Resources
Guides for authors
Plain-language guidance on editing, design, formatting and publishing.
Editing
Developmental Edit vs Copy Edit vs Proofread: What Is the Difference?
The three main editing stages explained in plain language: what each one fixes, the order they go in, and how to know which your manuscript needs.
27 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Editing
How to Prepare Your Manuscript Before Sending It to an Editor
A practical checklist for getting a manuscript ready for editing, so your editor spends time on your writing and not on avoidable clean-up.
27 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Publishing
A Practical Checklist for Publishing on Amazon KDP
What to have ready before you publish a Kindle ebook or paperback on Amazon KDP: manuscript, cover, metadata and a final review.
27 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Design
How to Brief a Book Cover Designer
What a good cover brief contains, how genre conventions shape a cover, and how to give feedback that gets you to a finished design faster.
27 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Writing
What Ghostwriting Involves: A Guide for First-Time Clients
How ghostwriting works from first conversation to finished manuscript, what you contribute, and what to agree on before the writing starts.
27 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Editing
How Much Does Book Editing Cost? What Changes the Price
What decides the price of editing a book: length, type of edit, the state of your manuscript and speed. How quotes are built and how to compare them fairly.
29 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Editing
How Long Does It Take to Edit a Book?
How long editing takes depends on length, the type of edit and your own revisions. A plain guide to planning each stage, with what to ask for in writing.
29 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Editing
Do I Need an Editor and a Proofreader? A Decision Guide
Most books benefit from both, but they do different jobs at different times. Learn how to decide what your manuscript needs and in what order to buy it.
29 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Formatting
How to Format a Paperback for Amazon KDP: Trim Size, Margins, Bleed and Cover
The parts of a print-ready paperback explained plainly: page size, margins, bleed, page count and the wraparound cover, and how to check them before you order.
30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Formatting
How to Format a Kindle Ebook That Passes KDP Checks
What a clean Kindle ebook needs: reflowable layout, a working table of contents, proper styles, a separate cover image and a preview test before you publish.
30 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Publishing
How to Choose KDP Categories and Keywords Without Gimmicks
A practical way to pick Amazon KDP categories and keyword phrases that match what readers search for, without stuffing, misleading terms or promised rankings.
30 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Beta reading
What a Beta Reader Does That an Editor Doesn't
Beta readers tell you how your book feels to a real reader: where they were bored, confused or hooked. Learn when to use them and what to ask.
30 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Ghostwriting
Memoir Ghostwriting: What to Prepare Before Your First Interview
How to prepare for a memoir ghostwriter: your goal, timeline, key stories, materials and sensitive subjects, so the interviews are focused and useful.
30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Cover design
What Belongs on a Book Cover: Conventions by Genre
Each genre has cover conventions that tell readers what to expect. See the common patterns for thrillers, romance, fantasy and nonfiction, and how to use them.
30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Publishing
How to Publish Your First Book on Amazon: A Step-by-Step Overview
From finished manuscript to live listing: the steps for publishing your first book through Amazon KDP, in order, with the decisions you will meet along the way.
30 Oct 2026 · 7 min read