Reblog: 28 Lessons We've Learned from Pride and Prejudice

Reblogged from The Blue Stocking Salon.com

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Posted on January 28, 2015 by Bas Bleu under Books Make It Better

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Today marks the 202nd anniversary of Pride and Prejudice’s publication, a cultural milestone that almost never was thanks to a dismissive publisher who rejected Jane Austen’s manuscript First Impressions in 1797. Sixteen years later, Thomas Egerton bought the rights to Pride and Prejudice for just £110…and the rest, as they say, is literary history. So today, the twenty-eighth day of January, in honor of P&P’s birthday, Bas Bleu is sharing our list of twenty-eight life lessons we learned from Miss Austen, Lizzie Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and, yes, even Mr. Wickham.

1. Beware of truths universally acknowledged.

2. Be persistent in the face of rejection.

3. There is great joy in a long walk.

4. Don’t set too much stock in first impressions.

5. There are worse things than being single…like being married to Mr. Collins.

6. A six-hour movie isn’t too long if it’s the right story.

7. You can learn a lot about a man by the way he treats his sister.

8. You can’t hide in the library forever.

9. Sharp wit and a pair of fine eyes are worth far more than an expensive dress.

10. The man of your dreams will love you even when you have a terrible cold.

11. When in doubt, say it in a letter.

12. Never play dumb to attract a man.

13. Don’t make important life choices just to soothe your mother’s nerves.

14. Men, always keep your home ready for unexpected guests. You never know when the love of your life will show up.

15. Bad boys are not worth it.

16. Gorge all you want at a banquet as long as you’re wearing an empire-waist dress.

17. It’s not the end of the world if your little sister gets married before you do.

18. A dashing uniform does not make the man.

19. “Obstinate, headstrong girl!” really is a compliment.

20. Don’t be stingy about giving others a second chance. You never know when your own happiness may depend on one.

21. When it comes to a man’s library, size matters.

22. An intelligent woman should never tolerate a disrespectful man…no matter how rich he is.

23. A great love story is always in style.

24. It really is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.

25. Marrying your true love means marrying his or her entire family.

26. Men may leave you, but your sisters never will.

27. Happy relationships are based on more than romance.

28. Colin Firth then, Colin Firth now, Colin Firth forever.

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How to: Make an Audio Book Using ACX (Step-by-Step)

Reblogged from Mike Fishbein

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The Amazon Kindle ebook market is getting more crowded by the day and it’s increasingly difficult to stand out. No matter how good your books are, there are a lot of fish, both big and small, to compete with.

One of my solutions to drawing a wider audience has been to turn my ebooks into audiobooks. Doing this helps me to tap into a whole new audience on Audible who, otherwise may never even have heard of me, adds more versatility to my current products, and boosts the professional image of my book pages.

I now reach more people than ever before and am able to serve a whole new sector of potential customers who prefer listening to audio over reading.

Creating audiobooks boosts the professional image of your book on Amazon, not to mention, you get a $50 bounty from Amazon if yours is the first audiobook an AudibleListener member buys. So far I’ve sold over 3,000 audiobooks and have earned over 30 bounties.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the whole process of how to make  an audio book using ACX. I’ve captured and detailed every step involved from converting your book to auditioning and working with the best narrator for the job. By the end of reading this you will be well on your way to reaping the benefits of a whole new market. Log in to ACX now and follow along as you read.

Step 1: Go to www.acx.com

Log in or sign up at www.acx.com and enter in either your book title, ISBN, or author name. Amazon will then search Amazon.com for rights you might have using your name.

If this is your first audiobook or even if you have created a few already, ACX provides some very helpful guidelines to get you started. Read them to get an idea of the process.

Step 2: Select Your Book

Select the book you’d like to turn into an audiobook.

Step 3: Choose the best narration option for you

Here you get to choose whether you are looking for a narrator, have already converted you book into audio and just wish to sell it, or if you will be doing the narrating yourself. I outsource my production so I select the first option.

Step 4: Agree to the terms

Read through ACX’s book posting agreement carefully before continuing. Each time you turn a book into an audiobook using ACX, you enter into a separate agreement.

Step 5: Enter your book description

Provide potential Audible listeners with information about your book, giving them a sense of the content and value for readers. It’s best to just use your Amazon book description for this.

Step 6: Enter your copyright information

Confirm yourself as copyright owner for your original book as well as for your audio book. For the copyright year, enter in the current year.

Step 7: Select a category

First indicate whether your book is fiction or nonfiction and then select the category most suited to your book.

Step 8: Specify narrator voice

Here is where you specify what type of narrator voice you want. Give some careful consideration to tone, accent and gender as this will influence how readers interpret your message. For my books I tend to stick to the above requirements.

Step 9: Add in additional comments

Add in additional comments that give narrators a good indication of who you are, your accolades, the value of your book, and who your target readership is. Get narrators excited to collaborate with you!

