Editors make things better,
so you can reach your writing goals.
Book Coaching
If you’ve started a project but don’t know where to go next, if you’re stumbling with direction and focus, or if you’re simply in need of some generative feedback and accountability, you would benefit from book coaching.
Book coaching is a collaborative process that provides direction, feedback, and accountability as you slog through your earliest drafts. As a book coach, I meet with you regularly in one-on-one sessions to lessen the isolation and uncertainty of a writing project, acting as a sounding board while also offering constructive feedback. By providing you with the professional guidance and support you need, I will help you write all the way to the finish line.
Developmental Editing
You’ve drafted your essay, article, chapter, or manuscript, and now you’re ready to take a step back and have a serious look at the whole. You are ready for developmental editing.
Developmental editing provides that much-needed overview and assessment of structure, content, cohesiveness, and clarity. As your developmental editor, I will read your draft to track and analyze these elements, providing you with a detailed letter (4 – 15 pages or more, depending on the length of the project), addressing these areas and offering substantive and specific suggestions for revision. In addition to this detailed overview, I will also provide comments and questions in the margins of the text itself. And, of course, we meet at the beginning and end of the process to discuss and collaborate.
Copyediting
You’ve drafted and revised (and revised again). Your structure works, your argument is clear and supported, and your narrative is focused and solid. It’s nearly time to send your final draft out to publishers, but it needs some late-stage work to come together. Copyediting makes the difference between fine writing and outstanding writing.
Copyediting is all about the words on the page and the rules in the rulebooks. As a copyeditor, I will read your draft, making minor suggestions and correcting any errors. I will look at words, sentences, and paragraphs for clarity, coherence, and correctness, addressing any issues in mechanics, grammar, syntax, or style to make your writing clear, clean, and compelling.
Proofreading
It’s all done! But, before you send off that final piece of writing, you might need a proofreader: one last set of eyes to catch those things that somehow slipped in after all your revisions.
Proofreading is surface-level reading that aims for perfection in spelling and grammar; charts, tables, and graphs; and headings, typefaces, notes, and bibliographies: all those tiny mistakes that will undoubtedly snag some readers’ attention and lessen the power of your voice. As a proofreader, I will catch all that is humanly possible so that readers stay immersed in your words rather than get distracted by a mistake.
Testimonials
“Celia was both capable and graceful as a developmental editor, respecting the parameters provided by our text while thoughtfully imagining ways in which it could become a better version of itself. Her attentive close reading revealed the better chapter that was waiting just beneath the surface.”
- Client, Bucknell University
- Book under contract with Punctum Books
“Working with Celia on my book project has been a wonderful experience. I was immediately impressed by her commitment to understanding my vision before delving into the editing process. As a result, her feedback was constructive and resulted in a more effective product. I also appreciated her approach, which was both exceptionally clear and compassionate. In short, her commitment to quality instilled a great deal of confidence in me.”
- Client, Bucknell University
- Book under contract with Cambridge UP
“Once I hired Celia, the book I’d been working on for ten years has gotten written and I’ve found a publisher. With her deep knowledge of a number of fields, she helps me tease out my ideas; her suggestions for revision add depth; and she is a powerful editor with an elegant touch. She’s like a fairy god mother!”
- Client, Bloomsburg University
About Me
Celia Shiffer, PhD
I am a freelance editor who works with academic and creative nonfiction authors to help their writing reach its potential. I have over twenty years’ experience in academia, teaching writing to students and consulting with professional authors. I have a passion for language, and I enjoy collaborating with authors to make their work vivid, compelling, clear, and focused. Recent projects include a psychology textbook, a book on modernist writers and reproductive norms, an article on early American writers and gothic landscapes, and an interdisciplinary essay on feminist reading practices.
Writing is often easier, more productive, and more fun (really!) if you have someone who can provide not only expertise and experience but also, and perhaps more importantly, constructive and supportive feedback.
As an editor, my primary goal is to support you in expressing your unique vision.
For questions about cost, or for more about how I can help you meet your writing and publishing goals, please contact me today.
Inkwell Editing 