by Hannah Earthman Book Editing Associates Before focusing full-time on editing, I reviewed books for, at various points, Her Circle Ezine, Kirkus Indie, Publishers Weekly, and ForeWord Reviews. And long before that, I was one of those readers who took so many margin notes that every book looked like a more chaotic, ink-smudged Norton Critical …
By Hannah Earthman Book Editing Associates Have you ever stumbled upon an old piece of your writing while cleaning out the plastic storage bin under your bed and thought Holy hell, this is really, really, really . . .? Any number of adjectives could come next; the important thing is that when you unexpectedly smack …
By David Rose, Copy Editor Book Editing Associates We all learn from our mistakes. At times it might seem that’s a large part of what copy editors do – correct mistakes and help authors learn by them. But we editors learn a lot by our mistakes, too. When I was starting out as a copy editor, I …
by Alan Jeffries, Professional Editor – Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult Adventure The balancing act between Expectation and Art is the crux of the so-called Genre Paradox: how to conform to “category requirements” while providing fresh and compelling entertainment. Being both “old” and “new” at the same time is tricky; it’s more than just …
by Alan Jeffries, Developmental Editor – Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult Adventure I am a developmental editor specializing in genre fiction, and have been for most of my life in publishing (which began as a journalist and small press editor/publisher back in the early Eighties). Aside from a work’s core concept (this key bit of …
by Caroline Hiley, Professional Book Editor, Copy Editor, Proofreader The simplest path to a satisfying editing job is for the author and editor to TALK TO EACH OTHER. That may seem obvious, but I’m constantly amazed by how often the two parties fail to communicate, and end up unhappy with the process and/or the result. “Writer” …
by Floyd Largent, Professional Editor Book Editing Associates Twenty years ago, the answer to the question I’ve posed in the title would be “Yes, definitely”—but only if you were writing a book. With the exception of established literary lions like Joyce Carol Oates or John Updike, agents don’t handle short stories or non-fiction articles. There’s …
by Floyd Largent, editor While most writers are patient about the length of the book editing process, I suspect every editor has had clients who have pestered them to “Just get on with it” and “Hurry up, already.” Those are usually the same ones unhappy with the results, because you’ve had to scurry and not do …
By Amy Bennet Imagine an interesting person with a serious problem. Ideally this is a problem you know something about, if not, do some research. The problem ought to be something that people care about and can picture themselves facing, even if it takes place on another planet, or is set in a world where …
by Caroline Hiley A problem I often encounter in novels, whether writing or editing them, is great ideas that don’t work logistically. Readers are good at spotting bloopers, and once they’ve found one, they usually don’t trust the author for the rest of the novel. They might even stop reading or pan the book in …
Patience, Grasshopper. Publishing a book takes time to do right. Rushing your product to market does not often end well. by Kelly Lynne, developmental editor You have spent the last however many months/years writing your Great American Novel. It’s done—hooray! You’ve looked into traditional publishing and all the other avenues and have decided that self-publishing …
by Caroline Hiley … spoil the broth, as the saying goes. This is as true for novel writing as it is for cooking. In other words, getting too much feedback on your novel-in-process can scramble both the book and your head. On one hand, every writer needs to show their work to someone and get …
by Carly Cantor One of the problems I see in many novels I edit is that they feel more like scripts than novels. This is most often the case for plot-driven stories. The sense I get is that the writer is actually envisioning a movie while writing the novel. (Perhaps even picturing particular actors for …
Lay vs lie & the trouble with “awhile” by James Powell Writing creatively requires a state of passion unrestricted by rules, a sense of boundary melting that shares borders with bar-hopping and slow dancing. This is why William Faulkner recounted, “One day I seemed to shut the door between me and all publisher’s addresses and …
by Caroline Hiley, editor Part of finding the right editor for your work is sharing the same vocabulary. The publishing industry has not standardized its terms for the various types of editing; so it’s up to the indie author and the indie editor to make sure they understand each other when the time comes to …
by Alice Day, Book Editing Associates Literary journals have a long stately history. Do you know that Ralph Waldo Emerson edited the literary magazine The Dial? The rise of the literary journal can be traced to the mid-twentieth century. Some journals that exist today started back then, such as The Paris Review. From the seventies to …
By David Alan, editor I recently received two memoir manuscripts, both authored by corporate executives—a man and a woman. “I just want you to review it for content,” said the male exec. “You don’t need to edit it. It has already been edited.” “It just needs to be proofread for typos,” the woman insisted. “It …
