Shawna Hampton

A great pitch for crafting a great pitch. Spending time and effort on your book proposal is a really clarifying step in the early stages of writing. I love drafting and redrafting the log line, the one-sentence summary of the book, with my authors till we get to the precisely laid out, carefully balanced and enticing string of words that hold worlds within them.

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PUBLISHING QUESTIONS??? I’m working on a book, that’s a “how to publish a book, book.” I want this to be the most useful, most helpful “how to publish a book, book” available. I’m putting everything I know in. I don’t want to hold anything back. So, I’m curious… What questions do you have about “publishing a book?” ALSO — I’m documenting the process of publishing this book on LinkedIn. I want to take you all with me! What do you want to see me document? Highlight? Showcase? What do you feel is “gatekeeped,” or “secret”? What do you want to know? Comment below! Cheers, -KORY 🤙���� ☀️ 📖  Book Publisher Want help publishing a book? ▶️ DM me—let’s chat!

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Sex scenes can be found across all genres of fiction, but how do editors ensure that these scenes are effective and compelling for readers? In the latest Editors’ Weekly post, Brenna Bailey-Davies shares four topics that editors should consider when editing a sex scene. https://lnkd.in/gqTAtpnS [Alt: Two people lie cuddled in bed, back to front, their heads on a single white pillow. Two cushions have been placed on one corner of the bed. (Copyright: elenazlataartdesign © 123RF.com)] #EditorsCanada #EditorsWeekly #Writing #WritingFeedback #Authors #EditingTips #EditingAdvice #AmEditing #Editing #EditorsAtWork #Freelancing #FreelanceEditors

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Hello, fellow editors! Are any of you using WordRake? I've just learned about it and curious if any editors are using it as you would other programs like Grammarly to tidy up text. I'd appreciate hearing your experience. #amediting #amwriting

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TEC's May/June newsletter is here! We've pulled together a collection of great blogs on writing tips from our archives and include 4 dynamic writing methods to help you set your writing practice in motion. Other features: handy rules on a few confusables, a link to our free new resource guide, and a great book suggestion for even more insights on "freeing the writer within." Check it out! https://bitly.cx/s3l #tecinthehub #tecnewsletter #writingtips #writingmethods #writingplans

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Writers at all skill levels can benefit from the help of two professional proofreaders. Focus on the joy of #writing, and rely on the experts at ProofreadingPal.com to #edit your work and offer suggestions for improvement.

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Of the freelance editors I've talked to (and I've talked to quite a few!), some work pretty much exclusively with publisher clients, and others work almost entirely with individual authors. I'm one of the only people I know who seems to enjoy splitting my work about 50/50 between the two. But I've realized my networking and outreach activities tend to be much more focused on publishers. Which makes sense — there's always another person or company you can reach out to. But lately I've been thinking about how to also cultivate the half of my work that involves working with individual artists, authors, and aspiring authors. I love helping these with folks with their projects — editing book proposals; doing one-on-one creative coaching and publishing consulting; working on text revisions, art direction, research, more. And I want to make sure it stays a vibrant and healthy part of my practice as well. Some folks swear by Reedsy for cultivating individual editorial clients, but for my specialized niche of illustrated books (and other projects that aren't necessarily even books — I've helped folks with journals, card decks, product pitches, even an art exhibition proposal), that platform hasn't really borne out. Organic relationships and community connections have been much more fruitful. So, I'm just putting this out here, in case it sparks anything useful for anyone.

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Good morning. Hope every has a good day. Today's blog offering: Publishing Books: The First Half of 2024 in Review https://lnkd.in/gWk5Ehd9 #publishing #selfpublishing #blog #blogpost #blogger #blogging #books

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As a copyeditor, I’m often briefed to remove wordiness. But what is it, why is it bad and where do you draw the line? First, let’s get clear on what it is. Wordiness is when you use more words than necessary to express an idea. This can include: 👉 Fillers (e.g. needless to say, sort of) 👉 Redundancies (e.g. end result, PIN number) 👉 Too many intensifiers (e.g. very, really) 👉 Too many moderators (e.g. quite, somewhat) 👉 Too many mitigators (e.g. slightly, a little) 👉 Lengthy constructions (e.g. has the effect of, finding yourself having to) 👉 Too many long or complex words (e.g. evidenced, utilisation) If your writing is too wordy, readers get bored, impatient or confused. And that’s the last thing you need if you want to educate, build trust or prompt readers to take action. So here are some examples of wordy sentences and how you might correct them: ❌ People are finding themselves having to use public transport. ✅ People are using public transport. ❌ These are quite literally the worst results we’ve had. ✅ These are the worst results we’ve had.   ❌ When I was working as a chiropractor, I worked with a lot of sportspeople. ✅ As a chiropractor, I worked with a lot of sportspeople.   ❌ Try and make an effort to be polite. ✅ Make an effort to be polite.   ❌ If you struggle to pay your bills, I would suggest that you consider seeing a financial counsellor. ✅ If you struggle to pay your bills, consider seeing a financial counsellor.   ❌ Each of us needs to try harder as individuals. ✅ We need to try harder. ❌ We use social media platforms to interface with our customers. ✅ We use social media to communicate with our customers. As you can see, the second ones are shorter, tighter and easier to read. And I didn’t have to do any rewriting or recasting (except for the last two). All I did was remove a couple of words. Of course, there are times when fillers or intensifiers ARE appropriate (e.g. if you’re emphasising a point or writing in a conversational style). But in general, keep them to a minimum to avoid unnecessary friction. That said, eliminating wordiness is always a delicate balance. Going too far can strip your writing of personality and make it sound like everyone’s favourite AI minion (you know who I mean)! In the end, it’s about clarity and always keeping your target audience in mind. So when you’re editing for wordiness, ask yourself: 📌 Do I have to read the sentence twice to understand its meaning? 📌 Will those extra words engage or put off my target audience? 📌 Is every word in the sentence necessary? 📌 Am I explaining things that are obvious? 📌 Am I making an idea unnecessarily complicated? 📌 Am I out of breath when I read the sentence out loud? And then edit accordingly … or better yet, let me do the hard yakka for you! 😊 -------------- Hi, I’m Gabriella, a freelance editor for non-fiction authors, businesses and marketers. Shoot me a DM if you need an eagle-eyed editor on your team.

