Howard Lovy

Category: Book Editor

Welcome to the book editing section of my site, where you’ll see updated information, news, and commentary on my work as an developmental book editor who specializes in memoir. I’ll also pass along tips for authors.  To find out more about my work as a book editor, take a look at this page. 

  • Interview: What I do as a Developmental Editor

    Interview: What I do as a Developmental Editor

    Leah Eichler and Susan Catto of Esoterica Magazine hosted an interview: What I do as a developmental editor. They asked some great questions, including how I handle tough clients. I discussed some of the favorite memoirists I’ve worked with and how I help writers discover their own “voice.” We also talked about trends in Jewish nonfiction, since I interview a great many Jewish authors for Publishers Weekly, JTA, and my own Substack newsletter. Below are some highlights from our interview. Below that, you can click and watch the whole thing.

    On Who I Work With

    “I get a lot of first-time authors who say, ‘Well, I don’t know if this is a book. Everybody told me I should write a book about this.’ My feeling is that everybody has a book in them. Not everybody agrees with me on that. But I think everybody does have at least one book in them. So, I help them take a series of events in their lives and tell their story. I have people on the other end who are experienced authors and have big publishing contracts who want me to be their coach and get them to meet deadlines. A lot of times, I’m part editor, I’m part coach, I’m part amateur psychologist.”

    On Writing Voice

    “When writing a memoir, there’s the story, and then there’s how you tell the story. Everybody has their own little way of speaking, has their own catchphrases that they like to repeat, and their own obsessions. That, to me, helps bring a story to life. It’s not just ‘This happened, and then that happened, and then the other thing happened.’ But it’s a matter of telling a story that only you can tell in the unique way that you can tell it.”

    On Memoirs I Enjoy Editing

    “The best kinds of books to edit and to read are where you go through some sort of life-changing realization. Sometimes it can be an addiction, sometimes it can be abusive situation, or sometimes it can be a fundamentalist form a form of religion that you end up rejecting. But, to me, it’s fascinating how you how you can go from the realization that something is not right with your life to, ‘Let’s do something about it, and really sacrifice to do it.’”

    Watch the Interview: What I do as a Developmental Editor

    Related Posts

    Working with a Developmental Book Editor

    TwitterChat: How to Work With a Developmental Editor

    Want a Book Editor who Really ‘Gets’ You?

  • Stepson to the Mob: Story of a Childhood in Hiding

    Stepson to the Mob: Story of a Childhood in Hiding

    Author Marc Bradley came to me with an incredible story of a childhood spent in the witness protection program and, through the process of editing and coaching, produced Stepson to the Mob: A Memoir of Decisions, Deception, and a Mother’s Deep Devotion. I was happy to have helped Marc turn his disjointed memories of a traumatic childhood hiding from the mob, and his mother’s fatal illness, into a compelling narrative. As his developmental editor and writing coach, I urged Marc to dig deeper and make readers relive these moments with him. There are times when you can soar above the action at 40,000 feet, but I challenged Marc to go down to “street level” and remember what he saw, said, heard, and felt. The result is a sometimes-visceral recalling of a very strange childhood. Here’s what Marc had to say about our work together.

    As a new author, sitting down to write my first book was quite a task, to say the least. And considering it was a memoir made it all the more challenging. Finding Howard was nothing short of a dream come true. His ability to see through the words to find my voice was second to none. He understood me and knew exactly how to turn my childhood memories into fully developed scenes. Of all the skills he possesses, the one that served me the most through this process was the job he did as my writing coach. He has made me a better writer as a result, and for that, I am most grateful.

    I was also happy to have produced the audiobook version of Stepson to the Mob.

  • Working With a Developmental Book Editor

    Working With a Developmental Book Editor

    Over at Writer’s Hive, I write about how to work with a developmental book editor. Well, specifically, how to work with me. Here’s an excerpt:

    I first talk to the author to discover their goals in writing the book and to get their “voice.” We discuss the themes that are covered. I find that for first-time memoirists, and in many first drafts, much of the interesting detail has not yet been written. I try to challenge them to dig deeper. Part of my job as a memoir editor is to help jog the author’s memory by asking questions. “How did it feel?” “What did you say?” “How did others react?” “Who else was there?” Then they sit down to write their second draft. The result is a better sensory experience for the readers and something that more accurately recreates the author’s experiences. So, how does that work in practice? As I advise my clients, it’s better to show rather than tell, so let me break it down into some specific categories.

