Nonfiction Editor
I specialize in inspirational, spiritual, self-help, vegan and animal-rights manuscripts, as well as memoirs, but I’ve also edited business books. I edit to the Chicago Manual of Style, which is the publishing industry standard, and to your preferred spelling—Canadian, US, or UK.
Once that process is complete and you’ve chosen to self-publish, I can work with you until your project is available to purchase. You remain in the driver’s seat on this journey, and I’m your GPS helping you navigate independent publishing. My goal as the navigator is to ensure you’re thrilled when you see your finished book.
My Approach
I start with the editing process. Editing is usually done twice since it’s nearly impossible to catch everything during the first edit. The first edit is more of a big-picture process to ensure the content flows logically and to fix any weak construction—the structural and line editing processes.
As a certified ghostwriter, I assure you that any rewriting I do on your behalf will be kept in your voice. I may ask you to write additional content after the first edit, particularly if I feel there are information gaps or if a passage is unclear, so this makes the second editing pass a necessity.
The second edit is a close-up view with an emphasis on copyediting.
Here is a brief outline of the different levels of editing:
Substantive (or Structural) Editing: This is big picture editing and involves revising and/or reorganizing the structure both as a whole and paragraph by paragraph so that it reads in a logical, linear fashion.
Line Editing: Converting passive and static voice to active prose where feasible. Correcting awkward phrasings and weak constructions and dealing with the issues of non-sentences and fragments.
Copyediting: Correcting mechanics and manuscript’s logistics: grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation and formatting and consistency.
Proofreading: Searching for typographical errors as the final process prior to submission of manuscript. Usually compared against a marked up manuscript to ensure changes have been incorporated correctly.
Proofing the Design: This is a process of checking first and last of each paragraph to ensure the text flowed properly when it was copied into the design program.
Pitfalls of Self-Editing:
“While you can edit your work to a point, the only way to be sure you are communicating with anyone other than yourself is for someone else to read it. Preferably, that means a “cold” reader; i.e., someone not connected to you or your work in any way.” Claudia Suzanne, ghostwriting expert and author of This Business of Books plus over 100 ghostwritten titles.
David Berner
Kristin K. Collier
Why work with a publishing specialist?
There’s just too much work for one person. You likely work in your area of expertise—whether that’s seeing clients, public speaking, or advocating on behalf of others—and chances are you don’t have the time to do all the tasks of the author, too.
I have expertise in the publishing industry, and I know what needs to be done to ensure your book looks professional and can be marketed everywhere. Additionally, I have established resources and connections.
The cost is greater when you do it yourself. There’s a high learning curve for anyone who has never made the publishing journey. Working with me will give you the freedom to concentrate on those things that only you can do, being the expert in your field.
I’ve been in the publishing world for more than 20 years, and several of the manuscripts I’ve edited have won national book awards.