Critters Readers' Poll results for 4RV

 

 

    Several people and publications from 4RV Publishing were nominated in Critters Readers' Poll, and voting finished January 14. The final results gave our nominees some room to brag a bit.

    First place book editor went to Cheryl Malandrios, an editor much in demand at 4RV and other places. She shares her time with being a top realtor and helping authors make their books the best possible.

 

    The other first place went to 4RV for having the best online bookstore, thanks to webmaster Aidana WillowRaven and her assistant Elizabeth Morgan.

      Cheryl Malandrios also took a second place in Children's Books with her book A Christmas Kindness, illustrated by Caroline Mabey.

  

    The hosts didn't change the year on the digital seals for those that placed in the top 10 without taking first place, but we will share them anyway. Jeanne Conway placed 2nd in the Best Artist category. She has illustrated several children's books for 4RV including Merry Tilda, Wild, Wild Wind, and the Louie the Duck books.

    

     Borrowed Time by Rita Durrett placed 2nd in Young Adult Book. Rita's book is one of the newer releases from 4RV.

                                                   

     For Best Other Novel, novels not covered by genre, Dust of Lies by G. K. Davenport took 2nd. The book also took 2nd place in Best Book Cover Artwork. Steve Daniels created the art for the cover.

 

 

     Another second place, Vivian Zabel came in 2nd in the Best Author division. Her books can be found on 4rvpublishing.com, as can books by other authors.

    Shawn Simon, a step-mother herself, received 2nd place in Best Nonfiction Book with her book Stepping into a New Role: Stories from Step Moms. For those already step-parents or who are about to become one, this book provides a handy guide.

    Finally, the lowest rank any 4RV received was in the Book Publisher category. The company received a 6th place, but still finished in the top 10. 

    For more information about 4RV, about submissions, about books and authors, about writing style, visit the 4RV website.

4RV Participates in Jingle Jam

                 Every year, the Piedmont, Oklahoma school district holds a Christmas market called Jingle Jam the first Saturday of December to raise money to help teachers with their classroom expenses. Thanks to Wayne Harris-Wyrick, our staff member with a slew of positions, 4RV is notified and has participated the past two years. This year, we were represented again December 1. Dianna Street, managing vp, Wayne, vehoae, and Kathleen Gibbs represented 4RV. Our friendly, helpful mascot, Morgan Street, also attended.

Wayne Harris-Wyrick with his books

Dianna Street behind one table

On left, Morgan Street.  Above,vehoae and Kathleen Gibbs

        



       

        Books by all 4RV authors can be found on the 4RV Bookstore,

and most are available through other online stores and brick and mortar stores. 

       Books make perfect Christmas presents, gifts that continue to keep giving.

My 4RV Favorites

When searching for a publisher for your work, it's important to get to know them; see what they publish, read some of their books, figure out how your work might fit. I followed 4RV Publishing for years before I sent them my manuscript that became A Christmas Kindness. This gave me a chance to review several of  their titles. Here are a few of my favorites.

Eighth grade starts out the same as every other year for Breeze Brannigan. Then she meets Cam, the new boy in school whospeaks with an accent and must be from another planet, for none of the earthling boys she knows are so polite. He also has a secret, a secret that could mean life or death for Cam and his mother and that Breeze must help him keep.

For months, Breeze Brannigan has heard nothing from Cam, the prince she met at school and who disappeared one night without telling her goodbye. The night she graduates from middle school, however, he contacts her and invites her to visit Isla del Fuego, his home. Who could refuse such an invitation?

Breeze, along with her whole family and best friends, Amy and Allison, soon sail to the island, where she and Cam renew their friendship. But, danger lurks; a legend comes to life; and Breeze finds herself in the middle of a battle that can have only one winner.

Which has the better chance of helping, a wish or a prayer?

Joseph and his wife, Mary, expect a baby. With all that is happening, including the government requiring a census, Joseph feels a little overwhelmed and a bit left out of the preparations for the baby. Is there something he can do?

Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of Little Shepherd, A Christmas Kindness, Macaroni and Cheese for Thanksgiving and the recently released, Amos Faces His Bully. A blogger and book reviewer, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters. She also has a son who is married. Visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com and her children’s book blog at https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com

Life on Hold awarded Children's Literary Classics Silver Seal

         4RV Publishing received notice that Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure was awarded Children's Literary Classics' Silver Seal. All authors of children's and young adult books should seek this honor.

