BOOK EDITING
I've worked for several years as a book editor, editing books for both individual authors and several U.S. and international publishing houses. I'm available for developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading for the following genres: literary fiction, general/mainstream fiction, upmarket fiction, historical fiction, short story collections, personal essay collections, young adult (YA) fiction, fantasy/magical realism, memoirs, biographies, narrative non-fiction, academic non-fiction, and travelogues.
Some authors approach me unsure and struggling to explain exactly what they need or what they ultimately hope their books will be able to achieve. I get it. Sometimes you're so close to a thing you can't see it clearly. My job is decipher what you offer (message), determine whom you're trying to reach (audience), and present it most effectively and through the proper channels (context). Other authors have a fully developed book that they just need some help finally bringing out into the world.
Here's a rundown and definition of my editing services.
I've worked for several years as a book editor, editing books for both individual authors and several U.S. and international publishing houses. I'm available for developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading for the following genres: literary fiction, general/mainstream fiction, upmarket fiction, historical fiction, short story collections, personal essay collections, young adult (YA) fiction, fantasy/magical realism, memoirs, biographies, narrative non-fiction, academic non-fiction, and travelogues.
Some authors approach me unsure and struggling to explain exactly what they need or what they ultimately hope their books will be able to achieve. I get it. Sometimes you're so close to a thing you can't see it clearly. My job is decipher what you offer (message), determine whom you're trying to reach (audience), and present it most effectively and through the proper channels (context). Other authors have a fully developed book that they just need some help finally bringing out into the world.
Here's a rundown and definition of my editing services.
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Developmental Editing
As a developmental editor I address the larger questions of plot (long and short lines of tension, throughlines, pacing), character development, structure, the balance between dramatic scene and exposition, voice, and theme. My goal is to highlight both the areas of strength and areas that are either underdeveloped, overwritten, or extraneous. My developmental edits package for a project always includes an editorial letter and substantive editorial comments. The editorial letter begins with an overview of my feelings toward your project. Then I move from the general to the specific, summarizing what I see as key actionable items (fixes for plot consistency questions, ways to further develop characters, how to strengthen the atmosphere or mood through greater attention to language). I’ll address character, plot, structure, theme, language, and do my best to give you a blueprint for efficient revision. Editorial comments will either appear in the margins of a manuscript or be inputted digitally using track changes. You can expect them on every page. I'll make suggestions regarding language, diagnose potential plot or character plausibility problems, and highlight particularly well-executed scenes and moments. I'm a huge believer in helping writers find what they do particularly well on the page. When we find our strengths, we find a place to return to and grow from in our writing. |
Line Editing
Line editing focuses on your prose. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, a narrative memoir, or an exposition-heavy history text, I’ll improve your manuscript’s style, clarity, and prose rhythms. I’ll re-write phrases, move sentences, re-order paragraphs, and cut extraneous passages. I’ll also tighten up your dialogue and make editorial comments in the margins. Copy Editing + Proofreading Copy editing focuses exclusively on the grammatical content of your work. Here, I'm editing more for syntactical accuracy than content. I'll edit your work for parallel sentence structure, correct word usage, accurately placed modifiers, exact punctuation, and consistent presentation of style and formatting (when numbers are spelled out versus written, how to properly use abbreviations, how to denote titles for different mediums). |
Please contact me to talk rates.