Here’s a story:
Not long after I switched careers from professor to editor, I started work on a business motivation memoir. What was supposed to be a once-over before publication became—thanks to the issues I found—a much more thorough and successful edit. The writer had worked with an editor who did more developmental work and left big-picture comments. What he didn’t realize he needed—until I began my work—was a line-by-line edit for grammar, wordiness, misspellings, inconsistencies, and other issues. In short, the writer needed my ear for writing and my eye for detail. For instance, he was inconsistent about spelling a colleague’s first name. I caught it. At one point, he referred to the racing team from Czechoslovakia when Czech Republic was correct. I caught it. And, for reasons neither of us knew, the apostrophes in one chapter were in a different font than the body text. I caught it.
The writer was very grateful for my edits. To him, I had performed a kind of wizardry on his book. To me, I just did what I always do: edit the writing while catching errors of grammar, fact, spacing, or even typeface.
As a copy editor and writing consultant, I work with clients at any stage of the writing process: from initial drafts and revisions to proofreading and final polishing. I know good writing, and I know how to help writers adapt their content to their situations, media, and target audiences. I’ve also done a lot of editing work as an educated nonspecialist on such topics as early Christianity in Constantinople, salsa in 1970s New York, and Middle English poetry.
Want to hire me? Let’s talk. You could also email me at joe@jfruscione.com.
The Consulting Editor 