    Literary Classics, believes literature is a critical component in the development of young minds. Through well-crafted literature, they foster creative thinking, enhance word recognition, improve cognitive skills, and help achieve a greater understanding of people and the world around us. 

     Literary Classics provides book reviews for children's and young adult books.  They also offer an international book award program and endorse exceptional literature through their Literary Classics Seal of Approval (a gold seal and a silver seal per category). Life on Hold met the high standards and received the silver seal.

        Congratulations to Beverly, and she has more books in the works. 

           4RV now has two books with CLC Silver Seals: Life on Hold and Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi, illustrated by Aidana WillowRaven (who also created the cover for Life on Hold). Both books can be found on the 4RV Bookstore.

Using Pinterest as a Marketing Tool

By: Stephanie Burkhart

Social media sites are a great way to attract new readers and Pinterest is one of the fastest growing sites today.

What is Pinterest? Is it free?

Yes, Pinterest is free. While Twitter and Facebook focus on words, Pinterest attracts your attention by using pictures and graphics. Pinterest is mainly about collecting and sharing. Think of it as an online scrapbook.

What can you collect on Pinterest?

Anything. There are two ways to do it. Upload a picture from your computer, or re-pin a picture using the "pin it" button that you can add onto your tool bar.

Boards

You can have multiple "scrapbooking" boards, and name them whatever you want after your own interests.

How can Pinterest work for me as an author?

You can create a board named after your book and those pictures that have inspired the setting – a landscape, an actor, or an item featured in the story. You can pin the book's trailer or anything else that is relevant to the novel.  Don't limit yourself. Say you like to cook, too. Pin up your recipes on your board, too. By pinning a new recipe every week, you'll keep your followers checking in. Sharing recipes is very popular, but you can also share jewelry, candles, soap, and baby ideas.

Some Interesting Stats:

Pinterest is popular because of the simplicity of its design.

80% of its users are women.

There are 11 million unique visitors a month.

In the US, people are 70% more likely to buy a product if they find it through Pinterest.

I've got no time. How do I fit Pinterest in?

Set up a social media "plan. Say you can only fit an hour in for marketing. What's a necessity? Emails? Blogging? Facebook? Twitter? Triberr? Pinterest? Budget your time and stick to it. A little pays off. Plan 15 minutes for emails, blogging, Facebook, and Pinterest.  The next day: Emails, Triberr/Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.  A constant, active presence attracts followers.

Question: Are you on Pinterest? Share your Pinterest link. What do you like about the site? Any misc. thoughts to share?

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She lives in Castaic, CA and has two young sons. She adores chocolate and is addicted to coffee. Her books with 4RV Publishing include: The Giving Meadow and 1^st Flag of NH.

First Flag of New Hampshire:

Can Alyssa and Miguel find the first flag of New Hampshire before time is up?

My Pinterest Link:

http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

Links for 1^st Flag of New Hampshire:

http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/burkhart.php

Amazon:

http://amzn.com/0983801835

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-flag-of-new-hampshire-stephanie-burkhart/1109218791?ean=9780983801832

Avoid Telling the Truth about the Author

by Vivian Zabel 

     Searching my notes, lesson plans, and textbooks for idea to help make writing stronger, better, and more powerful, I found a collection of different tips, all which are helpful.  However, these are just a few possibilities; I am writing an article, not a book.  From Writer's Digest, page 12, a quote from G.K. Chesterton sums up the need for these ideas: "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author."

     Although, the quote mentions a novel, any fiction writing can be inserted. Let's look at some things that help our writing tell the truth about its hero and not about the author.

     Use correct grammar, including punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. One area where the lack of the author appears is the way quotation marks are used or misused. Note the following tips:

1. Quotation marks set off dialogue. A quote within a quote uses single marks: "John said, 'You're all wrong.'"

2. Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks, whether single or double marks: "I really don't understand what you mean," John replied. "Mary said, 'You left the door unlocked.'"

3. If dialogue from the same speaker continues from one paragraph to the next, do not use end quotation marks until the end of the final paragraph of speech. Do use opening quotes at the beginning of each paragraph of dialogue. Remember that each time a different person speaks, a new paragraph is needed.

