LAUREL OLSON COOK
Author, Writer, Editor
(dba A Way with Words)
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SERVICESMy editorial services business, which I began in 1990, is called A Way with Words. I provide editing (copy editing and substantive editing), proofreading, as well as writing/ I believe that tightly written, well-narrated, error-free written materials--whether reports, proposals, journal articles, brochures, flyers, newsletters or correspondence--speak beyond what is on the page: they tacitly assure your readers, or your prospective clients, that you stand for excellence in everything you do. Check out Watch Your Language! Tips from a Working Editor in which I coach you on the basics, such as the difference between its and it's, principle and principal, which and that, and the difficult one for so many--affect and effect. Eighty pages in length (including "phunny stuff" breaks and a self-scoring test) it is available as an e-book. For a look at Watch Your Language, go to QUICK LINKS. (See link to excerpt below.) For those who prefer handling paper and turning pages, the book is short enough to be downloaded and printed on your own computer. (If you print it double-sided you'll save paper.) You may also send me your check for $8.95 plus postage (be sure to include your mailing address) and I will snail-mail you a copy. Whatever writing you do, the words of Dan Poynter, the MVP of self-publishing, apply: "...it is surprising how many self-published authors decide to leave out professional copyediting and proofreading, and how much poorer their books are as a result." (From Successful Nonfiction) See QUICK LINKS for Poynter's Web site. See my USAGE TIPS for the "language stickler" of the month and "gotcha" commentary from newspapers and magazines. Yours for the asking: Working with an Editor, a nine-page monograph in which I demystify the work of editors, clarifying the differences among types of editors (acquisitions editor, developmental editor, managing editor, copy editor); defining so-called substantive editing, copy editing and proofreading; differentiating editors who work in publishing houses from freelance editors working on their own; and commenting on how editors charge their clients. My e-mail address for requesting this complimentary report is in the QUICK LINKS column. Below is a list of editing-writing credits that will give you an idea of the scope of services I offer. I am comfortable editing online or on hard copy, and moving documents back and forth via e-mail and/ Promotional and Business Writing Promotional copy for individual entrepreneurs; press releases, biographies, personal profiles, fact sheets and backgrounders for public relations firms, small businesses and nonprofit organizations; Editing/ Scholarly Publications Develop abstracts and edit articles for submission to journals in physiology, endocrinology, aging, chemistry, and energy and environment. Edit clinical protocols online; Examples of published manuscripts on which I have worked: "Response of the Brain to Enrichment," Marian C. Diamond, Ph.D., (University of California, Berkeley) submitted by request of Brazilian Academy of Sciences, March 2001 "Generation and Reactions of Alkynylsamariums," Munetaka Kunishima et al., J. Org. Chem., April 2000 "The Future of the Deaf Culture," Paul Ogden, for publication in Deaf Education in the United States: 2000 and Beyond (Ed.: Bob Rittenhouse) December 1999 "Working through the Heart: A Transpersonal Approach to Family Support and Education," Sheila LeGacy, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Fall, 1998 Definitive Guide to Cancer, Future Medicine Publishing, Tiburon, CA , 1997 Woman's Health and Medical Guide, Ed., Patricia Cooper, Meredith Press, Des Moines, 1981 Developmental Physiology and Aging, P. S. Timiras, MD, Ph.D., Macmillan Co., New York, 1972 Trade Books Growing Up in a Foxhole, Stanley E. Richardson, Booklocker, Inc., 2005 Beginner's Guide to Agility, Laurie Leach, TFH Publications, Inc., 2004 Golf in the 1930s: A Caddie Remembers, Joseph H. Cowan, AuthorHouse, 2004 Newsletters Edited quarterly newsletter for the Women's Equity Mutual Fund, San Francisco; edited monthly magazine, Life Enhancement, published by Life Enhancement Products, Inc., Petaluma; acted as managing editor (volunteer), Floating Times, newsletter of the Floating Homes Association, Sausalito; served as volunteer copywriter-editor for Business Women's Network page in the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce newsletter, Chamberwaves; volunteer proofreader and contributor to the Healdsburg Art Council's quarterly, ArtBeat Grant Proposals Edited institutional grant proposals to United States Department of Defense, Atomic Energy Commission, National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service, and American Tobacco Company; rewrote rejected application for Research Scholar Award to Rockefeller Foundation resulting in award being granted Legal Proofreading Depositions, trial proceedings, hearings for court reporters (online and in hard copy) Authored Publications Articles "The Business of Pleasure," NorthBay biz, December 2004 "This Old (Wine Country) House," NorthBay biz, March 2005 "The Pleasures of a Small Hotel," Spa articles for ezines Books Wine Country Spas of California, iUniverse, 2003 Spas of California Booklocker, Inc., 2002 California Spas & Urban Retreats, 1993 and California Spas, 1992, Foghorn Press, San Francisco (out of print) Hot Springs & Spas of California (with Pat Cooper), 1978, available used; Contributor to three collections of short stories by women, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkeley (1984, 1986, 2002) E-books/ Watch Your Language: Tips from a Working Editor, e-book, Booklocker.com, 2002; Working with an Editor (monograph, 9 pages, 1998, rev. 2002) See QUICK LINKS to request a free copy. Memberships Healdsburg Literary Guild (since 1996); Authors Guild (since 2002) LET'S TALK! I am happy to confer with you about any writing, editing, or proofreading project you may have, whether a scientific article, abstract or textbook, a mission statement, a promotional flyer, or a press release, and to provide you with samples of my work and client references relevant to your project. Estimates, of course, are free. Please contact me at waywordsonline@ A Way with Words P.O. Box 1161 Healdsburg, CA 95448 VOICE/ 707 433 4409  Excerpt from Watch Your Language (20 KB) |
 Sammy spies a fly SELECTED CLIENTS Professors from: University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Francisco, California State College at Fresno, Several universities in Japan Research staff: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Deanne Stone Publications Various projects for individuals ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS From Elfrieda Langemann, client (UC San Francisco) "I can't thank you enough for your wonderful work! For one who loves words and good writing, it's a beauty to behold." Marian Diamond, Ph.D., client (UC Berkeley) "You are a wonder. You read my thoughts and express them in writing as I wish I could." Paola S. Timiras,M.D., Ph.D., client (UC Berkeley) "Thank you again for your help. You have done a magnificent job." REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST Go to QUICK LINKS: "Click here to send me an e-mail." RESUME: SPECIAL SKILLS WHAT I OFFER: Demonstrated experience in writing, rewriting, substantive editing, copyediting, proofreading; knowledge of publishing process; broad background in arts and sciences; extensive experience editing/ AREAS OF COMPETENCE: Rewriting/ BUSINESS OWNER dba A Way with Words: Employ my editorial and writing skills for a wide variety of clients representing a range of fields: scholarly, scientific, technical, legal, business, environmental, educational, health and fitness, medical, public relations, building trades, women's issues EDUCATION: BA, Comparative Literature with minors in French and Italian, University of California at Berkeley (1971); continuing graduate studies in Comparative Literature (1971-1973) COMPUTER CAPABILITIES: IBM PC, MS Word 2000. Editing/ tracking and embedded comments or on hard copy, as requested by client Writing/ |
