Today’s Top 5 Writing Links: Editing Edition

efm1. Author Origins Interview with Blake Atwood

I was honored to be the first interview for Derek Siddoway’s new blog, The Everyday Authorpreneur.

I share about making the jump from employment to self-employment as a writer and editor. In an effort to help his readers, I shared what I wish more self-publishers would share for the sake of all self-publishers: exactly how many books they’ve sold and how much they made in revenue from a years’ worth of sales.

You’ll see why I shared that information in the interview.

2. How To Diversify Your Income Beyond Your Book

Maybe if I’d read and implemented some of the tips in this book, the amount I shared in that interview could have been more!

If you’ve self-published a book, how have you turned it into multiple income streams?

Here’s my best tip, which they mention in the article. Sign up for Amazon’s affiliate program, then use Bit.ly’s link shortening service to create affiliate-enabled links to your products on Amazon. Not only do you get a percentage of your sale, you’ll also receive a small affiliate payment for anything else a person might buy after purchasing, or even just browsing, past your book.

Make the process even faster by using Tip #1 in Today’s Top 5 Writing Tips: Time-saving Edition.

3. What Is a Developmental Editor and What Can You Expect?

If you’re unsure that you’ve written a compelling story, or that your continuity holds up, or that you’re showing more than telling, you likely need a developmental editor.

Developmental editors are the first line of defense from less-than-stellar books reaching the market. They may challenge your words, but they’ll assist your book in the long run. (For what it’s worth, I don’t do developmental editing, but am glad to refer clients to a few developmental editors I’ve met.)

4. Author-Editor Compatibility: The Crucial Element for a Successful Editing Experience

There are a few great tips here on how to approach an editor with your work.

The closing describes well what a good author-editor relationship should be: “The editing process is not drudgery. It is challenging and emotional, but also invigorating and exciting as you see your work transformed into something even better than you thought possible.”

5. The World’s Top-Earning Authors

I started this list with what I made last year, so I figured I’d end it with what the top authors across the globe made this year. Despite these impressive names and numbers, I’ll still hold fast to what I said in my interview: “Having written a book is such a larger achievement than having made money from it.”

Then again, a few million could change my mind.