Jedwin Smith hires Power Editor Durden

Jedwin Smith recommends Angela K. Durden.
JedwinSmith.com 

In 30+ years as a newspaper journalist and author of several books, I’ve covered wars, hot spots, and sports. I’ve written memoir, and books and feature-length articles on and about famous people and events. I’ve worked with many editors. But Angela…well, she is a step or two above. Let me tell you why.

When you work for a paper, a writer’s job is to get the story, but after it’s turned in, the writer has no say in how it is edited. In other words, will the final article match the writer’s intent? Maybe, maybe not. This is the nature of a reporter’s career.

But when you write a book and it will have your name on it.

And you are solely responsible for the content.

And when that book tells the complicated over-lapping stories of not only a nation but individuals.

Then the writer who is wanting to do right by his subject and reputation hires Angela.

I knew Angela was a great writer. But my experience with her as an editor is even better.

She’s edited my current book I Am Israel. Not content with mere line editing — you know, all the grammar stuff, Angela’s sharp eye is keeping the spine of the story straight and strong by keeping me focused. She is also fact-checking, identifying boring clichés, suggesting when I should rethink, challenging me to show, as well as finding and making recommendations for adding material that will enhance the reader’s experience.

In other words, she is that editor that quietly but surely makes an author’s book shine by getting into a writer’s head — which in my case, admittedly, is a scary place to be sometimes. Still, her touches are invisible to the reader yet make me look damn good. They’ll make you look good, too.

So, if you want your book to be the best, then you would be smart to do like I’m doing: Hire Angela.

Feel free to drop me a line if you’d like to talk with me in person about my experience with Angela. Here is my email address: jedwinsmith@outlook.com