Great writing and thorough editing: If that’s what you need, you’ve come to the right place. So many people worry these days about the Twittering of our language, but you know, for yourself or your business, how much writing still matters. For a book proposal, article, policy report, dissertation, thesis, recipe or query letter, first impressions seal the deal. I’ll use my long experience to give you the sparkling writing and clean copy you deserve.
For reasonable prices and fast writing and editing, contact me!
And to see more of what I do:
Sweet Memories: Baking the Treats of Childhood
On Twitter
From satisfied clients:
“Sharon, I just have to tell you what an excellent job you’ve done with this massive document – I’m knee-deep in it again today and it’s so reassuring to see the level of detail in the errors that you’ve caught. Pretty amazing, really – and such an improvement. We still have a long way to go on some of the content, but thanks to your help I feel much more confident about submitting! Thanks so much.”
“Your eye for detail is astonishing. It must drive you crazy in everyday life!”
Will I edit anything? Well, not quite (physics comes to mind), but I love taking on new and different projects. I specialize in food writing, recipe development and cookbooks. I’ve also worked as a general news copy editor, a copy editor for a paper that covered legal issues and a copy editor for education policy papers. Other areas of interest: gardening (my cookbooks were on baking with herbs, and I’ve grown herbs, vegetables and flowers for about 15 years), parenting (I have two children) and religious issues.
Writing: I’m the author of two cookbooks, Desserts from an Herb Garden and Morning Glories, both from St. Martin’s Press (1999 and 2000, respectively). I’ve worked as a food writer and columnist since 1993, when I returned to North Carolina after receiving a blue-ribbon diploma at what is now called the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. I’ve most recently been published in Hobby Farm Home magazine and BackHome magazine, and I write cookbook reviews for online site The New York Journal of Books. I’ve previously been published in Cook’s Illustrated, Veggie Life and Chile Pepper magazines, and The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer; I was a food columnist for The Independent Weekly in Durham, N.C., and The Chapel Hill (N.C.) News.
To see writing samples, go to dessert-first.com, which holds current writing as well as many of my old columns, and my blog, “Sweet Memories: Baking the Treats of Childhood,” at http://allsweetmemories.com.
Copyediting: I started out in newspapers, working first as editor of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I was a a copy editor at The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal; a copy editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where my duties included copyediting the food section; the copy desk chief at The Daily Report, which covered legal issues in Atlanta; the associate editor of Container News, a trade magazine covering intermodal transportation; and a copy editor at The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer, where my duties included editing the main Sunday front feature and the “perspectives” section main article. I now freelance as a copy editor and work as a copyeditor and researcher for an education consulting firm.
Other: I hold a B.A. in journalism with a concentration in religious studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Need a writer or editor? Contact me for more information!
Book proposals * Articles * Policy reports * Dissertations * Recipes * Queries
What do you need edited?
I’m an experienced copy editor, with a deep love for all the picky details most writers love to hate. My newspaper work gave me a deep knowledge of AP style and an ability to work fast and take great joy in a tight deadline. I can also work in Chicago and APA styles.
Why hire an editor? Well, even I need an editor for my own writing. There’s simply no way to catch all your own mistakes. Even when you think you’ve handed off a clean copy, you’ll be surprised at what I find, and it goes far beyond spelling or grammatical errors. I catch holes in your story (fiction or nonfiction) or inconsistencies in an argument, and suggest remedies that allow you to retain your “voice.” Because I’m a writer as well as an editor, I’m sensitive to keeping your voice in your writing, neither draining it of all uniqueness nor inserting my own style.
- When you contact me, we’ll discuss what level of editing you want, so I can give you estimates of time and cost. Here are some basic guidelines to consider:
- In level 1 editing, I find and correct all misspellings and incorrect grammar, word usage or capitalization, and ensure consistency throughout the manuscript (in the case of cookbook editing, for example, I’m especially looking for correct order of ingredients and consistency in measurement notations, and checking that all ingredients are used in the instructions). I may note but not revise overly wordy passages, and I will note but not fix errors or inconsistencies. Upon request, I may also verify URLs, names, addresses or phone numbers in the manuscript.
- Level 2 editing includes everything in level 1, but it goes on to more substantive editing. That may include rewriting or deleting passages or sentences for clarity and logic, and “tightening up” the writing, without losing the author’s voice. At this level, I provide more suggestions for revisions, and suggestions to fix logical or organizational problems in the text. For cookbook editing, I’ll look more closely at the instructions to be sure they are logical and easy to follow, and note any questions about ingredients or methods.
- Unless otherwise requested, I work in Microsoft Word, using its tracking feature, and will provide one file with editing marks cleaned up and another showing all the changes.
- After we settle on a time estimate and sign an agreement, I ask for a deposit to begin work; the remainder is due within two weeks after delivery of the edited manuscript.
- I generally charge by the hour, though I’m also willing to charge by the page. I prefer to do a sample edit of several pages, so a writer can get a sense of what to expect.
Are you looking for more than just a copy editor? I’ll be glad to work with you throughout the process, from idea to finished product. Contact me for more details!
When you know what you want to say, but you just can’t write it, I can help. I can give you high-quality writing, done quickly and cleanly, to help you make the best impression. If you have a book idea, we can mold it into a query letter and book proposal ready to show to prospective agents and publishers. If you sell the proposal but still want help, I can take your words and voice to ghost-write the book. And if you’re looking for writing on food, gardening or parenting, you’ve definitely come to the right place.
When you need:
- a writing partner
- recipe development
- a book proposal
- a ghostwriter
- website articles
- blog posts
- newsletter articles
You need Word by Word; send an email for more information!
For more information on writing and editing services, contact Sharon Kebschull Barrett.
And to see more of what I do:
Dessert First
Sweet Memories: Baking the Treats of Childhood
On Twitter
Please support my husband, James Barrett, running for CHCCS School Board in 2013
