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It takes a village: Bothersome Words Writing Clinic

April 10, 2021 by Bothersome Words Leave a Comment

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash.

Writing is considered a solo pursuit, but the truth is it takes a village to create a book. It can be hard to find fellow writers to help you workshop your manuscript, or even to celebrate and commiserate with.

The Bothersome Words Writing Clinic not only teaches you valuable writing and editing skills, it also brings together a community of writers.

Hi everyone, excuse the mess. I think I’ve swept up most of the cobwebs that had inundated my blog. I know it’s been a while, but that’s because I’ve been super-busy behind the scenes!

If you’ve been following me around the social media traps, then lately you’ve probably heard me talking about the Bothersome Words Writing Clinic. So I thought it was time to explain a little bit more about what it is, why I created it and what I am so excited about!  

The Writing Clinic has been a long time coming, and is not only borne of my experience as an editor and what I’ve noticed or heard people need, but also comes as a direct result of the Writers Editor Project.

There’s more information at the above link, but in short, the project was something I designed to find out what writers truly need from their editors – where the information and support gaps were, and how editors like me could resolve that.

I began in 2014 with a survey and a research trip. With support from the Australia Council, I was able to attend multiple conventions and festivals overseas, including NineWorlds Geekfest, LonCon, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and FantasyCon. When I returned, I began developing editing techniques and workshop materials based on story approaches I’d learned from listening to speakers from various backgrounds including fanfiction, computer and mobile games, TV and so on. Conversations with various speakers and attendees, combined with survey results and interviews with authors and writers, had revealed a hunger for more information about publishing – the process and requirements – as well as desire for more support when beginning a new manuscript. This led to the development of a few new services:

Consultations

Flash Feedback

Submission Material edits

Plus several “Editing essentials” workshops, designed to demystify the actual editing process for writers.

***

By 2019, the publishing landscape had shifted notably. Self-publishing was much more common and the stigma had largely disappeared. A lot of the writers I was working with were either hybrid authors – publishing both traditionally and on their own – or were purely self-published. While I was still working with traditional publishers as well, there was a notable increase in traditionally published authors seeking feedback prior to sending their work to their publisher. I returned to The Writer’s Editor Project, updated the survey, and once again, with grant support, headed overseas to WorldCon in Dublin and The Edinburgh Book Festival.

When I reviewed my conversation notes and survey responses, by far the most common wish list items this time around were:

  1. Personalised support – writers wanted to know how to apply various writing rules and guidelines to their own manuscript, and further, how to evaluate whether they’d done it correctly.
  2. Targeted feedback – a number of authors were looking for reader responses to their manuscript, but they were not part of a writing community and had no idea where or how to find people to help. This idea of community came up frequently – many writers simply wanted other people to bounce ideas off.
  3. Editing and writing skills – from narrative and structure to characters and setting to grammar and sentence construction, the desire to learn better writing and editing skills was universal!
  4. Communication and time – many writers had felt rushed through the (traditional) editing process. They were concerned their editor may not have connected with their work and wanted more time to talk through issues and make their own changes.
  5. Affordability – there’s no doubt that editing and training bills can rack up quickly, and, sadly, there’s no guarantee that manuscript will end up paying for itself. Authors were looking for lower-cost ways to develop and polish their manuscript and get professional feedback and support.
  6. Respect and control – these were perhaps the biggest concerns. Many survey respondents were worried that they would lose creative control when working with an editor, and a not insignificant number feared, or had experienced, criticism that left them feeling demoralised.

All this matched what I was seeing and hearing from writers I was already working with. The challenge was how to address such disparate concerns?

And so, I came up with the Writing Clinic. At its heart, yes, it’s still a workshop, teaching you ways to strengthen your manuscript, plot and characters. But it is also:

  • an information hub, where you can seek professional advice and answers to writing, editing and publishing questions.
  • a support network, where you can find like minds for beta services or critique partnerships, as well as sounding boards for your ideas.
  • a feedback service – the clinic includes editorial feedback on a portion of your manuscript, beyond the class workshopping sessions.
  • a workshop – opening yourself to vulnerability by sharing your work is a necessary part of writing if you want to publish. As such, workshopping is a key part of the Clinic and, for those new to the process, this is intended to help you get used to the feedback process and learn how to give and receive criticism in a safe space – as well as showing you how workshopping other people’s writing can help you understand your own.
  • a mentorship – all the lessons and exercises are directly applicable to your manuscript, enabling you to work through it in stages and take it to whatever the next level looks like for you. It includes a one-on-one private mentor session with me, to discuss your manuscript and writing and figure out what you need to do and what your next steps should be.

The weekly modules include not just lessons and tips for analysing and self-editing your work, but also exercises designed to take you deeper into your own manuscript and find ways to bring it to life – and to push it further along. It teaches you how to self-edit, so you’ll get more out of future professional edits as you’ll already have addressed things your editor might otherwise have worked on.

The only pre-requisite for the Clinic is that you have a complete manuscript draft to work on. It doesn’t matter if it is the first thing you have ever written or your thirty-second novel. By the end of the Clinic, you should have a whole new draft, and again – this is just about what that means for you and your work. There are no tests and no grading; no set results to achieve. You start from wherever you are and aim for whatever goals you set for yourself.

The lessons themselves take everything I have learned about editing and writing in my own career, and combines it with the ideas and techniques I have learned from my research of other fields – including computer games, film and TV, comics and graphic novels, advertising, and even music – giving you a multi-layered understanding of how stories can be told.

At the conclusion of the Clinic, you will have access to a private Facebook group, and you are welcome to join future live clinic calls. 

I am really excited to share this with you and I look forward to seeing you online!

The current, and inaugural, round is open for applications until 30th April 2021. The application form is here and you can read more about the Clinic here.

The clinic itself runs from 3rd May 2021 to 25th June 2021. There will be future rounds at a later date. 

Filed Under: Authors, Bothersome Words Writing Clinic, Editing, fantasy, fiction, manuscript submissions, publishing, Reading, Research, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, the writers' editor, workshop, Writing, writing tips Tagged With: manuscript, manuscript development, the writers' editor project, writers, writing, writing clinic

The Rhythm Method

February 3, 2020 by Bothersome Words Leave a Comment

Online Writing Lab for Romance Writers Australia

This month I am running an online workshop for RWA called The Rhythm Method. The following is an interview I did for Hearts Talk…

Who are you and what’s your experience?

I am a professional editor with a background in copywriting, magazine sub-editing and legal editing. I set up Bothersome Words Editing & Writing Services in 2004 and now focus on copy editing, proofreading, structural and developmental editing, as well as mentoring and workshops.

I’m based in Sydney and have edited for various Australian publishing houses, including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hachette and Harlequin; UK publishers including Gollancz, Jo Fletcher Books and Orion; and worked as a commissioning and content editor for a small romance and erotica press in the USA. I also work regularly with emerging and self-publishing writers — mentoring and helping them to develop their work. I edit commercial fiction and non-fiction for adults, young adults and children, and particularly specialise in genre – including speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, paranormal and horror), crime, romance and erotica.

I occasionally blog about editing, writing and reading at http://www.bothersomewords.com/blog and am always on Twitter at @BothersomeWords. I volunteered for the Society of Editors (NSW) Inc. for over ten years and am currently a mentor for both Writing NSW and Queensland Writers Centre.

What will students gain from doing your OWL?

Students will learn some of the keys to successfully translating the story in their head onto the page – in other words, how to give the reader the same thrill and excitement that the author has imagined. The course will demystify some of the terminology and concepts that can alarm newer writers, so as well as tips and tricks to tighten their text, students will learn which writing “rules” are merely guidelines that can be adapted to suit their work. We will tap into the feel and rhythm of language and sentence structure, and explore how that can affect character, tone, and emotional impact.

Who the course is for:

It is designed for writers of all levels, but particularly those who have already begun their writing journey so they can apply the lessons directly to their existing manuscript as they go through the course. It’s ideal for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills and push their manuscript to the next level.

What excites you about this OWL?

I’ve spent the past few years talking to writers from different fields and genres about their writing processes and I am excited to be bringing these insights to the course. We’re going to be examining writing techniques from more of an instinctive, emotional standpoint, rather than focusing purely on the strict rules of grammar and punctuation. Although we will go over some rules, the course is less about how to do things “correctly” and more about how to reach the reader, make them feel, and keep them hooked.

We’ll be looking at storytelling methods and approaches outside novels to see how they might be applied or adapted to students’ work. There will be lots of exercises and opportunities for discussion and I am looking forward to seeing what students come up with.

