Avoid Handwaving to Cover Story Flaw – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 21, 2026

Craft of Writing: Avoid Handwaving to Cover Story Flaw
Sometimes when a car salesman has a shoddy vehicle to sell, he tries to distract you from the flaw by pointing out something that’s good – like turning up the radio and raving about the great sound system so you don’t hear the engine knock. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Advice: How to Design Your Paperback Cover
Most potential readers of your paperback will see its front cover before anything written about it. It may be the thumbnail of your book cover that’s online or the cover facing forward on a bookstore shelf. If that cover compels them to read the book blurb or opening lines, you are a step closer to making a sale. How do you create a great cover for your book? My book Design Your Paperback Cover answers that question. It starts with what software/apps you need to design a cover, moves on to the cover’s various elements, and finally looks at uploading it to a print on demand company like Kindle Direct Publishing. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Create Successful Story by Staging It
To write a successful fiction story, you want to achieve what sometimes is referred to among writers as “staging” – that is, giving scenes such vividness that the characters and setting appear to pop right out of the book and appear before the reader. If that really happened, you’d be transfixed by the scene being played before you. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: When Formatting, Establish a Paragraph Style
When formatting your paperback to be self-published, you need to determine your paragraph style. This is a major decision to make, as the style you choose signals readers that a new paragraph has begun. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: What are the Start-up Costs when Self-Publishing?
When starting a business so you can self-publish a book, you’ll likely need to purchase materials so you can write. These start-up costs are the expenses you incur before you actually begin business operations. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Build a Website to Promote Your New Book
When an editor or marketing expert tells you to get a website for promoting your book, you probably have one of two reactions: 1) “I can’t afford that” or 2) “I haven’t a clue how to do that; I wouldn’t know who to contact, and I can’t build one myself because I don’t understand anything about web page design or this html code I vaguely recall is needed to construct a website.” This editor is here to tell you that there’s no need to worry. For very little money, you easily can build a website with just limited knowledge of how they’re constructed or how they work. READ MORE

“Closure” by J.L. Avant
If you’re looking for a novel with some depth to it, check out J.L. Avant’s “Closure,” which I edited a couple of years ago. “Closure” tells the story of Roy Englund, who is an addict, an outcast, and a captive. A brief encounter with Angela Taylor seems like an opportunity for hope…until they are torn apart. Years later, new circumstances keep Roy hostage and frustrated with his life. When Angela comes back into the picture, Roy’s scars manifest, leading him to extremes beyond any closure he could hope to gain. CHECK IT OUT

$25 Off Your Next Edit!
For being a newsletter subscriber, please take $25 off your next edit with Inventing Reality Editing Service. When scheduling your edit, be sure to mention you’re a subscriber and give the email where you received this newsletter. Minimum order of $200. Offer expires July 28, 2026. SCHEDULE EDIT

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of both aspiring and published writers and offers a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 425 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of a novel, the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, four children’s books, more than 25 bestselling hiking guidebooks, and even a book of poetry. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.