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.

Close off your protagonist's easy off-ramps

Great plots in novels are defined by protagonists who want something very big and difficult and proceed to actively go after that thing. In genres like mystery and fantasy that big and difficult thing might mean a perilous quest (slaying the dragon, catching the bad guy, destroying a ring atop a rather unpleasant mountain), for genres like romance and literary…

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A fraught Banned Books Week (This week in books)

This week! Books! It's Banned Books Week amid arguably the most intense and concentrated conservative-led book banning efforts in a generation, which are disproportionately targeting LGBTQ and minority books. I'm re-upping We Need Diverse Books' post on how to support diverse books during a ban. And yesterday, Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Brian Schatz introduced a resolution condemning book banning…

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Don't tell an agent what your book is like. Show them. (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 BlogNominate 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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Don't let your opening cement in your mind

I'm a big fan of self-editing novels while I'm writing them. You can stop problems from snowballing, looking at previous stretches can spark new ideas that become useful later, and you ultimately have less work to do when you're finished. But there is one significant danger in re-reading your work in progress: every time you re-read a portion of your…

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Apply for WNDB's mentorship program! (This week in books)

This week! Books! The fantastic organization We Need Diverse Books has launched its 2023 mentorship program, which pairs aspiring children's book authors/illustrators with experienced mentors. Applications are free and open to anyone working on a diverse project; you don't necessarily need to be from a diverse background. The deadline to apply is September 30. Apply, apply! I've been getting a…

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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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