Thursday, October 27, 2011

Target Your Audience


Once your book is written, it's very important to send it to the correct publisher/editor/agent for your target audience.
You need to decide which style of publishing suits you and your work: print, digital, self-publishing.
Will you be happy adhering to a standard company contract? Many houses publish their boilerplate contract on their website. Read it very carefully. Can you agree to every item on it?
Will following house rules of style, spelling, grammar etc suit you?
Does the publisher specialise in works similar to yours?
It's not a good idea to send a sweet romance to an erotic publisher, unless they also have a sweet/mainstream imprint. In the same way, if you write science fiction, sending it to house that principally publishes cozy mysteries, is just wasting your time and theirs.

Reading publishers' websites can help you formulate your ideas and target your audience appropriately.

Helen Woodall
Freelance Editor

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Polish your work before submitting it!

Helen has been editing professionally and full-time for over twenty years, first for an Australian company with newspapers, magazines and books in their stable; then for an Australia-wide newspaper; and finally for JasmineJade Enterprises from 2006 until October 2011.
She is now a freelance editor of both fiction, and non-fiction, using US English or Australian English.

Polish your work before submitting it!

Your book has been proof-read and critiqued, but you want it to be the very best you can make it, before submitting it to an editor or agent. Some editors stop reading a submission at the first error they find.
Helen will check your spelling and grammar, point of view, consistency and choreography. She will advise you about what needs tidying, tightening or correcting.

Fiction writing is a very tough, competitive world. Give yourself an edge toward success by having Helen edit your book. Rates on application.

helen.woodall@gmail.com