Remove unnecessary words When you’re self-editing carefully think about the individual words you have used within each sentence and assess if you really need them. I have a shit list pinned up on my corkboard and it includes, among others, the following: ‘that’, ‘just’, ‘now’, ‘back’. Why are these on the list? Because a lot of the time, they aren’t necessary. Let’s take the word ‘now’. Consider this sentence: The dog reacted to her command and she now smiled. Yes, the narrative is in past tense, but we know the character is smiling because the dog has reacted to what she said and both actions (the dog’s response and the character’s smile) are taking place at the same time. So, we don’t need the ‘now’. If we remove it, it reads like this: The dog reacted to her command and she smiled. You have reduced the word count and the sentence is punchier simply by removing one word. Other examples include: She nodded her head. We only nod with our heads so She nodded will suffice. He waved with his hands . Again, the reader will know he is using his hands unless you state he is waving an object. Reduce filter words I have talked about filter words before (find that article here ). They are the words that filter the action through the character and include: ‘realised’, ‘felt’, ‘knew’, ‘hear’, ‘saw’, ‘noticed’, etc. Compare She could hear the dog across the road barking and felt her corgi’s lead tighten as he reacted. Realising she was going to be pulled over, she reined him in. to The dog across the road barked and her corgi’s lead tightened as he reacted. She reined him in to prevent being pulled over. The word count has reduced from thirty to twenty-three and the writing is more dynamic. Consider the order of your words Is there a shorter way of saying the same thing? Could She walked into the waiting room of the surgery be changed to She walked into the waiting room ? If the reader has already been told the character is in the surgery, absolutely. If not, changing the sentence to She walked into the surgery waiting room will also reduce the number of words used. Keep an eye out for repeated and unnecessary action beats We all have crutch words – even editors! These often take the form of action beats (what the characters do while they are talking). Smiling, nodding, looking at the other character, shrugging, and chuckling are all examples. They tend to be used far too often and become repetitive. An easy way to assess if you’re using a particular word too much is to use the Find function in Word: Highlight the word. Click on Home at the top of your document. Click Find. You’ll be presented with a list on the left-hand side that shows you every instance of that word. Ask yourself if that adverb actually adds anything ‘Don’t you dare!’ he shouted angrily. Look at this piece of dialogue. We are effectively being told three times that the speaker is shouting: the use of ‘shouted’, the added ‘angrily’, and the exclamation mark. In this case, he shouted is sufficient and the adverb isn’t necessary. As you self-edit, think to yourself, does this adverb convey information to the reader they won’t have already picked up? Making simple changes such as I’ve suggested not only improves your writing, making it more active and vital, it also helps to reduce your word count. If you’re self-publishing, this will also help to reduce the cost of editing and proofreading as many editors, including me, charge per 1000 words.
It’s never too early to start marketing your book Work on establishing your author brand before you’ve finished your work in progress. Selling a book is more difficult than writing and producing it. The book market is saturated (and full of celeb “authors”), so you need to plan a sales strategy from the get-go. Use social media and also set up a newsletter. Building a community of loyal readers is so important and will pay off in the long run. This advice is also useful for authors going down the traditional route as publishers (yes, even the Big 5) rely more on authors doing their own publicity. Don’t leave searching for an editor until the last minute I make my living as a freelance editor and the money I earn pays the bills, keeps a roof over our heads, and ensures Thorin the corgi always has a full tummy. For that reason, I plan and book up my diary months ahead so we don’t end up on the street! If you’re going to publish a book, you also need to plan in advance. If you want your copyedit to start in March, it’s no good getting in touch with me in March as I’ll probably not be available. Start the search for your editor early to avoid disappointment as the majority of reputable editors will have full diaries. Don’t underestimate the power of a good cover Readers do judge a book by its cover. It’s the first thing they see so your book has to make a great initial impression. It will literally be competing with millions of other books, so this is an area it’s worth investing in. Without meaning to be rude or disrespectful, you can often tell a book has been self-published by its cover and, as wrong as it is, it will put people off. At the end of the day, you need to turn browsers into buyers, it’s as simple as that. If your graphic design skills are crap (like mine), please don’t try to knock up a cover yourself. Save up Publishing a book is an expensive endeavour if you want to do it in such a way that your book stands up against its traditionally published counterparts. Editing, cover design, formatting, the purchase of ISBNS, etc. all adds up, so put money aside while you’re writing. Have realistic expectations Don’t go into self-publishing thinking you are going to make loads of money from your first book. The reality is, you may not make any money initially. Or even from your second book. This also relates back to the first point and you have to go into self-publishing thinking of it as a business. All businesses take time to get off the ground and self-publishing is no different. I may have put you off and that is not my intention at all, however, I pride myself on being realistic and honest with authors setting out on their self-publishing journey. These are all things I would urge you to consider before you take the hard but wonderful leap.
