Write a Better Book

Write a Better Book

Editorial and Publishing Consulting Services for Scholars
Finishing a book can be one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of a scholar's career. Whether you're writing for tenure or the trade, we can help.
Editorial Services
Every manuscript stands to benefit from a set of outside eyes—a sympathetic, but critical, Outside Reader. Whether you're preparing a first book for peer review, cutting an oversize manuscript down to size, or polishing a trade book before final submission, we can help you make your book meet its potential.
Publishing Consulting
At The Outside Reader, we believe that the publishing process shouldn't be mysterious. We can't guarantee you a book contract or an agent, but we can dramatically improve your odds of placing your manuscript with a publisher of your choice. Click to find out more.
Workshops
We offer both online workshops for individuals and on-site workshops for scholars at any stage of their career. Click to find out more.

About Us

The Outside Reader offers a variety of editorial and publishing consulting services for authors of serious nonfiction. We focus on big picture questions for books: What is your book about? Who is your audience, and how will you reach it? How should you go about getting it published? Most of the time, our client is the author, but we do occasionally work directly for publishers. We also offer online and on-site publishing workshops.

The Outside Reader was created in 2009 by Audra Wolfe, a publishing professional and published author, to fill an emerging need within the publishing industry. Declining advances and shrinking margins have left agents and acquisitions editors unable to devote much time to helping authors develop their ideas into publishable books, but most authors still need professional advice.

The Outside Reader is here to help. We firmly believe that the publishing process should be as transparent as possible. In publishing, as in so much of life, knowledge is power.

Contact

Thank you for your interest in The Outside Reader! If you’d like to learn more about working together, please write to us at audra@theoutsidereader.com. Be sure to tell us what kind of help you’re looking for, where you are in the process (e.g., do you have a contract?), the approximate length (in words) of your current materials, and your preferred timeline. Please note that, while we will do our best to accommodate your needs, we receive more queries than we can responsibly serve. Depending on your topic, intended audience, and editorial needs, we may recommend assigning your work to an editorial associate. Please allow up to one week for a response.