I’m happy to announce that the 15th anniversary edition of Bread Science is now available. It has the same content as the original with links to updates and a beautiful new cover. If you or someone you know needs a copy, you can find it for sale on my publisher website: www.twobluebooks.com.
If you already have a copy of the first edition, you can see all the updates here. More details on the new edition are posted here.
Thanks for your support, and happy baking!
The new edition of Bread Science is at the printer. I’m excited to share the cover with you!
As I shared previously (see here, scroll down), I decided not to revise Bread Science heavily for the new edition. I added footnotes indicating where new material is available. These updates are available for everyone on the Two Blue Books website, here. I did tweak a few sections for clarity and copyedited according to Chicago style. And, Cory Podielski designed an amazing new cover! Cory is a graphic designer and also my friend and bread class assistant teacher.
The new edition is at the printer and expected sometime this summer, so I’ve set the launch date as September 1, although it may be earlier. Once the new print books are here, I will update the ebook. I’ve added alt text and hopefully worked out kinks with the table of contents. And finally, I’m planning to create a “print-on-demand” version to make Bread Science available worldwide without expensive shipping from the United States.
I’m teaching in person at the Campbell Folk School this October, as well as in April and October, 2022. Classes will appear here when they are open for registration.
I’m planning to teach more online classes through the Folk School, but have not yet scheduled any.
I’ll let you know when the new edition of Bread Science is here. In the meantime, enjoy your summer!
Just a quick note, inspired by a last-minute online bread class…
The Folk School just scheduled a second session of my online Bread Making Basics class. It starts April 7, so I wanted to share the news ASAP. (I taught the same class in March.) If you want to hang out on Tuesday evenings and talk about bread, check it out here: https://www.lessonface.com/apply/bread-making-basics
If you’re holding out for an in-person visit to the Folk School, I plan to be there October 10–16, 2021, as well as in April and October, 2022. Links to those classes will be here: https://classes.folkschool.org/Instructors.aspx?id=118006
As I prepare the 15th anniversary edition of Bread Science, I’ve gathered new material into an “Updates” page on my website, which is now available, here: https://www.twobluebooks.com/updates/
I’m still not sure when the new edition will be ready, but the drafts of the cover are exciting. As a reminder, I’m not significantly changing the text, but I am adding footnotes pointing to the Updates page, where I have new material to share.
I’m always excited when my name is in print.
Bread Science got a mention on Maggie Green’s Cookbook Love Podcast with Baker Bettie at the Green Apron. Maggie’s company helps people write cookbooks, and she interviews cookbook authors, collectors, and industry people. You can check out the episode here: http://greenapron.com/cookbooklove/episode-125-being-a-cookbook-reader-and-writer-with-kristin-baker-bettie-hoffman/
I was also in Chapel Hill Magazine’s “Noted” section in March, in my persona of women’s fiction writer. You can see it here (flip to page 22): https://issuu.com/shannonmedia/docs/chmm21_issuu/18
And Christina Wott reviewed The Forest Bride for Metastellar magazine, here: https://www.metastellar.com/2021/03/02/buellers-the-forest-bride-will-satisfy-your-craving-for-fantasy-romance/
I hope your spring is going well. In addition to teaching and updating Bread Science, I’m trying to keep up with my freelance editing work and revising The Village Maid, book 2 of my fantasy romance series (more at https://janebuehler.com). And I’m looking forward to being vaccinated someday soon. Stay well and please take care of yourself.
Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve written because I was busy publishing my first women’s fiction novel, which arrived in December. But today I have some other news.
The John C. Campbell Folk School, where I teach bread-making classes, is sponsoring some online classes, and I’m teaching one. It will be a basic overview of bread-making. The class will meet on Wednesday evenings over four weeks using a Zoom-based platform called Lessonface. Students will do “assignments” of baking bread each week. During the class time, we’ll have lectures, demonstrations, and time for questions and feedback about assignments.
