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Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author
for writers

Writing Resource Library

Here you can browse through an organised collection of writing and publishing advice posts from my blog, and other resources and tools I recommend. Enjoy!

Some links on this page are affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure here.

Navigation

writing craft
genre
editing
traditional publishing
self-publishing
Tools
Recommended reading
useful links
the writing stage

Writing craft

Purple prose, what is it?

Purple prose: What is it, and should you be using it?

What is second person point of view?

Point of view: What is second-person?

10 of the best books for writers

How to punctuate and format dialogue

How to punctuate and format dialogue in your novel

Writing romance, what are heat/spice levels?

Writing romance: What are heat levels?

Creating effective character goals

How to create effective character goals

How to fix a passive protagonist

How to fix a passive protagonist

Difference between third-person limited and omniscient

Point of view: What’s the difference between third-person limited and omniscient?

World-building tips for fantasy authors

Goals, stakes, and urgency screenwriting method for novels

Goals, stakes, and urgency: The screenwriting method that works for novels

Redundant words to cut from your writing

Redundant words to cut from your writing

How to avoid exposition, showing and telling guide

How to avoid exposition: A guide to showing and telling

the writing stage

Genre

Romantasy vs fantasy romance: What's the difference?

Romantasy vs fantasy romance: What’s the difference?

15 romance subgenres to fall in love with

15 romance subgenres for writers to fall in love with

Outlining a romance novel

4 ways to outline a romance novel

Writing romance, what are heat/spice levels?

Writing romance: What are heat levels?

World-building tips for fantasy authors

the revision stage

Editing

Is your manuscript ready for a professional assessment?

Copyediting vs proofreading differences

Copyediting vs proofreading: The key differences

Self-publishing: Why an editor is essential

Self-publishing: Why an editor is essential

What is copyediting?

What is copyediting?

What is line editing and do you need it?

What is line editing and do you need it?

What does a book editor do?

What does a book editor do?

Myths about book editors

10 myths about book editors

Revise your novel in six steps

How to revise your novel in 6 steps

Difference between copyediting and line editing

Line editing vs copyediting: What’s the difference?

What does a proofreader do?

What does a proofreader do?

What to cut from a long novel

What to cut from a novel that’s too long

Why I'm not the right freelance editor for you

Why I’m not the right freelance editor for you

Making your novel longer, fleshing out a short manuscript

Making your novel longer: How to flesh out a short manuscript

How far in advance do I need to book a freelance editor?

Content warnings, should you give them to your editor?

Content warnings: Should you give them to your editor?

The types of fiction editing

The types of fiction editing: Which one is for you?

An editor's tips on self-editing a novel

An editor’s tips for self-editing a novel

Why is book editing so expensive?

Why is book editing so expensive?

What is a style sheet, and why do you need one?

What is a style sheet, and why do you need one?

How to choose the right freelance editor

How to choose the right freelance editor for you

What is developmental editing?

What is developmental editing?

Redundant words to cut from your writing

Redundant words to cut from your writing

Should you pay for a sample edit?

Should you pay for a sample edit or is it free?

How to find beta readers and critique partners

How to find beta readers and critique partners

How to avoid exposition, showing and telling guide

How to avoid exposition: A guide to showing and telling

Are you ready to have your writing critiqued?

Are you ready to have your writing critiqued?

Dealing with feedback on your writing

Dealing with feedback on your writing

agents and publishers

Traditional publishing advice

How to find a literary agent in the UK

How to find a literary agent in the UK

How to get your book published

6 myths about traditional publishing

8 myths about traditional publishing

How I got my book deal

How I got my book deal (after seven years)

What is a hybrid author

What is a hybrid author?

How much do literary agents cost

How much do literary agents cost?

When is the best time to query literary agents?

When is the best time to query literary agents?

What to include in your query letter bio

Your query letter bio: What to include

How long do literary agents take to respond?

How long do literary agents take to respond?

Will a publisher edit my book?

