May 2016 - Word Counter Blog

Simple Present Tense Exercises

If you’re looking for simple present tense exercises to test yourself, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find three different simple present exercises to try so you can determine your understanding of this tense. The quizzes are easy to do. Simply fill in the blank spot with what you believe to be the correct simple present tense for each sentence (the verb to be used is in parentheses). When you’re finished, you’ll automatically be given your score, as well as shown which, if any, exercise questions you missed. Good luck with the exercises!

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

The Simple Present Tense

While the “simple present tense” may sound intimidating, this really isn’t the case. You use this tense naturally all the time. The rules and applications are as simple as the name is not. So take three deep breaths and read on… It all comes down to the verb or “doing word”. Except for one exception which we’ll look at later, you use it in the present tense, even though the thing it describes may not be happening at this particular moment. Let’s look at some examples:

You do something often or repeatedly

That’s one of the times you use this tense. For example, you might say: “I write at my desk” or “He writes at his desk.” It may also be something that you or someone else repeatedly doesn’t do: “I don’t write at my desk,” or: “He doesn’t write at his desk.”

You may not be writing at your desk right at the moment, but it’s something you do, so you use the present tense to describe an existing habit – or a habit you currently don’t have, as we saw in the example.

Of course, that could be a question too: “Do you write at your desk?” or “Does he write at his desk?” The verb is present tense: “write” not “wrote”.

Now let’s look at things that habitually happen (or don’t happen). You may say “The bus leaves at 8:00 AM,” or, “The bus never leaves at 8:00 AM!” Turn it into a question, and you have “Does the bus leave at 8:00 AM?”

In every case, you see the verb, in these examples, “write” or “leave” happening in the present tense. You wouldn’t say “Does the bus left at 8:00AM?” would you? And if you were to say “I wrote at my desk,” there’d be no indication of it being something you still do on a regular basis. In fact, it would look like something you don’t do anymore, or don’t plan to do again until further notice.

Make a generalization or tell it like it is

You’re not telling it like it was – so obviously, the present tense in its simple form will fit the bill. So you might say “Dogs like to play ball.” The same goes for the generalized question “Do dogs like to play ball?”

As you can see, this isn’t hard. Our ‘dogs’ example is a generalization, let’s look at a fact: “Paris is the capital of France.” There’s no arguing with that, is there? Your use of the simple present tense tells your listener that you’re talking about an existing situation that you expect won’t change overnight. To stretch our example a little further, you could be denying or asking about a fact or a generalization. “Paris is not the capital of Spain,” or “Is Paris the capital of France?” You can even use this tense to tell lies: “Paris is the capital of Spain.” Yes, it’s silly, but it’s still grammatically correct.

Things that you expect to happen

If you’re expecting something to happen pretty soon, you can use either the future tense or the simple present tense. Thus, it would be correct to say “The flight will board at 6:00AM.” But you could just as easily say: “The flight boards at 6:00 AM,” and it would be as correct as our future tense example. As before, you can turn it into a question: “Does the flight board at 6:00AM?” which is just as correct as its future tense relative “Will the flight board at 6:00AM?” Yes! It’s happening now – or maybe it isn’t…

This is the simplest use of the simple present tense. It’s happening, or it’s supposed to be, but isn’t, or you want to know if it is happening. “I am available now.” “I am not available now.” “Are you available now?” Easy peasy, right?

Look for the adverb!

Habits will often be expressed with an adverb such as “sometimes”, “often”, “always” or “never”. You may not use the adverb, but it could be placed if you desired. For example, “I write at my desk.” You could put “always” or “never” into the example, and it would be correct (I always write at my desk” or “I never write at my desk”. The same goes for “only”, “ever”, “still” “often” and “just”.

If your spouse were to ask: “Do you often stop at the pub on the way back from the gym?” that’s also simple present tense. You might reply “No, I only go to the gym,” or “No, I never stop at the pub.” Of course, the truthful response may be “Yes, I often stop at the pub,” but whatever the reply, you’re using the simple present tense – as did your spouse.

Active and passive voice (just to freak you out)

Depending on whether you’re using active or passive voice, your simple present tense verb may fall into the past tense. Crazy? Not really. Here’s an example: “The dog catches the ball.” That’s clearly active voice. The first noun (dog) acts out the verb (catches).