The first class is March 10, and you can learn more and register here: https://www.lessonface.com/apply/Bread-Making-Basics
The Folk School is planning to open in May. Everything still seems tentative, but I’m on the schedule teaching The Science of Bread on October 10–16, 2021. Currently, they have reduced class sizes and are requiring masks when indoors (no exceptions), although the rules might change by the fall. I’m really hoping I’ll be vaccinated by October and feel safe going to teach.
The registration is open here: https://classes.folkschool.org/Instructors.aspx?id=118006
A fellow Weaver Street Market baker, Jon McDonald, is teaching a Holiday Breads class in December. He’s a great guy and it should be a good class. That one is online here: https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=23855
I can hardly believe it, but it’s been 15 years since I published Bread Science! Self-publishing has come a long way in that time, and I’ve learned a lot.
I’ve considered how best to celebrate, given my lack of time to research new material for a “second edition.” The idea of a new edition has never felt right to me, since it excludes people with the first edition (or requires them to buy a new book). If I ever have time to spend months researching new bread topics, I would rather create a sequel (I’m thinking, More Bread Science) than create a second edition.
So for now, I’ve decided to simply get a new, professionally designed cover and call the book the 15th Anniversary Edition. I’m also going to copyedit the book according to the Chicago Manual of Style (the traditional style guide for books in the US). For a few items that I’ve learned more about, I’ll tweak the text and/or add footnotes referring to an updates page on my website (currently under construction).
I’m also considering distribution changes. It bothers me that it’s so expensive to ship the book outside the US. If I create a “print-on-demand” copy through Ingram (a giant distributor, which is available to self-publishers), the book should be available in any country that has an online bookstore that uses Ingram. I’ve found such bookstores in the UK and Australia (I know because my bike trip memoir appears in their catalog), so I’m hopeful about finding more.
Finally, once all this is done, I’ll update the ebook. I’ve finally learned how to add alt text to the images, and have ideas to shrink the file size and simplify the table of contents.
As a reminder, if you’re interested in following my women’s fiction writing news, I have a separate website using my middle name: https://janebuehler.com
There’s an e-news subscription on that website that I use only when a new book is coming. I published The Forest Bride in December, and hope to have The Village Maid out by early 2022.
Stay safe out there, and I hope your year is off to a good start!
Hi everyone, I hope you all are staying safe and getting by okay this spring. I wanted to post because I finally uploaded some bread-making videos.
I had the idea to record some of the lessons from my bread-making class, if the class was canceled. I don’t particularly like being recorded, and also I don’t have a terribly nice kitchen. But I started seeing more and more bread-making on Twitter, and friends started texting for help, so making videos seemed worthwhile.
I finally was able to take a week off last week, and I finished six videos: some basic information about ingredients and recipes, two science lessons, and a discussion of preferments. There is also a tutorial of me making English muffins. (This was my “test run” video, where I learned to use iMovie.)
I also have a bunch more footage and hope to post videos soon about kneading by hand and in a machine, followed by shaping, baking, and sourdough starter. (But, I’m back at work now, so it might take a little longer. But I have some momentum!)
You can see the playlist of all the videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTu2fZN6l-ywSDlL9WyGA-1OgWfjIDGsp
I’ve embedded the playlist below, so if you want to watch the whole series, press play.
I’ve been lucky to have editing work (which I do at home anyway), so the stay-at-home rules have not been a burden on me. I did start a new fiction novel in April, and have been trying to do a little each day with a goal of finishing 50,000 words by the end of May. I’m using a Nanowrimo project to track my progress (see curve). The flat places are where I took a few days off to revise a different novel, in order to enter a contest with it, and where I made the videos.
As always, if you’d like to read more about my fiction (i.e., romance novels), please visit https://janebuehler.com.
As always, feel free to send me an email and say hello. Stay well and please take care of yourself.
It’s a weird time right now with the coronavirus spreading in America. While I’ve been lucky to have work, being more isolated has given me some extra time, so I wanted to share some plans.
The Asheville Bread Festival has been cancelled. I’m waiting to hear about my upcoming Folk School class, but it seems likely to be cancelled as well.