What is a filter word? It’s a word in a piece of text that filters the scene through the character. What’s the problem? Filter words can create narrative distance and impact the reader’s ability to become fully immersed in the text. Rather than experiencing the character’s world and emotions, the reader is told about it (you have probably heard the phrase ‘show don’t tell’), which lessens the impact. This creates a problem as the story becomes something that is done to the reader rather than it being something they are involved in. Filter words include: Realised Felt Knew Saw Heard Noticed Watched Thought Looked Seemed Tasted Smelled Believed Removing filter words tightens up the text and makes it more dynamic. Going through your manuscript and getting rid of them will also lower your word count and make your copyedit cheaper! Compare She could hear the dog across the road barking and felt her corgi’s lead tighten as he reacted. Realising she was going to be pulled over, she reined him in. to The dog across the road barked and her corgi’s lead tightened as he reacted. She reined him in to prevent being pulled over. Immediately the narrative voice becomes more active and less passive. You feel (ironic, eh?) more involved in the action simply by removing hear , felt , and realising . And the word count has reduced from thirty to twenty-three. Of course, in fiction writing nothing is ever black and white and there will be times when filter words are useful to draw the reader back from tension and add texture to the narrative. But as a general rule, the majority of these words can be cut from your manuscript.
I celebrate five years of Abbie Editorial in January, and I have loads of plans that I think you’re going to love whether you’re a new or returning author to my services. If you follow me on X, you will know that one of those plans is the publication of a charity anthology. I’ve been thinking about this for ages and 2025 seems like the perfect time to do it. So, I’m asking authors to donate words in the form of short stories for a book I plan to publish in June. All profits will go to Invest in ME. This charity is very close to my heart as I have lived with the condition for over twelve years. It isn't something I talk about because I worry about people's perceptions of me. Research into ME is scarce and there are hardly any services for those suffering with the condition (my clinic has recently closed down), so if I can help raise funds for one of the charities carrying out research, that would be ace. To have authors along with me for the ride will be bloody brilliant. Want to take part? Here are the details: Genre: crime Theme: stories to be set in summer. If you want a challenge, I’d love some locked room mysteries Word count: 2,000 to 7,500 words Stories should be submitted via Word document, 12pt font, and 1.5 line spacing Email to: aecharitybooks@gmail.com Closing date for submissions: 1 February 2025 Please only submit original stories that haven’t been previously published. No AI generated stories, please. Those chosen will be edited and proofread by myself and my mate and ace proofreader, Lorna Hinde. I have asked for some locked room mysteries because many people with ME are effectively imprisoned in their homes due to their illness. I realise, though, that these can be challenging to write, so stories about crime, mystery and murder set in the summer months are also great. I really hope you will consider submitting. Of course, I have the fear that no one will, so I'll be keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed.