     That just a few tips concerning quotation marks. A good reference for punctuation should be checked for others. According to Writer's Digest, November 2005, "Written dialogue and nonfiction quotes need structure so your readers can easily follow the story - and using quotation marks incorrectly can cause a lot of confusion."

     Another area of grammar that often is misused is the prepositions between, among, and amongst. One of my pet peeves is hearing or reading "just between John and I" or "just between you and I." Between, just as among, is a preposition but used between two people or objects, requiring the object form of a pronoun. Therefore, the correct usage is between John and me or between you and me. Among requires more than two objects or people. Amongst is archaic, meaning it's no longer used. Between or among should be used instead.
 
     In fact, anytime a pronoun is the object of a preposition, the pronoun should be the objective case: me, us, him, her, them.  You is used for both the nominative case (subject) and objective case.

     Avoid those exclamation marks! They should be used rarely, seldom in fact, and then only in dialogue. If a author has written well, then no attention is needed to announce something is important.

      I've been asked why an author shouldn't use cliches, generalities, or stereotypes in writing. According to William G. Tapply, in "Don't be a SHOWOFF," The Writer, November 2005, page 20: "Cliches . . . . call unwarranted attention to the lazy, uncreative writer. Banish them from your writing."

     Not only do strong active verbs add to one's writing, but so do nouns that create strong images, colorful ideas, and/or precise people, places, and things. (Constance Hale, The Writer, November 2005, page 38}.

I hope the tips I've given help you make your heroes and writing stronger and better. Writing in itself is full of action and adventure.  We don’t need to make reading more hazardous than necessary.


Sources:
1. The Writer, November, 2005
2. Writer’s Digest, November, 2005
3. Various grammar textbooks
4.  Notes and lesson plans from Vivian Zabel

4RV Bookstore 
4RV Publishing 

Book Review for Porcupine's Seeds

     From time to time, The Midwest Book Review will post a review of one of 4RV Publishing's books. The January 2013 issue of their online book review magazine "Children's Bookwatch" features Porcupine's Seeds, written by Viji K Chary and illustrated by Bridget McKinna. The review is found on the Picture Book Shelf for January.

    Reviews are not only posted on their website, and archived for five years, but they are also provided to libraries and book review indexes. Below is the review as printed on The Midwest Book Review website.

Porcupine's Seeds
Viji K. Chary, author
Bridget McKenna, illustrator
World of Inc Network
4RV Publishing LLC
P,O, Box 6482, Edmond, OK 73083
9780983801849, $14.99, www.4rvpublishingllc.com

"Porcupine's Seeds" is a magical teaching story, or fable about Porcupine and his attempt to grown sunflowers from seeds. Porcupine loves to visit the garden of his friend, Raccoon. He plays in the grass, eats apricots from the tree, and listens to the fountain's water sounds. Porcupine wishes he could grow a garden, but he has a brown thumb. Raccoon gives him some sunflower seeds, telling him they just need soil, water, and sunshine to grow. Porcupine has many amusing adventures attempting to plant his seeds where they will grow just right. Finally Porcupine gives up in despair, because he dropped the pot full of planted sunflower seeds and it broke. This is where the magic comes in. As time goes by, Porcupine finds that 5 sunflower seedlings have sprouted in his garden where the pot broke. Porcupine waters the sunflowers faithfully, and one day Skunk admires Porcupine's blossoming sunflowers. Eccentric, unusual color illustrations of Porcupine and his friends and garden make the humorous narrative even more memorable. "Porcupine's Seeds" is perfect to appeal to children ages 6-9.

     Porcupine's Seeds can be found through most brick 'n mortar stores, most online bookstores, and the 4RV Bookstore.

Reading to Improve Writing

by Vivian Zabel 

    Anyone who has attended classes about writing or who has been in sessions at conferences or who has read books or magazines about writing came across the adage at least once: "To be a good writer, read, read, read, read."

   I know what at least one reader thinks, "How can I learn anything if what I'm reading isn't worth reading?" Good question. However, reading bad writing can help a person become a better writer IF he realizes the writing isn't good. He can learn what or how not to write.

       Now, back to reading helping people become better writers.   When I took composition classes in college, I often became frustrated with all the reading I had to do, story after story after story, many times thousands of pages per assignment. Yet, as we discussed the stories and what made them interesting, or what didn’t, I was learning how to write. Even today, as I read and review on Writing.Com and for NovelSpot, I learn more about what makes a good story and what doesn’t. In fact every time I read someone else's work, I learn and share.