In anticipation of not being able to teach this spring, I thought of trying to make some videos of bread-making lessons, like basic kneading or oven tips. So stay tuned for that.
Two friends texted this week to ask about sourdough starter. Making a starter and bread is a great activity to do at home with kids! So after texting instructions twice, I posted instructions online here: https://www.twobluebooks.com/simple-sourdough-starter/. I’m hoping to write a few more basic guides that might be useful to people stuck at home; I’ll write again if/when I do.
I’m not sure if there is space left in my fall bread class; there were a few spots last time I checked, but it has been a while (and a lot has happened). I have two classes scheduled in 2021: Baking Traditional Bread, April 4–10, 2021, and The Science of Bread, October 10–16, 2021. (Registration should open this summer.)
I’ve been querying agents with story #1 of my romance series, and revising story #2. I just started drafting story #3 this week. Realistically, I don’t think the series has much chance of being traditionally published, because it does not fit neatly into any of the genres that already exist. But, I wanted to follow through with trying the agent route.
I’m actually excited to self-publish for many reasons. One reason is a recent idea I had to produce two versions of each book: regular and PG rated. That way, readers who don’t like reading love scenes could still read the books. The freedom of self-publishing would enable me to do this.
For more details about my fiction, please visit https://janebuehler.com and subscribe for updates (I don’t send them often so I won’t fill your inbox).
I was the “featured family” in the local Heart of Hillsborough magazine this past month! It was a lot of fun, especially working with the photographer, Barbara Bell (https://barbarabellphotography.com) and the content coordinator, Christina Hallock. The magazine is not available online, but you can see the article here (PDF).
I’ll leave it at that. Stay safe and healthy!
Here’s a quick update on the bread-making classes I’ll be teaching, 2020 plans for writing and publishing, and how my freelance life is going.
The Asheville Bread Festival is May 2, 2020. I will be there as an outdoor vendor, so please stop by and say hello if you attend. Tickets for classes are not yet available but you can sign up for updates at https://www.ashevillebreadfestival.com.
I’ll be teaching two classes at the Folk School this year:
Tentative dates for 2021 are the following:
Registration should open for April 2021 around mid-year 2020.
Gratuitous cat photo 1 (Blackwell)
This month I finally corrected the book description for Bread Science on Amazon, which required that I create a print-on-demand version. This was the only way Amazon would let me control the text (which until now read something like “250 pages, charts, pictures” with no real description).
Plans for later in the year include a new cover and re-doing the ebook to try to reduce its gargantuan file size. I don’t plan to do a new edition, but I want to update a few sections I can better explain now (I will share the updates on my website, for people who already have the book).
Gratuitous cat photo 2 (Scruffy)
I’ve been revising book two of my fiction series while querying agents about book one. I’ve thought a lot about where my book fits in to what is currently being published, and concluded that basically it doesn’t fit in. This means I’ll probably end up publishing it myself, but I’m okay with that, and even excited about it.
I won’t write more here as I know fantasy romance novels are not for everyone, but if you’re interested, I have a mailing list for future readers at https://janebuehler.com. I don’t email regularly, only when there is news to share.
Florida versus North Carolina in February
I love working from home! I’ve been editing three or four science papers each week, and using the rest of my time for writing or for the writing-related tasks that never got done when I had a day job.
Due to my new situation, I was able to “work-cation” in Florida in January and attend a writer’s conference while still working from my laptop. I’m hoping to do more of this, although it is hard to be away from Scruffy.
One thing I learned at the conference is that if I want to use Facebook as an author, I need to use a business “page” instead of a personal “profile.” I’ve set up the new page here, using my fiction pen name, Jane Buehler: https://www.facebook.com/Jane-Buehler-107338764179116/
As always, feel free to comment or send me an email.
Here’s a compilation of resources I recommend when revising your own writing.
Book: The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman.
First page reads: You can often find these sessions at writer’s conferences. Authors submit a first page, which is read aloud and critiqued by an editor or agent. Even if you don’t submit a page, hearing feedback about others’ first pages is helpful.
