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Put Your Best Book Forward
The Multi Award-Winning Frugal Editor
The Digital
Age Makes Everyone an Editor!
Bloggers. Web site copy, E-mail.
From
First Edit
To
Query Letter.
As featured in Library
Book Watch,
Midwest Book Review's online review magazine
 "Editing
is your
first
stop
on the path to selling
and promoting your book."
Second
Edition
of
The Frugal Editor:
Top Ten in Its
Category on Amazon
During Presales!
The multi
award-winning second
edition now available
for
e-books and Kindle and
Paperback,
too!
“Writers and editors have a true friend in
Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Her word smarts, her
publishing savvy, and her sincere commitment to
authors and editors make The Frugal Editor
a must-have resource.” ~ June Casagrande, author
of The Best Punctuation Book, Period and
Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies
(Penguin)
Click
here for reviews of The Frugal Editor
Click
here for excerpts of The Frugal Editor
Click here for Carolyn's first
person essay
"Beating Time at Its Own Game."
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The Frugal Editor was named best business book by USA Books News and Reader Views Literary.
The Next Generation awarded the book a finalist medal and Carolyn's promotion campaign for this same book was given its top marketing award.
The second edition in e-book format was a
finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book
Awards for e-books. And Global Ebook Awards
gave it a nod for the 2nd edition e-book. It
was also named #1 on Thornton Publishing's
Top Ten List
of books that assure a professional product
for self publishers.
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The second edition of The Frugal Editor is now
available as a
paperback.
The second edition of The Frugal Editor is available
for e-books and for
Kindle.
Unsolicited Endorsements:
". . . a complete course of instruction under one
cover...from editing query letters to final manuscript."
~ Midwest Book Review newsletter
"I'm so looking forward [to the arrival of
A
Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions] and
know that it will be as helpful as the books I already
have from you. They are full of sticky notes and
dog-eared like crazy."
~MaAnna Stephenson, author
and computer
consultant
"I don’t know why I bothered to move Carolyn
Howard-Johnson’s, The Frugal Editor from
it’s place beside my computer to an out of reach
spot. This will be the third time I retrieved it
and consulted it’s many valuable pages. I dare
say, it will be the last time I have to reach
more than twelve inches for it. Without this
book, my novels, would not have stood a chance
in hades of being published. So…The Frugal
Editor, once and for all will be stationed
very close to my work in progress, which to this
date is the third book in the Willow Walk
series. Thanks Carolyn, for enriching my
writing."
~ S.K. Hamilton, author
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Endorsements |
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Why You Need The Frugal Editor
Editing a Query Letter is
Your First Marketing Offense!
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What People
Are Saying about The Frugal Editor -- Unsolicited
"Carolyn, I can't put the book down. It's not a
one time read. It will take several times for it
to sink in. Also I want to go to all the URLs'
you mention. I feel like I'm back in school and
I love it. "
~Sylvia
K. Hamilton, author The Kahills of Willow
Walk
"What
a beautiful job . . . outstanding.
"You
wrote this book, as you always do, in
layman’s language. Since you’re speaking in
my everyday vernacular, if I read your book,
I won’t have any excuse for writing badly,
will I? No more dangling whatevers, no more
ineffective passives. You can make me the
best-read writer in town."
~
Peggi
Ridgway, Wordpix for Websites, Books, Flower
Market Projects & More
"I have both
The Frugal Editor and
The
Frugal Book Promoter, but I'm in
edit mode on two books right now so I keep
finding myself thinking the same thing over
and over again: Thank Goodness for Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's book The Frugal Editor.
I used
The Frugal Book Promoter to promote my
self-published novel Dead Witness,
and guess what? I landed a contract with a
publisher for my second suspense thriller
Broken but not Dead.
~Joylene Nowell Butler,
author
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Author
Biography
With an Editor Focus |
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel,
This Is the Place,
and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered
are both
multi award-winners. Her fiction, nonfiction and poems have appeared in
national magazines, anthologies, and review journals. Both are out of
print but available on Amazon's new and used feature--for a very frugal
price.
