AARP Bulletin, Washington, DC. The editor and publications director of AARP's monthly newspaper asked us to help them renovate the paper. We analyzed the market research, consulted the business plan, and critiqued the publication. We then delivered an editorial blueprint that clarified the mission and coverage, reorganized the paper for easier reading, created editorial packaging to attract readers, and recommended improvements in the writing and editing. Working with a designer, we created a prototype issue to serve as a model for the staff. (back to top)

Consumer Reports on Health, Yonkers, NY. On two different occasions, we searched for, located, interviewed, and recommended candidates for staff positions for this newsletter published by Consumer Reports. (back to top)

Dr. Koop's Self-Care Advisor, San Francisco, CA. The head of Time Inc. Health, a division of AOL Time Warner, approached us to work on a self-help manual published under the name of Dr. C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general for the United States. Working with the book's editor, we assisted in planning the overall concept, approach, and contents, and created a sample chapter. We located and recommended writers, editors, and fact-checkers, and helped organize the staff and processes. We advised the writers and editors on content, style, consistency, and execution, and top-edited many sections of the book. The book was completed in four months, and within a year nearly a million copies had been sold. "Every piece of the book that West Gold Editorial touched they made better," says Eric Schrier, former president of Time Inc. Health. (back to top)

FamilyFun, Northhampton, MA. This Disney publication on family activities wanted to revitalize its service stories and sharpen the staff's editing skills. Based on discussions with the editor and our review of the staff's assignment letters and marked-up manuscripts, we conducted workshops on editing basics, techniques to get the best out of a writer, and fresh approaches to service stories. "A year later, we still invoked West Gold Editorial when we talked about the right way to do something. Their list of twenty different approaches to service stories became a regular part of our creative process," says former editor Clare Ellis. (back to top)

String Letter Publishing, San Anselmo, CA. A publisher of music magazines, CDs, and books, this company has employed us for several projects.

•	The publisher asked us to critique SLP's magazine Piano & Keyboard. We analyzed the content and execution, compared the magazine with its competitors, and recommended improvements, including a refined mission statement and an editor's game plan for carrying out that mission.
•	The publisher was considering buying a small magazine on alternative music. We evaluated the publication, its competition, and its staff, making recommendations for editorial improvements that would broaden the audience. We also worked with the staff on management and editing skills.
•	The publisher engaged us to find both an editor and a managing editor for Strings magazine. Using our personal network and a deep understanding of the editorial environment at the magazine, we secured candidates who not only had high-level editing skills but were also musicians. (back to top)

Reader's Digest, Pleasantville, NY. We have advised the editors at the Reader's Digest Association on the creation of a new magazine, on newsletter strategies, and on integrating print and Web content. (back to top)

VIA, San Francisco, CA. A travel magazine published by the California Automobile Association, VIA has two million readers. The editor has engaged us for several projects.

•	In our first collaboration, the editor asked us to analyze the magazine's processes and to assess the roles of the personnel. We interviewed the entire staff and followed the magazine through a production cycle. In our report, we made recommendations concerning management issues and changes to the processes.
•	To implement some of the changes we recommended, we located and recruited suitable candidates for the managing editor position.
•	Six months later, we recruited a production manager for the magazine.
•	A year later, we worked with the design director to hire an associate art director.

Says the editor, Bruce Anderson, "The hires have worked out so well that we're light-years ahead of where we used to be in terms of meeting deadlines and having an orderly production cycle. (back to top)

Web projects

American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. At the request of the senior Web editor for five magazines published by this association, we created a workshop for the publications' editorial and design staffs. The customized seminar covered techniques for translating a magazine's print identity to the Web as well as principles of usability. In small-group discussions with each magazine's staff, we then provided specific feedback and recommendations for improving that publication's site. (back to top)

BabyCenter.com, San Francisco, CA. The editor in chief of BabyCenter, a premier information source for new parents, asked us to help bolster the skills of the staff. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the site's writing and editing, and delivered customized workshops focusing on how to effectively edit and "sell" online content to users. A few months later, the editor in chief engaged us to search for and recruit a senior editor. (back to top)

Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA. While planning an online music school, the associate VP of Berklee Media asked us to give his staff members a tutorial on Web site usability and content creation. In a casual, give-and-take session, we brainstormed with them about strategies to best serve their users and analyzed the successes and failures of similar sites. (back to top)

FitLinxx.com, Stamford, CT. A bricks-and-mortar company with a strong presence in fitness clubs, FitLinxx decided to launch an online presence. Consulting with both the editorial and business teams, we developed a content strategy and guided a custom publishing team in creating the initial content. As the site developed, we coached the editor in chief on how to package editorial content on the Web. (back to top)

WebMD, San Francisco, CA. Working with the editorial director of this health information site, we advised management on ways to strengthen the content. We also presented workshops for mid-level editors on the basics of good writing and editing as well as how to write "the perfect pitch," that is, how to sell upper-level editors on a story idea using a well-constructed pitch memo. (back to top)