Or, Are You Ready to Hear Your Book Isn’t Ready to Publish? You’ve got a lengthy letter from your editor (or agent), full of editorial feedback and advice, and talking about revisions which sound pretty extensive and your heart sinks into your boots because you...
Writing a book is a very personal act of creativity, so it’s hardly surprising when authors fret over what to do in response to negative reader reviews of their hard work. It’s all too easy to take it personally and catastrophise that a bad review spells doom for your...
From time to time, I’m asked to sign an NDA before an author will tell me anything about their book. I never agree, and in fact this request makes me and many of my colleagues go sharply into reverse because of what it tells us about the author. The request never...
Why do I need to negotiate my book contract? Don’t publishers know best? Who is the book contract negotiation service for? Do I need a lawyer to negotiate my book contract? My friend is a lawyer – can they negotiate my book contract for me? Are you a lawyer? How are...
Editing can be a thing an author both dreads and longs for: You’ll get professional corrections and feedback on your work but what if the editor doesn’t like the work, what if they don’t like the parts of which you’re most proud, what if they don’t ‘get’ it? What if...
There are many myths out there about editing and editors, and these myths discourage writers from engaging in this crucial step in the publishing process, the one that can make their book as good as it can be. Here are some myths I see regularly in my inbox, at...
Now you’ve made the decision to hire a professional editor, you may wonder how to prepare your manuscript for editing. Here are the things you can do to prepare for editing so you get the most out of it. Self-editing your manuscript First, get your manuscript into the...
Publishing a short story collection or a book of essays is a subject that attracts some conflicting advice. On one hand, there are those who are immediately dismissive, saying many publishers don’t publish short stories at all (true), or short stories don’t sell...
‘Who’s the audience for this book?’ One of the most important questions a publisher asks when considering whether to publish a book is about its intended audience. Who is it for? Which people will need, or at least want, this book? The answer helps a publisher see...