But if you say “The ball is caught by the dog,” magic happens. Because the first noun (ball) is acted upon by an external agency (the dog), who performs the verb (to catch) the verb becomes past tense. This works with any passive voice simple present tense sentence: “The moon is illuminated by the sun,” or “The barking is done by the dog” or “The stock exchange is affected by the value of the dollar.”

Those are the basic rules when it comes to the simple present tense in English. If you weren’t able to get 100% on the exercises above, you can now try again with your new knowledge of how this tense works!

How to Write a Resume

Your resume is a make-or-break document. When you’re hunting for your dream job, your resume determines whether you’ll be shortlisted as a possible candidate or ignored before you even get a chance to make an impression in an interview.

I used to be an HR manager, and you’ll be relieved to know that an extremely complicated resume isn’t going to get you anywhere no matter what any website marketing resume writing services may say. At the same time, you need to show that you’ve made an effort. So what are some of the things you should do and some that you shouldn’t when creating your resume?

Don’t!

Get someone else to write your resume. By all means get someone to check it for errors and proofread, but keep it your own work. Why? Your resume should reflect your personality and writing skills. Recruiters will be quick to pick up any insincerity and discrepancies.
Turn it into a Magnum Opus. Recruiters get hundreds of resumes for every job advertised. They need to get a handle on who you are and what you can do at a glance.
Fret too much about formatting. Yes, your resume should look neat and well-ordered, but gorgeous formatting doesn’t mean you’re going to get the job unless you happen to be applying for a job in which this ability would be important.
Say anything negative at any point. The same goes for your job interview. If you had a personality clash with your last employers or took them to the labor court, your resume is not the place to mention it, even if you were in the right.

DO!

Revise your resume based on the post for which you’re applying. Your prospective employer wants to know you’re interested in the specific post you’re applying for. Highlight the skills that would be the most useful in that position.
Keep it short, sweet and simple. Look at it this way. Some pressured HR employee has a stack of resumes on their desk and she’s going to try and get the gist of yours as fast as possible. Make it easy for them.
Ensure it’s error-free. Mistakes make you look as if you weren’t willing to spend the time on the document at best. I’ve personally trashed resumes because of obvious spelling errors. Why? If the person can’t put their best foot forward now, why should I expect them to do so later?
Be sincere and factual. Don’t play fast and loose with the truth and don’t pretend to be someone you aren’t. Your sins will eventually catch up to you.
Use clear headers and bullet points. Yes, it’s formatting, but it’s hardly fancy. Again, think of the HR person wading through piles of resumes. Make reading your resume easy for tired eyes.
Put it through a word counter. No, the actual word count isn’t necessarily important, but seeing how many times you use words within the resume can help make sure you aren’t overusing certain descriptors that might turn off a recruiter

Resume content

Now that we’ve set some basic ground rules, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. How should you order the content of your resume?

Header

Your name comes first. Follow it up with your address, telephone number, and email address. I have seen resumes with absolutely no contact information. My impression? “This person is way too silly to work for us,” so don’t forget these basics.

Career objective

A lot of people skip this part, but it’s definitely worth including. Be realistic about what you should be aiming for in your career at the moment. It’s pointless saying you want to be CEO if you’re applying for an internship. What you want is an internship. Why do you want it? Keep this to a sentence or two at most.

Summary

This is another helpful section for recruiters, and it may get your resume noticed. To write your summary, think about how you would advertise yourself. For example:

Marketing professional with 3 years’ experience
Creative thinker
Fully conversant with online marketing techniques
Strong interpersonal skills
Goal-orientated approach
Enthusiastic, passionate and energetic

Just be sure that you can back up any of these points with practical examples if anyone were to ask you! If you still lack experience, a little humility doesn’t go amiss. You could highlight your positive personal traits and your willingness to learn, for example.

Education

List your educational achievements from the most recent to the oldest. Say what qualification you achieved, specify which educational institution you attended, and give the date your qualification was awarded. You should attach copies of your certificates in an appendix.

Work experience

You need to show recruiters how you have spent your time since you achieved your qualifications. Give your most recent job first, and continue in reverse chronological order. Your employer’s name and the dates you started and ended the job acts as a header.

