Self-Help Authors: Take Your Reader by the Hand….
Self-help books are all about solving a problem for the reader. The problem faced by the reader could be anything: how to lose weight, get a better job, be happier, invest their money better. When they buy the book, they … Continue reading
“One Thousand and One Arabian Nights”
I may be a little late to the game…. but recently I picked up a copy of the Oxford University Press paperback edition of “One Thousand and One Arabian Nights,” newly interpreted by Geraldine McCaughrean, a highly regarded British author … Continue reading
Avoid Repetition in Your Writing!
As an editor, on of the most common problems I see in the writing of my valued clients is needless repetition. This manifests itself in either of two ways: Repeating the same idea more than once, or repeating words that … Continue reading
“The Peaceful Man” by Brad Mewhort
Congratulations to Brad Mewhort on the publication of his new book, “The Peaceful Man: Heal Within Yourself the Personal Effects and Historic Patterns of Male-on-Male Violence.” The author, who grew up experiencing family and neighborhood male-on-male violence, and who himself … Continue reading
The Importance of the Topic Sentence
Writing is a form of communication. Its structure is linear, like a path. That means the reader intakes the first word, remembers it, and then intakes the next word. As the reader progresses through the words, sentences, and paragraphs, the … Continue reading
Developmental Editing: It’s All About Baby Steps!
Clients will often send me a finished manuscript of 40,000 or 60,000 words, which, for various reasons, they’re not happy with. A non-fiction manuscript may be outdated, not well organized, incomplete in its arguments, or just plain boring. A novel … Continue reading
Self-Help Books: Solve Your Reader’s Problem
At least half of my ghostwriting and book development business centers around self-help books. A self-help book is defined as one that instructs or inspires its reader to solve a particular personal problem and make their life better. The genre … Continue reading
Short Story, Novelette, or Novel: All About the Word Count
Written works of fiction come in all lengths as measured by the word count. This is simply the number of words in the document or book. When you’re writing on your computer, word processing applications such as Microsoft Word will … Continue reading
“Pistonhead” Still Going Strong!
I published my first novel, “Pistonhead,” in February 2009. It sold well and garnered rave reviews from both music publications (we still had such things back then) and book bloggers. Heading into its 13th year, it’s still going strong–and the … Continue reading
“The Retirement Remix” by Chip Munn
Congratulations to my valued client Chip Munn on his groundbreaking book, “The Retirement Remix: A Modern Solution to an Old School Problem.” With so many Baby Boomers heading towards the biggest wave of retirements in American history, there’s greater urgency … Continue reading