    I give a number of examples on how I work specifically with memoirs as a developmental book editor.

    Read the entire piece at the Writer’s Hive.

    Learn more about what I do as a developmental book editor here.

  • TwitterChat: How to Work With a Developmental Editor

    TwitterChat: How to Work With a Developmental Editor

    I recently took part in a TwitterChat with Tim Lewis at the Alliance of Independent Authors, where I produce and host podcasts. This time, I put on my editor’s hat and answered questions on how I work with authors as a developmental editor. The questions were great and my answers provide a broad overview of how I partner with authors to finish their manuscripts.

    Click here to read my TwitterChat on How to Work With a Developmental Editor

  • A Life Derailed: My Journey With ALS, by Nate Methot

    A Life Derailed: My Journey With ALS, by Nate Methot

    Nate Methot came to me with a difficult story. He had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But from the beginning, he told me that nothing was off limits. He wanted readers to know what life was like for him. The result was an an incredible story of a young man whose body stopped cooperating with him. I was proud to be the author’s writing coach and editor on his book, A Life Derailed: My Journey With ALS.

    We had an excellent partnership during the editing process. But I’ll let Nate tell the rest in a testimonial he left for me on the Reedsy editing service, which first brought us together.

    I hired Howard as a developmental editor for my memoir. During the pandemic, I began to write down and put together stories from the last ten years of my life. I was diagnosed with ALS in 2011.

    Howard helped me immensely in telling my story. He asked the right questions to help bring forth the full picture. He told me from the outset that his job was to make certain that my intent was coming through to the reader, a broad audience.

    Howard got me to put more of myself in my stories. While I was sometimes only focused on the events themselves, he asked me to spend more time inside my own head. Tell us what you were thinking. How did you feel? Make us understand what it was like.

    Howard was always responsive to my emails; usually he’d answer my questions within minutes. Because I have ALS and don’t have a strong voice, we communicated almost exclusively over email. I imagine that may have been frustrating for some editors, but Howard was very accommodating.

    Howard has gone above and beyond to help guide me in the process of completing my first book. I’ve asked all sorts of questions that have nothing to do with the job he was hired to complete, and he has taken the time to answer them helpfully and thoroughly.

    Howard has felt like a partner throughout. My memoir is much richer and more meaningful because of the direction he provided. I’d recommend him to any first-time author who needs both technical support, bigger picture guidance, and an experienced industry professional with whom to work.

    — Nate Methot

    Reedsy Discovery gave A Life Derailed a glowing review, even singling out the excellent editing! Nate Methot wrote a powerful book and I was happy to have played a role in helping him tell this important story.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book

  • The Autobiography of an Idea, by Aviva Rahmani

    The Autobiography of an Idea, by Aviva Rahmani

    When I first met author, artist, and ecofeminist Aviva Rahmani, I knew this would be a tough but fascinating developmental editing assignment. Very few people can successfully combine quantum physics, copyright law, and performance art and put it all together in a compelling memoir format. I was glad to help make that happen. The result was an incredible book called Divining Chaos: The Autobiography of an Idea (June 2022, New Village Press).

    Aviva Rahmani
    The Blued Trees Symphony.

    I was a science writer and editor for about a decade, so I understood the terminology. The trick was to explain just enough of the science for it to make sense to a lay reader, but not too much since that would leave many readers behind. In addition, this is the story of Aviva Rahmani’s life, so I coached her on how to combine her disparate stories into a cohesive narrative. It’s a story that takes us from the art scenes in New York and California to her ecological awakening in Maine, and around the world to the Golan Heights on the eve of war. Think of her life as one big performance-art project—with its share of darkness and light.

    Her life’s work involved two major projects: Ghost Nets, restoring a coastal town dump to flourishing wetlands; and The Blued Trees Symphony, which applied her premises to challenge natural gas pipelines with a novel legal theory about land use. The theme running through it all is a concept she calls “Trigger Point Theory.” Any rare or surprising event is called a “black swan.” In physics, she says, black swans, or anomalies, can dramatically change the trajectory of events. She applies the same standard to art. When “solutions seemed to emerge” through her projects, that can trigger big change. “I would call this trigger point theory, an idea that was a corollary to butterfly theory but took it an inconceivable step further, that a deliberately chosen small point of disruption, intended as art, could affect much larger systems,” she writes.