Recruiters also like to see a contact person and a telephone number here, since it makes it easy for them to verify your experience and get an opinion on how you performed. Provide a summary of what your responsibilities were, starting each one with a verb.

You need not give a reason for leaving, but if you’ve changed jobs fairly frequently, giving this information can help to overcome bias. So if your first post was an internship, and the second a fixed term contract that could help to explain why you changed jobs twice in two years. Recruiters see red flags when looking at a resume that seems to indicate you’re a ‘butterfly’.

Optional odds and ends

If you have any specific achievements that say something about how you would work in an organization, you could list them under ‘Additional Achievements’. So if you won a scholarship or held student leadership positions, these could count in your favor.

You may also have attended short courses which, while they aren’t actual qualifications, demonstrate your interest in your field. List them under ‘Relevant courses’.

Other skills that you may have acquired without ever doing a course may be of interest to a recruiter. For example, if you’ve mastered important graphics programs and can do graphic design even though you didn’t study in that direction, that may be of interest if you’re applying for a post where your extra skill could come in handy.

If you’ve done volunteer work, you could also list this since it may indicate your areas of interest and show that you’re a responsible person.

Hobbies /Interests

This is also an optional extra, but recruiters like to see whether your personality makes you a good fit. Saying you watch TV probably isn’t very helpful, but mentioning that you enjoy going to karate class will make them see you as a person of action with a certain amount of self-discipline.

Contacts / References

Even if you listed your reference contacts along with your work or educational history, you should add a handy guide at the end. It’s all about making it as easy as possible for a recruiter to verify the information given in your resume. This may sound like it’s not that important, but it is. Making the recruiter’s job easier shows that you will be helpful and make the people you work with lives easier as well, even if it’s only subconsciously. It’s little things like these that often stand out the most.

Don’t forget your appendices

You’ve done with writing your resume, but don’t forget to include any reference letters and certifications. Again, this makes it easy for the recruiter to verify your information. Now you’re ready to get that resume out there and knock ’em dead!

(Photo courtesy of Jenny Cestnik)

Collaborative Writing: Tips to Successfully Work Together

At some point in your writing career, you might be asked (or need) to collaborate with someone else on a project. You may co-author a novel together, you may need someone with scientific experience you don’t have when you write your non-fiction book, or you may need to hire an illustrator for your children’s book. Whatever the reason, a collaboration can be a great way to advance both of your careers and result in a great project that neither one of you could complete alone. Or it could be a disaster that makes you question why you ever wanted to write in the first place and drives you to drink. Heavily. To prevent disaster, consider the following before you agree to collaborate with others.

Identify why you need/want to collaborate

Can you simply not handle the workload alone? Does your collaborator have information/expertise that you do not? Do you want to attach this person’s name/credibility to your project so that it will seem more respectable? Figuring out exactly why you want a collaborator is the first step in choosing the best person for the job. Or, you may decide that you really don’t need a collaborator and decide to skip it altogether.

Choose someone you trust

This should be obvious. Pick collaborators that you trust. You’ll be putting a portion of your writing career in their hands, so choose wisely. A “brand name” collaborator is worthless if they’re going to make your life miserable for the duration of the project or ruin the project altogether.

Clearly assign tasks and deadlines

The time to argue about who will do what and when it is due is at the beginning of the project, not midway through. Set forth your expectations and writing deadlines before you begin. Make sure that all partners will be able to handle their parts of the work. Adjustments can be made as needed, but at least begin with a solid framework to avoid disagreements and misunderstandings.

Make sure you can communicate

Your collaborator should be someone that you are comfortable communicating with. Don’t choose someone who intimidates you so much that you won’t speak up, who never returns calls or emails, or who is never available. Successful collaboration requires a lot of communication so you need someone that is available and open.

Make sure you fight well

At some point, you will fight with your collaborator. Guaranteed. Make sure the person you’re working with is someone that you can fight with productively and move on. You don’t want to get stuck with a bully or a sulker. Ideally, you want someone who will work with you to find the compromise position.

Specify payment arrangements up front

Will you split the payment equally? Will you split the pay based on the number of hours worked, or amount of words written? Put whatever arrangements you decide on in writing to prevent problems later.

