Testimonials

I take on a small number of editing and writing projects each year. Below is a selection of feedback from recent clients, along with the types of projects I typically work on and the sectors I've served.

Person writing notes at a wooden desk with coffee and stacked books

What clients have said

"Lucy edited the manuscript for my first collection of essays. She caught structural problems I'd been staring at for months without seeing, and her line edits made every piece sharper without changing my voice. I don't know how she does that, but it's the reason I'll keep going back."
R.H., first-time author, personal essay collection (published 2025)

"I hired Lucy to develop the editorial voice for a quarterly print magazine. She wrote the editor's letter, edited the feature essays, and gave structural notes on every piece in the first three issues. By the time she handed it off, the magazine had a voice that felt like it had been around for years."
J.M., founding editor of a regional arts magazine

"My PhD thesis needed turning into something a general audience could read. Lucy took 80,000 words of academic prose and helped me restructure and rewrite it into a book proposal that made sense to a trade publisher. The proposal was accepted on first submission."
Dr S.K., academic-to-trade book conversion (social history)

"I'd been trying to write a personal essay about my grandmother for two years and couldn't get past the third paragraph. Lucy did a developmental edit on my messy draft and helped me see the structure that was already in it. I finished the piece in a week. It was accepted by the first journal I sent it to."
T.A., personal essayist

"Straightforward, honest feedback. She told me which chapters worked and which didn't, and more importantly, she told me why. I rewrote three chapters based on her notes and the manuscript was stronger for it. No flattery, no vagueness. Exactly what I needed."
L.D., memoir writer

"Lucy wrote three longform features for our website on craft and design topics. They were beautifully researched, delivered on time, and needed almost no editing. She also quietly improved the SEO performance of those pages without it reading like SEO content. That's rare."
C.W., editor of an independent design publication

Project types

A summary of the kinds of work I take on most regularly:

Manuscript editing (developmental): Reading a full draft and providing structural feedback on pacing, voice, and argument. Typically for essay collections, memoirs, and narrative non-fiction. Reports run 3,000-5,000 words.
Line editing: Sentence-level editing for clarity, rhythm, and precision. Usually follows a developmental edit or is done on pieces that are structurally sound but need polishing.
Personal essay editing: Working with writers on individual essays, from messy first drafts to submission-ready pieces. This is the work I enjoy most.
Ghostwriting and feature writing: Writing longform pieces (2,000-5,000 words) for publications, websites, and organisations. Subjects I've covered include architecture, craft, education, food, landscape, and rural life.
Editorial consultancy: Helping new publications find their voice, develop style guides, and build an editorial identity. Usually a short-term engagement (3-6 months).

Close-up of hands turning pages of a printed book

Sectors served

I've worked with clients across a range of sectors, including:

Independent publishers (small presses, literary magazines, essay journals)
First-time and early-career authors (memoir, essay, narrative non-fiction)
Academic-to-trade crossover (helping academics write for general audiences)
Design and craft publications (architecture, furniture, ceramics, textiles)
Cultural organisations (arts centres, heritage trusts, literary festivals)
Education (university communications, school publications)

Working together

I prefer to start with a short conversation (email is fine) about what you're working on and what kind of help would be most useful. I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right editor for the project, and if I'm not, I'll try to point you toward someone who is.

Rates depend on the type and length of the project. I'm happy to provide a quote after seeing a sample or a brief. I don't charge for initial conversations.

Email: [email protected]