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Jocelyn Carbonara 9/4/25 Jocelyn Carbonara 9/4/25

An Editor’s Perspective: Developing and Preserving an Author’s Voice

If you’re writing a book, you’ve probably heard about author “voice.” One of the most common concerns I get from new authors is, “I want to make sure whatever editor I work with preserves my voice.”

That’s critical to me too. In our work as editors and ghostwriters, our goal is never to dilute or arbitrarily change your voice. Instead, we want to amplify it—to sharpen it, soften it, or work to make it as clear and impactful as possible.

But I often see confusion around author voice, so I’d like to demystify it a bit here.

Scott Carbonara 8/30/25 Scott Carbonara 8/30/25

Why Your Ghostwriter (or Editor) Needs to Be a “Fit”

A while ago, I contracted with “Antonio” (not his real name) to ghostwrite his highly personal memoir about a traumatic life event. When we first met, Antonio told me I was the fifth ghostwriter he’d interviewed, and he still hadn’t found his ideal writing partner. Before we finished the first meeting, we both knew we felt instant “chemistry” and would make an outstanding writing team. But I urged him to conduct his due diligence.

The ghostwriter/author (or editor/author) relationship is an intimate one. The last thing you want is to share the most personal details of your life with a ghostwriter only to discover quickly that you can’t stand the person writing your story!

Jocelyn Carbonara 2/13/25 Jocelyn Carbonara 2/13/25

How to Trim a Manuscript That’s Too Long

Trimming words is often the hardest part of writing—which builds a case for a solid outline up front to organize your ideas and prevent “rambling” too far off track. Still, every book goes through a process where some material is left on the cutting room floor. If your manuscript needs to be trimmed based on your publisher’s or industry-standard guidelines, read on for strategic cutting tips.

Scott Carbonara 1/9/25 Scott Carbonara 1/9/25

For the Love of Descriptors!

For the love of everything holy, please stop inserting words that do nothing but clutter your writing.

Before littering your writing with a slew of meaningless descriptors, ask yourself these questions:

Jocelyn Carbonara 11/28/24 Jocelyn Carbonara 11/28/24

Seven Ways to Save You Time and Money in Book Editing

Authors often ask me how many revisions they will need by a professional editor. Each phase adds up financially, so my goal is to help streamline the process without sacrificing quality. Which leads me to answer: “It depends. Each revision will take your manuscript up at least a full letter grade.” This means you might move from a B to an A, etc.— up one level in quality with each full edit.

My goal is to help you earn an A. Sometimes this can be done with three basic rounds: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. But a lot depends upon what shape the manuscript is in when I get it.

To save you time and money, here are tips on how to resolve the most common issues I see in manuscripts sent to me. This will help you get the most out of your editing experience.mmary-goes-here

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/3/24 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/3/24

Does My Book Need an Outline?

When writing a book, you’re like a tour guide inviting a reader on a journey through your topic. Readers aren’t risking much to spend a few minutes scanning an 800-ish word article. If they’re bored, confused, or even offended, they can move on and still enjoy their lunch. But what about with a non-fiction book, which averages 50,000 to 60,000 words? That’s like going on a weeklong road trip with you.