“I’m making it worse!” | Crises in Revision

It’s not uncommon to hit a point in your revision where you fall back in your seat, cover your face with your hands, and hold back the screams and tears while thinking, “Oh my god, I think I’m making it worse!” Given that the goal of revision is to make the book better, this is […]

I Started Revising My Book but Now I’m Stuck

Getting stuck on a developmental revision of your manuscript is a very common problem. It doesn’t help to see other authors posting about how much they love editing and revision. When many of my authors sit down to revise, they look at their draft and pages full of comments and a report full of recommendations—and […]

4 Nonfiction Chapter Templates to Fix Your Wonky Book

Okay, when I promise “nonfiction chapter templates,” I don’t mean to mislead anyone. These aren’t fill-in-the-blank sorts of things. They’re more like schema, basic patterns that you can use as the skeleton of your chapter. They make sure you have the right pieces to make your chapter work. I started jotting down notes for this […]

Why a Book Stalls at the Developmental Edit

When a book stalls out at any stage, it’s disappointing, but the developmental edit is where I see authors struggle most. When people hire me as their developmental editor, they’re usually hoping for some quick fixes. They want assurance the chapter organization makes sense and maybe some help tightening up an argument or two. They […]

I Hate the Question “Do You Like My Book?”

As an editor and ghostwriter, I really don’t like the question, “Do you like my book?” That may seem counterintuitive; if I’ve spent a good chunk of my life working on it, I must like it, right? I wouldn’t take on a book I didn’t think was good, would I? You may be surprised to […]