FAQ

I have experience with academic writing in the social sciences and humanities, including journal article editing, thesis editing, and dissertation editing .

For nonfiction books, I enjoy history, creative nonfiction, parenting, and biographies.

I also work on most fiction genres including fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, middle grade, young adult (YA), new adult (NA), paranormal, dystopian, and erotica.

I’m probably not the right fit for religion, poetry, scripts/screenplays, or science, technical, and medical (STM) projects. Horror writers, I’m sure you are lovely people, but I’m still recovering from reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark at a fifth grade sleepover.

Don’t fall into one of the above categories? No worries, just get in touch and we’ll figure it out.

I’m friendly and dependable. If you’re looking for an editor who believes in partnership and collaboration, you’re in the right spot. Large editing companies often don’t put you in direct contact with your editor. I offer personalized service while staying within budget and on deadline.

I am on your side. Publishers and businesses can feel confident knowing their projects are being handled by a professional who is committed to a high level of service. Independent authors and academics can relax knowing their manuscripts are receiving careful, thoughtful editing. It’s my job to be picky about language, but I always edit with tact and respect for the author’s voice.

I value professional development. There is always more to learn, and I enjoy taking courses and reading widely to keep my skills sharp.

Your editorial needs are my top priority.

Yes, I’m happy to do a free sample edit of up to 1,000 words (about 4 pages). This is a great way to find out if our author–editor styles click, and for you to see firsthand how editing can help your project. The sample edit also lets me evaluate the level of editing your writing requires so I can prepare an accurate quote.

Please send your entire document as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx) and I’ll edit a representative sample, usually from somewhere in the middle. All materials are kept strictly confidential and there are no strings attached.

Submitting a manuscript and receiving a quote does not obligate you to use my services.

It becomes difficult, if not impossible, to catch your own mistakes after spending so much time working on the same document. An editor will assess your work with a fresh perspective to find and fix those nitty gritty details.

Editing is about more than just pointing out typos. A good editor will analyze your writing and suggest changes to make it clear and consistent for your readers. We use tools like style guides, reference books, editing software, and macros to efficiently edit our clients’ work to the highest standard.

If you want peace of mind that your writing is the best it can be, consider hiring an editor.

Sure! In fact, I strongly recommend asking other people to read your final draft before submitting it for editing. Finding beta readers and/or joining a writer’s group for feedback can also help. It’s important to keep a couple things in mind, however.

1. Editors are objective. Family and friends are . . . not. Your sister may happily change a misspelled word, but decline to mention that your dialogue is clunky in order to spare your feelings.

2. Editors are professionals. We have specialized training, and it’s our job to know the ins and outs of language and grammar. We know when to follow the rules and when it’s okay to break them. Would your best friend know the correct term is multivariate analysis and not multivariant analysis? Or that you’d write 25% in APA style but 25 percent in Chicago style? (If so, you have an awesome best friend and they deserve a cookie!)

For editing, I work with Microsoft Word using the Track Changes feature. I can also mark up PDFs using Adobe Acrobat for proofreading projects that have already been typeset.

Other resources include style guides, dictionaries, usage guides, and software programs. There are too many to include them all, but here is a partial list:

The Chicago Manual of Style
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary
Garner’s Modern English Usage
Common Errors in English Usage
McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage
The Copyeditor’s Handbook