On the afternoon of January 6, 2012 I was delighted to turn on CNN to see my valued client Ellyn Enisman on the show “Your Bottom Line” with anchor Christine Romans. Ellyn was discussing her book “Job Interview Skills 101,” which I had the honor to edit before publication. It’s always great to see one of my clients hit the national media scene! The book is now #37 on the Amazon list of “Job Hunting & Careers > Interview” books.
Edited by Thomas Hauck, and now available on Amazon, “RecruitCONSULT! Leadership” by Jeremy M. Eskenazi is an indispensable field guide for corporate talent acquisition leaders. It gives you all the tools you need for identifying, planning, developing, and executing a corporate staffing strategy that will meet or exceed strategic business objectives. The author is the founder and managing principal of Riviera Advisors, Inc., a premier global human resources consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop stronger internal recruiting and staffing capabilities. Working with organizations across virtually every industry, from start-ups to Fortune 500s, the company blends an unparalleled and real-world depth of experience with specific expertise in the critical area of talent management.
Freelance book editor Thomas Hauck serves corporate and individual authors with a wide range of editing and ghostwriting services. Contact Tom today for a free quote on your next book project.
Another terrific book that I edited and which is now on Amazon – “Supercharge Your CPA Firm” by Robert Fligel. Tired of serving the same old (and getting older) clients? Not getting the best rate you can? Feeling like you are competing against the faceless big guys? Management guru and CPA Robert Fligel shows you how you can take your pokey accounting firm and put a turbocharger under the hood and get moving! His advice is clear and straightforward, and you do not need to be a rocket scientist to get results. So why accept the same-old-same-old when you can do much better for yourself and your clients?
Thomas Hauck, freelance book editor, provides his clients in business and finance with a full range of ghostwriting, editing, and proofreading services. Contact Tom today for a free quote.
Congratulations to my valued client Tabitha Jayne, who has just published her new book “Thriving Loss,” which I had the honor to edit. In this very special presentation of personal stories and empathetic advice, Tabitha, a certified coach, reveals how anyone can not only survive grief but thrive grief. When a loved one passes the pain of loss can seem overwhelming, and through her own deeply felt experiences and those of several women, Tabitha guides the reader to a new place of healing and positive energy.
Readers learn about the Tree of Transformation and how it can help transform one’s life. Included is time-tested advice on making a departed loved one a part of one’s life, celebrating happy memories, overcoming guilt, connecting with nature, and much more.
Tabitha Jayne is a leading expert in the field of grief and growth coaching, having first developed an interest in the topic following the sudden death of her younger brother. The founder of “Transform Grief. Live Fully. Thrive Loss” coaching and workshops, Tabitha is also the creator of “Tree of Transformation,” a five-step process that helps individuals fully let go of the pain of loss and create new lives full of peace, passion and purpose.
“Thriving Loss” by Tabitha Jayne
Thomas Hauck, book editor, helps authors write and edit their books in all genres including self-help, fiction, memoirs, and business books.
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 the book and their proposal before submitting the package to additional editors. It’s a smart strategy.
The editors who have read the book – or have started to read it – have offered a mixed bag of responses. Some say the characters are too thinly dawn. Others want more action up front. Others say they can’t identify with the protagonist.
There is no consensus, only a grab bag of contradictory feedback. It’s possible that the author is encountering an expectations gap. Editors, like readers, have a set of preconceptions about what they like and what they think will sell. If you meet those expectations, terrific. If not, you have a tough road ahead.
As any author knows, the query letter is key. It sets up expectations. These expectations must be fulfilled, or the editor will put the book down. Unfortunately, the word “thriller” comes with a set of images – nowadays in the form of Jack Reacher and/or Lisbeth Salander. If you’re not offering a domestic crime caper with a tough guy/tough gal protagonist, preferably one with crippling personal issues, you have some explaining to do.
Which brings us back to our query letter. There is a one-sentence format that every author should at least attempt to fulfill. This is the “When…then” formula. Here are some examples of this formula in action when applied to a selection of classic books on my bookshelf.
A. “When the warrior’s ship is blown off course, he faces a ten-year journey to return home and defend his wife against greedy suitors.”
B. “When a young London real estate agent is sent to meet a client in a mysterious castle in Transylvania, he faces an evil force more powerful than he could imagine.”
C. “When a young guitar player happens to meet a singer on the train, an unlikely partnership is formed that will change pop music forever.”
D. “When a boy and girl meet at a dance and fall in love, they unleash a bitter family conflict that threatens their lives.”
