9 Reasons I Don’t Care If My Book Sells
So, why write a book if you aren’t guaranteed anyone will even read it? What is the point of pouring hours, months, even years into a story that might never sell a copy?
Emily Jones is Elle Michael River
writing coach • storyteller • editor
I’m Emily Jones, writing as Elle Michael River. I write curious fiction from beyond the rabbit hole and perform heart surgery on manuscripts missing their souls. I specialize in storytelling, which includes fiction writing, content writing, guest blogging, designing and performing theatrical pieces, and ghostwriting. As a writing coach, I support writers as they pen their novels, offer developmental editing and manuscript assessments, and help artists build and organize their portfolios. I have my MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and my BA in English from Thomas Edison State University.
I run exclusively on hazelnut coffee, fluffy cats, and an unbridled weirdness some might call creativity, but I'd love to tell you a story. Check out my services below, send me an email about your project to emichaelriver@gmail.com, or scroll to see some of my best work!
Emily Jones is
Elle Michael River
I’m Emily Jones, writing as Elle Michael River. I write curious fiction from beyond the rabbit hole and perform heart surgery on manuscripts missing their souls. I specialize in storytelling which includes fiction writing, content writing, guest blogging, designing and performing theatrical pieces, and ghostwriting. As a writing coach, I support writers as they pen their novels, offer developmental editing and manuscript assessments, and help artists build and organize their portfolios. I have my MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and my BA in English from Thomas Edison State University.
I have my MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and my BA in English from Thomas Edison State University.
I run exclusively on hazelnut coffee, fluffy cats, and an unbridled weirdness some might call creativity, but I’d love to tell you a story. Check out my services below, send me an email about your project to emichaelriver@gmail.com, or scroll to read some of my best work.
What People Say
Thank you for all the work you did to help me with this book. You pushed me, inspired me, and many times held the whole mess together. You were much more than an editor! I can't wait to work with you again!
William Lobb
Author, 'The Three Lives of Richie O'Malley'
She not only captured the essence of my novel 'Nights Arose' but translated the thoughts and emotions in the story into a cohesive description for all to read. If you're looking for a great blogger of your story, Elle is the person.
Andrea Roche
Author, 'Nights Arose'
Elle, this review was utterly stunning! Everything from the retell to the praise to the critique. Blew me away. Honestly one of my favorite reviews to date. Thank you for reading and taking the time to write such an eloquent piece.
Jennifer Wilson
Author, 'New World Rising'
What I Do
Content Writing
Need a clickable blog for your website? A professional, researched article? An inspirational social media post? You provide the topic, and I’ll get people slamming the share button. Contact Me
$25 per 250 words ($0.10 per word)
Ghostwriting
Ghostwriting is an intimate passion of mine. Give me your notes, your night terrors, your in-the-moment inspirations, and I’ll find the right words. Whether you’re penning your memoir, a self-help book, or starting a high-fantasy epic, I can help. Contact Me
$500 creative fee plus $0.10 per word
Resume Writing
Changing industries? No experience? Too much? Employment gaps? No worries! I deliver a polished, professional resume so you can apply for the right jobs today! Contact Me
$50 per resume
Manuscript Assessment
Receive professional feedback on your manuscript’s characters, plot, setting, dialogue, and writing style delivered in a detailed editorial letter. I also include a sensitivity reading for stereotypes, bias, and representation issues. Contact Me
$100 reading fee + $5 per 1,000 words
Writing Coach
Just started your memoir? Finished a first draft and not sure what’s next? Need a road map to publish your work? I can help. I offer personalized coaching sessions, big-picture revisions, and actionable steps for publishing your book. I work with writers of all skill levels and my sessions are confidential and judgement free. Contact me today for a free consultation.
Book Doctor Editing
Are you ready to throw out your book? Hit delete on your 100+ page manuscript? Has your story been haunting you for years? (Decades?) You might need the skills of a manuscript surgeon. I zoom in on just the problem areas of your manuscript for a detailed, a la carte developmental edit. Contact Me
$50 per 1,000 words ($0.05 per word)
Need a clickable content post for your website? A professional, researched article? An inspirational social media post? You provide the topic, and I’ll get people slamming the share button.
$25 per 250 words ($0.10 per word)
Give me your notes, your night terrors, your in-the-moment inspirations, and I’ll find the right words. Whether a novel, a children’s book, scriptwriting or other content, ghostwriting is an intimate passion of mine.
