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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 US

How to find a literary agent in the US

Why literary agents reject novels

Why literary agents reject novels

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.

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editorial services
Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association

A day in the life of a professional fiction editor A day in the life of a professional fiction editor and author! I've seen other people do these and thought they looked fun, so here is mine! 📚

#authorsofinstagram #freelanceeditor #bookeditor
I read this biography of Tolkien before Christmas I read this biography of Tolkien before Christmas and completely forgot to post about it, even though it inspired me SO much creatively. So much so I wrote an entire blog post about it. 

I love Tolkien's work, and his life is absolutely fascinating too. In short, this book taught me that experiences shape us not only as people but as writers too, and that community and friendship can be so important for creative growth. Tolkien was also heavily inspired by other works of art and literature and took the time to pause and learn from others. He wasn't afraid of feedback, either, often swapping work with his friends. 

I personally sometimes need the reminder to step back and refill my creative well with other works of art, even if it means a break from writing. 

If you want to read more of my ramblings on this book, I will link the blog post in my bio. 🔗

#Tolkien #writersofinstagram
Some ramblings on what I learned during seven year Some ramblings on what I learned during seven years of rejection and the long road to a book deal. I will never stop talking about this journey as I wholeheartedly believe in transparency and encouraging others. Are any of these relatable or surprising to you? 👀 

#publishing #authorlife #authorsofinstagram
🤍❄️ January... frosty walks, snow, and editing my 🤍❄️ January... frosty walks, snow, and editing my next cat café book. Plus lots of editing projects for my lovely author clients. It was a difficult month as we lost our elderly cat, but we came out the other side intact.
I put up a poll asking if you'd like to see some w I put up a poll asking if you'd like to see some writing, editing, and publishing posts informed by my career as an editor and a published author. You all answered with a resounding yes... so here's the first!

Editing can be confusing – lots of writers aren't taught about how it works. The confusion is 100% normal!

It doesn't help that the terminology can be so different (developmental editing is sometimes called structural editing). 

Editing happens in stages, and each stage has a specific focus. These are the three core ones a manuscript goes through before it becomes a published book. 📚🖊

#writersofinstagram #amwri̇ti̇ng #publishing

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