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They recommend that editors charge the CIEP minimum rates (£33.30 for copyediting or £38.30 for line editing or developmental editing in 2023). Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/ASsM9 #PricePoint #IndustryRates #HigherPricePoints #LowerPricePoints

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Looking for even more available librarian/archivist/LIS jobs on LinkedIn? Here’s a cool trick to find them through Posts instead of the Jobs tab. Search “hiring librarian” in LinkedIn’s search feature and then click Posts. Then, sort by Latest. This brings up any posts LinkedIn users have written about open positions at their library (or sometimes it’s posted by the hiring manager, which is even better because you can send a quick message to say hi and reiterate interest after you apply). Granted, this is only really useful if you’re open to jobs in various locations because you can’t limit by geography with this specific search. You could also search “hiring archivist” or whatever other terms would apply to you. The image below is an example of how I did this recently. It’s not a perfect search strategy, but it’s another method to add to your list. Let me know how it worked for you! 👑 I’m Alison King, and I help librarians make the next big, bold leap in their career. Follow me, and ring the bell on my LI profile page so you never miss my tips! #jobseeker #jobseekers #jobsearch #jobhunt #opentowork #libraryjob #libraryjobs #lis #library #libraries #librarian #librarians #publiclibrary #corporatelibrary #infopro #dam #infoscience #careerswitch #resume #resumes #resumehelp #leapinglibrarian #leapinglibrarians #jobsearchhelp

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Some authors call the bad first draft the “vomit draft” and it’s a useful part of the writing process, as editing bad words is much easier than drafting new words from scratch. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/ARaHQ Got any questions about literary rejection? Then come join us for the next editing webinar with an open, unrecorded Q&A! Join here: https://lnkd.in/eMDjXTDq #HarshTruth #LiteraryRejections #BeginnersHubris #PublishingWorld

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One of the biggest typos I've seen in my experience is "loose" and "lose." Loose is an adjective referring to something not tight. Lose is a verb. ;-) Make sure you keep wary of this, but don't stress too hard. Example: You must lose the loose language. https://a.co/d/04zMJLfH #proofreaidngtips #proofreadingservices #grammarmatters #bookstoread

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Academic publishing tip 66: How to structure the Table of Contents? It’s a road map for your reader. Avoid long titles as readers loose the overview. Create chapters with equal scope, short titles, and a simple logical structure to help your reader navigate your argument

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📢 This is a useful reminder for querying authors: "Agents and publishers know the limitations of editing. They’re also well aware of how many under-qualified and unscrupulous freelance editors there are (see Warning Signs, below). Typing “professionally edited” on the title page of your manuscript, or mentioning it in a cover letter, will not improve your chances. In fact, it may harm them–there are so many unqualified editors that agents and publishers may assume you’ve been duped. Even if your editor is top-notch, agents and publishers may be put off–they may fear that the editing covers up weaknesses that could be a problem later on. As literary agent Denise Little explains, it’s a lot easier to work with a writer who can deliver a publishable manuscript without depending on outside help." https://lnkd.in/e3GhXCip

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Tertulia, an online bookstore and conversation hub, invited me to create a reading list. Presenting…"Best New Books for Writers and Editors." #AmEditing #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #ConsciousLanguage #WritingTips

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A public service announcement ‼️ If you’re going to self-publish your book, do yourself a favor and 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 to clean up your manuscript. You’d be well served by a copyeditor, someone who can save you from looking illiterate, and a proofreader. If or when the various tasks become overwhelming, you may look for assistance from assisted self-publishing companies. This kind of company typically offers a range of services, including editing, cover design, formatting, eBook conversion, printing, distribution, and marketing assistance, which are mostly pick-and-choose menu items. These companies will let you pick as many or as few menu items as you wish. They do not evaluate your manuscript for “readiness,” ..that’s 100% on you! If you’d like to know the 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱-𝘣𝘺-𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, comment the word 'GUIDE' and we'll give it to you for FREE! #selfpublishing #bookpublishing #bookwriting #bookcoach #authorscommunity

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