Welcome to a new feature on my author services blog. The Editor’s Desk will feature interviews with my book editing clients. We’ll talk about the editing process and how you can find the right editor for your book.

Congratulations on publishing The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle and for hitting the bestseller list on Amazon. How does it feel?

Thank you, Amanda! It feels very surreal – publishing a children’s book has been a lifelong dream, even though I didn’t pursue it for a long time. Seeing my book in a bestseller list amongst Enid Blyton and so many other authors I admire was completely unexpected and such a thrill!

How did you find the editing experience? This was your debut novel, so were there any surprising aspects that you didn’t expect?

I often read a lot of comments about the editing process being laborious and difficult, so I was a little nervous about how much time and energy the whole process was going to take. But I found the suggested edits made complete sense and were not difficult to work into the story, but greatly improved the quality of my work.
Another surprising thing was that I had no idea (until you pointed it out) just how many exclamation marks I use! We managed to cut loads out of my book (I’ve even cut many of them out my current work-in-progress), but I’ve not quite managed to get rid of them from my social media posts and texts… it’s a struggle for me not to end this sentence with another one…

What tips would you give to authors hoping to find/work with an editor?

Read testimonials and have a look at some of their previous clients’ work. There’s lots of writer groups on Facebook where authors make recommendations too. Make sure you know what type of editing you’ll be receiving and what the editor will be looking to give advice on.

How did you prepare for launch day? What marketing tips can you give my readers?

I read some great advice from Adam Croft in his book The Indie Author Mindset which was basically to not worry too much about launch day. It’s a really exciting time, but it won’t make or break your book. The great thing about indie publishing is that your book will be available in the market for as long as you want it to be – so don’t stress!
That being said, I did a few things to market my book for launch day. Every author has access to a local network that doesn’t cost anything – friends, family, fellow authors, local groups on Facebook. This network has been invaluable to me in spreading the word about my book. I wrote a press release which led to an article in my local newspaper. Book blogging is a powerful resource – I worked with two book bloggers (Linda’s Book Bag and your book blog, Go Book Yourself) on my cover reveal – this created a great buzz around my book and resulted in a lot of social media shares.

I know you’re writing book 2 right now. Are you doing things differently or are sticking with methods you’ve used for The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle?

I started The Adventurers and The Cursed Castle in 2012 when I lived in America. I got to around 10,000 words in, got stuck on a part in the story, became busy with work and didn’t touch the manuscript again until 2018! In book 2 I started to become stuck at around 10,000 words again. I’ve since heard that a lot of writers have a point at which they find things tricky and lose confidence. This time, I kept plugging away, trying to find time to write a little bit every day, until I got through it. Once you get past that sticky point, it becomes a lot easier. I’d definitely recommend anyone else who faces this problem to keep going… or at least don’t leave it 6 years to pick up your story again!

When are you planning to release book 2?

Hopefully, this summer, if all goes well!

Where can my readers find you online?

I’d love to hear from all of you! I can be found at:

www.facebook.com/jemmahattauthor
www.twitter.com/jemmahatt
www.instagram.com/jemmahatt
or my website – www.jemmahatt.com

Thank you, Amanda, for having me on your blog! I can’t wait to work with you on The Adventurers book 2!

Thank you Jemma, it was a pleasure working with you.

If you’d like to talk to me about book editing. Contact me HERE.