Versatile Editor and Writer At Your Service

There are two foundations at the heart of my freelance communications practice:

  • Meticulous attention to the mechanics of language and the art of storytelling
  • Gracious communication centered on supporting and amplifying your unique voice and goals

As a writer, whether I am working with you to create website content or marketing collateral such as articles, brochures, grant applications, blog features or social media campaigns, I also am researching your markets, deepening your brand and infusing each component with creativity and skill that reflects my 20 years of experience with a diverse array of clients and organizations.

As an editor, I work with clients ranging from organic farms to organizational coaches. I have provided comprehensive developmental editing to authors whose work ranges from memoir to near-future dystopian novels. With my extensive experience editing for Esalen Institute, the iconic retreat center in Big Sur, I have a unique perspective on health, wellness and transformational growth topics. As a published novelist, I have an abiding love for literary and historical fiction.

Please read on for specific information about my editing services for authors.

Feel free to contact me to chat about your unique writing or editing needs. I look forward to working with you.

Editorial Services for Fiction and  Non-fiction Manuscripts

My editing practice focuses on collaborating with authors to solve craft issues including voice, character and plot development, structure, and scope with a sharp eye for detail and gracious communication. As an editor and a novelist, I am deeply engaged on both sides of the literary equation. My editing perspective includes ideas for how a manuscript can reach its full potential and find a place in today’s market.

Underlying all my work is a deep love of language and commitment to artful prose. I have been a writer and editor for 20 years, and I hold an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College.

Let’s collaborate to make your story soar.

The following two editing packages are my most popular services. I also welcome custom projects, including partial manuscripts, short stories and essays, copy editing, freelance writing, and more. Let’s chat about your project.

Developmental Editing

This is the big-picture editing of a full manuscript. I provide comprehensive feedback delivered to the author in an editorial letter and follow-up correspondence.

The author receives a 12- to 15-page editorial letter with feedback including strengths, challenge areas, strategies for revisions, and discrete sections on theme, structure, point of view, character development, pace/continuity, setting, scene/summary balance, dialogue, voice/tone, and style. Author also receives selected inline manuscript notes in the form of author queries, comments, and examples of pervasive grammar or spelling issues.

Manuscript Evaluation

This is an express option for authors who may not desire comprehensive feedback, but who want to know if their book is ready for publication, and if not, to receive an analysis of challenge areas.

The author receives a 3- to 5-page editorial letter with a high-level overview of feedback, which can be general or customized to the author’s specific questions. Includes strengths, areas of growth, and discrete sections on up to three craft elements (see list above). I design these sections to provide overall feedback and strategies for addressing challenge areas. I will select the craft areas based on close reading of the manuscript or through conversation with the author.

Rates

My editing rates vary between $8 and $15 per manuscript page (250 words) depending on the level of editing required. Please contact me and we’ll work out an estimate based on a writing sample and your unique needs.

 

“Stacy was such a treat to work with. She was patient, skilled, reliable, and talented. She was a rock every step of the way; truly a saving grace.”

—Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, author of Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others.

 

 

“Simply stated, Stacy is the best editor I have worked with in over 40 years of writing for publication. Without exception she has partnered with me to strengthen the quality of my writing, and she has been in my corner as coach, mentor, and muse. Stacy creates a true relationship of collaboration, and helps me find my authentic and unique voice. “

—Steven Harper, wilderness guide, consultant, and author.

 

 

“Stacy’s feedback is incredibly insightful and so useful! She is a dream reader and editor who is able to grasp the ambition and scope of the work on a large scale, while also honing in on the technical details that can make or break the work.”

—LJ Moore, author of Small Fierce Things