Writing & Editing

• Kill Your Darlings: The Art of Revision — presentation to San Diego Writers & Editors Guild, May 20, 2019 (PDF download)
• Kill Your Darlings: The Art of Revision — presentation to San Diego Writers & Editors Guild, May 20, 2019 — 10-part blog series
• Introduction
• Structure
• Content
• Narrative Voice
• Narrative Mode
• Point of View
• Characters
• Plot
• Information Dumps
• Kill Your Darlings
• Final Words
• From the Editor’s Eye: The 10 Most Common Errors Made by Writers — 10-part blog series
• Introduction
• #10. They’re, Their Now: Contractions & Homophonic Convergence
• #9. Commagain? The Oxford Deflate & Dialogue Punchuating Bag
• #8. Word Contortion: Homophonic Trip-ups
• #7. Three Dots and Out: Give Your Ellipsis Elbow Room
• #6. A Tense Moment: Word Context, Past & Present
• #5. Dash It All! Part A: Hyphen and En Dash
• #4. Dash It All! Part B: Em Dash—The Separator
• #3. Pronounflagration: Pronoun Profusion, Confusion, Contusion
• #2. Apostrophic Calamity: Apostrophe vs. Dumb Quotes
• #1. Verbal Abuse: Lie Down with Lay & Related Verb Warps
• #0. Extra: (A Few of) My Language Pet Peeves
• On Writing: The Primrose Path to Prologue — blog
• Do’s & Don’ts of Memoir Writing — PYP workshop handout, presentation to San Diego Memoir Writers Assn., Sept. 7, 2019 (PDF download)
• 21 Rules for Improving Your Writing — PYP workshop handout (PDF download)
• Suffering Syntax! Awkward Construction, Dangling Participles, and Misplaced Modifiers — PYP workshop handout (PDF download)
• Resources for Writers — PYP workshop handout: useful publications and websites (PDF download)
• What Editors Do — presentation at National Authors Day (short version for you ADHD folks; PDF download) NOTE: temporarily unavailable; under revision
• The Essential Role of the Editor + Publishing Nuts & Bolts — presentation to Publishers and Writers of San Diego (PWSD) and San Diego Book Awards workshop (full version, PDF download) NOTE: temporarily unavailable; under revision
• Larry's blog: Polishing Your Prose (website)
• Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing (website)
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus (website)
• Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips (website)
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online (website)

[Please note: The presentations are slides only; they do not include my commentary or explanatory notes.]

• Book Publishing Checklist & Estimated Costs — PYP workshop handout (PDF download)
• POD (print on demand) CreateSpace Or IngramSpark? POD Pros & Cons + Cost Comparison — PYP blog
• POD (print on demand) Cost Comparison / Pros & Cons — CreateSpace vs. IngramSpark — PYP workshop handout (PDF download)
• The Importance of Owning Your Own ISBN When Self-Publishing — IngramSpark blog
• Taking the Mystery Out of Ebook Formatting — presentation to SD/PEN and SDWEG (PDF download)
• The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: A Primer on Contracts, Printing Costs, Royalties, Distribution, Ebooks, and Marketing (sixth edition) — Book Review — this book is a “must read” for anyone thinking of self-publishing a book, or who has already published and wants to consider other options
• Ebook Formatting: Tips & Traps — PYP workshop handout: companion to Ebook Formatting presentation (PDF download)
• Aaron Shepard's Publishing Page: The New Business of Self Publishing (website) — in-depth information for self-/indie publishers, and I agree with most of what he says
• Aaron Shepard's Publishing Blog: Self Publishing With Amazon, Kindle, CreateSpace, and Lightning Source/IngramSpark (website) — information updates and industry changes
• Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book (website) — a good overview, and I agree with most of what she says; for in-depth information, see Aaron Shepard's Publishing Page
• Self-Publishing 101: Why Indy Publishers Are Smart to Use Two Printers and Not Just One (Daily Kos, website) — this has a good comparison of CreateSpace and IngramSpark, and I agree with most of what this writer says, which is along the lines of Aaron Shepard's advice
• CreateSpace (Amazon) (website) — POD (print on demand) printing/publishing and distribution
• IngramSpark (website) — POD (print on demand) printing and distribution, ebook distribution
• KDP/Kindle (Amazon) (website) — ebook production and sales
• Smashwords (website) — ebook production, distribution and sales

• Book Marketing Primer — presentation to SD/PEN and SDWEG (PDF download)
• Book Marketing Handout — PYP handout: companion to Book Marketing Primer (PDF download)
• Using Social Media for Promoting Your Book: The Why, Where, When and How — presentation to SDWEG (PDF download)
• Using Social Media for Promoting Your Book - Handout — PYP handout: companion to Using Social Media for Promoting Your Book (PDF download)
• Build Book Buzz (website) — DIY book marketing tips, tools, and tactics from Sandra Beckwith
• PR Advice for Self-Pub Authors (website) — excellent advice from book publicist Julia Drake
• Social Media Examiner Marketing Report (website) — social media marketing industry report 2015
• Chris Syme, Smart Marketing for Authors (website) — advice, webinars on using Facebook and other social media
• Gemini Adams, book marketing, Finish Your Book Now (website) — advice, webinars on using social media; database of book reviewers (fee-based)
• Terry Doherty, book marketing, The Reading Tub (website)
• Fauzia Burke — Online Marketing for Busy Authors (website)

• Facebook: Gutsy Indie Publishers
• Facebook: The Literary Lounge
• Facebook: Memoir Publicity and Book Club
• Facebook: National Association of Memoir Writers
• Facebook: Partners in Crime: The San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime
• Facebook: True Crime Book Club
• Facebook: True Crime Readers Group
• Facebook: The Writer's Circle
• Facebook: Writing


• LinkedIn: Aspiring Writers
• LinkedIn: Book Marketing
• LinkedIn: Copy Editors and Proofreaders
• LinkedIn: Ebooks, Ebook Readers, Digital Books and Digital Content Publishing
• LinkedIn: Freelance Editing Network
• LinkedIn for Journalists
• LinkedIn: LinkEds & Writers
• LinkedIn: Publishing and Editing Professionals
• LinkedIn: SD/PEN (San Diego Professional Editors Network)
• LinkedIn: Writers Hangout

• Editorial Freelancers Association — information about the different types of editing and the costs involved (website)
• Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) — a not-for-profit membership organization serving the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success (website)
• Partners in Crime: The San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime — authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by our affection for the mystery genre and our support of women who write mysteries; men are welcome to join as well (hence "partners") (website)
• Publishers and Writers of San Diego (PWSD) — a professional association of the publishing community in the San Diego/Orange County region, educating business-minded self-publishers and authors (website)
• San Diego Book Awards — supports and recognizes local published and self-published authors through its annual competition (website)
• San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN) — an association of trained editors who correct, revise, and adapt written material for publication or presentation (website)
• San Diego Writers & Editors Guild (SDWEG) — a group of writers and editors dedicated to improving their skills and helping others do the same (website)

Many of the book covers featured herein were designed by Tim Brittain. He also did a number of the interior designs and layouts for printing, as well as ebook conversions and website designs for authors. Contact Tim at (619) 421-6344 or twbrit[at]cox[dot]net.

Some of the book covers featured herein were designed by Monkey C Media. The company also does interior design and layout, and website design. Contact Monkey C Media/Jeniffer Thompson at (619) 955-8286 or info[at]monkeycmedia[dot]com.

If you have questions or other topics you'd like to see addressed, please let me know.