Pro Writing Tips from an Editor

BUILDING and EDITING Your BOOK

Brandy SavareseEditor,Greenleaf Book Group

TWEET TO WIN@GreenleafBookGr

#ideasthrive

WHAT WE’LL COVER:

• The 3 points to know before you start writing• Guidelines for structuring your content• Advice for actually doing the writing• What to do when you have a first draft• What is an editor and how do you find one?

I. THE 3 POINTS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START WRITING

• Message• Audience• Market differentiation

1. MESSAGE

• What is your elevator pitch?• What are 3–5 supporting points for your book’s

message?

What is your book trying to say?

Tweet your elevator pitch to @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthriveIf you can express it in 10 characters, you’re well on your way!

MESSAGE David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell

The elevator pitch: “The way we think about advantages and disadvantages is all wrong.”

The supporting points:(1) Many advantages can be

disadvantages. (2) Many disadvantages can be

advantages.(3) Because of this, difficulty is in many

cases desirable. (4) Conversely, those who have power and

advantage must be aware of how they are vulnerable.

2. AUDIENCE

• Is it “everyone”?• Is it too narrow?• The “aspirational” audience

Who’s going to be interested in your message?

Who’s your audience. Let us know by tweeting…

Who’s your audience? Let us know by tweeting to @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

AUDIENCE

Blink Primary audience: Social sciences readers (general interest)

Secondary audience: Businesspeople / leaders

The Don’t Freak Out Guide to Parenting Kids with Asperger’s

Primary audience: Parents of a child with Asperger’s

(Fuentes did better to spin her book this way than write a general parenting book with a chapter on Asperger’s.)

3. MARKET DIFFERENTIATION

• What are you offering that’s new?• Do your market research!• What if there’s a book that’s really close to yours?• Examples of differentiation points:

• a fresh metaphor• exclusive research• an unusual tone• an unusual length• a narrower focus• a distinctive author brand• a provocative break from accepted truth on a subject

How is your book different than its competitors?

Title Differentiator

Fearless Leadership Leadership advice—but from a military angle.

Within the military leadership genre, she’s also differentiated by her gender.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

Career advice—but in graphic novel format.

The 5 Love Languages Relationship advice—presented within a fresh, original framework.

II. CONTENT STRUCTURE

THE OUTLINE

• Is making an outline always fun? No. • Is it necessary? Yes.• Are you a hardcore outliner?• The pros: You have a map to follow!• The cons: You might procrastinate, or close off fruitful

paths.

Are you a hardcore outliner? If not, what’s your method of organizing content?Tweet us @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

LIST YOUR MESSAGE AND ITS SUPPORTING POINTS.

• Return to your message• List all the supporting points you can think of• List all the stories and narrative content you have• Look back at your list. • Which could be chapters?• Is shape emerging?

DEFINE THE ARC.

• Arcs aren’t just for fiction—you must take your reader on a well-defined journey.• Are you telling a story, with exposition, rising action,

climax, denouement?• Do you have content loops?• Look for great transitions. Do any of your supporting

points lead into each other? Hook them together and build from there.• Does your arc serve your audience?

BALANCE NARRATIVE AND EXPOSITION.

• Exposition is the description or explanation of your idea, theory, or plot. • Narrative is storytelling and how you connect the

events or ideas throughout your work.• Can you add interest and engagement through

story? Where in the outline do your stories fit?• Ideally, exposition and narrative are woven

together and balanced.

CHECK FOR ORIGINALITY.

• Remember: differentiation is key.• Does your outline follow similar paths to

competitive titles?• Does it rely on long explanations of concepts and

topics your audience will already know?• If so, seek out new angles, new examples.

How is your story different? Tweet us at @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

OUTLINE LENGTH.• Your basic starting point, the short outline, need

only be a page or two long.

• In fact, it may look a lot like a table of contents.

• It’s best to flesh this out even more (up to 20 pages), but if that’s a barrier for you, you can start with a shorter outline.

