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Freelance Editing Service

Freelance editing services for businesses and manuscripts

Brief background:

I have always been interested in reading, writing, and learning.  I have two undergraduate and one graduate degree in business, as well as a graduate degree in writing and literature.  In my corporate career I was a professional manual writer and my forte was on learning a job, fine tuning and streamlining tasks, then writing a job manual that could be used in place of one-on-one job training.  I was also a technical writer for a couple of years and most recently an online courseware editor for seven years.

 

I left the corporate world to pursue my passion for writing full-time, and freelance editing has become a natural extension.

 

I have been a book reviewer for years and in late 2006 I got my first credit as a fiction editor thanks to Shirley Roe of AllBooks Review.

 

I’ve always had a strong interest in mysteries and most fiction as well as logic puzzles.  I love to read a story, keep track of the little strings and am most satisfied, like any reader, when all the strings have been addressed and all the details fit together by the end. 

 

As a writer, it’s easy to be too close to the work in progress.  Many times we think we have all the details covered, but many times we don’t.  An editor is helpful in being an unbiased second pair of eyes.  The editor can see the whole picture with fresh eyes and keep track of the storylines to see if all the details follow through logically.

 

I thoroughly enjoy editing a piece of work for a serious writer.

 

I have edited:

Non-fiction book manuscripts

Autobiography book manuscripts

Sci-Fi novel manuscripts

Fiction short story manuscripts

Fiction novel manuscripts

Web site content

 

I can also assist with a book synopsis. 

 

Editing process: 

My freelance editing process incorporates a full critique. I read for issues as well as storyline structure and readability. I deliver, on or before deadline, a marked up manuscript as well as a summary of each chapter and what may be done to tighten it / fix it / make it stronger. 

 

I do not make edits in a manuscript unless they are obvious typos or grammar issues.  I highlight and comment on all issues.  I give suggestions for possible re-writes, but it's up to you to decide if you want to make any changes, and how you want to word the changes.

 

Your manuscript is yours and I do not feel comfortable changing someone's narrative voice, so commenting and making suggestions and leaving the rewrites up to you is my approach.  I have many happy clients who will share their experience with you, if asked. 

 

Freelance editor fees:

You'll find my freelance editor fees to be exceptionally reasonable.  Feel free to contact me directly at lisahaselton (at) gmail (dot) com.   

Comments from authors:

11/08 - James V

[Addressed to RealTime Publishing] Wow! I'm almost lost for words. Lisa's editing is a work of art in itself. My immediate reaction was to abandon my amateurish attempts at writing, to say thank you and to take up a less demanding task, say gardening. Having absorbed her observations, however, I feel challenged to use her in-depth analysis towards producing a polished professional novel.

 

Her general comments are brilliant and will certainly be addressed. There were some references which, although justified in the current context of the storyline, may need further clarification elsewhere in the book to enable the reader not to make similar assumptions. In my mind it is clear, but obviously confusing for the reader. I have to find a solution to rectify that problem.

 

I need some time to totally absorb Lisa's remarks and to implement the suggested changes within the redraft. I am sure that along the way there will be some questions, but at this moment in time I am too overwhelmed by her exceptional critique. I would just ask you to convey my sincere thanks for the thorough appraisal which she has produced for me.

 

3/08 - D. P. Bryant

"Impressive.  Thorough.  Honest.  Tough.  Productive.

I'm busy editing now.  Thus far I have accepted most of your suggestions.  They are reasoned suggestions and in the end allow me to keep my voice."

 

1/08 - Linda Weaver Clarke

[Addressed to Shirley Roe of AllBooks Reviews] "Tell Lisa thanks a whole bunch. I immediately got in touch with my publisher and asked to have the changes done that Lisa had noticed. It won't be going to the printer for another week or so, so we caught it just in time. I made the necessary spelling error changes. Tell Lisa that she's a life saver. I just hate having spelling errors in my manuscript. "

 

12/07 - Shirley Brooke

"Many thanks to you [Shirley Roe @ AllBooks Review] and Lisa for the fantastic editing. I really wish I had known of you during the drafting of the of the first book! And I hope my mangling of the English language wont keep you from be willing to edit book number 3 in a few months!  If nothing else maybe I will  learn from my mistakes with this one and number 3 will be easier to edit!  VERY GOOD points on the comments.
Happy New Year!
Thanks again"
 

4/07 - John von Kesmark

"Asking Allbooks Review to edit and pre pub my second book in The Rathing Chronicles is one of the best moves I have made as an author.   When my first book - The Kytos Project - was being published I obviously liaised closely with my publisher's editorial team.   I thought I had picked up on all the little necessities in grammar, punctuation and so on, so when I submitted Operation Zygote to Lisa Haselton, I foolishly thought that there might be only marginal changes.   How wrong I was!   Lisa's edited version email arrived and I was staggered at my numerous oversights.  Lisa is a perfectionist but her role went beyond the norm.   She - quite rightly - pointed out several discrepancies in my story in respect of time-line, contradiction of some facts and a few other shortfalls in the plot.   To fall back on a much hackneyed cliche, I could not see the wood for the trees and I needed an independent observer to critique the work.    Her incisive observations helped me streamline and tighten my narrative.   As a result, I am now much more confident in submitting my manuscript to publishers or literary agents.

I have used similar organizations in the past but I have found you and your team to be far more professional, friendly and helpful than I have experienced with others - and at a fee that is amazingly competitive.   I don't know if you will publish this email of mine in your general forum for all to see, but if so I would wish to say to every writer, aspiring or established, whether in the USA, UK or elsewhere, that it is most definitely in their best interests to touch base with you prior to making contact with publishers or agents.

On one final point - Lisa also gave a review of my novel, The Kytos Project some time ago.   I found her analysis fair and balanced.   There was no "hype", although it was complimentary.   If this is the general pattern of all reviews by Allbooks reviews, then one can be confident that the book will be true to your critique.

Thank you again from a UK writer who is thoroughly impressed with your organization.   I shall not fail to recommend Allbooks Review in the highest possible terms.   Thank you Shirley, and thank you Lisa."

 

3/07 - Dawn Roberts

"Lisa Haselton surpassed my expectations on the job she did for my manuscript The Eyes of a Man, and many of the errors she caught I never would have, regardless of how many times I went over the text.

When a book goes to print, mistakes in the text are permanent and I didn't want grammar errors to distract from the story.  I believe many of us have read books so riddled with poor punctuation that we wonder if the manuscript was edited at all.  I now have peace of mind that the text I present is my very best."

 

If you have a manuscript you would like edited, I would love to work with you!