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”
Tag Archives: Books
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”
Release Day: Wildflower Promise
If you’ve been a fan of Josha books for any length of time, you may know that I, Olivia Castetter, have a special relationship with author Katherine Turner. We met in late 2019 when Katherine was looking for a proofreader for her first book, Finding Annie, the first in the Life Imperfect series. She contactedContinue reading “Release Day: Wildflower Promise”
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”
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?”
Editing Tips Part 8: Sensitivity Reading
Sensitivity reading is a term becoming more common in the writing community, but what does it mean? A sensitivity reader is someone who has experience in a certain situation or condition and understands and is able to communicate areas of misunderstanding, stereotyping, or bias regarding a particular topic. These situations, conditions, or topics could rangeContinue reading “Editing Tips Part 8: Sensitivity Reading”
Ask a Publisher: Is My Writing Ready to Submit?
Congratulations—you’ve finished your draft! Now that you have a finished draft, the excitement of receiving a book contract or agent representation can seem like the very next step. But it isn’t quite that simple; there are still several steps between your finished draft and a submission-ready document. Of course, we recognize that many writers second-guessContinue reading “Ask a Publisher: Is My Writing Ready to Submit?”
Writing Romance Part 1: What is Love?
I launched my career as an author writing stories about love, and it’s what I still enjoy working on more than anything else. Even so, I hesitate to classify my fiction as romance. In fact, I don’t—they’re classified as autobiographical fiction or contemporary romantic women’s fiction. Do they involve romance? Most certainly. But that’s onlyContinue reading “Writing Romance Part 1: What is Love?”
Me, Too: Voicing My Story – A Year in Review
This one is for the silent survivors. Our voices are ours. Our stories are ours. We don’t have to hide what they did, because to hide what they did is to cloak our strength. Those four sentences are the dedication in my first book, Me, Too: Voicing My Story. I chose that dedication because asContinue reading “Me, Too: Voicing My Story – A Year in Review”
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”
Healing Through Fiction
As a survivor who is healing while writing, I’ve realized that there is a unique form of healing that comes through my writing itself. While I certainly benefit from therapy and reading self-help books on topics that personally impact me, self-help books have their limits, and no volume will ever be a one-size-fits-all approach. ForContinue reading “Healing Through Fiction”
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: Letter From a Reader
As one of Katherine Turner’s editors, I’m honored to be among the very first to read each of her books. This privilege began in November of 2019, when she contacted me to proofread her debut novel, Finding Annie. I’ve often thought how amazing it is that I’ve been alongside Katherine since the very beginning ofContinue reading “Resilient: Letter From a Reader”
A Memoir’s Impact: resilient
When I was first contacted about potentially being an editor for Finding Annie, Katherine Turner’s first novel, I connected to her writing on a soul-deep level. Unfortunately, I was going through some personal hardships and couldn’t be part of that first project, but I also received notes from a book in progress, which would laterContinue reading “A Memoir’s Impact: resilient”
resilient: A Year in Review
As the one-year anniversary of the release of my childhood memoir, resilient, approaches, one of my editors keeps asking me how I feel. But the truth is, I don’t feel any single emotion. And when I look back on the journey that writing, editing, and releasing this memoir into the world has been, I seeContinue reading “resilient: A Year in Review”
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”
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”
Editing Tips Part 1: Top Five
You’ve finished writing, and now it’s time to start editing. Most likely, you’ll work with a professional editor further along in the process, but for now, self-edits are the next step. Where is the best place to start? Josha’s editors have come together once again to provide you with a few tips to make theContinue reading “Editing Tips Part 1: Top Five”
Summer Reads
For many, summer has become synonymous with vacation season. And, at least before I had young kids, that meant extra reading time! With that season arriving, are you looking for books to add to your summer reading list? If you’re looking for suggestions, you’ve come to the right place: Josha’s got you covered. For FictionContinue reading “Summer Reads”
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 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”
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