Ron Marmarelli: Published Biographer, Historian, Journalist, Writing Instructor

RON MARMARELLI

Published Biographer
Historian
Journalist
Writing Instructor
Thesis and Dissertation Editor - MLA, APA 5th Edition, Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian
Documentation / Bibliography Formatting

I am a specialist in nonfiction, especially biography, history, and literary journalism, with special expertise in subject areas of newspaper and magazine journalism, mass media issues, and sports and in scholarly writing and documentation (MLA, Chicago/Turabian, APA). In more than 20 years of university teaching, I helped hundreds of beginning writers of newspaper and magazine articles and academic papers to develop ideas, write proposals and query letters, identify and locate sources, conduct research, draft and revise, employ the most effective techniques of presentation, and use appropriate style and documentation formats. I am available to help you in the same dedicated manner with your project, whether it be a book or an article for a magazine or scholarly journal. I can evaluate and critique your manuscript, help with writing of query letters and book proposals, and assist with content development, substantive editing, revising or rewriting, and fact-checking.

My background includes work as a general assignment reporter/education writer and as a copy editor for daily newspapers. My teaching in journalism and English departments has included such courses as Writing for the Mass Media, Writing Literary Journalism, Magazine and Feature Writing, Advanced Composition, and Expository Writing. I have written more than 20 biographical pieces for American National Biography, Dictionary of American Biography, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Biographical Dictionary of American Journalism and also have written articles, essays, and book reviews for anthologies and journals. I have evaluated papers, manuscripts, and textbook revisions for conferences, journals, and publishers (Wadsworth, Prentice-Hall). For several years, I served as a consultant judge for the Livestock Publications Council Award-Critique Program. I have bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism and have done doctoral work in American studies.

Feedback

"I just wanted you to know that I read the book once more before sending it to the publisher. It really looked VERY good. Thank you for your wonderful work!" - Emanuelle Oliveira, Writing Identity: The Politics of Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Literature

"I have gone over the entire manuscript and I am very pleased. I have adopted nearly all of your changes. ... I like the fact that the changes help my style of writing and don't take away from my voice in the piece. ... Thanks for all your hard work on my book." - Nathan Lewis, Hearing Voices: A Memoir

"Also many thanks to Ron Marmarelli for his excellent editing—in the Internet age, it's true, we can all write and publish our own stories but we still need editors and I'm fortunate to have found such a good one." - Joe Lamport, Dinkelmann's Rules: A Dot-Comedy of Errors (novel)

"For someone who learned English as his third language, writing an autobiography in English was quite a challenge. However, the magical talents of Ron Marmarelli made my dream a reality. I could not have done it without you Ron. You are truly a genius!" Steve Saintus, Shalom Mortgage

"Ron, my editor, requires very special thanks for his expertise and abilities to polish this document into one that I can be very proud of." - Cindy, Ph.D. candidate, Capella University

"Thank you Ron, for giving so generously of your time and talent to my manuscript. I am very grateful indeed for all your help. I now see what a professional editor can do for a manuscript." Angelina W. Memon

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.

LIVE AGENT

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.

Disclaimer: Your agreement, whether oral or written, is with your freelance editor / proofreader / writer, not with the freelance network as a whole or its coordinator.