Specify credit arrangements up front

Will you share equally in the credit for the work? Will one of you be the main author with the other relegated to a smaller byline? Will both of you get bylines at all, or will one person be the ghost writer? Sort these things out before you begin so feelings aren’t hurt later.

What happens if one partner decides to walk away or dies?

While unlikely, there may come a point where one of you says, “That’s it. I’ve had enough,” and wants out. Worse, one of you could die. What will you do? Will the project continue with the remaining partner working solo, or will it just be shelved? Is the remaining partner allowed to choose another partner? What about any money arrangements that have been made? Who gets what? Specify the contingencies in writing.

Protect yourself

The most important thing when collaborating is to get everything in writing. You hope it never comes to litigation but if it should, you’ll be glad you have the backup. It’s not being pushy to insist on contracts, even if your collaborator is your best friend. It’s just smart to make sure that everyone is protected and all arrangements are understood.

Collaboration can be a lot of fun if it’s handled well and if it contributes to a better work. It can also be a pain in the butt if partners can’t get along or if agreements fall apart. Take these steps before you begin your collaborative project to keep things on the fun side.

(Photo courtesy of college.library)

Words That End in the Letter Q

When it comes to uncommon words, one set that fits that bill are words which end with the letter “q”. Chances are you can’t come up with more than a couple of words which end in q. The good news is there are likely more of these words than you imagined exist, but the reality is there aren’t a whole lot of them.

If you’re searching this question, there’s a good chance you are here because you’re searching for words for Scrabble or other word games. Since there are a number of words that end with a “q” but aren’t allowed in Scrabble, we’ll begin by listing those that cam be played in the game.

Words Ending in Q (Scrabble Allowed)

3 Letter Words

Suq: A variant of the word souk which is another name for a street market in Arab cities.

5 Letter Words

Qepiq: A monetary unit used in Azerbaijan: 100 Qepiq is equal to 1 manat.
Talaq: A divorce method found within Islamic law.
Tranq: An abbreviated form of the word tranquilizer.
Umiaq: A boat created by Inuits which is made by stretching animal skins.

7 Letter Words

Inupiaq: the language of the Inupiaq people.
Tsaddiq: A spiritual leader in the Hebrew language.
Tzaddiq: A spelling variation of the word Tsaddiq.

While the above are words that can be used in word games like Scrabble, they aren’t the only words that end in the letter “q”. There are a number of place names which end with this letter. Below is a list of places ending in “q”

Places Ending in Q

Abqaiq: A gated community with oil-processing facilities located in Saudi Arabia.
Bene Beraq: (also spelled Bnei Brak) The third-largest city in Israel.
Iraq: A country located in the Middle East
Kangiqsualjjuaq: An Inuit village located in Quebec, Canada.
Kuujjuaq: The largest northern Intuit village in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada.
Pontacq: A commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department located in south-western France.
Sadiq: A city located in India.

In addition to places, there are a number of abbreviations which end with “q” which may be seen in writing but aren’t allowed to be used in word games like Scrabble. A few of these words follow:

Abbreviations Ending in Q

CQ: The beginning radio transmission call letters when a message is intended for all receivers.
GHQ: An abbreviation for the words “general headquarters”.
GQ: An abbreviation for the magazine “Gentlemen’s Quarterly”.
.mq: The letters used for Martinique internet addresses.
Unq: An abbreviation for the word “unnilquadium”.

Accronyms Ending in Q

IDIQ: Indefinite Quantity
OMSQ: Organizational Maintenance Squadron
ONRQ: Off-Nominal Requirement
OOTQ: Out of the Question
ORDQ: Order Qualification
OTAQ: Office of Transportation and Air Quality

These are currently the words we’re aware of that end with the letter “q”. If you know of other words missing from this list, please leave a comment so we can add any that should be included. We’d like this to be the most comprehensive list and hope with your help to achieve that goal.

(Photo courtesy of say_cheddar)

How to Write a College Admissions Essay

Writing a college admissions essay has become a prerequisite for entry to many universities. It’s an opportunity for the selection committee to get to know more about you. Writing such an essay tends to be stressful for most applicants. Many will delay writing it, while others will spend days, if not weeks, perfecting their personal statements.

