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Angela James

Join my newsletter for publishing, writing and marketing tips and advice! Angela James (she/her) is a #1 New York Times bestselling fiction freelance editor and author career coach, and has enjoyed two decades in genre fiction publishing. She's edited bestselling books and authors, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Paper Princess by Erin Watt, as well as hundreds of other authors such as Mariah Stewart, Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken, A.C. Arthur, Jaci Burton, Ilona Andrews, Alexa Riley, Lilith Saintcrow, Josh Lanyon, K.A. Mitchell, Shannon Stacey, and more. She is also the creator of Before You Hit Send: a popular online self-editing and writing workshop as well as Book Boss: From Written to Recommended, a supportive and growing author community. For more information about Angela’s freelance editorial and consulting services visit angelajames.co.

Featured Post

A fresh hello and the age-old question: Do you love stinky cheese?

Hey there! Whether you're new to my newsletter or we've been connected for a while, I thought this would be a perfect time for a (re)introduction as we wrap-up Bookmas and head into 2025! I'm Angela James, a #1 New York Times bestselling editor and author career coach with over two decades in publishing. If we haven't chatted before–or if it's been a while–here's what you should know about me: I love cheese (the stinkier the better), overuse exclamation points (and parentheses–thanks, ADHD)...

Hey Reader, I'm sending this head's up more than last minute, I think we could say I'm sending it late, but there's still time TODAY for you to squeak into this FREE challenge, if you're seeing this in time! Email skimmer? Register for Kim Galloway’s free event: Discover Bestseller Launch Secrets: 5 Day Challenge to Plan Your Bestselling Book Launch. Do you want to be a bestselling author? Then you need to know the PROVEN system that creates: 👉 Full-price sales to excited readers 👉 Doesn’t...

Hey , I changed my mind. This isn’t a sleazy marketing tactic, I really just changed my mind (and you’ll see this change reflected in future workshops). I said I was changing the price of the workshop on workshop day, but I decided to give people who missed buying it a second chance. I know how powerful social proof can be, and I wanted you to hear from some of the people who attended the live workshop, and see just how good it was. My favorite part? Still the live critiques. There’s...

Hey Reader, The Deep POV Workshop starts at 2pm EST today, in one hour, and this is your last chance to join us live and at the discounted price. What’s happening at 2pm: I’ll be teaching specific techniques that create deep emotional connection between readers and characters—the kind of connection that makes readers unable to put your book down. Plus live critique of real scenes, so you can see exactly how these techniques work in practice. After 2pm: The price goes from $30 to $50, and...

Hey Reader, It’s workshop day! The Deep POV Workshop starts at 2pm EST today, and I wanted to give you one final rundown of what you’ll get when you join us. Here’s what happens when you register: Immediately: You’ll get the Zoom link to join the webinar. At 2pm today: You’ll join me and other writers who are serious about creating characters readers can’t forget. We’ll spend the next 2 hours transforming how you think about deep POV, sharing examples and showing you live what feedback and...

Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking about something that comes up in a lot of edit letters I write, especially with newer authors. It’s something I call “The Wikipedia Problem." Read on and then I want you to let me know if you've struggled with this--or if you recognize it in books that you've read! Here’s what I mean: When you read a Wikipedia entry about someone—let’s say Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—you get information. You learn facts. You understand what happened to her, what she accomplished,...

Hey , Want to opt out of hearing more about the deep point of view workshop? Click here and you won’t receive any more of these emails! I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Tuesday’s Deep POV Workshop, so I thought I’d answer the most common ones all in one place. “Will there be a replay if I can’t make it live?” Yes! Everyone who registers gets access to the replay, which will be available within 48-72 hours after the workshop ends. You’ll have unlimited access to it for as long as we...

Hey , Want to opt out of hearing more about the deep point of view workshop? Click here and you won’t receive any more of these emails! Over my years in publishing, I’ve done hundreds of live critiques. Candid cold reads where I’m seeing a manuscript for the first time, right there in front of an audience. And honestly? They’re one of the most educational and helpful things I do. I’ve had authors who received live critiques come to me years later—sometimes at conferences, sometimes in...

Hey , Want to opt out of hearing more about the deep point of view workshop? Click here and you won’t receive any more of these emails! Register for the Deep POV workshop. I want you to think about your favorite character from any book you’ve ever read. Got one in mind? Now here's my question: What made you love that character? Think about it for a second. Even if it's been a while since you read that book, there are still things you remember about them. There are still things that made you...

Hey , Want to opt out of hearing more about the deep point of view workshop? Click here and you won’t receive any more of these emails! I need to bust some myths today. Because thinking about author careers is my job, and I’ve been editing manuscripts for over 20 years, and I keep seeing the same misconceptions about deep point of view pop up again and again. And these myths? They’re keeping authors from creating the kind of reader-character connection that makes books unforgettable because...

Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot about AI lately. (Haven’t we all?) Specifically, like many of you, I’ve been thinking about what happens to fiction authors, in a world where we’re seeing more and more people use AI to write, and publish, novels. Because thinking about author careers is my job, and I see so many of you frustrated, frightened and just wondering...what's going to happen? Here’s what I keep coming back to: AI can mimic structure. It can follow formulas. It can even create...