Writers & Editors

Lynda Lotman - Network Coordinator

Lynda Lotman (see www.manuscriptediting.com)

Sarah Anderson

SARAH ANDERSON is a freelance editor and writer, experienced in fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been called outstanding, and she was solely responsible for editing the three most successful romances published by Banbury Books and distributed by Dell. Her nonfiction projects include a psychologist’s spiritual autobiography, which she developed from existing material and transcripts, and a book on marriage. She is an acknowledged contributor to The Wisdom of The Enneagram, published by Bantam. She has self-published a relationships handbook, Relationships Made Easy: How to get along with all kinds of people, and has written articles on the psychology of personality. Clients love her flexibility and her personable style.

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Carrie Andrews

Carrie Andrews is an honors graduate with a BA in English. She has worked in the publishing industry for several years as a project editor, copyeditor, and proofreader, with specialties in fiction, entertainment, and college-level textbooks. She works with companies such as Reader's Digest, Random House, Inc., Kensington Publishing, and Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. A bibliophile her entire life, Carrie has a natural talent for language. Her avid reading has helped her develop a sharp eye for detail and has honed her sense of flow. While copyediting, she strikes that delicate balance between maintaining an author's voice and making the language clear and vibrant. She is also a meticulous proofreader and fact checker. Clients have called her work "superb" and "astute." Authors enjoy Carrie's personable style and find her easy to work with.

• Copyediting, proofreading
• Formatting: Chicago Manual of Style, 15^th ed, American Medical Association, 9^th ed, American Psychological Association, 5^th ed
• Fiction: African American, inspirational, thrillers, suspense, historical, fantasy, romance, and the classics
• Non-Fiction: World history, world politics, American government, singing, psychology, philosophy, speech, physical chemistry, oral history, self-help, alternative medicine articles, scientific journals!
• Entertainment: Video game strategy

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Bruce Bortz

Literary attorney and editor Bruce Bortz has a passion for the publishing business that can't be measured. He's combined thirty years of journalistic experience with 15+ years book publishing experience and now offers his services as a classic generalist, editing both fiction and nonfiction.

He wears every hat in the publishing business, trading back and forth as duty requires—From manuscript acquisitions to contract negotiations to editing to marketing. His philosophy is simple: do what you love, do what you're good at, and do lots of it.

• Manuscript Critiques
• Copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing.
• Ghostwriting
• Book proposals
• Marketing plans
• Book contracts (review and negotiation)

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Beth Bruno

BETH BRUNO is a columnist, author, and book editor. Hundreds of her articles have been published in print and online, and her first book, Wild Tulips, came out in 2001 and went into a second printing in 2002. Beth's proximity to New York and her position as President of the CT Authors and Publishers Association give her unique access to literary agents and publishers in and around New York City. Several of the authors whose manuscripts she has edited have been published in the mainstream, thanks to her referrals on their behalf. Beth's editing interests are eclectic and include a delicious mix of fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and children's works.

• Developmental editing
• Writing assistance
• Fiction and nonfiction: adventure, children's books, contemporary, education, humor, memoir/biography, mystery, romance/women's fiction, historical, creative nonfiction, literary fiction

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D.J. Bruno

D.J. BRUNO works closely with authors to develop, liven, and perfect their books and articles. She provides manuscript critiques that offer extensive feedback on every aspect of a narrative, as well as ghostwriting, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and marketing (proposal, query, and synopsis development and agent contact). 

A fiction writer herself, she was an editorial assistant and reader at Ploughshares, had her fiction published in various literary magazines, taught literature and grammar, and edited a range of material from memoir to erotica, biography, short fiction, poetry, travel writing, personal essays, and literary and commercial fiction. She specializes in film and photography, food and wine, nutrition, travel, psychology, memoir, and literary fiction.

• Copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing
• Ghostwriting
• Manuscript critiques
• Mentoring and writing instruction
• Submission materials: book proposals, query letters, synopses, agent/publisher research
• Non-fiction: marketing & business communications travel, creative nonfiction, cookbooks, psychology, diet/nutrition, health, memoir, biography, self-help, alternative medicine
• Entertainment: photography, film, art
• Poetry and screenplays

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Connie Buchanan

CONNIE BUCHANAN, editor of Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, has edited and ghostwritten 200+ titles for publishers that include Time-Life Books, Brassey's/Macmillan, and Island Press. She performs everything from evaluations to basic copyediting and complete rewrites. One of Connie's priorities is helping authors communicate in concise, engaging prose that will attract the attention of agents.

Areas of expertise include memoir, literary and commercial fiction, environmental issues, public policy, health/nutrition, U.S. and European history, military history, and art history.

Connie has English degrees from Princeton and Oxford universities. Her book reviews and prize-winning short stories have appeared in the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Times, and the Journey Prize Anthology, among others. Says former Speaker of the House Jim Wright, author of Worth It All: My War for Peace, "Connie's editorial improvements are absolutely outstanding! I wonder why I didn't think to say it that way in the first place."

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Michael Carr

Michael Carr has edited or copyedited 300+ fiction and nonfiction titles for major publishers and authors. Notable nonfiction authors include Bernard Goldberg (NY Times best-seller Arrogance), CNN anchor Lou Dobbs (Exporting America), Rev. Al Sharpton (Al on America), and CNN Crossfire host Tucker Carlson (Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites). Michael edits most fiction genres but specializes in literary and historical, crime/mystery, drama, fantasy, and science fiction.