It certainly is a challenge summarizing seventeen years of one’s life or more into a mere 600 words. You will want to come across as being intelligent and the best candidate without being perceived as arrogant. This post will provide you with valuable advice to help you to make a good impression when writing your college admission essay.

The Importance of Your Introduction

An important thing to remember is that the admissions officers are under a lot of pressure. They will have literally thousands of applications to go through. With limited time available to them, it’s crucial to immediately grab their attention and engage them.

One of the best ways to do this is to begin with a personal anecdote. By sharing a moment, you will be able to set the scene. You can reveal how the experience impacted your life and how it helped shape you into the person you are today. Explain how the memory has impacted on your life and explain why it made you choose the study direction in which you wish to proceed.

Think Like an Admissions Officer

Universities and colleges want candidates who will graduate and go on to become successful people. Having alumni who are making great strides in the world reflects positively on the college’s image. If the majority of students failed and dropped out of their college, this would not be a good advertisement for the educational institution.

With this in mind, you’ll want to show that you are a determined individual. You should convey the image of being driven, someone who is passionate, motivated and hungry for success. You need to let them know that you’re resourceful and willing to make sacrifices in order to reach your goals.

Tone it Down

Yes, you want to make an impression. That said, keep it simple. One of the worst mistakes you can make on the admissions essay is to use too much flowery language. Verbosity has its place, but a college admissions essay is not it. Throw away the thesaurus and write using everyday vocabulary. Remember, you are not Shakespeare nor do you need to be.

Colleges are flooded with examples of applicants’ achievements. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments, but do bear in mind that this approach tends to be boring. Think outside the box and show some creativity. Blowing your own trumpet too much can make you come across as conceited and arrogant. If your achievement illustrates why you would succeed in your future studies or be a credit to the college, try to mention it in an understated way.

Be Yourself

The quickest way to spot a fraud is when they are writing about something they have no interest in. You won’t impress the selection committee if you fake it. Doing so will fail to show authenticity and original thinking. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never climbed Mount Everest or gone sky diving. What’s far more important is you being able to honestly express your feelings and discoveries. In fact, being able to show this side is likely to be far more impressive to the admission officers than any individual claim you make. That is, it’s not reaching the top of a mountain that’s important, but being able to honestly detail the process, obstacles and what you learned along the way.

Make your essay personal. Show your passion and let your own unique personality shine through. In doing so, you’ll stand a far greater chance of being accepted than if you ramble on about a topic in which you have little experience or zero personal interest.

Be Controversial

Being controversial may seem like a double-edged sword but it doesn’t have to be. Colleges are on the lookout for people who can take an intellectual position and argue points according to reason. This does not mean you should simply choose an argument and spout off your own opinions.

Don’t pretend that your line of thinking is absolute and unquestionable. Provide reasons as to why you think this way. Give examples with references to statistics and facts. Include the opinions of recognized intellectuals and above all, never, ever take the side of an extremist radical. There’s a vast difference between an intelligent albeit controversial individual, and being an absolute nut-job who has been brainwashed with hype and propaganda.

Fonts and Formats

If there are any guidelines provided, then it’s advisable to stick to them. If you can’t follow instructions for an essay, how will you be able to write a dissertation one day? Keep your font selection clean and easy to read (remember, the admission officials will be reading hundreds of these). Use one standard font throughout.

Separate various sections by making use of clearly identifiable headings. These should be in bold with major sections identifiable through means of a larger, underlined font size.

Last, but not Least

You may have written a phenomenal piece. It could contain the very essence of what your admissions officer is looking for. Have you checked it for spelling or grammatical errors? have you made sure you’re not using the same words too much?

As mentioned previously, admissions officers are under pressure to read numerous applications. In a hypothetical situation, let us assume your application gets reviewed toward the end of a long, rough day. The first thing the officer sees is three spelling mistakes and poor sentence construction in the first paragraph. Chances are your application will be immediately sent to the “Declined” pile.

Make sure you proofread your application. Give it to a teacher or parent to read. Spell check it. Make sure it is worthy of you and the time and effort you put into it.

(Photo courtesy of Jinx!)

How to Write a Persuasive Essay

There is an art to persuasive writing and many people seem to struggle to master it. While it comes naturally to some, for others a little practice may be required. The important thing to remember is that anyone can actually write persuasively, provided they follow a few basic guidelines.

