Mark My Words: Read the Submission Guidelines and other Self-editing Tips

by Angela Yuriko Smith, Lee Murray

From two HWA Mentors of the Lee Murray, two-time Bram Stoker Award® Winner, and Angela Yuriko Smith, publisher at Space and Time magazine and Bram Stoker Award® Finalist, Mark My Words is crammed with advice to make your manuscript shine.

Offering practical revision techniques ranging from big-picture structural elements to punctuation, a revision checklist, and practice exercises, Mark My Words is the quintessential guide for authors preparing to submit their manuscripts to mentors, beta-readers, and commissioning editors. With essential tips and strategies from industry professionals including Ellen Datlow, Linda D. Addison, Kevin Wetmore, Geneve Flynn, Eric J. Guignard, Nicholas Diak, Michele Brittany, and many others. Bonus material includes an essay from an editor’s perspective by Bram Stoker Award®-winner Rena Mason, an interview by Angela Yuriko Smith with author and entrepreneur Leonard Speiser, and interviews by Bram Stoker Award®-winner Eugene Johnston with Gestalt publisher Jason Stokes and NYT Bestseller Jonathan Maberry.

“In the future, when beginning writers ask me what they need to do to get their work to a professional, publishable level, I’ll direct them to this book. It’s filled with warm, witty, no-nonsense advice from two writer/editors who know what they’re talking about. I wished I’d had it to guide me when I was starting out. It would’ve decreased my learning curve by years!” —Tim Waggoner, author of Writing in the Dark

Genres: Writing

Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2021

About the author

Angela Yuriko Smith, HWA president and Space and Time publisher, is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner. As a Publishing Coach, she helps writers search less and submit more with her weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.

Reviews

[Catherine McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable guide for those about to submit both fiction and non-fiction, especially someone just starting out in the process. Clear, concise, great tips and anecdotes!

[Joseph VanBuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative and helpful book for any author who may be submitting their work and/or looking to work with editors and publishers. The info here comes straight from the source and is likely to save you lots of time and maybe a little embarrassment. Everything from editing to etiquette is covered. The section on filter words has been a game-changer for me. Most of the contributing editors and publishers work in speculative fiction, but the vast majority of what's in this book can be applied to any genre. There's even a small section about nonfiction. Highly recommended for any author who is serious about being professional.

[Daron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any writer looking to up there editing game. The insights and advice presented here are invaluable.