“Do you think I might be over editing?” an author asked me the other day. It was not the first time I’ve been asked. Many of us ponder that same question while going back through our manuscripts one last time, making just a few final revisions—again. At times we feel like Dorothy Parker: “I can’t [...]

During the holidays, we remind ourselves to not overeat—for whatever good it does. Most of us are at least somewhat aware of what and how much we are eating. We make conscious choices about what to ingest and how much to exercise, knowing that the resulting outcome will be apparent. Similarly, as the publisher of [...]

Successful book marketing requires that you first write a book that others want to read.  To help create that potential for success with your non-fiction book, focus on the following writing fundamentals: Objective:  What is your reason for writing the book? What do you want readers to experience while reading it, and what do you want [...]

All authors and freelance writers do it. Some people get paid to do it. And without it, you are risking the big R—Rejection. What is it? Editing. I’ve found over the years that editing is a process. When I edit my own work, especially a book manuscript, I go over it many, many times with [...]

As a publisher, I often feel camaraderie with the ancient prophet Jeremiah, from whose name we have derived the word jeremiad. A jeremiad is a harangue, one that is often ignored, about the dire consequences that can follow from flouting a law or a set of standards.

Do you need a high-powered copy editor, or could your 10th-grade teacher do the job just as well? At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing—your goals and your writing ability.

I am a firm believer in the notion that everyone has a story to tell and that everyone’s story should be told. The primary consideration for copyeditors in relation to this principle is the writing ability of the author. POD publishing services, such as AuthorHouse and Xlibris, offer what they call “copyediting” services for a single per-word fee. Are they claiming that all writing is equal? If you have superior writing ability, will you be forced to pay for more than what is necessary for a light edit? Or, if your writing ability is somewhat lacking, does this mean your work will be given a limited, subpar copyedit?