Elizabeth Sain – Editor

I have twenty years of experience working as a professional editor, including twelve-and-a-half years as a manuscript editor at the University of Notre Dame Press. I enjoy copyediting and am a strong believer in maintaining the author’s voice while suggesting edits, clarifications, and corrections that help to eliminate errors and make the text easier to read. I have also done quite a bit of proofreading as well as some writing, indexing, and formatting.

I have edited books in a wide variety of areas, including both fiction (stories and poetry) and nonfiction (history, philosophy, theology, political theory, literary criticism, memoirs, photo books with captions, and textbooks and workbooks on cooking, baking, and restaurant and bar management). I have worked with over four hundred authors and editors on their books and with fifty to one hundred other authors and contributors on articles, essays, programs, newsletters, help systems, tutorials, and technical documentation.

Clear and pleasant communication with authors is important to me, and many authors have thanked me for my work editing their projects, answering their questions, explaining complex and potentially unclear edits, and making the process of editing their work “calming” and “a happy experience.” I would love to help you too!

Endorsements:

“Elizabeth is a thorough professional—a dedicated and knowledgeable editor of the highest standards. Indeed, I have never worked with a better editor, and I say this as a seasoned author of many books, who has worked with many university presses. Working with Elizabeth, one knows that one’s book is going to be meticulously edited and that she will answer all queries that one puts to her in a thoughtful and helpful way. I recommend her enthusiastically.” —Teodolinda Barolini, author

“Elizabeth has had wide experience in book editing and is thoroughly professional. She was familiar with my book’s subject matter and always sought clear and concise expression. She harmonized my writing style well with the press’s desired format and was patient and understanding as I defended my own preferences. Her wide vocabulary enabled her to make valuable word-change suggestions, and she had a keen eye for unnecessary repetitions throughout. Her contributions were always prompt and on time.

In addition, it was comfortable and a pleasure to work with her. She has a winning personality, a good sense of humor, a pleasant way of criticizing, and is generous with her time and efforts. I was indeed fortunate to have her as a copy editor, and she has my highest recommendation." —Thomas E. Blantz, C.S.C., author

“Elizabeth proved at every turn to be a sensitive, smart, responsive copy editor throughout our entire process of working on Because You Have To: A Writing Life. I remain very grateful for her welcome expertise, and would recommend her to anyone.” —Joan Frank, author