Read about the session I attended at RWA 2019: https://emilybuehler.com/2019/compelling-first-pages/
And the session I attended at NCWN 2018: https://emilybuehler.com/2018/getting-through-the-slush-pile/
First paragraph/page/chapter classes: Last fall I took “Killer Openings” by Alexa Bourne. It’s great to learn what makes a strong opening while getting feedback on yours from fellow students and the teacher. And, these classes are often taught online via a forum, so you can take them wherever you are.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.
How Not to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark (read my review, here)
The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them by Jack M. Bickham
Story Genius by Lisa Cron: There are a lot of writing craft books, and no one book fits all writers. I gained a few very useful ideas out of this one, which focuses on how the human brain relates to storytelling and how to use that relationship to craft more-powerful stories.
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody and Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes: I’m not totally sold on these two. The idea is that using certain story “beats” (a pattern of the plot) will increase your chance of success because the pattern is a winning pattern, but some perfectly good books DON’T fit this pattern. Even if you don’t want to conform, though, it is worth thinking about the beats of your plot and how to use them for maximum impact on readers.
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi: This is a reference book of emotions that lists “symptoms” of each emotion, to help writers show an emotion instead of telling the reader about it. For example, if you had written “He looked angry” you could look up “Anger” and find a list of items like “face turns red” and “fists clench.”
Book maps: I learned about these in a class by Heidi Fiedler (https://www.helloheidifiedler.com/workshopsforeditors) and I cannot say enough good things about them. Making a book map is the first thing I do after writing a story draft. I use it to keep track of the plot, the character arcs, the relationships, and tidbits (like what phase the moon is in; you don’t want a full moon rising night after night!). I blogged about book maps here: https://emilybuehler.com/2018/book-mapping/
Classes: I mentioned some online classes about the story opening above. Other classes focus on different parts of revisions. Recently, I took “Character Torture” by Linnea Sinclair. The class looked at the goal, motivation, and conflict that drive a story along. These concepts are now the first thing I chart in my book map when I begin revising.
Workshops: Keep an eye out for local talks and workshops on writing, often sponsored by libraries and local writer’s groups. For example, I blogged about a workshop I attended on writing better characters: https://emilybuehler.com/2018/some-tips-on-character/
Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward: This book is not about revising, but it’s so important that I wanted to include it. It is the go-to resource for authors who want to write characters who are different from themselves, in an authentic way. There are also courses taught and online resources at https://writingtheother.com.
Happy winter! I’ve had a busy few months and wanted to check in before the end of 2019. I’m now 99% working from home as a freelance editor and writer—yay!
In November I completed National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the fourth time. So I now have FOUR fiction novel drafts to figure out what to do with. The new story is called The Village Maid and is the sequel to The Forest Bride, my fantasy romance. While writing, I made progress with understanding where my stories fit in; they are light-hearted (like the so-called chick lit genre) but set in a fantasy world with magic. So my new “comparable title” description is, “If you like Sophie Kinsella but wish her books had fairies and magic, my stories are for you.”
I also took two classes this fall (one on conflict and one on “killer openings”) and what I learned helped a lot with the new novel. For example, sometimes “writer’s block” is simply a lack of conflict; if a writer is stuck and it feels like nothing is happening, adding conflict to the scene can save the day. (Conflict doesn’t have to mean fighting or adversaries; it can also mean change.) I plan to revise The Forest Bride over the next month, using what I learned, and then query the agents I met at the romance writers conference last summer.
More information about my romance writing is available here: https://janebuehler.com
Which cover doesn’t fit in?
One project I was super excited to finish was a slight overhaul of Somewhere and Nowhere. I learned the importance of having a professional cover that “fits in” in a book’s genre (see diagram), so I had Tugboat Designs create a cover. It was easy to make the new cover available on the ebook version. The past month, I set up the book with the new cover using “print on demand” at both Kindle Direct Publishing (aka Amazon) and IngramSpark. So, print versions are now available! The old cover is still available at a discount. More info here: https://www.twobluebooks.com/somewhere-and-nowhere/
If you are interested in learning more about print-on-demand and self-publishing, the slides from my talk at the library last September are still available on my website (fifth link from the top): https://emilybuehler.com/miscellany/how-to-guides/
I’m looking forward to finding some conferences to attend in 2020. Part of my plan for being self-employed was to work remotely, so I’m excited to test it out.
