From now through August, Swenson Book Development LLC offers a special package for editorial feedback on the first ten pages of your manuscript. I want to read what you’ve been writing. One of the most frequent requests I get from writers is a simple answer to the general question: is this any good? In order to answer any questions about a manuscript, you need to read it. Writers can ask their friends, family, and fellow writers to read their work and gain valuable feedback from doing so. But I know why they ask me. I’m a professional. Typically I do not offer such quick assessments as I spend considerable time screening clients who come largely by word-of-mouth referrals. Ten pages however, is a common request for writers seeking literary representation or applying for juried residencies, workshops, and fellowships. Because I believe these valuable opportunities are part of developing a writer’s career, I am willing to help new and emerging writers with editorial feedback on the first ten pages of their manuscript for a flat rate of $100 during August 2018. Getting editorial feedback on ten pages can provide you with advice to apply to the remainder of your manuscript pages. Consider it a future cost-savings on editing. Self-editing is a skill that can be honed by working with an editor and learning to improve your own copy. Many writers think an editor isn’t helpful until you have a full manuscript. This isn’t true except for saving money on proofreaders and…
Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd have co-authored Good Prose: The Art of Non-Fiction and opened a window into writing and editing, writer and editor. Author of Strength in What Remains, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World, Tracy Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1981 non-fiction narrative, The Soul of a New Machine. Kidder established… [Read More]
Filed Under: Art of Non-Fiction, Good Prose, Random House, Richard Todd, Tracy Kidder
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Many authors simply dismiss Twitter. They imagine Brooklynites and Los Angelinos strolling city streets while on their smartphones punching tiny keyboards. If the demographics of your book’s readers don’t match those who use Twitter, why bother? No one seems interested in tweeting what they ate for lunch, where they went shopping, or the funny thing their kid said. How can you say anything meaningful or… [Read More]
You may think you left citations behind when you finished writing college papers, but if you are writing non-fiction these little footprints of authority are more important than ever. In school, your references to others’ work is a matter of intellectual honesty and under Fair Use of the Copyright Act, attribution of the source is sufficient. When you are writing a book that will be… [Read More]
Ava Russell begins her summer internship with Swenson Book Development LLC, on Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend. She is an English literature major at SUNY Geneseo. Last summer she interned as an editorial assistant for Fresh Dirt Ithaca magazine. Copyeditor for her college newspaper, The Lamron, Ava Russell also tutors fellow Geneseo students in writing. Spring semester in London gave her a permanent travel bug,… [Read More]
What does a book development editor do? Professionally assess your manuscript or book concept for its publishing potential Offer critical feedback and editorial guidance Serve as writing coach as the author completes a manuscript Collaborate in the development of a winning book proposal Position and package the book concept to specific publishers Research what publishers are looking for in the current market Conduct market research… [Read More]