Hunter McClure – Editor

My editorial work is concentrated in philosophy, history, religion, and political thought—fields where precision of language and fidelity to the author's argument matter just as much as ensuring good, smooth, distinctive style. I am a graduate student in political theory and philosophy, with reading competency in Greek and Arabic, which means that manuscripts drawing on primary sources in those languages will be handled with appropriate care. As a graduate of a Great Books college, my knowledge of the canon and the humanistic disciplines extends well beyond my own areas of specialization.

Clients can expect detailed, careful work and honest feedback delivered with respect for the project and the author's investment in it. My aim is not to impose a house style but to make the author's own intentions clearer and more consistently realized—to help the manuscript become more fully what it is already trying to be. A good editor should be nearly invisible in the final product; what remains should sound like you, only better.

Most of my projects follow a comprehensive editorial pipeline: a substantive pass addressing argument, structure, and prose, followed by a dedicated copyediting pass, with the tracked-changes file delivered to the client for review and approval. Once the author has accepted the edits to their satisfaction, I complete a final proofreading pass and produce publication-ready files—PDF for print, EPUB and KPF for ebook, or both. The result consolidates what would otherwise require several separate engagements into a single coherent process, with every stage handled by an editor who knows the manuscript from the first page—and what the client receives at the close is a finished book, ready to publish. Accompanying the edited manuscript is a complimentary editorial assessment memo—typically three to seven pages—covering my editorial approach, overall impressions, areas of strength and weakness, and any matters requiring the author's attention before publication.

I am equally available for discrete services—developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading, editorial assessment, and formatting—and I am happy to discuss what a project actually needs before any commitment is made. I make a point of speaking with clients by video call early in any engagement and again as a project closes, and former clients are always welcome to reach out with questions about their path to publication after a project has concluded.