Margaret Knox

Let me edit your work.

 

I have a relentless eye for word choice. I attack redundancies and clichés mercilessly. I perceive overall structure and reorganize to make it all work. I make my clients work hard, but we get the job done.

 

I  have been editing the copy of my husband and writing partner, Dan Baum, for fifteen years. Nine Lives, which was released in paperback by Spiegel & Grau (Random House) on February 16, 2010, is our third book. We start by working together on the proposals which get us our magazine and  book contracts.

 

In producing a book or article, Dan does the legwork and writes the first draft, then I chip away at it and shape it, and finally, it goes to the magazine or publishing-house editor. On Nine Lives, for example, I reduced the manuscript from 190,000 words to 117,000 without losing a single scene or character -- just by tightening sentences and trimming fat.

This is me blocking out Nine Lives in our house in New Orleans. You can read more about our collaborative process here.

Here’s an example of how Dan and I work. This is the first draft for Dan’s New Yorker story about the Asian tsunami. This is the way I got it.

And  here is the same story as it was when we handed it in to the New Yorker.

Here’s how it finally ran in the magazine -- not much different than our final version.

 

I’m currently working with two novelists and several writers of non-fiction.

If you’re thinking of writing a book, please call me early. I can be very helpful in conceiving a book-length narrative and a few conversations early on could set you on a good path and avoid a lot of heartache later.

I can be reached at megknox@me.com or 303-546-9800.