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About Tom Collins

Here at Master Book Builders, I'm known as the "Book Artisan" -- the guy who takes over to help with your book design and publishing steps, after you and Yvonne finish writing, editing, and polishing your book manuscript. As a writer myself, I usually chime in with a suggestion here or there. Since reading your book is inherent in my layout process, I bring that understanding of your message to your cover design, as well. And then I help with many of the tech and "author business" tasks in the publishing and marketing phases, constantly learning as the industry evolves. I try to share some of that learning in my blog posts, too.

featured image for blog post by Tom Collins, entitled Page Layout: Designing for Marginalia, with image and quote of Mortimer Adler, 'Marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love'

Page Layout: Designing for Marginalia

How — and more importantly, WHY — should your book be designed for marginalia? And what are the two flavors of marginalia to be accommodated?

By Tom Collins September 27, 2023 Book Design, Books, Flawsomism, Marginalia, Reading, Writing
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featured image for blog post, Poet Warriors: Books are Weapons in the War of Ideas, by Tom Collins

Poet Warriors: Books are Weapons in the War of Ideas

What does the phrase “poet warrior” mean to you? Learn more about its origins and what books mean to soldiers.

By Tom Collins September 13, 2023 Books, Learning, Reading
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featured image for blog post, Share the JOY of reading with a child, by Tom Collins

Share the JOY of reading with a child

Answer my call to arms for those you care about and help them see why reading remains so important to their future. Especially the kids in your life.

By Tom Collins August 31, 2023 Books, Health & Happiness, Learning, Reading
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featured image for blog post, [TfTi] 30 more quotes on books to inspire writers and readers, by Tom Collins

[TfTi] 30 more quotes on books to inspire writers and readers

This Tips from Tom’s inbox entry was itself inspired, once again, by James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter, with a subject line that read in part: “the value of books.” How can we resist?

By Tom Collins August 17, 2023 Books, Learning, Tips from Tom's inbox, Writing
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feature image for blog post, Surprise! A sneak peek at our Perfectionism Survey data

Surprise: A Sneak Peek at the Perfectionism Survey Data for our upcoming book

Surprise: A Sneak Peek at the Perfectionism Survey Data for our upcoming book, I Am Perfectly Flawsome Have you noticed how much chatter there is […]

By Tom Collins August 3, 2023 Books, Health & Happiness, Learning
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featured image for a blog post, Yes, the Future of Messaging includes Writing (and 10 Tips to Help with Yours, by Tom Collins

Yes, the Future of Messaging Includes Writing (and 10 Tips to Help Yours)

When I started the layout work on Chapter 10, “Ten Simple Tips to Eliminate Copywriter’s Frustration,” I had to stop and share a glimpse with you.

By Tom Collins July 20, 2023 Books, Business & Entrepreneurship, Learning, Writing
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featured image for blog post, The Indie Advantage

The Indie Advantage

In a recent post I compared the author’s investment in the three main publishing models, labeling them Indie, Hybrid, and Traditional. Here I want to […]

By Tom Collins July 6, 2023 Books, Business & Entrepreneurship, Indie Publishing
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featured image for blog post, What is it about Librarians?

What is it about Librarians?

This edition of Marginalia is dedicated to librarians, those beautiful souls who are dedicated to books and sharing them with everyone, and inspired by Brianna Labuskes’ new historical novel, The Librarian of Burned Books.

By Tom Collins June 23, 2023 Books, Learning, Marginalia
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What’s Your Cut? Understanding the Amazon KDP Print Cost Changes

What’s Your Cut? Understanding the Amazon KDP Print Cost Changes

Don’t be caught off guard by Amazon KDP’s printing cost changes coming June 20, 2023. Learn what’s happening and what you should do about it, now and going forward.

By Tom Collins June 9, 2023 Books, Business & Entrepreneurship, Indie Publishing, Marketing your book, Tools & Technology
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banner image for blog post showing surprised writer pointing at her computer with text, 'Surprise yourself with the life you're writing'

[TfTi] Writing Yourself Into Their Lives; and other useful bits

In this week’s Tips from Tom’s inbox, I’ve gathered a wider set than I usually include, and consequently our dives will be a bit shallower. […]

By Tom Collins May 25, 2023 Learning, Tips from Tom's inbox, Tools & Technology, Writing
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Recent Blog Posts

  • AI Update: Copyright and Thoughts on the Authors Guild “Human Authored” Certification
  • Is Your Book Idea Really a Book? 5 Tests for First‑Time Authors Before You Write a Single Chapter.
  • What Can a Virtual Book Tour Do for Indie Authors?
  • Are You Ready? 7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Editor, Hit Upload, Or Start Marketing Your Book.
  • Reading and Writing as Dementia Defense
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