I’ve been a University Editor.
As University Editor at a leading liberal arts institution with business, medical, and law schools, I had to become an “instant expert” on subjects from microbiology to athletics and explain complex issues to connect with a general audience.
I value trust and integrity.
I will keep your secrets. I understand this is YOUR book or article or blog or essay or dissertation (or even cover letter) and you are the final arbiter—though in matters of grammar, sentence structure, and your erroneous memory that your fifth grade teacher said it’s is the possessive, you would be wise to take my counsel.
I have profiled C-suite executives.
I have profiled C-suite executives and first-year medical students. I once wrote an article on teddy bear guinea pigs and have edited books on topics from Irish poetry to how to succeed in college to submarine disasters and rescues (through 1939).
I’m a project management professional (PMP).
That means, among other things, I work with you in a logical, low-drama sequence to a deadline, breaking large tasks into next steps. We decide on the nature of our collaboration from the beginning and have frequent check-ins and straightforward communication on how it is going.
I work with people whose causes I believe in.
You get both time and devotion. I owe my clients no less than to be an enthusiastic and effective advocate. . . and I can’t fulfill that duty with the NRA (though I used to be a member) or the tobacco industry (though I grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina).
I love editing.
I go to bed satisfied and wake up enthusiastic. If I won the lottery, I’d seek out editing projects. (But I don’t buy lottery tickets, since I studied statistics in graduate school, so instead I charge reasonable fees with a high ROI.)
I can write like a speaker.
As regional president for NOW when NC was considering the ERA, I did 178 public appearances. I’m trained and licensed to preach in the Episcopal Church and have a graduate education in religion.
I write using both right brain and left brain.
My math and verbal SAT scores were a point apart. I have always been that marketing person who gets tech or that tech person who understands marketing.
Let’s Make Things Happen
“I absolutely adore what you’ve done. You have tightened things up considerably, improved the language in several places, and clarified important points. . . and most amazing, without altering my message.”
With her understanding of research methods and statistics and her amazing gift for wording the research in snappy, user friendly, engaging ways, she has enriched my book in ways that even the most experienced authors will value. As a psychology professor and author, I deeply appreciate Marty’s input as the developmental editor for my sixth book.
With Marty’s help, we have raised the profile and professionalism of our work.
We produce industry analyses that include technical financial data and complex information from many subject matter experts, each with a distinct voice, focus, and writing style. Marty’s expertise blended those voices to maximize impact and audience understanding, while each author felt their ideas and contributions were well represented.
“Marty, working with you was a delight. I sent you my ideas and draft, and the next thing I knew we were getting compliments on the client newsletter.”