Publishing Tips

As a book editor, I’m sometimes asked what the difference is between a developmental edit and a substantive edit. Authors typically use the first term to mean something different than what it originally meant to editors. In so doing, they’ve created a new (popular) meaning for the term. This leads to all sorts of confusion, which hopefully this article will ... Read More

You’re writing the author bio page for your book, and are unsure what should go there and what shouldn't. There’s a right way and wrong way to do this, so let’s take a look. Keep it brief – Your book's author bio page should be short—just two or three brief paragraphs. Summarize – Unlike a resume that lists your accomplishments in ... Read More

Branding is as important for a book as it is for a business, and branding starts with your book title. As a developmental book editor, I advise on the book title, helping authors see how their  proposed wording is likely to strike their target audience. A book title needs to convey the genre and indicate the nature of the content, ... Read More

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Shakespeare, but clearly he wasn’t talking about book titles. When it comes to choosing the right book title, the name is everything. Why is it so important? Because your book title, along with your book cover, are the first things a prospective reader or buyer are going to see. ... Read More

Authors often ask me, their book editor, if they will need a graphic designer’s help after the book is edited and before it’s ready for publication. If you are self-publishing, the answer is always yes, unless the printer you hire offers graphic design as part of the package. (The answer is no if you’re submitting your manuscript to agents or ... Read More