Author George Orwell wrote:
“Good prose is like a window pane.”

Editor Antonia Morton says:
“Good editing is like a squirt of Windex.”

Editing: For Publishers

Editing support you can trust

At your publishing house, you want to work with freelancers who are as good at their jobs as your in-house editors.

I’m Antonia Morton, the book specialist. My goal is to make your life easier by doing just the same competent work you’d do yourself.

I treat your writers with the right kind of “tough love” – encouraging them with one hand, and with the other helping them to improve their books. I’m experienced at evaluating manuscripts, and giving authors a fix list of how to improve them.

professional attributes  •  fiction or non-fiction  •  selected projects

Professional attributes

  • respect for your deadlines, and your team
  • a keen eye for detail
  • an excellent understanding of spelling, punctuation, grammar and structure
  • a knack for tightening up text
  • an aptitude for solving structural difficulties large and small
  • the ability to improve copy while keeping the writer’s original voice
  • alertness for missing facts or material
  • consideration of readers’ comprehension level
  • speed and efficiency
  • a professional attitude, and a pleasant personality.

Fiction or non-fiction

If your publishing focus is non-fiction: I’m a competent generalist, with a wide knowledge of many different subjects – gained from decades of dedicated reading in various fields, plus two decades of working as a freelance journalist.

My main areas of expertise are lifestyles, the arts, and the “soft” sciences: psychology, sociology, history, literature, etc. I’ve edited material on topics as diverse as wine-making, personal finance, self-help, nursing practices, restaurant reviews, alcoholism, linguistics, media awareness, human evolution, military history, geopolitics, women’s issues, and travel. I’m a quick learner, able to tackle most subjects.

If your focus is fiction: Having spent my leisure hours immersed in books for almost half a century, I have a keen literary sensibility. And from my work with authors, I know how to suggest improvements to vital story-telling elements such as narrative voice, pacing, flow, dialogue, characterization, psychological development, motivation, plausibility, exposition, point of view, structure, story arc, writing style, imagery, consistency, word use, and so on.

I’m also adept at preparing critiques for authors, giving them the guidance they need to turn a rough draft into a page-turner.

(To learn more about my work with fiction writers, visit The Story Studio.)


Selected projects

My most recent book edits (early 2013) are two fiction manuscripts (one a fantasy, one a contemporary romance) by young first-time authors; a volume of personal memoirs by a retired teacher; and a self-help book by a leadership consultant. The fiction edits are still ongoing; the other two authors are in the process of self-publishing their books.

Some other books I’ve worked on:

  • Proofread the manuscript of The White Bicycle (Red Deer Press, 2012), by Beverley Brenna.
  • Intensively edited wine writer Natalie MacLean’s first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over (Bloomsbury, 2006), and her second, Unquenchable (Doubleday, 2011). As her longtime editor, I’ve also helped Natalie to win several international awards for her essays and feature stories.
  • Substantively edited a personal memoir titled Jackie: A Niagara Falls Boyhood, by John Tammela (as yet unpublished, 2012).
  • Edited the first draft of Termcraft: The Emergence of Terminology Science From the Sumerians to Aristotle, by Jean Lambert (self-published, 2011).
  • Edited the first draft of The Copperjar System: Your Blueprint for Financial Fitness, by Alan MacDonald and Paul LaBarge (Copperjar Group, 2010)
  • Substantively edited the original manuscript of The Descent of Religion, by Liz Carr-Harris (Greyfox Publishing, 2010).
  • Proofread the first edition of Capital Dining, a compilation of Anne DesBrisay’s restaurant reviews for the Ottawa Citizen (ECW Press, 2004).
  • Substantively edited a volume of personal memoirs produced by the Department of National Defence, titled Equal To The Challenge: An Anthology of Women’s Experiences During WWII (Queen’s Printer, 2000).

For more on how I help to lighten your workload:

© 2013 Clear Text Editorial Services

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