John Hewitt’s Writing Tips: Exigence
January 31, 2006
Lloyd F. Bitzer in his essay, The Rhetorical Situation, writes that “exigence is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be.” Exigence is one of the crucial elements of writing. No matter what you write, an essay, a poem, a story, a screenplay, you should keep in mind what needs or gaps your work addresses.
Yes, you can write just because you want to write, but if you want anyone to read it, you must consider what need of theirs your work can fill. Why should someone else take the time to read (or watch) what you written? When you have a clear idea of why you are writing it gives you a greater ability to focus on what you are writing.
Exigence is at the root of audience analysis, but it takes place at a more basic level. Is your goal to entertain? Is your goal to enlighten? If someone picks up your work and reads it from beginning to end, how will it have benefited them? Will they have considered their time well spent or a waste? What do you want them to think about once they have finished reading?
These are key questions that you should ask yourself when you are starting a new work. If you can’t satisfactorily answer the question of why you are writing it, then you can’t give your audience a good reason why they should read it.
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: PageFree Publishing
January 17, 2006
I must begin my review of PageFree Publishing (pagefreepublishing.com) with a plea for them to get rid of their splash page. Only web designers and art majors like splash pages. Web surfers want content, not a picture of a forest. Making visitors sit through a splash screen is a waste of time and an easy way to drive away customers.
PageFree Publishing has a good reputation in the industry. They began in the nineties as a multimedia e-book publisher but then moved into POD. They offer distribution though the standard online channels including bn.com, borders.com, amazon.com, Ingram Distribution and Baker & Taylor. They do not screen their manuscripts for quality. Whether your book is good enough is up to you. This also means their imprint name, Lightning Source, will not impress anyone.
The most basic publishing package for strictly paperback printing is $299. This includes document formatting by them and covers up to a 70,000 word document. It does not include free copies, but does include an ISBN number and bar coding (allowing bookstores to order and stock your book). For extra fees you can get services such as basic editing, in-depth editing, indexing, keyboarding, illustration and marketing. Basic editing starts at $175.
You, not the company, are responsible for setting the retail price. PageFree Publishing will simply charge you a base fee for the books. Because the fee per book will vary according to word/page length, giving a set price per book is difficult, but typical “printing cost” for a 200 page book appears to be $9. If you use the standard 40% markup this would price your book at about $15. This isn’t a bargain but it is in line with most other POD publishers.
Overall, PageFree Publishing is a solid option for people seeking POD with a reasonable entry price. They are not a large or influential company, but they seem to deliver what they promise. There is no apparent option for selling your book through their site, but with a splash screen entry like theirs, I doubt many people would buy straight from then anyway.
2/5/2006
Please note, since publishing this review a commentor has indicated that they have had many problems with Pagefree Publishing. If anyone else has had a problem with this publisher, feel free to leave a comment. — John
See also:
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: Books by Bookends
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: iUniverse
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: Xlibris
