Nonfiction Book Editor — Editing angles to improve your writing by Barbara McNichol, nonfiction book editor with offices in Colorado and Arizona

Dan Poynter’s Secrets of Book Promotion Program

November 5, 2011

by Carolyn Howard-Johnson I’ve always said one of the best (and most frugal!) ways for an author to learn about book promotion is by reading books written by the pros. That’s why I wrote The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo and reviewed in this blog under Great Books). Having said that, a new “Secrets of Book [...]

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What a New Sleeper Couch Has to Do With Editing Your Book

October 31, 2011

by Barbara McNichol When my hubby and I visit friends in Albuquerque, we sleep on a couch that’s so well-made, we get a great, comfortable rest. We had to have one of our own for our guests! When I sought out this brand locally, I was told the manufacturer never puts its couches on sale. [...]

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Game Spreads the Dream of an HIV-free Generation

October 21, 2011

by Barbara McNichol I’m taking this opportunity to promote a valuable communication concept–a board game–that’s gaining traction in educating people worldwide about AIDS. Yes, it’s called Game for the World . . . a game worth winning! Game for the World™ is an innovative board game designed for ages 12 and up to discuss AIDS in a safe [...]

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Forget the Candy—Give Books for Treats This Hallowe’en

October 12, 2011

by Barbara McNichol Again this October, my good friend Rebecca Morgan leads the charge to “Feed kids’ minds, not their cavities. Give them brain candy.” As the founder of Books for Treats, Rebecca spearheads a movement to combine learning with cavity-free fun by giving out books instead of candy at Hallowe’en. Why? To encourage reading [...]

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Make Your Book One-Sheet Work Hard for You

October 8, 2011

By Patrice Rhoades-Baum On the surface, a book/author one-sheet appears simple. After all, it’s one page of sales copy that promotes your book. Toss in a graphic of the book cover, your bio, and photo, and you’re done, right? Wrong! Your book/author one-sheet is a hardworking marketing and sales tool. As such, it must— help [...]

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Do “Begin” and “Start” Add to Your Writing? Always Question It

October 1, 2011

by Barbara McNichol Let me shake this writing “pet peeve” off my pen. It perplexes me why writers overuse the words “start” and “begin.” In a 5,000-word document I recently edited, those two words appeared 14 times while only 5 were deemed necessary. Don’t “start” to do something; just do it! The following examples show [...]

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Can You Whack Wordiness? Request Handout and Find Out!

September 24, 2011

by Barbara McNichol On September 22, 2011, I conducted an extensive workshop hosted by the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) on applying editing techniques to strengthen the writing of those who attended. I’d previously led workshops on “Whacking Wordiness” and “10 Top Techniques for Improving Your Writing.” For this group of 38 grant and proposal writers, I [...]

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Exciting New Website Peers Between Relationships – Try It!

September 20, 2011

by Barbara McNichol Have you ever done a Myers Briggs test? Or DISC inventory? Or Strengthsfinders? Or the enneagram? Like mirrors held up to reflect “who you are,” these tools give you a vocabulary for how to describe your personality traits. I recently had the privilege of being on the team that has created a [...]

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“How Can I Be a Good Editing Client for You?”

September 12, 2011

by Barbara McNichol Recently, an author and I settled in to have our project-finalizing conversation before starting to edit her manuscript. Price determined. Timelines set. Anticipation high. Before we signed off, she asked with gentleness and genuine interest, “How can I be a good editing client for you, Barbara?” Quite frankly, this question blew me [...]

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Book Cover Coaching Blog Features My 5 Writing Tips

September 7, 2011

By Susan Kendrick Whether you are writing a brilliant message inside your book, or packaging your book to sell on the cover, the same basic writing principles apply. Be clear and vivid. Talk to your readers, not at them. Be conversational yet concise. And, above all–use good grammar to make it all work. In my [...]

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