Editorial Services

Every writer benefits enormously from working with a seasoned, enthusiastic editorial partner who can read and discuss drafts, dismantle blocks and fears, and guide them, with compassion and strategy, through the publishing process. My clients’ memoirs and essays have been placed with Big Five publishing houses, small presses, major newspapers and literary magazines around the world.

No two clients are identical. Sometimes writers hire me early on, and I help make sense of their stories in a collaborative process that identifies, from the varied body of material they possess, what the essay is, or what the book is, and we meet regularly until the work is complete. Sometimes writers hire me with a draft of a manuscript, and I work with them to bring the writing to the best possible shape and then help them bring the project to market.

I also work with individuals who would like to commission a memoir or nonfiction book about their life and legacy.

For clients commissioning books, I work as editorial director, hiring a writer or ghost writer, copy editor, book designer, and guiding the work through the publishing process.

If you’d like to book a 50-minute Zoom consultation, you can do so through my Calendly here.

Before we meet, I’ll ask you to share a brief description of what you're working on, what your goals are, and what kind of support you’re looking for, and you will have the opportunity to submit up to 20 pages of your work for discussion.

Services For Writers:

  • With a piece of writing, or a manuscript draft, I take notes on what's working best and what might need more attention, where there may be a need to elaborate and where a trim might serve. I reckon with the overall structure of the essay or manuscript, to make sure it's ordered in the best way it can be. I may suggest some additional lines or phrasing that come to mind, particularly if they come from discussions I have had with the author. If I bump up against some phrasing or punctuation that could be improved upon, I will mark it, but I am not a copy editor (I know one, if the author needs one). When appropriate, I will suggest essays and/or books to read for inspiration. In session, I discuss my notes and edits with the author, as well as any questions or concerns the author has. I also deliver my draft with the tracked changes.

  • I discuss emotional blocks or difficulties the author is having in their writing or publishing process. I can be quite helpful from my experience as a writer, but I am not a trained mental health expert and do not purport to provide mental health expertise.

  • When asked, I advise on agenting, publishing, marketing, book design, lecture appearances and platform building. I help with the writing of pitches and sales/marketing language to position the book persuasively. Once an author has a publishing deal, when asked, I assist the author with notes and issues raised by the author’s agent, editor or publisher. I can not guarantee that an author will find a publisher and I can not guarantee marketplace success.

Services For Clients Commissioning Legacy or Leadership Memoirs

Legacy and leadership memoirs inspire readers and create a powerful record of a life well lived.

Whether a client is looking to get their most important life moments to the page for their children and grandchildren, or a client is looking to rebrand and hit the lecture circuit with change-making ideas, Lizzie can see a project through from the realm of ideas to a finished project in about a year, collaborating with acclaimed, seasoned writers in a series of stages from outline to research to first draft and polish draft.

Once the manuscript is complete, Lizzie can guide the project towards prospective commercial publishers or move it through the self-publishing process, depending on the client’s vision and ambition.

In 2024/2025, Lizzie was editorial and design director, co-author and publisher of a leadership memoir by retired WSFS Bank CEO Mark A. Turner. Once the writing was complete, I guided the project through copy editing, cover and layout design and website design, and consulted on event promotion, PR and marketing. You can check out the book’s website here.