Jessi Rita Hoffman

Book editor, author coach, and screenwriter. Visit my blog with over 100 articles on the craft and business of writing!

[FamilyFiction @FamilyFiction]

Faith can move mountains --- doubt can create them.

[Jessi Rita Hoffman @JRHwords]

I'd like to share a touching poem by an old student of mine about the tiny town of Wapello, Iowa in the 1980s.

WAPELLO, IOWA, 1980

Hot summer nights in Wapello, Iowa
small dogs yip and claw at screen doors, while young men cruise
in wine-colored Buicks
and grey Ford pickups,
up and down the same streets
over and over,
catcalling to young, blue-jeaned girls,
who smile as they pass
middle-aged farmers,
who now, without their John Deere caps,
are pink from the eyebrows down
and white from the eyebrows up.
There are three payphones in Wapello, and one of them is broken.
But there is light –
light from the red, neon “EAT” sign in front of Mae’s diner,
light from the green, neon cross above the Baptist church,
light from the open doors
of beige-and-orange trailers
trailing AM music near the baseball field,
and pure white light hidden inside the soul of every resident of Wapello, Iowa,
who has to drive fifty miles to see a movie.

By Nancy Berg

[Scott Adams @ScottAdamsSays]

Uh-oh.

Hypnotist take: Changing vocabulary around a topic changes how we think about topics.

[Jessi Rita Hoffman @JRHwords]

TRADITIONAL OR SELF-PUBLISHING--WHICH IS BEST FOR AUTHORS? One of the most common questions I get from my editing clients is: which is best for authors—traditional or self-publishing? Whether you’ve finished writing your book or are still immersed in the process, it’s important to know the answer to that. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of both publishing paths, and clear up a few misconceptions.

There’s something especially gratifying about finding an agent who loves your book and a prominent publisher who wants to get it into print. Hence the appeal of traditional publishing. It validates your words, both for you personally and in the marketplace. The stamp of a well-known publishing house gives your book a kind of pedigree. Prospective readers have more trust that the book will be worth their time since it has already been professionally vetted. That fact influences their buying decision.

That said, the downsides of traditional publishing are several: (1) it takes much longer (about two years) to get your book on the market than if you self-publish, (2) you generally need to demonstrate a robust author platform (more about that in a minute), (3) since publishing houses expect their authors to do most of the marketing work, you must put in as much energy hawking your wares online as if you self-published, and (4) the competition to find a traditional publisher is extremely intense, so authors who attempt to go that route face a lot of rejection.

So what is an “author platform”? That’s the industry’s term for ... READ MORE: https://t.co/WEa0hpL5Ev…
#WritersLife #AmWriting #AuthorLife

[Jessi Rita Hoffman @JRHwords]

TRADITIONAL OR SELF-PUBLISHING--WHICH IS BEST FOR AUTHORS?
One of the most common questions I get from my editing clients is: which is best for authors—traditional or self-publishing? Whether you’ve finished writing your book or are still immersed in the process, it’s important to know the answer to that. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of both publishing paths, and clear up a few misconceptions.
There’s something especially gratifying about finding an agent who loves your book and a prominent publisher who wants to get it into print. Hence the appeal of traditional publishing. It validates your words, both for you personally and in the marketplace. The stamp of a well-known publishing house gives your book a kind of pedigree. Prospective readers have more trust that the book will be worth their time since it has already been professionally vetted. That fact influences their buying decision.

That said, the downsides of traditional publishing are several: (1) it takes much longer (about two years) to get your book on the market than if you self-publish, (2) you generally need to demonstrate a robust author platform (more about that in a minute), (3) since publishing houses expect their authors to do most of the marketing work, you must put in as much energy hawking your wares online as if you self-published, and (4) the competition to find a traditional publisher is extremely intense, so authors who attempt to go that route face a lot of rejection.

So what is an “author platform”? That’s the industry’s term for ... READ MORE: https://t.co/WEa0hpL5Ev
#WritingCommunity #authorscommunity #publishing

[Jessi Rita Hoffman @JRHwords]

Which is best for authors: traditional or self-publishing? Editor Jessi Hoffman explains ... https://t.co/12vAe2aoyU…
#WritingCommunity #authorscommunity #publishing

[Jessi Rita Hoffman @JRHwords]

Which is best for authors: traditional or self-publishing? Editor Jessi Hoffman explains ... https://t.co/12vAe2aoyU

#WritingCommunity #authorscommunity #publishing

[BRMCWC @BRMCWC]

The 2025 #BRMCWC conference is almost here. Check out one of our 57 faculty members & their classes for 2025! Registration info on the website: https://t.co/3bILs0HRjJ

#blueridgeconference #BRMCWCfaculty
@EdieMelson @EdwinaPerkins
@tickledpinktam
@lindagoldfarb @RidgecrestNC

[BRMCWC @BRMCWC]

Excited to welcome Shelly Snead today on Your Best Writing Life Podcast! Hope you’ll check it out. You can find all episodes on our website with the link in our Bio!

#brmcwc #yourbestwritinglife #BRMCWCpodcast @stop2pray @edwinaperkins @tickledpinktam @Lindagoldfarb

[OMarlene @OMarlene094527]

Morning.

[Roz Morris @Roz_Morris]

What's subtext? It's one of the biggest rewards for the reader. @KMWeiland explains https://t.co/DpDMcX6dUJ #WritingCommunity #writingtips #authorcommunity #novelists

[Terry Whalin @terrywhalin]

The Power of Words – And Writing Contests by award-winning novelist Kay DiB ianca (@kdibianca) at: https://t.co/tyPmLyoqlu #writingtip #pubtip

[Brandy Vallance | Literary Agent, Story Consultant @BrandyVallance]

I’ll be taking virtual pitches on April 5th at the Ohio Writing Workshop. I’ll also be on a panel with @AriannaSidd & @ericsmithrocks . Looking forward to meeting amazing writers! @writingdaywksp