Publishing a book takes many steps and many people. For new writers, it can feel like navigating a maze. So, I break down most steps in this blog post. I hope this helps you along your journey.
Editors are essential to help bring a writer’s stories to life. But with thousands of editors out there in the world—especially in the digital age—writers may struggle to find the right editor. Just because an editor is good, doesn’t mean they’re the right editor for you. For example, if you write science fiction novels, getting … More 6 steps to find an editor
There are a lot of different publishing terms thrown around, and they can get confusing. Navigating the publishing world without an understanding of these words is difficult. To help, here is a list of different terms to know: A Advance — Writers get advances—or a lump sum of money—from the publisher before their book is … More 50+ helpful publishing terms to know
Editors are essential. It’s also important to communicate some information with them when reaching out to get their services. Here are six things to keep in mind: WORD COUNT, NOT PAGE COUNT Knowing how many pages there are isn’t as helpful as one might think. There is a general standard that every page is about … More 6 things editors need to know before editing your work
Dialogue is critical. It’s not necessary, but in stories where it’s present, it needs to flow and keep the story going. That can be hard though. Small talk keeps the story still. Sometimes dialogue can feel like an info dump. So, how do we keep it interesting? GOALS Give every character a goal—usually a different … More 3 tips to spice up your dialogue
The plot is coming along. We’re getting to an important moment—but wait! I forgot to mention something. Let me write it down because it’s important. But now the reader is wondering why I stopped the story to describe something in the middle of the chapter. As a writer myself, I get it. I’ve wanted to … More CWM: #6 — Unnecessary details
Besides the gray with an a vs. grey with an e battle, there’s one common spelling error I’ve often noticed while editing: hyphenated words. Sometimes we believe a word needs a hyphen when it doesn’t. Or we forget the hyphen when we actually need one. It could also depend on how we use the word … More CWM: #5 — Misusing hyphens
We type a word. It’s spelled correctly. Microsoft Word isn’t flagging it either. It sounds right too! But I love that Disney fairy tail doesn’t quite look right. It can get more complicated than that. There are long lists of words we think we know, but we don’t. Or we have a brain fart. We … More CWM: #4 — Common misused words
All the different editing stages can get confusing. So, here’s a breakdown: Developmental Editing This focuses on your book’s big picture, including: Since this stage helps bigger items, it doesn’t usually do much sentence-level wise. Instead, it helps develop your story, making sure it’s solid and coherent. The editor will mark every page, whether it’s … More What’s the difference between the levels of editing?
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