Ellie Maas Davis
The Toils of Professional Book Editors

The Toils of Professional Book Editors

by Ellie Maas Davis “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” –Dorothy Parker It happened twice this past week. Once two weeks ago, before that it’d been at least six months. Like all things insidious, sad, and uncanny, they seem to travel in threes, and...
Getting Personal in the Increasingly Anonymous World of Publishing: Editors and Authors

Getting Personal in the Increasingly Anonymous World of Publishing: Editors and Authors

by Ellie Maas Davis Strangely, over the years, I’ve found I rather appreciate finding an author bio enclosed at the tail end of a manuscript I’m about to edit. An author photo, which long ago might frustrate me for poking a hole through the veil of anonymity, now brings me pleasure. It isn’t as if...
Choosing an Editor

Choosing an Editor

by Ellie Maas Davis When it comes to finding an editor to help you with your book, make sure it’s someone who responds to what you’ve written and how you’ve written it. Make no mistake: no one likes to be edited. It can be an incredibly painful process. You’re basically paying someone to poke holes...
Top 10 Reasons to Use a Ghostwriter

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Ghostwriter

by Ellie Maas Davis Ghostwriting is a very common practice with busy professionals, celebrities and speakers.  If you knew how many bestselling books were actually ghostwritten, it might surprise you.  If you’re considering publishing and just don’t have the time to write and still want to have the book written in “your voice” hiring a...
What It Means to Have Style

What It Means to Have Style

When it comes to an author’s writing, style can only mean one of two things—one can be learned; the other, which is far more elusive, must be honed.
The Mitt Romney of eBooks

The Mitt Romney of eBooks

I’m the Mitt Romney of e-books. I embrace and celebrate or detract and undermine e-book platforms depending on who’s around. It’s situational. When I can’t find the cord to my Kindle, I long for the days of paperback...
Books Are for Writing

Books Are for Writing

The key to good writing is good reading. I love to write, but I find it impossible to exist without something to read. I also make it a point not to trust any writer who admits they don’t read. If you write, you should be an avid reader
Write Every Day (Even If It’s Fifteen Minutes)

Write Every Day (Even If It’s Fifteen Minutes)

Becoming a writer is about routine and commitment, commitment and routine. No matter what the genre, a writer must have discipline, so don’t let a single day go by without writing. It’s the same as being an athlete, it takes daily practice—it’s work—if you want to be good.