Writers, what are your dreams?

Do you need a hand to realise them...? This site aims to provide you with helpful information and services to make your writing dreams a reality — all from an established, experienced publishing professional who has worked across the board in traditional publishing houses. Whether you want to know about traditional publishing, self-publishing, eBooks or just need some writing tips ... you've come to the right place.

Hi and welcome to www.editorandauthor.com. I'm Karin Cox, a publishing professional and Whitley-Award-winning author with more than 14 years of traditional publishing editorial experience in Australia and the UK. I now work as a fulltime inhouse author for Steve Parish Publishing, and as a part-time "book doctor", freelance writer and editor. I maintain a blog on writing and publishing, which you can view here, and I've written and published more than 28 books across a range of topics (including two self-published titles, Growth and Cage Life), but, like most writers, I'm still not satisfied! And I'm not the only one — many people I meet tell me they "have a book inside them" and have a dream of being published.

I'm thrilled so many people want to take up the wonderful creative pursuit that is writing; however, the publishing industry is extremely competitive. Even the best manuscripts can sit on a publisher's desk for months before being given a cursory glance and rejected. This "slushpile hell" can drag on for years, with rejection letter after rejection letter getting would-be authors down. Authors lament the fact that publishers wield all the power while they wait for their manuscripts to trickle back to them, accompanied by a "this doesn't fit our list" rejection letter. But there is much authors can do to improve their chances of being published traditionally. For authors who don't want to take the traditional, and often long, route to publication there may also be equally satisfying ways to circumvent traditional publishing entirely.

Sometimes, increasing your chance of publication can be as simple as doing much of the hard work for a publisher before they even set eyes on your manuscript — by using a professional editor or writer to help assess, edit or rework your manuscript to make it the best it can be prior to submitting it for publication. Sometimes, authors may be able to publish their work themselves without a great outlay, maintaining professional quality and getting a bigger cut of the profits. And all authors can avail themselves of information about how to attract a loyal fan base, how to market their own work, and how to think outside the box when it comes to manuscript publishing options. A host of new media and publishing options, including print on demand and eBooks, might suit the outcome you want to achieve as an author. Click here to contact Karin, who will happily advise you on self-publishing options or direct you to further information. Click here to see what Karin's clients have to say about her services.

"Editors are lifesavers in the sea of words — think Pamela Anderson in Baywatch but substitute the little red floatation device for a red ballpoint and the red one-piece for, well, something less overtly sexy. They'll drag your gasping text out of a frothy dumper more times than you can count, if you let them, and they'll do it so effortlessly no one will even know you were floundering."  Karin Cox, 2010