A persuasive essay is written to convince the reader to accept a point of view. You may want them to sympathize with your cause or to take a particular course of action. Persuasive essays are often used in advertising and politics. Business proposals, applications for study grants, fundraising, debates etc. are all examples when persuasive writing may be beneficial. People who are good at this style of writing are in high demand.

If you are trying to convince someone to side with you, you’ll want to be thoroughly prepared. It doesn’t help if you have a list of excellent points but fail to pay attention to the weak arguments. By following the following simple steps, you should be able to come up with a strong case on which to build upon.

Planning and Preparation

Before you even begin writing a persuasive essay, it’s crucial that you take the time to do the preparation. Every aspect of your essay needs to be considered. Begin with deciding on your stance. Think about why you have chosen this position. What are the motivating factors? Do you have facts to support your case?

Another important consideration is understanding your audience. Who are they? Do they have strong opinions, or are they undecided? What are they looking for and what appeals to them? The more you can appeal to their needs and interests, the more persuasive you will be.

Finally, you need to research, research and do more research. You need to come across as a person who knows what he or she is talking about. If you have your facts wrong, it will weaken, if not destroy, your argument before you even begin. Don’t rely on just one source. The more information you are armed with, the greater your chances of shooting down any opposition.

Style and Structure

Any persuasive essay should follow a logical progression. The best way to do this is to begin with an introduction. Your introduction needs to immediately grab the readers’ attention. You should provide a brief overview of your argument and state why your case is worthy of merit.

The main body of your persuasive essay will detail the evidence in support of your case. Each section should deal with one piece of information, presented separately. It’s important to provide evidence in support of all your facts.

Before closing, you should highlight the major points of any counter argument. Again, it’s essential that you provide evidence that refutes opposition to your stance. You can make use of quotes from experts, can include real life examples or refer to relevant facts and statistics.

Your conclusion needs to be a short synopsis of what has already been stated. Your closing sentence should be dramatic. It should leave the audience wanting to take immediate action or to reflect deeply on what you propose. Provide solutions to problems and encourage the reader not to delay.

Revision

One aspect of writing a persuasive essay which is often omitted is the importance of revision. There are a few questions you should ask when revision your essay. Does the essay impart enough information? You shouldn’t expect your audience to know everything, so the more information you can provide them with will allow them to make an informed decision. Do your points contain compelling evidence in support of your argument? Making wild, unsubstantiated claims will set you up for failure. Each point of merit needs to be justified. Does the essay follow a logical path? Are words carefully chosen for maximum impact or is the essay difficult to read with little meaningful information? Does the essay present the strongest possible argument or does it require more facts?

Editing

Once you have finalized your persuasive essay, you need to make sure it is free from any typos, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Ask a friend or relative to read through it, and ask them for their point of view. Remember, you’re not trying to convince yourself. You’re trying to convince others who may not have the same insights as you.

Presentation

Once everything is complete you’ll be faced with the task of presenting your essay. Make sure a good, easily readable font is used. Each section should be clearly identifiable with relevant headings. If you’re familiar and well versed with the content of your presentation, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to successfully persuade those who read your essay.

(Photo courtesy of brett jordan)

How to Write Great Book Titles

Titling a book or an article is a tricky thing. There are many considerations. You want it to be catchy but meaningful. You don’t want the same title that a thousand others have already used. You want it to convey what the work is about without giving away the ending. You don’t want it to be so long that people give up reading it, nor so short that people have no idea what they’re getting. Many writers find choosing a title to be more difficult and frustrating than revisions. While I can’t make it any easier for you to choose your ideal title, I can give you some things to consider during the process.

Don’t over-promise

Words like “Epic,” “Fantastic,” “Revolutionary,” “Breakthrough,” and “Incredible” are overused and they promise something that your work likely can’t deliver. You may have a great story, but it’s doubtful that it’s truly epic in scale. It’s doubtful that your non-fiction book is truly revolutionary, no matter how much you may think so. Readers don’t like to be lied to, so err on the side of under-promising with your title and then delivering a great piece that exceeds their expectations. Let the critics and reviewers label your book as “Epic” or “Revolutionary” if it’s deserving of that honor.

