From my Desk to Yours

Last month, I was invited to talk to a group of aspiring authors at the Book Brilliance’s monthly Voice and Pen networking event on the topic of the importance of editing. It was lovely to hear from so many motivated and talented authors about their current projects, and it was a privilege to be invited to speak.

However, for those of you who were unable to make the event, I wanted to make sure I was able to share my advice, so I’ve converted my speech into a two-part blog, all about the importance of editing.

In Part 1, I discussed the reasons why you should work with an editor, such as an editor adds a fresh and objective eye to your work as well as brings years of experience to your manuscript (to find out more, check out Part 1 here). Now, I’m back with Part 2, which is a collection of handy tips and tricks to consider when searching and working with an editor.

If you’d prefer to watch the full talk, the event was recorded, so you can check out the full presentation here. But if not, dive into Part 2: Finding and Working with the Right Editor for You.

Being a book editor brings all its own rewards – getting to work with brilliant authors and stories everyday being one of them – but it’s even more exciting when al the hard work of my fabulous authors pays off. Which is why I’m so excited to share the wonderful news that two of my talented authors have been shortlisted for the Selfies Awards 2021.

The Selfies Awards were created to celebrate the best in self-publishing and are judged on the quality of the writing; the production values of the book; an enticing cover and blurb that successfully addresses the target audience; and an effective and creative marketing and publicity strategy that has the potential for great sales.

Both Simon McCleave’s The Snowdonia Killings and AJ Wills’s His Wife’s Sister are both shortlisted in the adult fiction category, and I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations!

If you haven’t read them yet, check out the below for a taster and make sure to grab your copy before the winners are announced on 20th April 2021.

Find out more about the Selfie Awards and the other nominees here.

Despite how much I love my job of helping crime, suspense and thriller authors’ manuscripts to ooze tension and grip readers, spending all day staring at words on the page can take its toll – I think my glasses prescription has got even stronger in lockdown! – so sometimes there is nothing better than curling up on the sofa and watching a good drama of an evening.

Despite how much I love my job of helping crime, suspense and thriller authors’ manuscripts to ooze tension and grip readers, spending all day staring at words on the page can take its toll – I think my glasses prescription has got even stronger in lockdown! – so sometimes there is nothing better than curling up on the sofa and watching a good drama of an evening.

So, I thought I’d share what gripping TV is having us glued to the small screen.

Earlier this week, I was invited to talk to a group of aspiring authors at the Book Brilliance’s monthly Voice and Pen networking event on the topic of the importance of editing. It was lovely to hear from so many motivated and talented authors about their current projects, and it was a privilege to be invited to speak. The event was recorded, so you can watch the full event here, but here is a rough transcript – because, yes, in true me-style, I dropped my notes! – of the first part of my speech: Why You Should Work with an Editor on Your Next Book.

When we think of love, romance and passion, crime and thriller fiction is not the usual genre of books that spring to mind, but if you’re looking for some Valentine’s Day reads with a bit of twist, check out the titles below!

And if you’ve left it to last minute to get your writing beau the perfect gift, why not give the gift of editing this year?