Jacqui Pretty

The secret to standing out in your industry

When I got the interview for one of my first writing jobs, I was over the moon. I spent days researching the company, the industry and where it was going. I stalked people at the company on LinkedIn and even managed to have a pre-interview coffee with a former employee, which gave me inside information […]

0 Top 10 self-publishing posts of 2014

As the year winds to an end it’s easy to get caught up in the silly season. Then suddenly it’s mid-January and you haven’t written anything for a month, your editor is impatiently tapping her toe and you need to push your entire self-publishing process back.Not anymore – browse through our 10 most popular self-publishing […]

0 If your editor wants to talk, pick up the phone!

I’ve had two recent cases of client telephone (or email) tag.The first was a post-editing consultation – I’d made a lot of changes to the entrepreneur’s book and had recommended adding a couple of new chapters, and was keen to discuss my changes and their ideas before he submitted the book for a second round […]

So, you think you can write a book? Then what?

I’d imagined for many years what it would be like to write a full-blown book. Not a large blog post, but a book – one that you could touch and feel.Most of my adult life I have thought of this idea; however, with the exception of a few paragraphs here and there, in developing blogs […]

0 Client case study: the Crazy Mummy

Llew Dowley, the author of Crazy Mummy Syndrome, came to Grammar Factory as a first-time author in late 2013.At the time she had just gone into business as The Buzz Writer offering web content writing, website design and management services. However, being a new entrepreneur, Llew didn’t yet have the experience and case studies to write a […]

Distributing a self-published book: 4 distribution options for self-publishers

You’ve done it! The sweat and tears have paid off, you’ve prepared your book for distribution and you finally have a book ready for market. So what are your options for distributing a self-published book?Selling copies through your business or via your website is an option, but what about all of the potential buyers who have […]

Distributing your self-published book – where do you start?

You have boxes of your printed books (or you’re planning to print boxes of your book) and a page on your website to sell them. But is this really the best strategy? Unless your website is getting several thousand unique visits a week, you’re going to struggle to reach new audiences and see a return […]

0 Top 5 Marketing Tips for Self-Publishers

Self-publishing your own book requires a hell of a lot more than the writing alone. In fact, writing is only a small part of a much larger process, and one of the largest steps in that process is marketing. Without a big publishing house behind you, marketing is one of the most important aspects for […]

0 Why are there typos in my edited book?!

Occasionally I have a client comment that they found typos in their book after a structural edit.Most of the time they’re okay about it – they realized that we significantly reworked their content, chopped a third of their word count, created a five-step process from 28 unrelated chapters, consolidated repetition and made detailed recommendations on […]

The ROI of Your Business Book

We aren’t just living in the information age anymore… we have entered the age of information overload! Between our smart phones, tablets and laptops we are bombarded with news items, blog posts, advertising, email, personal messages, tweets, articles, status updates and an inordinate amount of cat memes and inspirational misquotes. And most of what we […]

0 How an edited book is like some new jeans

Disclaimer – This is not my butt. The photo’s from Macy’s.Earlier this year my parents went to the US. And, because my mum is a bit of a clothes horse (and the prices are so much better over there), they went shopping. I benefitted. ;)Unfortunately, my mum often forgets that I’m 1-2 sizes larger than […]

0 Client case study: Warren Otter author of Crank it UP

Warren Otter was a first-time author who came to Grammar Factory for a structural edit of his book Crank It UP.Crank It UP is targeted at business owners who have successfully grown their businesses through the start-up phase and then through several years of strong growth only to start slowing down as they reach maturity. Through the […]

0 5 keys to a good author-editor relationship

You send your book off to the editor, and a few weeks later your masterpiece returns. Where there was confusion, there’s clarity. Your prose has turned into poetry.What’s not to love?Unfortunately, not all author-editor relationships run this smoothly. Read on for our top 5 keys to enjoy a good author-editor relationship.1. Deliver your manuscript on timeFew […]

0 Client case study: Miriam Sandkuhler, author of Property Prosperity

Miriam Sandkuhler was a first-time author who came to me for a structural edit for her book Property Prosperity.Her book teaches readers the seven steps to investing in property like an expert. “Whether you’re looking to purchase a home or an investment property, Property Prosperity gives you all the information you need to avoid common pitfalls, make successful […]

Chapter structure made easy: our fail-proof guide

For every non-fiction book (particularly ‘how-to’ books), there is one chapter structure that works every time. It’s effective, interesting and easy to follow, which makes for happy readers who are not only more likely to finish that chapter, but to read the next one too. What is that structure?‘What’, ‘Why’, ‘How’.WhatNo matter what Simon Sinek says, I […]

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