I've had a lot of requests recently to edit self-help books, spiritual manuscripts, etc... seems that a lot of people out there are writing self-help books; and so this post is going to help clarify the common problems most modern self-help writers make, and how to write a book that somebody is actually going to read.
In general, you can't go wrong with self-help. Everybody wants to be happier, richer, more successful, more confident... if you can promise these things up front, you'll hook readers. The problem is on deliverance. Sure there have been many best-selling self help books and there always will be. The secret? Simplicity!
Most of the self-help manuscripts I've edited recently have been monumental treatises. Moreover, the majority of them are riddled with repetition, poorly formed analogies, description and explanation (rather than anecdotes and examples). You need to realize, you're competing with books like 'who moved my cheese'. If you can't break your book down into one, or a handful, of very simple (1 sentence) maxims which can be explained in more detail, keep working!
Only the very intellectual/well read philosophers are going to read a lengthy manuscript about self improvement - and they'll probably stick with some erudite Greek philosopher or Benjamin Franklin; some of the greatest writers the world has ever seen have written self-help advice, and you are competing with them (so do yourself a favor and read them).
There's a lot to do right, but most people do it wrong; so here's a checklist to make sure your self-help project is successful.
1) Read more! If nothing else, some well placed quotes from famous historical writers and philosophers will establish your credibility.
2) Keep it simple! Each chapter should have ONE idea that can be reduced to a single, catchy sentence. Lots of big, clear text and big chapter heading, etc.
3) Pick a focus! The best self-help books I've gotten recently have picked one specific technique and explained why it works. Trying to write a book without producing any new method will be difficult.
4) People don't want theory, they want practice. Give them actual exercises, habits, rituals, that they can DO.
5) People don't need explanations. They need anecdotes. Stories of other people who were successful. Allegories are great, but as Aristotle said - only geniuses are capable of producing great ones (so don't be surprised if other people don't get yours)
6) Don't try to be funny unless you're funny! (Ok - you're not going to know whether or not you're funny. You're going to need some tough love her. Don't ask a friend or a spouse. Give a few strangers 10 of your 'best lines' and see if they like them.)
7) Read 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill. It's still one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. It's a little dated, the examples are old, but the style (and enthusiasm) is great! You need that kind of enthusiasm and conversational tone and confidence to be successful.
Questions? contact me at www.paper-perfect-editing.com
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Native English Editors from India
I'm going to blog about a controversial topic, but a) I think maybe my opinion is valid and useful for those seeking editing and proofreading and b) even if I'm wrong the topic may interest someone.
I just received a resume to edit from an editor from India; she says she's been working with a team of editors (she's also worked with a big publishing firm). Mostly she does type-setting. She seems to have a lot of experience.
I don't really mind editing the resume of an editor... you might think a skilled editor could do it herself but we all make mistakes and it's difficult to edit our own writing. There are a couple pretty bad mistakes (extra letters, poor spacing) that makes me wonder if she even gave it a quick once-over before sending it.
More to the point, the writing, although not terrible, isn't excellent. What does it matter? Well - maybe for her work, it doesn't. Maybe she's a very skilled formatter (I, myself, am not). Maybe most companies that contact her don't want to improve their writing; they just want it to be eye-clean. In fact, they probably do (if only because, it is very difficult for someone to realize that their own writing can be improved).
When people look for an editor or proofreader, mostly they want someone who will fix things, but not change things. That being the case, it's no wonder that there are a lot of proofreaders and editors from India (there's a lot of everything in India right now, but mostly in the services industries.) It's a skill with rules that can be learned and applied. Many of them are probably very good at proofreading and charge much, much less than similar services from Western Speaking Countries.
HOWEVER. Writing - good writing - is what makes any kind of document truly successful. A boring, poorly written paper, document, letter or even email, even if it is flawlessly clean, may still be ineffective. Anything written can be written better. And good writing shines, attracts, encourages and persuades. Good writing bonds with readers. Good writing is a product in itself...
I can't say that Indian people can't write. Of course not. Salman Rushdie is a damn fine writer. But I will suggest that many Indian people in the proofreading industry right now are applying a learned skill set which will fix, but not improve the text. This may be exactly what you want; but you shouldn't. Ideally you'd find someone really good at formatting, who will make it look awesome when printed, someone with a good idea for grammatical and punctuation details, and also someone who uses red ink liberally to rewrite clunky passages, get rid of redundancy, and improve word choice.
What you choose is of course up to you. For dry business manuals or reports, making it look good may be all that matters. But for anything where expressing your ideas, opinions and arguments is more important than how it looks, you need someone who can help you fix the writing.
Am I the greatest editor in the world? Maybe not. But I'm good, and my prices are very affordable.
www.paper-perfect-editing.com
I just received a resume to edit from an editor from India; she says she's been working with a team of editors (she's also worked with a big publishing firm). Mostly she does type-setting. She seems to have a lot of experience.
I don't really mind editing the resume of an editor... you might think a skilled editor could do it herself but we all make mistakes and it's difficult to edit our own writing. There are a couple pretty bad mistakes (extra letters, poor spacing) that makes me wonder if she even gave it a quick once-over before sending it.
More to the point, the writing, although not terrible, isn't excellent. What does it matter? Well - maybe for her work, it doesn't. Maybe she's a very skilled formatter (I, myself, am not). Maybe most companies that contact her don't want to improve their writing; they just want it to be eye-clean. In fact, they probably do (if only because, it is very difficult for someone to realize that their own writing can be improved).
