Author and editor Elaine Ash says doors open for authors not because of connections or promotions, but because of good material that is exciting for readers. If the first paragraph of your manuscript has a fresh voice and draws people in, you are off...

Editing is an essential part of any successful book. Often, it’s what turns a good story into a great one. For authors new to the editing process there are many details to sort through, including what type of editing you need, how much, and when you...

Pete Nikolai, Director of Publishing Services at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has worked with a lot of authors over the years. He has seen many struggles amongst these authors, but the most common one is finishing a manuscript. Whether they have...

Dreaming about a finished book manuscript is fun, but actually sitting down and writing a book is hard work. Writing projects are largely self-motivated and that motivation can be hard to conjure. Bobbie Christmas, editor and owner of Zebra Communications...

The rapidly evolving publishing industry has changed how books are written, marketed, and published. The change has also altered how they’re edited. There are some universal manuscript needs, and authors need to know what those are before they hire...

Whether or not you need to hire a freelance book editor will depend on several factors including your editing needs, your own editing skills, and your chosen publishing path. Before hiring a freelance editor to help polish your manuscript, it's important...

Our favorite stories have a well-crafted structure and contain common elements. We think of writing as an art, but does it have elements of math and science? Elaine Ash thinks so. Ash, author, editor, and book coach, shares her research on structure...