The Rhythm Method runs from February 3rd-1st March 2020. You’ve got until this Thursday (6th Feb) to sign up!

Filed Under: Authors, Editing, erotica, fantasy, fiction, manuscript submissions, publishing, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, the writers' editor, workshop, Writing, writing tips Tagged With: editing, workshops, writing

The writer’s editor: a project

April 17, 2014 by BW 1 Comment

Workplace With Digital Tablet

If you’ve ever read this blog, or accidentally engaged me in conversation, you’ll know I have Quite Strong Feelings about editing. And writing. And how editors and writers relate to each other and their procedures.

“Editing is tedious.”

I hear that a lot. From writers to me and/or to other writers. From other editors (less frequently). In terms of the writing process, editing is often regarded as administrative; the clean-up chore you know you have to complete in order to make your story “good enough”.

“Editing is about finding mistakes.”

That’s another line used regularly.

Too often these are views held by writers and reinforced by the editors they work with who are trying to pacify and reassure them: it’s OK to dislike this process, it’s hard; it’s not going to be pleasant, but…

I consider this an unfair and inaccurate view of editing. Both phrases put the task of editing, and thus the role itself, in a wholly negative light. And if you find editing monotonous, or perceive it as an unpleasant process, it’s possible neither writing nor editing are the right vocation for you.

Editing is key to the writing process, especially if you want to do it even semi-professionally – rather than writing for your eyes only[i].
It is part of redrafting and refining whatever you managed to get out on the page in your first flurry of inspiration.

If you take out the initial research and planning parts[ii], then unless you are one of those miracle writers who manages to type out exactly what they mean to say on the first pass and never go back, editing probably takes more time all up than putting the very first draft down on the page – whether you are self-editing or working with an editor. It includes all those rewrites and amendments you make as you go, as well as the changes you make to the final version.

So if you start out regarding it as an exhausting exercise in disparaging your hard work, you are really setting yourself up for a hard time.

And I’d say you’re doing it wrong.

And so are we, as editors, if that’s how you feel about the process.

What editing is…and isn’t

I spend a significant amount of my time as an editor reassuring writers that things I’ve marked on the manuscript are not a judgement against, or criticism of, or, in many cases, even a correction to their work. Of course, there are some changes that are marked for correction – spelling mistakes, grammatical errors etc. – but a large proportion of things I mark up are phrased as queries, suggestions, or flags for attention. I’m not marking a test. I’m not going to slash through someone’s work with a pen and send them to the back of the class for a “fail”[iii] – though I know some people (writers and editors) prefer that approach.

Editors can go deeper into a work than just rectifying surface issues. Given the chance, and assuming we connect with the work/author, we can get almost as close as the story’s creator – but with the benefit of objectivity. Editors can be as passionate about a work as the author, but since we didn’t actually put the words on the page, there are no threads tying our heart to the author’s darlings. Which doesn’t immediately lead us to “kill them all” but does mean we can see why something may need fine-tuning.

An editor’s job is not to jump in and tell a writer how to tell their story or what phrasing they have to use. Rather, our role is to attempt to slip into the writer’s skin[iv] and work out how they would approach a problem or phrase, and then either pose questions or provide suggestions that might spark the synapses. The key is to help and guide the author to make sure they’ve written the story they want or intend to tell. Not, unless we have been engaged by someone for this purpose, to encourage them to write the story we think they should be writing.

It’s genuinely troubling to see the role and purpose of the editor diminished to “making corrections” and “ripping things to shreds” when I know how hard my colleagues and I work to establish relationships of trust with authors; the time we spend getting to know each manuscript, and thus its author; and reassuring new writers that the editing process might be confronting but it doesn’t have to be painful and will be
worth it.

Knowing how much we all love stories and writing (whether or not we write ourselves) and the creativity that is involved in the task of editing, it is disgruntling to see others cut our work down to a chore that must be endured.

But much of this sense comes from the fact that many writers don’t know what editors are capable of, or what we can offer. Particularly freelance editors. I’ve been told very matter-of-factly by several writers that they don’t think an editor would be able to help with story, or developing writing skills. (We can and do.) And more than once I’ve had writers say to me that the information and/or support and guidance they are looking for just isn’t out there if you don’t have your own circle of writing friends, or an agent, or a publisher. (It is. If you know who to ask.)

