The Holistic Book Editor

The Holistic Book Editor I offer developmental and copy editing on books and collateral materials for nonfiction authors. I also assist authors with self publishing.

Why am I the "holistic" book editor? As with holistic medical doctors, who work with their patients to achieve optimal health, I work with my clients to produce the optimal level of excellence that their book is capable of reaching. I view the "whole system" of what their book requires in order to be "birthed" into the world. I like to think of myself as a midwife to authors. Also similar to good

holistic doctors, I do whatever is needed to bring the project to complete "health." Some examples: With a printed book that was privately published, I offered complete book layout and design to my client and I found an excellent online printer that delivered her books within days. With a cookbook author, I provided structure that was missing, and put the recipes created by four different people into a consistent industry-standard format. With an ebook author, I produced the HTML and converted it into the Amazon Kindle format. On all the above projects, I also offered my image processing and design skills. It all starts with editing. Whatever else is required is handled after the editing is complete. And I do mean complete! Unlike most editors, I do not limit myself to a certain number of "passes." We work on your manuscript until we are BOTH happy and feel that it is the best it can possibly be. During the editing process, whatever else is needed on your unique project will organically emerge as we discuss your goals and objectives. If I see a need, and I have skills to address that need, I will offer my services, often even before you recognize that you need them. And if there is a service that I am unable to provide, I work to find resources for you. I always try to direct clients to what is going to meet their needs in the best possible way. Another analogy to holistic medicine is this: As your editor, I truly CARE about your book and everything that you are trying to achieve by publishing it. Like a midwife, I will guide you, encourage you, help infuse your words with life, and be there for you when your book is delivered to the world! And your "baby" will be very close to perfect! For those who like to see resumes and credentials, I've worked practically my entire life in publishing-related jobs, both corporate and self-employed. I did duty on Silicon Valley software documentation teams, and before that, I was a phototypesetter for many years in graphic design studios and newspapers. More recently, I have spent a few years designing websites. But it is not until the past three years that I have rediscovered and reconnected with my passion for editing. And because of that passion, I'm attracting the best possible clients and enjoying every minute of it! I bring all the related skills I have picked up over the years that have to do with design, image processing, HTML coding, project management, etc. to support my love of working directly with words. If you have written, or are writing, a book, and you are wondering what your next steps are for self publishing, don't hestitate to contact me. I look forward to talking with you!

04/18/2017

This is the kind of text message that makes what I do so worthwhile -- a message from a client who is reviewing my first edit of her book: "I'm just letting you know I'm slowly but surely getting through my book. I'm so impressed with what you've done to it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait to share this with the world!"

I love to help authors bring their words to life and publish a book they can be very proud of. :-) If you have a book in you that wants to come out, let's talk!

Language typically changes at glacial speed; very, very S L O W L Y. This new rule is like Mount St. Helens in 1980!
04/03/2017

Language typically changes at glacial speed; very, very S L O W L Y. This new rule is like Mount St. Helens in 1980!

Watching language change in action.

Since I am the Holistic BOOK Editor (and not the Holistic Newspaper Article Editor), I rely on the wisdom of the Chicago...
03/17/2017

Since I am the Holistic BOOK Editor (and not the Holistic Newspaper Article Editor), I rely on the wisdom of the Chicago Manual of Style in matters of punctuation. But even without their guidance, I stand squarely on the side of Team Oxford..... that is, the Oxford comma. The team motto is: "Use it!"

You never know when leaving it out might have a pretty disastrous effect!

An appeals court ruling on Monday was a victory for truck drivers and punctuation pedants.

Hello, friends of the Holistic Book Editor. Here is some information that might be of interest to self-publishing author...
03/07/2017

Hello, friends of the Holistic Book Editor.

Here is some information that might be of interest to self-publishing authors who want to produce books of the highest quality. I wish The Book Makers much success.

12/20/2016

For all authors who want to self publish, I heartily recommend subscribing to this mailling list! I was one of the guest contributors back in January of this year, and this publication is a treasure trove of good information. Happy Holidays from the Holistic Book Editor!

For Authors & Publishers

09/12/2016

Thank you Professor McIntyre! I would love to take your class! Yes, folks -- it's ALL TRUE, and it's why I LOVE being an editor. Some of us are just bent this way!

I love it when one of my clients gets some good press! I really enjoyed editing this amazing cookbook.
07/09/2016

I love it when one of my clients gets some good press! I really enjoyed editing this amazing cookbook.

The four Epelbaum sisters, authors of Dinner Table Family Headquarters, have been passionate about their family dinners since growing up in Montreal in the ’50s and ’60s. Now all married with families of their own, the sisters wrote the cookbook – under their married names, Merle Moses, Liz Lesh, Ge...

This is an interesting article that includes the issues around gender identification that accompany the "singular they."...
07/09/2016

This is an interesting article that includes the issues around gender identification that accompany the "singular they." From a strictly grammatical point of view, I am (relatively recently) in favor of it, because it DOES follow a certain logic, aside from the fact that people use it in speaking quite a lot.

The logic is: First person singular, I -- second person singular, you -- third person singular, he or she. First person plural, we -- second person plural, YOU -- third person plural, they. Note that "you" works for both singular and plural forms of the second person. No one thinks twice about using "you" to address or refer to ONE other person or MANY other people.

But it's only in writing that there is a longstanding convention that the third person singular cannot possibly be "they." Traditionally, it was always "he" (to represent all humans, not just men), or, since the rise of feminism, the very awkward "he or she" (or alternating back and forth between "he" and "she" in different paragraphs, to be fair and balanced and confusing and awkward).

Time to stop the madness! I am absolutely in favor of the singular they when using a third person construction. It works just as well as the singular you, in my opinion. If it sounds like something that somebody would SAY, I'm in favor of it. A sentence can always be reworded, as well, to eliminate the need to deal with the issue. But if the sentence flows well and does not confuse the reader, the singular they is absolutely correct in my book! (If someone doesn't like it, THEY are free to be as awkward and unnecessarily pedantic as they want to be.)

"They" is bae.

Here's a timely bit of advice from The Grammar Girl!
06/14/2016

Here's a timely bit of advice from The Grammar Girl!

  Today's show will cover the difference between the words woman and female. First we had Nancy Pelosi taking over as Speaker of the House, then Hillary Clinton running for president, and now we have Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee. So the question is rising again&

English is not an easy language!
05/25/2016

English is not an easy language!

After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud

Well this is nice! My article published in The Independent Publishing Magazine has been listed in Writers Weekly, for th...
03/10/2016

Well this is nice! My article published in The Independent Publishing Magazine has been listed in Writers Weekly, for the issue of 2/19, along with two other sources of information about the infamous Author Solutions outfit. Writers beware!

My article is listed under the heading "Another bad Author Solutions experience"..... Writing a book? I can help you steer clear of them!

Survey finds 76% of children prefer print books Author Solutions: A Poor Experience or Poor Choice? More Author Solutions mayhem Author Solutions and Friends: The Inside Story Bad Writing Tips…

Interesting analysis of Sarah Palin's speaking style, likening her to a classic Roman orator.
02/03/2016

Interesting analysis of Sarah Palin's speaking style, likening her to a classic Roman orator.

The elements of Mrs. Palin’s speech style on the campaign trail aren’t simple; they’re actually incredibly complicated.

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