Put My Skills To Work for You

*   Excellence in language, writing and style.

*   Ability to help writers clarify thoughts and organize material for more effectiveness.

*   Expertise to tighten and strengthen copy for a professional manuscript.

*   Willingness to work with individuals to help them achieve their aims.

*   Familiarity with the publishing field and the process of going from draft to printed book—and beyond.

· Professional writer and editor for 30 years

· Hundreds of articles published (magazines, newspapers and websites)

· Director of the Amelia Island Book Festival, an acclaimed regional literary event, for four years

· Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Humanities from Emory University

· Member of Cassell Network of Writers

· More than 25 awards from professional organizations, such as the Georgia Press Association, International Association of Business Communicators, and Public Relations Society of America

Meet the Editor

My career has included reporting, feature writing and copyediting for newspapers, producing magazines and newsletters for major corporations and editing for publishers and authors.

I find the greatest satisfaction in working with writers and editing manuscripts. I have edited all kinds of writing, from nonfiction and memoirs to historical novels, action-suspense, young-adult books and mainstream fiction.

Words have fascinated me as long as I can remember. From my first well-worn copy of Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses, I was hooked. I devoured Joel Chandler Harris stories, Nancy Drew and everything else I could find. In time, I was captivated by the wonderful words of Twain, Austen, Fitzgerald, Michener, Dorothy Sayers, John D. MacDonald, Douglas Adams and hundreds more.

A wise teacher once told me that the best training for good writing is to read, read and read some more. The same is true for good editing.

It takes more than just knowing the rules of grammar or catching inconsistencies, typos and redundancy. It requires an innate awareness of what works and what doesn’t, when a phrase is out of kilter or jarring, wording is stilted or a character lacks life—and whether a story is being told well or not.

 Because I appreciate the tremendous effort that writing takes, my editing goes beyond fixing or critiquing; I work with individuals to help them attain the results they want. I identify mistakes or problems and recommend revisions. You may review, accept—or reconsider—changes, or call me to talk about them.

But always, it is your book. You, the author, have the ultimate say in your creation—as well as the credit and success.

Emily Worthy Carmain