Editing Services
Literary fiction, creative nonfiction, environmental writing, vegetarian cookbooks
Maybe you’re brand new to writing. Maybe you have a great idea but it’s complicated and you haven’t found the structure that makes reading feel effortless. Or maybe you’re a seasoned professional who has looked at that manuscript too many times to see clearly.
I’m here to help you find your way to your best work, whether you're looking for scene or character development, plot cohesion, grammar support, attention to punctuation, or musicality. We'll set up a regular communication cadence, and you'll leave with a polished manuscript that maintains your voice and unique writing style on deadline.
Services include:
Editing — developmental, line, & copy
Beta reading
Proofreading
Coaching
Areas of expertise include :
Literary fiction
Narrative nonfiction
Nature essays
Lyric essays
Environmental journalism
Vegetarian & vegan cookbooks
Conservation communications
I've also edited scripts; poems; technical abstracts; academic humanities, education, and engineering articles; marketing materials; press releases; and other communications.
AI Policy: I don’t edit AI-generated work nor do I use AI in editing or writing.
What’s the difference between the various editing and reading options?
Developmental editing
Developmental editing is big picture stuff. It involves evaluating organization and structure (my favorite parts of writing!) and the development of plot, character, scene, or argument. Developmental editors assess large problems and provide revision suggestions. As the writer, though, you may find other ways to solve those problems once the developmental editor helps you see them more clearly.
What to expect: A conversation about your objectives, a regular communication cadence for discussion if necessary, and a letter detailing the strengths and weaknesses of you manuscript with an action plan to resolve any problematic areas.
Line editing
Line editing is about the feel of the paragraph and line. It’s more subjective than copy editing and focuses on the alignment of narrative voice with tone, mood, and rhythm. A line editor will consider the nuance of word choices and look for repeated words or sentence patterns to add more variety and improve the flow.
What to expect: A conversation about your objectives, a regular communication cadence for discussion if necessary, your manuscript with tracked changes for your review followed by a clean manuscript ready for the next steps.
Copy editing
Copy editing, like line editing, involves word choice, though copy editing is more about correctness and following a style guide. A copy editor will look at grammar and syntax, punctuation, and spelling. There are often right and wrong answers in copy editing, though not always. The writer and/or editor may make subjective decisions on capitalizing certain words, picking preferred spellings, or choosing to use serial commas. The main rule is this: make a decision and stick to it.
What to expect: A conversation about your objectives, a regular communication cadence for discussion about style choices or other concerns, your manuscript with tracked changes for your review followed by a clean manuscript ready for readers, plus a style sheet to document style decisions.
Proofreading
Proofreading is not copy editing. Proofreading is typically the last check before printing. The proofreader looks for blatant errors, like a paragraph is repeated or words are missing. Proofreaders check for formatting mistakes and typos. They’re not expected to make style decisions like copy editors or to fact-check.
What to expect: I seldom proofread, but generally speaking, getting to this stage means congratulations are due! Your next step is publication.
Beta reading
Beta reading is less professional critique and more reader feelings. Finding beta readers who give honest feedback may be a good way to gauge interest and the potential success of your book. A beta reader will tell you what they enjoyed, what they didn’t enjoy, what parts were paced well, where they got lost in the story and lost track of time, or where they got bored.
What to expect: As a publisher and editor, I can give you an overall sense of what I’d think of your manuscript if it came across my desk as a submission. You’ll receive a written letter giving an overall first impression and a list of strengths and weaknesses.
For sampling of past literary projects
Please see literary publishing portfolio
For sampling of past non-literary projects
Please see freelance editing portfolio
Tell me about your project for a free consultation
Let’s discuss your goals. Tell me a little bit about what kind of writing project you’re working on, where you are in the writing process, and what your ultimate objective is.
From there, we’ll set a time to connect with a 30-minute phone call to see if working together makes sense.
I’m looking forward to hearing about what you’ve been working on.