By Marlo Garner, Children’s Book Editor It’s that time of year when many of my writer and illustrator friends and I are deep in preparation for what many of us consider the highlight our creative year—our regional Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference. As an aside, if you’re serious about writing for kids—if …
by Kelly Lynne In the publishing industry, the term “blurb” refers to the story description you find on a book jacket or on the back cover of a paperback. It is a marketing tool needed to hook readers into opening the book. A blurb is also needed for query letters to hook agents and publishers …
By Editor John David Kudrick “The sun-kissed, billowy-clouded azure sky overhead contrasted starkly with the terrifying obsidian-plated killer android that was sickeningly immune to the 7.62mm M61 150.5-grain armor-piercing rounds that we fired at it like there was no tomorrow.” In the past few months of reviewing and editing novel manuscripts, I wrote “You’ve got …
By Theodora Bryant Developmental Editor/Copy Editor Whenever I receive a manuscript to edit, I automatically change it to a font I find easy on the eyes for the first critique read pre-edit, and looks good for agent submission or self-publishing. No matter which original font the author uses, Word changes the quotes, single and double, …
Theodora Bryant Developmental Copy Editor If you’re writing a novel, just about everything. Names can set the tone, the era, the genre, sometimes the hidden meaning. Think about Flash Gordon, Scarlett O’Hara, Pip, Harry Potter, Romeo and Juliet. Jay Gatsby (aka James Gatz; Fitzgerald had to come up with two names for him) and Daisy Buchanan. …
Editor and Proofreader Marie Valentine tells us about what she’s reading, her specialties and style, and her passions outside of books What are you reading right now? I read constantly. On paper or digitally, I am unbiased regarding mode as long as the device is delivering me content. FEED ME WORDS. Besides the books and other …
by Ana Howard A so-called “quiet book” is cause for many a rejection in today’s publishing market. If you’ve received feedback that your novel is too quiet, rest assured that most likely the problem can be solved with revision. Often just a few significant additions and adjustments will make a difference in the way your …
By Editor John David Kudrick Most likely, you’ve heard the famous line “Mind the gap!” in relation to the warning given to railway passengers. It’s a warning for people to watch that short distance between the railcar and the platform. It’s such a small thing, but potentially disastrous if someone isn’t minding the gap. In …
By Victoria Briones, Ph.D. The first step in designing any quantitative study is to identify the independent (i.e., cause or predictor) and dependent (i.e., effect or criterion) variables. The second step is to define the variables concretely (guided by prior research). Variables can be defined using one of four measurement scales: nominal (i.e., numbers signify …
by Floyd Largent I have a confession to make: Sometimes I’m a little jealous of my clients, the writers who entrust their literary children to me. Sometimes I’m a lot jealous. While I’m no slouch in the intelligence department, some of the ideas my clients come up with just blow me away—they’re things I never …
By Bryan Hamilton You may have heard about these three terms and find them confusing when approaching a dissertation or project that requires you to calculate them and interpret them into the project. What are the three term definitions from the title? Effect size (ES) is a name given to a group of statistics that …
How long will it take to edit your book? Consider your expectations as author by Marie Valentine, editor and proofreader Just as your story arc took time to develop and come to fruition, so too does a copy edit from your editor. Don’t be surprised if you have to wait a few weeks or months …
by Kelly Lynne Fear is a powerful force to drive you or to stop you. What stops writers from sticking a fork in a manuscript and sending it away to an agent or publisher? Maybe it is fear of choosing poorly. While I love being an editor, I am at heart a writer. In 2014 …
by Amy Bennet How many drafts must a writer draft Before you call it a book? How many times must you read the text Before your editor looks? Yes, how many times should it be revised To get a reader hooked? The answer my friend is seven. Last week I was invited to speak to …
by Caroline Hiley Book Editing Associates Writing a novel takes a long time, so anything that can speed things up without sacrificing creativity seems like a good idea. Building an outline before you start is the obvious solution. But many writers balk at that idea, because their imagination flows best when unhindered by structure. They …
By David A. Cathcart Editor and writer’s consultant David A. Cathcart offers advice for aspiring writers on five words your writing can live without. As a full-time freelance editor, I edit a lot of manuscripts, ranging from sci-fi and fantasy novels to scientific research papers on their way to peer-reviewed academic journals. In total, I …
Stories That Change the World By Editor John David Kudrick So you’re a Christian who follows God with all your …
by Holly Monty Self-publishing book authors are confronted with a wealth of information about how to self-publish their books. One decision a self-publisher needs to make is whether to self-publish an e-book version and, if so, where. Kindle is a must for all self-publishers. Kindle books (in their corresponding MOBI format) are exclusively sold and …