Notable fiction authors include Brad Meltzer (#3 NY Times best-seller The Zero Game), NY Times Notable Book of the Year author Archer Mayor (The Surrogate Thief, Gatekeeper, The Second Mouse), crime grandmaster Donald Westlake (the Dortmunder series), and the fantasy master Michael Moorcock (The White Wolf’s Son).

Michael has also edited eight published volumes on world affairs and some twenty self-help books (medical, psychological, personal growth, and business) and has translated a dozen novels and other literary works from Spanish to English. 

• Substantive editing, copyediting, rewriting, ghostwriting
• Fiction and nonfiction: literary, how-to, psychology, self-help, crime fiction, adult, young adult, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, true crime, international relations, current affairs, nature and science, military history, forensic science, travel

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Jeannette Cezan

JEANNETTE CEZAN can help your ideas soar, dazzle, and rise above the ordinary. She is passionate about language and concerned about its correct usage (to the point of mentally correcting the grammar on public signs!). She brings a multicultural background and approach to every project, offering diverse viewpoints and an expression encompassing many different perspectives. She holds two masters degrees and a doctorate, so brings a strong background in academia to bear on projects as well.

As a freelance writer and editor, she blends grammatical correctness with scintillating prose for projects as diverse as documentary and educational videos, articles and magazine columns, business plans, press releases, patent applications, technical documentation and business manuals, marketing collateral, Web site copy, brochures, advertising campaigns, and academic work. Edited fiction projects include mainstream, historical, mystery, romance, and speculative fiction manuscripts. Whatever your project, she can help you express it with words that will make a difference.

• Business copywriting and editing
• Advertising, public relations, Web sites
• Technical writing andediting
• Fiction: historical fiction & nonfiction, mystery, romance, speculative fiction

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Virginia Clark

VIRGINIA CLARK has been an editor and proofreader of fiction and nonfiction for many years, working on more than 200 titles. She specializes in literary and popular fiction, detective/crime fiction, biography, self-help, history, music, and the visual arts, especially film. She was a staff copyeditor for Simon & Schuster in New York starting in 1989 for five years and has continued to freelance for them ever since, as well as for other presses including Algonquin; Duke University; Farrar, Straus, & Giroux; and the University of California. Fiction she has copyedited includes Richard Condon, The Emperor of America; Quinn Dalton, High-Strung; David Freeman, A Hollywood Life and It's All True; Kem Nunn, The Dogs of Winter; Kate Walbert, The Gardens of Kyoto and Our Kind; and Meg Wolitzer, Surrender, Dorothy. Detective/crime authors include Jan Burke, George C. Chesbro, Nick Gaitano, Alison Glen, Philip Harper, David Osborn, Ian Rankin, and Jan Roberts. She has copyedited autobiographies including Miles Davis, Miles; Faye Dunaway, Looking for Gatsby; Charlton Heston, In the Arena; and Neil Simon, Rewrites: A Memoir; as well as biographies such as Joseph McBride, The Catastrophe of Success: Frank Capra and McBride's Steven Spielberg. She has also worked on large collections including The Companion to 20th-Century Music, Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, and The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. In addition, she has been proofreader/copyeditor for October Magazine since 1989, as well as for various other magazines such as for Condé Nast publications.

• Copyediting
• Proofreading
• Developmental editing
• Literary fiction, popular fiction, detective or crime fiction, true-crime, history, biography, music, film, television, visual arts, self-help, show business, humor, social science, psychology

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Esther David-Roland

ESTHER DAVID-ROLAND is a writer and editor whose experience includes writing and editing in technical and non-technical subject areas. She has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor for more than 25 years and brings her many years of experience to each project. As a freelance copyeditor, Esther has worked with major publishers, businesses, and individuals, and has worked extensively with authors whose native language is not English.

* Book editing (nonfiction)
* Developmental editing (nonfiction)
* Manuscript copyediting and proofreading
* Technical, medical, and scientific copyediting
* Website copyediting and proofreading

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Karen Davis

The award-winning writing of KAREN DAVIS prompted one of many loyal clients to call her his "secret weapon in attaining communications supremacy." She earned magna cum laude degrees in English and history and world-class journalism credentials from the London Times and Regional Newspapers. Since 1976 she has been an international correspondent and author of hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles; publishing house editor (several books won American Library Association Outstanding Reference Source awards); acclaimed advertising writer (First Place in the Pacific Northwest, direct mail campaign) and technical writer ($10,000 First Place in North America, engineering paper); director of publications and marketing; author of style manuals; university lecturer in writing; and published lyricist and poet. She brings clarity and conciseness to confusing language and organization to chaos..

• Copy Editing & proofreading
• Technical editing
• Business, marketing, and advertising writing
• Screenplays
• Journalism and reporting
• Writing instruction
• Fiction: historical, mainstream, literary
• Nonfiction: history, creative, literary, business

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Alice Day

ALICE DAY has been an editor since 1988. After earning a graduate degree in creative writing at Brown University, she has worked at the book publishers Henry Holt and Company and Carroll & Graf Publishers. Writer Don Smith, whose awards include 19 regional Emmys, said of Alice Day, "She's the kind of editor every writer should be so lucky to have." Alice Day is an award-winning poet with four collections of poetry that have been published by nationally-recognized publishing houses. Kathleen Wakefield, whose novella won the 2008 Cleveland State University novella contest, said "that [Alice] has been an editor at a major New York publishing house gives her insight into that complicated world; that she is a poet, I believe, gives her the sensitivity to find the beauty of a writer's individual work." Alice Day has the skill and experience to focus on a writer's vision and help the writer realize it. She's a hands-on editor who's not afraid to cut words and offer insights. And she has a poet's sensitivity to language.

