Ep 183: Developmental Editing, Beta Readers, and Knowing When Your Book Is Actually Ready (with Allison Buehner)

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!I have been quietly fangirling over Allison Buehner's editing tips on Instagram for months. I have so many of them saved that at this point she deserves her own folder. So I finally asked her to come on the show, and then discovered we had already sort of met years ago, when she emailed me to suggest I talk to another editor she admired. No pitch. Nothing in her it for herself. In twenty years of doing this, nobody had ever done that, and I've thought highly of her ever since.Allison runs Golden Editorial out of Colorado and works mostly with indie and self-publishing authors. She started out in nonfiction and memoir before following her heart into fantasy, contemporary fiction, and, lately, a truly impressive amount of cowboy romance.We got into the things first-time authors usually find out the expensive way:Why "I'll just hire a proofreader" is the priciest shortcut in self-publishing, and what has to happen before your manuscript ever reaches an editorThe real difference between an alpha reader, a critique partner, and a beta reader, plus why handing the book to your best friend is a terrible planWhat a developmental edit actually looks like, and why it can feel like you paid a lot of money for a document that says "go do more work"What good editors will and won't do, because fixing it for you crosses into co-authoringBreaking craft rules on purpose versus breaking them because you never learned them, and roughly how many you can get away with in one bookThe want-versus-need conflict Allison has been recommending to nearly every fiction author lately, and why it makes characters feel like people instead of plot delivery devicesHow to know you're genuinely ready to hand your manuscript to a professional🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINTGet back cover templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint WONDERING EXACTLY HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH SO YOU CAN STOP GUESSING?Grab the action plan and finally feel confident you’re doing this the right way.👉 PublishAProfitableBook.com/actionplan WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/visibility ✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMPYou've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebookSupport the show******Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.  Available wherever podcasts are available: Apple PodcastsSpotify YouTube Let's Connect! InstagramWebsite Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] comThe podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth