Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

by Renni Browne & Dave King

Listed in the Los Angeles Times as one of six indispensable books for writers, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King leads readers through the same steps an expert fiction editor would follow to perfect a manuscript. Hands-on exercises (the answers are included) and checklists at the end of each chapter show readers how to put the principles into practice. And each point is clearly illustrated with examples, many from the hundreds of books Browne and King edited.

"After I'd completed the third draft of False Accusations, I read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers and decided I needed to write yet another draft. It paid off, as Simon & Schuster signed me to a multi-book deal shortly thereafter. If you're an unpublished writer, don't hesitate—buy this book. If you're an established, published author—buy this book; it's easy to fall into the bad habits Browne and King so effectively identify. Self-Editing is, and will remain, one of my core reference titles."

—Alan Jacobson, author of False Accusations and The Hunted

"Years ago, Renni Browne instructed me in the art of editing, and I can imagine no better professor. Later, Raymond Carver showed me that the best writer is also the best reviser and re-writer. To have had two such teachers is a rare privilege, but for those on their own there is this book: the only practical guide to the craft of writing that is both inspiring and essential."

—Gary Fisketjon, editor-at-large & vice president, Alfred A. Knopf

"My students—including the published novelists—ought to read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers once a year, the Show and Tell chapter even more often."

—Sol Stein, author of Stein on Writing and How to Grow a Novel

"Specific, pertinent, entertaining advice from two real pros. I recommend it highly."

—Lawrence Block, bestselling author