The Editing Podcast

Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle talk about zombie rules, and why they have no place in a professional editor's toolbox.

• What a zombie rule is
• Why split infinitives are not grammatically problematic
• Why it's okay to start a sentence with a conjunction

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

Denise And Louise

• Denise Cowle: denisecowleeditorial.com
• Louise Harnby: harnby.co/fiction-editing

Music Credit

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle talk about why audio is such a great medium for editors who want to build brand trust and grow their businesses.

• The popularity of audio content
• Stability during playback
• Native hosting on websites
• Voices as unique brand identifiers and trust builders
• Audio as an accessibility tool that allows communication with a diverse audience
• Why it's a less intimidating option than video
• The kit you need
• Options for recording, editing and hosting
• Editorial goals, and how audio helps us achieve them

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle: denisecowleeditorial.com
• Louise Harnby: harnby.co/fiction-editing

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Louise and Denise talk to Barry Award-nominated thriller writer John A. Connell about moving from Berkley (Penguin USA) to independent publishing.

• Being a Hollywood camera operator ... Jurassic Park, Thelma and Louise, and NYPD Blue
• Getting a publishing contract with a major press
• The Mason Collins series
• When publishers are no longer invested
• Moving to independent publishing
• Clawing back book rights
• Using movie experience to craft a novel's scene
• Beyond writing: what indie publishers need to do
• Challenges and benefits of indie publishing
• Being edited
• Useful organizations
• Writing a series versus standalone novels
• Future projects

• Build a mailing list
• Offer a free short story or novella
• Develop a series
• Use Facebook ads
• Craft a great website
• Engage with your audience
• Get your business head on
• Invest in appropriate editing

Subscribe to John's newsletter and get a free book:

• Website: John A Connell: Gripping Thrillers With a Historical Twist
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook author page
• John's books on Amazon US and UK

• Stephen King (video): Masterclass, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2012
• Joanna Penn: Video marketing for authors
• Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula
• International Thriller Writers
• Mystery Writers of America
• Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Louise and Denise chat with Brunella Costagliola, a specialist military writer and editor, about what makes a compelling military story.

• What makes a good military book
• Style guides for editing military books
• Common problems authors face when writing military books
• Fact-checking resources for military writers

• Email: [email protected]
• Web: www.themilitaryeditor.com
• Facebook: @themilitaryeditor
• Reserve+ National Guard Magazine
• Military Families Magazine
• My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent, Brunella Costagliola

• Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime, Val McDermid’s, Wellcome Collection, 2015
• Research tools for crime and thriller writers (blog post)
• Consulting Cops (UK consultancy firm for writers)
• The Art of Firearms in Fiction is a free 45-page primer featuring Steve Allen, a soldier-turned-editor who specializes in military particulars, with additional material from Aden Nichols, an editor and Special Forces veteran.

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Louise and Denise talk with fellow editor Maya Berger about editing erotic fiction.

• Does adult fiction need editing?
• Sorting out the language: pornography versus erotica
• Editing in your comfort zone
• Common problems authors struggle with
• Sub-genres and good-fit editing
• Evaluating an author's work

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: What I Mean To Say
• Blog
• Twitter: @MayaBerger
• LinkedIn
• Maya in the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)'s Directory of Editorial Services
• 'Editing Erotica FAQ' (CIEP blog post)

• The Book Designer
• The Hot Copy Podcast

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Denise and Louise discuss the growth of audio in the book world, and how using sound creates reader engagement and helps build a fan base.