Alice Day's specialty is fiction editing. She has worked with numerous award-winning authors (authors who have won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award, as well as first-time novelists) She does detailed manuscript evaluations, as well as developmental/substantive editing. She is also a skilled copy editor.

Her fiction specialties include short stories, novellas, literary fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction, chick lit, thrillers, mysteries, and detective/crime novels.

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Cynthia Fleming-Wood

Cynthia Fleming-Wood has over 20 yrs of experience as a technical writer and editor. Her technical aptitude has enabled her to understand and document software in a wide range of subjects, including networking, wafer etching, medical equipment, databases, and CAD/CAM. In addition, she has worked on medical research documentation, including the following subject areas: artificial heart-valves, carcinogenic substances, HIV, renal disease, psychology, and pediatric gastroenterology.

Cynthia creates technical information clearly, economically, accurately, and at an appropriate level for the audience. Her years of teaching make it easy for her to design documentation that meets the needs of the user.

As a technical editor, Cynthia is dedicated to correct grammar and usage and is especially skilled at making edits that maintain the author's original meaning. She also ensures that documents adhere to the adopted style manual. Consistency of presentation ensures a clear understanding of the subject matter.

Among the different types of technical documentation she creates are:

• Quick start guides
• User guides
• System administrator guides
• Online help
• Process engineering guides
• External design specifications

Publishing and Authoring Tools:
FrameMaker, Microsoft Word, RoboHelp, Adobe Acrobat Professional, WebWorks Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, Paint Shop Pro, Visio

Operating Systems:Windows XP, Windows 2000, UNIX, Linux,
Other Tools: Documentum, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, FileMaker Pro

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Diane L. Foose

DIANE L. FOOSE has 20 years of experience as a full-time freelance copy editor and proofreader of books and journals in the fields of medicine and health, engineering, mathematics, law, the environment, and the social sciences. Some of the journals she has worked on are The Journal of Legal Medicine, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds, Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry, Health Care for Women International, Ocean Development and International Law, Comparative Strategy, Traffic Injury Prevention, and Numerical Heat Transfer. Diane's assignments require an in-depth knowledge of editorial practices, familiarity with specific editorial styles (Chicago, APA, AMA), and an understanding of scientific and technical terms.

• Fiction and nonfiction books, textbooks, short stories, scholarly journal articles, symposium proceedings, workshop manuals, newsletters,grant proposals, theses, dissertations
• Medicine and health, psychology, environment, education, history, mathematics, political science, international studies, music & arts, engineering

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Jennifer Gardner

JENNIFER GARDNER is a full-time freelance proofreader and copyeditor who loves fact checking and is accomplished at substantive and structural editing. Her background is primarily in scientific and scholarly journals and books for publishers such as Taylor & Francis books and CRC Press as well as in “soft” science publications for such presses as Allworth and Pointed Leaf.

• Proofreading, copyediting, substantive editing, fact-checking
• Scientific and scholarly articles and books

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Marlo Garner

MARLO GARNER is an editor, children's author and illustrator. She has been editing children's books and teaching writing for children since the late 1990s. She is on faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Continuing Education and teaches "Writing for Children's Books." Her first book for children Let's Visit Space was recently released by Macmillan McGraw-Hill, and her second Author at Work, Dr Seuss is due later this year. She is currently writing a middle grade series, a YA novel and innumerable picture book texts (which spring forth at the most inopportune times). Marlo is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI).

Marlo believes in not only editing the work of her clients, but in teaching them to become better writers, equipping them with knowledge they will need as they continue on their journey. Marlo is passionate about all sub-genres of children's books, but picture books are her first love. She will happily tackle texts in rhyming verse and is a wizard with a rhyming dictionary and her mental metronome. She provides:

• Copyediting & proofreading
• Developmental/substantive editing
• Cover letters, query letters
• Correct formatting & understanding the submission process
• Critiques, writing instruction & mentorship
• Children's books: picture books, poetry, magazine submissions, chapter books, young adult, children's non-fiction.
• Literary fiction, crime, fantasy
• Illustration, illustration critiques and advice for aspiring illustrators.

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Val Gerard

VALRIE (VAL) GERARD, MA, PhD in Biology

• Science and medical editor and writer since 2001. Editing, copyediting, and writing of manuscripts, books, dissertations, grant proposals, etc. Topics range from ecology to epidemiology, from biochemistry to biomechanics, from environmental policy to paleontology, from natural products to swine nutrition. Focuses on organization, interpretation, and clear presentation of complex information.
• Past clients include professionals and students from Australia, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, Venezuela, even the U.S.! Goals are successful completion of specific writing project, and helping clients improve their own writing skills for future projects.
• Val’s own work includes more than fifty publications in ecology, botany, zoology, physiology, biochemistry, and mathematical modeling (see her publication list), and one million dollars worth of successful grant proposals.
• Over thirty years of teaching experience, including scientific writing courses. Served as advisor and/or mentor to many graduate and undergraduate students.
• Past experience as associate editor, editorial board member, and/or reviewer for over two dozen scientific journals, including Science, and government funding agencies.
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• Writing and editing: life sciences
• Grant writing

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Anne Greenberg

ANNE GREENBERG was an in-house editor of children's books for 16 years at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, specializing in fiction for readers 5-8, 8-12, and young adult. As a freelancer, she focuses on developmental editing, editing, and copyediting of adult fiction and nonfiction, in addition to children's books (but not picture books). At Pocket/S&S she edited more than 550 books (including all-new Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles) and worked with seasoned and first-time authors.

