I am an experienced professional editor and college writing instructor based in Central Oregon.
As an editor, I specialize in professional and academic writing, but I also provide bespoke, high-quality editorial services for creative, technical, business, and commercial purposes.
I also have more than a decade of experience teaching college-level writing and literature classes, for which I have won multiple awards, and I have worked as an educational consultant and an academic tutor in the public school system.
Please contact me for information or inquiries!
Stephen is a skilled editor specializing in line editing and developmental editing. His content specialties are professional and academic writing across the disciplines, including the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, medicine, law, and business.
Stephen is also a dedicated educator with a passion for helping students connect meaningfully with their learning. He has won awards for his engaging, responsive teaching.
Outside of work, Stephen is an avid tabletop gamer, cook, and outdoors enthusiast. He enjoys spending as much time as possible with his family.
During his time at Whitman College, Stephen worked in elementary and middle schools as an academic tutor. Following graduation, he lived and worked in China teaching English at a first-class engineering college (Northwestern Polytechnical University). Later, Stephen returned to the States to complete his Masters and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at a top program in his field at the University of Chicago.
Stephen has extensive experience teaching academic, professional, technical, and business writing to undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals, including business executives, doctors, lawyers, social workers, teachers, nonprofit managers, and many others. He has also taught English, literature, and philosophy at the college level.
In addition, Stephen has worked as an educational consultant, with special expertise in curriculum design, course design, active learning, and assessment.
As an editor, I help writers find their voice, sharpen their language, and produce work that will effectively reach their target audience. The editorial relationship is an important one for any writer—please make contact so that we can get to know one another and see whether I would be a good fit as an editor for your project!
I am happy to look at a selection of your manuscript (~5 pages) to discuss what type of editing might be most productive given the current state of the text, as well as to provide a sample of my work, before we formalize an editorial agreement.
I am available for fast turnarounds as well as for extended, book-length projects; please contact me for a project quote, and see below for useful details about hiring an editor.
Copyediting and line editing are my most commonly requested editorial services. Normal turnaround for copyediting or line editing is under a week for shorter manuscripts (less than 50pp).
Copyediting involves correcting spelling, grammar, conventional usage, and punctuation. If appropriate, it also involves checking cross-references and creating or utilizing a style sheet to ensure consistent, accurate usage across a manuscript.
Line editing is appropriate for manuscripts that require more intensive revisions or reorganization not only to correct errors, but also to improve language and style. Line editing occurs primarily at the sentence (but sometimes also paragraph) level.
Also called "content," "substantive," or "structural" editing, developmental editing focuses on the overall content and organization of the manuscript as a whole. It usually involves a high-level critique of structural or systemic issues, but may also include direct changes to a manuscript, sometimes including substantial rewriting and reorganizing.
Developmental editing typically results in a long "editorial letter" (or "manuscript evaluation"), in which various areas for improvement are detailed (and where various possible solutions may be provided). Developmental editing also frequently involves line editing to demonstrate how to address certain deficiencies in the text.
Developmental editing may involve assistance in the very early stages of planning and drafting a manuscript; or, when a developmental editor is hired later rather than earlier in the writing process, she may be called a "book doctor."
For editors, "one page" always equals 250 words (the length of one standard manuscript page in the editing and publishing industry).
For new clients, I request a sample of the manuscript before completing an editorial agreement, so that we can agree on the depth of editing necessary and desired. I am happy to provide a sample edit (~5 pages) on this excerpt to demonstrate my services.
I normally prefer to quote a total project cost rather than working by the page or by the word. For new clients or large projects (meaning hundreds of pages), I may also require advance payment of half of the project fee.
For extremely quick turnarounds (in the magnitude of days), I may charge an additional 20-100%, depending on the details of the job. Please inquire to ask whether I am available for immediate turnaround.
I am available to produce written work for hire. My rate varies depending on the nature of the work, but typically falls into these ranges: fiction, 8-25¢ per word; nonfiction or ghostwriting, 20-40¢ per word; comics/graphic narrative, $70 per page. Samples of my written work are available upon request. Please contact me to discuss whether my style and experience might be a good fit for your project.
I am available for consultation regarding topics within humanities education, editing, publishing, teaching, or related topics. Please contact me to find out whether my expertise may be of help to you and to inquire about rates!