As you can see, I said Independence Day, not Fourth of July. That’s because nobody I know says Merry Twenty-Fifth of December or Happy First of January. Just as those are Christmas and New Year official holidays, Independence Day is the official title of this holiday. As far back as July 4, 1777, the United States of America citizens have been celebrating its declaration of independence from Britain with parades, parties, fireworks and more.

Daughters of the American Revolution & US Flag

I am a proud member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. When I realized this, I couldn’t wait to become a member. My direct biological ancestors fought for our independence, and that means a great deal to me. On my adoptive side of the family, I am also a descendant of Revolutionary War soldiers, at least two of whom wintered at Valley Forge with Gen. George Washington. That’s why Independence Day is my preferred greeting.

US Flag & Liberty Bell

We all remember stories of Betsy Ross and the first US flag, but do we remember much about the Liberty Bell? Below are two short quotes from ushistory.org/libertybell/.

“Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.”

“There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell. Hair-line cracks on bells were bored out to prevent expansion. However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack which rendered the Bell unringable was on Washington’s Birthday in 1846.”

And the first paragraph from the Declaration of Independence (from archives.gov):

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

Again, Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Today I’m learning my SEO plugin. Because I want to work on  building my book editing services, I want to make sure that my information shows up in the search engines. The better I do at showing that I offer book editing services, the more likely I am to get my information on the search engines. Supposedly, this plugin will help me succeed in my goal.

I have been in the book editing for 35+ years, working on all genres of books. For the most part, I have edited nonfiction books, but I have also worked on autobiographical works, fiction, children’s, young adult, and even erotica. Magazine articles have come to me from time to time, but I rarely edit those. I can also edit your work on my computer as long as it is a Word document. This give me a little more room for explaining any editorial changes.

In my book editing process, I make notes in the margins to explain my changes. I also offer a one- to two-page synopsis of where I think the book should be heading and/or improvements that can be made. I also explain some of my notes in greater detail if I feel it’s beneficial to the writer.

My fees for book editing vary depending upon the difficulty of the work. Most of the time, however, I charge $3 per page. If an author wants to send me a sample of his/her work, I will edit up to 30 pages at the $3 price before I quote a price for the entire book. I have even lowered the per-page price for my editing if the book comes in installments and editing changes I’ve made previously have already been made later in the book.

since I put up my website. Okay, it’s from my daughter and I’m not charging her, but it’s a job.

I’m working to upgrade my site, but it’s taking a lot of figuring out on my part. But I’m enjoying it. I like learning new things, and I can’t wait until I can get things moving along.

Books by Liz is my site to promote my editing and ghostwriting services, as well as my books, is up and running. Have a glance at it and let me know if you think it looks okay. I’m always open to opinions.

I have also decided to promote my daughter’s work. She is a writer and artist who has designed covers for various books. Here is a sample of her cover art: