Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

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Helping authors achieve their dreams.

I'm Nathan Bransford, author, editor, and former literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. I'm dedicated to helping authors find their voice, hone their craft, and pursue successful publication.

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Book Editing You Can Trust

I've been in your shoes.

As a published author and former literary agent who has worked with NY Times bestselling authors, I bring a unique perspective to the book editing process, combining insider industry experience with an author's sympathetic ear.

My services include

Manuscript editing & critiques
Query critiques
Social media & marketing consulting
Coaching on navigating the publishing process
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A few authors I've worked with...
Shadowshaper
by Daniel José Older,
a NY Times bestseller
Rock Paper Tiger
by Lisa Brackermann,
one of Amazon's top 100 novels of the year
Try Not To Breathe
by Jennifer Hubbard,
received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus
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Recent Posts

My blog is a free resource for everything you need to know how to write, edit, and publish a book.

How publishers are mining the backlist (This week in books)

This week! Books! No posts next week as I'm headed to NYC for a round of lunching with publishing professionals and meeting up with friends. I aim to be back blogging later on in June, but I'll be checking emails in the meantime, so continue to reach out for editing. In my update on the publishing industry a few weeks…

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Careful with teenage petulance (query critique)

If you’d like to nominate your own page or query for a public critique, kindly post them here in the discussion forums: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this area! I’ll post the pages…

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How to write sharp action scenes

Along with physical description, clear, sharp action scenes have become a bit of a lost art in the manuscripts that cross my desk. So many writers are more focused on their characters' snappy banter than showing characters moving seamlessly through the physical world. Precise action will turn a vaguely confusing jumble into a gripping scene. In this post, I have…

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The key to creative breakthroughs (This week in books)

This week! Books! Last week I brought you news of Sudowrite's new service that will help you write a (seemingly) terrible draft thanks to AI, and in a very 2023 news story, a fictional sex act created by the Omegaverse fandom has resulted in the the AI service being caught plundering material. Yes really. Penguin Random House parent company Bertelsmann's…

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Give your protagonist something to do (page critique)

If you’d like to nominate your own page or query for a public critique, kindly post them here in our discussion forums: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this area! I’ll post the pages and…

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My Books

Check out my guides to navigating the writing and publishing process!

How to Write a Novel

The most important thing to know about writing a novel is this: you can do it. Here's How

How to Publish a Book

Ready to pursue a book deal with a Big 5 publisher or try self-publishing? Get Started

I'm also the author of the Jacob Wonderbar novels, a space adventure series for middle-grade readers.

Jacob Wonderbar Cosmic Space Kapow Jacob Wonderbar For President Jacob Wonderbar and Interstellar Time
About My Books

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