One of the most crucial yet often overlooked skills is knowing how to give and receive constructive feedback. Theoretically, we all learn it in school. But, a surprising number of people never learn it, which can make any interaction uncomfortable, especially when it comes to authors and their editors.

Receiving With Grace
I get it; no one wants to hear that they’re doing something wrong. An author puts their heart and soul into a manuscript, hands it over to a stranger, and suddenly is faced with a massive amount of corrections. It’s easy to say, ‘thanks,’ and move forward when we’re talking about using a comma versus a semicolon, but hearing that your favorite scene doesn’t make sense is enough to make anyone defensive.

When someone gives you constructive criticism, you have to remember: they’re trying to help you.

It’s time to talk about the elephant in the writer’s room: AI. As an editor, I’ll admit that the growing trend of relying on AI for creative endeavors like writing (and editing) scares the hell out of me. But probably not for the reasons you think.

Okay, sure, there’s a nagging worry about AI driving editing prices down to unsustainable levels or completely taking jobs away from editors. Surprisingly, though, that’s not my biggest fear.

One of the ways that book coaches and developmental editors can help authors is through audience analysis. That means identifying and understanding the target audience, as well as helping the author tailor their writing voice to meet readers’ expectations.

This is a key part of making your writing successful. Trying to get a bunch of die-hard horror fans to read your quirky YA slice-of-life novel is a waste of time and money for everyone. When you know who you’re writing for, you’ll know what they’re focusing on and what they want to read.

So, how does audience analysis work?