Why do I Need an Independent Editor?
The level of competition in the book business today requires an author to take responsibility for producing the best possible manuscript. Publishers very rarely sign up books today that still need work. Editors who acquire books in publishing companies are doing much less if any developmental editing. That’s why successful authors ordinarily work with their own independent editor.
What Does An Editor Do?
Every writer has unique and special needs. My job is to understand what should be done and how to do it, to enter into each creative process and supply any missing elements, to do as little as necessary but offer specific page-by-page recommendations, including additions, deletions, revisions, and specific new ideas for developing the concept and ultimate manuscript.
What if somebody steals my idea?
Writers sometime worry about this, but personally I’ve never seen it happen, in more than 50 years of publishing experience. The relationship between author and editor during work-in-progress is confidential and privileged, as with an attorney or therapist. Many books are written based upon similar ideas; it’s the execution that counts.
I live thousands of miles away from you, so how can we work together?
I work regularly with authors all over the United States, and world wide. If we can meet face-to-face that’s great, but email makes it possible to send edited manuscripts as attachments, and a good Skype call can be tremendously useful.