Michael Carr: Copyediting, Developmental Editing, Ghostwriting

science fiction book editing Michael Carr is an editor, copy editor, translator, and writer—some 300 titles and counting, for major publishers including Time Warner Books, Penguin Putnam, Little, Brown and Co., Kensington, Regnery, Holcomb Hathaway, Globo Libros, and many others. Fiction editing and copyediting credits include hardback literary and historical, crime/mystery, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. Representative crime fiction titles: New York Times Notable Book of the Year winner Archer Mayor’s Gatekeeper and The Surrogate Thief, Brad Meltzer’s political thriller The Zero Game (#3 NY Times best-seller), Robert Greer’s Heat Shock, and Patricia Smiley’s Cover Your Assets (L.A. Times best-seller). Fantasy and science fiction works include Beyond Infinity, by Gregory Benford (who has cowritten with Arthur C. Clarke), Stewart and Cohen’s Heaven, and Michael Moorcock’s The White Wolf’s Son, to name but a few. Nonfiction titles run the gamut: from scholarly to self-help, business, and motivation; from health and psychology to history, politics, world affairs, and popular culture, with a little forensic science and true crime thrown in. Representative nonfiction titles include Bernard Goldberg’s Arrogance (NY Times best-seller), CNN Crossfire host Tucker Carlson’s Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites, Rev. Al Sharpton’s Al on America, and CNN host Lou Dobbs’s Exporting America. Robert Ankony’s LURPS: A Ranger’s Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri, was nominated for the Army Historical Foundation’s 2006 Distinguished Writing Award. Michael’s own published work includes narrative nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry, as well as mainstream articles on everything from adventure travel to martial arts. Michael has an MA in English and taught creative writing and poetry at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Every day, terrific manuscripts get tossed because of avoidable problems with grammar and punctuation, factual or logical oversights, or an inelegant transition or turn of phrase—things that a professional edit could have fixed. A good editor, like a good doctor, knows what to fix and what to leave alone, and remembers always, “First, do no harm.”

Substantive Editing, Copyediting, Rewriting, Translation (Spanish to English)

Fiction and Nonfiction: Literary, How-to, Psychology, Self-Help, Crime Fiction, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-fi, True Crime, International Relations, Current Affairs, Nature and Science, Military History, Forensic Science, Travel

Feedback

"Michael Carr provided excellent advice that I could clearly understand and use. He gets to the problem areas and doesn't mince words. I wish that I had used his knowledge and perspective a year ago." — Ron Winters

"Michael was fabulous; responsive; encouraging but also pointed out areas that needed improvement; enthusiastic; truly truly helpful. He worked quickly and we stayed on schedule. As I read his suggestions, I could see that he often chose words with more 'punch' and that his selections greatly enhanced the impact. I could not be more pleased and am grateful that I 'found' him. I'm really delighted." — Christine M. Whitehead

"Michael is the best editor I've ever worked with. His instincts for what needed to change and his razor sharp eye for detail were brilliant. His knowledge of a wide range of subjects and complete command of the English language amazed me. Michael understands how to make a piece of writing technically solid as well as lovely to read. Besides all that, he is a delight to work with! I won't submit another book for publication without his help." — Carlene Cross, author, The Undying West and Sacred Deceit

"Michael, the rewrite is spot-on. You made us look good. We plan to have you canonized." — Sara Ann Freed, Ellery Queen Award–winning crime fiction editor, Time Warner Books

"Michael Carr is one of the sharpest, most conscientious and diligent editors I have encountered in the more than ten years I have worked as a writer and publisher. His knack for finding the precise words and turns of phrase is exceeded perhaps only by his wisdom as a human being. Whatever the subject at hand, he has displayed a priceless ability to make writers better." — Adam Gamble, On Cape Publications, Dennis, Massachusetts

"Michael Carr’s copyediting made the language sing. His pleasant cajoling, diplomatic manner, and artful buffing unquestionably improved the final product. I recommend him without reservation—except I fear that he will become too busy for our next project." — David J. Dempsey, JD, CEO of Dempsey Communications, LLC, author of Legally Speaking

"Michael Carr has professional skills and artistic talents that proved invaluable in his work on my manuscript.… He was pleasant, prompt, and candid. It was an education and a pleasure to work with him." — Robert C. Ankony, author of Lurps: A Ranger’s Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri, nominated for the Army Historical Foundation’s 2006 Distinguished Writing Award.