E. “When a newly divorced woman buys a bed and breakfast in a remote seacoast town, she discovers the true love of her life.”
The answers – A. “The Odyssey”; B. “Dracula”; C. “Life” by Keith Richards; D. “Romeo and Juliet”; E. Any one of a thousand books.
It’s a tidy formula: When some trigger event happens, then the protagonist faces challenges and/or opportunities. It’s like a door opening.
Literature is above all about the individual human experience. When your reader connects with your protagonist, you’ve got a companion on your journey.
Thomas Hauck, freelance book editor, helps clients in Boston, New England, and around the world bring their books to the highest level possible. If you need help with your novel, memoir, self-help book, or business book, contact Thomas Hauck today.
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 noun or pronoun. (See that? I used “that.” An argument with a grammarian may now ensue.)
Nowadays, editors try to use “that” for what we call restrictive clauses. This means that the information provided by the clause is indispensable. Here is an easy example: “The car that gets the best gas mileage is the one I’ll buy.” The phrase about the gas mileage is necessary to the sentence. You cannot remove it.
Editors try to use “which” when the information is non-restrictive or incidental. You don’t need it to understand the central meaning of the sentence. Here is an example: “The car, which gets great gas mileage, is the one that I will buy.” The part about the gas mileage is additional information about the car, but it is not absolutely necessary.
Most editors will use a comma before “which,” as I did in the preceding example. Editors will not use a comma preceding “that.”
Here is a trickier example: “I will buy the car which gets the best gas mileage.” If you put a comma in front of “which,” it looks wrong: “I will buy the car, which gets the best gas mileage.” A grammarian might insist that the sentence read, “I will buy the car that gets the best gas mileage.” This sentence suggests that there are a finite number of cars from which to choose – perhaps two or three.
Sometimes, to break a tie, I will check to see if the preceding noun is identified by “a” or “the.” If the sentence talks about “a car,” it is obviously one of many, and needs to be further identified. Here is an example: “A car that gets good gas mileage is inexpensive to operate.”
Contrast that with this example: “The car, which gets good gas mileage, is inexpensive to operate.” When you say “the car,” you have identified only one car, and so the information about the gas mileage could be omitted.
When you have written a book or report, it’s important to make sure that the grammar is perfect – or at least within the limits that grammarians argue about! At Thomas Hauck book editing, my goal is to bring your book to the highest level possible. Every year in the United States almost a million new books are published, both by traditional publishers and self-publishers. It’s a very competitive marketplace, and books that contain basic errors are quickly set aside. You need to let your ideas shine through, and the only way to do that is with the assistance of a qualified book editor.
Contact Thomas Hauck, freelance book editor, for a free quote and unmatched personal service. I’m located in Gloucester, MA, USA, and I serve clients throughout the United States and around the world. Let’s get your book looking great!
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 difficult to measure objectively.
Here’s why. Reading is a linear process. The reader follows a line of text and sees one word after another. In this way it’s like music, which is also time-based and linear. It is unlike visual art; when you approach a painting your eye can scan across the surface and see various parts in whatever order you choose.
In good writing, it’s important not to confuse the reader. You want the reader to fly through the book the way a skier flies downhill. You do not want any moguls and you do not want the reader to have to stop and figure out what you are saying.
The differences can be very subtle. At Thomas Hauck book editors, I make sure that each line – each phrase – is presented in the optimum order. Here’s an example of a typical line edit.
“The tree fell with a mighty crash because its roots were weakened by age and it was hit by a fierce west wind.” Technically, there is nothing wrong here. No typos and no bad grammar. But the phrasing is inelegant. The reader must backtrack to put all the pieces together: tree fell, weak roots, west wind.
The line editor may suggest this: “From the west came a fierce wind, and the tree, its roots weakened by age, fell with a mighty crash.”
In a joke, the format is this: setup and then punchline. The joke writer always saves the punchline for the end. A sentence is no different. In our example, the punchline is that the tree fell with a mighty crash. This information must be saved for the end. All of the other information, which serves to set up the punchline, comes first. This allows the reader to visualize the scene clearly and without having to backtrack. Typically, this means that the writer is moving from the general to the specific: taking the long establishing shot and then moving in for the closeup.
This is why the Bible says, “In the beginning was the word.” It does not say, “The word was in the beginning.” They are exactly the same six words, yet one version is clumsy, and the other version sings.
At Thomas Hauck book editing, we make sure that your manuscript is not merely acceptable – we ensure that it is the very best that it can be. Contact editor Thomas Hauck for all of your literary needs.
