Lisa White

Lisa White – Editor

As an editor with over 25 years' experience specializing in nature and memoir, I can help you take your project to the next level.

Overview

Let's collaborate to let your voice speak! I don't feel the need to impose changes for the sake of making my own mark; I just want your book to be the best it can be. That said, I'm not shy about suggesting changes that will help improve your work. I aim to make writing clear and easy to understand. I am detail oriented but not persnickety.

As an acquisitions editor, I have experience shepherding books all the way through the publishing process, from—well, yes, acquisition—to finished books. I've read hundreds (thousands?) of proposals, query letters, and manuscripts.

I am prompt, professional, thorough, and responsible. Having edited field guides for many years, I have an eye for detail and can handle complex projects with many components. I've also edited many narrative books, including winners of the John Burroughs Medal Award and the National Outdoor Book Award.

Some of the well-known nature authors I've worked with include Pete Dunne, Lang Elliott, Tim Gallagher, Kenn Kaufman, Don Kroodsma, Noah Strycker, Bill Thompson III, Merlin Tuttle, Scott Weidensaul, and Julie Zickefoose.

If you feel I'd be a good match to work with you on your project, or have questions to help you decide, I'd love to hear from you.






Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Home & Garden Nature
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2020 — Present

I provide a range of editorial services, from project management to copyediting and proofreading.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Feb, 1992 — Sep, 2020 (over 28 years)

I worked at HMH in a number of capacities over the years, starting as a manuscript editor. I acquired and edited books for nearly 20 years.

Portfolio

Frontier: the word carries the inevitable scent of the West. But before Custer or Lewis and Clark, before the first Conestoga wagons rumbled across the Plains, it was the East that marked the frontier—the boundary between complex Native cultures and the first ... read more
An award-winning writer and photographer chases after the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the "ghost bird" of the swamp, in this birder's adventure story, reconstructing his search for a bird that was once declared extinct. 20,000 first printing.
A guide to listening to songbirds—the key to observing nature in a whole new way. Includes audio of bird vocalizations! A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided in his work and teaching by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and othe... read more
A heartwarming memoir by “one of California’s hardest-working hummingbird rehabilitators . . . will leave the average bird lover agog” (The Washington Post). Before he collided with a limousine, Gabriel, an Anna’s hummingbird with a head and throat cloaked in ... read more
Good Birders Still Don't Wear White
In these 50 light and fun original essays, the biggest names in birding dispense advice to birders of every level, on topics ranging from feeding birds and cleaning binoculars to pishing and pelagic birding. Whether satirizing bird snobs or relating the tradit... read more
Few people realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are. Merlin Tuttle knows, and he has stopped at nothing to find and protect them on every continent they inhabit. Sharing highlights from a lifetime of adventure and discovery, Tuttle takes us to the fr... read more
“A vertiginous, white-knuckled adventure through some of the most spectacular forests in the world.” ​—Washington Post Meet the man who climbs trees for a living.​ In this adventure memoir, Aldred carries us with him across the globe and up to the top of these... read more
Listen to birds sing as you’ve never listened before, as the world-renowned birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma takes you on personal journeys of discovery and intrigue. Read stories of wrens and robins, thrushes and thrashers, warblers and whip-poor-wills, bluebi... read more
In 2015, Noah Strycker set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world’s birds in one year. For 365 days, with a backpack, binoculars, and a series of one-way tickets, he traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents, ... read more
“This timely, significant work carries a far-reaching message for families and the planet.”—Publishers Weekly “In a time when the connection between humans and the rest of nature is most vulnerable, Scott offers parents and teachers a book of encouragement and... read more
A close look at one season in one key site that reveals the amazing science and magic of spring bird migration, and the perils of human encroachment. Every spring, billions of birds sweep north, driven by ancient instincts to return to their breeding grounds. ... read more
For fans of Wesley the Owl and The Soul of an Octopus, the story of a sick baby bird nursed back to health and into the wild by renowned writer/artist Julie Zickefoose.When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoos... read more
Somewhere deep inside, you know what your gift, purpose, and mission are. Boyd Varty, a lion tracker and life coach, reveals how the wisdom from the ancient art of tracking can teach you how to recognize these essential ingredients in a meaningful life. Know h... read more

Lisa has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

George W.

George W.

Jun, 2022

Lisa is amazing! Far exceeded my high expectations. Fast, accurate and super responsive. THANK YOU!!!
Lisa W.
Thank you for the kind comments, George. It was a pleasure working with you, and I wish you all the best with your book.

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