What’s the Difference: Copy Editing vs Line Editing

Finding the right editor can be a tricky process, just like understanding all of the different forms of editing. For that matter, every author needs to perform their own self-edits of their manuscript at each stage of editing. And once the developmental editing stages are complete and the story’s structure and character development are solidified,Continue reading “What’s the Difference: Copy Editing vs Line Editing”

Ask a Publisher: What Does Revise and Resubmit Mean?

The publishing process is oftentimes a long one, from the time you begin querying and searching for the right publisher to your first full manuscript request. And when you receive that first full manuscript request from a publisher or an agent, it can feel as though the stars are finally starting to align. Then, severalContinue reading “Ask a Publisher: What Does Revise and Resubmit Mean?”

The Future is Feminist

Guest post by Olivia Castetter I was recently having a conversation with an older gentleman about reading when he asked who my favorite author was. Picking favorites has never been my forte, so I had to think for a moment. While I did, he listed his favorites—Hemingway, Twain, Steinbeck, and Orwell. Of course, I knewContinue reading “The Future is Feminist”

What’s the Difference? Literary Agents vs. Acquisitions Editors

In the world of querying, there can be some confusion about the difference between literary agents—and if an agent is necessary—and acquisitions editors. Ultimately, these professionals have completely different roles. Both may receive a query in some form, though the angle with which they approach, consider, and respond to it will be different. And ifContinue reading “What’s the Difference? Literary Agents vs. Acquisitions Editors”

Ask a Publisher: How Do I Choose The Right Publisher?

Congratulations! You’ve finished your manuscript, it’s been through multiple rounds of self-edits and reviews by editorial professionals, and now you’re ready to begin submitting your manuscript to agents and publishers! But wait…how do you know if a publisher is the right house for your book? Is it possible to know if they’re right for yourContinue reading “Ask a Publisher: How Do I Choose The Right Publisher?”

All About Printed Proofs

After all the developmental editing, copy and line editing, formatting, and digital proofreading is completed, there is yet another step to take: reviewing printed proofs. And while this step is crucial, tedious, and sometimes a bit overwhelming, it’s also incredibly exciting. For many authors, reviewing a printed proof is the first time they’ll get toContinue reading “All About Printed Proofs”

Ask a Publisher: How Does the Publishing Process Work?

Maybe you’ve decided to query Josha, or maybe you’re considering doing so when our submissions open again, but there’s one burning question in your mind: what’s the publishing process like? You can find answers to some specific questions on our FAQ page, but we’ll go into a bit more detail here on what you canContinue reading “Ask a Publisher: How Does the Publishing Process Work?”

From Silent to Speaking: Josha’s Focus on Survivor Stories

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and at Josha, it’s a month that holds significant meaning to us—both because of book anniversaries and new releases, and because of what survivors’ voices mean to us. Our first book, Finding Annie by Katherine Turner,was released on April 10, 2020. In April of 2022, its sequel, Willow Wishes,Continue reading “From Silent to Speaking: Josha’s Focus on Survivor Stories”

Writing Without Experience

Writing a book—it’s an endeavor many people entertain at some point in their lives, one that is commonly followed by a concern about their writing abilities. For many hopeful authors, they wonder if they even can write a book without any writing experience. And while there’s much discussion in the Writing Community about so-called “must-have”Continue reading “Writing Without Experience”

What is Autofiction?

If you’ve perused our submissions guidelines or FAQs, you may be aware that Josha considers a wide variety of genres for publication. There’s one sub-genre of fiction, though, that we especially like to read, and it’s the same sub-genre as the very first book we published in 2020, Finding Annie. This sub-genre is known asContinue reading “What is Autofiction?”

Ask a Publisher: How Does the Submissions Process Work?

One question we get a lot here at Josha is about our submissions process: specifically, what are the stages and approximate timelines for those stages? And while you can find the answers to specific questions on our FAQ page, here, we’ll cover in a bit more depth what to expect once you decide to submitContinue reading “Ask a Publisher: How Does the Submissions Process Work?”

