Thomas Hauck, Editor: Verb Tenses and Describing the Past
When you write about events that happened in the past, the simplest way is to use what is appropriately called the simple past: A) Jack and Jill went up the hill. B) I gave her the message. The simple past … Continue reading
Viewing Edits in Word Edit Tracker – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
When I edit a book or manuscript for a client, I always use Word edit tracker so that my client can instantly see every change that has been made. Once in a while a client will ask me how to … Continue reading
“Fifty Shades of Grey” – Past or Present?
Like nearly every household in America, we now have our copy of “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E L James piled amongst the many other books in our music room, which in any other home would be the living room, … Continue reading
Airplane Books – Insight from Professional Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
As a professional ghostwriter and editor, a significant part of my work involves helping professionals write and publish books that will establish them as thought leaders in their fields. Lawyers, doctors, realtors, CPAs, and business consultants have found that publishing … Continue reading
Publish Your Own Professional Self-Help Book – Insight from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
Unless you’ve been living on a desert island, you know that during the past ten years there has been – and continues to be – a revolution in the publishing industry. One positive effect of these sweeping changes is that … Continue reading
The Query Letter and the One-Sentence Pitch – Insight from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
One of my clients is a very talented novelist who is writing a political thriller. He and his very dedicated literary agents are working diligently to offer the book to selected New York editors, gauge the responses, and then modify … Continue reading
“That” or “Which”? Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
I’ve edited hundreds of books and documents, and one of the issues that drives writers crazy is trying to figure out when to use “that” or “which” when either is used to introduce a dependent clause that modifies a preceding … Continue reading
Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor: Line Editing for Clarity and Impact
In order to get a book in shape to be published, an editor has to do many “objective” tasks, including correcting typos and spelling. But one job that is the hallmark of a skilled editor is line editing, which is … Continue reading
Book Editing: Changing the Voice of a Book or Document – Insight from Thomas Hauck, Book Editor and Ghostwriter
Occasionally, a client for whom I am editing a book will ask, “Does the book sound natural? Does it sound like a native English speaker writing in a conversational tone?” Often the clients who ask me this reside outside the … Continue reading
Quotes, Italics, Boldface, and Capitals – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Book Editor and Ghostwriter
Every writer wants his or her words to leap off the page. We all experience the anxiety that the reader will lose interest or will fail to grasp a particularly important point or word. And so many writers resort to … Continue reading