Editing a great commentary...

One of my editors, Robin wrote this brilliant piece on writing.com, where she is a moderator and mentor to thousands of aspiring writers.. This is something every author needs to read...
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Hello.  My name is Robin  and I am one of the editors at Two Moon.  I am a published author and playwright, a former college professor and an experienced editor.  I have been working in the publishing and/or advertizing industry for over thirty years.

Editing is one of the most important steps on the way to having your book published!  An editor is a fresh eye and someone who is objective.  My aim is be sure your book is the best that you are capable of writing as well as having it be as marketable as possible. 

 I’m not a glorified spell checker.  A spell checker can only certify that the words you’ve chosen to use are spelled correctly, but it cannot tell you if you’ve used the correct word—for example:  their, there or they’re; it or it’s; past or passed; or accept or except.  It cannot tell you if you’ve used the appropriate tense, syntax or punctuation. A spell checker can’t tell you that you’ve changed your point of view mid sentence, or if you’ve written a structurally sound paragraph.  It won’t tell you that you’ve started the last ten sentences with the same word or repeatedly used the same word when using synonyms would add more to what you are saying.  Run on sentences, incomplete phrases and unclear communication are other pitfalls that a spell checker isn’t capable of addressing.  This is my job; addressing issues like these and others.

An editor is not in place to change your vision, nor to change your story.  I am here to make sure your book isn’t full of errors.  If I have to read a sentence several times to understand what you are trying to say, then chances are your readers will too.  This is called a ‘stopper,’ and is not what you want a reader to do.  Too many  and a reader will not finish your book, neither will they buy more by an author who does this nor recommend it to a friend. Literary reviewers will pick up on issues like these in a heartbeat and focus a review on deficiencies rather than how wonderful and intriguing a story you’ve written.

An author/editor relationship is one of teamwork; working together to be sure your book is the best it can be.  I enjoy working with my authors and I understand the process and emotional concerns from both sides. 

Bottom line is that all concerned want your book to sell.  Our suggestions and input are focused on your book being such that it reaches its full marketing potential.

Website Changes Coming

We have super news for everyone who goes to our web site.

We are adding some interesting pages to our web site for all to see. We are adding a video page, with videos of our events, staff, and other cool and interesting things.

We also are adding a Staff page, where you will be able to see the faces behind the names, read a little about us and what we do. So stay tuned for some cool and interesting changes at www.800publishing.com

2 Moon is adding Staff

2 Moon Press is adding three people to it's staff in the coming week. We will be adding a Graphic Designer who will be doing book covers, posters and business cards. We also are adding a dedicated Event Coordinator, who will be setting up a more varied group of events, and finding new and interesting venues for our authors. We will also be adding a Book Layout Specialist, who will be providing excellent high quality layouts for our authors.

We feel that with these three new additions to the 2 Moon family, we will be able to surpass 2010 in service, and end book quality. We will be posting names and photos on here once we are finished with the hiring process.