The Stalker (Book) - 10/15/2018 7:02:22 PM
With the word Stalker on the title, there is no need for me to explain what the book is about and what the book contains.I was intrigued by this story although it was a little long. Could have been two books. Definitely grabs your attention and has you on the edge of your seat. Once into it i had a very hard time putting it down.. I enjoyed this book.Thanks for the chance to read it.
The Stalker (Book) - 6/11/2018 6:42:05 PM
This book keep me in t rested in the while I read it This was well write and I could not put my tablet down before I finished the book.
Questions to Ask a Prospective Editor (Article) - 5/1/2025 9:24:45 AM
Although I generally agree, especially with newbie writers, it does depend on the type of reader who will be reading the writing. With the new editing software and AI available, most books can now pass through these gauntlets, with a final proofread perhaps from Scribbr.
The main caveats might be writing for academia or a publicist or a trade publisher, and then yes, get a professional editor. But even then, if you do land a publisher, they will re-edit it anyway.
However, for the mass public reading trash, nobody cares if it passes the Chicago Style of writing. Just make sure you don't screw up character names or places.
In addition, if the editor charges by the word, make sure to count the sentences quoting from another person, in footnotes, or documents, such as the Bible, and don't include those in the word count since they don't need editing, as long as copied verbatim.
Finally, don't be afraid to negotiate the price! Many editors expect negotiation, so their quote will be astronomical to start. (This review was Unedited)
Questions to Ask a Prospective Editor (Article) - 8/15/2021 9:48:56 AM
I was always an editor, particularly when I edited newsletters in academia. I am not perfect and I've found that since I've been using Dragon for my writing, it has changed. Some for the better, and some for the worse. I always appreciate educated other improvements in my work.
When I first self published, my ambitious publisher told me that he would edit my books, himself. That was true of the first book, but it was small. The "sequel" that he asked for, ended up being a six-month ordeal, waiting for the edited copy to come back. When the book was published, it was so full of errors that I had to republish it, seven years later. That soured me on editors.
Since then, I've been approached by editors, but paying by the word scared me, and some of the samples that I have received had the editor twisting around my words to different meanings and losing the well researched science in the process of making science fiction more readable.
However, a fellow author with an impeccably edited novel, decided to help me gratis. She has done a great job of proofing, but very little editing. Recently I submitted two short stories to a science fiction anthology. Some of the suggested edits were laughable. But most of the suggested edits were practices that I have learned from fiction. Shortcuts normally taken. The suggestions seemed to be making my writing capable to be read at the third grade level, adding words that I had purposely left out.
Ron
Why I’m Fiercely Independent (Article) - 8/5/2021 12:16:42 PM
You have stated your case very well and I believe I have followed a similar path except the part of creating my own publishing company. I have a very good one doing that for me. And I also have very good editor that doesn't change things around, but proofs my work very well.
I recently got a compliment from a writer who has written many books about my book covers. When Photoshop became too expensive and my physical disability made it very difficult for me to do the covers, I hired a professional. But he has done only three of my covers, and I'm very displeased with the last one where the title cannot be seen easily from a distance and the theme, while attracting attention, does not depict the book very well.
Using MS Word, I find that setting up a book format is rather easy. I once set a few lines with a California job case and found it very difficult to do. Why the Linotype was such a wonderful replacement. Once I got my hands on a personal computer everything got easy.
Ron
I Have The Really Great Idea for a Book (Article) - 6/24/2021 11:12:12 AM
A good article on a problem that may be quite common for authors.
I only had that happen once. And it was with a colleague who was my vice president and hired me largely to do writing for him. Lots of writing of all kinds that I did in order to get a paycheck. But one day, he said to me, "Ron, we should write a book." And then, he told me what it was about. "Our planning and campus expansion process."
Some of which he kept secret from me on purpose.
He thought that our way of doing things was superior and could teach others. But I had written things for him that he took full credit for and didn't even give a line for my authorship. I refused. Shortly after, he was removed from his vice presidency for financial missteps, simply greed padding his salary, without giving me any raises. He was a good author in his own right. He was just doing what many professors and executives do. Take credit for work that they have others do simply for their pay while moving on up the ladder of power.
But I have had others ask me, "I want to write my story. Can you help me?" In those cases, I did offer to help. But those people couldn't give me enough information to even write a few pages, let alone a book of their lives. They didn't seem willing enough to commit the time to my busy schedule to get the job done.
Ron
