Welcome to episode 3 of Serving Books: from inspiration to publication, the podcast for every industry-outsider who, like me, has lots of questions about how a book goes from being an idea, to landing in readers’ hands.
In this series I’ve interviewed industry experts including writing mentors, book coaches, writing community founders, editors, agents, book marketers, publicity and pr experts, and book shop owners to bring their insights and knowledge straight to your ears by answering alllll my nosy questions!
✍🏻 How do you get words on the page?📖 How do you choose the right publishing path for you?🤔 What’s involved in the different stages of editing?🪝 How do you snag an agent and negotiate a book deal?🤝 What are the best ways to work *with* your publisher to prepare and promote your book?🗣️ How might you self-drive your book promotion whether you’re indie or traditional published?📕 What’s the bookseller’s view on how they select the titles they’re going to back?⬆️ How can you keep the ball rolling after publication?🔮 And how might you future-proof your career as an author?
This week we’re hearing from editors who are experts in getting your book ready for readers whether you decide to self-publish or go the traditional route to publication.
My brilliant guests in this episode are:
Adrienne Dines is best known for her work as a storytelling mentor, novelist, and creative writing educator. Over the past two decades she has become highly regarded in UK writing circles for teaching the craft of storytelling
I’ve invited Adrienne onto the podcast to talk to us about how writers can work on the stories they are telling until they can be confident they are putting their best book forward, whether they are pursuing a traditional publishing path, or one of the alternative I talked about in the last episode.
Next, I speak to Joe Sedgwick, Head of Writing Services at The Literary Consultancy who are the largest provider of editorial services in the UK, about why authors might want to invest in a developmental edit of their work before they send it out to agents or readers.
Joe is a literary agent, editor, and publishing consultant with extensive experience helping writers develop their work and navigate the publishing industry. At The Literary Consultancy, he works closely with authors at every stage of their writing journey, offering editorial guidance, mentoring, and insight into what makes a manuscript stand out in today’s publishing landscape.
And finally, Catriona Turner is a writer and editor who understands the publishing journey from both sides of the desk.
Through her business, The Word Bothy, Catriona helps indie authors transform polished manuscripts into professional books through expert copyediting, line-editing, proofreading, and one-to-one publishing support.
Catriona is also an author herself. Her memoir, Nest: A Memoir of Home on the Move, explores questions of identity, belonging, and what it really means to feel at home. That experience gives her a unique perspective on the creative and emotional realities of bringing a book into the world.
Today Cat is going to talk us through some of the last - but far from least - stages of the editing process: line editing and copy editing.
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Further advice about finding editors
Cat is a member of the CIEP - Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading - and their website has a directory of their Professional and Advanced Professional members, who have experience, training, and extensive professional development under their belts.
Other editing organisations that have directories include the Editorial Freelancers Association, ACES - The Society for Editors, and Editors Canada.
Reedsy and the ALLi partner member directory are also useful. If you’re interested in learning more about ALLi, Catriona has an affiliate link - click here.
Other tips for finding editors:
* Word of mouth - ask for recommendations in your writing groups and communities.
* Look in the acknowledgements of books that align with your theme/genre/topic.
* Look at the portfolio and/or testimonials on an editor’s website to see what they have worked on in your genre.
One more thing: a way to reduce your line/copyediting costs is to send your editor a manuscript you’ve already cleaned up as much as possible, so that they can focus on the nuance and consistency of your language. I have a free checklist for this. Click here to get it.
🔗 Links to my guests
Adrienne Dines
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556654917713
Joe Sedgwick, The Literary Consultancy
Website: https://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theliteraryconsultancy
Catriona Turner
Website: https://thewordbothy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catrionaturnerbooks/
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