Category: Nonfiction
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Stop Guessing Your Readership’s Needs: Build an Ideal Reader Avatar
Nothing pleases an acquisitions editor more than a writer who can articulate exactly who their audience is. Borrow a strategy from business courses to pinpoint yours.
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How to Write an Author Bio with No Experience
Publishers aren’t reading author bios to separate the experienced from the inexperienced. Instead, they want to know why you’re the right author for the book you’ve written. Sometimes life experience that connects to your book’s subject matter is a stronger hook.
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Answering Your Questions about Nonfiction Book Proposals
Writing a book proposal can be a daunting undertaking, but it’s necessary to get your nonfiction pitch into the hands of an agent or editor. I recently presented a webinar on crafting your nonfiction book proposal and the audience asked some insightful questions. Here’s an exploration of those and others I’ve encountered.
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Common Questions about Comp Titles
You’ve heard that you need to include comp titles in your query or book proposal, and you have questions. After a decade of polishing my comp-title skills as a publishing professional, I have answers.
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How Do You Know if Your Nonfiction Book Idea is Good?
If you’re wondering if your nonfiction book idea is good, you are probably really asking these questions: Is my nonfiction book idea marketable? Can I make a whole book out of it? Is it worth my time to write it? This post will help you answer those questions before you commit yourself to writing.
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Uncommon Tips for Self-Editing Your Book
In this post I’m sharing specialized skills for polishing your manuscript that most people won’t learn unless they train to be a copyeditor. Even when you are going to be working with a professional editor, self-editing is an important step so that your work is as clean as you can make it, leaving the editor…
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What it’s Like to Work with a Professional Book Editor
So you’re considering having your manuscript edited, but it’s a daunting decision to make. I know I can’t fully erase the anxiety that goes with handing your book over to someone else, but I hope that I can ease it by giving you a detailed look at the process.
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How to Become an Editor in Canada
In Canada, there are a few routes you can take to an editorial career, involving a bachelor’s degree (or relevant work experience), continuing education programs and workshops, internships, and optional certification.
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Writing a Rhyming Picture Book that Publishers Actually Want
In today’s publishing landscape, rhyme is usually reserved for specific kinds of picture books. What’s more, it’s difficult to get right. Let’s dig into your questions: What kinds of picture books should rhyme? How long should a rhyming book be? How do you write a good rhyming picture book?
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Why Your Picture Book Manuscript Got Rejected
Before I was a freelance editor, I worked in house and was often the first pair of eyes reviewing manuscripts. Frequently, I knew within a few lines that a picture book manuscript wasn’t going to be suitable.
Erin Alladin 