Book formatting is a relatively new service that I’m offering, so I thought I would tell you a little more about how it works and what you can expect at the end of it. Initial discussion The first thing we will do is have a discussion about your book. This can take place via email, Zoom or a good old-fashioned telephone call, I really don’t mind. We will discuss the genre, preferred size, and formats required (print, KDP, Kobo, etc). We will also talk about any special elements (text/messenger service messages, newpaper articles, etc), ornamental breaks, chapter headings and drop caps. This allows me to make up the pages of your book to fit with genre and add those elements you want to make your book yours. If it is the second (third or fourth) book in a series, I will match as closely as I can the previous books so they are all consistent. The checklist I will send you a checklist of what I need from you. These include: E-book cover – I need this to add to your e-book. ISBN Any publishing logo you want included in the front matter (optional) Dedication (optional) Also by information (optional) Acknowledgements (optional) About the author including photo and social media/website links (optional) Author’s note (optional) And, of course, the final version of your manuscript as a Word document Typesetting begins Once all of the required information has been given and papers handed over to me, I begin the process of typesetting your book. Author check through Once it is complete, I will send you the print PDF or e-book file for you to go through (this is the most exciting part, I think). After you have checked it, you tell me of any changes that need to be made. Amendments I make any amendments and return the e-book and print files along with a paperback jacket template for you to send to your cover designer. I can support you through the process of uploading your book to KDP if you need it. Voila! At the end of this straightforward process, you have a beautiful book you can be proud of. I offer a 25% discount on formatting if it is booked with an editorial service. Why? If I work on your book as an editor or proofreader, I am already familiar with it and this helps to speed up the formatting process.
Self-publishing still gets a lot of stick and, I think, there continues to be the idea that they are of inferior quality to those traditionally published. This is unfair and I know a lot of independent authors take great care over their books and treating the process in much the same way a publishing house would, especially when it comes to the editorial process. Unfortunately, I often see signs in the layout of a book that immediately marks it out as being self-published. The contents of the book may be brilliant, but formatting errors can immediately put readers off and give rise to the assumption that it will be of low quality. One of the ways I help authors is through the creation of their e-book and print books, and I thought I would share five common formatting errors that immediately scream “self-published”. The title, copyright and dedication are listed in the contents Fiction books don’t really need a contents page, however, many e-books have them and as the chapters have hyperlinks, they can be useful. I regularly see the front matter listed in the contents. What is the front matter? It’s the information that comes before the body of the book. Given the contents are part of this, the title page, copyright and dedication don’t need to be included. Chapter one starts on page five It is the main body of the book – the content – where the page numbering begins and page one is always on the right-hand side. The front matter should not be included in the numbering and chapter one should start on page one. First paragraphs are indented The first paragraph of chapters – and the first paragraphs following a chapter break – should be full out. That means they should not be indented. Inappropriate use of drop caps Drop caps are those fancy flourishes when the first letter of a first paragraph is larger than the rest of the text. They can be nice touch to a book’s look (although I know a lot of authors find them old-fashioned and I think whether you use them depends on the genre), but I have seen examples when a chapter’s subheading has been accidentally interpreted as the start of the first chapter and therefore have been assigned a drop cap. Page bottoms are unbalanced Bottom balancing involves ensuring the final lines on each page are level with its opposite counterpart. This makes the book easier to read (a short page can be misleading and look like the end of a chapter), looks more professional, and is aesthetically pleasing. I have talked about readers looking at samples and the importance of creating a good first impression before (albeit briefly) and this is another example of when first impressions count. Taking time over the formatting and creation of your book is worth it.
