Popular Questions I get as an Editor

Here are some FAQ I’ve gotten as an editor :) Hopefully, they’re helpful

1. I’ve never worked with an editor before. What’s the process like?

   Every editor is different, but for me, I hope the process is fun :) We’re a team, and I want to make sure writers understand they are the final editor. If an edit doesn’t work, there is no need to take it.

   So, the first thing is to discuss a timeline. I can usually get a 80,000 word book done in three weeks. There’s always exceptions, but that’s the basic timelines I usually stick two.

   There are two rounds of edits and a deposit will be needed when the manuscript is first sent over. The second is needed within a month of the second round of edits being returned.

   Even when the process is technically over, I’m always around to answer any questions or concerns! Never feel like you can’t reach out! :)

2. I don’t have enough to pay the price. Do you offer discounts?

   No, but I do offer payment plans.

3. Even though your site says you don’t edit over 100,000 words, would you make an exception if it’s only a couple tens of thousand more?

   No, which I know may sound a little harsh, but I know an incredible editor who happily edits books over the word limit.

4. If my SA is off the page, will you still edit it?

   No. I don’t edit books with SA on or off the page.

STOP GOING IN THE BASEMENT!

Seriously. Why do people in horror books and movies think it’s a good idea to go down there? Here’s some movies and books of people thinking they are the exception to bad things happening in dark cellars:

Spelling My Name Out with Book Titles

This was a trend on socials awhile ago, but I thought I’d do it again with different books :)

Reality But More Fun by Madeleine Swann Book Review

Swann weaves an eclectic world filled the bizarre in her book Reality But More Fun. Set in a world where an unusual theme park allows guests to experience adventures beyond their wildest imagination, a glitch signals that life in the park aren’t always as pleasant as they seem. Now, two sisters must confront growing terrors in a park meant for whimsy if they are going to survive.

Jade, Louise, and their ill mother vacation to the park and immerse themselves in the French nineteenth century hub, Belle Epoque. Swann quickly establishes the characterization of the sisters. Jade is eager to experience the immersive role playing but finds herself stuck taking care of their ailing mother, something that is forced on her due to the social and cultural norms of the time period in which they have decided to experience. Louise, on the other hand, is married and therefore allowed to participate in such activities as popping over to the theatre and enjoying the music hall. Swann expertly highlights the growing resentment between the sisters while sprinkling in ominous actions that grow in intensity. Afterall, what’s a theme park without a dose of horror?

While some readers may find the opening a tad confusing, since there are many characters introduced in a short amount of time, others will appreciate the rapid introductions. The scene setting and world building settle in over time, growing in clarity as the plot thickens. Readers will shiver at the description of a moth turning into a monster and chuckle at the image of sharks with shapely legs swimming. Swann’s imaginative story hits on themes of family and resilience, and those who enjoyed Westworld or books by Danger Slater will sink into this bizzarro read.

Book Review: How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

It’s an old trope: a group of people secluded in a spooky house. In this case, it’s a group of horror writers coming together for the reading of Mortimer Queen’s—renowned horror author—will. Actually, I bought it because I love these types of sub-genres, and I was ready for a fresh take on a tried-and-try classic.

Unfortunately, I had a different experience.

Before going on, let’s remember that all of us have different tastes in stories. A book I didn’t necessary connect with may end up being someone else’s favorite. This is just my singular opinion . . .

The book centers around seven people with ominous secrets, and it’s up to the reader to decide if the stories about their pasts are true or if this is an unreliable narrator situation. For me, it never really hit the latter. While the backstories were interesting and suspenseful, the story relied on the idea that there would be confusion as to the whether the writers are fibbing. In reality, the backstories and truths seemed very straightforward.

The pacing seemed a tad rushed towards the end which was in contrast to the beginning where the set up was a warm slow boil.

But like mentioned, the stories the readers propose have a lot of suspense and tension. The reason each of them decided to go to the will reader is juicy and unique and while the overall experience wasn’t for me, the induvial character moments kept me glued to the page.

Overall, it’s a great book for those who like a straight-forward plot and some really cool horror moments. But for me, it’s a pass.

GOBBLE ‘TIL YOU WOBBLE: A NEW YEAR’S EVE NIGHTMARE

COMING NOVEMBER 1ST:

It's New Year's Eve, 1984, and the desert town of Las Rodadoras, New Mexico is gearing up for its most beloved tradition: the annual Turkey Drop. Live turkeys rain from the courthouse roof while the locals celebrate below. It's quirky. It's chaotic. It's completely insane.

 And this year, it's going to be absolutely killer.