• Developmental/substantive editing, manuscript evaluation, copyediting.
• Young adult fiction; children’s fiction (chapter books and middle grade but not picture books); adult trade fiction and nonfiction, including self-help, how-to, diet and nutrition.

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Tim Grundmann

TIM GRUNDMANN, is an author, playwright and TV scriptwriter and story editor with 25 years of experience. His books in the Doug Chronicles series are published by Disney Press. He was part of the creative team behind Pee-wee's Playhouse on CBS (for which he wrote the show "bible"), and developed the HBO comedy Norman's Corner with Seinfeld creator Larry David. As head writer and story editor for the Disney Channel's New Mickey Mouse Club and Nickelodeon's Doug, he guided scripts from concept to final draft. He's written episodes of Allegra's Window and Welcome, Freshmen for Nickelodeon, and was developmental writer for Mowgli and His Friends and WaysideSchool for the Disney Channel and ABC-TV. As house writer for Broadcast Arts in NYC, he wrote scripts, proposals, treatments and show bibles for TV shows starring Gilbert Gottfried, Madeline Kahn and others. Recently he wrote scripts for the PC game My Scene Goes Hollywood for Vivendi Universal Games.

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Carol Hegberg

CAROL HEGBERG is an internationally published, award-winning writer and editor. Her novel is entitled Pen Pals. Her poetry, scripts, short stories, and articles have been published in many magazines and books. Carol knows the endurance, tenacity, and patience a writer must possess to become published. Beginning writers, published authors, agents with needy clients, and publishers with editing work use her services. She copyedits, rewrites, and proofreads speeches, short stories or collections, articles, essays, and manuscripts. She helps develop and edit inspirational, Christian, and picture-book manuscripts, children and young-adult fiction and nonfiction. She's available for proofreading or writing help with manuscript submissions, query letters, and book proposals.

• Line editing, rewriting, mentoring
• Juvenile & young adult fiction/nonfiction, Christian topics

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Bonnie Hill

BONNIE HILL is a writer-friendly editor/mentor who has helped numerous authors break into print. She teaches workshops for Writer's Digest Online Workshops and speaks at writing conferences across the country. Her workshop members have won awards (such as the Hackney Literary Prize for fiction) and sold everything from novels to nonfiction books, essays and cowboy poetry to top publishers such as Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan, Writer's Digest, Story Line Press, Santa Monica Press, and Simon & Schuster.

Twenty-three years as an editor have failed to kill Bonnie Hill's love for the written word. When editing your work, her goal is not to change for the sake of change, but to make you sound more like *you* -- without leaving editorial fingerprints.

• Developmental, book critiques, evaluations
• Ghostwriting (nonfiction only), rewriting, mentoring
• Fiction: Thrillers, mystery, women’s fiction, literary, historical, suspense, multi-cultural
• Nonfiction: True crime, memoir, health/fitness, medical, food/cooking, prescriptive nonfiction, business, inspirational, humor, literary
• Submission materials: Book proposals and, query letters

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Glenn Hilton

GLENN HILTON has 33 years of writing and editing experience, starting with 26 years as a faculty member in the Department of Computing and Information Science at Queen's University in Canada. During this time he supervised numerous Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations, served on many examination committees in engineering and the natural sciences, reviewed many articles for research journals, published a textbook in computer systems, and published numerous journal and conference papers.

Since retiring from Queen's he has worked as a technical editor and writer. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering. His subjects of specialization include computer systems, software engineering, computer security, computer science, formal methods, requirements specification, electrical engineering, engineering, mathematics, information technology, telecommunications, computer networks, physics, chemistry, operating systems, UNIX, LaTex, Framemaker, and RoboHELP.

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Linda Hines

LINDA HINES ghostwrites, rewrites, and edits novels, business manuscripts, self-help books, short stories, essays, articles, biographies, literary fiction, proposals, and cover and query letters. She has edited over 100 fiction and non-fiction works and wrote and produced articles as managing editor of a subscription-based, B2B newsletter. She specializes in subjects such as humor, mystery, business, current events and politics, psychology, holistic healing, organic gardening, nature and the environment, weight loss, fitness, health, diet and nutrition, spirituality, alternative healing.

• Book editor, ghostwriter
• Fction: genre fiction, young adult literature, literary fiction, mystery, suspense, psychological, crime, supernatural, action, adventure, short story
• Nonfiction: business, self-help, self-improvement, how-to , memoir, personal essay, biography, alternative medicine, holistic healing, diet, nutrition, spirituality
• Submission materials: query letters, cover letters, synopses, proposals

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Kate Johnson

KATE JOHNSON (BA, psychobiology, Yale University) has thirteen years of experience as a professional copyeditor, developmental editor, and proofreader. She has edited nonfiction books, textbooks, encyclopedia and journal articles, technical manuals, conference proceedings, newsletters, and online publications in a wide range of topics for professional, academic, and lay audiences. In addition to helping students and professors (including many for whom English is a second language) refine their medical, biological, and other natural science manuscripts, Kate enjoys working on materials in the humanities as well as cookbooks, travel guides, and do-it-yourself books. She is literate in scientific and medical terminology, well-versed in various style requirements (such as Chicago, AMA, and GPO), and adaptable to authors' or publishers' preferences.

