Frances Phillips

Frances Phillips – Editor

I specialize in authors with complex ideas who write for the general public, polishing your words until they are uniquely irresistible.

Overview

I am a full-time freelance editor and ghostwriter with extensive experience in nonfiction and fiction titles--everything from social science trade books and articles to self-help, memoir, fiction, and story collections.

I work with purpose. I have a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia and a Bachelor’s in Poetry & Philosophy from Johns Hopkins, which means I care about using language to convey important ideas to the world. It also means I’m equally at home in metaphor and fact: whatever gets the job done, the reader hooked, and the ideas across.

I’m precise. I became a professional editor because I love nothing more than showing a writer how to make their ideas crisp, clear, and impossible to ignore. Being a very curious generalist makes me an ideal beta reader for up-market and popular nonfiction, as well as literary fiction. It also means that if you contact me, I’ll probably look up your field or topic and do a bit of research before we even speak.

I’m direct. My working style is collaborative if needed, generally asynchronous, and highly responsive. My clients and I usually get the work done on our own and dazzle each other at each new step. The one thing we always agree on is that our work is in service to the writing. Egos at the door—let’s make this as good as it can possibly be.

I read the end first. The first page I turn to whenever I open a book is the acknowledgments section—because I know how much work goes into writing and I want to pay respect to every hand and heart that played a role in getting those words out into the world. Also, I’m nosey.
Services
Non-Fiction
Art Health & Wellbeing Psychology Self-Help & Self-Improvement Sex & Relationships Sociology
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Literary Fiction
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2005 — Present

I have provided non-fiction and fiction copy editing and developmental editing to a wide range of clients including published and award-winning authors of books, articles, and op-eds in topic areas such as medicine, reproductive and sexual health, gender studies, anthropology, psychology, health and wellness, photography, and memoir. Clients range from the Silver Hill Hospital to academics at Yale, Stanford, Amherst, McGill, Georgetown, and others. I have also been an instructor and content and curriculum editor and writer for the Story Is a State of Mind writing school.

Portfolio

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
A nuanced satire--both hilarious and disconcerting--that probes the blurred lines between empowerment, spirituality, and consumerism in our online lives.Lilian Quick is 40, single, and childless, working as a pet portrait artist. She paints the colored light o... read more
Developmental Editing
Things That Art

Lochlann Jain

Lochlann Jain’s debut non-fiction graphic novel, Things That Art, playfully interrogates the order of things. Toying with the relationship between words and images, Jain’s whimsical compositions may seem straightforward. Upon closer inspection, however, the dr... read more
Zolitude

Paige Cooper

WINNER OF THE 2018 QUEBEC WRITERS' FEDERATION CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY FIRST BOOK PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DANUTA GLEED LITERARY AWARD FINALIST FOR THE 2018 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION A GLOBE AN... read more
Testosterone

Rebecca M. Jordan-Young

Testosterone is neither the biological essence of manliness nor even the “male sex hormone.” It doesn’t predict competitiveness or aggressiveness, strength or sex drive. Rebecca Jordan-Young a... read more
Developmental Editing

Frances has 9 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Rugger B.

Rugger B.

Jan, 2025

This is our second time working together... for a reason. Frances is exceptional at each phase of the editing process. Highly recommend.
Frances P.
Thank you, Rugger. It has been a pleasure working with you, and I am excited to see Engaging the Voice of Wisdom out in the world.
Rugger B.

Rugger B.

Jan, 2025

An exceptional resource when every word matters. I have worked with editors before, many of whom were skilled at restructuring ideas or polishing sentences here and there. Frances certainly excels at those tasks. But what I truly needed was a provocateur — someone to challenge my thinking, especially since the subject of the project was wisdom itself. With Frances, I found more than an editor; ...
Read more
Mir A.

Mir A.

Sep, 2024

Loved working with Frances. Highly recommended!
Frances P.
Mir, It was a delight to get to know your beautifully-drawn characters and carefully-woven work, and I wish you all the best going forward.
Ronek P.

Ronek P.

Jul, 2024

Francis is truly exceptional. She carefully chooses projects that she deems worthwhile, showing her genuine passion and enthusiasm for my book from the very beginning. She not only met but exceeded her promises, delivering incredibly detailed and thoughtful edits. The depth and care she put into each comment were so impressive that it took me longer to review her edits than to write the book, a...
Read more
Frances P.
Thank you for these words, Ronek. It was such an honor to work on your manuscript and play even a small part in bringing it to the world. You are absolutely right that I invest a lot in my authors'...
Read more
JoAnn G.

JoAnn G.

Mar, 2024

Frances provided me with inciteful and detailed feedback for my novel. She is responsive and amazed me with how quickly she was able to turn the project around. As I told her, a simple 'thank you' would be wildly inadequate. I look forward to collaborating with her again and again.
Frances P.
I, too, very much look forward to working together again! Good luck and thank you for the great collaboration.

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