Step 10: Add an audition script

Either type in or upload an audition script to get the best narrator fit for your book. Do you want to hear how well they tell stories? How captivatingly they retell facts or data? Can they get your unique sense of humor across? Choose a script which will give you a good sense of the narrator’s scope.

If you prefer, you can upload your script. Make sure it is in either Word, PDF or TXT format.

Step 11: Enter your book’s word count

Once you enter your book’s word count, you have finished the first section of how to create an audiobook using ACX and we are on to next: Distribution. This is where you will set the parameters for the distribution of your audiobook. To start, type in your book’s word count.

Step 12: Specify your territory rights

Unless you have a limitation on the areas your book is allowed rights within, select “World”. Choosing this means you have permission to sell your audiobook in every country.

Step 13: Select payment method

Select how you wish to pay your ACX narrator. You can choose either a revenue share model or a pay-per hour production fee. If you are unsure which one you want, select both for now and make a final decision once you have secured a suitable narrator.

Step 14: Select distribution type

Choose between exclusive or non-exclusive. I prefer the exclusive option. The royalty percentage is higher and I prefer to have all my books and audiobooks sold in one place.

Next, click save and continue to move on to the final section in the process.

Step 15: Review and post

Ok, now we are on to the third and final step of creating an audiobook using ACX: Review and post.

Click “Post to ACX” so narrators can pick up your script and start auditioning for your audio book. The sooner you do this, the better!

Step 16: Review auditions

Now comes the fun part; narrators will start auditioning for your audiobook. You will receive an email notification each time a new audition comes through. I usually wait about 5 days to let them come in. If you have a specific narrator in mind, you can invite them to audition for your book.

Step 17: Click on New Auditions

To listen to the auditions, log in to your ACX profile and click “new auditions’ in the top menu bar.

Step 18: Listen to unheard auditions

You will find all the auditions you haven’t listened to yet in the right sidebar.

The listening process is simple on ACX. Click on the play button to listen to the audition and then click either “like” or “dislike” depending on your preference.

Step 19: Set your schedule

Once you have decided which narrator you want to use, and alerted them, set your schedule to indicate what timeframe they have to work within. This must include edits and correction time.

Step 20: Choose a payment method

This is where you decide whether to choose a royalty share or pay for production method. So if you were previously unsure and selected both, this is when you will need to make your decision. Discuss it with your narrator to see what suits both of you best.

If you’re paying, you have to coordinate with your narrator and most likely pay via PayPal. If you select the royalty share option, ACX will handle it.

Before you send your payment proposal off, click “preview” to check it’s correct.

Step 21: Send offer

Once you are happy with your payment proposal, click “send offer” to send it off to your narrator.

Step 22: Send your narrator the manuscript

Once your narrator has accepted your offer, the first step in your collaboration is to send them the manuscript for your audio book. Click “In Production projects” to bring up the tab below.

Here you can select the manuscript you wish to send your narrator. Click on the title and then click browse to upload it. Your manuscript must either be in Word, PDF, or TXT format.

Your manuscript will then have been sent to your narrator. Now you need to wait for them to review it and record the first 15 minutes which they will then upload for your approval.

Step 23: The first 15 minutes are ready for you to hear

Your narrator will review your manuscript and record the first 15 minutes of your audiobook as a sample for you to listen to. You will receive an email notification when it is ready for you.

Step 24: Listen to the first 15 minutes

Click “play” to listen to the recording and select “approve” if you are happy with it. If you have queries or concerns about it, you can click “send message” to contact your narrator.

Once you have listened to the recording and clicked “approve”, sit back and relax. You will need to wait for your narrator to finish recording the rest of your audiobook. You can check the “produce audiobook” tab to see if any files have been uploaded.

Step 25: Create or upload your cover

While you are waiting for your narrator to finish recording your book, you can create your audiobook cover. The image and technical requirements can be seen above.

Step 26: Covert book cover to ACX format

I use Fiverr to convert my cover images to ACX format.

Step 27: Upload cover art

Once I have converted my image and saved it to my computer, I click here to upload my cover image.

Step 28: Do a final review

You will receive an email notification when your audiobook is ready for a final review. Click on the link to open it up.

Listen to each chapter separately by pressing the play button on the track you want to hear. If you’re not quite satisfied with it yet, you can request more changes from your narrator.

Otherwise, if it’s good to go,  click “approve audiobook”.

Step 29: Wait for the quality assurance checks

Once you have confirmed the audiobook, you will receive an e-mail with the above information. This clearly lays out what the next steps will be. You just have to confirm your bank information and wait.

Step 30: Your audiobook is now live

(Image Screenshot for amazon)

A week or two later, you will get an email confirming that your audiobook is now live on Amazon and Audible!

Once your audiobook is live, make it a habit to regularly check back to yourdashboard to see how your sales are doing.

Key-takeaways

Making an audiobook using ACX is a great way to stand out in a competitive market. You can reach a whole new marketspace of Audible listeners and cater to customers who prefer listening to audiobooks rather than trying to make time in their busy schedules for reading. Providing both ebooks and audiobooks (and paperbacks too!) boosts your professional image as an author and adds another stream to your passive income.