Sample Topics: Agriculture, alternative medicine, anatomy, biology, botany, conventional medicine, cooking, ecology, geology, health care, hiking adventures, homeopathy, marine biology, medical devices and software, natural history, nutrition, oncology, psychiatry, psychology, rehabilitation, sexual dysfunction, sleep research and disorders, spine disorders and treatment, technical design, travel, urology, weight loss, women's studies, zoology

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Stavra Ketchmark

STAVRA KETCHMARK has edited more than 200 fiction titles while working for major publishing houses, as well as numerous medical, technical, and scientific trade, academic, and professional titles. She specializes in a variety of fiction genres, including romance, historical, mystery, suspense, crime, horror, fantasy, science fiction, and young adult. Her nonfiction specialties include all medical disciplines, nursing, allied health, alternative health, political science/politics, history, journalism, religion, parenting, and cooking.

Stavra has also helped a broad range of corporate clients fine-tune their annual reports, advertisements, websites, and other marketing materials to achieve the image they are seeking.

Her edited manuscripts have been published by Wadsworth, Mosby, Signet, Roc, NAL Trade, Thompson Delmar Learning, and Onyx.

• Developmental editing
• Line editing
• Rewriting
• Copyediting, proofreading
• Critiques
• Submission materials (query letters, synopses, cover letters)
• Fiction: romance, historical, mystery, suspense, crime, horror, fantasy, science fiction, literary
• Nonfiction: Medical, nursing, alternative health, politics, history, journalism, religion/spiritual, parenting, business, cooking

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Floyd Largent

FLOYD LARGENT specializes in history, natural history, anthropology and the sciences on the non-fiction front, and speculative fiction(science fiction, fantasy, horror, and allied fields) otherwise. He's published his own e-book on fiction marketing (100 Great Places to Sell Your Short Stories, Both On and Off the Web), and is intimately familiar with technical writing, having worked as a technical writer and editor for ten years. He's also been published in most of the popular American history magazines, including American history, America's Civil War, Old West, and True West. Mr. Largent can provide publishing assistance (especially with short stories and journal articles), content development, manuscript evaluation, and mentoring services, supplemented with advice concerning manuscript mechanics, query letters, book synopses, and proposals.

• Developmental editing
• Book proposals

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Jo-Ann Langtree

Jo-Ann Langtree writes and edits books, stories, and articles in the following fields: business, medical, insurance, health, holistic health, spirituality, religion, psychic phenomena, young-adult fiction, children's books, mystical experience, self-help, New Age, nutrition, diet, exercise, saints & masters, gurus, theosophy, Christianity, homeopathy, vitamins & minerals, herbs, and food supplements. She was a writer and editor for Aetna Life & Casualty. As editor of Life NEWS, she had sole responsibility for finding, developing, writing, editing, and proofing all articles. Topics included new products, sales campaigns, insurance-agent interviews, accolades, seminars, Company acquisitions and policies. Jo-Ann also edits personal and business sites.

• Proofreading
• Editing (Copyediting and Developmental)
• Spirituality, metaphysics, religion, theosophy, psychology, holistic health, food supplements, homeopathy, nutrition, psychic phenomena, lucid dreaming, mystical experience, self-help, saints, masters, and gurus

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Herbert M. Levine

HERBERT M. LEVINE is a freelance writer and editor (nonfiction). His publications include 36 books and more than 75 articles. Subjects include: American government, state and local government, world politics, terrorism, arms control, state and local government, public administration, civil liberties, gun control, illegal drugs, chemical and biological weapons, and immigration. His articles have appeared in newspapers, magazines, journals, and reference books (including an encyclopedia). He served as a consultant for book projects on counterterrorism and evaluated and edited the work of academics and former government officials for that project.

He holds a Ph.D. in public law and government from Columbia University. He taught political science for 20 years at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He has edited numerous doctoral dissertations. He advised dissertation writers on the substance and style of their work and directed them to publishing markets. Dr. Levine is an expert in APA and Chicago writing requirements.

• Copyediting, developmental editing
• Academic and scholarly topics
• Book proposals
• Young adult nonfiction

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Lorna Lynch

LORNA LYNCH has over twenty-five years of editing, copyediting, and proofreading experience, and has worked on more than a hundred books to date. She also co-owned a monthly newspaper for seven years, where she wrote and edited hundreds of articles. She has a tremendous instinct for what "works" and what doesn't in both fiction and non-fiction, and has guided numerous authors to publishing success. Her primary goal is to see that writing with some potential becomes writing with great potential, and she works closely with authors to achieve that goal.

Her area of expertise is character-driven fiction; however, she has edited books of all stripes, including political commentary, how-to books, humor, mysteries, romance novels, children's books, young adult fiction, detective novels, and psychological thrillers.

• Line editing, proofreading, author guidance
• Fiction: young adult, contemporary/mainstream, detective/crime, humor, literary fiction, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, short stories, thriller/espionage
• Nonfiction: creative nonfiction, memoir/biography, self-help/how-to, psychology, politics

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Suzanne Manness

SUZANNE MANNESS is an English professor specializing in technical and business writing. She has written and edited technical manuals, informational brochures, business proposals, and grants. She has also written computer user manuals and technical instrumentation directions. Additionally, she has edited many medical textbooks and medical articles on such subjects as heart transplants, pain management, and anesthesiology. She is an expert in all documentation systems such as Chicago Style, Harvard, APA, American Anthropological Association, and MLA. Her specialty is taking complex material and translating that material into a clear, concise, audience-friendly document.

