MSI Press Blog

In publishing, timing and context matter. One of the most overlooked distinctions is between a precerpt and an excerpt. Both involve sharing a portion of a book, but they serve different purposes and carry different risks and rewards. 📝 What’s a Precerpt? A precerpt is a draft excerpt shared before publication—often before the manuscript is finalized. It’s a sneak peek into the work-in-progress, used to spark interest among agents, editors, or early readers. Think of it as a “rough cut” trailer. Advantages: • Book Acquisition: Shows potential and voice early, even if the manuscript isn’t polished. Can help secure representation or a publishing deal. • Book Promotion: Builds anticipation among insiders (beta readers, influencers, reviewers) who like being “in on the secret.” • Book Marketing: Creates buzz in niche communities, but usually limited in scope since the book isn’t yet available for purchase. Disadvantages: • Risk of misrepresenting the final book if the draft change...

  Today's publisher's pride is  Travels with Elly  by Larry MacDonald, which reached #16   in travel with pets books. Book description: Discover Canada like never before -- from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book  Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greates...

  Cancer is often spoken of as an ending. But for many, it becomes a chapter — not the whole book. A diagnosis is not always the final word. Life continues, sometimes for years, even decades, filled with purpose, creativity, and resilience. Ruth Bader Ginsburg survived multiple cancers over two decades — colon, pancreatic, and lung — while serving on the Supreme Court until age 87. What she said : “Cancer was part of my life, not the end of it.”  For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The CCC is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informative, cancer-...