Eliminating or reducing flashbacks in stories may be necessary to help with the narrative flow and keep readers interested in what’s ahead. Tips for Eliminating or Reducing Flashbacks in Stories Authors like to use flashbacks to show backstory. Unfortunately, flashbacks can stop the narrative flow in its tracks. Rather than increasing dramatic tension, flashbacks tend…
Let’s discuss why book editors need a content strategy in order to market their business effectively. Why Book Editors Need a Content Strategy A while back, I mentioned on a LinkedIn post that for years, my best-performing content for my personal website had been a screed about how I hated wind chimes. That post drew…
What is the best marketing method for freelance book editors? Well, it depends! The Best Marketing Method for Freelance Book Editors “Waiting for a hare to appear” is an old Taoist story. Taoism is a philosophy of the middle way, of not forcing effort, of observing nature, and trying to stay in tune with it….
Our upcoming Beginning Copyediting for Fiction class will educate anyone wanting to fix the errors seen on a daily basis in the real world! Over the past week or so, I’ve caught the following typos and grammatical awkwardness in major news media: USA Today: “publically released” USA Today: “could cause driver’s to crash” USA Today:…
A close call on the highway got me thinking about all the ways freelance editors can accident-proof your business. How to Accident-Proof Your Business A couple of weeks ago, the steering column on my car broke as I was driving down the highway! Fortunately, it was the 405, so I was only going about two…
My excuse-busting marketing method has been highly successful in helping potential author clients decide whether to get their books edited and published. Excuse-Busting Marketing: How to Help Authors Get Ready for Editing If you’ve hung around here for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of finding clients who already know they want…
Attention freelance editors: When considering how to price services, avoid undervaluing your work in an attempt to stay competitive. This approach can lead to exhaustion and potentially compromise the quality of your output. How to Price Services My hair stylist moved to Indiana. I only found this out when I called to make an appointment….
When writing fiction, you’re likely to encounter problems with conflict—so the question is how to create conflict in a story. How to Create Conflict in a Story Conflict, as you probably know, drives the narrative. Consider this: Just now, I wanted a cup of tea, so I went and made one. So what, right? You…
A challenge for newer editors is feeling like you’re competing against hundreds of people for the same few clients—you have to figure out how to stand out from the crowd. But believe me when I say you’re not. A Little Ditty About How to Stand Out From the Crowd Here’s a story. My daughter is…
Developing a book editor mindset is as simple as understanding a few basic principles, including how to read a manuscript like an editor. Developing a Book Editor Mindset Beginning developmental editors sometimes ask me how “awful” books make it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and how can we worry about what makes a…