Writing fiction comes with a unique set of rules that writers of non-fiction don’t have to worry about: dialogue. The punctuation of dialogue is probably the thing that trips writers up the most (I talk about this here ), and the biggest cause of those issues is recognising what a dialogue tag actually is. I thought it might be worth posting some guidance on this. How do you punctuate a dialogue tag? A dialogue tag attributes speech to a character. This enables the reader to follow who is speaking. By far the most common dialogue tag is ‘said’. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Tags are preceded by a comma, question or exclamation mark. And followed by any of these if they are used before the speech. So: ‘This is an example,’ Thorin said. Thorin said, ‘This is an example.’ ‘This is an example!’ shouted Thorin. ‘Is this an example? asked Thorin. They cannot be preceded or followed (when used before the dialogue) by a full stop: ‘This is an example of how not to do it.’ Said Thorin. Thorin said. ‘This is an example of how not to do it.’ What is a dialogue tag? Confusion often arises when writers try to determine what constitutes a dialogue tag, and this is where I see a lot of mistakes with punctuation. Basically, a dialogue tag has to indicate that words are coming out of the character’s mouth. ‘Said’ is obvious, but you can also use the way words are being articulated. Some of these include: whispered shouted bellowed answered replied called declared muttered mumbled What they have in common is that they indicate the words left the character’s mouth or are a response to another character through the use of speech. ‘This is an example!’ Thorin shouted. Thorin replied, ‘This is an example.’ What isn’t a dialogue tag? Now, nothing is ever straight forward (especially when it comes to grammar and punctuation). Shrugging, for example, is a physical action that doesn’t involve a sound, so that’s easy to work out. It becomes confusing when the action the character does involves making a noise, such as laughing. The following are NOT dialogue tags: laughed/chuckled/giggled nodded sighed grinned/smiled Because the above aren’t dialogue tags, they need to be punctuated differently – with a full stop, question or exclamation mark. We don’t use a comma. Correct: ‘This is an example.’ Thorin nodded. ‘This is an example!’ Thorin laughed. Thorin laughed. ‘This is an example.’ Incorrect: ‘This is an example,’ laughed Thorin. Thorin laughed, ‘This is an example.’ One way of working out if the auditory action your character is using is a dialogue tag is to try doing the action while speaking (probably best not to try this if you’re writing in a busy coffee shop). Try laughing out words. It’s not something we tend to do. If we have a fit of the giggles, we are likely to be unable to speak!
I saw something on Twitter/X recently that posed a question about indie authors. It asked, “Are they self-published authors or are they published by an indie publisher?” An interesting point, I mused, as I am now in both categories. But today I want to natter about self-publishing. I think most people enter the publishing industry without knowing too much about it. They have a rough expectation about how it works and what is supposed to happen. I’m not sure where that comes from or what it’s based on. Now, the more I know about it, the more I realise how clueless I was when I’d finished my first book and was thinking about publishing it. However, I like to think I understood the basics enough to make an informed choice. So how do we choose which publishing route to take and is it even a choice for some? Recently I was in the ‘local authors’ tent at a literature festival in my town, selling my books, and it was fascinating to see how many people wanted to talk about writing. They wanted a genuine discussion about what they were going to do, and what they were writing. One gentleman told me he had the rough outline of a book in his head, and he had written the first chapter. He told me he was going to send that one chapter to an agent and he would get a book deal. He was completely certain of the order of it and that it was going to happen. This conversation left me in a quandary. Did I burst his bubble and tell him that for ninety-nine per cent of writers querying is the worst slog in the world, and even getting an agent (if you want one) doesn’t automatically secure you a publishing deal? Or did I wish him luck and hope that he strikes it lucky first time and with just the one chapter? I ended up wishing him luck, but did recommend some podcasts, reading material and people to follow on social media. I’ve met other writers who have gone with a vanity publisher and are wondering why their books aren’t bestsellers or why there is zero interest or sales. They believe that because they have left it up to someone else to market and promote their book, it is being done. One lady told me the eye watering amount she had spent getting her book published through a vanity press and then the extra money for a launch, and the book had hardly sold any copies. Everyone seems to have a story or journey of some description. But it’s important to remember that there isn’t a right or a wrong way to get your work out there. It is largely about your choice, how much