When to Capitalize Job Titles and Positions

One of the most common misuses of capital letters I come across as a professional editor is titles of jobs and positions. I think that’s because people remember sometimes seeing them capitalized, so they conclude that they always get capitalized. In fact, the opposite is usually the case. It’s okay to capitalize the name of a job or position only ... Read More

Authors, Don’t Rush that Edit

Authors, here’s some advice based on my sixteen years’ experience as a book editor. Don’t make the mistake so many authors do, rushing the editing phase of the project as they try to bring their book to completion. Enthusiastic authors are naturally in a hurry to get their book to print, so they often set up a time schedule in ... Read More

The Difference between You and John Grisham

A client recently sent me a business book to edit that was disorganized and full of repetition. It jumped back and forth between topics. It was in this shape because he had written it piecemeal over a period of years. If he had begun with an outline (or table of contents) and had written to that, the book would have ... Read More

How to Reduce the Money You Pay Your Book Editor

People are usually surprised at how much professional book editing costs. A lot of time goes into any book edit, but the time and cost are greatly reduced when the writing is polished. When authors take the time to make their manuscript the best they can make it before sending it off for editing, that shortens the hours the editor ... Read More

Does Your Nonfiction Book Need Footnotes? Endnotes?

You’re writing your book, making occasional references to other books, experts, and information sources. Now you’re wondering whether you need footnotes or endnotes or if it's okay to leave them out. Good news: most of the time, it is. But before we get to that, let's clear up any confusion you might have about the difference between footnotes and endnotes. ... Read More