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Yoanna - Editor | Book Coach | Writer

@bookish.with.yo

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Stories DON’T just belong to insiders📖
Authors→write + publish without feeling lost
400+ books edited✍🏻
Writing & publishing tips, editing services👇🏻

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It has been a hot minute, hasn’t it 😅

So excited to be back to making content as I have missed it dearly! And I thought what better first post than one re-introducing me and what I do (as things have surely changed over here).

Simply put: a freelance editor and book coach who is passionate about making the publishing industry less of a glorified mystery or intimidating obstacle to aspiring authors. 📖

Tune in as there is lots to come soon 🎉

#bookishwithyo #editor #freelancerlife by @bookish.with.yo

A little bit about my WHY behind Bookish with Yo and everything I do 🩵

#bookishwithyo #freelancerlife #bookeditor #mywhy by @bookish.with.yo

You don’t have to write your novel alone ✍️

This November, the Reedsy Novel Sprint is bringing writers together to work toward one ambitious goal: 50,000 words in a month.

And we’ll be with you along the way. Our live workshops will take you from planning your novel before November, through opening chapters, characters, and the tricky middle, and even what comes after “The End”.

Alongside the workshops, we’ll also be hosting writing sprints to give you dedicated times to show up, write, and keep that word count moving.

📌 Swipe through the full workshop lineup and save the dates.

Ready to start your novel? Join the Novel Sprint through the link in our bio. by @bookish.with.yo

Idk what it is about autumn but it always gets me in a writing mood again even after a slump 🤌🏼🍂

I’m planning to give myself the next 90 days to draft a new novel idea that has been playing in my mind for a while (more on this soon)

If you also feel like taking’s your writing seriously, here are 15 things to help you LOCK TF DOWNN 🙌🏻

Let’s get those books written 😌

#writershelpingwriters #authorsoninstagram #writersoninstagram #writersonig by @bookish.with.yo

You do not need seven writing days. You need each writing session to have a purpose.

p.s: coming from someone who got burned out trying to write everyday with a busy schedule before and someone who thought that if every writing session did not produce 2,000 words, it was a waste if time

If you can only write three times a week, don’t just tell yourself that you are trying to “get some words down.”

Use one session to keep the story familiar, one to create concentrated momentum and one to go deeper:

1️⃣ Easy draft: return to your current manuscript without pressure (AND without your pesky inner critic, it can bugger off right now). Read ONLY the final 1-2 sentences and continue writing forward.

2️⃣ Writing sprints: work in short rounds when you know what the scene needs but keep procrastinating on writing it. I play Mario Cart Race music in the background go crazy with those 😅

3️⃣ Long session: give yourself enough time to study some craft technique or concept that has been making you pause your writing or doubt it. My mistake at the start of my writing journey was studying random techniques and tips all the time, so now I advise writers to focus on something particular they need right now.

Consistency does not have to mean writing every day. It can mean returning often enough that you don’t get too intimidated by “starting again.”

Save this for the next week when you start using the excuse “I have no time.” Yes, you do 💚

Follow @bookish.with.yo for practical writing advice that helps you build the book around your actual life.

#writershelpingwriters #authorsofinsta #writersoninstagram by @bookish.with.yo

The thing I didn’t want to hear but needed to is that the perfect book in your head has one unfair advantage: it has never had to become real.

Of course it has no clumsy scenes, flat dialogue or plot holes because it has NEVER had to ✨survive the page✨

Aaand that is why perfectionism can keep you trapped in the opening chapters (or outline). You are trying to edit the book before you have finished discovering it.

Drafting and editing require two different questions:

Drafting: What happens next? Editing: How can I make this work better?

I used to ask both at once and I started hating writing.

So take it from me after I spent 3 years stuck in writer’s block: write the version you can revise instead of protecting the version you can only imagine.

follow @bookish.with.yo for practical writing advice that helps you finish the book, not just perfect the first chapter.

#writershelpingwriters #authorsofig #writersonig by @bookish.with.yo

comments LINKS and I (a human) will send you the links to those asap, so you can check them out ✨

if you know me, you know I LOVE learning 🤌🏼

here are some FREE writing lessons I’ve watched more than once with my notes nearby for you to explore now that autumn is finally here (yeah, yeah, still summer technically but who cares??)

and follow @bookish.with.yo for more writing resources, tips and breakdowns 💚

#writershelpingwriters #storytellingcontentchallenge #writersoninstagram #authorsofinsta by @bookish.with.yo

it is all about your perspective 💚

#writershelpingwriters #authorsoninstagram #writersoninstagram by @bookish.with.yo

💌 Promise me you’ll read this to the end. Because one of these 28 might bring you back to a story you thought you had lost.