Representation Matters

When I stop and think about the job I have, my mind struggles to process it. Growing up, I wanted to work with books somehow; for a while, I even dreamed I’d work for a publisher, helping sort through submitted manuscripts to find the ones I wanted to publish. I thought it’d be amazing toContinue reading “Representation Matters”

Writing A New Reality

I’ve never stopped to count how many classic fairy tales we have here in the US, let alone the rest of the world. The most common ones that come to mind are Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Rapunzel. Do you have a favorite? I don’t. Because IContinue reading “Writing A New Reality”

Culture Matters

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) says that organizational culture is comprised of the “beliefs and values established by leaders and then communicated and reinforced through various methods… [it] sets the context for everything an enterprise does.” In other words, the culture of a company is determined by the way leadership team members treatContinue reading “Culture Matters”

Resilient Stories

If I were asked to sum up in only a few words what kinds of books we publish, I’d say stories of resilience. Whether fiction or nonfiction doesn’t matter; every story with our logo on it is relaying a tale of human struggle and resilience. Of course, like Katherine Turner, our definition of resilience doesn’tContinue reading “Resilient Stories”

Editing Tips Part 2: Story Structure

As many writers often encounter, there are numerous schools of thought when it comes to the drafting process. Fellow writers have opinions about whether or not you should edit as you write, if you should plot your story in its entirety before you write a single word or simply start writing and let the charactersContinue reading “Editing Tips Part 2: Story Structure”

Books That Inspire, Encourage & Empower

When Josha was first conceptualized, I wanted to create a company that published books with an impact. For fiction, I wanted to publish stories with characters who were relatable, rather than idealized stereotypes or classically flawed; instead, I wanted to help usher stories featuring fictional people with real problems—and raw healing processes—into the world. AndContinue reading “Books That Inspire, Encourage & Empower”

Why Publish Fiction & Nonfiction?

In today’s world, we hear a lot about the power and promise of specialization, and that holds true for companies as well. If you look at successful companies, they specialize or ultimately they go under. This is especially important for small businesses where every decision is critical to the success of the company, every expenseContinue reading “Why Publish Fiction & Nonfiction?”

Book Bridges: An Editor’s Role

You’ve finished your manuscript, and now it’s time to find an editor. You know your book needs a professional edit, and you want to know what that process will entail. Will your editor understand your story as you’ve intended to write it? How will an editor help you revise your manuscript? And what can youContinue reading “Book Bridges: An Editor’s Role”

Meet the Author: Olivia Castetter

Olivia Castetter is the author of the Too Much memoir collection, as well as various other fiction and nonfiction pieces. In addition to writing and editing literary works that focus on trauma, abuse, and life as a survivor, she advocates for policy changes for sexual abuse survivors. Drawing on her experience as a survivor ofContinue reading “Meet the Author: Olivia Castetter”

Meet the Editorial Team at Josha Publishing

With Josha Publishing’s vision to inspire, encourage, and empower through sharing stories and giving a voice to the voiceless, it is imperative to have the right team. Each person must have the values of integrity, passion, and purpose that make up the roots of this company. Our authors trust us with their deepest wounds, andContinue reading “Meet the Editorial Team at Josha Publishing”

Meet the Author: Katherine Turner

Katherine Turner, Josha’s first author, is an award-winning author, blogger, and life-long reader and writer. She grew up in foster care from the age of eight and is passionate about improving the world through literature, empathy and understanding. She strongly believes we can all benefit from deeper insight into and compassion for the long-term effectsContinue reading “Meet the Author: Katherine Turner”

Why Josha Publishing?

Hi! I’m Shanna, founder and owner of Josha Publishing. I started this company after surveying the traditional publishing landscape and realizing authors need a different publishing model that is focused on authors and their work, rather than the bottom line. I’ve found that when the focus is shifted from profits to content, there are fewerContinue reading “Why Josha Publishing?”