During a recent Q&A session included as a benefit of my Fiction Crafters Cohort, one member asked the cohort’s agent in residence, Cynthia Ruchti, whether an author website was a necessity before pitching a project to an agent. Cynthia replied, “If a writer doesn’t have a website, it’s often an automatic no from an agent. A website is the first place acquisitions editors turn to in their search to learn more about authors and get a feel for who they are and their writing focus.”
A website is one of the imperative platform-building systems for writers who hope to garner representation by a literary agent, sign a contract with a royalty-paying publisher, or sell their self-published books. In addition, potential readers visit writers’ websites to learn more about writers and their books, and a website is a helpful tool for encouraging readers to subscribe to a writer’s email list, another imperative platform-building system.
Although most writers know a website is important for the work they do, the technological know-how necessary to set up a website often intimidates writers, and some writers hesitate to invest the necessary funds to hire a website designer to do the job for them. So, they do nothing.
I’d like to simplify the process of setting up a website for you.
If you’re ready for a website but have been dragging your feet, I’ve created a two-part tutorial on setting up a WordPress.org website. Part 1, available now, will walk you through purchasing your domain name, setting up your hosting account, and logging into your new site, so you can begin designing a website that meets your needs.
Part 2 of the tutorial, accessible via next month’s edition of Tips & Tools, will walk you through using a drag-and-drop design editor to simplify the design process. Part 2 will also explain some design options and how to launch your site.
Are you wondering what other platform systems you need to have in place? I will share that information and so much more during the second annual Words for Writers 31-Day Platform Challenge, October 1–31, 2022. I hope you’ll join us!
Last year, as I looked ahead to 2022 and considered all I wanted to offer writers, I recognized a hole in my skill set: I do not have copyediting or proofreading skills. I look past the important details on the page to see the big picture, the way a concept is developed. That rogue comma? I won’t see it. The typo? What typo?
Copyediting is a learned skill, best learned through years of specific training, and it’s a skill at which those gifted with an eye for details excel.
As a writer who coaches writers, I knew it was time to partner with a copyeditor so I could set the example of producing the best possible work for readers. Enter Jill Wilson, one of God’s generous gifts to me.
Jill has supported me over the last year by expertly editing much of my work, offering not only her knowledge but her abundance of wisdom and grace. She manages the Words for Writers copyediting team and her own freelance editing business. If you’re writing for publication, you will need a copyeditor. With absolute confidence, I recommend Jill.
In the meantime, we all need to learn fundamental copyediting skills to ensure we’re offering readers our best work. So, I’ve asked Jill to curate an occasional copyediting column for this newsletter.
Let’s learn from the copyeditors who make us look so good!
You’ve Got Style! Yours and Chicago’s
by Jill Wilson
How’s your relationship with the Chicago Manual of Style? If you haven’t already, I recommend befriending this standard reference in US book publishing and using it to create your own project style sheet.
Why do we need style?
Writers explore reality from fresh angles that yield new insights. The creativity necessary to our task requires questioning the status quo, and the notion of a guide stipulating how to express that creativity can seem counterintuitive. But I encourage you to regard Chicago as a tool of communication facilitation.
Chicago offers parameters for meeting time-tested reader expectations, an effort at professionalism that Ginny often advises us to make in our writing. Even when a story or message is delightful or intensely moving, intuitive awareness that the mechanics of expression are inconsistent with the standard can diminish readers’ overall appreciation for a book.
Comprehensively applying Chicago’s style complexities to your manuscript is a professional editor’s trade. But familiarizing yourself with Chicago can help you resolve your most common style questions, enhance the professional presentation of your prose, and facilitate clear communication with a professional editor.
For writers editing a book project and planning to publish in the United States, I recommend subscribing to The Chicago Manual of Style Online or, if you find details more easily by their physical location in a book, investing in a print edition of the guide. Online subscribers qualify for a 50% discount on the print edition.
If we apply stylistic rules to our writing, might we all sound alike?
We writers prize our individual voices. As a standard, Chicago’sstyle necessarily applies to common aspects of written messages, allowing heightened visibility for uncommon aspects such as unique voice. Familiarity with Chicago will help you identify your individual style preferences.
A project style sheet can serve you and your editor as a practical record of how your preferences fit with Chicago’s standards. On your style sheet, include
preferences in punctuation, capitalization, and treatment of numbers, dates, and time;
formatting preferences (for example, whether you italicize internal dialogue); and
an alphabetical list of frequently used names and terms, especially those treated differently by you than by Chicagoor Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition, preferred by Chicago).
Support your style choices with external sources when possible, and be sure you understand rules before you break them. Publishers have style preferences established from decades of experience, so it’s necessary to hold your preferences loosely. But having your own style sheet will give you a good foundation for editorial conversations about your book.
If you have Chicago-related questions you’d like to see Ginny’s copyediting team address in a future Tips & Tools, I invite you to let me know via email at jbwilson.editor@gmail.com.
Save the Date!
The second annual 31-Day Platform-Building Challenge is scheduled for October 1–31, 2022. Whether you’re a multi-published author or a new writer, a nonfiction or fiction writer, building your platform is an important and ongoing process. When you join our pop-up community, you’ll be included in discussions about necessary platform elements like websites, email marketing servers, social media engagement, and lead magnets. We’ll also discuss ways to continue building your following, including opportunities to connect with other writers for platform-building and marketing collaborations. Most importantly, we’ll talk about ideas for engaging with the heart of your platform—your present and future readers.
