How do you get the support you need as a writer? Well, here’s how to know when it’s not the support you need.
Get the Support You Need: A Little Horror Story
When I was an acquisitions editor, I heard from an author who wanted to pull her book from publication because her friends had found a bunch of errors in the ARC (that’s the Advanced Reading Copy of a book, which is sent out to reviewers before the book is published).
Of course, I was concerned, as I had seen nothing but a handful of typos typical of an ARC and asked if the friends could provide further information about what they’d seen.
They couldn’t because it was just a joke—a little prank they were playing on the author, who was absolutely devastated by what they did.
This story still haunts me years later.
If you can’t be happy for your friend’s success, then just STFU.
If your friends can’t be happy for your success, and they can’t STFU, then you need new friends.
I’m often asked, “For beginning editors, do you recommend doing some edits for free to get a start?” To answer, I want to distinguish between a beginning editor who has no idea what they’re doing and needs to learn and a beginning editor who knows what they’re doing but doesn’t have a lot in the…
It’s important for editors to recognize that authors have different stages of ability: Most of our author clients are at Stage 1, 2, or 3, and how we shape the edit will depend on which it is. If we expect an author at Stage 1 to be able to spot their own errors, we aren’t…
A question I’m often asked is, “Authors can be confused by what kind of editing their manuscript needs. How do you handle that?” Pre-Editing Questions When an author reaches out to me for more information about my editing services, I ask them a bit about their past experience: have they published before, and if so,…
Setting client expectations at the very beginning of a working relationship is necessary to provide the best editing services when working with authors. Setting Client Expectations: What Does the Client Want? Because editorial functions can go by different names, the first rule of freelance editing (whether developmental or otherwise) is to figure out what your…
Managing client expectations is necessary for a successful business so here are my tips for effective client communication for book editors. My Top Tip for Effective Client Communication for Book Editors One way to avoid an unhappy client is to communicate all relevant information from the very beginning of your relationship with them. Clearly stated…
Starting and running a freelance business costs money, and you need to know how to build your editing business on a budget. This is an unfortunate irony at a time when many people have lost their jobs and would like to freelance to earn income but don’t have much spare change to invest in it….
If you’re an author hoping to have your work traditionally published, it helps to know how publishers acquire novels so you can navigate the process successfully. Do be aware that while some publishers accept direct submissions from authors, many (especially bigger publishers) don’t, and you’ll need to find an agent first. Information on querying agents…
Here’s a quick overview of the publishing process for authors and editors to gain a better understanding of how traditional publishing works. Basic Information about How Traditional Publishing Works You’re an author who is interested in publishing the traditional route—getting an agent, landing a book deal, seeing the book on the shelf in the local…
Where I share the basics of how to write a novel synopsis and what exactly it is—plus a novel synopsis example for show-and-tell. What Is a Novel Synopsis? A novel synopsis is a description of the characters and storyline of an author’s manuscript. A brief synopsis runs two or three single-spaced pages, while a longer…
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