    My contribution: I helped Aviva coalesce these disparate elements into a story. Here’s what Aviva Rahmani had to say about my role in Divining Chaos.

    Writing a book is very different than writing a short work. Working with Howard as my developmental editor helped me understand how to carry themes across almost 300 pages. My book is a memoir about ideas. At the time, I was still a recovering PhD, stuck in dissertation-land. My text was dense with complex ideas, multi-syllabic words and citations. My book’s style is conceptually free-range and some of the science ideas are quite complex. It took a lot of rewriting to make them digestible for someone, for example, who might not be fluent in thermodynamics.

    Howard was quite gentle, encouraging, and patient with me until the pages came alive with the threads of my personal narrative. Our back and forth exchanges forced me to rethink and relive many crucial anecdotes in the personal parts of my narrative. I had been writing reductively about personal material: ‘this happened and then this and then that.’ Howard counseled me to put in the sensory details.

    For example, I had a passage describing an afternoon at the Golan Heights in Israel hours before war broke out. He pressed me to recall the scents, sounds, and other sensations I felt as I stood there with a sense of mortal premonition. Howard stayed with me as we passed excerpts back and forth for comment until I could make each passage and the transitions between chapters and themes feel like they could be relevant to my readers’ lives. It was in that process that I found my voice on the page.

    It was a challenge and a pleasure to work with Aviva on her book. It deserves a wide audience.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book

  • Confessions of an Actress, by Meredith Patterson

    Confessions of an Actress, by Meredith Patterson

    I first met Meredith Patterson through my Reedsy profile and I was very happy she chose me as her editor for her incredible memoir, Confessions of an Actress: From Chorus Girl to Broadway Star. I was the author’s writing coach and editor. Meredith saw her Broadway dreams come true twenty years ago. Then, 9/11 happened, and that changed everything.

    Meredith Patterson BookThe book takes you through intimate, personal, joyous and often painful stories of her rise to Broadway. Doing everything from cleaning toilets to impersonating Marilyn Monroe—whatever it took to support herself while battling self doubt, cutthroat competition while trying to stay as human as possible in an often-vicious industry. This is not only the story of her rise to Broadway, but also how tragedy made Meredith Patterson come back down to earth and place her life’s work, her driving force, into proper perspective. What if you woke up one morning and your dreams really did come true? And what if it was not at all what you expected?

    As I do for all my memoir clients, I helped Meredith Patterson recall the sights, sounds, emotions of twenty years ago and put it all on the page in a way that is engaging to readers. I think I succeeded, and Meredith agrees. Here’s what she had to say about my work.

     

    I am a first time author, and Howard’s guidance both with his editing and coaching has been tremendously valuable. He has helped me write my story with such authenticity, grace, and vulnerability. I know the success of this book and the revealing of my story has a lot to do with his guidance. He is professional, calm, communicative, and I look forward to continued work with him for my entire book series.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book

  • Ballad of a Sober Man, Memoir By Dr. J. D. Remy

    Ballad of a Sober Man, Memoir By Dr. J. D. Remy

    Ballad of a sober man

    I was very happy to have been Dr. J. D. Remy’s editor on Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor’s Journey of Recovery. The doc lost everything, but found recovery by letting go of his own ego.

    To truly show how far you have come in recovery, it is necessary to describe yourself at your lowest. One day, Dr. Remy was, in all outward appearances, a family man and successful Emergency Room physician. In one day, he lost it all—his family, his job … everything. He was wheeled, as a patient, into the emergency room where he was once in charge.

    To get his life back, Dr. Remy had to not only recover from alcohol addiction, but also from his own ego, narcissism, and sense of entitlement. In this book, we experience, through his own eyes, what it is like to lose it all and then, slowly, climb your way back.

    (Howard Lovy) pushed me to dig deep to rework passages and improve my prose. He responded to my emails quickly, and was even available after the work was completed for some mop-up issues. I applaud Mr. Lovy for his hard work on my behalf and highly recommend him as a developmental editor.” — Dr. J. D. Remy

    I recommend this book for anybody who has faced life-changing challenges, or those who want to know, firsthand, how one person can fight back from devastating addiction and loss. Also, find out how he ended up on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.

