Editor Notes Key Issues Found In Writing Spiritually Based Books

Jan. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- DALLAS, TX: Susan Mary Malone (http://www.maloneeditorial.com), editor of thirty-five published works by authors around the world, penned an article detailing the need for experienced editorial work in the spiritually based book market. She has helped authors publish many books in the genre, and has been a developmental editor for 18 years.

In her article, Ms. Malone notes a trend in the direction of the spiritual literature market: “The last decade or so, we’ve seen a huge surge in spiritually based books. They’ve sold so well (both fiction and non) that most of the big houses have some sort of spiritual imprint, running the gamut from Christian Fiction to Buddhist texts to New-Age works a la Hay House, etc. I’ve seen a host of such manuscripts.”

She further stressed the importance of the editing process in this field, “Writing a spiritually based book is not terribly different from writing any great book—from a novel to a manual on child care. All of them need inspiration at the core. All require good writing. And all must have the elements that make up a good book—theme, focus, organization and structure, pacing, flow, vivid characters, showing/creating versus telling, substance, voice, etc. The process is still about writing, editing, revising, rewriting—where, of course, as in everything, the devil is in the details.”

The full text of the article can be viewed at her editorial blog: http://www.maloneeditorial.com/blog/?p=139

Susan Mary Malone has worked as a freelance editor since 1993, with a BS in Political Science and minors in English and Journalism.  Her client list includes NY Times Bestsellers, Essence Bestsellers and books featured in Publishers Weekly. She is also an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction herself. She participates as a speaker in literary conferences such as the Harriett Austin Writer's Conference (at the University of Georgia), the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference, the SouthWest Writer's Conference, and the East Texas Writer’s Guild, among others. Her full biography and featured list of published authors can be viewed at http://www.maloneeditorial.com

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Malone Editorial Services offers a comprehensive developmental editing package for fiction & non-fiction manuscripts. Over 35 books edited by Malone Editorial Services have recently sold to traditional publishers.