Overview
I've been writing and editing in corporate publishing for more than 20 years. To boil it down, I understand storytelling -- whether that means a 400-page fitness book, a crime thriller, or any length in any subject where you need to hook the reader. The tools may be different from book to book, but the mission is the same.
I've held senior and executive editorial positions at Random House, Penguin, Rodale Books, Men's Health magazine, and Weight Watchers. I specialize in matching editorial voice to each individual project in fiction and nonfiction. I have a lot of voices in my head and I can tap them at will.
I think the most useful editing skill I've learned is the ability to tell the difference between a smart edit and an edit for editing sake. There is a difference. All editors want to make a book or article better, but some have heavier hands than others. I strive for the smart edits -- from polishing prose to deeper concerns like what's the nature of this beast we're creating? I don't like to get in the way of an author's voice. My job is to enhance it. My goal is a clean, compelling final product.
Some other relevant experience-related items:
--I've written more than 100 celebrity magazine profiles (50+ cover stories). Yes, it can be fun to sit down with people like Hugh Jackman, LeBron James, and Anthony Hopkins, but mostly they've helped me learn how to listen so I can bring out the best in the stories they're trying to tell me.
--I've written more than a thousand book jackets. If you've ever read Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford, and many more, my words helped you decide to buy the book. Again, let's hook the reader.
--I'm not able to list some of the biggest-selling books I've written or edited because of non-disclosure agreements. Some big-name authors don't want people to know they had help. But at one point back in the day I was the biggest-selling author on the planet (and couldn't tell anyone about it).
One last thing: What's it like to work with me? The best professional compliment anyone gave me was my former boss at Men's Health magazine when he said, "Thanks for excellence without attitude." That's what I strive for, and what I like to see in the people I work with.
I've held senior and executive editorial positions at Random House, Penguin, Rodale Books, Men's Health magazine, and Weight Watchers. I specialize in matching editorial voice to each individual project in fiction and nonfiction. I have a lot of voices in my head and I can tap them at will.
I think the most useful editing skill I've learned is the ability to tell the difference between a smart edit and an edit for editing sake. There is a difference. All editors want to make a book or article better, but some have heavier hands than others. I strive for the smart edits -- from polishing prose to deeper concerns like what's the nature of this beast we're creating? I don't like to get in the way of an author's voice. My job is to enhance it. My goal is a clean, compelling final product.
Some other relevant experience-related items:
--I've written more than 100 celebrity magazine profiles (50+ cover stories). Yes, it can be fun to sit down with people like Hugh Jackman, LeBron James, and Anthony Hopkins, but mostly they've helped me learn how to listen so I can bring out the best in the stories they're trying to tell me.
--I've written more than a thousand book jackets. If you've ever read Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford, and many more, my words helped you decide to buy the book. Again, let's hook the reader.
--I'm not able to list some of the biggest-selling books I've written or edited because of non-disclosure agreements. Some big-name authors don't want people to know they had help. But at one point back in the day I was the biggest-selling author on the planet (and couldn't tell anyone about it).
One last thing: What's it like to work with me? The best professional compliment anyone gave me was my former boss at Men's Health magazine when he said, "Thanks for excellence without attitude." That's what I strive for, and what I like to see in the people I work with.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Entertainment
Health & Wellbeing
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Horror
Mystery & Crime
Plays & Screenplays
Thriller & Suspense
Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
- BA in English
Work experience
Weight Watchers
Dec, 2014 —
Feb, 2017
(about 2 years)
Elevated content quality across all editorial channels for Weight Watchers magazine (circ 1.2 million) and resulting in first-ever industry awards and viral media attention. Helped redefine editorial mission and voice of all WW content after plan re-launch in 2015-16
Rodale Books
Jul, 2011 —
Apr, 2014
(almost 3 years)
Acquire, edit, and shepherd heavily-designed books through all levels of the publishing process. Conceive, write, and edit branded books for Men’s Health and Women’s Health.
Men's Health magazine
Jul, 2001 —
May, 2006
(almost 5 years)
Responsible for the editorial voice of the largest men’s magazine in the world during a period of incredible growth and award attention. Named MH “Secret Weapon” in 2005, an in-house staff award.
Bantam Dell / Random House
Jun, 1998 —
Jun, 2001
(about 3 years)
Managed all areas of promotional and advertising copy for Bantam Dell division of Random House.
Putnam Berkley / Penguin
Dec, 1993 —
Jun, 1998
(over 4 years)
Wrote jacket and promotional copy for more than 150 titles per year across all genres -- nonfiction, plus major fiction releases in mystery, SF/fantasy, romance, and western.
Self-employed
Nov, 1989 —
Present
See Overview for details.