When people look for an editor or proofreader, mostly they want someone who will fix things, but not change things. That being the case, it's no wonder that there are a lot of proofreaders and editors from India (there's a lot of everything in India right now, but mostly in the services industries.) It's a skill with rules that can be learned and applied. Many of them are probably very good at proofreading and charge much, much less than similar services from Western Speaking Countries.
HOWEVER. Writing - good writing - is what makes any kind of document truly successful. A boring, poorly written paper, document, letter or even email, even if it is flawlessly clean, may still be ineffective. Anything written can be written better. And good writing shines, attracts, encourages and persuades. Good writing bonds with readers. Good writing is a product in itself...
I can't say that Indian people can't write. Of course not. Salman Rushdie is a damn fine writer. But I will suggest that many Indian people in the proofreading industry right now are applying a learned skill set which will fix, but not improve the text. This may be exactly what you want; but you shouldn't. Ideally you'd find someone really good at formatting, who will make it look awesome when printed, someone with a good idea for grammatical and punctuation details, and also someone who uses red ink liberally to rewrite clunky passages, get rid of redundancy, and improve word choice.
What you choose is of course up to you. For dry business manuals or reports, making it look good may be all that matters. But for anything where expressing your ideas, opinions and arguments is more important than how it looks, you need someone who can help you fix the writing.
Am I the greatest editor in the world? Maybe not. But I'm good, and my prices are very affordable.
www.paper-perfect-editing.com
Typos Matter! Edit your important documents!
I've just finished editing the portfolio of a business professional. Kudos to him for getting all of his writing edited and organized into a portfolio. HOWEVER: I assume that, as most of the portfolio included writing examples like school papers, interdepartmental memos, business letters, reports, etc... he used all of those documents without first getting them edited, which I feel is kind of tragic.
I read somewhere recently that some business execs argue that typos, mistakes in spelling and grammar in corporate text gives an 'organize sense' to a company; proving that it has a human face. I strongly disagree. Anybody who's educated enough to notice the typo is going to have a negative response to it, especially in a professional setting. The more professional, the more shocking it is to see a typo.
This particular business exec made lots and lots of mistakes in spelling, including the damnably easy things like "theirs/there's", "its/it's", "a/an". I can tell from his writing that he's a successful guy; good executive position of a large company, beautiful family, and I can't help wondering how he got so far in life making those spelling errors. Sure they're fine for a rough draft, for instant messaging and maybe even informal emails - but to turn in a college or postgraduate term paper with errors like that is both insulting and embarrassing.
It's hard to find an excuse. Ok, maybe his spelling sucks. Maybe that has never stopped him (he seems to have a strong personality) in getting ahead. Maybe the 'real men' of the business world all can't spell, but just drink whiskey and play golf and make obscene jokes and that's enough. I don't know.
For most people out there, I would strongly urge you to be more careful. Maybe you're not a gifted writer... but at least you can turn in a clean paper.
***side note: I wonder, actually, if I were a teacher, would I prefer the creative, well written but horribly misspelled paper, or the clean, nice, very boring paper. ??***
I read somewhere recently that some business execs argue that typos, mistakes in spelling and grammar in corporate text gives an 'organize sense' to a company; proving that it has a human face. I strongly disagree. Anybody who's educated enough to notice the typo is going to have a negative response to it, especially in a professional setting. The more professional, the more shocking it is to see a typo.
This particular business exec made lots and lots of mistakes in spelling, including the damnably easy things like "theirs/there's", "its/it's", "a/an". I can tell from his writing that he's a successful guy; good executive position of a large company, beautiful family, and I can't help wondering how he got so far in life making those spelling errors. Sure they're fine for a rough draft, for instant messaging and maybe even informal emails - but to turn in a college or postgraduate term paper with errors like that is both insulting and embarrassing.
It's hard to find an excuse. Ok, maybe his spelling sucks. Maybe that has never stopped him (he seems to have a strong personality) in getting ahead. Maybe the 'real men' of the business world all can't spell, but just drink whiskey and play golf and make obscene jokes and that's enough. I don't know.
For most people out there, I would strongly urge you to be more careful. Maybe you're not a gifted writer... but at least you can turn in a clean paper.
***side note: I wonder, actually, if I were a teacher, would I prefer the creative, well written but horribly misspelled paper, or the clean, nice, very boring paper. ??***
Typos Matter: Editing and Proofreading ads
I just finished making my first advertisements for my PaperPerfect editing website. I run a small business, so they aren't big and glossy. But they are cute and funny so - go watch and leave comments!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Funny Job Application Typos
Thanks to http://www.economicshelp.org for the hardest laugh I've had in a long time. The following hysterical resume typos are the cream of the crop. Get an editor!
“I have a graduate degree in unclear physics.” (I never understood physics either)
“I worked for 6 years as an uninformed security guard.” (ignorance is bliss)
“My last role was a plumbing and hating specialists.”
• “The academic scholarship I earned came with a plague.” (the cost of university is really too high these days)
• “Most of my experience to this point has been as a blue-color worker.” (was it very cold)
• “As part of the city maintenance crew, I repaired bad roads and defective brides.” (I’m sure you had your work cut out)
• “My career goal is to shave my talents with a growing company.”
• “My hobbies include raising long-eared rabbis as pets.” (Good Luck!)
From: Funniest typos at this is us
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