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Guest Blog – Let’s talk about editing

Guest Blog – Let’s talk about editing

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Your writing is perfect. The world needs to hear your voice. You have a unique style that is new and fresh. You’ve written a book—why should you let anyone diminish your tone?

Let’s talk about editing.

To talk about editing, you first need to realise that you’re not special. I’ll repeat that: you’re not special. People have been writing for thousands of years. You’re not new. The world will continue if you write or don’t write.

That is not meant as a downer. Writing something that someone wants to read is a noble pursuit. There is nothing more rewarding as a writer than when someone tells you they enjoyed your book. However, this is about editing, so buckle up.

For a start, editors don’t write the book, you do. The essence of every book contains every author’s own style. Whether you are writing a novel, a children’s book or a family biography, they all contain the author’s particular style. However, they all need editing.

There are several types of editors. A lot of them have different names which all mean the same thing. The first person you need is the structural editor. This is the person who will read your manuscript and tell you if you are making sense. The next, a copy editor who highlights all your mid-picture inconsistencies and wrongdoings. The last one is the proofreader who makes sure the full stops and commas are in the right place.

The common misgiving is that a new writer thinks they don’t need to be edited because they have got everything right. That first draft is perfection, right? Wrong.

The other misgiving is that an editor will change their voice somehow. Also wrong. This is not what an editor does.

Consider this: does Stephen King have a particular style? Does John Grisham have a particular style? Does Jane Harper have a particular style? Obviously, the answer is yes. And yet all of these great writers have editors. Go figure.

The reason is, when we write a first draft we’re putting words on the page (hopefully in a coherent way). The prose is often flabby and sometimes rambling. This is fine and perfectly normal. However, it needs to be edited.

So, as a writer you need to swallow your ego and get over yourself. Realise that you are not God’s gift to writing and find an editor that can and should be brutal on your work. A machete needs to be taken to every first draft. Sentences need to be tight and easily readable.

If you think your work does not require editing, then you are badly mistaken. Editing does not change your style or reduce your voice. On the contrary, it will actually enhance it. Find the right editor who ‘gets’ your work and let them work their magic.

As an example, I was given a self-help book by my sister-in-law that was written by a friend of hers. I read the first ten pages and said that the book had not been edited. My sister-in-law laughed and said that of course it hadn’t been because her voice was “not to be altered” apparently. The thing is, by reading those ten pages I could tell that it had not been edited because it read that way. There was no cadence to the sentences. There was no flow to how it read. It was hard work. I gave up after the ten pages because it was simply too hard. Every sentence jarred because it hadn’t been edited. It wasn’t tight. It wasn’t easy to read.

This is not meant to be a criticism. Anyone who takes the time and has the skill to write anything should be applauded and even nurtured. However, if you think you don’t need your work edited then you are living in a fool’s paradise. Keep writing.

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Do book covers need to be meaningful?

Do book covers need to be meaningful?

Book covers are a very important part of book design and book marketing. So I understand why book cover design can be a element of focus (and sometimes angst) for independent authors. Often authors overthink their covers, putting too much emphasis on the interpretive meaning. They want their covers to do the impossible – convey everything about their book, extending even to subplots and the book’s nuances. The problem is that readers (or book buyers) simply won’t understand the cover.  These covers can end up looking really poor.

Contents

1. The common issue with “meaningful covers”
2. Aesthetics are critical
3. The formula for book cover mediocrity
4. Is your book too complex for the cover to convey meaning

The common issue with “meaningful covers”

We often have authors who provide a sometimes detailed cover brief asking for the cover to convey meaning. Also common is the request to make the cover suitable for readers, the author’s reader target audience.

Authors ask:

  1. Can you visually demonstrate what the book is about? I want the cover to explain the book at a single glance – what the book means, and
  2. Can you make the cover appeal to the target audience?

Often this sort of brief is because the author is overthinking everything. Or the author doesn’t understand that cover design is largely about ‘art’ and not ‘science’. Authors may want the cover to do the impossible.

