Don’t see your question here? Drop me an email.

How much do you charge for your services?
If we’ve worked together in the past, or if you’ve been referred by a happy client, I will honor whatever rate you were quoted. Otherwise, email with the specifics and a sample, and I’ll give you a rate per word.

Do you offer a student discount?
Yes! I was once a starving grad student, and I don’t want you to have to choose between an edited dissertation and groceries. Please note that I only work with PhD candidates and postdocs; if you’re an undergraduate, check with your school for free or low-cost local editing resources.

What’s your turnaround time?
A book-length project will generally take between four and eight weeks depending on length, complexity, and the level of editing required. If you need something in a hurry, I will try to accommodate your deadline; I frequently work with PhD candidates who require a very tight turnaround. As a lifelong procrastinator, I totally understand.

How far in advance do you book?
I do not accept projects more than three months in advance. In my experience, most people want things done now, or preferably yesterday. You make a choice as a freelancer to either set up a queue for several months or leave yourself open to surprise opportunities. The latter method works for me, and more of my clients are of the “I need it now” variety than patient schedulers, so it works for them too.

Can you get me an agent/guarantee that my work will be sold?
No, and I would be suspicious of any editor who tells you otherwise. I can guarantee that if you implement the changes I suggest, you will have a better chance of favorably impressing an agent, but ultimately, the rest is up to you. It’s fairly easy these days to locate an agent that represents your type of book; here is a list of helpful resources to get you started.

What type of payment do you accept?
I accept PayPal, Zelle, and old-school paper checks. I ask for either a contract or 50 percent up front for any project over $300 unless we have worked together in the past.

Will you edit a sample?
Yes. I will be happy to provide a sample of copyediting or line editing for no more than five pages or 1,000 words. You can also view some samples of past work here.

Do you have a doctoral degree in my field?
Nope. I cannot check your science; that is the responsibility of your thesis adviser or peer reviewers. Think of me as a parascientist. My specialty is taking your bulletproof science and editing it so your brilliant ideas are immediately clear to your readers and not obfuscated by overly technical language. I will also check your data to ensure consistency throughout the document.

What the heck is sci comm?
Short for science communication, this means making complex technical ideas engaging and understandable to the general public so you don’t have to keep explaining to your uncle that global warming is still happening even though it’s snowing outside.

English is not my first language. Can you help?
Yes! I’ve worked with countless English-language learners representing many fields and many languages.

Even Hungarians?
Even Hungarians.

Where do you live? Can I bring my manuscript to your office?
I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, not in the deep fog but not past the Caldecott Tunnel, either. I welcome local clients, but it’s best if you send me an email.

Do you work with other editors or proofreaders? Are you outsourcing?
I employ a crack support team of teenagers and cats who do—well, nothing helpful, come to think of it. When you send me your document, I am the only one who edits it.