Category: The Business of Writing

There is more to being a writer than just writing your stories. There is a business aspect to this industry too. From hiring editor through to understanding copyright, this series is about understanding the business side of writing.

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Don’t respond to reviews

Reviews are a necessary part of the business. Without good reviews, a book never sees the positive side of the algorithms that promote your books for you. Without reviews, many readers will turn away from your book, particularly if it is an old book. And reviews help to build SEO traction on a book.

However, as important as reviews are, reviews can also be a dangerous area for writers.

Writers have lost their publishing contracts because they badmouthed a review on social media. Writers have been review bombed because of such deplorable behavior. But writers have also been attacked because they left a negative review on a competitor's book. In some cases, those attacks were warranted. In other cases, they weren't.

The most important aspect with reviews is to remember that reviews are NOT for the benefit of the writer. They are for the benefit of the reader. It's readers telling prospective readers what they thought of the book.

And when it comes to reviews, it is a very bad idea to respond to any reviews (or comments on those reviews) regardless of what you think of the review.

If you want to share those reviews with others, then cross-post it on your feeds. Acknowledge the good reviews that way, but DON'T RESPOND.

It's time to take a closer look at how responding to reviews, good or bad, could land you in hot water.

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Finding an Editor for ‘The Eagle Order’ Addendum

In a recent blog post, I spoke about my venture in finding a new copyeditor, seeking a new partnership for my novel The Eagle Order and the other books in the series. In that post, I detailed the reasons why I said, "No," to certain editors who applied for the position—and it was a range of reasons.

Because of the nature of the post, I decided to share the post not only with the writing community, but with my editing networks too. There were people who laughed at some of the reasons, amazed at how "off" things were. But I also encountered significant pushback regarding my comments about no website.

Many editors came forward, insisting that having no website hasn't harmed their business in any way, and that I was discounting experienced editors because of my viewpoints.

I will concede that this is indeed the case: I am discounting experienced editors because of my viewpoints. BUT on a first glance, how do I know for certain that they were experienced editors and not just someone who knows how to use AI tech to make them look good on paper?

In today's post, I want to take a deeper dive into the no-website arguments and explain why I feel that having no website could be working against you if you are a service provider.

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Finding an Editor for ‘The Eagle Order’

Normally, I'm the one sending out quotes and commenting on prospective clients' work, trying to showcase what I can do. However, for the first time in a long time, I was on the other side of the search for an editor. And I will gladly admit that it highlighted a few things that were a bit concerning about my sector of the publishing industry.

In today's post, I want to describe the process that I went through to find an editor for my own work, explaining how I was able to weed through the noise, and how I came to my final decision.

I feel this post will be insightful for writers and editors alike.

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The Birth of a New Imprint

If I take the time to really think it through, my current situation was inevitable.

I have spent years building a reputation, putting in the effort and energy to build a brand and name recognition. It's only a matter of time before someone would start to take action to undermine my efforts.

However, I didn't expect that the steps needed to protect the name would result in a change of the name.

Yep, you read that right. The decision to start taking action to register a trademark to protect my business name led to the decision to actually change the business name. My publishing imprint has an entirely new name (registered business name and everything). Whereas my editorial and coaching services will be moved under my Judy L Mohr brand.

Let me set the stage and fill you in on the complexities of the mess.

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Should fiction writers use an NDA?

Recently, a topic came up in one of my many discussion forums about whether a writer should insist on using a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) when working with editors. It's not the first time that I've encountered the question.

I understand the rationale behind it, but I also feel that it comes from a place of fear and the lack of understanding of how copyright law works.

In today's post, I want to address this idea of using NDAs when working with editors, and I want to explain why I advise against them for fiction novelists.

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