Frances Phillips – Editor

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.