         I used the reading, discussion, and then writing idea when I taught, too. I tried to highlight one or two concepts per story, then had the students write something using those concepts and any others we had already covered. First, however, came reading and reading and reading.

        As I read the September, 2005, issue of The Writer, I discovered an article by Erika Dreifus titled “Learning short-story writing by example." She agrees with my university professors and me: “We learn by reading closely and reading as writers – attending to the ways others employ the elements of fiction: setting, plot, character, theme, and so on.”

        So where can a person find short stories to study, ones that will help him or her learn correct story writing? Of course books of short stories are found in all book stores. In fact, Holly Jahangiri and I have a collection of short stories for sale on the 4RV Bookstore, Amazon, and through brick 'n mortar stores, Hidden Lies and Other Stories. Plus many bookstores connected to colleges have anthologies for sale. If someone couldn’t afford to buy a new anthology or collection, used bookstores or libraries carry them. Using the library's copy is free.
 

      The best help found in reading to learn to write is to read well-written stories, and read, read, read. Reading well-written novels helps one to learn to write, too, for developing longer plots and sub-plots, for building consistency for longer works. As I stated above, reading even bad material gives ideas of how not to write. 

        Any writer who doesn't find time to read is hurting his writing craft and short-changing his readers.

4RV Website  

4RV Bookstore   

How can authors help editors and designers?

by Vivian Zabel  

      The best way for a writer to help his/her editor and/or designer is to be consistent. I hope everyone understands what consistency means. According to the dictionary, consistency means agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing. Synonyms found in The Random House Thesaurus include harmony, unity, uniformity, agreement. Antonyms are inconsistency, disharmony, disagreement. Therefore, how are some ways to create consistency in writing? Let's examine a few, even if not all, ways.

1. Use correct verb tenses and subject/verb agreements. Don't use the wrong form of a verb with a subject. Don't switch from present tense to past or past to present.
2. Use correct point of view. If an author uses first person, then only what is seen, heard, or felt by the narrator can be revealed unless another person gives the narrator the information. If third person limited is used, then only the sounds, words, actions, feelings experienced by the character whose POV is used can be expressed: again, unless told to that character by another. If third person omniscient is chosen, then changes between different characters' perspectives shouldn't be quick back and forth. That action could cause whiplash in a reader's mind. Changes in perspective should occur with scene or chapter changes.
3. Indent paragraphs with the tab key, not the space bar. Indent anything with the tab key, not the space bar.
4. Number chapters the same: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.; Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc.; CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 3, etc. For example, we don't use Chapter 1, Chapter Two, CHAPTER THREE.
5. Avoid double spacing one place and single spacing others, unless necessary for a particular reason, such as single spacing a block quote.
6. If asterisks or some such symbol are not used to show time or scene changes, leave extra spaces between the last paragraph of the first time period or scene and the next time period or scene. Use the same procedure for each and every change.
7. Avoid fancy fonts. It is better to use a common font, such as Times New Roman, and size, usually 12, for the majority of the manuscript. If something should need to appear "different" from the rest of the manuscript, still don't use a font not commonly found in Word.
8. Use files in the program requested by the publisher. Usually MS Word is needed. Different programs result in someone not able to open a file or strange symbols appearing. 
9. Follow directions and guidelines.
10. Be sure your writing is concise, clear, coherent, and has correct grammar. In other words, write well. 

     Those tips above are just a few of the common problems editors and designers find when they try to work with manuscripts. Yes, more exist, but let's begin with these.

4RV Publishing 
4RV Bookstore     

4RV Preditors & Editors results

     Critters Workshop sponsors the  Preditors & Editors Readers Poll each year. This year several nominations were from 4RV Publishing: Children's books, Young Adult books, Artwork from books, Book Covers, Publisher, Author, Artist, and Bookstore. Of those, we had seven (7) that placed in the top 10, the only places that actually count.

 

        The first on the list, Children's books with two nominations from 4RV, had one place. First Flag of New Hampshire by Stephanie Burkhart, illustrated by Ginger Nielson took 8th place.