    Many authors who have gone through traumatic experiences have trusted me with their memoirs. It may be because I’ve gone through my share of trauma, too, and I approach this work without judgment and with lots of empathy. So, I seem to specialize in memoirs about people who have hit rock bottom through addiction, bad luck, or bad health, and have an important message for others. I’m proud to help my clients find their voice through all this turbulence.

    Dr. Remy was also kind enough to write a testimonial about the work we did together on his manuscript:

    “Howard served as the developmental editor for my memoir Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor’s Journey of Recovery. He began work on it in February of 2020 and had completed the edit by the end of March—no easy feat for a 105,000-word book. We remained in close contact the entire time, and I found him to be thorough and responsive. He met my imposed deadline of March 31st. He pushed me to dig deep to rework passages and improve my prose. He responded to my emails quickly, and was even available after the work was completed for some mop-up issues. I applaud Mr. Lovy for his hard work on my behalf and highly recommend him as a developmental editor.”

    Dr. Remy is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, where I host author-interview podcasts. I talked to Dr. Remy to get his story. Click on the arrow below to listen.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book

     

  • ‘Nick Bones’ is a Best Debut Novel Finalist

    ‘Nick Bones’ is a Best Debut Novel Finalist

    Nick Bones

    I’m proud to have served as developmental editor for Phil M. Cohen’s book, Nick Bones Underground, which was a 2019 Jewish Book Council finalist for Best Debut Novel.

    A publisher asked me to take a look at Phil’s manuscript and work with him to try to improve it. It was a great match because it involved a mix of Judaism, humor, science and sci-fi … all subjects I enjoy writing about! Phil and I had a lot of fun playing around the the characters, dialogue, and some of the plot points. He did not take all of my suggestions, but it was a great give-and-take between author and editor.

    To give you an idea of what the book’s about, here’s a blurb I wrote on it:

    Phil Cohen’s Nick Bones character isn’t your father’s nebbishy Jewish protagonist. He can rough up a suspect as well as the next gentile private eye. But, with the Jewish wit of a Michael Chabon or Jonathan Safran Foer and a dash of absurd sci-fi in the tradition of Douglas Adams, Cohen creates a dystopian future of uncooperative machines, a messianic Jewish cult and the quest for control over a powerful new drug. Through it all is Nick Bones, a private eye on a quest to make sense of this bizarre near-future where things go sideways both above and under the ground. Nick Bones underground has sex, drugs, and even cameos from a rock ‘n’ roll legend. So, what’s not to love?

    Howard Lovy’s editorial skills vastly improved my speculative novel, Nick Bones Underground.  I saw those skills at work in at least three important ways.

    Phil enjoyed working with me, too, and we’re even beginning to map out a sequel. Here’s a testimonial from the author on what it’s like to work for me!

    Howard Lovy’s editorial skills vastly improved my speculative novel, Nick Bones Underground.  I saw those skills at work in at least three important ways.

      1. As one would expect from any good editor, he proffered numerous wise suggestions regarding the tone, the language—including dialogue– the flow, and the structure of the text.
      2. With his background in science he helped make aspects of my novel more reasonable.
      3. He served as a cheerleader, offering advice about seeking a publisher–or pointing out the possibility of self-publishing–all the while affirming his faith in the project. He was the first reader to suggest both the possibility and the advisability of writing a sequel, something I hadn’t previously considered, something I am well into as I write these words.

    Nick Bones Underground was published by Koehler Books on November 30.  In January I learned that the Jewish Book Council had given my novel a Finalist award in the category of Debut Novel. This almost certainly wouldn’t have happened without Howard’s labors.

    In my role as multimedia manager and podcaster at the Alliance of Independent Authors, I was happy to have interviewed Phil on my podcast. Listen below if you’ve got about 10 minutes to spare.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book

  • Want a Book Editor Who Really ‘Gets’ You?

    Want a Book Editor Who Really ‘Gets’ You?

    Testimonials

    “Howard has gone above and beyond to help guide me in the process of completing my first book. I’ve asked all sorts of questions that have nothing to do with the job he was hired to complete, and he has taken the time to answer them helpfully and thoroughly. Howard has felt like a partner throughout. My memoir is much richer and more meaningful because of the direction he provided. I’d recommend him to any first-time author who needs both technical support, bigger picture guidance, and an experienced industry professional with whom to work.” — Nate Methot, author of A Life Derailed: My Journey With ALS. Read more about my work with Nate here.

