DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING & COACHING FOR WRITERS

I offer editorial and coaching services for writers at any stage of a project (mostly books, but shorter pieces as well). I help authors identify what motivates and drives their writing, bringing intention and urgency to their work as we deepen both skills and confidence. My job is to help you reconnect with the inspiration that first brought you to your project. Together, we can tap back into creative energies to sustain the long-haul work of bringing writing into the world.  Writing is never easy, but it can be more fun and less lonely. I aim to demystify the publishing process and support authors in charting a path that furthers their intellectual, professional, and personal growth.

If you are looking for an editor: I offer developmental content editing (on conceptual clarity, through-line, argument, methodology, structure) and line editing (focused on writing mechanics and style). I also provide manuscript reviews (feedback without edits) and do book proposal development. I can help you figure out what works best for your project in terms of where it’s at and where you want to take it. 

If you are looking for a writing coach: Coaching sessions vary by client, but this work is based on the idea that all big writing problems can be turned into smaller problems for which we can find solutions. I pair this pragmatic philosophy with exercises and activities to rekindle excitement and build a new and more satisfying writing practice. I’m here to talk out the big ideas, strategize around blocks, and create structure and accountability.

I am always happy to chat to learn about your work and discuss my process, so feel free to get in touch. Though I have some flexibility, please note that my schedule requires booking most projects several months in advance. I am currently taking on new clients and projects for Fall 2024.

A sample of client projects is featured below — click the images for publisher info. And to learn some more about my approach, here is a short piece on writing a first book.

EXPERIENCE & BACKGROUND

My work with clients draws from twenty years of teaching, writing, and editing experience. I have a Ph.D. in sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center. I am the author of The Value of Homelessness (University of Minnesota Press, 2015) and have published numerous academic essays and articles, primarily focused on homelessness, housing, and queer/trans social movements. My first novel was published in April 2024; Publishers Weekly called it “a consuming psychological thriller that turns familiar tropes of dark academia and fatal attraction on their heads.” I work with non-fiction writers and academics in the humanities and social sciences, with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary scholars of critical race and ethnic studies, Indigenous studies, gender studies, urban studies, and American studies. Authors I have worked with have books out or forthcoming from University of Minnesota Press, University of Illinois Press, University of Pennsylvania Press, Duke University Press, University of North Carolina Press, Verso, and others. 

Before transitioning to full-time editing work, I was a tenured Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at George Mason University. I have also served as a peer reviewer providing editorial feedback on manuscripts for university presses as well as a wide range of scholarly journals.