• Narrating a sample chapter
• Creating free audio content that's usable
• Host a live sound event
• Broadcast an interview
• Encouraging sign-ups with your voice
• Starting a podcast
• Captivate: podcast hosting, stats and audience growth

• Write to be Published, Nicola Morgan, Snowbooks, 2011
• Twitter chat #indieauthorchat hosted by Tim Lewis
• Captivate
• Libsyn
• Soundcloud
• Music Visualisation Video Creator
• Audio-book Production (free booklet)
• ‘How to turn YouTube subtitles into blog posts and transcripts’ (blog post and video tutorial)
• Cleanfeed
• Zoom

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. Listen to find out more about:

• Narrating a sample chapter
• Creating free audio content that's usable
• Host a live sound event
• Broadcast an interview
• Encouraging sign-ups with your voice
• Starting a podcast
• Captivate: podcast hosting, stats and audience growth

Editing bites and other resources

• Write to be Published, Nicola Morgan, Snowbooks, 2011
• Twitter chat #indieauthorchat hosted by Tim Lewis
• Captivate
• Libsyn
• Soundcloud
• Music Visualisation Video Creator
• Audio-book Production (free booklet)
• ‘How to turn YouTube subtitles into blog posts and transcripts’ (blog post and video tutorial)
• Cleanfeed
• Zoom

Ask us a question

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

Music credit

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Louise and Denise discuss whether working with a specialist editor is necessary for all books and every type of editing.

• Fiction versus non-fiction
• The type of editing
• Subject/genre

• Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), Jack Hart
• ‘The Secrets of Story Structure’, KM Weiland
• The Editing Podcast, S1E1: The different levels of editing
• Switching to Fiction (online course for aspiring fiction editors)
• Research tools for crime and thriller writers (blog post)
• Consulting Cops
• The Art of Firearms in Fiction is a free 45-page primer featuring Steve Allen, a soldier-turned-editor who specializes in military particulars, with additional material from Aden Nichols, an editor and Special Forces veteran.

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast’s Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Louise and Denise talk about 18 blogs for authors and editors that offer guidance on various aspects of writing craft.

1. ALLi blog: Alliance of Independent Authors
2. Ann Handley blog
3. Articles: The Writer’s Digest
4. Articles: Tim Storm, Storm Writing School
5. Bacon Editing blog: Claire Bacon
6. Bookbaby blog
7. Lisa Poisso, Editor and Book Coach blog: Lisa Poisso
8. Denise Cowle Editorial Services blog: Denise Cowle
9. Helping Writers become Authors: KM Weiland
10. Jane Friedman blog
11. LibroEditing blog: Liz Dexter
12. Liminal Pages blog: Sophie Playle, Fiction Editor
13. The Creative Penn blog: Joanna Penn
14. The Editor’s Blog: Beth Hill
15. The Itch of Writing: Emma Darwin
16. The Editing Blog: Louise Harnby, Fiction Editor
17. The Radical Copyeditor blog: Alex Kapitan
18. The Subversive Copyeditor blog: Carol Saller

• Cult Pens
• Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein, Non Basic Stock Line, 2007

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise answer questions about how to run and grow an editing and proofreading business.

• Increasing organic lead generation
• Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) and the impact on freelancers in California
• The benefits of working with publishers, packagers and project-management agencies
• Content marketing: Solving clients problems
• Facebook marketing: Ads, chatbots and website pixels
• Google ads and sourcing professional expertise
• Managing impostor syndrome
• Attracting indie genre-fiction authors: content marketing and branding
• Getting work with publishers
• Ethical promotion to a primed audience
• Technical writing and copy-writing
• Choosing a business name
• Building an editorial business on a tight budget
• Using career expertise as a foundation for an editing specialism
• Choosing the right training course
• Building a marketing strategy
• Starting an editing business when we care for young children
• Scaling a business: Passive income streams, price increases, training, and premium services
• Researching markets and audiences
• Making a website visible

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Denise and Louise answer questions about how to run and grow an editing and proofreading business.

• When editorial projects don't arrive with us on time ... how to manage it and how to prevent it
• Dealing with burnout and procrastination
• How to get fiction work with indie authors
• Making time for marketing
• Increasing efficiency
• Contracts, and whether email is sufficient
• What to tell publishers when we're asking to be placed on their freelance lists
• How to link up with other editors
• Billing in different currencies
• What to include on an invoice
• Starting an editing business, and the best order for tackling branding, website creation, social media networking, marketing, and investing in productivity tools

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button.

• Denise Cowle Editorial Services
• Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.