Work over at Wyrdhoard: Services for Writers is going very well. In fact, I finished my work on my first-ever client's book last week. What a milestone! I thought you might be interested in knowing what I'm currently editing and a little more about exactly what I do. So, here's a list of the books for which I'm serving as a Developmental Editor and other projects on which I've been consulted:
A Jungian Dream-Journal and Psychoanalytic Memoir.
A theatre director's history of his company and manual for directing according to his unique
method.
A book on how to read the Bible through knowledge of its original historical context.
A book of personal prayers and guided Christian meditations.
A science fiction multi-textual novel that subtly explores romantic theology as embodied in a first-contact narrative.
A study of C.S. Lewis's childhood "nurse" (or nanny) and the influence of her folk tales on his Narniad.
An academic monograph about magic in That Hideous Strength.
A novel of the Trojan War retold from Helen's point of view.
A sequence of Petrarchan Sonnets inspired by Medieval bestiaries.
Many popular articles on the lesser-known Inklings and other writers connected to that group.
A scholarly work on ethics and virtue in business and pedagogical contexts.
A dissertation about college campus police officers' views on the legalization of marijuana.
The first in a series of guides on how to write well and overcome imposter syndrome.
A novel about Robin Hood.
A series of stories about children who survived the Holocaust through turning to artistic creativity.
Isn't that a lively and varied list? I'm honored to be involved, to whatever extent, in each of these projects, and I'd love to consider yours in future. Here's a description of what I do most of the time, although I offer many other services, too:
Beta Reading. At this level, I do a high-level fly-over of the manuscript, then I provide the author with large-scale suggestions for revision. These mostly relate to content, organization, clarity, focus, etc. I do not mark the text itself at all; the author receives a separate document with my recommendations, and we meet to talk through my suggestions. A list of frequent stylistic errors can be included upon request.
Developmental Editing. This level includes all of the above; in addition, we enter into discussions about paragraph structuring, transitions, diction, originality, precedents, conventions, citations, quote integration, stylistics, and more. I mark on the text itself using tracked changes and inserted comments, but I do not rewrite any of the sentences myself. This approach results in a more powerful, higher-quality book that can reach a larger audience over a longer period of time.
Coaching and Revision. In addition to all of the above, at this level I include information about the principles behind my comments, enabling the author to learn the reasoning behind them. We discuss each of those principles of writing and practice them until the writer is confident enough to apply them throughout the text and in any future writing. This approach enables my client to develop as a writer in addition to vastly and dramatically improving this one manuscript.
Let me know if I or my colleagues may be of service to you or other writers you know!