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE Stephen R. Covey

FLOW Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

III. THE WRITING PROCESS

WRITING IS A GENERATIVE PROCESS!

• Follow your outline, but give yourself room to experiment.• Banish thoughts about grammatical and syntactical

minutiae.• Just write.

Share your tips for sitting down to write.Tweet us at @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

TIPS FOR THE WRITING PROCESS:• Get into a routine. Writing is hard work, and you need

to dedicate time to do it.• Save your work and back up often!• Leave yourself notes about outside sources.• Beware of material that may require permission.• Lay the foundation for visual elements, if you’re using

illustrations.• Make occasional message/audience/differentiation checks.• Keep track of length.• Decide whether you’ll share early content with anyone, and

consider the outcome.

IV. WHAT TO DO WITH THE FIRST DRAFT

FEEDBACK

• Sharing with family, friends, and/or colleagues.• Professional manuscript evaluation.

THE PATH TO PUBLICATION• Traditional: The proposal• Message/audience/differentiation• Show then you have a platform.• Research agents.• You can do a proposal earlier.

• Independent/hybrid• Look into what the publisher wants.• A proposal is still a great starting point.

• Self-publishing• Get your book the editorial (and design) support it deserves!• Evaluate the different types of self-publishers and decide which suits

your needs.

Questions about finding the right publisher?Tweet @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

BOOKEDITING

I. WHAT DOES AN EDITOR DO?

WHAT’S AN EDITOR AND WHY DO I NEED ONE?

• Trust your editor, but don’t be afraid to inquire about their thinking.

• The editor is not judging you.

The editor . . .1. does not inject personal agenda or aspirations into manuscript

2. serves as test reader and reader’s advocate.

3. identifies holes in the story and/or the author’s blind spots.

4. delivers impartial advice and strategies for improving problems.

5. works collaboratively, not unilaterally.

Important notes about working with an editor:

II. TYPES OF EDITORIAL SUPPORT

THE GHOSTWRITER

• Channels the author’s voice and expertise.• Picks up slack where expert/celebrity may not have

time or skill set to write a book.• Must get to know you and your topic very well, but still

needs your frequent input.• The ghostwriter is a great partner for a busy

entrepreneur, CEO, or executive hoping publish a book. • Using a ghostwriter does not diminish your

accomplishment in publishing a book!

Questions about working with an editor?Tweet @GreenleafBookGr #ideasthrive

THE WRITING COACH (PROJECT DEVELOPMENT EDITOR)

• Assists you during the writing process.• Talks through message/audience/differentiation

with you.• Helps you build an outline.• Gives feedback on early writing.• Keeps you on track and encourages you.• Reviews the work as you complete the book,

course-correcting as needed.


THE DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR

• Jumps into your manuscript ready to restructure and possibly lightly rewrite short sections.• May . . .• Rearrange chapters and sections.• Trim repetitive content.• Prompt you to elaborate where new content is needed.• Ensure focused message and audience.• And more.

• Needing a developmental edit doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer!


THE LINE EDITOR (SUBSTANTIVE EDITOR)

• Works on prose and syntax.• Makes sure the ideas flow logically

(works on transitions)• Clarifies confusing or ambiguous passages.• Ensures style and voice are grammatically consistent.


THE COPY EDITOR

• Addresses the nitty-gritty of grammar and punctuation.• Ensures correct and consistent spelling and technical

style (in accordance, usually, with the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster).• This stage (along with the next) may seem nitpicky but

is very important to putting out a professional-looking product.


THE PROOFREADER

• Serves as the final defense against errors of all kinds.• Makes sure the copyeditor caught all punctuation/grammar issues.• Makes sure design entered any changes correctly.• Catches layout issues like• widows and orphans• word divisions• typeface consistency• running headers and footers• folio placement• etc.


THANK YOU!@GreenleafBookGr

www.greenleafbookgroup.com

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Pro Writing Tips from an Editor