• Technical writing and editing
• Academic/scholarly writing and editing (theses and dissertations)
• Formatting specialist: APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, Harvard, AMA, and AAA.
  Recommended by Nova Southeastern University, Capella, Walden, The University of Phoenix, and Northcentral University
• Thesis and dissertation advising

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Ron Marmarelli

RON MARMARELLI is a specialist in nonfiction, especially biography, history, and literary journalism, with expertise in scholarly writing and documentation (MLA, Chicago/Turabian, APA). He also is experienced in editing fiction manuscripts, especially historical fiction and literary fiction, and can assist in preparation of book proposals, synopses, and queries. He is a published biographer and historian, a former newspaper journalist, and a university professor who also has been a freelance editor since 2000. He has taught university courses in writing and editing for more than 20 years, has written more than 20 biographical articles for reference works, and has written articles, essays, and book reviews for anthologies and journals. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism and has done doctoral work in American studies.

• Developmental editing, copyediting, writing instructor
• Published biographer
• Historian
• Journalist
• Formatting: MLA, APA 5th Edition, Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian
• Academic/scholarly writing (thesis, dissertation, term paper, essay)

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Jim McDonough

JIM McDONOUGH has edited books on such different subjects as translations from Greek and Latin prose and poetry, Roman history, Catholic schools, Jews and Gentiles in the ancient world, Martin Luther, World War II, the Bible, foreign phrases used in English contexts, and biography. He has also edited a medical dictionary, a historical novel on the First Crusade, and encyclopedia articles. He prefers the Chicago/Turabian style. When he receives a manuscript with great idea but less than ideal presentation of these ideas, he takes great delight in helping the author give form, organization, and polish to the work so as to increase its chances of publication and of getting the author's ideas across effectively to the public. He also enjoys helping persons with Ph.D.s prepare their dissertation or other research for publication by university presses and trade publishers.

• Developmental editing, rewriting, copyediting
• Medical and academic/scholarly topics
• Religion, theology, history, music
• Chicago Manual of Style

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Holly Monteith

HOLLY MONTEITH, a professional copy editor, holds a M.A. in linguistics from Rice University and a B.A. with honors in nonfiction writing from the Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as a copy editor within the scientific/technical/medical peer-reviewed journal industry for over 5 years and has extensive experience copyediting scientific and social science texts ranging from articles to theses to book manuscripts. Ms. Monteith’s copyediting expertise extends beyond the word level to encompass figure, table, and mathematical and chemical equation editing. Ms. Monteith specializes in the APA and Chicago editorial styles.

• Expert in Microsoft applications Word, Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint.
• Expert in Corel Word Perfect.
• Expert in LaTeX.
• Proficient in Adobe Pagemaker.
• Expert using the World Wide Web.
• Educational background in German, Spanish, and Modern Standard Arabic.

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Reed Moran

W. REED MORAN is a former Washington, D.C. lawyer who discovered that it was writing and teaching he loved, not corporate law. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he worked as writer on the staff of four network drama series: Simon & Simon (CBS), Sidekicks (ABC), MacGyver (ABC), and Hollywood Detective (A&E).

Reed also wrote and sold a number of network drama pilots, feature and TV movie scripts and animation, as well as episodes for such series as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Swamp Thing, Baywatch, Renegade, Silk Stalkings, The Watcher, and Hollywood Detective.

He was nominated for a CableAce Award (Best Writing On A Dramatic Series) for his work on Hollywood Detective.

His professional screenwriting work includes the genres of mystery, science fiction, action adventure, dramatic comedy, family drama, children’s programming, and animation.

Reed has published over one hundred articles as a medical journalist for USA Today online and many for other publications. In that capacity, he has interviewed scores of public figures in politics, entertainment, and professional sports, including: Gerald Ford, Norman Schwarzkopf, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Maya Angelou, Art Buchwald, Christopher Reeve, Andy Garcia, Jeff Bridges, Edward James Olmos, Joe Montegna, Mick Fleetwood, Charlie Daniels, Anjelica Houston, Angela Lansbury, Danielle Steel, Patricia Heaton, Mandy Moore, William Shatner, Kelly Ripa, Brooke Shields, Matt Groening, Della Reese, Katherine Heigl, Carl Lewis, Bruce Jenner, Donovan McNabb, and Wayne Gretzky.

He teaches creative writing in Los Angeles and English literature in the summer program at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College and University of Virginia Law School, he served on the screenwriting faculty at California State University at Long Beach in 2007.

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Karl Morgan

KARL MORGAN is a book editor, script doctor, and writer. He has written for Epicurious, Thinkwell, and nerve.com, and his fiction has appeared in the Austin Chronicle and been read at Borders Books and on KUT public radio. Books he's edited have been singled out by the Chicago Review Press and Independent Publishers Group and have been praised by Deepak Chopra, Jim Belushi, and David Zucker (writer/director of Airplane! and Naked Gun). In 1997, he was named Boston University's Helen Deutsch Fellow--the school's most prestigious graduate writing fellowship. He edited the film industry book Reel People, the sports biography The Last Sure Thing: The Life and Times of Bobby Riggs (finalist for the Independent Press Best Memoir/Biography award), and the horror novel Wind Walker by Tom Chaney (screenwriter of Mosquito and director of Wrath of the Wendigo). He specializes in genre and mainstream fiction, scholarly non-fiction, and screenplays.

