Sunday, June 28, 2026

After 500 Books for Others, an Altadena Editor Writes Her Own

Marisa Solis and co-author Elizabeth Dougherty bring their guide for first-time authors to Vroman’s on July 14.

For 28 years, Marisa Solis helped other people sound like authors. After editing more than 500 books across every nonfiction genre, the Altadena resident decided to become one herself. On Tuesday, July 14, Solis and her co-author, Elizabeth Dougherty, read from and sign their new book at Vroman’s Bookstore, beginning at 7 p.m.

The book, “The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book,” is exactly what its title promises — a step-by-step road map for experts who want to turn their knowledge into a published book. Solis and Dougherty, longtime developmental editors and book coaches who cofounded the editorial company Book Structure Pros, wrote it after a planned writing workshop fell through, channeling the disappointment into a guide that collects the advice they had spent years giving clients. Kirkus Reviews called it “a smart and stylish guide to writing and publishing a nonfiction book.”

There is a neat symmetry to the project: two veteran editors, long accustomed to working on the other side of the desk, writing a first book about writing a first book. At Vroman’s, the pair are expected to read from the opening section and walk through the foundational steps that aspiring authors most often skip, with time set aside for questions.

For the many local professionals who have been told, “You should write a book,” the evening offers a practical nudge from two people who have shepherded hundreds of them into print.

Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty will read from and sign “The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book” on Tuesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com. Admission is free.