$500 creative fee plus $0.10 per word
Changing industries? No experience? Too much? Employment gaps? No worries! I deliver a polished, professional resume so you can apply for jobs ASAP.
$50 per Resume
Professional feedback on your manuscript’s characters, plot, setting, dialogue, and writing style delivered in a detailed editorial letter. A sensitivity reading is included for stereotypes, bias, and representation issues.
$100 reading fee + $5 per 1,000 words
Just started your memoir? Finished a first draft and not sure what’s next? Need a road map to publish your work? I can help. I offer personalized coaching sessions, big-picture revisions, and actionable steps for publishing your book. I work with writers of all skill levels and my sessions are confidential and judgement free. Contact me today for a free consultation.
Are you ready to throw out your book? Hit delete on your 100+ page manuscript? Has your story been haunting you for years? (Decades?) You might need the skills of a manuscript surgeon. I zoom in on just the problem areas of your manuscript for a detailed, a la carte developmental edit.
$50 per 1,000 words
Portfolio of Work
Articles
Tips for Bad Writers
There’s no way around this: you’re a bad writer, but that’s okay because I’m a bad writer too. A bad writer is not the same as an untalented writer. Below are five tips I gave a friend of mine the other night at 2 am (it’s always 2 am).
Ready to Publish? Not So Fast!
Published on Where Writers Win: A quick checklist for writers looking to live dangerously and forgo an editor. Is your manuscript ready?
Writing the End of the World
In 2019, I began work on my novel Her. Like most of my ideas, it started as an image: a mother holding her young daughter, looking out over a crumbling road as a weary sun set on a sickened, dying world. I didn’t know then—how could anyone?
The Human Superpower
Published on Medium: After a rough day, a meltdown, or a tantrum over a splattered scoop of strawberry ice cream, I take my daughter’s hands and remind her that she has an amazing superpower: at any moment, she can choose to change.
Breaking My Silent Heart
Published on Medium: Yesterday, I read a news update from my state’s governor. He’s making changes: changes to how we address the pandemic, changes to how we train our police, changes to how we respond to protests. I think these are needed changes because the status quo isn’t working.
Book Reviews & Blog
Summer Reading
Most summers, I don’t post my reading list. That’s because it’s unabashedly romance novels and sexy crime thrillers. You know, the ones where the detective isn’t wearing a shirt and there’s a woman in a long red dress fleeing from a menacing shadow?
Carnal Knowledge
Mistress of suspense, Rachael Tamayo, is back with another hair-raising thriller. Carnal Knowledge a riveting, heart-pounding, double-check-your-locks-and-close-your-curtains novel about a killer with an unquenchable lust for blood.
Writing the End of the World
In 2019, I began work on my novel Her. Like most of my ideas, it started as an image: a mother holding her young daughter, looking out over a crumbling road as a weary sun set on a sickened, dying world. I didn’t know then—how could anyone?
Dark Eden
Dark Eden is an umbral spin on the Christian creation story. Prideful men stole a spaceship from Earth and crashed into the luminescent treetops of a strange, nocturnal world.
Girl, Wash Your Face
I haven’t read enough self-help books to offer an opinion on the genre, but Girl, Wash Your Face caught my attention because of the controversial reviews and the promise of a “cut-that-shit-out” narrative that would shock me into motivation. It was motivating, but probably not in the way Hollis intended it.
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
Meg Elison’s The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is harrowing and left me in a cold sweat wondering if the people who died from her pandemic fever were really the lucky ones.
Fiction
For I Have Sinned
When Jesus walked into the nuthouse, I knew things would get interesting. Our savior wore a muddy gray t-shirt, a pair of ripped jeans my mother would never allow past her seasonal welcome mat, and a pair of really rad, orange converse.
Flight
Published on Reflex Press: Eyes snap open, stirred by a silent alarm. She peels stiff covers from her frigid skin, chilled by a thermostat set to 64 degrees, even in winter. Gray-socked feet hit the stained carpet, and she wiggles her toes. They’re painted a forbidden red.
I Do
Isabella was a single white rose in the midst of half a dozen red ones. Held together by pin and lace, like a delicate, porcelain doll, she paused. Would she melt away if anyone spilled crimson wine on her ivory silhouette?
