Developmental Editing

Writing is a process. Polished manuscripts don’t spring fully formed from anyone’s head or fingertips. Developing your ideas into compelling writing in a way that feels authentic to you and your unique voice is challenging and time-consuming, and without feedback it’s easy to get lost.

Whether you’re a professional writer working on your fifth book, an academic expert making the switch to the mass market with a book proposal, or a thought leader with an opinion piece, getting input from an experienced editor can mean the difference between potential and power, muddle and meaning.

The best developmental editing begins with collaboration and communication between author and editor. We’ll talk about your vision and I’ll devise a step-by-step process for getting there together: never more and never less than exactly what you and your work call for.

Line Editing

I’m known as the Goldilocks of line (a.k.a. substantive) editors. I have years of experience finding the “just right” amount of intervention in a manuscript. I look to elevate language and thinking without introducing unnatural or unnecessary changes.

There’s nothing as frustrating as seeing something you worked hard at twisted or chopped into alien form. And there’s nothing as gratifying as seeing your ideas jump from the page, sentences enhanced and arranged, ideas elaborated and distilled.

Copy Editing

This is where perfectionists and grammar-obsessives like me shine. If you couldn’t tell Chicago from AP style to save your life, I’ve got you covered. If you can’t be bothered working out how hyphens are different from dashes, or whether you’re invoking or evoking something, then you’ve come to the right place. Details are important in all writing, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be up in the middle of the night thinking about diacritics.

Testimonials

“Frances has edited a range of items for me from opinion essays to academic articles to a book. I come back to her time and again because of her precision with grammar, her ability to clarify meaning and identify gaps in the argument, find just the right word or turn of phrase, and suggest connections I hadn’t made—all of which stem from the energy and care she brings to her work. Since we began working together, I have referred numerous people to Frances. Every single one has raved about her, including the skeptics who were doubtful an editor could be helpful or who have been disappointed with prior experiences with editors. It’s testament to what I have come to know: she is a truly phenomenal editor. “

— Katrina Karkazis, PhD, MPH, award-winning co-author of Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography.

“I started working with Frances in 2012, and she quickly became, and has remained, the most important voice in my editorial process. She's the only person I trust with my work when it's embarrassingly neonatal, and when it's about to go to print. She has a hawk eye for detail, an uncanny gut for solutions, vast esoteric knowledge, and excellent taste—I don't know what I did to deserve her, and I don't want to know where I'd be without her.”

— Paige Cooper, Giller Prize-nominated author of Zolitude.

"Frances, you know you converted me from a cranky, anti-editor hardliner, right? I wish EVERYONE could hire you so I wouldn’t have to read any more drudgy academic books."

— Rebecca M. Jordan-Young, PhD, MA, award-winning co-author of Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography.

“Thank you so much for your work! If this book has a chance to succeed, it is because of your ability to make it structured and accessible. Thank you for helping me get my idea down in a way that can communicate it to the world!”

— Author of multiple non-fiction trade books