1.1 On point one

This is often overly ambitious. Authors can give several parameters that the cover design needs to achieve and often this is an impossible task for a book cover design. A book of 70,000 words is so long because the author needs to build a complex argument – to convey their thesis or ideas to the reader. It’s words, words and more words. There might be one big idea and a dozen supporting ideas. With this approach to design briefing the result is a book cover design that might look a little like a pizza, a smashing together of images that try to convey meaning (or reflect the book’s many elements). Aesthetically the cover design might be poor or unpleasant to view. Readers usually have great difficulty de-coding or understanding what the cover is about. In a marketing sense this is the worst possible outcome. The cover looks bad and the reader finds it confusing.

1.2 On point two

This is a big ask. Having read a ‘marketing 101’ business book that outlined the concept of ‘targeting’, one author said I want the book to appeal to women aged 35-45 years, medical professionals, who are thought leaders. But also make it desirable for men and the general public of all readers. This might be possible (the first parameter) with some market research and psychographic profiling. But its near impossible. Even if research was done the book designer would have to apply those findings in a graphic sense. For example 35% of one target group may ‘have high concern about global warming’, ‘32% may ‘not fear global warming’. The data is inconclusive. One author briefed can you make it just a little bit ‘environmental’. It’s the sort of thing that isn’t actionable by a book designer.

One author told our book designer that the cover couldn’t be green because that colour does not appeal to women aged 65+. Another said the cover font can’t be in all capitals rather in upper and lower case,  because it appears ‘too blocky’ or ‘regimented’ and the young men under 25 years he is targeting are freethinkers. These examples are bizarre but true!

When point 1 and point 2 combine there’s trouble brewing. And it can get even worse, much worse (see Section 3 below).

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2. Aesthetics are critical

Often the best book cover designs are too ambitious purely because of the author’s desire to convey complexity of meaning. An ugly cover can be the result, and the vast majority of readers simply won’t purchase or even pick up an ugly book.

The book designer has aesthetics top of mind, and these can often be in conflict with the author’s personal preferences. The best book cover designs are when the book designer is granted creative license.

Book cover artwork can be purely decorative. This can mean using a pattern or texture or simply colour. Decoration as an aesthetic art form was pioneered by master artists like Henri Matisse and Piet Mondrian and of course is an enduring feature of Islamic art. And patterns are so pleasing to the human eye – its why wallpaper is so popular!

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3. The formula for book cover mediocrity

(Point 1 + Point 2) x (author’s aesthetic preferences) = a very bad book cover.

There’s a third part of the ‘formula’. That is the author’s aesthetic preference or preconceptions.

A really fine author with a non-fiction self-help guide stumbled at the last hurdle of book cover design. The book cover was orange. He remarked ‘we can’t have that because of Donald Trump… the book won’t sell with an orange cover”. Why? ‘Because Donald Trump is called “Orange Man” ‘. To demonstrate the folly of this thinking I said ‘the orange growing industry in California must be in real trouble’… he got my point.

Another author didn’t want ‘white space’ on the cover because it ‘says to the reader I don’t have much to say’. Another said ‘I don’t like the colour blue’, another said ‘no primary colours, I don’t like bright colours’. The trouble with this sort of instruction to a book designer is that the author is designing the book cover for themselves, not for the market. And it ‘cramps’ the book designer’s greatest power – the ability to craft a great book design with nuanced creative decision making.

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4. Is your book too complex for the cover to convey meaning?

If the answer is ‘yes’, what then? You don’t need to have a cover tell the whole story. You don’t need a book cover to have meaning. A powerful alternative is to have the cover artwork set the ‘mood’ or ‘tone’.

Often with non-fiction books, a good design approach is to use text/typography, colour, shape and pattern.

Nothing beats a great title… Ken Blanchard’s ‘One Minute Manager’ is an awesome title that injects meaning. But then the title combined with shape and colour makes for a very effective book cover design. It’s simple and has a great aesthetic. The title assumes the dominant role of conveying meaning.

Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager book cover design

Using type and patterns is a very effective way to produce a ‘meaningless’ cover that can have a great aesthetic. Remember a great aesthetic can be more than half of the battle in producing a marketable book. If the book is aesthetically pleasing it means most people will find it ‘likeable’ and a likeable book is a desirable book.

Book cover using pattern for design.

Patterns are great at setting tone or mood. A pattern can be sophisticated or rough. A pattern can be subtle or bold. A pattern can be exciting or sober. And, yes at risk of appearing contradictory, a pattern can convey meaning (just to insert a little more complexity into this blog post!)

Pattern in book cover design

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The Little Book of
Big Publishing Tips.

 

In just a quick 8,000 words, this little book will equip you with the knowledge you need to successfully publish your book.

The Little Book of Big Publishing tips goes into the essentials of self-publishing a book, outlining the business and financial side of publishing, legal issues, design, editing, sales and marketing. There's even a section on how to identify a vanity-publishing scam.

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How does the RRP of my book affect my royalties?

How does the RRP of my book affect my royalties?

If you’re a self-published author struggling to properly price your book’s RRP, you’re not alone. Your book’s price directly impacts how well your book will sell and how much you make for each of your sales, so it’s important to get it right.

Price your book too low and you might struggle to earn what your time and hard work is due. Price it too high, however, and potential readers are likely to forgo your book for a cheaper option. Finding the right balance is crucial, but there are some factors that will help you figure things out.

Contents

1. What is an RRP?
2. Why your RRP matters
3. How do I set an appropriate RRP for my book?
4. Things to keep in mind when setting your RRP

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1. What is an RRP?

RRP stands for Recommended Retail Price. It’s the price you suggest that retailers, both global online shops and local bookstores, use when selling your book.

A number of things impact what your RRP should be set at. We’ve named a few below:
• Distribution channels
• Print costs
• Print quality
• Genre/audience standards

To price your book effectively, it’s a good idea to understand your distribution model and research similar books in your genre and target audience.

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2. Why your RRP matters

The RRP of your book is more than just a number—it plays a key role in attracting readers and boosting your book sales. A well-planned RRP helps you connect with your target audience and increase your earnings as an author, so it’s important to put some consideration into it.

The RRP, however, isn’t the be-all end-all for retailers when pricing your book. It’s an indication of the price they should set, but it isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Retailers can set your book price at whatever they like—without consultation from the author.

While this is true, the RRP is still a retailer’s first indication of what your book is “worth”. If they don’t believe that they can sell the book at that price and return a just profit for themselves, they may not stock your book at all.

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3. How do I set an appropriate RRP for my book?

 

3.1 How are you distributing your book?

Distribution plays a key role in determining your Recommended Retail Price (RRP) since costs vary greatly depending on the method. Understanding distribution costs is essential to setting competitive RRPs and maximising profit margins.

3.1.1 Print-On-Demand (POD) Services

Print-on-Demand (POD) platforms like Amazon KDP and IngramSpark simplify self-publishing by printing books as orders come in, eliminating the need to stock books in a warehouse, shed, or your back room. Using POD also means that you don’t have to fork-out the upfront cost of bulk print, which is a gamechanger for indie authors.

However, POD convenience does come with a different kind of price tag: they take a cut from your royalties.

  • Amazon KDP royalty calculation: Amazon KDP takes 40% of your book’s retail price (RRP) for distribution and retailing through Amazon, leaving you with 60% royalties after print cost is subtracted. This means that if your book is costed at $24.99, you could receive around $7.70 in royalties.
  • IngramSpark royalty calculation: IngramSpark, as they’re not a retailer themselves, offers lower royalties as the retailer must also take a cut. You can lose 50–55% of your RRP for wholesale discounts, plus printing fees. This means that if your book is costed at the same $24.99, you could receive as little as $ 2.11 in royalties.

