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Publishing Industry

Reflections on 20 years in publishing

September 12, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 4 Comments

Twenty years ago this month, having recently graduated from college, I started working at my dream job: Assistant to the President of Curtis Brown Ltd. Amid the post-9/11 recession I felt reluctant to move to NYC, so I focused my job search on San Francisco and somehow lucked into one of the few prime entry […]

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

Don’t criticize a book’s editing unless you saw the original manuscript

September 6, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 6 Comments

Few things set my teeth on edge more than seeing reviewers criticize a book’s editing. I do understand the impulse. It’s a shorthand for saying the book is bloated or sloppy. In a famously conflict averse industry, it seems easier to blame a faceless editor than it is to pin it on the author. It’s […]

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

How to write a synopsis for a novel

August 8, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 10 Comments

Of all the things you will write throughout the publishing process, a synopsis may be what you dread the most. It’s not fun to have to shoehorn an entire novel into a relatively brief one-four page summary. But if you follow just a few relatively simple steps and follow the guidance in this post, it […]

Filed Under: Literary Agents, Publishing Industry

New classes on navigating the publishing process!

May 23, 2022 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

I’ve been hard at work putting together some brand new online classes on finding a literary agent, writing a query letter, and navigating the publishing process! They include videos, exclusive downloadable resources, and the opportunity to ask me questions you have along the way. The new classes: How the Traditional Publishing Process Works ($19.99) What […]

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

How a book goes from acquisitions to bookstore shelves

September 15, 2021 by Christine Pride 11 Comments

Hello writerly people! I’m back with another guest post to take you behind the scenes in the sometimes all-too-mysterious world of book publishing. In my first post last month, we talked about the acquisitions process: how an editor acquires a book for a publishing house/imprint. Now let’s pick up where we left off and discuss […]

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

How an editor at a publisher acquires a book

August 11, 2021 by Christine Pride 5 Comments

Greetings writerly people!  I’m so happy to be here in this great community my friend Nathan has built to offer semi-regular posts about the publishing industry. For the last two decades, I’ve worked as a book editor at various Big Five houses, as a freelance editor and ghostwriter, and in October will be publishing my […]

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

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About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

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