“I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity,
but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”

—Attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., US Supreme Court Justice 1902-1932.

Services

EDITORIAL SERVICES

ed·it  ˈedət/  – prepare (written material) for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it.

Developmental Editing – also called substantive or structural editing
Arnie Kotler specializes in developmental editing, working closely with authors to improve clarity, concision, consistency, grammar, and flow. Revisions can be subjective, and ultimately, each edit is the author’s to accept or reject. It might be a suggestion to change a word, move text, or delete content that is repetitious or otherwise impairs the book’s rhythm, at times leaving great writing on the cutting room floor. Keeping the author’s unique voice is paramount. Arnie’s developmental editing can be described as clarification with heart, what Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. described as “simplicity on the other side of complexity.”

Line Editing is language editing, sentence-by-sentence. Does each sentence make sense? Is it grammatically correct? Do ideas flow smoothly? Are they stated clearly? Sometimes only a line edit is called for. Unless requested otherwise, a developmental edit by Arnie Kotler Editing Services includes line editing.

Copy Editing is a cleanup edit. Are grammar, spelling, and punctuation correct? Is the material organized well? (Does B follow A?) Does the author provide support for his or her claims? Are all the parts present? Are graphics placed properly and identified correctly? Does everything look the way it is supposed to? These questions are also addressed in a thorough developmental edit, but a copy edit is more rigorous and thoroughgoing for cleaning up these kinds of issues. We do not do copy editing but can refer you to highly skilled professionals.

Proofreading is a polishing edit that usually takes place after a book has been developmentally edited, copy edited, and typeset. Have all changes been made? Have all errors been corrected? Were new errors introduced during typesetting? Does the book look the way you want? Arnie Kotler Editing Services does not do proofreading. We can refer you to highly skilled, professional proofreaders.

Ghostwriting / Coauthoring
Arnie Kotler Editing Services works closely with authors to compile materials and craft them into books or articles in the author’s voice, using writings, talks, interviews, conversations, and other materials provided by the author, along with research.

PUBLISHING CONSULTING

pub·lish·ing ˈpəblishing/ – the business of preparing and issuing books, journals, and other material. From Latin publicare, “to make public.”

Book Packaging / Project Management
We work with publishers, self-publishers, and authors to help create your book. This might include editorial, design, production, and/or marketing assistance.

Author Tours & Publicity
Arnie Kotler Editing Services is highly experienced at organizing author tours, reaching out to reviewers and other media, helping create buzz, engaging social media, and other ways to get your book known to potential readers.

Self-Publishing Guidance
If you choose to self-publish, we can help you do so in a highly professional manner—from selecting and working with a designer and a printer, to finding trade distribution and marketing your work.

Working with Hybrid Publishers
Hybrid publishers generally provide similar services as traditional publishers, but operate on a profit-sharing model that requires an author investment and generates a higher return. Arnie Kotler Editing Services can help you find a suitable hybrid publisher and, if you’d like, accompany you along the journey.

Literary Agent
Arnie Kotler Editing Services is a full-service literary agency. Arnie has placed the following titles with publishers:

Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories and Teachings, by Olivia Hoblitzelle – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
Becoming Forest: A Tale of Deep Belonging, by Michael Kearney – All Night Books
Being Nature: A Down-to-Earth Guide to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, by Wes “Scoop” Nisker – Inner Traditions/Sacred Planet Books
The Big Bang, the Buddha, and the Baby Boom: The Spiritual Experiments of My Generation, by Wes “Scoop” Nisker – Monkfish Book Publishing Co.
The Breathable Body: Transforming Your World and Your Life One Breath at a Time, by Robert Litman – Hay House
Bride of the Buddha, by Barbara McHugh – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
The Buddha in Jail: Restoring Lives, Finding Hope and Freedom, by Cuong Lu – OR Books
Cancer as a Wake-Up Call: An Oncologist’s Integrative Approach to What You Can Do to Become Whole Again, by M. Laura Nasi, MD – North Atlantic Books
Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again, by Wes Nisker – Monkfish/Red Elixir
Daughters of Fire, by Tom Peek – Bess Press
Dissent: Voices of Conscience, by Ann Wright and Susan Dixon – Haymarket Books
The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love, by Colette Lafia – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
Forged in Darkness: The Many Paths of Personal Transformation, by Joanna LaPrade – Watkins Publishing
Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hawai‘i, by Patricia Jennings and Maria Ausherman – Bess Press
Go Slowly, Breathe and Smile, by Rashani Réa and Thich Nhat Hanh – Mango Publishing
Goddesses, by Mayumi Oda – Tibet House US (forthcoming)
God’s Autopsy and the Living Truth of Soul: A History of Western Consciousness, by Hal Childs – Wipf and Stock
Happiness Is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment, by Cuong Lu – Shambhala Publications
The Happiness Teachings: A Buddhist Field Guide to Your Inherent Joy, by Dean M. Nelson – Aloha Press
The Heart of the Goddess: Art, Myth, and Meditations of the World’s Sacred Feminine, by Hallie Iglehart Austen – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
I Had a Good Teacher, by Les Kaye – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
I Opened the Gate, Laughing, by Mayumi Oda – New Village Press
If Only I Had Listened with Different Ears: Three Historical Novellas About the Buddha’s Teachings, by Jason Siff – Sumeru Books
In Search of First Contact, by Gordon Joyce – Bess Press (forthcoming)
Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection, by Robert A. Johnson – Chiron Publications
The Last Stand: The War Between Wall Street and Main Street over California’s Ancient Redwoods, by David Harris – Heyday Books
A Life Worth Living: A Journey of Self-Discovery Through Mindfulness, Yoga, and Living in Awareness, by Mellara Gold – Mandorla Books
The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny, by Stephen Rowley – Chiron Publications
Making It Through: Bosnian Survivors Sharing Stories of Trauma, Transcendence, and Truth, by Demaris S. Wehr – Chiron Publications
Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawai‘i, by Tom Peek – All Night Books
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: The MBSR Program for Enhancing Health and Vitality, by Linda Lehrhaupt – New World Library
Mirror, Mirror: Transforming Narcissism to Self-Realization, by Gayle Bohlman – Chiron Publications
My Country ‘Tis of Thee: Reporting, Sallies, and Other Confessions, by David Harris – Heyday Books
My Dear Far-Nearness: The Holy Trinity as a Spiritual Practice, by Robert A. Jonas – Orbis Books
Nation Within: The History of the American Occupation of Hawai‘i, by Tom Coffman – Duke University Press
Not One More Mother’s Child, by Cindy Sheehan – Chiron Publications
Odysseus & the Oar: Healing After War and Military Service, by Adam Magers – Dead Reckoning Collective
On That Day Everybody Ate: One Woman’s Story of Hope and Possibility in Haiti, by Margaret Trost – Chiron Publications
Opening Little Boxes, by Kees Lodder, Cathy Casey, Manuela Bertão, and Alex Casey – Eunoia Publishing
Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace, by Claire B. Willis and Marnie Crawford Samuelson – Red Wheel / Weiser: Dharma Spring
Reflections of a Passerby: Jesus, Jung, and the Power of Choice, by Eleanor L. Norris – Chiron Publications
Roar: Sulak Sivaraksa and the Path of Socially Engaged Buddhism, by Matteo Pistono – North Atlantic Books
Self-Healing: My Life and Vision, by Meir Schneider – Arkana/Penguin
A Sense of Something Greater: Zen and the Search for Balance in Silicon Valley, by Les Kaye and Teresa Bouza – Parallax Press
Shades of Engagement: Georgia O’Keeffe & the Erotic Landscapes of Maui, by Dennis Winters – Wayfarer Books
Songs of the Tradewinds, by J.J. Meeker – Bess Press (distrib.)
Spring Flower (3 volumes), by Jean Tren-Hwa Perkins, edited by Richard P. Hsung – Earnshaw Books
The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaii’s Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism, and the Desecration of the Earth, by Koohan Paik and Jerry Mander – Chiron Publications
Surrendering to the God of Peace, by Father John Dear – Franciscan Media (forthcoming)
Trail to Redemption: Love and War in Vietnam, by Richard L. Stevens – Earnshaw Books
Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace, ed. by Maxine Hong Kingston – Chiron Publications
Wait: A Love Letter to Those in Despair, by Cuong Lu – Shambhala Publications
Westward the Women, by Nancy Wilson Ross – North Point Press
When Spirit Calls: A Healing Odyssey, by Joan Diver – Monkfish Book Publishing Company
The Wire-Walker, by James Janko – Regal House Publishing (forthcoming)
The Wisdom of Sustainability: Buddhist Economics for the 21st Century, by Sulak Sivaraksa – Chiron Publications
Words of Wisdom, by Lama Surya Das – Chiron Publications