Write, Edit, Publish: What Every Writer Needs to Know but Only an Editor Will Tell You

by Michael J. Totten

Literary agents and publishers reject 99 percent of manuscripts before finishing the first page. Discerning readers are just as ruthless. If your opening doesn’t grab them by the throat, they’re gone. Award-winning author and veteran editor Michael J. Totten will show you—in the first two chapters alone—how to craft a killer first sentence and a gripping first page that refuse to let go.

Most books about writing are written by writers, not editors. They don’t see the troubled manuscripts that Totten sees, so the crippling mistakes that sink so many otherwise promising manuscripts aren’t well covered in most books about writing—until now.

He’ll show you dozens of ways to brand yourself a pro instead of an amateur, save your plot from disaster, tap into readers’ capacity for empathy so they truly sympathize with your characters, craft an ending that haunts even after it’s over, spellbind readers using real rather than vacuous descriptions, avoid idiotic character decisions, ditch the lame filter words, and so much more.

With insights forged from three decades in the trenches, Totten will save you years of struggle and show you how to write so well the world can’t ignore you.

Praise for Michael J. Totten

“This book is game-changing for writers. Michael J. Totten gives great advice about writing that only a seasoned editor could convey. I'm including this book as required reading in my editing course and plan to have other folks in my department read it as well.”
—Allyson Longueira, professor in the graduate program in creative writing at Western Colorado University

“I’ve admired Michael J. Totten’s work as a writer for years, but it turns out he is also a superb editor.”
—Judith Deborah, author of A Falling An Evan Adair Mystery

“As an accomplished writer, journalist, and editor, Michael is second to none. He has helped me with two books and enormously improved both.”
—Fred Litwin, author of I Was a Teenage JFK Conspiracy Freak

“If you’re looking for an editor to help you take your book to the next level, look no further than Michael J. Totten. I’ve always found his astute insights invaluable.”

Genres: Writing

388 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on the do’s and don’ts for beginning writers.
This isn’t a grammar-heavy book, so if you're brand new to the basics, you might want to start with something more foundational. That said, it’s full of solid tips and practical advice that I found really helpful—especially as a newer writer. A lot of the points it makes are echoed in other writing guides too, which just reinforced them for me. Worth a read if you’re just getting started and want a clear, no-nonsense overview of what to aim for (and what to avoid). It does shortly address how dire hiring an editor is if you're self publishing (something even big publishing houses seem to fail at today), which I am fully on board for everyone.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. There were a few things I’d never seen in other reference books by editors.

:)

[Saravady · Rating 5 out of 5]

every writer should read this

[Vida · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was helpful