Category Archives: Editing
How to Publish a Book
For thirty years I worked with books: in bookstores and in distribution; as a research assistant and copywriter; and as a promotion manager, editor, and finally, publisher. In February 2022, I left the industry (although I still do some ghost-writing, … Continue reading
Five Ways In Which a Trainer Is Like a Good Editor
When I first began running and writing, I assumed that—because I could put one foot in front of the other and I was expensively educated—I knew how to do either well. There were plenty of running blogs and training programs, as well … Continue reading
The Em-Dash, En-Dash, and Hyphen
Among my many faults as a writer, I tend to overuse the dash—the em-dash, that is. A colon would work just fine in beginning a list or creating a long enough pause to make the phrase or clause that follows … Continue reading
Editorial Pet Peeves #2: Have You Finished Yet?
I receive a lot of manuscripts that the author tells me he or she’s finished with. This is usually a very loose translation of one or more of the following: 1. I’ve written around 75,000 words and that seems to … Continue reading
Editorial Pet Peeves #1: The Double Space After the Period
One of the first acts I perform when I receive a manuscript electronically is to find-and-replace double spaces with single spaces. It takes only a few seconds and it removes all those unnecessary gaps between words that will only irritate … Continue reading