Are you writing to experts in the field or someone who is just starting to learn about this topic? Are you writing to upper-class people, lower-class people, or people of all SES backgrounds? Are you writing to people in your geographical area only or anywhere in the world?

You don’t need to write to everyone.

Proofreading is for last-minute touch-ups before publishing.

Some things a proofreader might look for are errors in punctuation, grammar, spelling, and simple formatting. They’ll make sure all the cross-references that say, “See page X for more information about this,” actually line up and have the correct page number. They’ll make sure a chapter number isn’t skipped or duplicated, that words aren’t cut off by graphics, that the pages look nice and clean. All the little details that you don’t really want to take the time to check are important, that’s what a proofreader will do for you—in addition to checking for typos, punctuation errors, and inconsistent grammar.

Have you wanted to write a book forever but thinking about staring at a blank page is paralyzing? Where do you even start?

Imagine if you could sit down every day (or however often) to write, and you knew exactly what to write about. What if you always knew exactly what came next and could pick up right where you left off each time?

I know you’re probably eager to get started writing your nonfiction book (either memoir or self-help), but you need a plan first. It will be worth it to take the time now and figure out the answers to three big questions before you start writing.

If you thank someone by name in the acknowledgments section of your book, you don’t need permission because it’s probably a positive or neutral mention. If you want to talk about how your stepdad ruined your life, you’ll need permission because that’s negative. Seems pretty easy, but when in doubt, always ask permission. I’ll mostly be talking about negative mentions in this blog post.

In this blog post, we’re going to talk about how to narrow your reader audience for nonfiction books.

Whether someone needs developmental editing depends on the person and their manuscript and their goals for the manuscript. If you’re just writing because it makes you happy and you don’t care about making money, or because you just want to share your story with your family, maybe you don’t need it. If you’re creating a book out of a course (which is already structured well and pretty much acts as a detailed outline), maybe you don’t need it. If you prefer to use beta readers and critique partners to help you get the organization down, maybe you don’t need it.

It's totally up to you, your goals, your budget, and your timeline.

I edit lots of memoirs, so I see lots of common developmental problems. If you can fix these before you get your book to an editor, the editor can focus on other issues, which results in a better book. Maybe after implementing these changes and working with beta readers, you even feel comfortable skipping developmental editing altogether and saving some time and money!

Here’s three common mistakes of memoir writers. Let’s get into it.