She was an instructor for
UCLA Extension's Writers' Program
for nearly a decade
and has shared her writing and editing expertise at venues like the
Las Vegas Writers' Conference,
The Muse Online Writers' Conference
(of which she was a cofounder), The Sinclair Lewis Writers' Conference, and others.
She is a cofounder (along with Elizabeth Evans), and past facilitator of the Chevy Chase Critique Group
(associated with the Glendale Public Library system), She also
consults
and edits privately.
Carolyn was awarded Woman of the Year in Arts
and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature; her home town's
Character and Ethics Commission honored for her work on promoting
tolerance and the Pasadena Weekly named her to their list of "San
Gabriel Valley women who make life happen" for literary activism.
Carolyn has had
writing/editing experience at the Salt Lake Tribune, Good
Housekeeping Magazine, and several online sites. She edits a
the Sharing with Writers
newsletter as well as
several blogs including one the
The
Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor.
Carolyn has also judged national newsletter contests including one for
the American Business Women's Association and ABWA also
acknowledged her as a Woman of the Year.
Carolyn is the author of
The Frugal Editor: Put Your
Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success;
it is the winner of a USA Book News award, the Readers Views Literary
award and Carolyn's campaign for it won the New Millennium Award for
Marketing. Cheryl Wright of Writer2Writer.com
says, "The
Frugal Editor will become a well-used reference for writers around the
world."
Carolyn has edited
books of poetry and fiction but is wise enough (through hard-earned
experience) not to try to edit her own books
To know about her fiction and poetry
visit the literary pages of this site or the
published works almanac on
this site.
Formal education includes a BA in English
Literature from the University of Southern California (USC), a
certificate of completion for instructors at UCLA, and courses at
these universities in writing and editing:
§
University of Utah
§
Utah State University
§
UCLA
§
Herzen University, St.
Petersburg, RU
§
Charles University, Prague,
Czech Republic
§
Cambridge University,
Trinity College, Cambridge, UK
§
Glendale Community College
For more information
download Carolyn's
general
media kit as a .pdf file.
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Contents
For
The
Frugal Editor |
"Sharing
with Writers is
a marvelous, information-packed newsletter that has helped
me tremendously in my writing career. Carolyn
Howard-Johnson packs each issue with helpful promotion tips
and links to various sites that keep me up-to-date on the
publishing world and how to best promote my books. She has
wonderful tips and information for aspiring authors as
well. Please consider her site and newsletters for your
award."
~
Linda Morelli,
author of the
award-winning author
Fiery
Surrender, Shadow of Doubt
and Lani's
Challenge.
She contributed to “The Complete Writer’s
Journal” from
Red Engine Press.
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Important Links on This Site |
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Learn more about Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's
books, and other author services, all offered
with the welfare of
authors in mind
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Carolyn Is
A UCLA
Extension Writers' Program Instructor |
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Carolyn taught at UCLA's world
renowned Writer's Program for nearly a decade and still takes
classes there from the carefully vetted instructors when she is
tackling a new genre. She often teaches at writers' conferences throughout the nation.
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Buy Links for
Carolyn's Books |
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Subscribe to
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers Newsletter
and get a FREE copy of
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers
"I have been a professional writer 40 years, and am also a
tenured full professor of journalism. Carolyn's Sharing with
Writers newsletter is most useful for me--and for my
students. I emphasize to them that while research is 90% of
writing, and the actual writing is about 10%, there's another
100% out there called promotion. Carolyn shows numerous ways to
get the message to the mass media."
~Walter Brasch, author
and educator
"A decade of bettering writers' careers
with how-tos, tips, and publishing news."
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Endorsements |
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Endorsements
for The Frugal Editor
". .
.an absolute 'must have' for virtually all aspiring and practicing authors in
these tough economic times."
~ James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
"Nothing demonstrates
professionalism like a well-edited submission. Follow Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's clear, step-by-step self-editing approach for
Putting Your Best Book Forward
and you'll submit like a pro."
~
Gregory A. Kompes, conference
coordinator, Las Vegas Writer's Conference
“Good
editing is like honest business accounting: If you don’t
have it, you end up with a mess.
The Frugal Editor
is a must for the novice writer who needs to make that ideal
first impression and the writer with a tenth book hitting
the shelves who has become complacent about his brilliant
prose.”
