Melissa specializes in helping family historians plan, write and edit various genealogical works. She works with researchers and authors from start to finish to prepare well-written, documented, quality works for publication. Through mentoring, collaboration, and education, Melissa works with her clients to write and edit their manuscripts, while at the same time helping them become better writers. She develops clear, compelling, well-researched genealogical works, and helps family historians and other professional genealogists succeed as writers.

Melissa takes on assignments to write and edit compiled genealogies, biographies, memoirs, proof arguments/case studies, micro histories, narratives, articles, and genealogy manuals. She is an experienced writer and has been published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, Genealogical Society of New Jersey Newsletter and various other publications. Melissa also offers a variety of publishing services for books and e-books.

EDITORIAL SERVICES
Developmental Editing
Developmental editing helps writers shape their projects, and often begins before the writing phase has started. The developmental phase of the writing and editing process allows authors to better organize their project, plan its overall presentation, and write in a more focused manner.

Substantive Editing
Substantive editing focuses on readability, clarity, accuracy and structure, and helps get a written work into its final form. This editorial phase occurs once a writer has a full draft of their manuscript ready.

Copyediting
Copyediting occurs when the written work is near complete. This phase of editing focuses primarily on spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization and word use, using a particular style (Chicago, MLA, APA, etc.) as a guide.

Proofreading
Proofreading is the last stage of the editorial process, and helps to ensure that previous changes were implemented correctly. Proofreading usually occurs after the design is complete and the written work is in its final layout.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR GENEALOGICAL WRITERS
Bates, Jefferson D. Writing with Precision. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

Butler, Grant. Think Write Grow. Australia: Wiley Publishing, 2012.

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. You Can Write Your Family History. 2003. Reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2008.

Leclerc, Michael J., and Henry B. Hoff. Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century. Second Edition. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown, Editor. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001.

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