"I can't say enough about how pleasant the entire experience of working with Michael Carr was. He was at all times gracious, patient, and helpful. And he had to work with someone (me) who had been using an out-of-date program and had written a long, unwieldy novel. Michael put it all together with a more focused storyline, still using all of my many beloved original small-town characters. There was never a phone call or e-mail that went unanswered, never a doubt or stumble on my part that wasn’t met with his voice of assurance." — Marianne Gage, author of The Wind Came Running

"Michael Carr is the finest editor I have ever worked with. His attention to detail, ability to choose the perfect word or phrase, and mastery of syntax and grammar is nothing short of remarkable. He truly made each sentence of my project sing with clarity and rhythm. Just as important, he provided 'big picture' feedback on the overall message of my book, saving me on multiple occasions from taking tangents that would have harmed my credibility and impact with the reader. I'm thrilled with the final product. Overall, a phenomenal experience." — Brendon Burchard, author, The Golden Ticket and The Student Leadership Guide

"Looking back, I didn’t pay enough for Michael's services. He was insightful, constantly available, and consistently on the money with every aspect of my writing. He made it a thoroughly enjoyable working, as well as learning, experience. I can enthusiastically recommend him." — Richard R. Bobé MD

"The work that Michael did exceeded all expectations. Thanks to him, my novel is cohesive, easily comprehended, and wonderfully descriptive.
I have forwarded a couple of blurbs [below] that I've gotten from people who write for the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. All of the good things that they say are in part a reflection of his artistry." — Goodman Brody

"Reading Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed, the pages flew. I went through them like money. Goodman is a natural storyteller, as incapable of writing a boring sentence as he was in his former life of writing a lackluster melody." — Peter DeJong, writer, New York Times and New York magazine, coauthor of the best-seller Beach House, with James Patterson

"After living in California all these years, it’s a pleasure to be hit with this big dose of New York energy. A broad spectrum of characters appears here, dangerous flaws and wild humanity intact." — Marianne Rogoff, book reviewer, San Francisco Chronicle

"I must thank my editor, Michael Carr, who kept me on track throughout the development of my novel by questioning my occasional assumptions and resolving any of my literary and grammatical shortcomings with his stellar expertise and suggestions.” — Clyde Payne, author of Trailing the Moccasin

"Michael Carr is an excellent editor. All of his comments and suggestions were offered with grace and style and professionalism. There were days when personal hardship brought crushing weight into his life, and not once did he allow it to diminish his cheerful demeanor, his high quality efforts, or his concern for my well-being as a writer." — Harley Carnes

"Thank-you, I could not be any more pleased with your service. Retaining Michael Carr's editing services made the difference between writing two hundred pages of never ending thoughts that would end up stuck in my computer for the rest of its life and; having an informative and entertaining manuscript that has a real shot at getting published in the near future. His professionalism and exceptional skills have been worth every dime. I would recommend Michael and your service to any writer regardless of their experience or lack thereof. This was the best decision I made in the entire project." — Gary Fleming Jr., Renavatio Productions

Submission

Please fill out this form to request a quote

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?:

(12) What is your budget for the entire project? $ ________________

(13) Your name:

(14) E-mail addresses:

(15) Day/evening phone numbers (required -- in case the response to your e-mail bounces or the editors need clarification regarding the scope of service needed, deadline, etc.):

(16) City, State, Country (or time zone):

(17) The name(s) of the editor(s)/writer(s) you'd like to contact.
(If no names are selected, your e-mail will be sent to several consultants chosen by the coordinator):

(18) How did you learn about our service?:

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

Notes:

No hidden charges
We won't quote you one price and charge you another. When possible, we'll provide you with a per-word or per-page rate so you'll know up front exactly how much your project will cost. (Of course, we ask that you fairly represent the scope of your project.)

To learn more about the rates charged by professional editors, please see: Editorial Freelancers Association

It is a mistaken notion that freelance editors work "on spec" (speculation) with no payment to the editor. It is basically asking the editor to work for free. There's no guarantee that a book will see a profit (or even be published). The editors posted here do not work on spec.

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Note: Price quotes and time estimates for individual editors cannot be given over the phone or via chat. This is a network of freelance editors with varying prices and work schedules (see our FAQ). To obtain a price quote please follow the procedures listed on our quotes page. Contact live support if you do not receive a response within three hours. It is possible that your submission was not received. You may also page the network coordinator by leaving voicemail or sending a fax to 469-789-3030.

Please be as complete as possible in representing your project's scope and size so you will receive the most accurate estimate.

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