Book Edits by Jessi

A Little Treat for My Blog Readers

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 22:55:05 +0000

I came across this poem today that an old poetry student of mine wrote about small-town life. I find it so touching, and thought you all might enjoy it, too. Wapello, Iowa1980 Hot summer nights in Wapello, Iowa. Small dogs yip and claw at screen doors while young men cruise in wine-colored Buicks and grey Ford pickups up and down ... Read More

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Traditional or Self-Publishing: Which Is Best for Authors?

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Thu, 08 May 2025 09:20:29 +0000

One of the most common questions I get from my editing clients is: which is best for authors—traditional or self-publishing? Whether you’ve finished writing your book or are still immersed in the process, it’s important to know the answer to that. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of both publishing paths, and clear up a few misconceptions.

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Wrong Word Placement: Your Manuscript’s Hidden Flaw?

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 21:20:06 +0000

Wrong word placement is one of the mistakes I find most often in my business of editing books. Authors, is this your manuscript’s hidden flaw? Take a look at these two sentences, and see if you can identify the problem: The tree proved an irresistible temptation to the birds, hung with ripe cherries. The delighted nursing home residents sang along ... Read More

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Should a Memoir Focus on Just One Theme or Time Period? It Depends on Your Intentions

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:55:38 +0000

Memoir authors are typically told they should center their story around one particular theme or time period. In response, they tend to write about subjects like divorce, abuse, health struggles, caregiving, or travel, all of which have been extensively written about already. Other writers ignore the advice and try to pack their whole life into a single narrative, sometimes shoehorning two or three unrelated books into one. As a book editor and writing coach, I'm sometimes asked if I agree with this advice ...

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Three Great Reads

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 06:23:38 +0000

I promised to do another post soon for my writer blog-readers about some of my favorite novels, and this is me fulfilling that promise. Insurrection, the first book I want to recommend, was written by my client Brandon Teskey. Brandon is an infantry officer and 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army National Guard. During his service in the Middle East, he ... Read More

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The Conservative Vegetarian–An Oxymoron?

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 21:18:31 +0000

Genesis has God giving man "dominion" over the animals. Perhaps a better translation would be "stewardship."

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Should You Rewrite Your Novel or Memoir as a Screenplay?

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:56:03 +0000

If you’ve been shopping your book to literary agents and have had no luck courting their interest, you may have heard you should rewrite your novel or memoir as a screenplay. Guess what? Screenwriters who’ve had no luck with their scripts are being told the reverse: that they should rewrite their screenplay as a novel. I have a foot in ... Read More

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Two Great Memoirs–Check These Out

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 17:46:44 +0000

Let me tell you what I’m excited about at the moment: two memoirs I recently edited, which are two of the best manuscripts to come across my desk in a long time. "Diamond" is such a page-turner that I've passed it on to the producer I work with. That's one of the perks I can offer my clients--exposure of their novel or memoir to a New York film producer if I think it checks all the boxes for a great movie.

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An Author and a Gentleman

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 01:44:29 +0000

There’s a fun story I’ve been sharing with friends that I think my blog readers also will enjoy—especially those of you who like thrillers. (And isn’t that just about everybody?) No, the story I have to tell you isn’t a thriller, but it has to do with thrillers, as you will see in a minute. No fair skipping to the ... Read More

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‘Fewer’ vs. ‘Less’—Which Is Correct?

Jessi Rita Hoffman — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:24:19 +0000

I haven’t gotten on my high horse about grammar errors in a while, so I guess I’d better write an article about another common goof or risk my reputation as a grammar grouch. Today we answer the question of “fewer” vs. “less”—which is correct? Both are legitimate words, of course. It’s a matter of when it’s correct to use one ... Read More

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