~ Kristin Johnson, author and
writing consultant
"Carolyn Howard-Johnson has done it again! Whether you're writing your
first book or tenth, The Frugal Editor, Put Your Best Book
Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
is a must-read."
~ Tim Bete, director, Erma Bombeck
Writers' Workshop
"Congratulations on the release of The Frugal
Editor. . . .Keep up the good work. You're an inspiration to many."
~
Kim
Wilson, editor Write From Home
I wanted to tell you how
your workshops, reading your newsletter, and just chatting with you has
been a great help to me. I have a background in marketing from the
fashion world and even though it has helped me get my foot in the door,
I honestly have to say that after getting to know you, reading your
books, and everything else I just said has truly helped me put Stories
for Children Magazine on the map.
~VS Grenier, Founder and
Editor-in-Chief Stories for Children Magazine
The Frugal Editor is
about more than manuscripts; it's about branding -- how you appear to
the likes of agents, contest judges, etc. -- from your first
query letter to the final manuscript.
Wow-WomenOnWriting.com lets me share ideas from The Frugal Editor.
~Anonymous
"I am a writer, and definitely NOT an editor, but I believe
that with this book as a guide, my books have great
advantage over the other books that hit the shelves. After
EDITING properly and then PROMOTING properly with the help
of your book series, I truly believe that any book can
increase their profits by 100%!!! By reading this as an
author, I feel like my books are definitely better presented
as a COMPLETE package!!!
~ Epstein LaRue,
RN, BS, author of Highway Hypodermics
Endorsement for
Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips
By
creating a guide designed specifically to get writers past
gatekeepers, Carolyn Howard-Johnson has created something of
unmatched value: usage advice that cuts through the
contentious world of grammar to offer real help. Writers
polishing their manuscripts and query letters will find
Howard-Johnson’s guide more useful than Strunk and
White."
~June Casagrande, author of
Grammar Snobs Are
Great Big Meanies
(Penguin).
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Time
to Kindle |
Carolyn's how-to books and
poetry
books are available on Kindle.
Click here to buy the big, powerful Kindle I love with free (Frugal!)
WiFi (Now in Paperwhite!):
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Editing
Tip |
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Just
because a commercial entity capitalizes one of their pet
projects, you don't have to--not if it's a generic term.
They say "Southern Fried Chicken." You say "southern
fried chicken."
Germans capitalize their common nouns--English doesn't.
Find a tip on writing or
promotion on every page of this Web site.
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Website Sponsor |
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As Featured in Publishers Weekly
This unique book is the perfect book to help
immigrants and those who need better English
skills to deal with Americans. You'll love the
chapter on language and accent reduction. And
love even more how the author uses idioms
throughout the book--and explains them!
Available on
Amazon bookstores worldwide, at Vroman's in
Pasadena and other fine bookstores. |
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Carolyn's Awards |
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Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More The New Book Review
Named to
Master's in English.org Online Universities'
101 Essential Sites for Voracious
Readers
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for Sharing with Writers blog.
Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008)
and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter
(2011).
Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor
New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor
Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award
Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military
Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March, 2010
Gold Medal
Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010.
MWSA also gave a nod to
She Wore Emerald Then,
a chapbook of poetry honoring mothers.
The Frugal
Editor
Named #! on Top Ten
Editing Books list.
Finalist
New Generation Book Awards 2012,
The Frugal Book
Promoter; Finalist 2010
The Frugal Editor;
Winner 2010 Marketing Campaign for the Frugal Editor
The Oxford Award
recognizes
the
alumna who exemplifies the Delta Gamma precept of
service to her community and who, through the years,
devotes her talents to improve the quality of life
around her.
The Frugal
Book Promoter is runner-up in the how-to category for
the
Los Angeles Book Festival 2012
awards.
Winner Diamond Award
for Achievement in the Arts
Glendale
California's Arts and Culture Commission and the City of
Glendale Library,
2013
And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry.
See the awards page on this site.
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The
Ultimate Aid
for
Writers |
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Carolyn's multi award-winning
Frugal Book
Promoter takes you from the reluctant marketer stage
to a fully participatory partner for powerhouse
publishers or publicists. You'll also be equipped to go
it on your own!
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