• Academic/scholarly/reference materials
• Fiction: mainstream and literary, science fiction, horror, speculative fiction, psychological thrillers, suspense, mysteries, fantasy, erotica
• Non-fiction: memoir, biography/autobiography, works in translation, regional and world history, psychology, theology, physical and biological sciences
• Screenplays: all genres

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Dorrie O'Brien

DORRIE O'BRIEN focuses on mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, adventure, and horror titles. She has considerable experience with trade non-fiction. As Editorial Director of her own publishing house, Dorrie published almost 100 titles, garnering several awards in "Best Of" categories. Almost half of the titles were bought for paperback reprints, and two were optioned for TV/movies. She has invaluable knowledge about the industry, the type of people who run it, how to work within it, and tips for getting your foot in the door. She’s reviewed, evaluated, and edited thousands of manuscripts through the years, and uses that knowledge to help her clients produce results-driven manuscripts, query letters, and synopses. She works particularly hard at staying in the author’s “voice,” making sure the facts and dialogue match the time period in which the book is set, and “losing” excess verbiage. She's a good mentor, hard worker, and in many cases, has ultimately become a good friend.

• Book doctor--fiction. Action-military, contemporary, mainstream, detective, crime, history, literary fiction, mystery, romance, women's fiction, science fiction, horror, fantasy, thrillers, espionage, Westerns
• Copy editing, developmental editing
• Manuscript evaluations, critiques, proofreader
• Manuscript layout (PDF)

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Louise O'Donald

LOUISE O'DONALD is a freelance editor and has more than 25 years of experience working with technical and business publications: journals, magazines, manuals, theses, dissertations, policies and procedures, press releases, proposals, reports, and white papers. She has specialized documentation experience in the computer and engineering field, and has worked for a number of computer peripherals and systems manufacturers and for a military defense contractor.

Louise has in-depth experience with copyediting, developmental editing, substantive editing, and proofreading. She has expertise in adjusting the level of edit according to client needs, working closely with authors to retain voice and technical accuracy. Louise possesses particular skill in querying authors and subject matter experts from many countries on widely varied technical subjects, and in applying US English idiom. Her specialties are APA and Chicago Manual of Style.

• Copyediting: technical, business, academic

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Mark Orrin

MARK ORRIN, M.A., Johns Hopkins (Teaching Fellow, 1971), has authored ten published books, scores of articles and poems, and taught writing on college and university levels. A seasoned publications editor, he has also mentored numerous successful American and international authors and poets. During a career in fund raising, Mark was considered one of America's leading copywriters, copy chiefs and creative/strategic consultants. He has been listed in Who's Who In the West, Who's Who In America, Who's Who In Entertainment and The Dictionary of International Biography.

• Ghostwriting, mentoring, developmental editing, line editing
• Manuscript critiques and evaluations
• Book proposals
• "Self-agenting" your book
• Fiction: science fiction, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, Westerns, mysteries, adolescent and children's books, action-suspense
• Non-fiction: memoirs, inspirational, public issues, self-help.

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Geoff Popp

GEOFF POPP has been editing poetry for over 20 years. He teaches writing and literature at a few universities in the Seattle area where he has also edited various copy for Microsoft. Geoff graduated from the University of Iowa, where he was an editor for the International Writing Program. His poetry has appeared in many magazines, journals and anthologies, including Christianity and Literature, Chronicles, Cornerstone, Radix, Voice of Many Waters: A Sacred Anthology for Today, and The Penwood Review.

• Poetry specialist
• Christian writing

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James N. Powell

JAMES POWELL is "a good literary surgeon," as one of his accomplished clients noted. As an editor of fiction and non-fiction, he views manuscripts with a broad, comprehensive vision and an eye for detail-for "the right word in the right place." Powell's editors will tell you that his books need no editing, as Powell is, himself, an editor. He will read your fiction with an eye to making it believable and your non-fiction with a knack for making it both convincing and engaging. His books and short stories have been translated into many languages and are known throughout the world. His list of publications includes The Tao of Symbols (Morrow 1982), Energy and Eros (Morrow 1985), The Prentice Hall Global Employment Guide (Prentice Hall 1983), Mandalas: The Dynamics of Vedic Symbolism (Sterling 1980), Derrida for Beginners (Writers and Readers 1996), Postmodernism for Beginners (Writers and Readers 1998), Eastern Philosophy for Beginners (2000), and Deconstruction for Beginners (2005). His short story "The Silence of the Hummingbird" was published in Spanish in Revista Katharsis. in Malaga, Spain and his journalism has appeared in the Santa Barbara Independent and Montecito Journal.

• Books, theses, and dissertations
• APA, MLA, Chicago formats

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Arlene W. Robinson

ARLENE ROBINSON has developed and edited 200+ full-length manuscripts in a variety of genres since 1996. Her clients include women's fiction author Angie Daniels, sociology professor Joyce Tang and college-success guide author Josh Richardson. The true crime memoir The Twelfth Man Standing received Turner Broadcasting Network's Trumpet Award in 2002, and 'PRESSIONS: Memoirs of a Southern Cat by Edith M. Holmes, won the YOUnity Reviewers Guild Top Honor Award. Arlene welcomes new or published authors as clients, and enjoys helping journalistic, business and academic writers transform their writings into marketable, polished products for mainstream readers. She also takes pride in helping non-native-English writers produce topnotch fiction and nonfiction works.

While not a professional humor writer, she could be. Arlene lives in the Deep South with her probation officer/journalist husband and two almost-adult sons, and looks forward to the day when her human offspring venture into the world as independently as she envisions her writings springing onto bookshelves.

• Substantive and developmental editing, copyediting
• Fiction and nonfiction critiques
• Book layout and graphics
• ESL Style Conversions ("Americanization")

Arlene is booking for March 2008.