Will a publisher edit my book?

Do you need a literary agent to get published?

Do you need a literary agent to get published?

What are comp titles?

What are comp titles and how do I use them?

Querying agents: The revise and resubmit or R&R

Querying agents: The revise and resubmit (R&R)

How to survive querying or submission

The waiting game: How to survive querying or submission

Tips on writing a novel synopsis

7 tips on writing a strong synopsis for your novel

Self-publishing versus traditional publishing, pros and cons

Self-publishing and traditional publishing: The pros and cons

Should I hire a freelance editor before submitting to agents or publishers?

Word count, how long should your novel be?

Word count: How long should your novel be?

How to format your manuscript, with a free template

How to format your manuscript (with free template)

Submitting to literary agents

Submitting to literary agents: 10 tips

Is your manuscript ready to be submitted yet?

Is your manuscript ready to be submitted?

indie authors

Self-publishing advice

Self-publishing: Why an editor is essential

Self-publishing: Why an editor is essential

8 myths about self-publishing

What is a hybrid author

What is a hybrid author?

Self-publishing checklist for authors to download

Self-publishing checklist for authors

Self-publish a book on a budget

How to self-publish a book on a budget

Working with a book cover designer

Working with a book cover designer

Self-publishing versus traditional publishing, pros and cons

Self-publishing and traditional publishing: The pros and cons

Tools

  • Mailerlite newsletters for authors
    Author newsletter platform (this platform is free for up to 1,000 subscribers)
  • Krystal web hosting for authors
    Web hosting for authors (I use Krystal for this site and highly recommend them!)
  • Vellum formatting software for authors
    Vellum software to format ebooks and paperbacks for self-publishing (Mac only)
books for writers

Recommended reading

  • Book cover for The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglist, a black and blue cover with an image of emotional words
  • Book cover of Show, Don't Tell by Sandra Geth, with a blue background and white sheet of paper showing the book title
  • Book cover for Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, classic painted artwork of people talking and moving around, with an orange border
  • Book cover for The Penguin Guide to Punctuation, a simple cover with purple, white and black strips
  • Book cover for Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham, a simple blue cover with white text
  • Book cover for How to Write Black Characters: An Incomplete Guide by Salt & Sage Books, a blue cover with a black woman wearing gold hoop earrings, red lipstick and an afro hairstyle
  • Book cover for Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, a cat dangles from a rope by the book's title which is against an orange background
  • Book cover for Stephen King's On Writing, King writes pn a typewriter against a greyscale window
  • Book cover for Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, watercolours in pink, blue and yellow splash against the title
  • Book cover for The Magic Words by Cheryl B. Klein, a blue background with an open book containing trees, houses and clouds
  • Book cover for The business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman, a mustard yellow background with the book's title encased in white circles
  • Book cover for Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice by Beth Revis, a blue typewriter on a piece of paper, with a pink heart
  • Book cover for Paper Hearts: Some Marketing Advice by Beth Revis, a blue typewriter on a piece of paper, with an orange tick
  • Book cover for Paper Hearts: Some Publishing Advice by Beth Revis, a red typewriter on a piece of paper, with a fading green star heart
  • Book cover for Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, faded text with inked edits against a white background
on the web

Useful links

Literary agents

QueryTracker – Search for agents and keep track of responses. (Note: not all UK agents are listed in the database.)

BookEnds Literary YouTube – Lots of informative videos on traditional publishing from the literary agents at BookEnds.

Manuscript Wish List: Find out what agents and editors are looking for.

Writer Beware: A useful page about literary scams and red flags to watch out for when submitting your work.

Complete Guide to Query Letters: A guide to query letters from industry professional Jane Friedman.

Writing and editing

Writing with Color: Writing resources and guides on writing diversely.

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: Giant list of world-building questions from Patricia C. Wrede. 

Conscious Style Guide: A guide to conscious/mindful language, covering things like health, disability, ethnicity and race, sexuality, etc.

