned’ or ‘tastes like battery acid,’ ” Ron notes. “We should take up a collection to provide our police officers with some decent coffee.” Presumably that would be a fictional collection. Send your questions about writing and publishing to authorenablers@gmail.com.