Writer's Digest Questions and Quandaries

Subjunctive vs. Indicative Mood ("If I Was" or "If I Were"?)
Q: Could you explain the difference between the indicative mood and the subjunctive mood, and when to use the subjunctive mood? It’s so seldom used correctly that it leaves me scratching my head. When in doubt, should I err with “If I was” or “If I were”?
—Lori McRae

A: Statements of fact require the indicative mood. The indicative verb form follows the usual grammar rules: singular noun, singular verb; plural noun, plural verb. He was president. She owns garden gnomes.

The subjunctive mood is used to express any hypothetical wish, suggestion, situation or condition instead of stating a fact. If I were president—which I’m not—I’d give garden gnomes the right to vote.

As you can see, the verb form changes for subjunctive sentences. Typically, a singular noun or pronoun, such as “I,” “he” or “she,” would require a singular verb like “was,” but the subjunctive mood has atypical verb forms (which are vestiges of Old English). The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the base form of the verb—I demanded that I be switched to a class with less rigorous standards. The past tense of the subjunctive has the same forms as the indicative except for the verb “to be,” which uses “were” regardless of the number of the subject. I wish I were able to climb down chimneys like Santa. But if Santa were here, he’d envy my 32-inch waist.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Grammar

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:45:26 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [5]

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

How Do I Track Book Sales?
Q: Is there a way to find out the current sales for a given book that may (or may not) be in print? —Tony P.

A: The short answer to this is no. Due to the volume of distribution channels, there is no outlet where you can find an accurate and reliable sales figure for any book. The only one who has access to total sales numbers are a book's publisher, and that publisher typically won't share specific sales information—unless, of course, the number is so high it can be used as a promotional tool (e.g., "More than 5 million copies sold!").

Jane Friedman, editorial director and publisher of Writer's Digest and Writer's Digest Books, says it's worth noting that most publishers subscribe to the Nielsen Bookscan service, which tracks book sales through chain bookstores, independent bookstores and a handful of other retail outlets. But it is not a complete picture of book sales (as it doesn't include books sold at conferences, direct-to-consumer sales, etc.), and the service is available only to publishers and industry professionals and is extremely expensive (think five figures). In other words, it's not available to the public.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Business | Marketing | Publishing | Research

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:34:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [1]

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Bi-annual vs. Biennial
Q: What's the difference between bi-annual and biennial?—Anonymous

A: I see these words treated as if they were interchangeable—most often by marketing departments—but they aren't. And marketing departments should be extra cautious, as misusing these two words could cost them quite a bit of money.

"Bi-annual" means twice a year, or two times within a 365-day period. So if you hire a heating company to do a bi-annual cleaning of your furnace, they will send someone out once in the summer and once in the winter—of the same year.

"Biennial," on the other hand, means once every two years. Therefore, if you contract the heating company on a biennial basis, they will come out to your house every other year to clean your furnace. For example, I have my gutters cleaned on a biennial basis. The gentleman who does it came out in May 2009, which means I won't see his smiling face again until May 2011.

Be sure to get these words straight. If you say "biannual" when you mean "biennial," you'll be doubling the number of times you'll have to do something in a given year. A mistake like that could really come back to bite you.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Grammar

Tuesday, June 09, 2009 3:46:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [2]

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Where Can Authors Find Contract Forms?
Q: My co-author and I have been asked to provide a collaboration agreement to our agent.‑ Where can‑we find a template for creating this document?—Michele

A: Templates for author contracts can be found in Tad Crawford’s Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers (Allworth Press). It’s a great resource for finding all the legal forms an author could need, including a co-authoring contract. The book comes with a CD for your computer that has all the forms on it. Plus, by reading over the other contracts available, you’ll have a better sense of all the rights/topics you and your writing partner need to discuss.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Business | Legal Questions | Publishing | Self-Publishing

Tuesday, June 02, 2009 6:34:43 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [2]

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