Services Offered
I sweat the small stuff for a living.
Editorial Project management
Do you have an annual directory, quarterly magazine, newsletter, book, or continual database project that needs more time than you have? Delegate it!
I've always worked on small editorial staffs, so efficiency and continual refinement of procedures have been of utmost importance for us to meet our deadlines. At Goldmine, I managed every aspect of the publication from its planning to correcting that last typo before it went out the door. I took article pitches from freelance writers, set up the editorial calendar, researched photos, copy edited stories, laid out pages, sent them to production, turned in pay sheets, uploaded stories to the web and indexed the issues. Krause Publications' motto was "On time all the time," and that's what we achieved, every two weeks with Goldmine, once per month with Discoveries and every so often with Collectors' Guide to Music & Memorabilia, for a grand total one year of 40 deadlines in 52 weeks. I can manage your special project as well, with no hand-holding required.
I also have graphic designers and photographers in my network, so I can handle everything on your project from plan to press.
My career has been spent balancing concurrent project timelines and deadlines. Talk to me and we'll get it done.
Copy editing & proofreading
Editing and proofing are what I love to do, every day of the week. I'm picky, thorough, and persistent, and I'm on your side to get your project done right.
I've worked on newspapers, general interest nonfiction and fiction books, magazines, K–12 nonfiction, newsletters, directories, catalogs, booklets, pamphlets, mailers, Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, e-books, and online text (website articles, SEO marketing pieces, and social media posts)—if it's words on a page, I can help clean it up and make it sound its best.
I regularly work in AP Style and with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition. I work on both a PC and a Mac and can use Word, Google Docs and Sheets, Acrobat, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and more.
Quality control
My clients trust me, my critical-thinking and analysis, and my skills to get their job done right, whether that involves making sure that a textbook follows 50 pages of guidelines and other parameters for the content and formatting, thoroughly checking the facts in an article, or a making a judgement call, based on best practices and consistency with previous project guidance. I'm your backup when you want your product to be the best it can be.
Layout & Digital conversion
While converting a print textbook to its digital cousin for use in Google Classroom, I spent a summer converting Adobe pdfs to Word files and then to Google Docs, learning layout tricks that I'd only previously known in design programs such as InDesign.
Fact-checking
Being picky has its uses. In fact-checking, especially for the K–12 and online articles I've worked on, it's paramount, from the facts to the source. One should always consider the source. It's very rewarding to dissect a written piece and feel that no nuance was left unexamined to make sure that the text has it right.
Photography
There is nothing like the rush of capturing that perfect shot, such as unbridled emotion at a rock concert—and it also makes me proud to have my work printed in magazines, newspapers, promotional materials, CDs, and books. The photos I've done for books, though, haven't been the rock 'n' roll type. For several years I took photos to illustrate Viking Woodcrafts' painting books, and I'm available to shoot photos of your products for use in promotional materials or on your website. Drop me a line with your needs.
Photo research & book packaging
I still have my network of rock photographers that I called on every two weeks for Goldmine, so if you're putting together a book on a musician or band, I'm someone you definitely need to talk to. Not only could I edit it, but I could also find a designer for it, do photo research for it, and deliver a laid-out product to you, for a worry-free project.