       Nominated in Young Adult books were two from 4RV, but only one placed - A Shadow in the Past 3rd. The novel, written by Melanie Robertson-King, also helped Aidana WillowRaven, who designed the cover art, earn 9th place in the Artist category and tie for 6th place in Artwork.

  

 

    Ginger Nielson, tying with Aidana WillowRaven for 6th place in the Artwork category, wrote and illustrated Willow, an Elephant's Tale.  

     In the Author category, Vivian Zabel placed 6th.

    4RV Bookstore took 3rd in the bookstore category.  

    Congratulations to everyone who placed.           

         

Preditors & Editors Poll -- promotion

          The image above is the award given to one of the 4RV novels which placed first in the 2009 Preditors & Editors Poll. The Poll is open once again, for 2012, and 4RV publishing has several nominations (more may be added).

        So far the following are nominated, with links to their different categories:

Children's Books :     First Flag of New Hampshire by Stephanie
                                         Burkhart (illustrated by Ginger Nielson)
                                                   Willow, an Elephant's Tale written and illustrated by
                                         Ginger Nielson

 Young Adult Books :   A Shadow in the Past by Melanie Robertson-King
                                                       Victoria and the Ghost by Janet K. Brown

All other Novels :         Journey of the Cheyenne Warrior by Kathleen Gibbs

Artwork page :             Aidana WillowRaven
                                        Willow, an Elephant's Tale by Ginger Nielson 

Book/e-book Cover Artwork page  :  
                                     A Shadow in the Past  cover art Aidana WillowRaven
                                         Journey of the Cheyenne Warrior   cover by Aidana

Authors page :               Vivian Zabel

Artists page  :               Aidana WillowRaven

Print/Electronic Book Publishers page :    4RV Publishing   

Bookstore page :           4RV Publishing   

          We would appreciate any and all votes for any and all of the above. Yes, this poll is a popularity contest, but winning or placing still feels good.

           IF you do vote, be sure and check the email used and click to affirm your vote. Your last vote or nomination in each category is the only one that counts.  Than you.

               

Happy Birthday 4RV Publishing

          Five years ago this month, we filed the papers to become 4RV Publishing LLC. During these five years, we have released over 100 books, have had seventy-five authors under contract. Illustrators came and went, and we had excellent ones. Thankfully, some of the best have stayed with us.

        According to what I read and what has been told to me and to others, we have a good reputation for publishing great books, quality books. Our authors and illustrators have been praised by many outside the company. Our editors have helped our books improve from the first manuscripts submitted to ready-to-print. We have an expert heading our art department, and a top of the line head of the editorial department.

         Some of our books have won awards: Confessions of a Former Rock Queen by Kirk Bjornsgaard took the Oklahoma Book Award in Fiction; Trockle by Holly Jahangiri took first in the Heartland Children's Book Award; Midnight Hours by Vivian Zabel placed first in the Heartland Fiction category, and her Prairie Dog Cowboy took first in the Young Adult category; Porcupine's Seeds by Viji Chary received the Mom's Choice Award; My Cat by Tony LoPresti received Certificate of Excellence in the category of Books for Children from CWA; Time Pullers by Horton Deakins was a finalist in the Science Fiction category in US Best Books; Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi was named a silver medal winner by Children's Literary Classics. I may have missed some of our awards, and if I have, I hope someone reminds me.

          4RV has done well for the first five years of its existence, thanks to a talented and hard-working staff, good writers and illustrators, and the readers who spread the word. 

4RV Publishing 
4RV Book Store  

 

Mom’s Choice Awards chooses Porcupine's Seeds

          On September 13, 4RV author Viji K. Chary received notification that her children's book Porcupine's Seeds has been named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services and receives the Mom's Choice Award.

             Congratulations, Viji, on the first honor for your book. The cover looks even lovelier with its seal.

          Congratulations, Bridget, for illustrating the book, helping it to be so honored.

Porcupine's Seeds can be found on the 4RV Bookstore, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and through any bookstore.

Promotion for new YA Novel - Victoria and the Ghost

     

posted by Vivian Zabel

     Struggling and working all hours of the day and night for two weeks, Victoria and the Ghost left for the printer last night just a few minutes before midnight. The cover, another Aidana WillowRaven creation, shows a favorite scene from the book. Written by Janet K. Brown with readers 15 - 18 in mind, I found the book enjoyable. Of course I'm well above 18, well, at least a few years above.

