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.

We Need Diverse Books launches Unbanned Book Network (This week in books)

This week! Books! We Need Diverse Books launches Unbanned Book Network to fight school bans - Hillel Italie, Associated Press - The wonderful organization We Need Diverse Books has launched a program to counteract the recent wave of book bans by donating banned books, and designating Author Ambassadors for school districts facing bans. The deal to secure TikTok’s future in…

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The chill over the publishing world (This week in books)

This week! Books! Trump’s return chills embattled LGBTQ book industry: ‘They’re stepping back’ - Surina Venkat, The Hill / What if Editors Don't Want <Your Kind of Book> Anymore? - Kate McKean, Agents + Books - We've long suspected that book bans and censorship have cast a chill over the publishing world, particularly on the children's side, and Surina Venkat…

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How often to follow up with a literary agent

Contrary to popular belief among some fearful authors, literary agents will not disappear into an angry puff of smoke the moment you send them a follow-up email. And, in fact, some literary agents depend on authors to nudge them. An agent's inbox looks like the electronic equivalent of Niagara Falls, and at any given time they will have literally thousands…

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What if readers like A.I. fiction? (This week in books)

This week! Books! As we kick off 2026, a quick chat about blog programming. This blog now has... a lot of content. Like, a lot a lot. Over 2,500 posts and counting. I'd like to remind everyone that the "best of" content is available and organized in two master pages, which you can navigate at the top of page in…

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Tips for getting your creativity on track

At the start of 2025, I posted some un-producivity tips on slowing down and embracing fallow periods that may be crucial for your creativity. Joke was on me! Little did I know 2025 would be one of the busiest years of my life. I'm stumbling rather than sprinting into 2026. So let's get real. Since many of you, like me,…

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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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