I love the example of the timeline chart and find this is a tricky one for some clients, because having a clear way to track the timeline in a chart will help those who can’t see the missing chunks! I also appreciated the clarification of the difference between conflict and microtension, as well as the difference between tags and beats. The breakdown into distinct “passes” was especially helpful, along with the instruction to tackle only a couple pieces at a time.

Each pass includes digestible examples that invite the author to reflect, understand, and practice before applying the tactics to their own work, and the sections are built as lessons that are easy to follow and scaffolded in an approachable way.

I’d recommend this book to any author who is afraid of the editing process or believes they don’t have the ability to self-edit. The practical editing steps are easy to follow, and Katies sense of humor and personal experiences make the idea of self-editing feel far less daunting.

I would recommend this book to any author who wants to grow as an author, reduce the time their book is with their editor, and ultimately publish higher quality books to attract more readers.

As a teacher and mentor of marketing I found it fascinating that many of the principles outlined in the book coincide with effective marketing principles, like the structure of the chapters and starting with a hook to grab your readers attention, which is vital in marketing and powerful in authorship.

I also liked Katie’s personal stories woven throughout the book, which lifts the manuscript from a simple ‘how to’ to a more engaging ‘story’.

Self-Editing Essentials for Fiction: Polishing your Plot, Characters, Scenes, and Prose by Katie Chambers is the quintessential, go-to resource for fiction writers. Ms. Chambers is a brilliant editor with credentials. Her book is a step-by-step guide to equip authors to methodically and intentionally critique and self-edit their first-draft literary creations. […]

She is personal. She is humorous. She is continually the encourager. She wants to pace you, practice you, equip you, organize you and inspire you to grow as a writer. If you work through this book on your first-ever or next draft, I guarantee it will save you time and money bringing in professional editors too soon, improve your book, and grow you as a writer. I highly recommend.

Oh, the book I wish I had before publishing and while editing my first book. Any new author might be as surprised as I was to spend almost 3 times as long editing as I did writing; mostly due to not knowing how to do it well! But now I have a roadmap and guidebook written by an expert editor mentoring me as if she were over my shoulder.

Now I know the self-editing process will be far more fun, less painstaking, and much more efficient for my next book, and it will also guide my writing process.

If you want to be a brilliant author and a better writer with books that sell and engage readers, use this incredible guide for your self-editing process. You’ll be so glad that you did.

Before reading this book I was completely in the dark when it came to doing editing, and I had no structured way to go about editing my book so I could be more effective and efficient. The areas I struggled with most were microtension, master show and tell, info dumping, refining tags and beats, and the technical pass, and having a guide that clearly explains what to look for and how to correct it makes me feel much more prepared and ready to tackle the next edit I need to do.

I’d recommend this book to any author. I truly appreciate the insite and the wisdom you share, and the way you write in an up lifting fun way makes the author feel like they are not alone and that they can do it, they just need to start and follow your guide.

I struggled to edit my work in a focused and systematic manner and felt like a squirrel, distracted by errors and unable to work on a few elements at a time, which meant I edited the first part of a manuscript really well but had a hard time pushing through the whole thing in a reasonable timeframe.

I work much better with a plan, and this book provides one that makes sense and does not overwhelm, along with a great refresher on the elements of story and how they work together to create the narrative, which makes me feel confident that I will elevate my editing skills to a much more productive level.

Katie Chambers’ Self-Editing Essentials for Fiction is a very practical guide that every fiction writer should own. As an editor who works directly with authors on manuscript development, I’ve really struggled with explaining certain concepts, particularly the distinction between showing and telling, in a way that writers really “get.”

I feel like Katie really does this well by providing thorough before-and-after examples, identifying instances where writers think they’re showing but aren’t, and explaining why the distinction matters. […]

Self-Editing Essentials for Fiction will be my top recommended resource for all authors moving forward. This is the book that I’ve needed for topics that have been hard to address in individual editing consultations, because it contains a practical framework and concrete examples that help writers really internalize the principles they need to strengthen their work.

Katie’s self-editing guide gives you a specific process for organizing your content, leading with engagement, making every page count to your reader, and using your unique experience to differentiate you from everyone else who has written on the topic. This guide will make you a better writer. And, if you follow it, it will make your editor like you better.

Katie Chambers’s Self-Editing Essentials for Nonfiction is a book I will definitely be sharing with my nonfiction editing clients. The humor, clarity, and thoroughness alone make it a keeper—one I’ll be adding to my own reference shelf. The personalized workbook feature raises this resource to a must-have level!

While there are several editing courses all over the internet, this book is more comprehensive than any course and one that describes the whats and the whys, complete with brilliant activities. I felt this was like a University-level course.

On top of that, the sections have a high memorability score, thanks to exercises, explanations, and sections that will stay with you long after you finish reading. I’m planning to use this as a reference book for all my writing, henceforth. Thank you so much for the wealth of information.

If you’ve ever struggled to shift from writing your first draft to polishing it up for another pair of eyes, Katie’s guide will be your supportive and incredibly thorough new best friend.

Each section offers accessible explanations of editing principles along with an abundance of concrete examples that bring those concepts to life. And the checklists make it easy to apply what you’ve learned once you’ve gotten the concepts down.

If you are serious about improving your writing as an author (as opposed to ‘just’ getting published), you’ll find Katie Chambers’ book an absolute godsend. Her personality shines through as she shares editing nugget after editing nugget. This comprehensive self-help guide will give you a greater appreciation for what editors do, as Katie takes you on a journey from structural editing to the nitty-gritty of punctuation.

By the time you’ve finished self-editing your manuscript, you will feel more empowered as an author, and your editor (and your pocket) will thank you.

It can be so overwhelming, with so many things to review it feels like I am checking everything at once, macro and micro, and the result is a halfway job at all of it. What helped the most was understanding the role of breaking out the various review functions and how to actually do that, because so many books tell you to review but do not explain how or what that really means. […]

My confidence level has gone up dramatically and I am more self-critical in a good way even as I am writing now. I would recommend this book to any author who struggles to address the overwhelming complications of self-editing. As mentioned above, this is not just about editing, the themes and focus areas of this book are so helpful to writers.

This is an amazing resource! I love that it’s loaded this with examples, the before/after section makes a huge difference in delivering the lesson. If I had to sum this book up in one sentence:

“Self-Editing Essentials for Nonfiction” is the new “Elements of Style” for any writer looking to improve their craft.

This book opened my eyes to what actually needs fixing, because before reading it I had no idea what needed to be done. I learned that I was using way too many filler words, and the explanation of show not tell finally clicked for me in a way it never had before.

I feel like I have a lot of work to do now, but in a good way, because I can actually see what needs improving instead of guessing. I’d recommend this book to any author who wants to dramatically improve their writing.

As an editor, I regularly encounter writers facing two major challenges: not knowing what to revise and not knowing how to actually do it. This book tackles both beautifully.

What really sets this book apart are the before-and-after examples. Katie doesn’t just tell you what to fix—she shows you exactly how to apply each skill in the revised versions. This transforms the revision process from overwhelming to empowering.

I’d recommend this book to any author who is overwhelmed by the revision process and needs a practical, succinct guide to help them improve their book. This is a wonderful resource I’ll be recommending to my own clients.