Hannah Wallace, Freelance Editor
Do you need help perfecting story pitches for consumer publications? Do you have a fabulous book idea but don't know how to go about catching the attention of a literary agent, let alone writing a book proposal? Or maybe you're afraid to look at your dissertation, which needs some serious revising before you send it out to publishers.
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I can help you.
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I'm a freelance editor with 20 years of experience editing and writing for print publications and online newspapers. I've worked at a New York City literary agency, a leading travel magazine, and an online newspaper with a global readership. My articles have appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Fast Company, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Portland Monthly, and my book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. (You can read my latest articles here.) I've edited a dozen book manuscripts, offering feedback both small and large, and I also served as a freelance editor for the global innovation design firm Continuum.
SERVICES
• Editing— I can do anything from proofreading for grammar, punctuation, consistency and style to more in-depth editing, depending on your needs. If your book manuscript or dissertation has organizational problems, I can suggest changes and help make it clearer and more engaging.
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• Pitch Polishing—I can help you focus and sharpen your pitches for consumer magazines and newspapers, making them lively and attention-grabbing. I'll also help you brainstorm other outlets for your pitch in case your first choice says no.
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• Proposal Shaping—I will help shape your book proposal, making sure it has all the essential elements (marketing plan, comparative titles, etc.)
• Executing Ideas—Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting your ideas—clear and articulate when you talk about them—down on paper. If something in your writing is dense and convoluted, I'll get you to talk it through until we're both convinced that what you've written matches what you're trying to say.
What Writers are Saying
"Hannah's skillful copyedit helped me get my manuscript ready to present to publishers. She was quick, thorough and also helpfully questioned certain plot points. Hannah is a thoughtful reader and a pleasure to work with."
—Eileen Garvin, author of The Music of Bees.
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"How fortunate was I to have Hannah Wallace edit a draft of my book Look Both Ways? Too lucky to quantify. Wallace's eagle eye and logical (yet literary) sensibility saved me from many potential embarrassments. Highly recommended!"
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—Jennifer Baumgardner, author of Manifesta, F 'em, Abortion & Life, and Look Both Ways
"Hannah's craft is more than making manuscripts the best they can be. In wanting her clients to be exceptional writers, she carefully uses her finely-honed emotion and intellect to pull that out—in equal measure—from her writers. Because of the nature of the writing I do, I rely on her clear-eyed and warm intellect; It means everything in our work together."
—Susan Troccolo, author of The Beet Goes On: Essays on Friendship and Breaking New Ground
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"It is so easy to write something that I understand—and that any expert understands—but which will confuse and frustrate anyone else. Hannah has the discipline to set aside any knowledge she had before reading what I wrote, and look at my writing from the reader’s eyes, catching all the places I missed saying something that needed to be explained to a non-expert reader. I shudder to think of how my writing would come out without her."
—Henry Gifford, building science expert, energy consultant, and author of Buildings Don't Lie.