Having said that, while there are things some writers may not know they need to know, or may not realise an editor can help with, I think there are also things writers want that editors don’t always provide – or only provide by accident. Especially now that the publishing industry is changing so much and in so many different ways. With self-publishing becoming more viable, a slew of new publishing services and models on the rise, and traditional publishers often unable to offer their authors the same guidance they may have done in the past, a lot of writers I talk to seem a little adrift – unsure where to find support and advice, or how to navigate the vast quantities of information available online.

With this in mind, I think freelance editors are uniquely equipped to adapt to the developing needs of publishers and writers. Which leads me to:

What would a writer’s perfect editor look like?

The usual (only half-joking) answer to this question is “someone who tells me my work is perfect as is!” or “someone who offers me a contract!”; but, as you very well know, that is not really what I am asking. And furthermore…I don’t think either of those responses are correct.

Of course you want to impress your editor, that’s only natural. But is it really their feedback you are most concerned about? Working with an editor, whether via a publisher or privately prior to self-publishing, is just one step at the start of the process. Do you want your editor to tell you your book is amazing and nothing needs changing…or do you want your readers to feel that way? Because the role of the editor is to help you make your book the best it can possibly be. To give your readers the same joy/pain/other emotion that you get from your own story.

The editor is already on your side. We not only want to help make your book shine, it’s the whole reason we do this job. And sure, there are budgetary concerns and time constraints whichever publishing path you choose, and not all editors can do all things… but, generally speaking, editors will do whatever we can to help you and your book.

So how can we offer the best help and support? What is it writers are missing out on?

Like most editors, I already do my best to discover and understand authors’ processes and language and interests so I can communicate and feedback in a way that is most useful to them – from a position of understanding things on the outside. But I’d like to take this further.

The project

This year, I am talking to writers about what they need and want from the editing process. While an editor doesn’t need to be a writer[v], knowing their techniques, strategies and angles helps us to speak to writers in their own language. A lot of writers assume that an editor will work from a solely editorial perspective anmalkovitchd force novelists to work to that structure: “here are rules you must follow; plain language first and foremost.” But editors are generally more flexible than that – it’s down to what works and suits the manuscript best, rather than blindly obeying writing laws. Personally, I am more interested in getting inside the writers’ mindset and working from within, rather than tidying up wordage from the outside.

Putting myself in a writer’s shoes helps me not only to understand how to adapt my feedback and approach, but to weed out other writing advice and see what can be helpful or harmful. What works for one writer can be detrimental to another[vi], so every writer’s process is a helpful guide for how to work with authors.

As such, later this year I will attend a series of conferences and literature events in the UK, with the aim of learning more about how different authors create and develop their work; their writing and publishing challenges; and what they need (and want) from editors. I’ll be following[vii] agents and publishers, too, to see how they approach and respond to different needs and requirements.

I hope to talk to writers, publishers, artists, creators and producers in different fields – literature (particularly genre), film/TV, fanfic, comics etc – to find out more about how these works are created, what makes them good or bad, and how all this can translate to the editing process.

And when I get back, I’ll be looking for ways to adapt and develop Bothersome Words to better meet these needs and challenges.

 

Australia_Council_master_horiz_col_logoThis project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

This is a research project that is being undertaken with the support of the Literature Section of the Australia Council for the Arts, to whom I am incredibly grateful. The Editorial Professional Development Grant supports opportunities for professional development and cultural leadership for Australian book and journal editors to enhance their literary editing skills. I am thrilled that in this case the Council is supporting a project that will largely focus on genre, allowing me to attend NineWorlds, LonCon3, FantasyCon and the Edinburgh International Book Festival in pursuit of knowledge.

Are you going to any of these events?
Drop me a line if you’d like to meet up!

Got some ideas about what editors can do to help writers?
I’d love to hear from you, too!

Comments, as always, are open…

 


[i] Which is perfectly reasonable, too.

[ii] Because yes, I understand that some books have years of research and planning behind them. A whole lifetime, in some cases.

[iii] OK. Occasionally the slashing might happen. But there are no marks awarded or deducted for your work.

[iv] We use only the finest lotion.