 Laura gets a little help from monstrous scorpions. Sheriff Big Jake Morrison has a bad feeling about the turkey wrangler. Mayor Villanueva hides a dark secret about the town's founding involving killer jackalopes. Verne, the twitchy pyromaniac, builds fireworks powerful enough to be seen from space. Rebecca, a bored vampire, is looking for a good time. And then there’s the recurring zombie problem . . .

 What could possibly go wrong when live poultry, homemade explosives, and a town built on a century of supernatural secrets are combined?

 Everything.

THIS CRUISE SUCKS COMIING JULY 15, 2025

* Title: This Cruise Sucks
* Author(s) name(s): Nico Bell
* ISBN (or ASIN):
* Publisher: Independent
* Publication Date Year: 2025
* Publication Date Month: July
* Publication Date Day: 15
* Page count: 96
* Format (such as paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, etc): Paperback, Ebook
* Description: What has eight arms, two tentacles, and one gnarly appetite . . .? A Vampire Squid. While enjoying a much-needed cruise vacation, Nora and her friend Tori spend their days downing endless umbrella cocktails and their nights rockin’ out to gnarly bands—mainly Vampire Weekend. The 24-hour buffet is constantly calling their names, but unfortunately, something answers the call—a giant squid with an appetite for cruise passengers. But Nora and Tori have other problems. Their status as BFFs is hanging on by bikini thread, and this vacay should have given them time to repair it. But no. Of course, an annoying monstrous creature from the depths of the dark ocean just had to rise up to the surface, feast on terrified humans, and ruin their girl bonding time. Thanks a lot, Captain Sucky. But maybe, this is the very crisis that will bring the two friends together, or maybe, the women will learn that a blood-sucking cephalopod is too great a foe, even against the power of friendship.
* Language (for non-English books):

WINTER HORROR SUBMISSION CALL

Missing your flight is scary. So is sleeping in your childhood bedroom with cousins you can’t remember. Are your old band posters talking to you, or is that the ghost of Chanukah’s past?

Please send us your horror, thriller, and suspense stories (1,000-7,000 words) about holiday travel. We are interested in publishing stories set around a variety of cultural holidays and traditions. 

Take us into the mind of a sinister flight attendant on Christmas Eve. Show us the monsters who stalked ancient Winter Solstice festival-goers. Place us in the middle of a serial killer’s game while on a seniors-only cruise. Give us psychological terror while frying latkes in Grandma’s kitchen. Dazzle us with bonfires and fireworks and arson on New Year’s Eve.

The details:

This call is open May 6, 2025 to June 6, 2025.

Submission Link

• We request submissions to be Google Docs or Word documents in Shunn modern manuscript format.

• Payment is tiered based on word count. 1000-3000 words=$20, >3000-5000 words=$30, >5000-7000 words=$40

• ROF Publishing House requests First North American Serial Rights and First Electronic and Digital Rights.

• We are not interested in stories that perpetuate stereotypes of gender, race, religion, nationality, ability, or sexuality or that minimize or glorify abuse, violence, or colonialism, including Zionism. ALL VOICES WELCOME!

• We are not interested in stories made with the help of AI.

• We plan to publish this anthology as an ebook and in paperback. 

• If you have questions or need to withdraw your story because another publisher has accepted it, please email editor@rofpublishinghouse.com.

Nathan Fielder: The True King of Horror

O.M.G

First, if you don’t know who Nathan Fielder is, he’s basically a much more awkward and, dare I say, messed up in the head comedian (I feel like he wouldn’t mind that description).

He has a show called The Rehearsal where he helps people prepare for a variety of moments in their lives by offering them, well, a rehearsal. In season one, he helped out trivia-obsessed New Yorker who wants to confess to his bar trivia team that he lied about having a master’s degree. But it isn’t as simple as that. He built a bar, identical to the man’s local one, hired actors to play his friends, and even stages a trivia night, all while Nathan lurks in the background, taking notes on a computer hanging comfortably from his neck.

But that’s a tame version.

In season two, currently available HBO or available to buy on Amazon (worth every penny), he has become a bit obsessed with the aviation field. In the latest episode, he decides to recreate the life of Sully Sullenberger by becoming Sully. Like, reallllllly becoming him. Like, from a baby and onward.

What unfolds is the real definition of horror. Unsettling. Disturbing. Something that will forever live in my mind.

Nathan doesn’t hold back just like so many in the horror genre dedicated to offering the unexpected and experimental. So, if you’re up for it, give it a watch and make your way to the Sully episode. You’ll never forget it.