Hi, I’m James (call me “Jim”) Watkins, an author with 20 traditionally-published books and over 3,000 articles in print. And since I’m trying to convince you I’m qualified to help you with your writing, I’ve won an award of merit in Christianity Today‘s “Book of the Year” contest (Max Lucado beat me for the top prize) and several national awards for writing and editing. I also taught writing for 15 years at Taylor University’s professional writing major. And, I spent 40 years in editing books and articles from first-time writers to New York Times best selling and won five Evangelical Press Association along the way. Okay, enough about me! Here’s some writing CPR I can offer:
C-ONTENT/DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Think of your book or article as a statue. You are taking a massive block of marble and shaping it into an intricate work of art. Content editing is the jackhammer stage as the rough shape of the book emerges. A developmental editor works on creating a strong theme, focus and tone that will appeal to the intended audience and makes sure the entire book smoothly and logically flows from idea to idea with appropriate transitions. (And I love brainstorming titles with authors.) This is the shaping process.
The next stage is general editing. This requires more delicate work with a chisel to make sure the actual writing is strong with good word choice, paragraph structure and transitions within chapters. And finally proof reading. This is the sandpaper and polish stage addressing spelling, grammar, punctuation and rules of style (and there are thousands of them!).
Each is a necessary but very different stage in the process of creating a beautiful statue—and book. I specialize in content/developmental editing. I charge 2 cents per word. Half payment is due on contract, the second half when you are fully satisfied.
P-ROPOSAL CRITIQUING
Books are pitched to publishing houses with proposals: a comprehensive overview with specific audience, the “hook” that will capture potential readers, an annotated table of contents, how your book differs from every other book on the market, and then your qualifications. I charge 2 cents per word for a thorough critique. Plus, I’ll share samples of my proposals that led to contracts from major publishers.
R-ESOURCES
You can find lots of writing resources on this web site. Plus . . .
Most writing books teach you how to write, but Change Lives in Print and Pixels teaches how to persuade with your words! It’s been used as a text book at Taylor University’s “Professional Writers Major” where I taught for fifteen years.
Holly Miller of The Saturday Evening Post writes, “The author’s advice is logical, original, and is delivered with typical Watkins wit: funny, wise, and authentic. It’s a rare book that entertains even as it teaches. This one does both.”
Writing with Banana Peels: Principles, Practices and Pratfall of Writing Humor
Actor and comedian Torry Martin writes, “Funny, funny stuff, but also packed with practical lessons and insight. Jim openly shares comedy secrets used to achieve success in speaking, satire, and assorted silliness. “