    “I am a first-time author, and Howard’s guidance both with his editing and coaching has been tremendously valuable. He has helped me write my story with such authenticity, grace, and vulnerability. I know the success of this book and the revealing of my story has a lot to do with his guidance. He is professional, calm, communicative, and I look forward to continued work with him for my entire book series.” — Meredith Patterson, author of Confessions of an Actress. Read more about my work with Meredith here.

    “Howard was quite gentle, encouraging, and patient with me until the pages came alive with the threads of my personal narrative. Our back and forth exchanges forced me to rethink and relive many crucial anecdotes in the personal parts of my narrative. I had been writing reductively about personal material: ‘this happened and then this and then that.’ Howard counseled me to put in the sensory details.” — Aviva Rahmani, author of Divining Chaos: The Autobiography of an Idea. Read more about my work with Aviva here.

    “Howard showed me how to take my collection of carefully written blog posts about my faith-based journalism career and shape it into a compelling and flowing narrative. He knew exactly what I needed to add or delete, what needed filling out and where I needed more context or dialogue. I followed his lead with excellent results. Beta readers have been very enthusiastic and I found a publisher almost immediately after I began to submit. I recommend him very highly!” — Judy Gruen, author of Bylines and Blessings: Writing My Way Home (Koehler Books, February 2024)

    “(Howard Lovy) pushed me me to dig deep to rework passages and improve my prose. He responded to my emails quickly, and was even available after the work was completed for some mop-up issues. I applaud Mr. Lovy for his hard work on my behalf and highly recommend him as a developmental editor.” — Dr. J.D. Remy, author of Ballad of a Sober Man. Read more about my work with Dr. Remy here. 

    “A lot of writers have interviewed me, or tried to interview me. Most of them bring their own ideas about who I am, or who they imagine I am. But Howard actually listens to what I say and really gets my voice and what I am all about.” — Peggy Caserta, Author of I Ran Into Some Trouble. Read more about my work with Peggy here.

    “Had a great time working with Howard. I had a draft of a manuscript and needed to fill it out and figure out what was working and what wasn’t. Howard provides great overall feedback and recommendations as well as detailed notes for each chapter. Highly recommend, your work will get the attention it needs!” Read more of my reviews on Reedsy.

    Who I am: I began my career as a traditional newspaper journalist, but over the years have adapted to changes in my profession, covering everything from religion to science and technology. Since 2012, I’ve focused primarily on independently published books, both as executive editor of Foreword Reviews and as news and podcast producer at the Alliance of Independent Authors, where I host an author-interview podcast. I also write author features for Publishers Weekly, among other publications.

    Voice: As a book editor, I specialize in memoir, history, business, and other nonfiction. My three decades in journalism have given me an ear for each author’s unique voice. I help them make their words jump off the page. I’ve worked as a newsroom mentor and writing coach for years at newspapers and magazines.

    Wisdom: Older authors, in particular, have enjoyed working with me as a book editor because I understand their wealth of experience and unique voices. I know how to help them tell the stories of their lives with maturity, wisdom, and wit. I work very closely with authors to make sure they are telling exactly the story they want to tell. I very much enjoy seeing their ideas and experience transform into a work ready for publication.

    Why me? I know what publishers, book reviewers, and journalists look for when evaluating a book for publication, review, or to cover as news. Every story, whether it’s about business, history, or your own memoir, is ultimately about people. I am able to help writers tell stories that connect with readers and take them with you on your journey.

    What I do as a Book Editor

    Manuscript Evaluation: You’re not certain you want a full edit on your manuscript yet, but you want to know how you’re doing. I’ll give your book a full evaluation, pointing out where it succeeds and where it could do better, along with a full and detailed list of recommendations. If you choose to continue with a full edit, the price of the evaluation will become a down payment toward the full price of the complete edit.

    Developmental Editor: Come to me with your notes, your first draft, your second draft, your 80th draft, or just your idea, and let’s work together to tell exactly the story you want, and need, to tell.

    Copy Editor: You’ve done all the developmental work you’re going to do and you’re happy with the story. Now, you need to make sure everything is consistent, facts are checked out, chapters flow easily without any internal contradictions, and your book is free of grammatical and spelling errors.

    Interview: What I do as a Developmental Editor

    Developmental Editor

    Click here for my interview with Esoterica Magazine on What I do as a developmental editor.

    Contact me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you with your book