Developmental editor for literary fiction, memoir, contemplative nonfiction, and books by founders and experts. I work at the structural level to help a manuscript become the book it wants to be.
Over the years, I have been the developmental editor and collaborator on numerous successful titles, including many from Farrar, Straus and Giroux and
Divine Arts/Michael Wiese Productions. I'm the author of seven books, including Writing from the Inside Out, and I hold an MFA from New Mexico State University, where I was managing editor of Puerto del Sol. Before editing full time I was a software engineer in payment processing and later Head of Content for a software company, so I also enjoy working with technical and financial material. My ghostwriting has appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, American Banker, and Nasdaq. I hold the Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing.
My standard first engagement is a flat-rate manuscript assessment that provides a substantive review, a detailed editorial letter on structure, pacing, argument, subtext, theme, tone, and voice, and a revision map that gives authors a clear step-by-step path forward, delivered in three weeks. I also take on full developmental edits, line edits, copyedits, and voice restoration for manuscripts that were drafted or heavily revised with AI and no longer sound like their authors. Every project starts with a free sample read so we both know it's a fit before anything is signed.
First-time authors welcome. More at stephenlloydwebber.com.