I just received the excellent news that Heather Froeschl, editor of Spiritual Visitations (the book that will feature four of my poems in 2008), has received a prestigious award from Preditors & Editors in the Book Editing category! This is the woman who took a chance on me and said YES to publishing my work for the first time ever. I applaud her for her talent, skills, and vision. Here is the press release straight from Heather herself:
FROESCHL TAKES TOP HONORS AS FREELANCE BOOK EDITOR
CALLAWAY, VIRGINIA - Freelance editor Heather Froeschl has been editing, proofreading, and critiquing manuscripts since 1998. Her company, www.Quilldipper.com, also offers book reviews. This year she took top honors in the Preditors and Editors annual Book Editor category. The Preditors & Editors webpage, http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/, is a watchdog in the publishing world.
"Authors don’t have to accept rejection any longer," Froeschl says. "Thousands of unknown authors are rejected by publishing companies every day. A typical author’s collection of 'no thanks' letters can easily be considered a fire hazard. It is my goal to help authors to succeed. A little red ink now can keep the rejection slips away.”
Because of all the competition in the writing world, making sure an author's work is the best it can be is the first step. Most authors need a second look, because they are too familiar with their work to catch errors that could be glaring to a publisher. Big publishers won’t look at an unpolished manuscript and many small publishers do not employ editors. The quality of the written word is at risk when books are freely published with glaring typos, grammar errors, and other common mistakes. According to Froeschl, “Authors are often rejected simply because the work appears sloppy and a publisher cannot, or doesn’t wish to, invest time and money having to edit or even rewrite manuscripts.”
Finding an editor to work with is just as important as finding an agent. Authors need to look for qualifications and referrals. The Preditors and Editors site acts as a guide to publishers and writing services for serious writers, spotlighting troublemakers and scammers and offering referrals for those who qualify. Their readers post recommendations and warnings. The annual contest pinpoints the best of the best in the publishing world, where readers vote for the top authors, books, editors, publishers, illustrators and more. Froeschl was delighted with her win in this year's Book Editor category.
Contact: Heather Froeschl
Email: Heather@Quilldipper.com
Congratulations, Heather!