“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worthy reading or do things worth the writing.” –Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, May 1738
“I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” –Truman Capote, bestselling author, 1924-1984
“I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” –Truman Capote, bestselling author, 1924-1984
Roberta Edgar has been ghostwriting, co-writing, and editing fiction and nonfiction books on a broad range of topics for over 20 years. Confidentiality precludes listing her ghostwritten projects, but co-writing credits include: Think Yourself Smokeless with Dr. Marvin Berenson, Jade Mountain with Gregory Alsbury, and Million Dollar Miracle with Michael E. Bash. Editing credits include: Textiles Matter for Prentice Hall Publishing, The Journey of a Healer by Paolo Ficara, Changed by Ronald J. Winston, Under the Influence by Claudia Roth, Pursuit of Freedom by Susanne M Reyto, Schizophrenia Weaponized by Bergendahl Hawkins, Shrapnel of the Soul and Redemption by Pepper Martin and Penny Lane, Terriers in Jungle by Georja Umano, Keeper of the Souls and A Scattering of Clouds by Patricia Reynolds, The Mating Challenge by Anthony Alcock, and The Crystal Palace Deaths by Lee Burns.
Roberta is also available for manuscript evaluation, consulting, and coaching.
After receiving her BA degree in English from UCLA, Roberta wrote editorial promotion for Mademoiselle Magazine in New York. Returning to Los Angeles, she worked in TV production for documentary filmmaker David L. Wolper, Quinn Martin’s The Invaders, and Gene Roddenberry’s original Star Trek. In addition to screenplays, Roberta wrote for Norman Lear’s TV series All That Glitters, and eventually turned to writing and editing fiction and nonfiction books. And, yes, the occasional screenplay.
Longtime Vice President of Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC), Roberta coordinates its official booth at the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. She is also a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
Awards: 2021 Irwin Award for Best How-To Book: Million Dollar Miracle: How to Make a Million Dollars in One Day and Never Have to Work Again (co-author)
Writing and editing samples upon request. Contact: Roberta (@) wordsalamode.com.
What people are saying about Roberta’s writing and editing:
- “I am eager to recommend Roberta Edgar as an editor. Her skill, in addition to being professional and precise, is empowering. She will not only assist and suggest with insight, but also encourage. Working with Roberta is beneficial in every respect.” –Linda La Roche, author, Echo Between Us; writing instructor http://lindalaroche.com
- “An excellent and versatile writer, Roberta Edgar wrote a fresh and original treatment for a feature motion picture inspired by the extraordinary life of my late uncle, a silent film star. With equal brilliance, she wrote a powerful and fascinating biographical profile of a Hollywood icon. There is no other writer I would trust to get the job done as effectively and as creatively.” –Pam Grey, SPC, Inc.
- “After a long search, I entrusted the editing of my books to Roberta Edgar, who did a fantastic job making my work look professional, clear, and easy to read. I was impressed with her professionalism and her talent as an editor, and plan to work with her again in the future. To anyone looking for a reliable, honest, and skilled editor, I highly recommend Ms. Edgar.” –Paolo Ficara, author, Journey of a Healer, a trilogy www.journeyofahealer.com
- “My first book was a challenge, as I was an expert on my topic but a novice to writing. Roberta Edgar helped me organize and develop my material in terms of format and style. She was knowledgeable, cooperative, and reliable. The result was everything I had hoped for – a professional and compelling manuscript that would interest and enlighten my readers and keep them glued to the page.” –Claudia Roth, author, Under the Influence
- “I have never met anyone so precise and thorough. Roberta has the excellent eye to organize paragraphs, sentence structure, and fix spelling errors. I was very fortunate to have met Roberta and highly recommend her for anyone who wants correct editing and excellent services in a timely manner.” –Ronald Winston, author, Changed: Fun to Be Bad, Better to be Redeemed
- “Roberta Edgar, my co-author in writing Think Yourself Smokeless, a direct and persuasive guide to quitting smoking, was an excellent collaborator. Her sense of style, ability to create pithy and effective phrases, a sharp sense of humor that she easily adapted to the book, and a strong knowledge of literary and grammatical structure adds up to a person with a flair for writing and the intelligence and creativity to help with any writing needs. I highly recommend her as one who could foster and assist other writers and who is very capable of conceiving and developing new ideas, projects, or entire books.” –Marvin H. Berenson, M.D., co-author
- “…I think you have been just brilliant!” –Jane L. Jarvis, co-author
- “Roberta Edgar is a superb writer who makes words sing.” –Maggi Casteel, Director of Business Development/Marketing, Summit Architects Collaborative
- “This is why you should be earning the big, big, big bucks.... Love your talent!” –Rick Ryerson, author, Author of Your Life
- “Working with Roberta was such a pleasure. She really ‘gets’ writers and is very respectful of our work. She helps to untangle some of our sentences but keeps the same tone in the work. I hope to work with her in the future because I can really trust her, and I know she will be kind. I did of course go into this knowing I had to have another person look over my work, and I was ready to have someone alert me to any problems. Having said that, it was much less painful than I thought it would be, and I have gotten to know a great woman in the process.” –Monica Mueller, writer, freelance contributor to Scoot! Magazine www.devonsworld.org
- “I'm forever grateful that you took time to help me with my query letter. I sent the first query out Monday afternoon. Within an hour of emailing the first dozen agents, I received three eager requests for my proposal. So, all in all, I'm very pleased with the outcome." –Doug B., first-time author
- “Roberta Edgar has worked with me… in connection with an online speakers directory. She’s a strong writer with the ability to sift through raw data quickly, get to the essence and construct compelling text for its core. I would strongly recommend Roberta to any individual or company seeking a writer-editor-summarizer who is creative, responsible, reliable, fast, accurate, and cooperative.” –Jean-Noel Bassior, journalist, speaker, and author, Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Days of Early Television
Additional testimonials upon request.
One Example of the Content Editing Process
Original paragraph “Would I ever be able to see her again? I did not know. Being that she was my best friend’s sister, it complicated things for me since I did not want to lose his friendship, and, because of her age, I was afraid he might jump to conclusions and turn against me, which was the last thing I wanted to happen. I decided I should wait till he was hopefully more prepared for the news and then tell him of my feelings for his sister, which was very pure.”
Edited paragraph “Would I ever be able to see her again? I wish I knew. She was the sister of my best friend, whose opinion meant a great deal to me. I thought, considering her age, he might misinterpret my intentions. So, as much as I longed to be with her, I decided to wait until the timing was right.”
Edited paragraph “Would I ever be able to see her again? I wish I knew. She was the sister of my best friend, whose opinion meant a great deal to me. I thought, considering her age, he might misinterpret my intentions. So, as much as I longed to be with her, I decided to wait until the timing was right.”
Proudly powered by Weebly