Try to keep it short

Long titles create a host of issues for readers and catalogers. When readers peruse a crowded shelf, long titles often get overlooked. For a long title to fit on a book jacket, the font often has to be smaller and hard to read. A title with a short word count, though, can be printed much larger and is easier to see. Long titles may be truncated when viewed online or in databases and they’re hard to turn into good urls. They’re hard to fit on business cards. Long titles are also hard to recommend to friends. “Hey, did you read, ‘Fat Loss’,” is a lot easier to say than, “You should check out ‘Get in Shape, Lose Weight, and Lose Fat Through Exercise and Calorie Counting’.”

But don’t fear a long title

Short may be best, but some books just require a long title. If you choose to go long, make sure you have a good reason for doing so and that you’re not just being lazy or uncreative.

Research your choices

Before you fall in love with a title, check to see how many other books carry the same title. It’s not a deal breaker if other books share your title (titles can’t be copyrighted, after all), but it becomes more problematic if the book also is in your genre. A how-to book called, “Floored!” which is about flooring will not likely be confused with a novel called, “Floored!” that’s about a character that receives a big surprise. But you might have a problem if there are two novels titled, “Floored!” and they are both literary fiction.

Consider subtitles

Subtitles are used most often in non-fiction. The short, catchy part of the title can be used to lure readers in while the longer subtitle can clarify what the book is actually about. Something like, “Loser: How to Lose Weight By Eating Only Mushrooms,” is an example. Subtitles also work for fiction to differentiate novels in a series. Consider Harry Potter. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Readers referred to those books as “Harry Potter” or, “The newest Harry Potter,” but the subtitle was there for extra clarification.

Get feedback

Ask others who have read your work to evaluate your title. They can tell you if it makes sense, matches the work, and is something they would pick up in the store.

Look to your text

Some of the best titles come from lines in the book itself. Maybe it’s a snippet of dialog or a sentence fragment. If you’re stuck for a title, reread your manuscript and look for anything that might work.

Brainstorm

If you’re having trouble choosing a title, brainstorm. Make lists of words that seem relevant. Try arranging those words in various orders. Look at other titles in your genre and see what works and what doesn’t. Write long, ridiculous titles and then try to shorten them. Just write down everything that comes to you and keep massaging it until you hit gold.

Know what your writing about

This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people can’t summarize their book in one or two sentences because they really have no idea what they were trying to say. The book is a rambling mess and the title is, too. If you’re very clear on what you’re writing about, the information you’re trying to convey, or the story you’re trying to tell, it’s much easier to create a title.

Wait until you’re finished

A corollary to the above is to wait to choose the title until you’re finished writing the book. The book’s focus or tone might change over time. You don’t want to fall in love with a title at the beginning that no longer fits when you’re finished. When the book is finished, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want the title to convey.

Avoid cliches and overused titles

“The Adventures of,” “Tales of,” “The Art of,” “The Joy of,” and “The Chronicles of,” are all examples of overused and cliche titles. Your book may be an adventure or convey the joy of something, but find another title.

Don’t get weird or cute unless you can do it well

Some people make up a word and use it as the title of their book, hoping that the uniqueness will propel them to stardom. They hope that people will run around parroting the title, “Gerflunkamuggin,” at each other. The problem is, if the title makes no sense or is unpronounceable, readers won’t go for it. Similarly, some people try to create a pun or alliterative title that falls flat. Cute can work, but it has to be done well.

Go against advice

Advice is just advice. There are still cliches that become bestsellers. There are short titles that no one remembers and long ones that people fall in love with. If the book is great and the title in some way conveys that, it might succeed no matter how weird, long, short, or cliched it is.

Don’t give away the ending

You want your readers to buy your book and they won’t do that if the title has already told them how it ends or what the big surprise is. Give them an idea of what the book is about with your title, but don’t give it all away.

Don’t fall in love

No matter how much work you put into choosing your title, the fact is an editor or publisher may change it for any number of reasons. Be willing to listen to what they say and be open to changing it. Don’t cling so stubbornly to a title that you alienate a publisher.

Titling a book is never going to be easy, but careful thought and experimentation can yield a good result. Think of it like naming a baby. You want something that fits well with the book, that other people won’t make fun of, and which will still sound good and make sense forty years from now.