effort you want to put into it and whether you want some longevity from your craft. Or whether you are a one-book writer and just want to ‘get it out there’. I decided to self-publish my debut novel Sea State . Not because I didn’t have any offers. I did. But when I read the contracts and queried various elements, I couldn’t necessarily see what they would do for me that I couldn’t do myself. Now, I don’t work in publishing, but I run my own consultancy (that is so far removed from publishing it’s ridiculous) so I am no stranger to stuff being a hard slog and needing to know your market. I listened to a raft of podcasts and interviews from some of the self-publishing big hitters, researched what I could and concluded with the thought, why am I signing all this away, when I can actually do it myself? There were a few driving factors behind my decision. It was all on my timescale, I had freedom over editing choices and it was my decision where to make cuts (under guidance!). Having overall control was the key thing I liked. I had a clear idea of how I wanted my books to look, which was incredibly important to me. I also knew Sea State was going to be the first in a series. I remembered some wise words from LJ Ross, who said in a podcast that she wished she’d held back from publishing her first book until she had a second lined up. Mindful of this, I delayed publishing Sea State until the second in the series, Sea Change , was in good shape, which helped keep up momentum and readers’ interest. Lots of self-published/indie authors do things differently to me. There isn’t a right or wrong way. Everyone takes the path that suits them. What I would say is that I take offence to those who make the general assumption that self-published books are of poor quality, and badly written and produced. Many self-published authors strive to put out high quality work, and this is always hampered by those that type ‘The End’ and then upload it immediately to KDP without even a hint of a spell check. I am also tired of the perception amongst some people (other writers included!) that self-published authors aren’t worthy of a deal, so aren’t worth being interviewed or included on a panel with traditional authors. This is the same for some reviewers and bloggers; some simply won’t entertain looking at your book because you’re not with a ‘big name’ publisher, irrespective of your storytelling capabilities. However, we may well have been offered a raft of deals, but chosen to turn them down for reasons best known to us. Self-publishing is about making a series of choices. Some authors don’t use editors, proofreaders or cover designers and do it all themselves. I know that personally, I couldn’t do that. I’d miss things, not see plot holes, miss grammatical errors, have no idea where weird commas are needed, or that all-important rogue apostrophe, and the list goes on. I know my limitations: I can put together a good advert, but I can’t do a book cover that looks really professional. I like to think that my books are improved significantly by people who are more objective than me, who are experts in their field and can help me shape and package my work into something better. There is no right or wrong, it’s just what works for you and the choices you want to make. For me, quality is crucial, and I have learnt many lessons from my first book and those that followed, and now I’m writing the sixth book in the series as well as a new Scottish mountain series. I’m better at a whole myriad of things, because along the way I have learnt the rules that work for me. I try to maintain my standards, and I work hard to get a book out there that looks like it would be at home nestling among the others in Waterstones or other bookshops. Covers are a deal breaker for me, and I have turned down deals on the strength of the cover artist alone. Covers are an insight to the soul of the book and, in my opinion, should be treated as such. When people ask me how I know if a cover is right, I always say mock it up and take it into Waterstones or your local bookshop and put it down with the others in your genre. You will know instantly if it’s any good. If it looks like you’ve knocked it up on the back of an envelope, go back and try again. I strictly maintain that the value of a book cover shouldn’t be underestimated as there are readers out there that love books just as much for the art, as well as the storytelling content. Because of the way I choose to do things I hugely value the work of alpha readers, beta readers, editors, proofreaders and cover designers. I respect their jobs and knowledge, and these folk are my engine room in getting a book out there. These folk are my ‘dream team’. It sometimes feels like a solitary undertaking to write it, but a book is the product of teamwork when you stand back and look objectively and hold the finished article in your hand. A few people don’t seem to realise that when you self-publish you are the publisher, and this means you have to do everything a publisher does. For me, one of the hardest things to keep going is promotion. But this isn’t just exclusive to self-publishing. Many publishers now want the author to promote as much, if not more, than them. So there’s no escaping the cycle of promotion. It is a hard slog if you don’t