In the last edition of this newsletter, I talked about responding to reader reports and some misconceptions that trip authors up. Above all, it’s crucial to understand the purpose of your response in the context of the publication process. Essentially, the response letter is your chance to make a final case to the publisher’s decision makers that your book is worth investing in. They will have access to your submission materials and to the actual peer reviews, but the response to the reader reports is where you pull it all together, reminding those decision makers what’s so great about your project and demonstrating how capable you are of bringing the project to its full potential.