(Photo courtesy of Joshua Kirby)

How to Set Up Your Own Book Tour

Unless you’re super famous or your publisher has big dreams for your book, you probably won’t be given your own, paid-for book tour. If you’re self-published, you don’t even have a chance of having someone pay you to tour. Not getting an all expense paid book tour isn’t a necessarily a reflection of your writing, but more if you have established yourself as a writer. If you want a book tour, what do you do, then?

You go it alone and set up your own tour. Before you decide to go on the road, though, you must decide whether the expense is worth it. Will you generate enough exposure and sales to offset the costs of the tour, or would you be better served by finding some other ways to promote your work? If you’re still set on going on tour, here are some tips for organizing your own tour.

Establish a budget

It’s important to establish a budget and to look for ways to cut costs. Figure out how much you can spend and allocate that money most effectively. You probably won’t be able to visit every city you want to visit, so choose which places will give you the most bang for your buck. Also, look into staying with friends or family to cut costs, or doing a tour of places that are within driving distance of your home to avoid expensive airfare.

Send out copies

Don’t just show up somewhere and hope they’ll let you read. Send out copies to bookstores and other places beforehand to gauge interest. If someone writes back and says, “This book isn’t for us,” you can mark that off your list and not waste money going there. If they are interested, you can follow up and add them to your list of places to visit.

Consider teaming with another writer

If you know another writer in your field or whose work is similar to yours, consider teaming up. A bookstore may be more willing to have two of you appear rather than just taking a chance on one unknown author. If your teammate has some credibility already, so much the better. If you trust and are friendly with the other writer, you may be able to share hotel rooms and rental cars, reducing the costs for you both.

Don’t limit yourself to bookstores

Bookstores aren’t the only places where you can appear. Conventions and conferences that are about your field or tied to your book’s theme are good choices. If your book is set in a certain location you might try tourism boards or similar places. There are also libraries, community centers, senior centers, book clubs, and schools/universities if your material is applicable.

Think beyond a standard reading

If you can teach a class in something or speak about your topic, pitch yourself as a speaker rather than just a reader or book signer If a store can bill your event as a learning opportunity they may be more willing to have you visit than if you simply plan to read from your book (which no one has heard of). You’re often more valuable as an educator than an author.

Consider a virtual book tour

If you don’t have the money to do a regular tour, you can consider a virtual tour. You connect with book bloggers around the country and agree to write guest posts, run some giveaways, do a podcast, and/or take questions from readers. You can also do virtual chats or readings through Skype or similar. It still requires a lot of planning and time on your part, but it costs very little.

Go where people know you

If you don’t know a soul in New York, it might not be worth going there. Think of places where you know people who can help you. Where did you go to school? Can you go back to your hometown? Do you have a lot of friends living in one city? Go places where your friends and family can help get the word out and drive people to your event.

Practice efficient scheduling

Once you figure out where you’re going, organize your schedule for efficiency. You don’t want to be flying back and forth across the country ten times. Proceed from city to city in a logical and cost effective order.

Practice your pitch

When you’re ready to start calling bookstores and other places to set up your appearance times, be prepared. Don’t wing it. Know who you’re calling (find out who handles events and ask for that person), and have prepared what you’re going to say. Be clear on who you are and what you’re offering (a reading, a class, etc.) Be professional. If you go in unprepared, or ask, “Um, what do other authors do?” the other person is likely to dismiss you. Quickly.

Alert the media

Call local newspapers and other media in the cities you’ll be visiting to see if you can wrangle any coverage of your time in their city. You may not get any interest, but then again you might so it’s worth a try.

Pay attention to the logistics

Make sure your books are shipped to each location with time to spare before you appear. Will you have to ship other promotional items, as well? Know how you will get around each city. Should you get lodgings with a kitchen to save money, or are there reasonably priced eateries nearby? Are you leaving enough time between appearances to deal with transportation or weather delays? There are plenty of details to consider besides just booking the appearance at a venue.

It is possible to organize your own book tour, even within tight budget constraints. To maximize your investment, do some advance planning and research and make sure that touring will give you the return you expect or need. Touring isn’t the end all, be all. There are lots of other ways to promote your work. Touring can be fun or it can be a nightmare. Try to prepare as much as you can in advance to prevent the nightmare scenario.

(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Clede)