James Ranson - Editor
The Master Wordsmith (TM). Your mentor on the hero's journey from business OWNER to business AUTHOR.
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Overview
There are tons of editors out there who will take your text, run a red pen through it, send it back a week later, and go on their merry way.
If that’s the kind of editor you want, we won’t work well together.
On the other hand, if you want an editor who will ask questions, make suggestions, challenge you to make what's good even better, call you out when you sabotage your own authority or let your emotions take over your writing, nitpick over using the exact right word, remind you of the quote "explain it to me like I'm a six-year-old," obsess over the clarity of your writing, and give you a loving kick in the ass from time to time, all in the interest of making your book the high-quality business asset we both want it to be…nice to meet you. :)
If you’re still reading, I’m pretty sure I know three things about you.
1. You want to write a GREAT book. Not a fast book, not a cheap book, not a halfway decent book--a truly excellent book. A book you're proud of. A book your audience can't put down. A book that changes lives and may even change your industry. Most importantly, a book you know will add six figures or more to your business in its first year out, double your revenue in three years or less, and be a foundation for even greater business growth for the next decade.
2. You know what you’ve created thus far, while pretty good, isn’t great yet. You’ve written a draft of your text. (Maybe you’ve written several.) You’ve got an awesome vision of the finished masterpiece. And you've got a strategy for using the finished book in your business that goes well beyond "make it an Amazon bestseller and hope for the best." But you also know you've also done all you can by yourself. To make this book worthy of the vision and strategy you have for it, you know you need help. But...
3. ...you're not just looking for any help. You're a premium provider in your industry and an authority to your audience, and you got that way by having high standards for your own services. You also know the value of investing in high-level support, because you've already done that to grow your business to where it is now. So when you look for someone to help you make your book awesome, you're not looking for an outsourced contractor. You're looking for a mentor, a partner, and an expert who's as much of an authority in their industry as you are in yours.
In other words, you're looking for a master wordsmith.
That’s where I come in. :)
As the folks at Farmers Insurance put it, I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two. I've been helping six-figure business owners write, publish, and monetize high-quality books since 2014. I'm the author of Don't Write A Crappy Book!, a comprehensive guide to avoiding costly writing and publishing mistakes business authors don't know they're making. Within the self-publishing industry, I've seen the high end and the low end, the half-assed and the whole-assed, the programs for bootstrappers and the programs for CEOs. I've worked for Chandler Bolt (Self-Publishing School), Tucker Max (Scribe Media), and whole lot of people in between.
And I will put my dedication to creating high-quality, truly excellent business books up against any of theirs any day of the week.
I'm James Ranson, The Master Wordsmith(TM), and I can't wait to work with you. :)
If that’s the kind of editor you want, we won’t work well together.
On the other hand, if you want an editor who will ask questions, make suggestions, challenge you to make what's good even better, call you out when you sabotage your own authority or let your emotions take over your writing, nitpick over using the exact right word, remind you of the quote "explain it to me like I'm a six-year-old," obsess over the clarity of your writing, and give you a loving kick in the ass from time to time, all in the interest of making your book the high-quality business asset we both want it to be…nice to meet you. :)
If you’re still reading, I’m pretty sure I know three things about you.
1. You want to write a GREAT book. Not a fast book, not a cheap book, not a halfway decent book--a truly excellent book. A book you're proud of. A book your audience can't put down. A book that changes lives and may even change your industry. Most importantly, a book you know will add six figures or more to your business in its first year out, double your revenue in three years or less, and be a foundation for even greater business growth for the next decade.
2. You know what you’ve created thus far, while pretty good, isn’t great yet. You’ve written a draft of your text. (Maybe you’ve written several.) You’ve got an awesome vision of the finished masterpiece. And you've got a strategy for using the finished book in your business that goes well beyond "make it an Amazon bestseller and hope for the best." But you also know you've also done all you can by yourself. To make this book worthy of the vision and strategy you have for it, you know you need help. But...
3. ...you're not just looking for any help. You're a premium provider in your industry and an authority to your audience, and you got that way by having high standards for your own services. You also know the value of investing in high-level support, because you've already done that to grow your business to where it is now. So when you look for someone to help you make your book awesome, you're not looking for an outsourced contractor. You're looking for a mentor, a partner, and an expert who's as much of an authority in their industry as you are in yours.
In other words, you're looking for a master wordsmith.
That’s where I come in. :)
As the folks at Farmers Insurance put it, I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two. I've been helping six-figure business owners write, publish, and monetize high-quality books since 2014. I'm the author of Don't Write A Crappy Book!, a comprehensive guide to avoiding costly writing and publishing mistakes business authors don't know they're making. Within the self-publishing industry, I've seen the high end and the low end, the half-assed and the whole-assed, the programs for bootstrappers and the programs for CEOs. I've worked for Chandler Bolt (Self-Publishing School), Tucker Max (Scribe Media), and whole lot of people in between.
And I will put my dedication to creating high-quality, truly excellent business books up against any of theirs any day of the week.
