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Editing and design for your self-published book
Sea Leaf Book Editing can help you
get your book ready for publication.
“Editing should be ... a counselling rather than a collaborating task.
The tendency of the writer-editor to collaborate is natural, but he should say
to himself, ‘How can I help this writer to say it better in his own style?’
and avoid ‘How can I show him how I would write it, if it were my piece?”
― James Thurber
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Take a peek at the new Chicago Manual of Style
What goes on a copyright page? Does the question mark go inside or outside the quotation marks? Do I capitalize French fries? ...
Shelagh Clancy
Oct 3, 20241 min read
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The best book festival this fall
Show off your books and meet other authors at the Cape Fear Book Festival at New Hanover County Library’s Main Branch. On Friday,...
Shelagh Clancy
Sep 8, 20241 min read
23 views
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Myrna Brown’s Latest Takes to the Sky
Get ready to soar with former Wilmingtonian Myrna Brown’s latest novel, Harold’s Field: Barnstormers on the Frontiers of Flight. Set in...
Shelagh Clancy
Jan 7, 20241 min read
29 views
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Just in Time for Christmas!
Books make the best holiday gifts, right? A brand-new book, Hello, Wilmington, is just right for the smaller set. Author Amanda Hofmann...
Shelagh Clancy
Nov 28, 20231 min read
54 views
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Write a Love Letter Today
Love notes are secret. They’re wrapped up with a sandwich in the lunchbox. They’re tied with ribbon and hidden in a chest in the attic....
Shelagh Clancy
Sep 25, 20232 min read
13 views
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Copyrighting Your Book in the Age of AI
Your book is copyrighted as soon as you write it. Really—look it up. Because of this, many self-publishing authors don’t bother with a...
Shelagh Clancy
Jul 29, 20231 min read
67 views
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What’s in a Name?
Ah, life, what is it but a flower? —A. E. Housman June is National Rose Month and warrants a visit to your local rose garden. Enjoy the...
Shelagh Clancy
Jun 6, 20232 min read
16 views
0 comments


Faraway Friends Are Pen Pals
Imagine walking to the mailbox to pick up today’s letters. Imagine sifting through the credit card offers, oil change cards, and bills....
Shelagh Clancy
May 31, 20231 min read
12 views
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Submit Your Book By May 31
The North Carolina Author Project is a way for libraries to help independent, self-published authors get the recognition they deserve....
Shelagh Clancy
Apr 30, 20231 min read
27 views
0 comments


Audio Tales for Self-Published Authors
In a sea of new books, readers look for any fresh angle to grab onto. And some of these readers aren’t even reading—they’re listening....
Shelagh Clancy
Mar 2, 20232 min read
47 views
0 comments


Barbershop at the Beach
Beach Music: Stories of a Barbershop Quartet is a collection of fun, memorable, and entertaining vignettes from fifteen years of singing...
Shelagh Clancy
Jan 19, 20231 min read
35 views
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Literary Passwords You Can Remember
We need to fend off online scams and hacks with more than wishful thinking: We need strong passwords. But how in the world can we...
Shelagh Clancy
Jan 6, 20231 min read
63 views
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Writing Your New Year’s Resolutions
Do you—like most people—fail to keep New Year’s resolutions? You can still try. Write your resolutions down and tape them to the wall....
Shelagh Clancy
Dec 31, 20221 min read
9 views
0 comments


Three Gifts for Writers
Help steer your loved ones away from fruitcake and toward something inspiring for 2023: Send them a link to this page with three gifts...
Shelagh Clancy
Dec 5, 20221 min read
17 views
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Across the Board
In the specialized world of cookbook writing there are many nooks and crannies. Walk through the cookbook section of a chain bookstore...
Shelagh Clancy
Apr 25, 20222 min read
20 views
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Of Terrorists and Tourists
I was driving the back roads of North Carolina’s Sandhills when my passenger Ana, age 10, asked me what a terrorist was. “They’re bad...
Shelagh Clancy
Jan 4, 20222 min read
16 views
0 comments


Keep Calm and Query On
If you’re like most authors, you’re interested in the part of writing a book where you actually write. When your book is finished, you...
Shelagh Clancy
Jun 28, 20212 min read
6 views
0 comments


What Makes a Memoir Fun to Read?
Some people have fascinating stories that make riveting memoirs. But everyone has a story, and some people are better than others at...
Shelagh Clancy
Oct 11, 20202 min read
12 views
0 comments


Every Dog Will Have his Day
Here in Wilmington, N.C., we are old hands at hurricane preparation. Cape Fear sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean like a dare. Sea Leaf...
Shelagh Clancy
Sep 5, 20191 min read
12 views
0 comments


Thoughts from Across the Pond
Thoughts from Across the Pond
New writing rules ruffle feathers in the House of Commons.
Shelagh Clancy
Jul 27, 20192 min read
17 views
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