(Without letting it write the book!) Artificial intelligence has become one of the most polarizing conversations in publishing. Some writers are excited about the possibilities. Others are deeply skeptical—and frankly, many concerns are valid. Questions about copyright, consent, training data, and the future of creative work are not going away anytime soon. But somewhere between “AI will replace authors” and “AI should never be touched under any circumstances” is a more pract

If you’re new to fiction writing, “scene structure” can sound technical—or even intimidating. In reality, it’s much simpler than it seems. At its core, a scene is just this: a character wants something, runs into a problem, and something changes. That’s it. When scenes feel boring, confusing, or slow, it’s usually because one of those pieces is missing. The good news is that once you understand the basic building blocks, you can fix most scene issues quickly and with confiden

Every editor, whether freelance or working with a team of editors at a publishing house, will have a slightly different process for editing and proofreading a book. For indie authors, this process will largely depend on what they have hired the editor to do. This blog post provides the what-it-looks-like snapshot of each key moment during editing (as I experience it with clients). Most of these moments should carry over, in a broad sense, to just about any editor you work wit

Hiring a professional editor is an important part of the publishing process, but before you hand your manuscript over, some necessary groundwork should be completed. By preparing your manuscript properly, authors ensure the editing process is efficient, cost-effective, and productive. Here are some critical steps to consider before sending your work to an editor. (These come from my own experience working with debut authors and writers who are new to self-publishing.) 1. Self

In the expansive realm of publishing, there exists a sobering reality: the presence of scams that can exploit the hopes and dreams of...

Proofreaders aren't just eagle-eyed typo hunters. For many indie authors, proofreaders can often be a valuable resource for navigating the next steps in the self-publishing process. If you've never thought to ask your proofreader about what to do with your polished manuscript, here's a step-by-step guide that will take your manuscript from final polished draft to published book. This checklist assumes that you have standardized the formatting of your manuscript document and a

Every write knows that a strong opening to their book is crucial for engaging readers. It's the first impression, the hook, that either...

(I'd like to say that I'm writing this blog post for the benefit of readers, but really, I'm writing it for me.) These are the top three...

Limited vs. omniscient narration Third person narration is a literary style where the narrative is told from the perspective of a...

Formatting attributes of speech alongside action in fiction I've written about the basics of formatting dialogue here. This blog is a...

"Passes" and "rounds" are common terms used in book publishing, but their meanings can often become confused. There are, in general,...

A query letter is a formal letter that a writer sends to literary agents or publishers to introduce themselves and their work with the...

In this final post in the Elements of a Successful Book blog series, I'm talking reviews—what they are, different types, how to get them,...

Metadata feels like a nebulous term, and for many writers, it’s components seem hard to pin down. However, it’s vital that your book has...

You’ve written your book and edited the heck out of it, and you don’t want to deal with it anymore. Sounds about right? But then you...

Book titles and subtitles feel pretty basic—every book has a title (at least), and I don’t think it’s controversial to say that your book...

If you think no one is judging books by their covers, then you’d be wrong about this oft-underutilized aspect of book marketing. The book cover and spine or the book cover thumbnail will be the first aspects of your book that catch a potential reader’s attention. It’s pivotal that your book cover is professional and that the cover image file is sized appropriately. The last thing you want, before you even consider all of the other implications for book cover design, is a grai

Dive in with me as I explore the commonalities between successful books no matter how they were published, what genre they are, or...

What every writer should know Confusion about intellectual property, copyright, and permissions abound in the self-publishing world. It...

I’ve received quite a few questions about my new manuscript review service. First, I want to say, no, this is not a review like you might...