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.

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.

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.

Before paying anyone to edit your book, you can have beta readers read it to give you advice for free! (Yes, sometimes beta readers are paid. Those ones will probably guarantee better feedback than randoms from Facebook, but it’s up to you.)

Beta readers provide you with advice for the content of your book—yes, it’s that general. If you want them to focus on something specifically, ask them to do that: “Hi, when you’re reading my book, can you look at how the chapters are broken up? Let me know if you think it’s effective or know of another way to do it.” Otherwise, they’ll tell you whatever they think about your book from a reader’s standpoint.

There is a lot that goes into writing a book. Then, after you finish writing the book, there’s still a million more things to do! I hope this post will help you stay on track and take all the necessary steps to publish your book.

Congratulations on finishing a draft! Now, you know eventually you’ll need to hire an editor, but when will your book be ready for that next step? You’ll always find more things in your book to change, adjust, or fix, but how can you know when it’s time to hand it off to a professional? Here are 5 signs to help you know when you’re ready for book editing.

I work with a lot of Christian authors, and I noticed that most people are confused or don’t know about three particular things. Since these unique aspects only apply to this genre, they aren’t that well known. If you’re a Christian author, refer to God in a religious context, or quote any Bible Scriptures in your book, you’ll want to read this blog post!

Action beats are a replacement for dialogue tags to show the action the character takes during or after speaking.