You’ve written a book you’re nervously in love with. Now what? Contrary to every neophyte urge in your authorial body, you are not to immediately send your work out to every publishing house you know. Sorry! Instead, you’re in for an age of reviewing. Yaaaaay . . .
So, what is a manuscript assessment and how is it different from a beta read? Let’s get into it.
Tag Archives: publishing
What to do with (unpublished) family manuscripts
Every now and again I get inquiries from family members dealing with a loved one’s possessions who have found a manuscript. Typically they want to know what to do with this compilation of work—and if it’s any good. Sometimes the family is really enthusiastic about the project. Sometimes they haven’t even read it yet. And that’s fair.
Should I write a fan fiction?
You sure should write fan fiction and likely already have—at least partly, in your head. When you think of how a character should have acted or what you wish had have happened instead, you’re essentially starting your own fanfic. This is a brand new world of ‘what ifs’ you get to explore. How far you want to explore that world is up to you.
The top North American trade publishers
What is the first place that comes to mind if you think of published books? Chances are, it’s one of the big multinational publishers: Penguin Random House (now including Simon & Schuster), Hachette, HarperCollins, and Macmillan. While there are literally hundreds of places to get published, these four take the cake in terms of annual revenue, number of titles, and notoriety.
Why do I see so many mistakes in published works?
Ah, yes. Your favourite newspaper has a typo in its headline or you’ve found desert when dessert was meant. It happens! And, obviously, it happens to established authors and at established publishing houses. But… how?
What is a title information sheet and when would I need one?
In publishing, when your book gets presented to the editorial team as a real candidate for selling, your story will be reduced to a single page of to-the-point information known as the title information sheet. This piece of paper is the marketing pitch for your book, and contains important printing details the publisher will need to know for pricing reasons (among other things). So what goes into a title information sheet?
What style guide should I use?
Style guides are used by publishing companies to help them define the rules of language they’ll follow for their publications. While authors may not need intimate knowledge of one, understanding the purpose of each and maybe even learning a couple of rules to improve consistency in your writing is a great idea. Figuring out what style guide to use is pretty simple, and we’ll overview what factors you should consider in this article.
Why on earth do you need an editor?
The goal of any editor is to bring out the strongest version of the text in front of us, no matter what stage it’s at. We are ever-so-careful of the suggestions and comments we make as we strive for better understanding of the material and its design. You have a goal in mind for this work and we’re the intermediary who helps you reach your target audience the most effectively.
Right Your Writing 