It’s been over a week since I posted the last of Nate’s story.  Mark and I moved to a new space in the same location this week and we’ve been occupied with making the change.  However, I have some exciting editing news!  I have formed a team with two other people for editing manuscripts.  I have always done three read-throughs of a manuscript, but now I have the three roughly divided between the three of us team members.

Donna Stout has been a life-long reader and a champion Scrabble player.  As she reads through a manuscript, she looks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors as well as any inconsistencies in the plot.  I also read for these things with the idea that more than one set of eyes may find different things.  In addition, I bring my background as a youth librarian and can advise on how best to reach the target audience.  Then I read the book aloud to my husband, Mark, who is able to provide me with information on all things Guy.  For instance, one book talked about someone working on an engine and he was able to help with what the engine problem was and how one would fix it.  Another book talked about a police investigation, and with his law enforcement background, his advice was invaluable.  Besides, reading the manuscript aloud once helps my ears to hear what my eyes may not be able to see; problems with cadence or awkward sentences.

With this team approach, I believe we can offer better results to our clients.  We are still working out some of the details of this collaboration, but we are moving forward eagerly to make this the best service our clients can buy.