Should You Hire Your Own Editor?

Should You Hire Your Own Editor? Blog banner with image of woman typing on a laptop

🤔 If you get assigned an editor when you publish your book through a traditional publisher, why would you pay to work with a separate editor? It might surprise you to learn that we work with a lot of authors who already have book deals or who are hoping to go through a traditional publisher.  The publishing … Read more

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

It’s a classic “Which comes first? The chicken or egg?” kind of question: Should you build your author platform or write your book first? We get versions of this question ALL. THE. TIME. So buckle up, because we’re breaking it down just for you. ​​​​​​​ (By the way, we’re mostly talking to non-fiction writers on this … Read more

Author Spotlight: Shanita Liu, Author of Dear Durga

Image of author Shanita Liu and the cover of her new book: Dear Durga

We are so excited to share an interview with one of our clients who has recently published her first book! We hope you’ll be inspired by her journey to share her lessons about courage with the world. So without further rambling (long intros are the worst, right?), let’s chat with Shanita Liu about Dear Durga: … Read more

Are you stuck? How to get writing again!

focus on finger typing on laptop computer

What’s the #1 issue aspiring authors hit as they reach for their book goals? They’re just not writing! Regardless of their good intentions, the words are not flying on the page the way they’d like. Sound like you? If so, you may need to ask yourself the world’s simplest question: What’s really going on? Yeah, … Read more

Book Launch: The Essential Guide

book launch

Introduction Chapter 1: Book Launch Basics Chapter 2: The Book Launch Myth Chapter 3: Finding Your Voice Chapter 4: Book Launch Timeline Chapter 5: Book Launch Team Chapter 6: Book Launch Dos Chapter 7: Book Launch Don’ts Chapter 8: Book Launch Campaign Ideas Conclusion INTRODUCTION “I can plan my book launch without all of the … Read more

Promoting Your Self-Published Book: Publicity Secrets from Dawn Michelle Hardy

If you’re self-publishing your book, does that mean you can’t get publicity? Not according to my guest today, the publicist Dawn Michelle Hardy, who is also a friend of mine. She’s going to give us a good schooling in how a self-published author can and ought to seek publicity for their book. Dawn is a … Read more

What’s a Sensitivity Read, and Why Is It Important? By Felice Laverne

sensitivity reader

We invited our friend and colleague, Felice Laverne, to guest blog about the importance of a sensitivity read. Felice is a Diversity & Inclusion coach, literary agent, book editor, and author coach. She has established Diversity & Inclusion initiatives at global brands such as HarperCollins Publishers, and she has edited books such as Zerlina Maxwell’s … Read more

Writing for Change and Justice

writing for change

If you’re reading this newsletter, it means you’re a writer interested in helping transform, uplift and inspire others to live more joyful, fulfilling and service-oriented lives. So I’m pretty certain you care about basic human rights. For everyone. You probably also care about leading with love and compassion; fighting to end oppression; and dismantling systemic … Read more

How These 5 Editing Types Take Your Book from Good to Great

Readers hold a high standard for books because of the expectations set by traditional publishers. That means that whether you’re going the self-publishing or traditional publishing route, you need to meet the current market standard. We all know traditional houses have entire teams focused on taking a book from good to great. But it doesn’t … Read more

What Does a Literary Agent Do? An Interview with Lucinda Halpern

Some of the biggest questions for authors who want to traditionally publish is, Will I find an agent to represent my book? What does a literary agent do? And if I want one, how do I best position myself for success? That’s why we decided to sit down with our friend Lucinda Halpern, founder and … Read more