Portfolio of Coaching & Book Writing Projects

Some of the book projects on this page are not available through Kindle or Amazon. For example, the Handbook for Truckers is a book written by a class instructor. It was never published along standard channels.

If a book is sold on Amazon, I have provided a link below the author’s feedback on our working relationship. There, you can explore the interior using Amazon’s preview tool. If it isn’t an Amazon-based book, the link goes to an excerpt.

Click on the book’s cover to see it on Amazon.

Breaking the Box This is one of those book writing projects where I worked as an editor and writing coach. Paul is a talented writer in his own right. He just needed “assignments” to give him direction. I helped him develop his outline, then helped him tap into his knowledge base to create the content. His book went live on Kindle in December 2010.

Here's what Paul had to say:

I sent you a copy of the Kindle version so you can take a look at it and how the Kindle formatting went. A few minor changes in the translation but nothing I’m worried about. I haven’t seen a book yet that translates perfectly with the proprietary ebook formats. The illustrations came through very well, even on the Blackberry Kindle app….Thanks again for getting it Kindle ready for me, much appreciated. It looks really good!
P. Lewis

This version reflects the original cover. (More examples below PDF window.)

Breaking the Box

Paperback cover for easy-quite-stop-smoking-bookThis project from early 2010 included research and rewriting, and design and layout. I chose a flip-chart layout because it made the eBook easy to read on the dominant screen type at that time—desktop monitors. For print-out, the book laid out like a calendar, with binding on the top edge.

This is one of those times when the client and I were not the best fit. In addition, Kindle handled illustration flow poorly when it first hit the market in 2010, so this book wasn’t a good candidate for Kindle.

Today, I could easily create Kindle and ePUB versions and include all the illustrations. I would also revise the PDF version to portrait mode so it fits the parameters used by KDP (formerly CreateSpace). 

Here's what Nurse had to say:

Ok. Looks good, but a little nursy technical for me. Just sayin that may be good, but let me read it again. I wanted it to not be technical but more for the average lay reader.
Nurse Forbes.

Take a look at a few pages extracted from the PDF eBook. You may agree with my client that the final eBook was too “nursy technical.” (You’ll find one more example below the PDF window.)

Easy Quit Example

More than Domestic Violence was a very personal journey for Mike. When I first met him, it had only been months after the tragic loss of his grandchildren. My role as writing coach and editor was to help him sort through what was fact and what was emotion.

I also designed the cover and his website to match the book’s cover.

This was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on. This book has become a guide within Washington State for how to assess an arson scene when family court and/or domestic violence court is playing a role in family dynamics.

What Mike Had to Say

Denise was superb in her role as my Editor and coached me through the self-publishing process with the ease of a real professional. I will be using Denise in all my formatting and editing needs with regards to any future publishing I do. Thank you Denise! Very grateful,

— Michael Willbur

More Than Domestic Violence

How to Research Franchise BookThis eBook was ghost written for a gentleman in the U.K. I used British spelling as the standard. Read this book, and you will know whether or not franchising is for you. This was a pre-Kindle work, so I didn’t provide anything more than basic layout and formatting on this book writing project. With only a few minor tweaks, including a cover, I could have this book transformed into both a Kindle-ready upload and a KDP print-ready manuscript.

Here's what Peter had to say:

I had to think long and hard about giving Denise a glowing testimonial. The sad truth is she is very good and I greedily do not want anyone else keeping her busy so she can’t work for me. If you are looking for a great writer than
you will not go wrong with Denise.
P. O’Donaghue

I have included the first pages from several of the chapters of this book. 

Franchise eBook for Website

CDL Handbook Cover

I provided both heavy rewriting/substantive editing services and design and layout for this 2010 book writing project. I delivered two versions of the eBook on this job—a PDF for online viewing and one for local print. With careful tweaking of the illustrations, this eBook could have been released in Kindle and ePub versions as well.

Here's what Bobby had to say:

That’s a great idea on the pre-trip video … great job, love your work.
B. Colston

Take a look at excerpts from the PDF eBook designed for online viewing.

EXAMPLE Web-view CDL Handbook

America Apart CoverThis was one of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on. The author is incarcerated for life in a Texas prison. This made communication challenging. I could email him, but he could only call for five minutes or write letters.

Occasionally, he would pay someone to type his letters. However, they were handwritten most of the time. We worked for months to get the division of the states worked out!

Ultimately, the prison system and the family budget made it too difficult to market the book. It was well written and logical. The man is intelligent and backs his case against identity politics with solid research. However, this isn’t enough. An author needs exposure, which the Texas prison system isn’t designed to facilitate.

What James Had to Say

The cover looks good. I am really excited about how the cover has morphed into what we have currently. It looks like it was done by one of the big six publishers in New York. Really classy and sophisticated, yet daring and eye catching.

Thanks for being so patient and attentive.

—James Long

America Apart: The Inconvenient Truth About Multiculturalism and Racism Today

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