Daniel J. Tortora

Resources for Nonfiction Authors

100+ articles for authors on writing, publishing, and book marketing—by nonfiction editor and publishing coach Daniel Tortora.

Posts in Writing

Tips for Writing a Family History Book

Tips for Writing a Family History Book

How to write family history: how to organize, make the narrative flow, and make it memorable—and thoughts on hiring an editor, indexing, and publishing.

Authors, Writing, HistoryDaniel J. TortoraSeptember 17, 2022author tips, parts of a book, writing, family history, nonfiction

Authors: What Is a Manuscript Evaluation? How Much Does It Cost? And Hiring an Editor

Authors: What Is a Manuscript Evaluation? How Much Does It Cost? And Hiring an Editor

What is a manuscript evaluation? How much does it cost? Is it worth it? What’s the process? How long does it take? And tips for finding and hiring an editor.

Authors, Writing, EditingDaniel J. TortoraAugust 29, 2022author tips, manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, editing, first draft, nonfiction, self-editing, traditional publishing, self-publishing

What Is a 3-Em Dash? (and When to Use It and How to Insert It)

What Is a 3-Em Dash? (and When to Use It and How to Insert It)

When and how to use the 3-em dash (⸻) in your writing (in bibliographies).

Authors, WritingDaniel J. TortoraJuly 5, 2022writing, proofreading, The Chicago Manual of Style, author tips, copy editing

Writing a Nonfiction Book Proposal: Hiring a Book Proposal Coach vs. Hiring a Book Proposal Editor

Writing a Nonfiction Book Proposal: Hiring a Book Proposal Coach vs. Hiring a Book Proposal Editor

The author services that help you get traditionally published.

Authors, Publishing, Editing, Writing, CoachingDaniel J. TortoraJune 11, 2022agents, author tips, nonfiction, publishers, book coaching

How Many Drafts of a Book Should You Write? Here’s My 5-Draft Plan for Authors

How Many Drafts of a Book Should You Write? Here’s My 5-Draft Plan for Authors

How many drafts should you write? Here’s how to write your book in just five drafts.

Authors, Writing, EditingDaniel J. TortoraMay 20, 2022writing, author tips, developmental editing, first draft, self-editing, copy editing

Writing Inclusive Number Ranges (The Chicago Manual of Style)

Writing Inclusive Number Ranges (The Chicago Manual of Style)

The rules for writing ranges of numbers (and examples), Chicago style:

Authors, WritingDaniel J. TortoraMay 7, 2022writing, numbers, nonfiction, proofreading, author tips, copy editing