Don’t Know If It’s Hackneyed? Google It!

As a book editor, I sometimes find my author clients don’t believe me when I tell them an expression is hackneyed. Hackneyed (cliche) expressions are somewhat forgivable in nonfiction writing, but in fiction, they’re the kiss of death. How many times have you read the phrase “rosy-fingered dawn” or “the sweetness of his kiss”? How many more times do you ... Read More

Does Your Book Need a Graphic Designer?

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

Writing Your Novel: Forego Irrelevant Description

Remember when your English teacher told you that good writing is descriptive writing, showing not telling, rich in the details of sensory experience? While this is true to a degree, there’s an important caveat to that advice that typically writing teachers forget to mention. We book editors, however, deal every day with the writing mistakes the missing information causes. So ... Read More