"It’s really important to love a book when you acquire it. If you don’t have that kind of emotional commitment to something, you wind up second-guessing yourself..."
What Editors Do | Interview with Peter Ginna

"It’s really important to love a book when you acquire it. If you don’t have that kind of emotional commitment to something, you wind up second-guessing yourself..."
Imagine writing a poem, posting it up on the web, then seeing it shared... not so bad, unless you want to sell or control how that poem is distributed. That involves copyright law. Copyright laws protect the work of writers and poets, and that of musicians, painters, and photographers, among others...
What is an International Standard Book Number? How does it work? Do authors need one? We have all seen the small barcode that sits on the back cover of every book. It is a unique 13-digit number assigned to every format of each book.
If the author is the mother giving birth, I am the midwife making sure that the baby comes into this world safe and sound. Each work of creation is different, and comes into this world through a different passage. Having worked with lots of writers and writing styles, I know that it's a different experience each time. No two births are ever the same.
To authors, a book is a precious baby that they’ve nurtured and brought into this world. But giving birth is almost never a solitary process. The editor is the midwife – the one that stands by the author and pushes the writer as they labour through the long hours before the baby is finally born.
I first came across the concept of co-authoring in a post on Co-Authors. It inspired me to research further, brainstorm and come up with a few techniques through which writers can collaborate to create their best work yet.
Take a moment. Breathe. Think of the magical moment at the end of the publication journey when you hold your debut novel in your hands. What does it look like?
I have worked with many authors who are amazing writers but get stuck when it comes to dealing with the commercial side of publishing. It's a sentiment I understand all too well. I was once in those very same shoes - wondering how in the world I was ever going to achieve my lifelong dream of publication. I've learnt it all the hard way so others won't have to.
Traditional publishing is a long time-consuming process. Big publishing houses are highly selective when choosing content. If an author doesn’t have an existing audience, it becomes even more difficult to crack a deal. On the other hand, self-publishing favours the author in many ways. The author has full authority to decide when to publish the book. He or she also retains all rights relating to the book.
"I feel no matter how hard the author tries to depersonalise themselves while writing something, yet a part of them seeps into the story. Time and again their authorial voice peeps into the tale. One cannot simply write an engaging book on something they themselves don't believe in."