Linda Carbone - Editor
A seasoned nonfiction book doctor. I have been called a miracle worker, a therapist, and someone who makes dreams come true.
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Overview
I'm a NONFICTION book editor with decades of experience getting manuscripts into publishable shape. I also write and edit book proposals, and I'm co-author of the award-nominated memoir 'A Little Pregnant'--so I know this business from both sides! Let me help you bring your manuscript or proposal to the next level.
Note: I do not do the final polish of copy editing or proofreading unless part of a developmental or line edit.
Some testimonials:
"Linda Carbone is the best of the best in editing. I worked with her for years when I was editorial director of Basic Books, and she works her magic on manuscripts no matter what they need: line editing, conceptual reorganization, cutting, revision. There is no one better, smarter, kinder, or more helpful to the struggling author."
— Susan Rabiner, former editorial director of Basic Books, co-author of 'Thinking Like Your Editor,' head of Susan Rabiner Literary Agency, Inc.
Note: I do not do the final polish of copy editing or proofreading unless part of a developmental or line edit.
Some testimonials:
"Linda Carbone is the best of the best in editing. I worked with her for years when I was editorial director of Basic Books, and she works her magic on manuscripts no matter what they need: line editing, conceptual reorganization, cutting, revision. There is no one better, smarter, kinder, or more helpful to the struggling author."
— Susan Rabiner, former editorial director of Basic Books, co-author of 'Thinking Like Your Editor,' head of Susan Rabiner Literary Agency, Inc.
"Linda Carbone, my editor, is more of a therapist than I am: She helps the person see their faults, points out where things can be improved, and leads them to make necessary changes. She brings order to the chaos, method to the madness, and endless expert guidance. I think she might be a genius."
— Pamela Milam, 'What Your Therapist Thinks About You'
— Pamela Milam, 'What Your Therapist Thinks About You'
"I so love what you've done here. I am grateful to you for taking such good care of this precious 'baby.' I loved talking with you from our first conversation, and felt such a sense of peace knowing you were there with it (and me). I can't thank you enough for your care and sensitivity and thoughtfulness and wisdom. I hope we get to work together many more times!"
— Pam Allyn, 'Your Child's Writing Life'
— Pam Allyn, 'Your Child's Writing Life'
"You're a fantastic editor and lovely to work with. From the start, I considered myself lucky to have found you. I embraced every revision or rewrite you suggested. You genuinely cared for my project — something that was vitally important to me. I'm so grateful for the contribution you made to my book!"
— Eva James, 'Bullied by the Boss'
— Eva James, 'Bullied by the Boss'
"When my agent suggested that I contact Linda to help with my book proposal, I wasn’t sure. I had worked long and hard on it, and I felt it was as good as it could be. But Linda understood what was missing. Her version was sharp, clean, and to the point. And her knowledge of the publishing industry made the difference between more rejections and the book deal I was offered."
— Erik Vance, 'Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal'
— Erik Vance, 'Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal'
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Health & Wellbeing
Humanities & Social Sciences
Parenting & Families
Psychology
Awards
- Have worked with a Nobel Prize winner (Herbert A. Simon) and a Pulitzer Prize winner (Walter A. McDougall)
- My own memoir ("A Little Pregnant") was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life award
Work experience
Independent Editorial Consultant
Self-employed
April, 2009
–
Present
(almost 14 years)
I love working with first-time authors as well as veterans to make their books the best they can be.
In all nonfiction subject areas, I offer:
*Detailed manuscript critique
*Developmental editing
*Line editing
*Rewriting/book doctoring
*Proposal development
A recent rewrite made the New York Times best-seller list.
Among the authors I have worked with are psychiatrists, academics, doctors, journalists, memoirists, self-publishers, a college student, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Nobel Prize winner, and a medicine woman. When appropriate, will assist in finding an agent.
former Senior Developmental Editor
Basic Books
March, 1990
–
May, 1997
(about 7 years)
Portfolio (16 selected works)
From Dr. Martha Stout's influential work The Sociopath Next Door, we learned how to identify a sociopath. Now she tells us what we actually can do about it.While the best way to deal with a sociopath is to avoid him or her entirely, sometimes circumstance doesn't allow for that. What happens when the time comes to defend yourself against your own child, a ruthless ex-spouse, a boss or another ... read more
National Geographic's riveting narrative explores the world of placebos, hypnosis, false memories, and neurology to reveal the groundbreaking science of our suggestible minds. Could the secrets to personal health lie within our own brains? Journalist Erik Vance explores the surprising ways our expectations and beliefs influence our bodily responses to pain, disease, and everyday events. Drawin... read more
“Buck up.” “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” “Don’t ruin everything.” When you are anxious, sad, angry, or lonely, do you hear this self-critical voice? What would happen if, instead of fighting difficult emotions, we accepted them? Over his decades of experience as a therapist and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Dr. Christopher Germer has learned a paradoxical lesson: We all want to avo... read more
A bootstrapper himself, Godin offers "nine magic rules" and "ten commandments" along with other information to entrepreneurs interested in starting their own business. Includes many stories of successful enterprises, along with coverage of planning, financing, acting professional, and surviving on a personal basis. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
For fans of The Lost City of Z, Walking the Amazon, and Turn Right at Machu Picchu comes naturalist and explorer Paul Rosolie’s extraordinary adventure in the uncharted tributaries of the Western Amazon—a tale of discovery that vividly captures the awe, beauty, and isolation of this endangered land and presents an impassioned call to save it.In the Madre de Dios—Mother of God—region of Peru, w... read more
The bestselling book on childhood trauma and the enduring effects of repressed anger and pain Why are many of the most successful people plagued by feelings of emptiness and alienation? This wise and profound book has provided millions of readers with an answer--and has helped them to apply it to their own lives.Far too many of us had to learn as children to hide our own feelings, needs, and m... read more
The Home: A Memoir of Growing Up in an Orphanage
Richard McKenzie
Richard McKenzie was 10 years old when he and his brother were dropped off at an orphanage in North Carolina. Their mother had committed suicide and their alcoholic and abusive father could not care for them. The Home, as everyone called it, provided the children with the stability they needed to build character and self-respect. Some were orphans, but most were victims of poverty and neglect,... read more
A Little Pregnant: Our Memoir of Fertility, Infertility, and a Marriage
Linda Carbone, Ed Decker
A refreshingly honest memoir of a infertility follows one couple's decade-long search to become pregnant. 30,000 first printing. Tour.
At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by a battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological condition that made it difficult for her to walk, work, or enjoy her life. Seeking a remedy for her depression after being hospitalized, she received an uncommon prescription from an African medicine woman: Give to others for 29 days.29 Gifts is the insightful story of the author's life cha... read more
How We Survived Prostate Cancer: What We Did and What We Should Have Done
Victoria Hallerman, Peter S. Albert
In this unflinchingly honest account of one couple's struggles through prostate cancer, told from the wife's point of view, Victoria Hallerman writes poignantly of the six-year journey that changed the landscape of her and her husband's lives. She and Dean had been married 33 years when he got the news and underwent treatment that included radioactive seeds and hormone therapy, with severe and... read more
On Their Own: Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child With Learning Disabilities and ADHD: A Family Guide
Anne Ford, John-Richard Thompson, Sally Shaywitz
An indispensable guide to the special challenges faced by parents of learning-disabled children as they enter adulthood, by the author of Laughing Allegra, a leading activist and parent of an adult child with LD.In 2003 Anne Ford (great-granddaughter of Henry Ford) published Laughing Allegra, about the struggles of raising her learning-disabled daughter, and received a flood of letters from pa... read more
Reflections Of An Affirmative Action Baby
Stephen L. Carter
In a climate where whites who criticize affirmative action risk being termed racist and blacks who do the same risk charges of treason and self hatred, a frank and open discussion of racial preference is difficult to achieve. But, in the first book on racial preference written from personal experience, Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby, Stephen L. Carter, Cromwell Professor of Law at Y... read more
Discovering that your teen “cuts” is every parent's nightmare. Your most urgent question is: "How can I make it stop?" Tens of thousands of worried parents have turned to this authoritative guide for information and practical guidance about the growing problem of teen self-injury. Dr. Michael Hollander is a leading expert on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), the most effective treatment appr... read more
Seeing The Crab: A Memoir Before Dying
Christina Middlebrook
The author recounts how she was diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer, underwent a mastectomy and painful radiation, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant, only to have the terminal cancer resurface in her spine, and shares her struggle to keep some richness in her life
In this brilliant work, a clinical psychologist offers a startling new vision of schizophrenia, comparing it with the works of modern writers such as Kafka and philosophers such as Nietzsche. "Refreshingly different from customary writings on mental illness . . . highly original and profoundly disquieting insights."--New York Times Book Review.
Searching for Memory
Daniel L. Schacter
Memory. There may be nothing more important to human beings than our ability to enshrine experience and recall it. While philosophers and poets have elevated memory to an almost mystical level, psychologists have struggled to demystify it. Now, according to Daniel Schacter, one of the most distinguished memory researchers, the mysteries of memory are finally yielding to dramatic, even revoluti... read more
Linda has 10 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Linda was fantastic! She took my words and made them read and flow so much better! She was friendly and easy to collaborate with. I highly recommend!
Les Chantery, June 2022
Linda brought clarity to my memoir and provided me with valuable feedback. I highly recommend her.
Thomas Martin, September 2021
Very helpful observations on relationship between audience and content.
Benson Branch, September 2021
I am very grateful to Linda for helping me with my memoir manuscript. She is an expert in her field. She was honest, constructive and very easy to speak with. I'm looking forward to working with her again.
Karen Shanahan, July 2021
I can't recommend Linda highly enough. She explained to me how she was going to review and edit my book, When she was done, I had a professionally edited book. Issues were corrected. Ideas were given. And I felt confident that I was, after a few revisions very close to publication. Just fantastic to work with.
Scott Limmer, June 2021
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