Big Changes Incoming for this Newsletter
New title, new scope, new ideas, & new life
You’re receiving this email because, at some point, you subscribed to Curly Quotes Editing’s newsletter, A Lettered Crossroads. If this is information or chatter you no longer wish to see in your inbox, you can unsubscribe at any time with the best and warmest wishes of luck from me and the cat.💚
Hello, everyone!
You may have noticed I dropped off planet Earth after November 2023. Well, the good news is: I’m not dead. The better news is: I’m back!
But Why Did You Disappear, Anna???
Well, a mix of things like depression, a death, my beloved cat crossing the rainbow bridge, some family estrangement, some issues with the ole migraines, my health in general, the crisis of turning 30 and not being where I wanted to be in life, and lots of doing my best to heal and convince myself everything would be OK. I just didn’t have the emotional spoons to spare for anything extra.
Good News, Please?
Not everything of the last twenty—yeah, twenty—months has been bad or sad or mad. My spouse is still the greatest person in the world and my best friend. We’ve adopted a new kitten that needed a loving home. I’m still doing the job I love. I’ve become closer to two of my siblings. I’ve learned and grown as a person and as an editor and book coach too. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I want to live my life.
What Sparked Coming Back?
Well, on July 16th, I was officially certified in Fiction through Author Accelerator’s Book Coach program! This was something I’d started all the way back in 2023. It feels like the closing of one chapter and the opening of another from the same source—and that’s a story for another newsletter—except this time, I know who I am and what I want to achieve.
So I’m here! A bit terrified and a lot excited to begin this new part of my life with you!
What, Exactly, is Going to Change?
I adore making lists, so that’s what I’m going to give you.
This newsletter’s name. (I have no idea what it’s going to be yet though. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. If a suggestion pops into your head based on what you read below, please tell me! I promise to give you credit and probably an editing discount.)
The entire point of this newsletter. (This is the big one, yeah? This newsletter will rebirth to focus more on growth. On writers who struggle with things like imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear of failure and success, and ideas (and science—I’m very big on science) to combat those things. I’m also going to start sharing more of my own writing life, how I’m affected by some of the above problems, my joy in being creative again, my stories, and all the ways writing is both beloved and terrifying. I want to talk about authenticy and the importance of sharing your work. I want to share books I’ve learned something from that could help you too! Of course, I’ll still be sharing writing and editing advice and practices to experiment with and my thoughts on them. And I’ll sometimes share my editing availability or things about book coaching, but this newsletter is for you as much as it’s for me share, and learn, and grow with you.)
Posting frequency & engagement. (Bit obvious since I’ve been gone so long, but I aim to send out a newsletter once a month. You might get intermittent things every now and then—especially if I find something cool to share—but once a month is the goal! However, I’d like to be more involved with you guys and have conversations! I plan to use Substack note/chat feature—still a bit to learn there—and be a bit more available rather than throwing letters/notes into the void and then going silent until the next round. I’ll also share a link to my BlueSky (and maybe Threads?) so you can find me in those places too. I’m quiet by nature, so this is a personal challenge as much as it is to help others grow as writers.)
Big Business Changes for Curly Quotes Editing
Editing services. (In the past, I’ve offered editing at every stage plus some publishing help. In the next few months, I’ll be phasing typesetting, proofreading, and copyediting out of my business. I will also no longer offer a full book editing package. From now on, I’ll be focused on manuscript evaluations, developmental editing, and line editing. For select cases, I’ll offer a combined line and copy edit, but these offers are completely at my discretion.)
Adding book coaching. (I’m happy to be one of the coaches certified to teach the Blueprint for a Book method developed by Jennie Nash at Author Accelerator. I’ll talk more about those details in another letter, but for now, know I’m looking to coach fiction writers trapped with their unfinished or unstarted books due to fear or perfectionism. I have a preference for fantasy or sci-fi, and I especially love books that include themes of self-discovery and nature. I’ll get more into that later too.)
Genre changes. (I’ll obviously finish any running projects—so don’t freak out if this is you—but I’ll no longer be editing nonfiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or short stories after September 2025. This includes memoir, self-help books, and workbooks.)
Redoing my entire website. (This will happen over the next several months, so please bear with me as I do all of this myself. That includes some coding I have to learn on the fly and then cross my fingers and toes that it actually works. My current website will stay up until the change is ready to be made, and I’ll definitely make an announcement when the new site is officially up.)
New logo. (Not as big a deal for you guys, but I’m extremely excited about this! I like my current logo, but after all the changes to my business practices, it doesn’t quite fit anymore. I’m no longer just an editor, I have a clearer idea of who I want to work with and why, and I’m going to go for it with all my heart.)
Illustration by Annie Spratt on Unsplash So here we are at the end of this letter. Thanks for reading all the way down! If you didn’t . . .
TL;DR - Hi, it’s me, Anna! I’m back from the void and ready to start a new chapter of life and business and coaching. I’m doing a LOT of changes to my practice and this newsletter in the coming months. If you’d like to stay, I’d love to have you.
All the love, support, and good vibes in the universe,
~ Anna
Book Coach | Editor | Author
You’re receiving this email because, at some point, you subscribed to Curly Quotes Editing’s newsletter, A Lettered Crossroads. If this is information or chatter you no longer wish to see in your inbox, you can unsubscribe at any time with the best and warmest wishes of luck from me and the cat.💚