Lisa Howard

Lisa Howard – Editor

Every sentence matters! My passion is helping your words shine, whether you're at the beginning of your project or you need a final polish.

Overview

I'm a freelance editor, writer, and book coach who enjoys using all aspects of my language background—writing, editing, teaching, translating, presenting, and language-learning—to help authors express their ideas with clarity and style. As someone who's been on both sides of the page, I'm sensitive to the needs of authors as they hone their ability to communicate clearly and effectively with their target audiences, whether that involves creating accessible and thought-provoking nonfiction or crafting novels with characters and plots that will keep readers up all night.

Areas of expertise:

NONFICTION
• Food & cookbooks (from culinary arts to food politics and everything in between)
• Health & wellness
• Personal development
• Relationships
• Travel
• Culture & anthropology
• Sustainability & environment
• Book proposals
• Book coaching

FICTION
• Science fiction
• Fantasy
• Historical fiction
• Women's fiction
• Adventure (especially novels set abroad)
Services
Non-Fiction
Career Guides Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing Home & Garden Self-Help & Self-Improvement Travel
Fiction
Fantasy Science Fiction
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2009 — Present

I'm a freelance editor and writer with degrees in Cultural Anthropology and German Language & Literature and a minor in Art History. During college, I studied at the Universität Oldenburg in Germany; later, I studied Spanish at Intercultura in Sámara (Costa Rica) and French at Lyon Bleu International in France. In addition to my foreign-language studies, I'm a certified ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor and have taught and translated in the US and abroad.

My editorial experiences include editing a variety of fiction and nonfiction projects as well as ghostwriting for individuals and and writing copy for marketing firms. Along with providing editorial assistance to individuals and publishers, I'm the author of two traditionally published books and dozens of magazine articles. I also regularly present health-centered programs at libraries and community centers and speak at writing conferences about the conjoined arts of writing and editing.

Portfolio

Coconut oil and other alternative oils are a hot topic these days in the cooking world, especially after the news of extra-virgin olive oil fraud broke out, as described in Extra Virginity. More and more people are becoming wary of the typical processed and re... read more
Despite what many people might think a gluten-free diet can be just as unhealthy as the standard American diet (also known as SAD). This is due to the fact that most store-bought gluten-free items—as well as many recipes in gluten-free cookbooks—include refine... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Awakened In Australia: A Tale of Self Discovery

Rossmeissl, Lisa

Boomerang Escapes

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
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Anaya Awakens (Fragments of the Gods Book 1)

Paulino, JCR

JCR Paulino Books

Copy Editing
Battling Demons: A Memoir of Mental Growth

Whitley, Marcus

Marcus Whitley

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Mining Your Self-Worth: A Lube For Self-Discovery

Cruz, Celeste

Conversations with Celeste

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Constipation Nation: What to Know When You Can't Go

Fong MD, Carmen

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

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From the East Side of Detroit Michigan to a 20 year Air Force veteran, Seth has genuinely flipped the script in explaining the art of strategic thinking in the Black Collar Mindset. In this, h... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Feeling stuck? Anxious? Stressed out? You’re not alone. In today’s fast-paced world, we’ve gotten used to feeling tense and overwhelmed. We want to enjoy our lives more, but many of us unconsc... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Finally, an introduction to wine that takes the stiffness out of wine and puts the joie de vivre back in. You don't need to memorize reams of data to feel in control when shopping or deciding ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Passion is what drives us to do our best work. Without it, we lack the motivation to get things done, let alone persist and succeed. When passion is channeled through the right pursuit, howeve... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
SELF-HELP/Personal GrowthEveryone needs a few key abilities to obtain success--seven, to be exact. The good news is that these abilities are available to us all. The 7 Key Abilities is a prove... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Chronic pain affects millions of people every day and is an invisible companion in households and workplaces across the country. It affects our sleep, our interactions with families and loved ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Quick, who comes to mind when I say “jerk”? Your ex? Your current partner? You? Letters to a J.E.R.K. - The No-Bullsh*t Guide to Relationships and Living a Life Meant™ is the straight-talk adv... read more
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Made with Reedsy
Take Charge: How To Achieve Lasting Health

Edison MD, Raymond C.

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The voice behind the popular grief podcast Coming Back: Conversations on Life After Loss puts pen to paper in her first book to create a powerful permission slip for anyone facing the devastat... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Young And Driven: Overdrive

Dr. Cortlan J. Wickliff Esq.

