A.J. Sobczak. Writer & Editor: Books, Theses, Dissertations

A.J. Sobczak

Writer, Manuscript Copy Editor, Developmental Editor, Critiques, Evaluations

Fiction: science fiction, horror, mystery, mainstream, short story

Nonfiction: business, labor, literary criticism, memoirs, math, technical & science documents

Academic/scholarly writing: theses and dissertations

APA and Chicago Writing Styles

A.J. is a full-time freelance editor, proofreader, and writer (business writing, business methods, business history, communication, literary analysis, fiction in various genres) with more than 18 years of experience in the publishing industry. He has edited nonfiction work in a variety of fields, including various social sciences, technical research, and medical research. He has edited dozens of books and journals in the social sciences, research methods, mathematics, political science, psychology, business and management, history, and health and medicine, among other topics. He enjoys editing a wide variety of fiction, with past projects including fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, sports fiction, period fiction, and mainstream.

Salem Press (6 years in-house, continuing freelance)
Sage Publications (since 1993)
The University of California Press
Liberty Fund
ABC-CLIO
Rowman & Littlefield
Guilford Press

Along with working with authors through various publishers, he assists authors in honing their manuscripts prior to submission and works with students on academic papers. He holds an MA in economics from UCLA, has done graduate-level coursework in mathematics, and taught economics at California State University, Northridge, for 4 years, as well as teaching at several other colleges. Several of his graduate student clients have successfully defended dissertations he edited. He is an expert in APA and Chicago styles and is on several publishers' lists of "go-to" editors for books with mathematical content. His writing on business and economics has appeared in several reference volumes, and he is the editor of and a contributor to Great Events from History II: Business and Commerce, containing approximately 500 articles on critical events in 20th-century business history. He is especially interested in working with fiction authors and has edited about a dozen novels (science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and young adult) and assisted some of those authors and others in putting together query packages for agents and publishers. He has published short fiction in a variety of genres, so he understands the writing process from both the editor's and the writer's perspectives. Among other awards, he has received an honorable mention in the "Year's Best" collection of fantasy and horror published by St. Martin's Press in 1995.

Partial List of Books Edited

Vengeance Has No Joy, by Robert Haldi — detective fiction

Rose's Collage, by Christa Laririt — poetry

Figures upon Figures, by Christa Laririt — poetry

Between Me and God: A Poetic Memoir Tracing a Year of Hope (tentative title), by Beverlye Hyman Fead — memoir and poetry

The Spirit Garden, by Charles Plante — fantasy

Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, consulting editor T. A. Shippey, Project Editor A. J. Sobczak

Keep It Simple: An Informative Guide for Post 9/11 Air Travel, by Fred F. Pfisterer

The Nature of Leadership, edited by John Antonakis, PhD, et al.

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, edited by Joseph F. Healey, PhD

Handbook of Research Design & Social Measurement, edited by Delbert C. Miller and Neil J. Salkind

The Planetary Report, a bimonthly magazine for space enthusiasts

Slow Leadership, by Adrian Savage

Reflections on Blood Games: Impact Poems from the Ricochets of Life, by Paul Guthrie (Calliope Books, 2007)

A Curveball from Heaven, by Louis A. Buckley — sports fantasy

Karabilla, by Patrick McClafferty (Raider Publishing) — science fiction/fantasy

Feedback

"A. J. is an outstanding copyeditor, and was a true pleasure to work with. He excels at bringing out the best of the author has to say, without changing the author's 'voice.'" Roderick Baker, Publisher, Apollo House Press

"A.J. has been a huge asset to my company and myself since August of 2002. A.J. has assisted me with the editing of my book proposal and has always exceeded my extremely high standards. He is always concerned about the quality of his work, and works beyond the standards given to him. He treats every project individually and gives it his full attention every time. He strives to constantly improve everything he touches. This is easily seen through his accuracy and attention to detail while proofing and editing my manuscript. I would be more than happy to discuss A.J.’s outstanding work with anyone who has any hesitation in working with or hiring A.J. Sobczak." Jennifer C. Selland, Founder and President, Well-Run Concepts, Santa Barbara, CA

"It has been a pleasure working with A. J. I have never worked with someone as competent as he is in copy editing. Most of the copy editors that I've worked with let many things "slide" that would never escape A. J.'s sharp eye. He really has very high standards and is, by far, the most competent copy editor with which I've worked. I have recommended him to colleagues, who were also extremely satisfied with his performance." John Antonakis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Management, HEC, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

"A.J. was fast and efficient. His price was competitive and his level of editing was just what I needed for my comp exam. I would work with him in the future.” Margaret Clausen, doctoral student, California Institute of Integral Studies

"A.J. added substantial value and was accommodating, thoughtful and responsive to my requests.” (Contact information on request)

“A. J. did an excellent job and I am more than satisfied. I work full-time, am married, have a teenage son and a new five month old baby and I am trying to finish my Ph.D. so this editing was a real stress buster and time saver. I will utilize your services throughout the rest of my course work and dissertation.” Selina Griswold, graduate student, North Central University

"An excellent experience and first-rate work at every stage.” (Contact information on request)

"A. J. is an outstanding copyeditor, and was a true pleasure to work with. He excels at bringing out the best of the author has to say, without changing the author’s 'voice.'" Roderick Baker, Apollo House Press

Submission

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Cut and paste the questions and answers into an e-mail:

2008@book-editing.com

Required:
Submit a sample of your book manuscript or story (Word/DOC or RTF attachment preferred). The sample should be 5-50 pages. Large files should be zipped. Attachment not required if writing has not started (e.g., because you're looking for a ghostwriter).

Along with a sample, the following information is required. Ignore questions that do not apply to your project (e.g., footnotes).

(01) Word count of complete project (under "Tools" in MS Word):

(02) Put your 100-word (approx) synopsis/description here (or attach):

(03) Describe your genre and topic (e.g., nonfiction/self-help, science fiction, horror, romance, mystery, Western, young adult, children, poetry, Christian, creative nonfiction, literary):

(04) Deadline date, if any, for return of complete project. (Please be realistic. Remember that professional editors usually have a project in process.):

(05) If you have no immediate deadline, when do you want to start the editing process?: (For instance: within 30 days, within 60 days, within 90 days, 4-12 months)

(06) Level of editing desired/expected --

Copyediting / Proofreading / Line Editing (e.g., English corrections, typos, paragraph and sentence structure, word use)
Developmental (e.g., help with the big picture, such as flow/pacing, telling the story, characterization, structure, style)
Rewriting / Ghostwriting
Critique / Evaluation

(07) Number of charts/tables/pictures (if any):

(08) Writing style/format manual (e.g., Chicago Manual, APA, MLA), if applicable:

(09) Number of footnotes/references:

(10) Do you have a contract with an agent or publisher?:

(11) Do you plan to self-publish?:

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(19) Attach writing sample(s) (e.g., prologue, chapter 1, proposal, query)

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