Research, Check, Add Value
Preparation Research
You’ll need to know about your subject, as well as related topics, locations, time periods, and any primary interests and activities your characters might “naturally” have been a part of—whatever is relevant and appropriate to your project. If you are too busy or don’t know where to look for information in areas beyond your immediate expertise, I can help find experts, print references, or Internet sites. I can provide this research in the form of notes, subject lists, or “bookshelf resource centers”—small, physical collections of clippings, articles, books, and other resources.
Fact / Note / Bibliography Checking
Checking information is more important than getting it right in the first place! Did you remember to go back and research the spelling of that king’s name? What about that one date you weren’t quite sure about? Are you absolutely positive the reference you made to that source was correct? This level of research can also include comparing question lists and answer keys, text references and table contents, and jargon/technical terms and definitions as well as formatting of footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography entries.
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated bibliographies, or just plain bibliographies or subject lists, can add immense value to your project and can sometimes be the deciding factor in whether a certain publisher decides to take it on or not. The same holds true for tables of contents and other references—I can do them!