The Big Bad Book Blog
In reaction to the floweriness of Romanticism, Ezra Pound aimed for clarity and precision in language use in the Imagism movement in poetry he helped originate in 1912. His intention is spelled out clearly in the first tenet of the Imagist manifesto: “To use the language of common speech, but to employ always the exact word, not the nearly exact, nor the merely decorative word.” continue reading
If you’ve found a specific image that you’d like to use in your book, make sure it’s usable before you get too attached. Keep the following things in mind for clear (and legal) images:
Size and Resolution: Is your image big enough? At 100%, your image should be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch). If it’s much smaller than this, your designer will probably lob it back to you, asking for a “high-res” version. If you pulled your image off the web, (we’ll talk about that momentarily) you may not have one. And I know, I know, Photoshop can do great things. All you have to do is type “300″ in the Image Size dialogue and voilà: it’s high-res, right? No. Not right. Don’t do that. Seriously.
Permissions: Do you have permission to use this image? If you didn’t create the image yourself, you might not. If you purchased the image from a stock photography bureau like Veer or Getty, review the license for any restrictions. Royalty-free images can be used for just about anything, but be sure to read the fine print for rights-managed imagery. For older, iconic images, check to see if they’re in the public domain before republishing them.
If you obtained your image by right-clicking and downloading it from the web, you probably can’t use it. (It’s low-res and it’s not yours.) Contact the owner of the image and find out about permissions and the availability of a print-quality version. It’s best to research this information early so that if you need to replace your image because of permissions or size, you have ample time to find a new one that’s just as perfect.
Wouldn’t it be nice to pen a brilliant book and have the world instantly adore your genius? It doesn’t work that way, of course: “The End” means the beginning of your transformation into an industry-savvy member of the writing community. You’ll take away huge benefits if you are aware of the myriad available resources for independent authors like yourself. Here’s some advice to help you take advantage of them: continue reading
Bad news for those of you who lament theater marquees glutted with remakes, sequels, and cinematic versions of preexisting media: On October 19th, the partnership announced nearly two years ago between Random House and Focus Features will come to fruition with the release of Reservation Road. Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, Random House is assuredly hoping the film will be an auspicious beginning to a new model that–if successful–guarantees large-scale book sales. Not to be left out, HarperCollins announced a deal of its own this week; the publisher will enter into a similar “strategic partnership” with Sharp Independent, giving the New York studio access to material in HarperCollins’ heavyweight-laden roster.
From a marketing standpoint: genius. continue reading
No longer content with domination of AM radio, conservative pundits are releasing books in droves. Here’s a rundown of the latest unapologetically opinionated publications from the right:
