Overview
Former Editorial Director for a major home and garden book publisher. Very experienced in all aspects of book development and publishing, including concepting, content development, organization and all levels of editorial.
My editing style has evolved significantly over my more-than-thirty-year career in publishing, moving away from the "this is how I would say it" approach to placing an absolute premium on "what are you trying to say?" My focus, and I believe my strongest asset, is all about content: not simply choosing the right words and punctuation, but challenging the underlying thoughts and assumptions. Once the message is clarified and prioritized, my attention then turns to the presentation itself: Is it logical? Is it navigable? Does it make the reader work too hard to get to the point?
I have mentored many first-time authors and young writers and I greatly enjoy helping them communicate their unique ideas and expertise into well-organized, accurate and understandable copy.
My editing style has evolved significantly over my more-than-thirty-year career in publishing, moving away from the "this is how I would say it" approach to placing an absolute premium on "what are you trying to say?" My focus, and I believe my strongest asset, is all about content: not simply choosing the right words and punctuation, but challenging the underlying thoughts and assumptions. Once the message is clarified and prioritized, my attention then turns to the presentation itself: Is it logical? Is it navigable? Does it make the reader work too hard to get to the point?
I have mentored many first-time authors and young writers and I greatly enjoy helping them communicate their unique ideas and expertise into well-organized, accurate and understandable copy.
Services
Non-Fiction
Home & Garden
Languages
English (US)
Work experience
The Quarto Group
Jan, 1992 —
Jan, 2020
(about 28 years)
Primary editor and director for The Black and Decker Home Improvement book series and 300+ additional book titles in the DIY and woodworking categories. Principal editor on more than 100 DIY gardening books, including bestsellers All New Square Foot Gardening and Straw Bale Gardens Complete. Developed deep content knowledge in both home and garden subject areas, as well as an advanced ability to organize DIY material for navigability and edit how-to copy for clarity and accuracy. Worked with and mentored dozens of first-time authors.
Portfolio
