I’m so so late on this one! And I’m sure you don’t want to hear yet another exclamation of how fast this year is going, so I’ll stop myself there. June was one crazy month for me – partied a little too hard, was swamped with work and made numerous questionable life choices, but hey – that’s what being in your mid-twenties is all about, right? That’s what I’m going to tell myself anyway. But! Onwards and upwards! Check out what I got up to in my writing and editing life this month…
My Books:
Red Hands
I finally sent off my completed structural edit to my publisher! Let’s pause for a moment and celebrate this little win.
I have to be honest here – the structural edit was a challenging journey. From the initial meeting I had with Nicki and Donna, to the numerous additions and rewrites, and then finally signing off on the completed, structurally edited version, it all took a lot out of me.
However, the best thing is that I can see how much stronger the manuscript is. Nicki was absolutely amazing with picking up inconsistencies, and weak scenes for me to work on. She had some wonderful ideas about how to develop characters further, and where things needed expanding on.
Despite how exhausting the process was (for both of us, I’m sure), this manuscript is definitely on its way to becoming a book I’ll be very proud of in the end.
As for what happens now? Donna (the publisher at Inkerman & Blunt), is currently going over the manuscript. I’ll revise according to her suggestions and then it’s off to one more editor before proofreading.
Slowly but surely, it’s all coming together…
Finding Oremere
I’ve spent the last month or so really trying to expand on the world-building and characters of the first book in my fantasy series, but it’s reached a point where I’m not seeing straight with it. I’ve called in for backup.
Just recently, I’ve reached out to some wonderful friends of mine and have asked them to act as beta readers. I’ve never officially used the beta reader process before, so this is a first for us all, but I’m really excited to get some in-depth feedback.
I’ve even created a worksheet for them to use as a guide when it comes to what to focus on in terms of critiquing. Fingers crossed by the next time I write one of these recaps, I’ll have some of their feedback to share with you!
I’m both extremely nervous and excited to hear what they all have to say.
Fantasy Book II
To be brutally honest, I have done absolutely ZERO work on this book in the last month. I’ve been focusing so much on the edits for both Red Hands and Finding Oremere, that I just didn’t have the mental capacity to churn out more writing, especially with the writing I’ve been doing for Writer’s Edit on top of everything else.
However, I’m very much hoping that I’ll have the chance to revisit this manuscript this month while I’m waiting for new edits on Red Hands.
Stay tuned!
Editor’s Life:
Wow. I don’t even know where to start with all the things we’ve done this past month, but I’ll try. On top of all the regular articles, social media posts and team management, we’ve accomplished the following…
Ebook Published
We published our very first ebook: Traditional vs Self-Publishing: Which Is Right For You, which available now on Amazon, and will soon be available on Writer’s Edit as well.
Here’s a little sneak preview…
Inspired by the struggles of the modern-day author, this book delves into the unknowns of both methods of publishing. It covers issues such as consistency of pay, rates of success, responsibilities that fall to the author, hidden costs, and much more. Divided into Pros and Cons sections for each mode of publishing, this definitive text will help you weigh up all the options, providing a balanced view of both methods.
Brought to you by the experienced team at Writer’s Edit Press (www.WritersEdit.com), this book uncovers the many myths surrounding what it’s like to be a traditionally published author versus an indie author. Created for writers who are unsure which path is right for them, ‘Traditional vs Self-Publishing’ aims to inform and guide writers to make the best decision for themselves and their book.
In order to publish this book (as well as write the next courses for Writer’s Edit), I had to teach myself how to format and publish an ebook. I have to say, I’m actually really proud of the result. It’s such a surreal and thrilling experience reading and seeing your work as a published book on your own kindle!
Courses Officially Launched
Remember how last month, Writer’s Edit alpha launched a range of courses to our inner circle? Well, just recently we beta launched an even bigger collection of courses to our subscriber base.
Here’s what Writer’s Edit members now have access to…
Courses
- How to write a novel
- How to edit a novel
- How to submit your novel to publishers
- How to prepare your book for self-publishing
- How to self-publish your ebook
- How to self-publish your print book
Plus a range of bonus tools and materials such as…
- Publishers directory
- Jobs and opportunities board
- Free copy of the ebook mentioned above
- Glossary of publishing terms
- Downloadable character profile worksheet
At the moment, we’re offering early bird pricing, so click here if you’re interested in becoming a member.
I can’t tell you how much work myself and the team have put into these courses and tools. It’s been an incredibly exhausting few months, but with some more work and refining, hopefully our community grows bigger and better than ever before, and we help some writers achieve their dreams in the process.
Kindling Volume III
This book has come together so incredibly well over the past few weeks. We’ve finished editing, we’ve decided on a cover design, and now myself and Claire are in the midst of proofreading the final pages.
I honestly can’t wait til we’re ordering copies for the launch, and I can see our three finished books sitting proudly on my shelf. Not long to go now!
What I’ve Read:
- The Natural Way Of Things by Charlotte Wood
- The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- Traditional vs Self-Publishing: Which Is Right For You by Writer’s Edit Press
I made the effort in June to get back into lit fic, thought it was probably time to take a little bit of a breather from fantasy. However, that’s not going to last long – both The Natural Way Of Things and A Little Life were so utterly depressing (good, but depressing), that I’ve started re-reading ACOMAF for what’s probably the tenth or so time. Oh well!
Until next time,
Helen