I know writing a successful business book is a hero's journey, not a race. I know great book marketing only works with a great book. And I know profitable books don't get written alone. In a self-publishing industry obsessed with writing books in a weekend, I stand against the flood of quick-and-cheap, one-size-fits-all "solutions," guiding six-figure business owners like you to embrace the challenge of putting their book's quality first. I also work in partnership with great proofreaders, designers, and book marketers, as well as with Morgan James Publishing, to ensure that those quality books look great, get published successfully, and start making their authors money right away.
Clients of mine have used their books to build multiple-six-figure businesses, receive book deals from traditional publishing houses, and get national and international media attention. My authors describe me as "a reassuring presence in an otherwise stressful process," "an editor who cared about our book as much as we did," "a mentor who will hold the line for what's truly best for the book," and "the solution to all my book problems."
When I'm not mentoring heroic business authors, you can find me singing Christmas carols in Victorian costume, hiking and playing board games with my partner Lindsay, exploring Atlanta's amazing theatre and restaurant scenes, training for competitive powerlifting, and checking out more library books than I can carry.
I'm James Ranson, The Master Wordsmith(TM), and I can't wait to work with you. :)
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Business & Management
Music
Self-help & Self-improvement
Sex & Relationships
Travel
Writing & Publishing
Work experience
Book coach and editor
Self-employed
August, 2014
–
Present
(over 5 years)
Contract book coach and editor
Book Launchers, Inc
June, 2019
–
Present
(10 months)
Contract writer and editor
Thanet House Books
June, 2018
–
December, 2019
(over 1 year)
Contract editor and writer
Scribe Media (formerly Book In A Box)
December, 2014
–
June, 2017
(over 2 years)
Contract editor
Authors Unite
September, 2014
–
August, 2017
(almost 3 years)
Recommended editor
Self-Publishing School
August, 2014
–
December, 2016
(over 2 years)
Portfolio (10 selected works)
Wall Street Journal BestsellerHow many times have you heard someone say, "it’s not what you know, it’s who you know"?We all know the importance of relationships in creating and growing a business, and yet most of us don’t know exactly what to do about it. We go to networking events, meet associates for coffee, or maybe even email prospective clients, but it’s never quite enough.The challenge t... read more
Busting the Life Insurance Lies: 38 Myths and Misconceptions That Sabotage Your Wealth (Busting the Money Myths Series Book 4)
Kim D. H. Butler, Jack Burns, James Ranson
Is life insurance a bad investment? Don’t I lose all my cash value when I die? Shouldn’t I just make a bundle and invest it instead? What about my spouse or my kids—do they need life insurance? Can I borrow money from (or is it against?) a life insurance policy? My insurance advisor told me one thing about insurance, but my financial planner gave me different advice, and an expert on TV said s... read more
Have you been frustrated by ineffective tactics for marketing & growing your business?Do you ever feel like you’ve wasted your money (or even worse, your time) pursuing a strategy that failed to bear fruit in the form of increased profits?You’re not alone. In fact, almost every entrepreneur & business owner at some point or another has fallen into the trap of investing themselves into a comple... read more
Empowered, Sexy, and Free is a book for the woman who is ready for something new. She knows there is a better way than riding on the mainstream struggle bus. She’s ready to reclaim her feminine power, her inner confidence, and her magical creating powers that she has had glimpses of at some points in her life. Now, she is ready to unleash it. Maybe she feeling some resistance in life, but she ... read more
How To Find Your Dream Dog
Dixie Tenny
Bringing a new dog into the household should be one of life’s happiest events. The process always starts with excitement and high expectations. Too often, though, it ends in disappointment. The new puppy wakes everyone three times a night, gnaws on furniture, piddles everywhere, knocks the children down. The new adolescent dog is too wild. The new adult dog growls at your neighbors. And where ... read more
The People Effect: Find, Grow, And Retain The Best Of The Best
Joel Carver, Mary Weber
It's All About Your PeopleOver the years, there has been a significant shift in priorities when it comesto the hospitality industry. With every business seeming to focus only onprofitability, hotel managers have forgotten about their biggest assets andliabilities―their people.Hotel operators must treat their teams like the great assets they are to thecompany―not like commodities. In The People... read more
Secular Buddhism: Eastern Thought for Western Minds
Noah Rasheta
In this simple yet important book, Noah Rasheta takes profound Buddhist concepts and makes them easy to understand for anyone trying to become a better whatever-they-already-are.
According to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey, a majority of people cite lack of “willpower” as the No. 1 reason for the inability to make the changes needed to achieve their desired outcomes in life. Who hasn’t chickened out on getting something they wanted or needed? This book is about willpower. It offers strategies to tap into self-discipline, allowing for ... read more
The Awakened Woman's Guide to Everlasting Love
Londin Angel Winters, Justin Patrick Pierce
In today’s disconnected, distracted world, it seems like deep love gets harder to maintain every day. We spend more time looking at screens than at each other, cycle through new partners every time the spark starts to fade, and wall away our feelings until we become strangers who share a house and kids. But underneath all this, our souls long for an unbreakable love which deepens over time and... read more
Stop making costly author mistakes you don't even know you're making!A great book can launch your business into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, most self-published business books rank somewhere between “meh” and “flaming pile of crap.” But your book doesn’t have to suck!In Don’t Write a Crappy Book! editor and entrepreneur James Ranson unpacks the most common–and toxic–mistakes that first-tim... read more
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