Welcome back, Don Massenzio! It’s good to have you here again. Let’s talk about your new business and how it is part of the writing world.
1. With your blog you are helping so many aspiring authors. What made you decide to do more than that?
There were a few factors. I wanted to be sure that I enjoyed editing and formatting the work of author authors. I’ve worked with a few authors and find that I still enjoy helping them bring their work to life. Another factor was the stigma (perceived or actual) that independently published authors face. Traditional publishing purists will tell you that our work is substandard due to the lack of professionalism and quality. I wanted to help the independent author community, as a whole, improve the quality of their work with professional editing and formatting at a price that won’t break the bank. If we can bring each other up, it will improve the entire community. Finally, I have always thought about launching this type of business as a retirement thing, but I lost my day job a few months ago and I accelerated the launch as a way to bring in some income.
2. Did you always plan on offering author services or did this idea just occur?
My author blog started about three years ago. I was very prolific with posts designed to help indie authors improve their quality. After a year or so of doing this, I collected them all into a book. (You can now get that book for free if you sign up for my newsletter). These author services are a way to help authors with the things they typically shouldn’t do for themselves.
3. Does your service include more than just editing?
Beyond proofreading and line editing, I offer developmental editing which encompasses looking for things like redundancies, continuity errors and other elements of writing that are apart from just making sure spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct. Additionally, I offer supplemental and complete ghost writing for writers that have an idea or an outline that they just can’t complete as a finished work. I’ve done some ghost writing in the past and it is gratifying to help someone realize their vision. I also offer formatting services for both print and eBook. The two formats are very different and it’s important to devote some time to formatting so that a book can look as professional and polished as possible.
4. How do you work cooperatively with authors?
Once I begin the editing process, I like to work closely with the author. I will edit their manuscript using Microsoft Word in twenty-page increments. This way, I can give and get feedback during the process and not wait until an entire book has been edited to uncover a problem. For instance, one book that I’ve edited recently involved characters that were from another time. It took a bit of back and forth with the author to land on exactly how old-fashioned spelling and phrases would be handled in a way that wouldn’t confuse or put off readers. Once we established the ground rules, it went very smoothly.
5. How does your editing process work exactly?
As I mentioned, I start by editing the manuscript in 20-page increments. Within the manuscript I use the ‘track changes’ feature in word and suggest edits, word substitutions and other modifications based on the level of editing desired. I then supply a ‘marked up’ copy showing every change and comment and a ‘clean’ copy with all the edits applied. The author can then make the choice of assessing each edit suggestion individually, but they can also read the manuscript from the clean copy with all the edits applied.
Once the manuscript is completely edited and the changes have been approved by the author, I will format the manuscript for print and/or eBook if that is desired. I provide discounts to authors that wish to have both editing and formatting services.
6. Who can contact you for your services?
While I am targeting my services for independent authors, any author that needs these services is welcome to reach out to me.
7. Do you have a website for your services?
I do. You can find it at https://dsm-publications.com/
8. Is there anything else you want to tell us about your work?
The indie author community is full of wonderful writers with great stories to tell. My goal is to help those storytellers produce work with the best possible quality so that they can have their work stand toe-to-toe with traditionally published authors.
Thank you so much for this interview! Please come back any time!
Thanks so much for posting this. I really appreciate it.
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It’s my pleasure Don. Please, come back anytime and talk about all the help you can provide us writers. We are grateful to be able to have some advice from an experienced writer. Thank you!!
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Thanks. I’m very grateful.
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
I’d like to give a special thanks to Aurora Jean Alexander for posting this interview about my new business venture on her blog.
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You’re very welcome. It was an honor to have you here once more. 😉
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Reblogged this on Anna Dobritt — Author.
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Thank you so much for the reblog Anna. I really appreciate it.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thank you very much for the re-blog, Chris!! 🙂
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Very welcome AJ ❤
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thanks a lot for the re-blog
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Great interview with Don. I like his method of approaching editing and formatting, and am sure others will find his services attractive. Sharing! 🙂
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I like his work process too. It’s very precise and accurate. Thanks so much for sharing, Marcia!
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You are very welcome. I was happy to pass this information along. 😊
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Reblogged this on The Write Stuff and commented:
A very helpful interview with Don Massenzio on Writer’s Treasure Chest today. For details on Don’s editing and formatting services, check it out. I’m impressed with the way he approaches the editing process, and suspect many of you will want to consider working with him.
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Thank you so much for the re-blog, Marcia!
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Reblogged this on Just Olga and commented:
Don Massenzio talks about his editing and formatting services. Authors, here comes help!
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Thanks so much for the re-blog Olga. It’s very much appreciated. And Don provides great help! I love his work process.
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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Thank you so much for the re-blog!
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You’re very welcome, Aurora! @v@ ❤
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Fantastic interview Aurora and Don! 🙂
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Thanks so much. Don is really a great and amazing person, very helpful and supportive. He deserves his new business promoted.
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Absolutely! And so helpful for so many Indies. 🙂
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This is a great undertaking, Don. Thanks for hosting Don, Aurora.
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It is my pleasure. Don is always a welcome guest on this blog! He’s truly unique and I love working with him.
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Terrific interview, Aurora and Don. It’s nice to see Don’s new business being promoted 🙂
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He deserves it, he really does! Thanks for the compliment on the interview. He has helped so many of us writers. I think it’s time to give him something back. 🙂
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I agree, Aurora. So thoughtful of you to do so ❤️
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It’s great to see another editor on the side of the Indie Author. Thank you for presenting him to us, Aurora.
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It was my pleasure, Sharon. Don is such a great helpful personality and he knows what he’s doing! I trust him and I think more authors should have the chance to work with him.
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Thanks for sharing, Aurora, and best of luck to Don!
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You’re very welcome. It’s always a pleasure to have Don here as my guest. He’s amazing and I’m sure he will be successful. He knows his business.
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Great to see Don here, Aurora, talking about his new endevour. He is an excellent writer; I really enjoyed the two books of his I have read.
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