Guest post by Samuel Mahaney

As my 35-year Air Force career came to an end, I began to think of college days when I wrote poetry and prose during my spare time. My plan then was to continue writing throughout my adult life. Well, life as a husband, father, Air Force pilot, Georgetown Capitol Hill Fellow, Harvard National Security Fellow, lawyer, and Two-Star General didn’t agree with my aspirations to write during my spare time, because, well, I didn’t have any spare time.

As the light at the end of the tunnel—retirement—approached, I decided I would write full time as a second, post-Air Force, career.  When I told friends and family, some of them gave me the look. You know, the one that sarcastically conveys, "Yah, sure you are, sport."

​High school writing classes teach us many lessons. We develop foundational skills that we apply for the rest of our lives—and sometimes that's not such a great thing. Fiction writers, particularly, spend time un-learning lessons from high school.

Here are a few tendencies you may have picked up while learning how to write the perfect college admission essay.

​Publishing your first book is exciting! But it also puts you in a precarious position. If this is your first time self-publishing, you may be vulnerable to scammers and predatory companies.

One of the reasons I expanded Blue Pen to offer self-pub services (cover design, interior layout, etc.) is because of these companies I saw taking advantage of first-time authors.

There is a legitimate need for companies that offer editing, book design, and marketing services. It's much easier for indie authors to get all of these services from one place and to have a dedicated project manager.

But that need created an opening for money-making schemes—self-pub companies that don't actually care about authors, readers, or the writing community.
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​One of the first questions to ask when you're considering professional editing is What type of editing do I need?

Not only are there a plethora of options, but terminology is not completely standardized throughout the industry. Depending on who you're speaking with, publishing professionals may use different terms for the same type of editing. Specifically, professionals who work directly with authors (like us at Blue Pen) often use different terminology than in-house editors.

And even professionals who use the same terminology may offer slightly different deliverables for each services.

Starting with this post on developmental editing, I'm going to break down important aspects of the different types of editing. Along with giving you a basic definition of what the editing services usually comprises, I'm going to discuss alternatives, other names, and common variations.

Read Time: 3 minutes

As a professional editor, one of the questions that I often hear is Why is editing so expensive? Most writers are asking this from a place of respect and curiosity. It’s a valid question, after all. And it’s worth asking, especially when confronted with less-than-reputable editors who are charging rates significantly below industry standard.

So let’s break this down. Exactly why does editing cost so much, and how do editors set their rates?
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Read time: 4 minutes

After deciding to pursue professional editing and choosing the perfect editor, you have a big decision to make. Which type or types of editing does your manuscript need?

It can be difficult to be objective about your own work's needs, so don't hesitate to reach out to your editor and ask for their opinion.

To help give you a starting place, I've broken down some common types of editing and the order you should pursue them. Note that terminology is not completely standardized across the industry, so always confirm the scope of work with your editor. The definitions below reflect those of the services available from Blue Pen.

Read time: 1 minute

​When proofreading, you can save yourself some time by using the find and replace feature to catch common formatting issues. Use the following checklist to ensure your work is as clean as possible.

For a formatting starting point, click here to grab your free Editing Kit, which includes a standard formatting template.

If you're querying literary agents, especially for the first time, you probably have a lot of questions. What should you be doing? What should you not be doing? How do you make your query stand out?

I've been there, and as a professional editor and represented author, who is passionate about teaching, I was in a position to provide accessible and reliable information.

I created The Query Course to help writers learn the skills and techniques that will make their query irresistible. And I incorporate approachable methods, breaking down the process into manageable bites and allowing writers to learn through practice.
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Read Time: 3 minutes

​At the time of this post’s writing, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of daily life, both personal and professional. People are scared, and many writers have put their dreams on the back burner.

​Although I fully understand that this exceptional situation means that many simply do not have the time or energy to focus on their writing careers, many other would-be published authors are not submitting because it’s not “the right time.”

No, we are not often in the throes of a global pandemic. But we each individually experience upheavals in our lives that make us feel like we should put writing or submitting on hold. Whether it’s an apocalypse or a breakup, there will always be a reason that now is not the opportune time.

​Today, I want to put those thoughts to bed. Here are five reasons to submit your work right now.