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.

The art of revision (This week in books)

This week! Books! First up, there are two great ways you can contribute to some worthy causes this week. I'm donating a query critique that you can bid on to support We Need Diverse Books! And please consider donating to my 13th annual Heifer International fundraiser! Now then, I have lots and lots and lots of links saved up for…

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Don't miss chances to establish the stakes (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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13th annual Heifer fundraiser!

The internet gods have decreed this #GivingTuesday, and this year, I hope you'll join my annual push to support Heifer International, an organization devoted to fighting hunger. As hunger surges around the world with rising inflation and commodity costs, their work is more important than ever. Here's how to participate: If you're able, please visit my fundraising page and make…

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Build mysteries around whether characters will succeed or fail

One of the most common missed opportunities I see when I'm editing novels involves mysteries. Do you want to know what it is? Am I being mysterious? Often, when trying to be mysterious, authors just end up being vague. It's really hard to invest in a mystery when we don't have enough information to understand what's happening entirely. Instead, it's…

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National Book Award winners! (This week in books)

This week! Books! I have been notified that is nearly the end of November, and next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving here in the United States. Accordingly, the blog will be on a brief hiatus next week, but I'll be checking email so please feel free to reach out to me if you need editing or a consultation! Now…

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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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