The Asheville Bread Festival is May 2. I don’t yet know if I will be teaching, but I will be there.
I have two week-long classes scheduled at the Folk School in 2020:
I’m also excited to finally have time to TAKE a class and am registered for an illuminated lettering/calligraphy class. I figured it might be a useful skill for a fairy tale–inspired romance author to have.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that 2020 gets off to a great start.
So I have some big news: I quit my day job. For years, I’ve dreamed of having more time for my writing, editing, and self-publishing tasks. Ideas have piled up on Post-it notes on the wall by my desk. This month, I finally did it. Soon I’ll be 100% self-employed and plan to spend time on building my editing business, pursuing my romance writing, updating my bike trip memoir, and renewing my involvement in the bread community.
Freelance editing is one way I plan to pay the bills without a day job. I’ve been editing academic papers (mostly in science) since 2013. Many of the papers are for authors whose primary language is not English, and I’m able to help them transform their writing to be understood by English speakers. I love this work as it’s a way for me to contribute to science without being in a lab.
In addition to research papers, I’ve written and edited all kinds of materials, from test passages to medical brochures to fiction novels. I hope to keep expanding the types of materials I edit and the levels of editing I provide. My editing website is http://www.emilyeditorial.com.
I’ve written three drafts of novels since 2014 and learned a lot about the craft of writing and the business of publishing. My novels had three different genres, so I decided to focus on the fantasy romance genre first, using my middle name, Jane. For me, writing in this genre is a chance to write heroines who learn to believe in and value themselves; I can share with readers lessons I’ve learned and explore issues I still struggle with. I also decided to try a traditional publishing path, knowing that my debut novel might not “fit in” enough for any traditional publisher to take it on. In that case, self-publishing is an option.
In July I attended the national Romance Writers of America conference, where I met other authors and pitched my novel to agents and editors. I was excited to find that people in the business are excited for fantasy romances with less violence and less aggressive heroines. I’m currently following up with contacts I made. I’m also looking for ways to connect with other fantasy romance readers and writers. And, I’m planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November to draft the sequel. My romance author website is https://janebuehler.com.
In 2017 I self-published a memoir of my cross-country bicycle trip, Somewhere and Nowhere. I regretted some of the decisions I made in the process, mainly not having a cover designed by a professional. This summer I had a new cover designed, which I plan to use on the ebook as soon as I have time. I also rewrote the book’s blurb, hoping to better convey the contents to potential readers.
At the conference in July, I met the owner of Draft2Digital (D2D), one of the many companies that work with authors to self-publish ebooks. I’d meant to look into D2D as a way to expand my ebooks’ availability to more platforms, and talking to the owner made me feel positive about using that company. So I have an “ebook overhaul” on my to-do list as I upload the updated versions and try out D2D.
A future step is to explore print-on-demand options as a way to have print books available with the new cover, while still selling my stockpile of traditionally printed books with the original cover. I’d like to do this if only to learn about print-on-demand, which I have not yet used.
Since publishing Bread Science in 2006, I’ve managed to keep teaching a handful of bread classes each year, but otherwise I have not been as involved as I’d like in the bread-baking community. I miss keeping up with news, researching bread topics, and presenting science material in simple language on my blog. Once I get some of the above items done, I hope to spend some time getting back into bread. I’d like to learn more about topics like what current research is saying about gluten or sprouted grains, and as always, to share what I learn. I’d like to attend more bread and fermentation events, as a teacher or vendor. I know opportunities exist to network with other bakers online. (I also hope to have time to actually make bread again!)
This might be a longer ways off but it is on my planner. My currently inactive food blog is here: https://foodchemblog.com.