When people first meet me and I tell them that I’m a book editor and ghostwriter based in Gloucester, MA, which is an hour north of Boston, they often want to know who my clients are and where they come from.
I edit books for people all over the world, but primarily from the United States, England, and Australia. I have worked with authors and business clients in Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore, and many other places. A sizable part of the Thomas Hauck editing business is with foreign clients who need their books to be in flawless US or UK English. This can be challenging – and you cannot outsource native English writing!
Many of my clients are individual authors who either have written, or are in the process of writing, a novel or memoir. I recently had the pleasure to assist an established author prepare his thriller novel for submission to publishers; his literary agent had many suggestions for the book and the very talented author, who was otherwise very busy, turned to me for quick ghostwriting of new material as well as editing with an eye to plot, character, flow, and point of view – all the ingredients that must be perfect for a novel to captivate the reader.
Many professionals turn to Thomas Hauck editing and ghostwriting services when they need to publish a book that will establish them as a leader in their field and attract new clients. My job is to position them as thought leaders and help them to connect with their market. I focus on the entire package – content, proofreading, line editing, formatting, and structure.
I edit quite a few self-help books. These are books that help people to lead better lives, and sometimes to change their lives dramatically. Self-help or advice books come in every variety. Some are very philosophical; some focus on health; while others are business oriented. Right now I’m editing a book for a UK client that shows you how to get the best deal when buying a car! A few weeks ago I edited a book that featured a deep philosophical and spiritual dialogue between a sea captain and an Indian mystic.
My clients find me on my website at thomashauck.net. They also find me on Elance and Guru, two excellent websites for a wide range of talent. My book editing and ghostwriting clients know that I’m always accessible by email, phone, or Skype. I never outsource any editing or ghostwriting project – not one word. My rates are discussed up front and there are never any surprises. A follow-up round of edits is always included at no extra charge.
No matter where in the world you may be located, Thomas Hauck ghostwriting and book editing can help you. I’m always just a few clicks away!
– From our offices in Gloucester, MA, Thomas Hauck provides professional book editing and ghostwriting services for authors in the Boston area, New England, the United States, and worldwide. Contact Thomas Hauck book editor today.
Rocketing to the top of the Amazon lists is the inspiring memoir by Antonia “Toya” Carter, “Priceless Inspirations.” Toya is the star of the hit television show “Tiny and Toya,” but her early life was not easy. Abandoned by her parents as a child, she lived with a succession of family members as her mother sank deeper into drug addiction. Toya’s inner light shone despite her tough circumstances, and she developed a friendship and a romance with a talented fifteen-year-old hip-hop artist named Dwayne Michael Carter, known today ‘Lil Wayne. At the age of fourteen Toya had his baby, and with ‘Lil Wayne to assist her, Toya built a new life for herself and her family.
I had the honor to edit “Priceless Inspirations” prior to publication by Farrah Gray Publishing, Inc. The foreword was written by ‘Lil Wayne. “Priceless Inspirations” is a beautifully written book that any young person can read and see in Toya’s story a little of their own. With the right attitude, you can overcome life’s challenges and reach your dreams.
From his offices in Gloucester, MA, Thomas Hauck provides professional freelance book editing and ghostwriting services for authors in the Boston area, New England, the United States, and worldwide. For a free quote, contact Thomas Hauck book editor today.
Congratulations to my client Peter Andrew Sacco on the publication of his new horror thriller, “Midnight Eclipse,” now on Amazon and other retail sites.
It’s August in Northwestern Canada’s beautiful Hartley Bay. But as resorts are being built on ancient Native lands, the Native peoples are in conflict with land developers. Claire Sanders and her team of negotiators hope to resolve the problems. But there is a menace that none of them are prepared to face: the Flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship of vampires led by Captain Stefen Hiller, whose band of bloodthirsty ghouls descends on isolated communities to wreak havoc and horror. Ten-year-old Kyle Sanders, who possesses the gift of precognition, sees the Dutchmen coming to Hartley Bay. Just who is going to believe the boy’s warning? “The vampires are coming!”
I also had the honor to edit one of Mr. Sacco’s previous books, the YA supernatural adventure thriller “The Lost Fountain.” My best wishes to this very talented and prolific author.
From our offices in Gloucester, MA, Thomas Hauck provides professional book editing and ghostwriting services for authors in the Boston area, New England, the United States, and worldwide. Contact Thomas Hauck book editor today.