     From the back cover of the novel: At fifteen, Victoria, a city girl. loses her mother's love and tries to cope with country isolation, no friends, and no one who cares, until she meets a ghost.


     Victoria and the Ghost is the premiere novel from Janet K. Brown, who lives in Wichita Falls, Texas. The book may be pre-ordered from the 4RV Bookstore now. It should be available through brick 'n mortar bookstores and online within three weeks.

Numbers, Numbers, and More Numbers

by Vivian Zabel 

        Today is bright and a bit cool, so why does it cause me to think of numbers? Maybe looking at the temperature; maybe the fact I've been editing again and saw a problem; maybe my brain just glitched. Whatever the reason, I decided to share what I know and expect from writers who use numbers in their writings.

         When I taught English and composition and newspaper, yearbook, and literary magazine, I had to be aware of which hat I was wearing in which class. The rules for writing agreed in most instances, but a few were different, such as when to write numbers in figures and when to spell them out in words.

         Generally, in literary writing, numbers under 100 were spelled-out, and in journalistic writing, numbers under 10 were. Now, though, I’m seeing numbers presented in all kinds of ways. Therefore, I decided to see if “rules” had been changed. In the August, 2005 issue of The Writer magazine, I found a whole article on numerals titled “Number know-how.”

         ”But what difference does it make how numbers are presented?” I can hear someone asking.

          The answer is professionalism. We need our writings to appear as professional as possible if we want editors to consider our written words seriously.

         Arthur Plotnik states, in the issue of The Writer, “Most style conventions serve economy, emphasis and clarity (through consistency). That, in turn, serves readers,” when speaking of the syntax of writing numbers. He gives points in the article addressing when to use figures and when to spell-out numbers, to which I added my thoughts and notes about what I learned over the years and through teaching:

1. Focus on your genre. The main points are found in the style manual a publisher follows. Therefore we need to be familiar with the publisher we want our work to impress. (4RV Publishing has a style book entitled: How We Do It.)

2. Use common sense. Wow! Now that’s an unusual concept. Figures are easier to follow in statistics, measurements, and paragraphs filled with numbers. Spelled-out numbers give “texture to literary passages, including dialogue.” However, if spelled-out numbers become awkward, reverting to figures is a matter of common sense. For example, 160,00 is easier on the reader than one hundred sixty-thousand.

3. Leave the finest points to editors. Just be consistent in your usage.

4. Get a feel for the literary style. Generally, numbers that can be expressed in one or two words should be spelled out: five hundred, twenty-six. Many literary publishers put numbers over 100 in figures, but they also have many exceptions.

          If in a series of numbers, some need to be in figures, then all should be in figures: 16,000 reporters, 99 authors, and 16 editors.

          When spelled-out numbers are one after the other, the first word or the longest should be replaced with figures: ten 220-paged books or two hundred 15-paged copies.

         Fractions more or less follow the spelled-out rule unless doing so would be unwieldy. The author gave two examples in the article: thirty-three-hundredths complete; a 3 3/4-inch-thick manuscript.

          Exceptions to the literary style include percentages and time, such as 2 percent, 2.5 percent, 7:30 a.m. (exception to time: half past five in the evening, a quarter after one, six o’clock), July 28, 1943 (but July twenty-eighth in dialogue). However, often in narrative, two percent is preferable to 2%.

5. Know the 10-and-above journalistic rule. Usually 10 and above are in figures in journalistic items. For millions and above, though, figures and words are mixed: 10 million; $5 million.

          Numbers that begin a sentence (except a year date) are spelled out. However, usually, sentences should be reworded to avoid starting with a number in figures, unless part of a name, example 4RV Publishing.

         Don’t use and or commas in spelled-out numbers: One hundred ninety-six couples renewed their vows last year.

6. Heed a few matters of form. The two-word numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine are always hyphenated.

          Plural figures and spelled-out numbers rarely have an apostrophe before the s.

          Editors will often boil when reading “from 1941-1945,” since the word “to” should be used with “from,” or the dates and a hyphen should be used alone: He lived from 1919 to 1989; he lived 1919-1989.

A final grammar note for writers

          If a writer does not first master the rules of grammar, he won’t get very far as a writer. A book that all grammar-deprived people should buy is How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar by William Safire, published by W.W. Norton & Co.


4RV Bookstore