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Reblog: 33 of the Creepiest Lines in Literature

Original post by Buzzfeed here.

1. “Even the dead tell stories.”

—Marcus Sedgwick, Revolver 

Suggested by Tallulahmac

2. “Of all of them there at the bar that night, the bartender was the one who survived the longest. He died three weeks later on the road out of the city.”

—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven 

Suggested by caitlinm18

3. “The man screamed and clawed frantically, like a drowning swimmer. The screaming filled the universe.”

—Ray Bradbury, Kaleidoscope 

Suggested by Jonny Lim

4. “With a mocking smile, he placed one hand upon my shoulder and, holding me tight, bared my throat with the other, saying as he did so: “First, a little refreshment to reward my exertions.”

—Bram Stoker, Dracula 

Suggested by Amy Wildman on Facebook

5. “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.”

—Kurt Vonnegut

Suggested by kellym4af8fad7c

7. “But when the interrogator with less shiny shoes pressed the eel, teeth first, between the imam’s pale buttocks, it could be nothing else.”

—Anthony Marra, A Constellation of Vital Phenomea 

Suggested by sahelc

8. “For a moment she remained trembling and reeling to and fro upon the threshold, then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death-agonies, bore him to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated.”

—Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher 

Suggested by haleyb4d0121d3f

10. ” At the same time a light unexpectedly sprang up, and I saw Carmilla, standing, near the foot of my bed, in her white nightdress, bathed, from her chin to her feet, in one great stain of blood.”

—Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla 

Suggested by jennywintersb

11. “She thought she heard a sound behind her—fragile, skittering. Amelia turned.

The sound had stopped. She felt a chill move up the backs of her legs. “It’s He Who

Kills,” she said with a smile.”

—Richard Matheson, Prey 

Suggested by tristinam

12. “There were times when John Wade wanted to open up Kathy’s belly and crawl inside and stay there forever. He wanted to swim through her blood and climb up and down her spine and drink from her ovaries and press his guns against the firm red muscle of her heart.”

—Tim O’Brien, In The Lake Of The Woods 

Suggested by kelseyanne7

14. “A cold hand fell on Louis’s shoulder. Rachel’s voice was grating, full of dirt ‘Darling’ it said.”

—Stephen King, Pet Semetary 

Suggested by linnea11

15. “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled …”

—Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal 

Suggested by jamie102

16. “There were worse things than crucifixion. There were teeth.”

—Stephen King, The Stand 

Suggested by chrisw43af8432e

18. “Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.”

—William Faulkner, A Rose For Emily 

Suggested by kaleidoscopemind

19. “I thought that Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment that I cut his throat.” 

—Truman Capote, In Cold Blood 

Suggested by Cecily Bohanek on Facebook

20. “Wandless, helpless, Pettigrew’s pupils dilated in terror. His eyes had slid from Harry’s face to something else. His own silver fingers were moving inexorably toward his own throat.” 

—JK Rowling, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows 

Suggested by Tatiana Hernandez on Facebook

22. “I sent letters to the families of every service member who laid down his or her life in the war on terror. By the end of my presidency, I had written to almost five thousand families.” 

—George W. Bush Decision Points 

Suggested by Chuck Haint on Facebook

23. “Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying ‘End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH’, the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry.”

—Terry Pratchett, Thief Of Time 

Suggested by Trenton Taylor on Facebook

24. “Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks. Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns.”

— Elie Weisel, Night 

Suggested by Jo Sam on Facebook

26. “Yesterday, upon the stair,

I met a man who wasn’t there

He wasn’t there again today

I wish, I wish he’d go away…” 

—Hughes Mearns Antigonish 

Suggested by Kristy Hopper on Facebook

27. “He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.”

—Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque Of The Red Death 

Suggested by Gabi Bisconti on Facebook

28. “I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed: when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.” 

—Mary Shelley, Frankenstein 

Suggested by Suzanne Shedd on Facebook

29. “…I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”

— Psalm 23:4 

Suggested byGabby Arzola on Facebook

31. “I would imagine being tied up and put in a haystack while someone put the dry, stale straw ablaze. I would picture it perfectly while rocking on my hand. The daydream was about struggling to get free while the fire burned hotter and closer. I am not sure if I came when the fire reached me or after I had imagined escaping it. But I came. I orgasmed on my hand to the dream of fire.”

—Dorothy Allison, Bastard Out Of Carolina 

Suggested by Julie McCartney on Facebook

32. “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”

—H.P. Lovecraft, The Call Of Cthulhu 

Suggested by Jared Johnson on Facebook

33. “It occurred to me that this might be the bed used by the resident of the house, whose monstrous anatomy was revealed obliquely by this object in much the way the anatomy of an animal, or a god, may be known by the shadow it casts.”

—Jorge Luis Borges, There Are More Things 

Suggested by Encyclopedia Brown on Facebook