Overview
I offer complete book editing services for fiction, nonfiction, and children’s/YA: general assessments and developmental editing for early-stage manuscripts; detailed, constructive critiques; and final line editing. I work with writers at all levels, from beginners to much-published veterans. For newer writers, my critiques serve as a mini-writing tutorial that is customized to your manuscript, but that you should also find helpful to your future projects. For all clients, I aim to take the fear out of the revision process by offering clear guidance on how to proceed, with a focus on preparing your book for the marketplace. I also help authors develop query letters and book proposals that consistently lead to agent requests.
As the author of 15 books and countless articles, I know how much I have benefited from the many editors I have worked with; and I hope my clients learn to be better writers by working with me. I particularly love editing mysteries and thrillers, historical novels, children's/YA projects, and literary fiction; and nonfiction that teaches me something. But I work with manuscripts of all types. For me, every new project opens up a new world—one I always feel excited and honored to visit.
As the author of 15 books and countless articles, I know how much I have benefited from the many editors I have worked with; and I hope my clients learn to be better writers by working with me. I particularly love editing mysteries and thrillers, historical novels, children's/YA projects, and literary fiction; and nonfiction that teaches me something. But I work with manuscripts of all types. For me, every new project opens up a new world—one I always feel excited and honored to visit.
Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction
Health & Wellbeing
Psychology
Religion & Spirituality
Fiction
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Awards
- 1987 Best Children's Book List, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science Books & Films. Author of highest-rated title of the year on physics for kids.
Work experience
Self-employed
Jan, 2000 —
Present
Owner, full time editorial service, 2000-present
Freelance manuscript editor/ghostwriter/coach 1992-present
Producer/content director/head writer, CD-ROMs, HyperQuest, 1995-1996
Contributing editor, various periodicals, Boardroom Reports, 1982-1998
Producer/writer, women's interest television talk show, 1993
Producer/writer/owner, Carol G. Consortium (advertising agency) Gold Addy, 2 Silvers, 1988-1990
Author, 15 books, fiction and nonfiction, mostly children's/YA, one adult novel; 1985-1990
Picture editor, two Time-Life series and other publications; various positions in publishing and bookselling since teens, from stocking parents' bookstore to fact-checking to writing to manuscript editing.
My experience spans many aspects of the publishing field: published author (Bantam, Berkley/Ace, Scholastic, Avon, other), book editor, series developer, picture editor (Time-Life, Troll Associates), website producer (Whole Foods, other), ghostwriter, bookseller, ad agency owner, workshop teacher/speaker, and “literary midwife.” In the 20+ years I have been editing full time, I have worked with over 300 authors.
Portfolio
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
In this no-nonsense guide for men, psychologist Jonas Horwitz presents straightforward, jargon-free strategies to help you identify and overcome depression, once and for all. The damned thing ... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
As Boston’s demographics shift, a subtle cultural revolution swirls ahead, opening doors of perception. Jazmin, a Latina teen, explores immortality on a basketball court in Jamaica Plain. Tany... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Life in the small mountainous community of La Paz, Guatemala is shaken by a gruesome discovery. The remains of a visiting U.S. doctoral student are found on one of the community's holiest shri... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
"Much more than a superb conspiracy thriller, Backfill is an absolute must-read for any environmentally conscious reader." BestThrillers.comEnvironmental manager Mary Ann Hodges takes on a job... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
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For any young woman, it can be hard to follow the rules . . . especially when you’re falling in love.But for Rachel, Hindy, and Leah, it’s especially hard. Because as Orthodox Jews, they live ... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Can a mouse virus cause breast cancer in women? Answering that question has become Dr. Kathleen Ruddy's life’s work. The End of Breast Cancer is the landmark book that gives an extraordinary g... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
In 2008, financial planner James Nussbaumer was convicted of felony theft. At age fifty, he found himself incarcerated and facing a ten year prison term. On his first night in prison, he was s... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
2018 Book Excellence Award Finalist in the Suspense categoryAlan Newberg, a staid title-company lawyer in the middle of a divorce, escapes to the French Riviera in an effort to reinvent himsel... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Teaching Stories and Activities for Youth is a storybook, but not completely. It is anactivity book, but not entirely. Rather, it is a combo: a combination of stories andactivities; of the ins... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
Hurricane Sandy was a fierce demonstration of the ecological vulnerability of New York, a city of islands. Yet the storm also revealed the resilience of a metropolis that has started during th... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
Winner of the 2014 James River Writers Best Indie Novel ContestWinner of the 2015 Feathered Quill Book Awards for Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut AuthorA young woman's gift could weave ... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
The battle for the White House following the election of November 7, 2000, was arguably one of the biggest controversies in U.S. history. And one woman stood at the center of the storm-Katheri... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Foreword by Nikki GiovanniShe survived the horrific Middle Passage as a child and was purchased as a slave in 1761. By the time she turned twenty Phillis Wheatley became the most famous person... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
"Those who have only been in Valley Forge and Middlebrook during the last two winters, but have not tasted the cruelties of this one, know not what it is to suffer." Major General Johann de Ka... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Strokes are the third-leading cause of death in America, and for the lucky’ stroke victims who don’t die, about half will spend the rest of their lives trying to recover.” Roughly 700,000 Am... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
“Once upon a time,” begins the narrator of this richly imagined novel. But what follows is no ordinary fantasy full of dragons, elves, and wicked stepmothers. Yes, the tale involves a boy name... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
Over 50 million Americans have a mental illness, but as many as 20 million don't have their illness detected. And many others get substandard treatment. Family members play a crucial role in r... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Lost Stories of the Great War brings to life little know stories from one hundred years ago. Why did African American National Guardsmen fight with the French? What technologies and tactics we... read more
Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
The Other La Bohème is literary fiction that depicts the lives and loves of four friends who pursue opera singers' careers in present-day New York City. Jennifer (soprano), Stephanie (mezzo-so... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Carol Kortsch weaves the complex story of the weekend retreat journey of Mei, Sam, Raquel, and a cast of characters from diverse backgrounds who join together with the purpose to reconnect who... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Who Killed the High Priestess Thermafi? Palace intrigue...sibling rivalries...mysticism...murder. Hidden From the Face of Humans is a sweeping epic that brings to vivid life the last native Eg... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
In Broadway, Schrafft’s and Seeded Rye—Growing Up Slightly Jewish on the Upper West Side, Lyla Blake Ward, author of How to Succeed at Aging Without Really Dying, tells it like it was growing ... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
In the world of casino gaming, larcenous souls tip the scales of fortune in their favor. Casinos don't stop players from cashing in if the win is honest. But if the rules in the game are bent,... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Demons in the CrawlspaceFrank Salvato is a middle aged, divorced, homicide cop who is forced to join the world of tortured souls when his little boy is murdered. Battles with his own inner dem... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Editorial Assessment
Carol has 23 reviews
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