The projects I’ve worked on

I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects with authors and businesses around the world this year!

No two months have been exactly alike which I really enjoy.

Here's a snapshot of what I've had the pleasure of working on in 2024:



• The final two books in a series
• A Christmas novella
• The Business Edition of the Getting Lost game
• A children's picture book
• A fantasy novel
• Two literary fiction novels for a returning author
• Business reports and marketing materials
• A spiritual book
• A wine journey map of New Zealand
• Several business websites
• A vegan cookbook
• Three YA novels

I'm looking forward to what's already in my calendar for 2025. Several returning authors are going to be working with me on their books. I have a feeling it's going to be a great year!

Top three blog posts

1) Creative book promotion ideas for self-published authors

You've poured your heart, soul, and countless late nights into your book. Now you’re ready to get your story into the hands of the readers you wrote it for.

The only problem is, unless you're royal, famous, or have millions of followers on Instagram, people won’t know you’ve written a book. This blog post is your guide to creating an effective book marketing campaign!


2) Editing checklist for fiction: useful tips for every genre

When it comes to editing a book, knowing its genre is important for meeting reader expectations and making it a hit in the market. Readers pick up books with specific genre-based hopes; the thrilling twists in a mystery, the heartfelt journey in a romance, or the chilling feelings of a horror novel.

This blog post covers how editing differs across genres, including an editing checklist to help you polish your manuscript. 

3) A guide to character development in writing (from a book coach)

Well-crafted characters help to drive the plot forward, give meaning to the events in the story, and often keep readers engaged even after the book ends. Without relatable or intriguing characters, even the most exciting plot can fall flat, because it’s the characters who give a story its emotional stakes and personal investment.

In this blog, I’m sharing a guide to character development in writing, with some of my favourite book coaching strategies to help you create memorable characters.

What this year taught me

The first thing I learned: variety makes work more enjoyable.

This is the ninth year I’ve been working as an editor and proofreader and it’s been one of my favourites. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve done this year.

A big reason for this is that I’ve had the opportunity to work on some great proofreading projects. Proofreading is a nice change of pace from the depth and heavy thinking that editing requires.


The second thing I learned: I appreciate the flexibility of working for myself more than ever.

I don’t think I could ever go back to working for someone else or spending five days a week in the office.

As my kids have grown older and are coming and going more, it’s invaluable that I can take time off when I want. I love that I’ve been able to spend time with them when they are home.

I also love being in charge of my own time and how much I do each day. If you know my story, then you know that my health is a huge priority for me. I’m grateful that working from home allows me to take the rest I need.

Moments that made the year special

Working with returning clients

I always enjoy catching up with authors I’ve worked with to discuss where they're at with their books.

It might surprise you to know that I never edit a book and disappear. I'm happy to be a sounding board for all future writing projects.

This year, I helped one client with editing the final two books in his series. And I’m revisiting one of my client's published YA novels that we're going to make even better!


Meeting new clients

I also worked with a lot of new and first-time authors. I know it can be daunting handing over your work to an editor when you've poured so much of yourself into it.

I love meeting new clients and helping them see that the editing process isn’t so scary after all!


In-person catch ups

I’ve especially loved any chance I’ve gotten to sit down and talk about books. Moments that stand out include:

• Popping into the cafe whose cookbook I edited and proofread.
• Chatting with an author who dropped off a copy of their book.
• Grabbing coffee with a returning author to talk about their next book.
  

What I can’t wait to work on in 2025

I have a few goals I’m hoping to achieve next year including:

• Working on a romance or historical fiction novel (these are my favourite genres to read).
• Adding in a few more proofreading projects each month for variety.
• Partnering with a business who needs regular proofreading of reports, magazines or advertising material.
• Sharing your published books with my audience.
  

I'm working on new blog posts that will feature authors I've worked with, their finished books, and links to purchase a copy.

Hopefully, this will be another way to spread the word about your novel. If you would like to apply to be featured, send me an email: leanne@inredpencil.co.nz

A final note from me

As this year comes to an end, I want to take a moment to thank all of my awesome clients and celebrate what they have accomplished.

A lot of people talk about wanting to write a book someday, not many people actually do it!

Thanks for allowing me to make your words shine. I'm looking forward to seeing what you create next and working with you again in the future. I hope you know my inbox is always open to you.

Please note: I'll be out of office and taking a break from social media from December 14th, returning on January 13th. Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you next year.