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I launched BookWorm to offer copyediting services for academics, independent scholars, and doctoral students to help them polish their manuscripts for publication. Why, you may ask?

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James Martin Moran, PhD

book·worm

noun \ ˈbu̇k-ËŒwÉ™rm  

1: One who is unusually devoted to reading, studying, (and sometimes eating) books.

I'M A GRAMMAR GEEK.

Ask me anything about dangling participles, zombie nouns, or Oxford commas -- I'll tell you way more than you need to know. I truly enjoy the lost art of diagramming sentences and reading style manuals for entertainment (I wrote three myself).

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I've always been fervent about the written word, even when I was a PhD candidate studying film and television at USC. I'm a big believer in the importance of using Standard Written English to gain the respect of intelligent, educated readers. For more than forty years studying and teaching the English language, I know what passes for good scholarly writing.

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My BA and MA in English at Boston College, coupled with 10 years of teaching and tutoring undergraduate students in English composition (including many non-native speakers), has gone a long way to mold me into the authoritative, thoughtful, and meticulous copyeditor I am today.

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I'M A BOOKWORM.

I’m a voracious reader. I love books. The feel of them. The smell of them. I would eat them if I could.

 

I'm widely read, with a sprawling home library to prove it. I especially enjoy interdisciplinary, theoretical, and narrative non-fiction for both the specialist and the lay person. 

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My areas of specialty include:

  • English and American Literature

  • Media & Communication Studies

  • Cultural Studies

  • Food Studies & Nutrition

  • Critical Theory

  • Social Sciences

  • Philosophy

  • World History

  • Art History

  • History of Science

  • Marketing

  • Higher Education

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I'M AN ACADEMIC.

I deeply understand the ambitions, pressures, and culture of academics and scholars: whether you're a doctoral student revising your dissertation in hopes for a first book contract; an associate professor publishing journal articles and book chapters with the goal of securing tenure; or an independent scholar self-publishing or seeking an agent in the serious non-fiction trade.

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I know how brutal copyediting can seem on material you've spent blood, sweat, and tears researching and writing for years. I've experienced it with my own publications. That's why I have the deepest respect for your expertise, argument, and voice. And why my edits and suggestions are always constructive, sensitive, and encouraging. Think of me as your partner in delivering your magnum opus to publishers and readers in a form that best articulates your well-considered intentions.

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An enthusiastic and curious lifelong learner, I've been involved in academic communities for most of my career: as a doctoral student, adjunct professor, admissions director, and writing tutor. I'm also an academic author (see my CV and Publications), having published my dissertation and several anthology chapters with the University of Minnesota Press, as well as peer-reviewed articles, encyclopedia entries, case studies, and reviews.

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So, in addition to the editorial and publication process, I fully understand the complexities of conducting research, documenting evidence, and crafting an engaging and convincing argument that appeals to both your peers and potential publishers.

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My meticulous attention to detail and broad knowledge base can help you tailor and polish your manuscript to communicate convincing arguments and engaging narratives that resonate with educated readers, academic peers, and scholarly publishers.

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