Cogitating at work
Given the definition above, appropriate synonyms for our editing and writing firm include ponderous, deliberate, expert, Scrabbe-licized, cross-worded, stet-meisters, free-agents, Stumptowners, and eggheads!
See our list of published titles and/or about us for more about our work.
The longer title for this post is: Why You Must Love the People You Work With. Editing is, in many ways, more creative than people realize. Proofreading, of course, is a relatively straightforward job, requiring the editor have a knowledge of grammar rules, current trends (yes, even grammar has them), and house style guides. That [...]
Today, March 4, 2010 is Grammar Day! This year, National Grammar Day is hosted by Mignon Fogarty, also known to many of us as Grammar Girl. (Today is also, coincidentally, my father’s birthday; happy birthday, Dad!) So, what does one do to celebrate Grammar Day? Well, to begin with, I’m not going to give you [...]
In homage to Shelf Awareness’s awesome Book Brahmin feature, and so Gretchen’s reading tastes aren’t all you get to hear about,” I’ve crawled out from underneath my paper mountain to complete an auto-anthropological survey of recent bibliographic habits. Hang on to your bookmarks ’cause here we go! On your nightstand now I’m on page 50 [...]
On the Baker’s Mark site in July, I posted a blog in homage to Shelf Awareness’s wonderful Book Brahmin feature. In honor of the fact that I actually have different answers to these questions at this point, and to the fact that I’m crunched for time with deadlines, I have updated it here. I’m going [...]
Growing up, I had a thing for Peter Parker. Not Spiderman, believe it or not; I thought the sweet, bumbling, ultra-smart high schooler was just my type, not the latex-wearing crime fighter. Anyone mocked for being a nerd and a bookworm was…well, someone who reminded me of me to be honest. And basically, my crush [...]
While contemplating Gabriel H. Boehmer’s book, City of Readers, on my walk to Bread and Ink past Jane Brewster’s mural near Murder by the Book, Hawthorne Blvd Books, and Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, I realize Portland, Oregon, is a book lover’s town.
Editing goes through phases. The amount of editing a manuscript needs depends not only on how it has been prepared but also on the audience for which the work is intended and the publication schedule. Click here to see a larger version of the image above. Estimating how long the editing will take requires looking [...]
A lot has happened in the past month, causing me to neglect the dear blog. In the past four weeks, I had a nasty cold that held on for at least two of those weeks, both parents came to visit, I worked on no less than five editing projects, and a number of books that [...]
This week, I’m finishing up a proofreading job for Sourcebooks Landmark by the talented Wendy Holden, and it occurred to me that this amazing author’s first book to come out from Sourcebooks Landmark (though previously published in the UK) is coming out in April. So, yes, I did actually proofread Beautiful People for Sourcebooks, but [...]
I proofread and fact-checked David Hofstede’s Obsessed With TV for Becker & Meyer. The book contains over 2,500 trivia questions on television shows, icons, awards, and general knowledge. It also includes a cool computerized module embedded in a corner of the cover that allows gamers to compete against themselves or friends. Published by Chronicle Books. [...]
In Elemental Love Styles, Dr. Craig Martin defines the romantic character–leanings of the four elements and explores how each type interacts with themselves and their partner. I was the copyeditor on it for Dr. Martin’s publishing house, Beyond Words/Atria Books. The great thing about this editing job was that the author and editors before me [...]
Actually, we got an A on the project, not a D. Dr. Denis Bedat is a brilliant, competent experimenter and an innovate and thorough scientist. For his dissertation, he configured specialized hardware/software to power a cybernetic nuero-feedback device to test the degree to which conscious control during sessions of multi-sensory therapy enhanced dominant cortical brainwave [...]
In this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar’s whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter. This was the fourth Jill Mansell book Sourcebooks hired me for; the assignment was to get this romp ready for its stateside edition, which included Americanizing (to a certain degree) pop-culture [...]
The Grove Review, vol. II, no. II In this issue of the Grove, we managed the art and editorial departments, which included overseeing submissions, editing, permissions, the interior and cover design, and proofing. The cover is our design, as well. The issue produced a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but it was well worth [...]
Of all the books I worked on as the managing editor at Beyond Words, The Secret stands out as the most thrilling—not due to its bestseller status, but the time it took to produce the book. Most hardcovers on Beyond Words’ list took a year of gestation before their pub date. The Secret took four [...]
Your mother is making me do this, Gretchen. Thus, with no preparation time I have nothing witty or insightful to contribute. I do think you and Hank have done a fine job with this site. Mom says you done real good!
Thanks, Jon.