Blurb Writing The blurb, also known as the “back cover description” of a book, is essentially a sales pitch to the potential reader. When picking up a book for the first time, people read this description to understand more of what the book is about.… Read More »Add-On Services
What’s the best way to spend a lazy afternoon? Browsing the shelves at a major bookstore like Barnes & Noble, a lot of readers would say. If you’re a self-publishing author, the concept of getting your book on the bookshelves at any nationwide bookseller is a… Read More »How to Get Your Book in Barnes & Noble Stores
When it comes to all the elements that go into a successful novel—good pacing, character development, plot progression, and the story itself, for example—there’s a lot that can go wrong. As the writer, you don’t have the perspective. Things might work in your head but don’t… Read More »How to Work with Beta Readers
1. What genres of books does Kristen edit? Kristen edits a wide range of books under the fiction genre, including general fiction, sci-fi and fantasy, romance, thriller, and mystery. She also commonly works with memoirs (creative nonfiction) and literary fiction. Above all else, she prefers… Read More »FAQs
I’m just going to say it: If you’re a serious author, you need to be a part of a writers’ critique group. But if you’re an introvert like me, you might be a little hesitant in meeting with a group of strangers (they’re authors, too…but still!) and baring… Read More »4 Best Tips for Joining a Critique Group
As a fiction book editor for self-publishing authors, I’m constantly interacting with authors who are brand new to the world of book editing and publishing. And while I’m always doing free sample edits to help determine what type of editing your manuscript needs, it’s not… Read More »How to Tell if Your Book Needs Developmental Editing
I’m rethinking how I spend my time. By this, I mean that the first hour of every workday is now dedicated to building my business. And as a book editor and a lover of books, what better way to do that than to…well, read a… Read More »Everything You Need to Know about Creating Great Characters
Self-publishing your book is not for the faint of heart. While self-publishing has tons of benefits such as bigger royalties and complete control of your rights, it’s also a time-consuming task that will launch you into a whole new universe. The majority of my author… Read More »The Ultimate Checklist for Self-Publishing Your Book
When you’re writing a high-stakes action scene (like a shootout between your character and the bad guy, for example), one of the greatest disservices you can do to yourself as an author is to write the scene so that the pacing goes too quickly. What… Read More »How to Slow Down Time in an Action Scene
In my nearly ten years as a book editor, I’ve edited a range of books with touchy subjects: extreme political beliefs, sexual content, or other taboo or risqué topics. (And full honesty here: Some of these books go against my personal beliefs or even make… Read More »How I Handle Editing Touchy Subjects