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Helping you craft your message
“It was such a pleasure to work with you. You were so professional, thorough, and a delight to have a face-to-face conversation with. I would highly recommend you as an editor.”
Barbara Morrissey, Author of They Have No Idea
“Leita is a highly detail-oriented copyeditor and proofreader who has done a fantastic job polishing our consumer-facing online copy to exceed client expectations.
Our client is a major hardware chain, and Leita has been integral in helping us cut through industry jargon to find the right words and phrases to ensure accessibility for readers of all knowledge and familiarity levels.
She has also helped streamline our copy flow process for efficiency and consistency in versioned copy.
Leita has a great eye for detail, works quickly and accurately and is a pleasure to have on our team. I highly recommend her for your team, too!”
Yuki Hayashi, Content writer
“Great job! Very thorough and helpful throughout the manuscript! It’s great to have another pair of eyes on the story as I go cross eyed reading it over and over. I incorporated many of your suggestions and sentence rewrites. I have taken particular note of keeping in mind overusing action beats and certain words and phrases and have removed some and will keep this in mind for the next book. I continue to learn as I continue to write and am learning the trade by listening and reading suggestions from the expertise of others. Thanks again for all your help. Appreciate all your insights and great comments. You made Closure a better book!”
Bruce Eberts, Author of Closure
Why work with an editor?
Whether you are writing a book or looking to launch a new website, your words are the key to connecting with your audience. So, how can an editor help you achieve your goal? They provide you with the following:
A second set of eyes
It may seem easy to put words on paper or type something up for your website, but a second pair of eyes can aid you in determining whether your words—and your message—are clear and effective. Although you can ask a friend or coworker to proofread your work, a professional editor will be able to ferret out elements that are missed by less trained eyes. Just as you would want to have an engineer look at your plans to ensure they are sound, having a professional editor will help to ensure your words are appropriate for your audience.
Honest and professional feedback
It can be hard to find friends or family who will give you feedback that isn’t couched in their personal feelings for you. We’ve all seen it. When our loved ones read our work, it’s not always clear whether they are giving you their complete honesty. A professional editor can still be kind, considerate and compassionate, but their first priority is to be honest. If something doesn’t work, they will let you know because their responsibility is to help you write the best copy possible. That being said, honesty can and should be given with a healthy dose of decency.
An accountability partner
When an editor has provided you with feedback and is expecting to see the next stage of your writing, your sense of urgency is heightened. It can sometimes be difficult to self-motivate, but an editor can be your coach: someone who pushes you to be better while also supporting you through the writing process.
Why work with me?
I care about your message. With my background in editing, and my passion for the written word, I will handle your project with care, compassion and a healthy nudge toward finding the best way to express yourself.
My name
is Leïta
(pronounced Lay-ee-ta)
With a background in creative writing, English literature and journalism, I have a lot of experience working with words in different fields and for different clients.
Over the past twenty years, I have taught English as a foreign language, worked and travelled all over the world and been an editor. For more than fifteen years, I have edited texts that range from research papers to novels, websites to grocery-store flyers and blogs to news articles. Reading has always been one of my greatest passions, so working in this field is not just a job: It’s a labour of love.
I work hard to understand what my clients want and how to bring the best out of their messages, whether it is to sell something or to share a deeply personal story. In my perspective, good communication is the backbone to any healthy relationship, whether it is with a client, a reader or a loved one.
Together, we figure out the best way to communicate what you want while still keeping your voice and your intentions front and centre. My aim is not to change your message, but to make it stronger.
Services
Free 30-minute consultation
I’m happy discuss your project with you and what your intentions and expectations are for it. Please fill out the form below to let me know what type of editing you’re looking for so I can best prepare for our meeting.
Evaluation
Before any editing work can be done, an assessment of the project is needed. Regardless of the format, this evaluation will give you a sense of the scope of editing I believe your project will require. I may suggest developmental editing or find that the structure is sound and all your text needs is a copy edit. Regardless of my assessment, you have the final say over what kind of editing your text will get.
Developmental editing (substantive or structural editing)
Developmental editing is also sometimes referred to as structural or substantive editing. This is the type of editing that is the most in-depth. Your text or manuscript may require major changes to plot, your characters or the structure of your story, if you are writing a book. For more corporate writing, your text may be missing key elements that are necessary to put your message across. Regardless of the type of writing, this stage of editing is when I would suggest you add or delete sections or paragraphs to better focus your writing. I might ask questions to help clarify your meaning or your intent. This type of editing is about the bigger picture, so grammatical issues are not addressed here. I might recommend two rounds of developmental editing if your writing requires a lot of changes. This will allow me to see your changes and then make further recommendations.
Copy editing
Copy editing is done after the text is well organized and no longer needs structural changes. Now we get down to grammar, spelling and other mechanical aspects to your writing. I may recommend a complex copy edit or a simple copy edit depending on the kind of writing that is provided. If the topic is highly technical or the writing requires more time to edit than the average, a complex copy edit will be a better option.
Proofreading
Proofreading is done at the very end of the editing phase. Your writing may only require a proofread where I will check for formatting issues, spelling mistakes or missing/wrong words. This is the cleanup phase.
Back cover copywriting
If you’re self-publishing your book, you may want some help with writing the blurbs on the back of your book. This usually includes the About the Book section and the About the Author section. I would be happy to craft these texts for you as sometimes it’s easier for someone else to write them.
From the blog Come,passion!
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