Simply put, a writing coach is a professional and personal guide who helps a writer throughout their writing journey before their copy is handed over to the publisher. They are also called a book coach or book Sherpa. They are like the quality control button for a product.
Writing is the first step towards unfolding your idea. As you sit down to fix that thought into a perceptible format, you are initiating communication with your audience; the readers, and the general public.
Writing is often thought to be for the masterminds, requiring luck or expensive training; but that’s not how it is. If it is anything like that, then you are the mastermind!
Publishing is an exciting journey, one which starts from the idea stage right through distribution and ends with the publication in the hands of the reader. However, oftentimes, there is a mix-up of what book publishing is, mistaking for printing or social media posting which then overshadows the relevance of the publisher.
Fiction writing is creative writing; although it can be inspired by actual events, it is not real, but is imagined and created in the mind of the writer, who then pens down the story.
With nonfiction work, you always have to get your facts rights. Many writers may not know the writing styles which they can employ when writing. Pick a writing style that best tells what you want to say and you can never go wrong with nonfiction. At times, the kind of work you want to write will indicate to you the angle to write from. But it all starts with penning down that idea, that thought, and your story will flow.
Landing a publishing deal for your book is a dream come true. Congratulations! This is the part where you get support from the publisher to publish your book and get your story out there where it belongs. It’s an exciting opportunity and you have to make it a success. But, to begin the publishing process, you need an agreement with your publisher.
Copyright and publishing (or reproduction) rights are two different things. The distinction between the two might seem clearer if you think of copyright as “the right to copy” – copy is written content; and publishing rights as “the right to produce.”
When one creates their work, the work is considered intellectual property (IP) and it is their possession, hence it should not be used without their permission. It’s like taking your neighbour’s rack and personalizing it to become yours. Doing this may cause legal entanglements that are not pretty and could drag for years and lead to the payment of heavy fines amounting to thousands of dollars, hence should be avoided at all costs.
Finding an ideal editor is an author’s dream but agreeing on a fee may seem like a nightmare. Authors often wonder how editors come about a charge or a fee and, without the right information, they may feel somehow short changed. At accepting a manuscript for editorial, the editor considers several factors which helps them come to an editorial fee. Editorial fees are not reached about from a vacuum and they are a once-off payment despite the number of copies the author will print and they should be accounted for when pricing your book.