B O O K    P U B L I S H I N G

Formatting  |  Manuscript Editing  |  Technical Writing  |  Ghost Writing  |  Consultation

I began working professionally in book publishing in 1989, starting in typesetting and proofreading.  With my previous experience in editing and advertising design for periodicals, I soon transitioned into book composition (formatting), manuscript editing and eventually ghost writing (writing on behalf of the credited author).  By 1994 I was self-employed, working simultaneously in book, periodical and catalog publishing, as well as advertising and marketing.  By the year 2000 I had played a significant role (cover design, typesetting, proofreading, formatting, writing and/or editing) in the publishing of over 200 books, from national best sellers, to corporate manuals, to small town cook books.
 

Formatting.  Whether you're a book publisher or an author intending to self-publish, a manuscript must be meticulously converted into an appropriate format before going to press.  Factored into the style and layouts of books are the nature of the content, the theme, the expectations of the readership, printing and distribution methods, and the publisher's specific style and requirements (if any).  Whether and how to include front matter, a foreword, indexes, appendices, fold-outs, footnotes, headers and footers, captions, graphics and illustrations, are best left to an experienced professional, otherwise the book may fail to appeal to its market.  Beyond the book's page-to-page design are the prepress considerations, and whether or not the book will appear as a downloadable e-book.  I can help publishers and authors alike in these regards.
     If I format your manuscript into a book, such services will include text and page formatting, the positioning of graphics and photos, cover design (if needed), publisher's page (ISBN and cataloging-in-publication data), and preparation for printing and online distribution.  If desired, I will also create promotional web sites for the author and each book at a discounted rate (which should be a rapidly executed task, since I will already have the book's contents and graphics, plus great familiarity with both subject and author).
 

Manuscript Editing.  Self-publishing authors frequently do their masterpieces injustice by having friends and relatives preread their work and count their input as "editing."  Not only will friends and family tend to be lenient toward a writer, but may not even consider doing the line-by-line carving that an editor must often perform.  Even the best writers find themselves leaving ideas half developed within the text, or using extraneous words, unintended repetitions, improper use of jargon, and shifting points of view.  Even an essay will tend to require the relocation of paragraphs and sections after being written.
     An experienced editor will do for writers what even the best intentioned, literate associates would either overlook or think beyond their responsibility--skillfully track story lines and characters for continuity, rearrange sentences for clarity or impact, even check facts or adjust specificity where an author's credibility may be at stake.  Yes, authors should have people preread their manuscripts, but not mistkae their input as a substitute for an editor's work.  Feedback of that sort is best solicited after a professional editor has refined the work.
     The cost or inclusion of an editor should not be feared.  If the author has done an adequate job at manuscript revisions (published authors suggest five to seven revisions), the editor's task will be quicker (and cheaper) to perform.  A beginning author will learn much from the editing process that will benefit future works.  Furthermore, a cleaner, more concise manuscript will have a better chance at being picked up by an agent or publisher, should self-publishing fail to reach a large enough audience.  My editing services are available at an affordable, hourly rate.
 

Technical Writing.  Times have changed.  Technical publications now have to be not only well-produced, but often available in a number of electronic formats.  With the advent of digital papers, illustrations are also increasingly complex--often multimedia or interactive.  I can competently interview your subject matter experts (SMEs) and research your audience demands, resulting in concise, effective, eye-friendly documentation, complete with any sort of illustration your needs require.  I have extensive experience in the publication of engineering, medical, financial and institutional documents, and can ensure a seamless integration between your printed and online archives.
 

Ghost Writing.  Every single week major book publishers release new books about the hottest topics in the media.  When a person or issue makes the news--famous, infamous, or just their 15 minutes--there is a widespread demand for that story to be told.  In most cases, the people at the heart of that story are not writers.  In come the ghost writers.  Whenever a major celebrity, politician or plane crash survivor releases a book, and their name alone appears as the author, odds are they were thoroughly interviewed by a competent writer (employed by the publisher) who crafted a compelling story on their behalf.
     You don't have to be in the news, or courted by publishers with advances, to have a story to tell.  Often, when people learn I have written books, they reveal that they've been wanting--often for years or decades--to write a book, but they don't know where to begin.  If they never "learn" where to begin, or how to write, or how to get published, their stories will never become books, and never circulate.  Unless the would-be author is ready to stop his/her life and write that book, the starting point is to hire a ghost writer.  For a fee, the writer crafts the author's story--even using the author's preferred style, perspective and tone--and the author alone gets the credit.  This is how most autobiographies and a great many other books are created.  Shhhh, trade secret!
     Hiring a ghost writer isn't cheap, which is why most are employed by publishing houses.  Writing a 240-page paperback can take weeks or months, depending on variables (not least of which are the demands and eccentricities of the client).  A contract is forged between the story's owner (the client) and the ghost writer, detailing how the story is credited, safeguarding secrets, specifying costs, responsibilities, protecting the client's interests, etc.  A professional ghost writer doesn't quibble over the owner's wishes, and is often happy to be credited as a co-editor, or even not at all.  I have an unusual schedule and it's not suitable for me to work as a ghost writer for a publishing house.  However, I am a prolific and versatile writer, and enjoy writing for myself and others, sometimes cranking out as many as 50 manuscript pages in a day (I never have writer's block).  I am affordable compared to most experienced ghost writers, charging an hourly rate.
     The good news is that there are no set rules for creativity.  You may write your own story, but bring me in for the revision phase as a "ghost reviser", somewhere between a writer and an editor.  In such cases, of course, it may be best to consult with me before your story is written, if possible, as intrinsic elements as plotlines, the timing of reveals, and point-of-view may be more cost effective to get straight in a first writing than in revisions.  Often an author's ego is bruised by an editor suggesting his opus, which took months or years to write, be rewritten from scratch in a couple of weeks by a professional ghost writer.
 

Consultation.  Whether it's the craft of storytelling, book design, method of distribution, overcoming writer's block, marketing techniques, or even collaboration considerations, I can probably offer very useful ideas and perspectives in addition to my other services.  Even if you wish to self-publish and self-promote, I can probably give you some excellent pointers and services on an as-needed basis.  I have worked on virtually every type of publication, with a variety of subjects, authors and markets, and can probably deliver that "outside the box" idea or "missing ingredient" tip, or even that "never been tried before" marketing angle in less time and at lower cost than other sources.  How your book will be written, composed and marketed is your decision, but with my help you can have a tighter, more succinct and effective product for your readers.

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