When you’re writing a book, at some point you will need to review its structure. This approach varies from writers who do this at the very start of their book process and continue refining it as they write their book, to those who just start writing with a very loose agenda. A well-structured book is crucial to its readability: too much jumbling and flitting from one point to the next and your reader will have a hard time keeping up – at worst they will stop reading the boo

Copyediting is your book’s final edit. It’s the line-by-line edit that amends any grammatical or spelling errors, and makes revisions to improve flow and readability. This means once you receive your book back from the copyeditor, you are expected to focus on which revisions you agree with, rewriting or deleting huge chunks of your book. Once your book has been copyedited, the next stages in the publishing process are typesetting (formatting your manuscript into a book) and

Do you write the book you want, or the one you think you should? I hadn’t planned it this way, but the start of a new year (January 2026) is a natural time to think about writing or publishing a book. New year, new goals might be a bit of a cliché, but we just can’t help setting new or revised goals for the year, and for many aspiring authors, this will be the year you write your book. But before you start on chapter one, there’s an important question to consider: are you g

When it comes to publishing your book, I bet you’ve heard of editors (hi!), book cover designers, proofreaders, and marketers. But have you heard of beta readers? You’re not alone if you haven’t. Most first-time authors I speak to haven’t heard of beta readers, but it’s something I recommend any self-publishing author adds to their publication timeline. By the end of this blog post, you'll know: - What a beta reader is - Why you should use beta r

Self-publishing is a tricky balance between rushing and procrastinating. It’s all about setting realistic deadlines and understanding how long each part of the publishing process takes, such as how long editing a book takes. Once you’ve found a book editor you want to work with, you need to work out when your manuscript will be ready for editing. Submit it too soon, and you’ll end up paying for extra services like more time needed on the first round or paying for additional

The amount of time it takes to self-publish your book will depend on many factors, including word count, budget, and deadline. One element that is constantly underestimated is how long it takes to edit a book. That’s why understanding what’s involved in the editing process from final draft to published book is imperative for self-publishing authors. The editing process is the longest stage of self-publishing a book (after writing it, of course!) Knowing exactly what’s involve

Have you ever wondered when you’re supposed to use digits and when to write out numbers in non-fiction? Perhaps this isn’t something you’ve considered before, but now you’re wondering whether your manuscript contains an unintentional mixture of the two and you have no idea how to put it right. I can help with that! I’ll guide you through the standard principles for how to write numbers in non-fiction − with a special section dedicated to memoir. Why am I treating memoir

Autobiography is not the same as memoir I’ve noticed a growing trend with celebrities writing ‘memoir’ when they really mean ‘autobiography’. I imagine this is because it sounds more literary or even trendy to say memoir rather than autobiography. Before I go into the detail of the differences between an autobiography and memoir, let me clarify one crucial point. There is nothing wrong with writing an autobiography! If you’ve written an autobiography, then call it that (said

Does your writing bank comprise various blog posts, journal entries, letters, sheaves of thoughts and notes? And are you now struggling to come with some sort of structure or arc to turn these into a book? One option is to STOP forcing this content into some sort of structure and instead let its power come from the composition, message, and intention of each entry. There are two further options within this approach: 1) turn them into a book of essays or letters 2) create a hy

If you’ve been writing for a while or you’ve studied the writing craft then you’ve probably heard of (and are maybe sick of!) ‘show don’t tell when writing’. I work best when I have examples to work from, so I’ve included a few examples of what great ‘showing’ looks like in writing. Show vs tell is especially pertinent in fiction, but it’s also vital in memoir and narrative non-fiction. Oh, and don't worry, you don't have to turn into Dylan Thomas to be great at writing you

Yes, I am mentioning Christmas in August. But seeing as Christmas is a popular deadline for launching books (who doesn’t love getting a book for Christmas?), let’s see what’s involved to get your book published for Christmas. I imagine you’re thinking that August to Christmas gives you LOADS of time for publishing, but if Christmas is a deadline you’re working towards, there are several factors to consider. While I am referring to self-publishing your book in time for Christm

The world of publishing can be completely overwhelming when you first enter it: from all the unique terms (‘what is copyediting?') to the different job titles used in the editorial business, it’s no wonder most first-time authors just don’t know where to start, or how long it takes to edit and self-publish a book. Knowing what’s involved in each stage of the editing process and how long each one takes means you can plan for them and allow enough time for each part of the edit

I’m sure you’re aware of the power of storytelling in your non-fiction book, especially if you’re writing a memoir. But are you telling stories or simply stating your version of events? Here’s what I mean to explain the difference. Version 1 I finally got an appointment with the physio. She identified the cause of my knee pain and gave me some exercises to do, and was hopeful I’d recover in 4 to 6 weeks. Version 2 After 19 long weeks I finally got an appointment with the phys

I launched my proofreading and book editing business from our local Aldi car park on 19 July 2022. By that I mean I published an Instagram post which told everyone I was officially open for business. Launch day! 19 July 2022, from my local Aldi car park. Photo credit: Siân Smith Here’s a recap of my clients and projects from July 2022 to July 2023: First-time author, Lisa Towers, who felt her original book edits could be improved. (Simply Anxious, 30,000 words). First-time au