FAQ

Anyone can hang a shingle, and it can be difficult for potential clients to know who to hire. A professional editor has completed coursework toward a specific certificate or degree in professional editing or publishing and/or has previous experience working under the guidance of other professional editors. The Editorial Freelancers Association, Editors Canada, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, and the American Medical Writers Association have all created standards to maintain consistency of practice among professional editors and writers.

I have a master’s degree in publishing and writing as well as experience working directly for an large academic publisher, where I achieved several awards for my work. Learn more about my experience and my mission here.

A publisher or business may (understandably) hesitate to release their content to a third party, but an experienced editor will provide the necessary expertise and craft a project to meet their client’s goals.

I provide consultations via phone or email. Complete the contact form and provide an initial description of your needs, or send me an email, and I’ll follow up to schedule a time to talk. You can also view my services to get an idea of what might be best for you.

If the level needs to be determined, I evaluate the content. I also consider any specific client requests and the end format (journal, web, book), as well as the need to create or follow a style guide.

You might need a heavier line edit if, for example, sentences need to be reworked to improve clarity and flow, you need to ensure terminology is appropriate for your intended audience, or instances of wordiness need to be adjusted. Copyediting may be more appropriate if your manuscript requires a focus on, for example, spelling and punctuation, continuity, cross-references, consistent use of numerals, reference formatting and citations, and image captions/tables. In either case, it’s important to indicate whether your writing should follow a particular style.

As always, the project timeline and the available budget are important considerations, too.

A light edit generally focuses on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage; cross-checking any references; ensuring placement of any figures and tables are appropriate; and applying any particular style points required.

A medium edit includes all the tasks of a light edit in addition to smoothing transitions; changing passive to active voice (if requested and depending on the type of material); ensuring word choice is appropriate; and some rewriting for ambiguous or awkward phrasing.

A heavy edit includes all the tasks of a medium edit as well as slight wordsmithing to ensure a consistent style and tone, moving some sentences to improve paragraph-level organization, and more extensive rewriting of ambiguous, awkward, or unclear phrasing to ensure your intended meaning is clear. (However, please note that a heavy copyedit is different from a structural or developmental edit.)

Whatever the level of editing your content requires, my main goal is to preserve your voice and your intended meaning—my job is to help make the writing better!

For services such as copyediting and proofreading, my estimates are based on the length of the manuscript, the level of edit, and your project schedule. I determine time frames for services such as project management and manuscript preparation by considering the particular tasks involved in the process and your project schedule.

Same-day and next-day services are available with a rush fee. Rush projects must be less than approximately 6,000 words or an estimated 4 hours.

One-week notice is preferable before beginning a project, but please submit any requests via the contact form or email, and I’ll be in touch regarding my current availability.

I understand the nuances involved when editing content written by authors whose first language is not Enlgish. I am careful to provide options for rewriting sentences, with the goal of ensuring the original meaning is not unintentionally lost, while editing for standard American English grammar and sentence structure. I can also provide additional localization services (changing British English or Canadian English to American English) upon request.