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Nancy Rosenbaum

NANCY ROSENBAUM's experience includes writing and editing materials (functional specs, users guides, administrators guides, release notes, data sheets, quick reference guides, training material, help text, test plans with use cases) for commercial software and hardware companies, as well as the internal IT departments of pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and consulting companies. Nancy hs also written and edited multi-volume permit applications, operating guides, hazard communications standards, and emergency response procedures for environmental engineering and remediation companies. Nancy ensures each document is targeted to its audience, maximizing the document's impact and usability.

• Business and technical: policies and procedures, business correspondence, grants and proposals, executive summaries, bios and resumes, case studies, brochures, direct mail copy

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Karen Schader

KAREN SCHADER specializes in fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults, including chapter books, picture books, and educational resources. She has worked as a substantive editor, copyeditor, and proofreader for authors, trade publishers, and educational publishers. With an academic background in child development, she brings an understanding of children to her work, and several of her titles have been recognized with iParenting Media Awards and National Health Information Awards. A client once described Karen's editing as going beyond "simple grammar and sentence structure to style, age-appropriateness, and clarity." She respects readability, grammar, punctuation, accuracy, deadlines—and the importance of preserving the author's voice.

• Substantive editing and copyediting
• Fiction: juvenile and young adult
• Nonfiction: mental health, self-help, and education
• Project management
• QuarkXPress 6

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Denise Schmutte

DENISE L. SCHMUTTE, PhD is a freelance writer and editor with specialized training in technical communication. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology and has worked as a university professor, helping students with theses and other research projects. She has written for print and online publications geared to a variety of different audiences, with a special interest in science and medicine. She has experience editing and proofreading academic work and can handle both APA format and Chicago/Turabian style guidelines. Denise provides assistance with research, writing, statistical consultation, and editing services to take degree candidates from proposal to final form for master's or doctoral level projects. She particularly enjoys working with students who have gotten "stuck" in the dissertation or thesis process, helping them to find new energy and clarify their thinking in order to move forward. Students in this situation often feel demoralized and hopeless, and a bit of unbiased feedback and encouragement can go a long way towards getting them "unstuck" and back on track. Denise's work is fast and efficient, with a rapid turnaround time, and students appreciate her humor and supportive attitude.

• Proofreading, copyediting
• Statistics for psychology
• Academic editing: theses and dissertations
• Graduate advisor: psychology
• Formatting: APA, Chicago, Turabian, and AMA

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Elana Shippen

ELANA SHIPPEN, P.E., is a licensed professional engineer in mechanical engineering with 22 years of experience, including 14 years in the aerospace industry with Boeing Company's commercial airplanes program. She edits scientific and technical material, such as engineering books, design requirement documents, process documents, Request for Proposal (RFP), reference guides, case studies, and academic research papers and journals.

Elana also offers a technical editing course, for those currently working or studying in technical fields. This course provides steps for improving the technical writing style and offers key strategies for enhancing the overall quality of technical communications.

Elana completed the Technical Writing and Editing Certificate Program at the University of Washington in 2001.

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Melissa Simpson

MELISSA SIMPSON teaches academic writing and business and technical communications at Hendrix College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universities. She is skilled in MLA, APA, and Chicago manuals of style. Her work includes writing, editing and testing educational/tutorial manuals and users manuals. She has edited resumes, application letters, fiction and non-fiction books, textbooks, bibliographies, theses, and dissertations.

She holds a Master of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in English (summa cum laude). She is also a published author whose biography of author Flannery O'Connor was published in 2005.

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A. J. Sobczak

A. J. SOBCZAK is an 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, both articles and books, 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, and also has worked on several successful doctoral dissertations.

He is an expert in APA and Chicago styles and is on several publishers' lists of "go-to" editors for manuscripts with heavy math content. His fiction specialties include science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and young adult.

• Writing, copyediting, developmental editing
• Manuscript evaluations and critiques
• 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

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Madge Wallace

MADGE WALLACE is a professional freelance indexer. She creates indexes found at the back of nonfiction books. When an index is done according to generally accepted indexing standards, it performs flawlessly. The reader finds what he is looking for and doesn’t give the index a second thought.

On the other hand, if the index is poorly done, the reader becomes frustrated and will likely move on to the next book. Worse yet, a nonfiction book published without an index may not be taken seriously by the publishing industry.

Indexing is a skill Madge acquired after many years of writing freelance for newspapers and magazines, as well as authoring four published books. Her award-winning novel, Paying the Price, the story of a real estate deal in Hawaii that goes terribly bad, was published in 2005. Her Hawaii Real Estate Exam Book is in its 9th edition and has been used by students all over the world to pass the Hawaii real estate exam.

As an indexer Madge puts herself in the mind of the potential reader and anticipates his needs. Indexing involves such things as

• gathering together scattered information on the same subject
• breaking down large ranges of information into manageable subtopics
• cross referencing related topics
• double posting topics that might be accessed in several different ways
• distinguishing between passing references and substantive discussions

Madge has a degree in mathematics, and is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Basic Indexing Course, a tried and true standard for indexers. She is currently vice-chair of the American Society of Indexers – Rocky Mountain chapter. She welcomes books on topics ranging from textbooks to computer manuals, cookbooks to real estate, social studies to biographies, and self-help to Hawaiiana. All subjects will be considered.

In addition to creating indexes, she also edits and evaluates indexes created by authors for their own books. This valuable service helps authors to achieve a professional-looking index on their own terms. For more on authors as indexers, see her article, "Author as Indexer: the Good, the Bad and the Possible." Also see: Good Indexes Sell Books.

Madge welcomes your questions on indexing. All work is done efficiently via email to your specifications. Don't forget: a good index sells books!

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