Young and Driven: Overdrive is a collection of Dr. Cortlan J. Wickliff, Esq.'s secrets to academic and professional success, including the lessons, exercises, and tools that have allowed him t... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Have you ever felt frightened or intimidated when out walking alone? Have you ever wondered what you should do if approached by an attacker? Have you ever worried about becoming yet another ho... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
What is a "good" man, today? Find out with these short chapters of insightful, witty, and research backed takeaways that define the characteristics, actions, and priorities of what makes a goo... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
We make things complicated. You hate your job? Stop doing it. Know you need to exercise and eat right to lose weight? Start doing it. Scared to leave the country and explore? Do it anyway. I h... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
The Art of Silence

Fatima Alexander

The Art of Silence is a masterpiece of contradictions. The title itself belies any advocacy of, any merit to, quiescence. The book is simultaneously a work of fiction and fact. The characters ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
This debut book inspired by real life follows Mia and J, two struggling tech co-founders, as they hit the road with J's disabled and aging dogs for a California road trip. Narrated by Mia, an ... read more
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So we’re born here on earth right? We arrive with a complete lack of knowledge. There is no manual that we receive on how to operate life best or even what it’s all about. The knowledge we do ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Cooking and baking with cannabis used to be a guessing game. How much cannabis should you use? How strong will your edible be? What are the secrets to making great savory foods as well as swee... read more
Copy Editing
Arts Honor is a handbook written for those of you in the arts to help nourish your gift of creativity and to help you stay true to your muse. The promise to continue being creative is an honor... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Real Estate industry is overflowing with competition. There are 5 million agents nationwide and most are marketing themselves in common ubiquitous means. Every real estate agent gets phone cal... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Hormone imbalances impact men as well as women. Beginning at age 30, testosterone in men declines at a rate of 1%-3% per year. Accompanying this reduction are numerous health concerns ranging ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Discover simple ways to be happier in your everyday life with these hacks that encourage positive thinking to improve your mood and outlook in any situation.Everyone wants to be happier, but o... read more
Copy Editing
This quick, portable guide features more than 200 practical, effective ways to calm the mind, reduce stress, and erase tension in your body in less than five minutes.In 5-Minute Calm you’ll le... read more
Copy Editing
Passage 99

Janie Emaus

When Pleasure Sister, Caitlin, breaks a fundamental passage in The Manual, she is forced to examine her beliefs and make a choice which will forever change her life’s direction. Passage 99 is ... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
DISCOVER places for:•Brilliant sunsets•Pivotal third dates•Ice-breaking first dates•“Making up after a fight” dates•Where to go if you don’t want the evening to endANDTHE MOST ELEGANT, SEDUCTI... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Ari's new book is the culmination of a lifetime of learning and thirty four years in business, the last three of which have been spent intensively studying, reflecting on, and writing about th... read more
Copy Editing
NO MORE MEDS

Dr. Corinne Weaver DC

Are you stressed out because your child keeps getting sick and you don’t know what steps to take?Are you sick of not getting answers from your doctor and always needing to drug your child?Is y... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
In 2051, commercial time travel became a global reality. Opportunities abounded for curious history buffs, futurists, and corrupt entrepreneurs. Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Trave... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
What do I eat? How do I cook healthy food? How do I shop for healthy food? The Guide to Healthy Eating will show you which foods are healthy and which food you should avoid. Furthermore, this ... read more
Copy Editing
The Skinny on Fats

Dr David Brownstein and Sheryl Shenefelt

The Skinny on Fats was written to educate you about the importance of consuming good sources of dietary fats. This book will teach you why we need fats and why we can't live without them. We w... read more
Copy Editing
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Enlightened and insightful, Health Is in the Spirit by Claudia Burdick is essential reading for anyone that wants to take control of his, her, or their family’s health. It is a landmark indisp... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Modernist Bread: The Art and Science is a revolutionary new understanding of one of the most important staples of the human diet. Created by the team that published the award-winning Modernist... read more
Copy Editing
In this powerful and informative guide, Holistic Food Therapist Kelly Genzlinger, CNC, CMTA explains how sugar and refined carbohydrate dependency is not your fault, but stems from impaired bi... read more
Copy Editing

Lisa has 114 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Helen L.

Helen L.

Dec, 2024

Lisa responded to my request super-fast, she took on my project earlier than expected and finished before due date. I am still reviewing her edit and so far she has done a super job. Thank you for your help.
Andrea B.

Andrea B.

Dec, 2024

I was blown away by the detail & care. I felt very taken care of & appreciated her thoughtful feedback. She provided written coaching and tips. Outstanding!
Bill R.

Bill R.

Nov, 2024

Lisa was excellent to work with. After my previous Reedsy editor took a professor position, I was left hanging. I started over, and Lisa stepped in and tuned me up. This was my first book. The previous editor, which was really more of an editorial assessment, triggered a reorg/rewrites, ug, thank goodness. Lisa then took the manuscript and transformed it into just what I wanted. Lisa was ver...
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Cheryl M.

Cheryl M.

Nov, 2024

Lisa was great to work with! I am entering a new nonfiction genre for me. She provided excellent line edits, thoughts on how to shape both the book and individual chapters, encouragement about the project in general, and impeccable expertise on my book proposal and query/submission process. Thank you Lisa!
Joseph Z.

Joseph Z.

Aug, 2024

Very easy to work with. Extremely helpful to me as a new author. Was very patient. She asked alot of questions early on which helped her understand what I was trying to convey in my book. Very much appreciated her editing and looking to get my message across. Would definitely like to work with her again.

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