Create Character Arc for Better Story – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Nov. 11, 2025

Plotting Your Book: Create Character Arc for Better Story
For a story to move forward, it needs a character arc. An arc is how a three-dimensional character changes and grows through the tale. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: How to Design Your Ebook Cover
Most potential readers of your ebook will first encounter it online as an image – the book’s cover. If that thumbnail doesn’t cause viewers to take a closer look at the accompanying text descriptions of your book, you are farther away from making a sale. How do you create an ebook cover? My new book Design Your Ebook Cover answers that question. Using easy to understand and short explanations, it describes what software/apps you need, moves on to the cover’s various elements, and finally looks at uploading it to a print on demand company like Kindle Direct Publishing. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Streamline Writing by Cutting Perception Fallacy
When writing from a character’s point of view, authors should avoid the perception fallacy. This clunky kind of storytelling assumes that if a tale is being told from a specific character’s point of view, then all description must be filtered directly through that character’s senses and perceptions. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: How to Determine Your Book’s Trim Size
As going through the self-publishing process, you’ll certainly be asked to set the book’s trim size. This is the final size of a printed page (or the actual size of a book’s page). If you took a ruler and measured the page’s bottom (or top) edge and either its left or right side, you’d have its trim size or the book’s dimensions. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: What to Look for When Revising Your Manuscript
You can’t judge a book by a cover goes the old cliché, but the reality is that people literally do so all of the time. That’s why you’ll want to spend some time coming up with an attractive cover for your paperback book. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Ask for a Review at End of Your Book
One of the best ways to encourage people to buy your book is by having others speak highly of it, especially on a web page where a person can make a purchase. Amazon.com and other bookselling websites know this and so allow reviews to be posted on pages that hawk books. The challenge then facing authors is to get people to post reviews on that web page. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Fair to Midland” by Tommy Adamo
With all of the talk of civil war depending on the presidential election results, what if one came to be? My recent editing client, Tommy Adamo, tackled that topic in his novel Fair to Midland, which I edited a couple of years ago. From the back cover: “Within the confines of a confessional, an old man recounts the sins he committed during The War of Texas Secession in the late 21st century. … Warren, a recently discharged veteran of The War, shares many of the sentiments his fellow Texans possess and, much to the objection of his wife, joins a local militia. He begins his tale speaking of God, family and country, but as Warren describes the suspicious and unfortunate ends of those around him, the priest recognizes a more insidious nature to the old man and realizes they never stood a chance against Warren’s lethal vainglory.” CHECK IT OUT

$25 Off Your Next Edit!
For being a newsletter subscriber, please take $25 off your next edit with Inventing Reality Editing Service. When scheduling your edit, be sure to mention you’re a subscriber and give the email where you received this newsletter. Minimum order of $200. Offer expires Nov. 18, 2025. SCHEDULE EDIT

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of both aspiring and published writers and offers a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of a novel, the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, four children’s books, more than 25 bestselling hiking guidebooks, and even a book of poetry. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.