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
Read testimonials
Recent Posts

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

What to look for in an agent (This week in books)

This week! Books! First up, a little housekeeping note that I'm going to take a blog break next week for our nation's birthday and my own. I'll be answering emails though so feel free to reach out for editing. The blog will return with fresh content on July 6. Now then. The latest books organization to become embroiled in controversy…

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A year of living uncomfortably

One of the double-edged swords of my personality is that I try really hard to find common ground with people. On the one hand, seeking common ground forges connections; it recognizes shared experiences and our ultimate shared humanity. It makes me an agreeable person on the whole. But sometimes the ground isn't common. It's a comfort to think we are…

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Honoring Juneteenth in the book world (This week in books)

This week! It's Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of slaves in Texas two full years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Here are some of the articles about Juneteenth this morning that caught my eye: Jamelle Bouie on the centrality of slaves in the struggle for emancipation and a better America.Mary Harris and Adam Serwer discuss the way…

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Don't smush exposition into dialogue (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 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 queries…

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The climax should resolve your character’s desires

When you think about writing a good climax in a novel, particularly if you're writing genre fiction you often think about it in terms of excitement and thrills. It's when the most exciting moment happens, it's the apex of tension. But there's another key way I'd think about it that will help you unlock the best climax possible: It's the…

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New homepage! Navigation! Consultations!

I'm really excited to announce some changes that have been in the works for a long time to make this site more useful for you. New homepage! Check it out! And if things look a little wonky when you first visit, you may need to do a hard refresh (Command + Shift + R). If you already know who I…

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J.K. Rowling...... (This week in books)

This week! Books! As thousands of people around the world continued protesting injustice and brutality in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and at the start of Pride month, J.K. Rowling decided to double down with views on transgender people widely seen as transphobic, first in a series of tweets, then on a more extended personal post on her…

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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. Learn More

How to Publish a Book

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

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

About My Books

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