Writer Beware – Editors and Editing: Fantastic page on what different types of editors do, and how to avoid unqualified or questionable editors.

Writer Beware – Vanity Presses : Useful page on vanity presses, subsidy publishers, and hybrids.

Organisations

Society of Authors: Trade union for authors.

Romantic Novelists’ Association: Encourages romance authors and promotes the writing of romance fiction.

Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) – Non-profit organisation for self-publishing authors.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association: For published authors writing in sci-fi/fantasy and similar genres.

The Royal Literary Fund: Supports professional writers who are experiencing financial difficulties.

still need help with your writing?

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editorial services
Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association

Rest peacefully, lovely Jesper. The second cat we' Rest peacefully, lovely Jesper. The second cat we've lost in six weeks. 😔 **Please do ignore this and scroll on by you're sensitive to pet loss/pet death**

First, we lost the gorgeous stray my husband bonded with, Chunk, just before Christmas. And now we've had to say goodbye to beautiful Jesper. She was 16 years old and my husband's baby. He got her about 3 months into our relationship. She was a constant in our lives ever since. When my own cat Lily (second photo) became unwell, she lay with her daily and cleaned her. Later, when we brought Haru home, she bonded to a feisty kitten who ended up growing bigger than her. 

But Jesper had become very poorly and we had to let her go this week.

I won't say much more as I believe so many moments in life are precious and should be private and cherished. I will say that, if you didn't know, I based one of the cat café's cats on her – Jess, the one who likes to nuzzle hair when it's freshly shampooed. She did that a lot. She was very sweet and was my husband's shadow. She liked to be carried around on his shoulders and wanted to be around him every second of the day. Her absence is palpable.

She'll be so very missed. ❤️🙏
Snowed In at the Cat Café is now out in eight lang Snowed In at the Cat Café is now out in eight languages and nine territories outside the UK/US 🥹❤️ Look at how lovely all these editions look together! Do you have a favourite cover?

I still remember the absolute whirlwind of selling this book in 2023, right before Christmas, and all the foreign deals that quickly came in after. I don't think it's something I'll ever forget! After enduring seven years of rejection while submitting my work at various stages, the sudden flurry of interest was intense and so exciting! All these editions remind me of how hard I worked to get here and how proud I am of this book! It really changed everything for me as an author. 

I'm so incredibly grateful to have my stories be read so widely, after many years thinking no one was interested in my work at all. What a true gift to be here. 🙏 💕🐱
Earlier this week, I received copies of the Quebec Earlier this week, I received copies of the Quebec French edition of Snowed In at the Cat Café, published by @saintjeanediteur. 🥰 I love the attention to detail on this cover – the slope indicating the café is on a hill, the lamp post outside, the baked goods in the windows! It's so cute and cosy. 

Snowed In is out in eight languages now (and nine territories around the world). I still can't believe it! It's such an enormous honor to have my words translated for readers all over the world. I can’t wait to receive author copies of some of the other translations! ❤️

#snowedinatthecatcafe #catcafeseries
We now have a winner from the prize draw last mont We now have a winner from the prize draw last month to have your cat's name featured in First Dates at the Cat Café... Nutmeg!! 🐱🐱 This lovely name will join Catpurrcino, and will be the name of the newest addition to the cat café. The @hodderbooks @hodderfiction team did an amazing job shortlisting some names from all your entries, and it was tough for me to choose the winner, but I just loved the name Nutmeg and thought it was so cosy and fitting for the café. ❤️ 

Congratulations to Nutmeg! 🥰 Hope you and your owner are excited to see your name in the series. 

#firstdatesatthecatcafe #catcafeseries
It snowed so there was only one thing to do on my It snowed so there was only one thing to do on my break from wading through new year emails... take pretty book pictures! 📚❄️ 

Haru does not like snow. Scroll for evidence. 😂 If she was a cat café cat, you'd find her snuggled indoors in the Cat Lounge pretending she wasn't snowed in at all. Far cosier that way.

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