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.

Giving thanks in 2020

In many ways this feels like a strange year to be giving thanks. 2020 hasn't been a great year for nearly anyone. Many of us will be spending the holidays alone, only able to connect with our loved ones virtually. And particularly in a year marked by mass movements to address racial injustice, the problematic history of Thanksgiving mythology and…

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National book award winners! (This week in books)

This week! Books! It was a big week in the book world! Congrats to the National Book Award winners! Fiction: Interior Chinatown by Charles YuNonfiction: The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Tamara Payne and Les PaynePoetry: DMZ Colony by Don Mee ChoiTranslated literature: Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, translated by Morgan GilesYoung People's Literature: King…

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Make expansive openings tangible (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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Don't rush

I often hear from authors who are all in a lather because they have to get their book to literary agents and on sale in bookstores like... right now. Preferably yesterday. Two weeks ago if possible. This often comes to a head around the holidays, when people are trying to rush to get ahead of some imagined holiday-related publishing shutdown.…

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Is it OK to resend a query? (This week in books)

This week! Books! President Barack Obama's memoir A Promised Land arrives next Tuesday, which is going to have massive reverberations in the bookselling world, not least of which because it clocks in at a hefty $45 list price. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reviewed it for the New York Times, and Smithsonian Magazine looks at where it sits in the history of…

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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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