Romance Refined
  • Home
  • About
    • Get to know editor Rachel Daven Skinner
    • Portfolio and client testimonials
    • Rachel's industry experience and education
  • Editing
    • Types of editing
    • My editing services and rates
    • Track Changes tutorial
    • Style sheets
    • Example contract
  • Beta Reading
    • Beta reading & sensitivity reading for romance authors
    • Beta reader application
  • Series Bibles
  • Resources
    • Reference books and websites for writers and editors
    • Referrals to other romance industry professionals
    • List of romance conventions and conferences
    • Gift Certificates
  • Contact

Ask a Romantic-Fiction Editor vol. 1

2/27/2014

1 Comment

 
Every now and then I'll post a Q & A culled from a recent interaction I've had with an author. Here's a great one to kick things off:

Question: When one has a good relationship with an editor (i.e. trusts his or her judgment) and is willing to undergo substantive edits, how necessary are beta readers?  If they're still relevant, when would you use them?  Do authors who work with traditional publishers use them?

Read More
1 Comment

Rachel's Resource Roundup no. 3

2/24/2014

2 Comments

 
cartoon drawing of Wonder Woman and her Lasso of Truth
As an editor, education and awareness are ongoing endeavors for me. Grammar rules, spelling, and style preferences get updated; plot trends are constantly in flux; industry operations are changing rapidly these days; publishers, agents, editors, and organizations are interacting with "the public" like never before, offering up-to-the-minute insight; and I try to stay abreast of it all as best I can.

Here are some of my favorite clicks from last week:
  • "This Pronoun Will Make You Irresistible to Women": I bet you didn't know "whom" held so much power, even when used incorrectly! (Slate)
  • "From Pathetic to Professional: 8 Ways to Beat the First Draft Blues": Not only is this a super great article by Ruth Harris covering the same issues I routinely discuss with my authors, she also includes links to resources for improving dialogue, making reverse outlines, and more. (Anne R. Allen's Blog)

Read More
2 Comments

My Recent Interview with Morgen Bailey

2/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Blogging superstar, writing instructor, and author Morgen Bailey recently interviewed me for her blog's 700th guest interview feature. If you ever wanted to know more about me and how I came to be an editor, check it out!

Be sure to also check out the plethora of resources at her various websites, including opportunities for interviews, writing prompts, marketing resources, and the list goes on.

0 Comments

Rachel's Resource Roundup no. 2

2/16/2014

0 Comments

 
cartoon drwaing of Wonder Woman and her Lasso of Truth
As an editor, education and awareness are ongoing endeavors for me. Grammar rules, spelling, and style preferences get updated; plot trends are constantly in flux; industry operations are changing rapidly these days; publishers, agents, editors, and organizations are interacting with "the public" like never before, offering up-to-the-minute insight; and I try to stay abreast of it all as best I can.

Here are some of my favorite clicks from last week:
  • "The Report": This is by far the hottest author topic to hit the internet this week. An author with mad coding skills put together a program that can crawl Amazon and compile charts that compare statistics like price, ratings, number of reviews, etc. against the big 5 publishers vs. indie publishers vs. self-publishing authors. That coder teamed up with Hugh Howey, and together, their data will blow your mind. (Author Earnings)
  • "Me, Hugh Howey, and Legacy John on AuthorEarnings.com": Renowned self-publishing bestseller JA Conrath jumped in with his own commentary on the aforementioned article. (JA Konrath)
  • "Bechdel Test": Authors, does your book 1. Have at least two women in it, 2. who talk to each other, 3. about something besides a man? Only about half of 2013's blockbuster films pass the test! (Lots of sources cover the Bechdel Test, but this link leads to Wikipedia)
  • "Swat that Fly!": Authors, do you let a fly on the wall tell your story, or are your characters consistently narrating in third person? Great info on showing vs. telling from Wild Rose Press editor Stacy D. Holmes. (Behind the Garden Gate)
  • "Verification Tools: A definitive guide to verifying digital content for emergency coverage": Although this resource is targeted at media writers, I think it's a brilliant collection of resources for verifying things that get posted by any-ole-body on the internet.  (Verification Handbook)
  • "Amazon vs. Book Publishers, By the Numbers": Love 'em or hate 'em, Amazon influences publishing in a big way. (Forbes)

Did you find any of these links helpful? Have you stumbled across some goldmines of your own this past week? I'd love to see your comments!
0 Comments

Rachel's Resource Roundup No. 1

2/9/2014

0 Comments

 
drawing of Wonder Woman holding her Lasso of Truth
I'm pretty rubbish at this blogging thing, aren't I? No updates for three months, yikes! 

Since I'm not doing a great job at setting aside time to write brilliant content of my own, today marks the first of what I intend to be an every-weekend feature where I pass along the links to particularly insightful writing-, editing-, and publishing-related articles and blog posts I've discovered throughout the previous week. Some will be geared toward authors, some at editors, many for both. 

As an editor, education and awareness are ongoing endeavors for me. Grammar rules, spelling, and style preferences get updated; plot trends are constantly in flux; industry operations are changing rapidly these days; publishers, agents, editors, and organizations are interacting with "the public" like never before, offering up-to-the-minute insight; and I try to stay abreast of it all as best I can.

Here are some of my favorite clicks from last week:

Read More
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Looking for editing tips and links to helpful editing resources? Interested in what authors say about the editing process? Curious about books a romance editor reads and reviews* in her spare time? Follow this blog!

    Are you a romance author or editor interested in being interviewed or guest blogging on the theme of editing? Please contact me!

    *I do not accept requests for book reviews. The books I review are from my ginormous personal stockpile.

    All views and info presented on this site are my own, independent of any author or publisher association I may have.

    Categories

    All
    3+ Stars
    4+ Stars
    5 Stars
    Author Interview
    Book Review
    Chick Lit
    Contemporary Romance
    Editing Tips
    Erotic Romance
    Fantasy
    Giveaway
    Historical Romance
    Military Romance
    Mythology
    Paranormal
    Publisher Ballantine Books (Random House)
    Publisher Berkley
    Publisher Berkley Sensation
    Publisher Choc Lit
    Publisher Gallery Books
    Publisher Harlequin
    Publisher Prairie Muse
    Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca
    Resource Roundup
    Romance
    Romantic Comedy
    Romantic Mystery
    Romantic Suspense
    Self-publishing
    Writing Tips
    YA (Young Adult)

    Archives

    July 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Rachel's bookshelf: currently-reading

    My Sweet Folly
    My Sweet Folly
    by Laura Kinsale
    It
    It
    by Stephen King

    goodreads.com

    2015 Reading Challenge

    2015 Reading Challenge
    Rachel has read 18 books toward her goal of 52 books.
    hide
    18 of 52 (34%)
    view books
    Professional Reader

    quotes Rachel Daven likes


    Goodreads Quotes
Site content and homepage banner image © Rachel Daven Skinner 2013-2017
Book covers used according to fair use policy.
Proudly powered by Weebly