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

What’s the Link Between Quality and Value in Your Writing?

February 27, 2012

by Barbara McNichol When you select a dentist, no doubt you weigh many factors before making that appointment. Quality and value considerations top the list. I recently explored how book authors in my circle view the relationship between QUALITY and VALUE when it comes to improving their writing through editing. Not only did I bask in [...]

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Ways to Be Ruthless When Editing Your Own Writing

February 20, 2012

(Editor’s note: Last week, Jerry gave advice on being gentle when editing others’ writing but ruthless when editing your own. In this article, he provides specific ways of doing exactly that.) By Jerry Brown, APR (used by permission) Edit, edit, edit. Then edit some more. Be ruthless when editing your own copy. Don’t fall in [...]

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Ruthlessly Edit Your Own Writing and Be Gentle With Others

February 13, 2012

By Jerry Brown, APR (used by permission) Good editing is a blessing, bad editing a curse. Unfortunately, there are more bad editors than good ones. The reason for this unfortunate situation is that too many of us don’t know when to quit editing other people’s copy and when to keep editing our own. Be ruthless [...]

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The Single Most Important Thing Authors Can Do Better

February 6, 2012

by Barbara McNichol If you don’t want your editor spending copious amounts of time changing weak verbs into emotional or visual ones, what can you do? First, watch out for “is” words and their various cousins. Stay alert to phrases like “is happening” or “was being good”; change them to “happens” or “behaved.” Search out [...]

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2012 Global Ebook Awards Accepting Entries

January 31, 2012

For the second year in a row, I’m promoting Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards because he’s a fabulous leader in our industry and a highly regarded colleague. I judged two fabulous winning books last year and will be a judge again this year. It’s a program designed to boost your publicity and sales. Please read [...]

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What Readers Think When You’re Too “Into” Your Writing Process

January 10, 2012

by Barbara McNichol F. Scott Fitzgerald has said you don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say. When an author is too “into” doing the writing itself, the “something to say” part can get lost. I recently edited a book that fell into this trap. The author [...]

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Lessons from 2011- What They Mean for You in 2012

January 4, 2012

Editor’s Note: This post by my client Nancy Juetten (author of Bye Bye Boring Bio) sparks reflection beyond the scope of this blog but I share it with you because it packs a lot of value. In response, please comment on this piece and share your own lessons, your deepest hopes, and your biggest dreams for 2012. [...]

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Time’s Top 10 Buzzwords – Pay Attention in Your Writing

December 23, 2011

by Barbara McNichol I find “top 10″ lists fascinating (I have a list of my own–Top 10 Techniques for Improving Your Writing–downloadable at www.BarbaraMcNichol.com) and I especially love them at year end. What better way to summarize “the year that was.” Time Magazine has outdone itself this year. Its entertaining list of “top 10″ buzzwords [...]

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Ideas for Picking Titles from Daily Writing Tips

December 17, 2011

Editor’s note: I hope you enjoy these fun ways of picking titles from Daily Writing Tips–a fabulous resource for writers. Picking a title can often be the hardest part of a writing project. Sometimes the title just comes to you, but more often than not, you have to put quite a bit of work into [...]

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Advice to Authors

December 8, 2011

by Barbara McNichol Seth Godin’s ideas find a welcome place in my inbox every day. His ability to observe our world with a twist and express his thoughts with wit tickle my appreciation for language and his ability to think outside the box. I recently rediscovered his 2008 blog post Advice for Authors, which still [...]

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