Los Angeles, California, United States
Editor, writer and book coach with a demonstrated history of working both in publishing and the higher education industry. Ten years as Editorial Director of Keller Media, guiding authors from book development to successful placement with major publishing houses. Skilled in Editing, Concept Development, Marketing, Public Speaking, Curriculum Development, and Creative Writing.
I have worked close to two decades helping professionals create projects that deliver successful (and marketable) content--books, blogs, websites, articles, proposals, and branding campaigns. I recently completed a ghostwriting project, resulting in the publication of the nonfiction book, Shifting Into High Gear, which sold to a major publisher, HCI (publishers of Chicken Soup for the Soul), released February 2019. For over ten years, I served as Editorial Director of Keller Media, a nonfiction literary agency, which focuses on book publication, platform development and content marketing. I helped clients evolve across many high-level industries. As a consultant, I facilitated the development of many book projects, which consolidated a range of beliefs, lifestyle prescriptions, business practices and world views. Doctors, CEOs, NBA athletes, musicians, lawyers, Silicon Valley executives, former mobsters, psychics, and incarcerated senators contributed to my client roll. Ultimately, I helped clients navigate the creation of hundreds of book proposals, which sold to major US publishers like Random House, Harper Collins or Simon and Schuster. If you want to learn more, please go to my website: syntaxeditorial.com
I am a seasoned staff member of the Santa Monica College English Department, where I have taught English and writing for many years. Much of my theoretical depth as an editor and writer arrives from my work as a professional educator—over fourteen years as an associate professor of English (as well as a stint as a special education teacher)—along with years of deep study, which culminated in a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
I have worn many creative hats (more like helmets) over the years that have helped me cultivate a distinct approach to the creation of any developmental project—from nonfiction books to website content, ebooks and proposals—essentially any content that involves narrative design. As Editorial Director of Keller Media, I learned how language not only “works” upon audiences but how it emerges from within the writer. This is the task of the developmental editor, an editor who helps writers define the structure and focus of their projects, while delicately bridging the aesthetic, the conceptual and the functional. Along these lines, during my tenure at Keller, I coached, guided, and mentored many writers along the path to publication—senators, CEOs, academics, scientists, historians, actors, musicians, judges, lawyers, economists, professional athletes, therapists and doctors. Many of these clients have found successful representation with major publishing houses. Great content is not just about a general topic but also communicates a deeper purpose, value and worth to potential audiences. As an editor I place high value on strong prescriptive content, driven by a solid theoretical base, which addresses primary questions: How will this content improve/make my life better? How will it help me realign my professional skillset? How will it reorganize my thinking about a certain topic? How will this material help me connect with my purpose and humanity?
Many years ago, I mentored and taught English to students with learning disabilities. My duties involved the assessment, educational planning, and curriculum design for disabled students in order to maximize their learning in the regular education classrooms. Along with my co-workers, I piloted one of the first full inclusion programs in my district, which removed learning disabled students from isolated classroom environments and integrated them into the regular program.