Portfolio
They’re only nightmares…An ailing cop with a supernatural edge takes on a vicious bank gang in broad daylight.A controversial shock comic meets a tabloid journalist at the intersection of depravity and legend.A doomed young man finds his summer of love … and d... read more
Stop Inflammation to Prevent and Reverse Disease for a Longer, Happier Life! Stop Inflammation Fast! Discover the secret plan that jumpstarts your immune system and eliminates the silent killer that may be smoldering inside you. You may have inflammation and n... read more
When Ben Hewitt met Erik Gillard, he was amazed. Here was a real-life rebel living happily and comfortably in small-town Vermont on less than $10,000 per year. Gillard's no bum. He has a job, a girlfriend, good friends, and strong ties to the community. But ho... read more
Research shows that although people can lose 5 to 10 percent of their body weight on any given diet, dieting itself is a consistent predictor of future weight gain. Why? At some point, everyone stops dieting. The Lean Muscle Diet solves the sustainability prob... read more
Offers guidelines on basic lifesaving skills from CPR to wound dressing, surviving harsh climates and terrains, handling emergenies on the road or in the home, and preparing for personal attacks and disasters.
Jessica Wakefield is taken hostage. A shocking choice will change her life....When Jessica Wakefield walked into the Red Lion, all she wanted was a cup of coffee. Instead, she got a gun in her face--when everyone inside the popular hangout is taken hostage by ... read more
Todd Durkin is the most sought-after personal trainer in sports, and if you don't know his name, you've definitely seen his work. He is a trainer on NBC’s new show Strong, and he has helped world-class athletes reach the top of their game, including quarterbac... read more
Nominated for The National Magazine Awards, Public Interest categoryEvery war has its "signature wounds," injuries inflicted by frightening new weapons and tactics the U.S. military has never faced before. Blistered flesh from mustard gas in World War I. Petro... read more
The essential diet and fitness guide to lean, ripped abs--including a results-driven 4-week program to lose weight, strengthen your core, and chisel your entire bodyCall it a spare tire, muffin top, or paunch. Men consistently cite their belly as their biggest... read more
From Shape magazine, the most trusted source of fitness, exercise, and weight-loss information for women, comes a simple 6-week diet and workout plan that will transform your body and your life. Tone and Shape Your Best Bikini Body—in Just 6 Weeks! Prepare to ... read more
Men take better care of their cars than they do their own bodies, finding health information too technical, scary, or boring. Written and designed in a guy-friendly manner--think of a cross between an owner's manual to a vintage muscle car and a Boy Scout hand... read more
The Spy Girls are hightailing it to Asia to scope out "Luscious" Lucien West, a hypnotically hot guru with a way-devoted following. Lucien and his young American recruits are turning the tiny depressed country of Kinh-Sanh into a land of peace and harmony. But... read more
The three fabulous femmes, aka the Spy Girls, are making their way around Eastern Europe, where a young ballerina has been kidnapped and replaced by a dangerous double. This dancing queen is downright deadly—and she won’t stop pirouetting until she kills the p... read more
Watch out, Swiss misses and misters -- the Spy Girls are hitting the slopes! The disappearance of a hot young rock star has been linked to a bizarre international conspiracy -- and the secret may be hiding in the remote, snow-covered mountains of Switzerland. ... read more
Dr. Jordan Metzl's Workout Prescription is a compressed workout guide designed for busy professionals in toda''s world who have little time for fitness and want to maximize results. In this book, Dr. Jordan Metzl explains the science of the compressed, high-in... read more
Identify, treat, and--most important--prevent common debilitating sports injuries and medical conditions.Whether you're a hardcore competitor or a weekend warrior, this book belongs on your shelf. The Athletes Book of Home Remedies is your go-to resource for s... read more
In 1969, an underground mine fire lit the fuse on a Pennsylvania town.Thirty years later, the few who remain in this desolate, lawless place will discover something there worth a fight...Gunther Gott is a dive bartender at the last business operating in town. ... read more
Jorge Cruise unleashes his new fitness and weight-loss series with one simple piece of advice: Work smarter, not harder. With his revolutionary 5-Minute Fitness Formula and 6-Day Challenge, he shatters the conventional wisdom that rapid, lasting weight loss ca... read more
For most of us, traveling means visiting the most beautiful places on Earth--Paris, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon. It's rare to book a plane ticket to visit the lifeless moonscape of Canada's oil sand strip mines, or to set sail for the Great Pacific Garbage... read more
In the aisles of the grocery store, the menus of chain restaurants, even in one's own refrigerator, confusion about how to eat right reigns: Is low-carb good or is carbo-loading the better way to go? Fat-free or sugar-free? And when did those dreaded eggs beco... read more
“For many men, being this close to a beautiful woman they can’t touch is like being a shark trapped in a cloud of blood with nothing to eat.” So comes a twisted novel about the dark soul of Hollywood, equal parts thriller, black comedy, and revenge fantasy . .... read more
Former governor of New Mexico and US Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson has engaged in high-stakes, face-to-face negotiations with Castro, Saddam, the Taliban, North Korea leaders, Slobodan Milosevic, and many other of the world's "crazy people"-... read more
A powerfully simple, must-have manifesto on money with more than 90 wealth-building rules from the Today show's finance guruIn a time of great financial uncertainty, this is the book everyone must read. The bottom line: Money is simple--people make it complica... read more
Everyone wants to lose weight, feel better, and live longer. But what if that was just the beginning? What if readers could use specific workouts to prevent, improve, or cure what ails them?As Dr. Jordan Metzl says, "Exercise is medicine." Now he puts that phi... read more
Mike has 3 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Christopher W.
Jan, 2020
Nanci B.
Jan, 2019
Haleigh R.
May, 2018
