Planning

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Untying the Genre Knots

Last month I emphasized the importance of knowing your genre so you can articulate it in discussions with editors and preparation for promotional materials. This month I’m discussing genre again, but this time from another perspective: not allowing it to overly rule your writing. Some books are genre books. They and their authors don’t want […]

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Genre Conversations: Situate Your Writing from First Draft Through Book Promotion for an Easier Self-Publishing Process

Do you know your book’s genre? That might seem like an odd question for an editor to ask a writer, but there are an array of answers to it.    Many writers would know exactly what to say in response. They knew their genre before they even started writing the book—maybe even before they had

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Constructive Criticism: Had Enough?

There’s a lot of criticism (hopefully constructively stated) involved in the editing phases of the publishing process. Comments and suggestions can be enormously helpful in the revisions process—they can lead to valuable discussion and insights, and it’s often possible to find solutions that satisfy both author & editor/proofread or author & beta reader.  However, “helpful”

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The Search for a Compatible Editor

Congratulations on reaching the stage of your self-publishing adventure where you’re ready to bring an editor on board! Working with an editor who understands your message and has the ability to refine it through careful revision suggestions can be a transformative experience. Often, the first round of edits reveals that some crucial rethinking and reorganizing

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3 Things Self-Publishing Authors Should Know about Working with Editors

Embarking on a self-publishing journey is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience, and authors who have opted for this route—either of necessity or choice—are often aware of the freedom and added responsibility that goes along with the independence of standing under the umbrella of a publishing house. I’ve been working with such authors, mostly nonfiction writers,

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