1. Write the scene you cannot stop thinking about (idk if it is 10 chapters ahead)
2. Reread the notes that first excited you.
3. Stop measuring progress only in word count.
4. Collect lines and images that spark ideas.
5. Write something nobody else will ever read.
6. Let your characters disobey your outline (can be fun on purpose)
7. Build a playlist for your story’s mood.
8. Notice the world through your character’s eyes.
9. Reread the book that made you want to write.
10. Study the writing that makes you jealous.
11. Write by hand when typing feels clinical (that’s how I turn of the editor brain)
12. Set a goal too small to avoid (minimum viable goal)
13. Use placeholders instead of wanting perfect words in draft 1.
14. Begin with the part that has energy (can fill out details later)
15. Write the strange, specific, honest version.
16. Give your character an inconvenient desire.
17. Let them make an understandable mistake.
18. Ask what you want the reader to feel.
19. Read beyond the genre you are writing (suuuuper important)
20. Make writing feel like a place to escape (not sth you want to escape from)
21. Remember why this story had to be yours.
22. Talk about what still excites you.
23. Pause the advice and trust your instincts.
24. Reread a chapter you still love.
25. Add pressure when a scene feels flat.
26. Celebrate sentences that sound like your character.
27. Stop while you still know what comes next.
28. Write the book you wish already existed.

You do not need all 28. Start with the one that made you pause.

Follow @bookish.with.yo for writing advice that strengthens your book without erasing your voice. 💚

#writershelpingwriters #authorsoninstagram #writersofinstagra by @bookish.with.yo

what if my business fails?

what if my writing fails?

what if I fail as a mom, a partner or a friend?

what if I publish my book and everyone hates it?

what if, what if, what if…

Recently I have been asking myself those questions on repeat without even realising how much pressure I have been putting on myself.

Untillll it took a toll and I burned myself out so completely that my cup is now empty.

This is definitely NOT one of those motivational “I figured it out, so buy my X and you will figure it out too” posts. It is one during the messy stage, because we are all just human.

A reminder if you too have been hard on yourself recently, we got this 💚 by @bookish.with.yo

If you’re planning to self-publish, @reedsy_hq is running a two-day online conference on 5–6 September called How to Self-Publish a Bestseller in 2026 ✨

They’re bringing together people from across the indie publishing world to talk about:

📚 how to actually market your book
📊 what readers are buying and what the data tells us
🎨 how to package and position your book for the right audience
📖 your distribution options
📣 social media and Amazon ads
✍️ what successful indie authors actually did to build their publishing teams and launch their books
🫠 and, importantly, how to do all of this without completely burning yourself out

I’m going to attend, and I’m genuinely super excited, as I think there’s going to be a LOT to take away from this one.

🎟️ Leave a comment or message me, and I’ll forward the link

And I have a wee discount code for you: use yoannaselfpub for $20 off your ticket. ✨

Affiliate note: I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you.

#writershelpingwriters #writersoninstagram #authorsofinsta by @bookish.with.yo

The annoying thing about self-publishing is that writing the book well is only ONE part of giving it a chance to be successful.

You can have a genuinely brilliant story (and trust me, I’ve read many talented authors’ works) aaand still make it much harder for the right readers to find it because of those common mistakes.

Successfully self-publishing means making intentional decisions about your editing, cover, positioning, distribution, marketing and launch.

And if you’re planning to self-publish, @reedsy_hq is running a two-day online conference on 5–6 September called How to Self-Publish a Bestseller in 2026 that basically dives into the “do the exact opposite” part of this reel. 😂

They’re bringing together people from across the indie publishing world to talk about:

📚 how to actually market your book
📊 what readers are buying and what the data tells us
🎨 how to package and position your book for the right audience
📖 your distribution options
📣 social media and Amazon ads
✍️ what successful indie authors actually did to build their publishing teams and launch their books
🫠 and, importantly, how to do all of this without completely burning yourself out

There’s even a session with Amy Jackson, marketing manager at Random House, who has worked on campaigns for authors including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Andy Weir and Jodi Picoult.

I’m going to attend, and I’m genuinely super excited, as I think there’s going to be a LOT to take away from this one.

🎟️ Leave a comment or message me, and I’ll forward the link

And because I love you and also enjoy saving writers money:
use code yoannaselfpub for $20 off your ticket. ✨

Sooo maybe don’t sabotage your self-publishing career after all

Affiliate note: I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you.

#writershelpingwriters #writersoninstagram #authorsofinsta #storytellingcontentchallenge by @bookish.with.yo