[v] Some say this can be a hindrance since it can lead to the temptation to rewrite rather than query or suggest. On the other hand an editor editing something they wrote themselves can get stuck on an endless edit loop. So… you say potato, I say edible tuber…

[vi] This post about “firing the muse” and just getting on with it instead of waiting for inspiration is perfectly just and sound. But some writers do work best with a sudden flood of inspiration or a “visit from the muse”; some writers cannot handle thoroughly planning in advance.

[vii] Not in a stalkery way.

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Filed Under: Authors, Editing, fanfiction, fantasy, fiction, manuscript submissions, publishing, Reading, Research, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, the writers' editor, Writing, writing tips Tagged With: authors, crime, Edinburgh Book Festival, editing, fanfic, fanfiction, fantasy, FantasyCon 2014, fiction, genre, LonCon3, NineWorlds, publishers, publishing, reading, research, science fiction, self publishing, short story, small press, speculative fiction, the writers' editor project, writing, YA

On submitting manuscripts

February 7, 2013 by BW Leave a Comment

And an announcement…

A funny thing happened while I was blundering around the interwebs late last year. I was rummaging around on Twitter, minding my own business, when I stumbled into a conversation about tentacle fiction. That wasn’t the funny thing, obviously. Conversations about tentacles are a dime a dozen online, (if you, ah, know where to look) and they can be Serious Business – but the non-linear result was this announcement: I am now a freelance editor for Etopia Press!

 As such, I am now taking direct manuscript submissions for speculative fiction (including fantasy, science fiction and horror) as well as romance/erotica.  

Please check out my new submissions page for details on what I’m looking for, and visit Etopia Press to find out more about what they publish.

 ***

In the meantime, in the spirit of dusting off the blog and getting it back up and running, and after a few conversations I’ve had online, I thought it might be time to analyse the fearsome obstacle of Publisher Submissions Guidelines.

Every week, there’s a new list of top tips on how to submit your manuscript successfully. Originally, this too was going to be one of those posts; but the thing is, ask any publisher or editor what they look for in a manuscript submission and they’ll nearly all say this:

The ideal submissions follow the publisher guidelines

No matter what else they might come up with in terms of story and writing quality, this will feature in their answer.
And yet some people still think guidelines are mere suggestions and can be ignored. Or alternatively, that they’re tricks and barriers deliberately put up by publishers to keep people out.

Neither of these things are true; or at least, not in the snarky and negative way that some people suggest. So, let’s break down what submission guidelines usually include and why the publisher might want you to adhere to them (and why it’s in your interests to do so, too).

Most publishers include the following within their submissions guidelines:

1. Description of the genres they do and don’t accept.

Not all publishers produce all things. If you’ve written a children’s book, you want to look for a children’s book publisher, or a publisher with a children’s imprint. What you do not want to do is send it to, say, a romance publisher who specifically states in their guidelines that they don’t publish children’s books*. And think about it, why would you want to? If they don’t publish your genre, then they don’t market to your audience; their editors probably don’t work regularly on those kinds of manuscripts.

Wouldn’t you rather work with a publisher as passionate and knowledgeable about your topic as you are? Who knows how to reach the people you’re talking to? Note: you might find someone at the first publisher does look at your misplaced manuscript, and maybe they’ll love your book. But that doesn’t change the fact they don’t publish that genre. So you’ll get a nice email from that editor telling you it’s a lovely book they can’t publish and wishing you well. That’s a best case scenario and where did it get you? Nowhere.

2. What to include in your submission (eg: cover letter, synopsis, manuscript/sample) – this will often include guidance on how long each element should be.

This is fairly obvious: the cover letter tells the editor/publisher who you are and a bit about your background, as well as what your manuscript is about; the synopsis summarises the entire manuscript down to a few pages, and the manuscript is… well… the manuscript.

The submission should include your contact information. It is extremely rare for a publisher to use this information to inform on you to ASIO/MI5/the CIA. As a general rule they like to use your contact information to contact you – maybe with a rejection, but hopefully with a contract offer.

Emanuscriptsvery element in your submission is important and has been requested for a reason. When you’re compiling your submission and thinking you could probably leave some bits out (or add in some extras) it’s worth thinking about how an editor might approach the actual reading of the contents of your submission. It’s possible they will read the parts in order, and how well each section is presented will help them decide whether to keep reading or cull your submission from the pile altogether.

