top of page
Libby Gontarz Word Services
The words of the mouth
are deep waters.
Proverbs 18:4 NIV
Your writing project deserves professional editing. Award-winning editor Libby Gontarz can polish your material to present your thoughts in the clearest, most effective manner.
"Libby didn't change anything I wrote. She just made me sound a whole lot smarter." James Grimm, author of Wake Up, Church
What's your story? Perhaps you want to share your experiences or wisdom accumulated throughout your life. Perhaps God has called you to write a book. Whatever your story is, the compulsion to write won't let you go. It tugs at you. Perhaps you wake in the wee hours with a phrase or an idea. Perhaps you have completed your manuscript, and it lies in a drawer or on a shelf, occasionally calling to you, "Share me!"
Since early childhood, I have loved books. One of my early memories is of going to the public library at age 6, choosing a book, learning how to check it out, and reading it--all by myself--for the very first time! In elementary school, I learned there were people who made their living as book editors. Just imagine! People got paid to make books better! I thought it must be the best job in the world.
Those memories became part of who I am. I have always read voraciously. If there was nothing new to read, I was not above repeatedly reading the cereal box. My favorite books were friends to be enjoyed again and again. I learned to relax for sleep by reading. When my parents bought a set of World Book Encyclopedias, I was in heaven. I discovered the fun of learning new things through reading.
Imagine how pleased I was when, after a career of teaching and educational training, I got a job at an educational curriculum publishing company. Writing lessons and assessments gradually led into editing.
After the layoff of my entire department during an economic downturn, God re-awoke in me the desire to be an editor that I had first experienced as a child. And since God always finishes what he starts, here I am, a freelance editor, waiting to make your book better.
In need of expert editing for your manuscript?
There's really only one correct answer to that question. Unless you are in the very early stages of writing, you have already discovered that good writing is hard work! You have spent hours of your precious time deciding what to include and how to best express your ideas. That level of hard work and dedication deserves to be supported by high quality editing.
As a freelance writer, I have had the privilege to write for the largest educational publisher in the world. The experience was both gratifying and terrifying. One of the coolest aspects of the relationship was that I got to see what a top-level editor could do to polish my work. I really liked what I had submitted to the company, but I loved what I read after it had been edited. Every good writer should have a good editor.
I can polish your final draft into a manuscript that will make you proud. Your work will benefit from my grammar and composition expertise and educational and corporate experience.
What does a copyeditor do?
Corrects errors in the author’s manuscript
Alerts the author to conflicting statements
Requests clarification from the author when
a passage is unclear
Prepares a style sheet to ensure consistency
within the manuscript
Performs cleanup editing, which incorporates
changes made by the author in response to
editorial alerts and requests for clarification
For a detailed description, see Services.
Would you like a quote for your project? Maybe you'd just like a quick evaluation of what level of editing your manuscript needs. Perhaps you're unsure whether I would be the appropriate editor for your manuscript.
I would be happy to look at your project and, if I feel my skills are a good fit for it, to do a sample edit to show you how I work. The sample edit will be accompanied by my assessment of your needs and a quote based on your writing. After all, some writers need more help than others. Some material is easy to read while another piece may be more technical, requiring more time.
I'd love to hear from you, even if you don't currently have a manuscript in progress. Send me your comments and questions via email, or give me a call.
480-278-4848
bottom of page