When you set your book’s RRP for POD, ensure it covers both printing and distribution costs while leaving room for profit. Both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark have calculators that you can use either to estimate (before setting up your title on their platforms) or finalise (once you’ve uploaded your final files) your RRP to ensure your royalties are looking good.

3.1.2 Self-selling

If you’re self-publishing and selling books yourself (either through your dedicated author website, at local events, or through your author social media accounts), you cut the retailer out and can make more royalties from each sale.

A good rule of thumb is to set your recommended retail price (RRP) at three times the per-unit cost of your print order. This approach covers production costs, allows for discounts when needed, and ensures you earn a solid profit.

For example, if printing each book costs you $5 per copy (unit), setting your RRP at $15 is a good starting point. Then, you should consider what other books in your audience and genre are and see if you can match-up to their pricing.

3.2 Research and align to your market competition

When thinking about pricing your book, the main market factors to focus on are the genre, format, and target audience. Readers usually have a price point that they’re willing to pay depending on their chosen genre and format, so it’s a good idea to know where your book will stand. Here’s a quick guide:

  • Paperback vs hardcover: Paperback books are always cheaper than their hardcover counterpart. Readers usually expect hardcovers to be up to $10–$15 more expensive than a paperback.
  • Non-fiction or niche genres vs general fiction: Non-fiction and niche genres often have higher prices due to specialised content or less competition.
  • Physical books vs digital books: Digital books (eBooks and audiobooks) are generally much cheaper than physical books. Their prices range from $2.99 to $9.99, and some are even free (usually with marketing strategies like Kindle Select).

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4. Things to keep in mind when setting your RRP

4.1 Don’t set your RRP too low

Many authors assume a low RRP will attract more buyers, but if it doesn’t cover production costs, you risk earning zero royalties—or worse, losing money.

To maximise your royalties and avoid losing money, carefully calculate costs before distribution and set your RRP to guarantee profit. Don’t let all your hard work as an author lead to financial loss.

4.2 Don’t price yourself out of the market

While setting your RRP too low can be damaging, raising it too high can be just as bad. Some readers will happily spend $30 or more books, but this doesn’t suit everyone. Most book buyers want affordable options and will often opt for a cheaper book over yours regardless of which is considered better.

When pricing your book, consider the following:

  • Who is your target audience? Are you selling to casual readers who prefer budget-friendly books, or collectors who will pay extra for the content they enjoy?
  • What makes your book unique? If your book stands out with premium features—like stunning photography or exclusive content—a higher price could be justified.

By understanding your audience and highlighting the realistic value of your book, you can set a competitive price and attract more readers, helping to boost your sales and profitability.

4.3 Factor in the format

When pricing your book, consider how different formats impact costs and set your RRP to reflect this. Here’s a quick guide to book pricing:

  • Paperback books: Paperbacks are usually seen as a popular, budget-friendly option for readers who still like a physical book. These are typically priced anywhere between $12.99 and $24.99 at most bookstores.
  • Hardcover books: Hardcovers are the premium choice for collectors and book lovers that favour this particular aesthetic. Because of this, they’re often priced higher at $30 to over $50 depending on genre and content.
  • eBooks: eBooks are typically the most cost-effective digital option and are usually priced anywhere between $0 and $9.99.
  • Audiobooks: Audiobooks, while digital, still require higher production costs, This means that prices often range from $7–$20, depending on length.

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SUBMIT YOUR BOOK DETAILS
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Most popular blog posts:

Interested in publishing your book but unsure where to start or what is even involved? Tell us about your project and we will post you a copy of our:

 

The Little Book of
Big Publishing Tips.

 

In just a quick 8,000 words, this little book will equip you with the knowledge you need to successfully publish your book.

The Little Book of Big Publishing tips goes into the essentials of self-publishing a book, outlining the business and financial side of publishing, legal issues, design, editing, sales and marketing. There's even a section on how to identify a vanity-publishing scam.

submit your project details