If the cover letter is completely garbled, they may be hesitant about reading the synopsis. If they can’t make sense of that, they may not even look at the manuscript.

On the other hand, the synopsis might grab their attention within a page and convince them you’ve written a story they just have to read right now – something they wouldn’t have otherwise learned until they’d spent far longer reading the whole manuscript.

Other editors do it the other way around. They don’t want to know anything upfront and will dive into the manuscript first. But if they like that, then they want to know about the author… and it’s always nice to know whether the author’s view of the story as written in the synopsis is the same as the one in the full manuscript. Or maybe the editor will get halfway through the manuscript and waver on whether to keep going… the synopsis might ensure they do.

3. Where and when to send your submission

There are few publishers these days who hire staff for the sole purpose of reading through “the slush pile”. For the most part, reading submissions is a task editors and publishers do on top of their full-time work. Maybe it’s scheduled into their work week, but more likely they’re taking manuscripts home to read after work and on weekends. And they get hundreds of submissions each week.

It’s very easy for this to get out of control. And authors, understandably, do not like to be kept waiting for a response.

So publishers try to make this process simple and organised. They will provide details on precisely where you should send your submission. That means it will go to a monitored post box or email account and someone in charge of submissions will actually look after it. Of course, you can be wily and send it to someone specific if you think you’ll have a better shot. That might work. But you also run the risk in that case that your submission gets lost in that person’s overflowing inbox, or automatically deleted because you failed rule one of submissions: you didn’t follow the guidelines.

Some publishers are also specific about when you can send submissions. This might be on certain days, between set hours, or during certain times of the year. This is not the equivalent of the rock star’s rider.** Rather, this is a cunning administration technique to allow them to control the inflow of submissions. It means they know when to expect that week’s subs and they can monitor and distribute/read accordingly.

4. Formatting instructions

This is one people really think is a waste in the digital age – because who cares if you used the wrong font? Surely the in-house person can just “select all” and change to the preferred font or delete any unnecessary footers?

This is true.

They could.

Of course, they might have to do that on every one of hundreds of submissions.

One of the things an editor has to consider when reading a submission is how much editing a manuscript will require to make it ready for publishing – as in, ready to go on the shelves. Publishers have to think about the time and expense involved in working on any manuscript before they accept it. Part of that consideration includes gauging whether or not an author is likely to take guidance and edits happily. If you wilfully ignore the formatting guidelines on a publisher’s submission page, or worse, send in something you have pre-formatted for print (complete with cover, pictures and full layout) you may well lead the editor to assume you are someone who can’t take instruction and who is not willing to be edited.

There are also other reasons for specific formatting, depending on how the individual publisher’s submission filing system works.  If you don’t supply the right information in the right way, you are relying on whoever does look after the submissions files to notice and either correct it or contact you for the right information.  As mentioned, they’re probably dealing with several hundred submissions. What are the chances they have the time or inclination to do this?

 

The thing to keep in mind with all submission guidelines is they are there to make the process as clear, straightforward and fair as possible for everyone – on both sides of the equation. Next time you catch yourself thinking it doesn’t matter if you haven’t followed that particular guideline, ask yourself – what makes you so special?

Because, yes; your manuscript might well be The One. Maybe you are going to set the world on fire.*** But…  if your manuscript is in the submissions pile, no one has actually had a chance to read it yet to know that it’s so special. And if you don’t follow the guidelines, maybe they won’t ever get around to it. Because there are hundreds of other manuscripts in the same pile and all their writers think they’re special, too…

Publishers want great manuscripts. Help them find yours.

 

*And yes, this happens all the time. Also the other way around, I suspect.  Blanket bombing the entire publishing industry with your manuscript is not a good approach.

NB: There is often confusion specific to children’s titles because some publishers accept YA (young adult) titles. Even allowing for the arguments over whether “young adult” means 12-18 or includes 20-25-year-olds; if your book is for toddlers or 7-9-year-olds, it’s not “young adult”. Failure to understand your own market is another red flag to the submissions reader…

**I’ve never met anyone in publishing who would allow anyone to remove free M&Ms from the room – not even for dubious colour-coding purposes.

***…And you’d better believe you’re going to set the world on fire, because you need conviction to survive this tough publishing business.

 

 

Filed Under: Authors, Editing, erotica, fantasy, fiction, manuscript submissions, publishing, Reading, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, Writing

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