Self-Editing for Nonfiction Writers

by Jill Kelly

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.

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

I am a child of the Pacific Northwest, born in a tiny village up the Columbia Gorge in a snowstorm. I grew up in and around Portland, Oregon, then lived for a number of years in California, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and France before settling into Portland again about 15 years ago.

For two decades I was a college professor of French, English as a Second Language, and writing. When I moved west, I reinvented my life, becoming a freelance editor and writer. Eventually I also developed myself into a visual artist (pastels) and an author (memoir, fiction). For some examples, visit my website.

Sober Truths was written over a 7-year period. I wanted to understand the patterns of my past and the various threads of my present. I wrote over 50 stories and included a bit fewer than half. Memoir can be tricky business as memories are unreliable. In the end, all we can do is tell about our own remembrances, our own realities. I hope you enjoy reading the book!