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    Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers
    Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers
    Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers
    Ebook53 pages36 minutes

    Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers

    By Jill Kelly

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    About this ebook

    Written by a professional editor with 20 years experience, this guide to self-editing offers writers of essays and nonfiction books multiple ways to improve their writing and produce cleaner manuscripts to pitch to agents and editors or to self-publish. Includes 10 rules for avoiding errors in punctuation and syntax, creating clearer sentences and paragraphs, and attending to professional formatting. Offers ideas for knowing when your book is really done and how to save money if you decide to hire a professional editor before pitching or publishing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJill Kelly
    Release dateNov 3, 2014
    ISBN9781310739798
    Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers
    Author

    Jill Kelly

    I began writing in 2002 with a memoir that was a finalist for the prestigious Oregon Book Award. Since then I've been writing most days in the morning for an hour or so and am currently working on book #10. It's just so fun. I'm a big reader of mysteries and thrillers and have written three of my own. I also enjoy exploring the relationships between men and women, and mothers and daughters. I'm a former college professor of literature and writing who's been a freelance editor for the last 25 years. I am also a pastel and acrylic painter and I make art deco needlepoint pillows (www.jillkellycreative.com). I live in Portland, Oregon, with my four cats who do all the chores so I can be creative 24/7.

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      Book preview

      Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers - Jill Kelly

      Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers

      By

      Jill Kelly, PhD

      Smashwords Edition

      Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers

      Copyright © 2014 by Jill Beverly Kelly, PhD

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, mechanical, or digital, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the express written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Content

      A Word from the Author

      Some Basic Advice about Self-Editing

      10 Good Rules for Self-Editing Nonfiction

      Rule #1: Don’t edit while you are drafting

      Rule #2: Learn your way around standard punctuation

      Rule #3: Vary the structure of your sentences

      Rule #4: Consider your widest readership as you choose your writing style

      Rule #5 Make the organization of your paragraphs reader-friendly

      Rule #6: Include plenty of stories

      Rule #7: Write concisely

      Rule #8: Use active voice unless you need passive voice for a particular reason

      Rule #9: Consider your manuscript as a unified whole

      Rule #10: Adhere to the appropriate style guide for your discipline

      Moving Your Book to Completion

      50 Questions/16 Solutions

      The Is-My-Book-Ready Worksheet

      Why Hire a Professional Editor?

      Ways to Make the Best Use of the Money You Spend with an Editor

      Basic Rules of Punctuation

      Transition Words and Phrases

      Pronouns

      Helpful Resources

      About the Author

      A Word from the Author

      For the last 20 years, I’ve been editing nonfiction manuscripts. Before that I was a college professor of language and writing. And I’ve always been an avid reader. When I changed careers in 1994, I wanted to help writers get better work out into the world, work they could be proud of, work I would enjoy reading.

      Unlike some of my editing colleagues, I don’t see myself as a book doctor or as a fixer. My job is to empower writers, whether they’re writing only one book or whether they’re making a career of it. Some people can’t afford to buy enough editing hours for a deep and thorough edit of their work. Others are confirmed do-it-yourselfers. Perhaps most importantly, many of my clients want to be better writers. Self-editing can take

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