This is probably one of the most popular questions I get as authors are starting to plan their publishing journey. Like most things, there is no right or wrong answer. It really just depends on what you prefer and what is best for you.

Whether you’re going the traditional route or self-publishing, you’re probably going to run into book advances either on your book contract or on third party contracts. So here are the bare bones of terms so you can make the best decision for your publishing journey!

When putting the final touches on your story, most people focus on the font for the cover–which is really important! But what about the internal book font?

Today we’re going to talk about creating a cover design brief for your book! The goal of a cover is to catch the readers’ eye and give them an instant feel or idea for the type of story. Download my free workbook template for everything you should include in your brief.

Most of your goals are most likely about writing or finishing a book. Which is an amazing goal. And a big goal. But it can be daunting, especially once the newness of the goal or the book idea wears off.

So the biggest thing you want to keep in mind is why you want to do it. What is driving you to write a book? Why that story?

If you are a fan of this channel, you’ll know we talk a lot about identifying your story genre, being familiar with it so you can either follow or bend genre expectations. Making sure you are giving the reader what they want and able to market your story correctly to get your book to those demanding eyes and ears.

But within this, there is a new term on the rise — Microgenres. 

Previously a popular term mostly in the music and movie community, the book world is now adapting it for their purposes as well. So what is a microgenre?

Let’s discuss!

We’re quickly coming up on the new year—a fresh start and a time when everyone is excited to plan new goals, new habits, and make next year the best year yet.

But to start 2022 off right, you first want to take a look back at 2021.

So this is going to be a two part post: this week, we’ll talk about how to evaluate your previous year, what to look at, what to consider, and then next week will be all about taking that information and making realistic, achievable goals.

So let’s take a look at your 2021! And as an added bonus, if you are curious, at the end of the video, I’ll go over some of what I found out in the review of my 2021. Including how many books I read, which is always a big question I get asked.

So let’s dive in!

Last week, we talked about questions you should ask yourself to review your 2021, giving yourself a good idea of where you are at now. The good, the bad, and the in between.

So now we get to move on to the fun part – creating goals for 2022!

Writing a book is a long process, but publishing a successful book can be an even longer one.

"You can either be a genius or you can be patient."

This quote from James Clear comes from one of his 3-2-1 emails, and while I’ve yet to read his title Atomic Habits (it is on my TBR!), I thoroughly enjoy his weekly thoughts. His full quote is:

"I rarely have good ideas.​ To overcome this limitation, I think about one topic (like habits) for an unreasonable amount of time. Then, I revise, revise, revise until only the best stuff remains. It’s slow, but it works.​ You can either be a genius or you can be patient."

While James is not specifically talking about writing or publishing, he certainly could have been.

Skipping over the obvious connection to writing and editing in general, let’s talk about publishing.

Whenever I tell someone I’m an editor, nine out of ten times the reaction I get is, “Ugh, grammar.” And when I explain my developmental editing focus, it is quickly followed by a “Huh?” 

For those not familiar with the publishing process, the concept of a developmental edit can seem foreign. Most are used to thinking of editing only the copyediting sense.

Editing is so much more than just that! As a developmental editor, I get to dive into the heart of your novel and help you clarify your vision for readers. Best. Job. Ever. But what is a developmental edit?