Compiled by Judy Ratto

“I’ve had two editors go over my book. One added a bunch of commas and the other took a bunch out. How do I know which is correct? Where am I supposed to use commas? As a published author, you’d think I’d have a handle on this by now.” P.T.L. Perrin

Thanks to Judy’s research, we can figure it out. We have a checklist. Judy has compiled an easily understood handbook of answers to common grammatical conundrums. Thanks, Judy. 

Writers, start your engines and grab your red pens! Then scroll down until you find the answer you need.

by KJ Bagwell

Unlock reader interest with these 5 title picking tools. Your book title is important. It’s the first thing editors and readers see. For a lot of years I knocked around a lot of publishing houses and learned how to ask targeted questions. So, instead of trying to tell you what to do, I’m sharing a smattering of questions I recall from my on-the-job training. I put them in checklist form to help you explore various options for the best title for your next book. 

by PTL Perrin

To copyright or not to copyright? If the content of your work is automatically copyrighted to some degree when you publish it, why go to the bother of getting it done officially? Pirates. That’s right. Pirates: unscrupulous plagiarizers. Seriously? 

• Self-editing
• Beta readers
• Professional editing

You’ve finished your book! You’ve read the first draft and revised it as best you can. You may have had Beta readers or a critique group give you their input and now you’re ready to publish. Or are you? 

 Professional editing is one step no author should skip. That last look by someone with experience, who can catch things your eyes don’t see, is critical before you place your book into the hands of readers who will see every mistake. 

What kind of editor does your manuscript need? It can be confusing, especially for a new author trying to figure out the many steps to getting your book published. Author Terri M. Collica has boiled it down for you in this informative article.  

[excerpt] I have contact with so many writers. Many of them want to make a living as a writer or dream of that big film contract. My advice is to dive in and get started. Get your feet wet. Never stop learning and improving your skills.

Also, surround yourself with a team of people you can trust. Writers need beta readers and critique partners. Seek out like-minded people and get new ideas.

And when it’s time to do so, find a professional editor who will help you polish your work without changing your voice or your intent. Be wary of those who work for little pay and seem to be available at a moment’s notice. If they’re good at what they do, you’ll have to spend some money to hire them, and you will probably have to wait a bit.

by Savannah Cordova

 “Failures are just learning opportunities that have presented themselves successfully.” If you’ve come across that sentiment before, it’s probably because there are countless quotes from numerous successful people about the value of making mistakes. If you’ve read a few self-help books or follow any motivational influencers in Instagram, it may even seem a little trite.

But the reason this idea is so pervasive is because it’s true — especially when it comes to writing and publishing a book! 

What do Andy Weir and Luke Jennings have in common? Not much — at least until self-publishing through Amazon changed their lives. Jennings, with his Booker Prize nomination, already belonged in the writerly mainstream. Weir, on the other hand, wrote code before he ever wrote novels, learning C as a teenager to work with combustion researchers. Since then, both have released books through Amazon’s self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing.

Becoming a published author is a fantasy shared by almost all writers. And as with almost any widely-shared ambition, there are also folks out there looking to make a quick buck by exploiting those dreams — whether they involve securing a book deal or going the indie publishing route.

The publishing world has its fair share of scammers and disreputable companies. At Reedsy, we regularly hear from authors who, despite being well-informed and educated people, have fallen prey to these scammers. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at common writers scams and show you how to identify the publishing companies to avoid on your journey to publication.

In this post, we’ll go through the pros and cons of both publishing methods and help you decide which one is best for you as an author.

Imagine the day of your book launch. You’re sitting in front of your computer, picturing all the five-star book reviews that will soon be yours… but then the days pass, and no reviews come.

Not to be overdramatic, but getting enough book reviews could just make or break your sales. Reviews don’t directly sell books nor affect Amazon algorithms — but they are one of the three main factors (along with the cover and the blurb) that make a reader click that “Purchase” button. 

By Randi Minetor

Note from Sandra Beckwith: While driving back from a recent American Society of Journalists and Authors chapter meeting, Randi Minetor and I started talking about her recent book marketing experiences. This helpful “lessons learned” guest post is the result of that conversation. Randi is the author of more than 60 books on national parks, travel, American history, birds and birding, trees and wildflowers, psychology and sociology, and a wide range of general interest topics.

 We sat at the six-foot table in the middle of the Wild Birds Unlimited store in a small Connecticut town, and we waited.

The owners had invested in 15 copies of our latest book, our magnum opus: Birding New England, an overhaul and relaunch of publisher Falcon Guides’ Birdfinding series. The new format replaces the text-grayed pages and black-and-white photos of the original series with hundreds of full-color bird photos and specific information on where to find each species.

They’d also bought a plate of Italian cookies.

The cookies, it turned out, were the more popular investment.