have the benefit of the massive database the publishers have, and you largely have to grow organically as people get to know you and your storytelling. Promotion becomes about ‘getting it out there’. Getting the amazing book bloggers and reviewers (who are absolutely fantastic people) to read your book, hoping they’ll like it (or even better, love it) and shout about it. It also takes time to build up a cohort of lovely readers that have fallen in love with your writing, your characters and your storytelling. You have to engage and nurture these people. Constant promotion is needed across different platforms via blog tours, teaser campaigns and things like Facebook and Amazon ads, which can be a financial minefield. This is where a resilient mindset is needed. It is a constant cycle that has to happen if you want to keep up the momentum, otherwise you are a tiny pebble on a beach full of them. It’s a hard slog and filled with wrong turns and rabbit holes that you end up going down that might not pay off, particularly if you have a tiny budget. But, whether self-published or not, it is fairly normal that it has to happen. These days lots of authors are choosing to do both: self-publish and be traditionally published. That suggests attitudes are changing for the better and it is becoming more widely acceptable. For some, self-publishing is a brave, scary and solitary choice to make. Ultimately it’s got to suit you, your lifestyle, your budget and your commitments. So my advice? If you’re thinking about it, then do your research, talk to other self-published folk, learn from what they do. Soak up any advice they have. Then, pick what will work for you. Work at getting a good team around you that you trust. My last piece of advice: stock up on resilience and get ready for the ride, you genuinely can’t take your foot off the gas pedal for a second.
Nailing your first chapter is essential if you want to turn browsers into buyers. Consider how you purchase a book. You will initially be drawn in by the cover and/or the blurb or have been recommended it by a friend, but the chances are you will read the sample (or the first few pages if you’re in a bookstore). Now consider how many books are published every day. The publishing world has become more open and accessible to would-be authors, which is brilliant, but that means more competition. According to Words Rated (2022), around 440,000 fiction books are published annually. According to my (terrible) maths, that’s 1,236 per day! So you can see how important the first chapter is in capturing your potential reader’s attention. If you’re hoping to gain an agent or a publishing contract, the first chapter is equally as important. Agents and commissioning editors are inundated with manuscripts, so they will rely on those beginning pages to decide whether they want to read more. Chapter one is often the chapter authors struggle with the most. It’s the point at which you are settling into a new piece of work and finding your feet. It’s incredibly common, so don’t beat yourself up if your editor says it needs work. Here are the five common issues seen in first chapters: Not conveying ‘the hook’ Try to put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Why would they want to continue reading your book? Have you introduced your main character and has the potential conflict been established? This doesn’t mean you need a first chapter full of explosions and dead bodies, it can be more subtle than that, but there needs to be something happening to the character that the reader wants to see resolved. The inciting incident doesn’t have to be in your face, but should raise questions the reader wants answers to. This is the crux of what you are trying to achieve in the first chapter and it tends to be neutralised by the following four points. Info-dumping It’s tempting to throw as much information into the first chapter as possible in an attempt to bring the reader up to speed. However, this tends to have the opposite effect and slows it down. Information can be drip-fed and woven through the text as the story progresses. Backstories won’t hold the reader’s immediate attention – and that’s what you’re trying to grab at this point. Part of the joy of reading is discovering these things gradually as the characters develop. Cramming in every single character Like info-dumping, introducing every character immediately causes drag. Bring them in when the scene calls for it. Think of the plot as a tapestry that you gradually add to, not one large immediate blob. Too much description/world building Spending too much time on descriptions and/or world building can result in the reader being bogged down in details. This deflects from that all-important hook and the impetus to read your story. You have 60,000+ words to play with, so there is plenty of scope to include this at various points. A bored reader isn’t going to buy your book. Clichés Try to avoid clichés such as your protagonist suddenly waking up. The story doesn’t have to begin at the start of a new day. It does need an inciting incident, though. It’s about the start of a compelling situation that impacts on the everyday. Are you concerned about the structure of your book? I offer two services that can help: manuscript critique and structural edit .
