—Write, Ready, Edit—
This is the roundup of blog posts and off-site resources that will help you write your book (or speech, or app script…), find an editor, and navigate the editing process.
Congratulations! You are on the road to publication. It’s a lot of hard work, and you will be proud of what comes out in the end.
Let’s go.
- Blog the first draft
- Speak the first draft
- Conquering writer’s paralysis (aka writer’s block)
- How to start writing a book
- 5 steps to effective outlining
- How long should my writing be?
- Fiction writing tips such as dialect and POV: Penultimate Word
- Three signs that it’s time to get a second opinion on your draft — see-saw, over-editing, & major changes
- Infodump with style — funny but practical tips for inserting information without ruining the story
- How a book is born — infographic insights into workflow (reality)
- Project checklist & timeline for non-publishers
- special note on citing and permissions — spoiler: you need them, start now
- checklist for getting permission for images and graphics
- Advice on permission for song lyrics
- best practices for digital workflow
- Back cover blurbs
- Indexing
- How to publish your book — the options
- How long does it take to produce a book?
- How long various stages of editing take — with various stages / types of editing explained
- Ready for an editor? Start here
- What an editor does and how to find one
- How to get an editor who is a good fit (checklist)
- How to prepare your editor — explaining your needs
- Understanding the types of edit
- Why editing matters in self-publishing — interview with SP award winner
- Get your manuscript ready for the editor and save money on editing costs (not about formatting)
- Advice for (DIY) indexes
- Styling decisions — word choice and punctuation
- Instantly estimate the cost and time needed for editing
- Sample contracts
- What to do with an edited Word file — navigating the tracked changes *video demo
- What to do with an edited PDF — navigating the markup and tricks for quality assurance *video demo
About Working With Me
If you think your project is a good match for my experience and specialties, I’d be happy to talk with you about it. I will even recommend other editors who might be a better match, if that is the case.
I try to be fun to work with, but I promise to give you the full scrutiny of my certified copy editor eyes.
New: Now offering kick-in-the-pants services to help keep your project on track. Some people say that falls under the heading of project management, FYI.
Get Updates On This Resource
There are more blog posts in the queue. To get notification by email when a new post is published, sign up for the feed (below). Note that this feed notifies you of all posts, not just those in the Client Kit, but nothing else is ever emailed.
Photos on this page are by Drew Coffman, used under CC BY-2.0 license. Except for the photo of me, which is by Cat London.
2 thoughts on “Client Kit”