Editing by Kathleen

Writing, editing, and publishing a book is always a fluid, back-and-forth process. To me, that's part of what makes it so exciting! Kate Policani has written an intriguing and amusing story about a young woman who is surprised to discover that she possesses "magical" abilities. The overall plot has stayed pretty consistent, with some surprises, new relationships, and moral dilemmas, but part of hiring an editor is to ensure the project is a whole package. This includes having a catchy title. Originally, this manuscript was called "How to Win Friends and Influence Magicians." Neither Kate nor I loved the title, and we were also concerned about it being so similar to another famous book. Using feedback from her "Think Tank," Kate wrote several new titles and put it to a vote. After some heated Facebook polls, she landed on "Don't Judge a Book by its Magic." This encompasses several themes and events within the story and is also attention grabbing.

Another thing that has gone through several drafts is the cover art. Artist Heidi Barnett has created an awesome picture of Colleen, the story's protagonist. The background and border has been redrawn, tweaked, embellished, and stripped down to create many options. After more Facebook polls, you'll be blown away by how gorgeous the cover of this book is. I can't wait to see it in print!

I'm currently in the middle of my first edit of the book and will, of course, keep you updated on the progress. 

Happy reading!