Salt and Sage Books's Blog

At Salt & Sage Books, we are constantly trying to figure out new ways to do business and provide more of a consistent experience for our clients. This month, that means we’ve nailed down some new offerings!I���f you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll recognize most of these.

How do we create art when the world is falling apart?T���his blog post accompanies our podcast episode, How to Create When Your World is Falling Apart.Some of us might struggle with survivor guilt. What right to we have to enjoy the capstone activity of Maslow���s hierarchy of needs when other people can���t access food, shelter, and safety?

T���his blog post accompanies our podcast episode, The Ten Year Novel.T���he ten year novel. That book that you can’t finish; the one that’s haunted you for years and years. It might be your first, it might be your fifteenth, but we’ve all experienced the pull of a story we can’t quite finish.

���What���s in a name?��� Roses, sweet smells, yada yada��� but really, how do you decide what to name your characters?��Maybe you���re one of those authors whose characters spring forth fully formed from your head, �� la Zeus. (Are you there, dad? It���s me, Athena.) Maybe you love names, scouring baby books for meaningful names; and maybe you hate naming your characters.

Is your name easy to spell? Easy to pronounce? Here���s how to tell: go to a coffee shop. Tell them your name, and watch for that tiny flicker in the barista���s eye.Erin���s writing this one, and guess what? The worst I���ve ever gotten was Aaron.

We’ve all been there���staring at a blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, that cursor blinking on an empty page like Sauron���s eye.Okay, maybe that���s a bit over-the-top, but talk to any reader you know who has stared at a blank page for hours, and you���d be surprised how many of them would agree!

W���e all know the trope: Jessica woke up to her alarm clock. She stood in front of her full-length mirror in her bedroom and noted her icy blue eyes. Her luxurious chestnut hair glistened in the morning light.And on and on and on. It���s a faux pas at this point to start your story with the character looking in the mirror; some editors even say that it���s a red flag for a beginning writer.

���If you want to feel afraid, you sure can. We will sit with you and be your friend. You can be a rough draft of a person.��� - Sachiko SuzukiAt Salt and Sage Books, we are obviously on Team Sensitivity Reader. We think that hiring a sensitivity reader is one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, and supportive things that you can do as an author, especially if you care about social justice, inclusion, and equity.

Did you know that Salt and Sage Books has a podcast? Well, now you do! We launched Rough Drafts Welcome on October 11, 2023 with the goal of discussing sensitivity reading, editing, and all things writing.Now, we know that you probably already have a hundred podcasts that you listen to regularly���we know that we do!

T���his blog post is an adaptation of a presentation given by Erin Olds; it aims to shed light on the intricate processes of beta and sensitivity reading.Our Approach This is how Salt and Sage Books approach these tasks. You will undoubtedly find other editors and editorial houses who approach beta and sensitivity reading differently.