Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, and Melissa Stroh, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
How Bookstagram Helps Authors with Jill Lancour
Because writers and readers share a collaborative relationship, Bookstagrammer Jillian Lancour shares tips on how Christian writers can build an Instagram community.
Watch the August 20th replay
Jillian Lancour is an avid reader of inspirational historical fiction, a homeschool mom, and a fan of all things vintage. Check out her Instagram account at She Reads Christian Fiction.
Leveraging Manuscript Wish Lists for Queries and Publishing Trends with Bethany Jett
Literary agent and marketing strategist Bethany Jett shares tips on how to strategically use literary agents’ manuscript wish lists (#MSWL) to tailor our queries and maximize our chances of success. This workshop guides writers in interpreting what agents are looking for, aligning their manuscripts with current demands, and spotting key trends in the publishing industry. For the second half of the episode, we had an open forum where our community members asked Bethany questions about writing, platform, and specific genre expectations.
Watch the July 27th replay
Bethany Jett is an associate literary agent with the C.Y.L.E. agency, as well as a multi-award-winning author, and a marketing strategist who earned top honors in her master’s program, where she earned her MFA in Communications focusing on Marketing and PR. Her motto is “Teach as you go,” which she lives out as the co-owner of Serious Writer, a company that teaches and empowers writers and authors. Bethany is married to her college sweetheart, and together they’re raising 3 teen/tween sons and their Pomeranian, Sadie.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Most authors are focused on writing the best possible manuscript—an important task. While your writing is important, there is another document many writers miss—yet you need to create: a book proposal. This document is your business plan—even if you self-publish or write children’s books or fiction or nonfiction. Originally I wrote this book as a frustrated editor to get better submissions. Yet it is much more
Throughout my decades in publishing, I’ve written many different types of nonfiction books: biographies, how-to, diet, self-help, co-authored books, children’s books and others. I’ve interviewed more than 150 bestselling authors and written their stories for various magazines. It’s not that I’m the best writer in the room but I am one of the more consistent, persistent writers.
I attend conferences and pitch my ideas to editors.
I listen to their response and sometimes they say, “That’s a good idea, Terry. Write that up and send it to me.” I make a little note, then I go home. write and send it. Now that doesn’t mean I get published, but I did give myself a chance to get published because of my submission.
Now I go to conferences as an editor and listen to writers pitch their ideas.
I listen carefully and if I hear a good idea, I encourage them to send it to me. I’ve been to conferences across the United States and Canada listening to writers and encouraging them to send me their material. Here’s a startling statistic: probably only about 10% of those writers actually submit their requested material. I follow up through email and often a phone call to encourage them to send it—but they don’t submit.
There are several other key factors from my experience:
Professionals continue to work at learning the craft of writing. I’m constantly reading books and taking online courses and learning. The authors who disappear off the bestseller list figure they have arrived at their craft and don’t have anything else to learn. Yes, I’ve met some of these writers.
Professional writers keep in touch with readers through an email newsletter and have invested the time to learn about their audience (readers) then write what they want and expect. These professionals also understand the importance of gentle follow-up. Notice the word “gentle” because if you are too pushy, the easiest answer to give is “no thank you.” Yes, often takes patience, persistence and time.
These professional writers also understand the importance of continual pitching to decision makers (editors but also radio show hosts, podcast creators, and others of influence). Authors who succeed in the publishing world are looking for opportunities. When they find the open door, they have the boldness to move forward and seize it.
Also professional writers understand the importance of deadlines and meet those deadlines with quality writing. As an editor, I’ve fielded calls from writers who are not going to make their deadlines. They have many reasons—some of them even reasonable. Writers are notoriously late so publishers often build some room for such excuses into their schedule—but don’t be one of those writers. I’ve taken some crazy deadlines from publishers and sometimes stayed writing at my keyboard all night to send my manuscript on the deadline. It’s another key for those writers who succeed in the book business.
The path is not easy for any of us and takes persistence, consistency and discipline.
But it is possible for you to find the right idea and the right book and the right publisher at the right time. I understand there are many rights which need to align. It simply will not fly if you don’t try.
You finished writing your book, begged an avid reader to give you some input, and made revisions. Are you ready to submit it to a publisher or publish it yourself? Maybe, but probably not. Even if your friend is an avid reader and/or writer, you may want to hire a professional editor before you take either step.
Although publishing houses have their own editors who will edit your book after you’ve signed a publishing contract, the competition in the publishing world is so extreme that you want to be sure you put your very best product in front of them. You rarely get a second chance. If you plan to self-publish, you definitely want input from someone who can spot not only errors but also weaknesses.
You first need to determine what your manuscript needs.
Developmental editing means looking at the story as a whole—the characters, the plot, and the way in which the story is told.
Line editing examines each sentence to ensure the use of active (versus passive) verbs, proper sentence construction, and punctuation. However, a line edit also evaluates your use of words. Does your writing draw readers in? Do you maintain tension and interest? Or are your words too passive and overly descriptive? Do you wander off on tangents to the point you lose the reader?
Copyediting catches minor errors, such as punctuation and verb tense errors.
Proofreading is the final pass, looking for typos. Proofreading is critically important if 100,000 copies of your book are being printed and shipped to bookstores. However, many books are now done in small batches of “print on demand,” so minor errors can be fixed before the next batch of printing.
Edits are done in the order listed above. Developmental is looking at the overall work. After fixing the big issues in plot, intrigue, believability, and characters, you are ready to look at the actual writing, which is line editing. Once the writing is up to par, a copyeditor reads through to smooth out grammatical errors and punctuation. The proofreader reviews the final draft before it goes to print, looking strictly for typos.
Plot and characterization are the two biggest issues in any story, which is why you want the developmental edit first. An excellent plot is obviously necessary. However, a good editor also critically evaluates if the characters are well-developed. Will a reader feel they know your characters? Do they have any unique attributes that separate them from other characters? Are any of them memorable? (Sometimes a really great character can push an average story to stardom.)
Even in nonfiction, the arrangement of information can be critically important.
I have been on both ends of the game—I am an award-winning author with seven novels published, as well as numerous articles and a decade-long weekly humor column, but I have also spent decades teaching writing workshops and working as a freelance editor. Although many editors concentrate on one type of editing, I do a combination of developmental and line editing. I provide editing comments throughout the manuscript explaining errors and suggesting what needs to be done. Some editors specialize in one genre, while an editor with broad experience may edit a range of different genres.
Proofreading is a special skill.
A proofreader must have an eagle eye, looking at every single word and period.
The temptation is always to just get your dear Aunt Sally to give it a look-see. However, if she reads romances and you ask her opinion on your dystopian, you likely aren’t going to get the critical feedback you need. Likewise, don’t take advice willy-nilly from random writers. Read their work and discuss your story before you hack away at your prose based on their opinion. Random writing groups can destroy good manuscripts.
Style Guides
Most American book publishers use Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) as their directive on punctuation, but there are a few American publishers that use Associated Press style guidelines (AP). The differences are minor but distinct. Most websites, newspapers, and magazines use AP.
Michelle Buckman is a freelance editor of both fiction and nonfiction and the award-winning author of seven novels. She is also an international conference speaker renowned for her dynamic discussions on writing and faith. She has been a featured author at numerous conferences and events, including the Catholic Marketing Network trade show, International Christian Retail Show, Southeastern Independent Booksellers Association, and the South Carolina Book Festival. Connect with Michelle Buckman
