Sarah L

Sarah L – Editor

Editor and book coach of romantasy, YA, fantasy, and romance with experience in publishing. Plan, create, and revise with confidence!

Overview

“Her coaching not only helped build my identity as an author, but also pushed me to be more intentional. Sarah’s patience and genuine interest in my vision of the book was an important ingredient to the success of my book.” - Ngọc (Bi) N., Author of Weird Culture Kids (New Degree Press)


***


If you feel stuck in your writing, need a writing partner to help you brainstorm or hold you accountable, or want a professional and competent editor to review your draft, I'm here to help!


I have a decade of experience in content writing and editing. My previous roles included Editor and Author Coach for a hybrid publisher and Content Producer in the media and publishing industry. I now help authors outline, create, and revise the content of their manuscripts. I work predominantly with fiction but have expertise in nonfiction (self-help and how-to) and memoirs.


As a book coach and editor, I offer various monthly coaching packages where I take you through the process of writing and editing, including:

- Story Foundations (a 6-week coaching program with templates and calls)

- Writing the first draft (coaching)

- Revising the draft (editorial assessment, dev editing, and coaching)


I’m your cheerleader, highlighting what you do well and pointing out areas of concern, indicating why and how. My goal is to elevate your story and your storytelling skills.


As a creative person and fiction writer, I can brainstorm ideas and offer imaginative suggestions to plot holes, helping you overcome writer’s block at every stage of content development. I’m great with character development, plot development, narrative structure, and show & tell, amongst other things. I’m here to help and support you in your writing journey, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you get stuck.


Originally from the French Alps, I have lived in the UK for over 10 years and also graduated with my master's degree from New Zealand. I work with writers from all over the world and am currently based in London, UK


I look forward to meeting you and helping you with your project!


***

“I found her suggestions clear and straightforward and most importantly encouraging. Sarah gave me a well-rounded list that covered character development, relationship development, setting and plot–each in an in-depth and thorough manner. It was clear she had a solid understanding of my novel along with a real sense of my vision for it. ” - Elizabeth T., YA Fantasy Author


“Sarah became a trusted mentor, reminding me that I could write this book and she was always there to pick me up and encourage me if I was feeling overwhelmed. Her feedback on my writing was incredibly helpful and thoughtful; she had wonderful suggestions for ways to improve my writing and make it appealing to the reader.” - Deb F., Author of Wake Up Call (New Degree Press)

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Dark Romance Epic Fantasy Paranormal Romance Romantic Fantasy Romantic Suspense Urban Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Developmental Editing of Fiction (EFA)
  • Developmental Editing of Nonfiction (Club Ed/EFA)
  • Editing Memoir (EFA)
  • Editing Query Letters, Synopses and Elevator Pitches (EFA)
  • Writing Novels and Stories (Oxford University Continuing Education)
  • Writing for Young Readers (Commonwealth Education Trust, Coursera)
  • The Craft of Plot and The Craft of Style (Wesleyan University, Coursera)
  • Rights, Contracts, and Signing Authors (UCLA), 2024

Work experience

Manuscripts (Eric Koester Creator Institute)

Jan, 2020 — Feb, 2023 (about 3 years)

- Coached 20+ authors through the process of writing, editing, marketing, and publishing their book
- Performed developmental and line editing
- Wrote and edited the authors' biographies and book descriptions
- Helped many authors reach Amazon best-seller status

Self-employed

Jan, 2019 — Present

Developmental and content editing services specializing in young adult fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance (PNR) and transformative nonfiction (self-help, mindfulness, entrepreneurship, how-to, and memoir)
Worked on 60+ manuscripts and coached 30+ authors through the process of story development, planning, writing or revising their book.
I'm a book coach offering monthly coaching packages.
I'm also an Outline Editor for a UK-based book packager (urban fantasy) and a developmental editor and book coach for a hybrid publisher.

Haymarket Media Group

Apr, 2013 — Oct, 2016 (over 3 years)

- Researched, wrote, and edited media and nonprofit business seminars, conferences, and workshops' agendas and booklets
- Wrote marketing copy such as emails, advertorial and blog articles, speaker interview, social media posts
- Project management including speaker acquisition
- Team management of a content producer and project coordinator

CNN International

Sep, 2012 — Apr, 2013 (7 months)

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
From Now to the Other

Kim Donovan

I loved my parents, I really did. Except they had been lying about my past my whole life. During a holiday half way around the world wasn't the best time for my dad to tell me the truth, but m... read more
Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
When Willows Weep

G. Sherman H. Morrison

How would you react if you discovered you had special abilities and were thrust into an epic battle between good and evil?When spring arrives during twelve-year-old Willow's sixth-grade year at Elm City Waldorf School in Keene, New Hampshire, she discovers she... read more
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
The Tribunals

Spivak, David

Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Beneath the Cicadas' Song

Doyle, Lindsey

New Degree Press

Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Book Coaching
Weird Culture Kids

Nguyễn, Ngọc (Bi)

Developmental Editing Book Coaching

Sarah has 18 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Katie L.

Katie L.

Sep, 2024

Pinned
If you want real, useful help definitely start a collaboration with Sarah. Her feedback is clear and concise. She can narrow down what you need to add or subtract. She knows how to make a story flow better. Because I was just starting out on writing fiction after writing research and journal articles I was super nervous to even consider getting feedback on my writing. Sarah answered all my ques...
Read more
Gracie H.

Gracie H.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
Sarah has been the best! I hired her for her Story Foundations coaching class and found it to be exactly what I needed. It has helped me develop the backbone to my story and I couldn't have done it without her! I highly recommended her coaching and approach to storytelling.
Jillian E.

Jillian E.

Dec, 2023

Pinned
Working with Sarah was such a great experience. It was probably the best investment I could have made for my book. Sarah offered detailed and helpful advice both on a foundational level for the plot and with smaller character details. The process was extremely helpful to work from the ground up, uncovering every part of my book that needed work. I also know these skills are going to make writin...
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Nina C.

Nina C.

Dec, 2024

Thoroughly enjoyed working with Sarah. She did wonders at refocusing my attention to the character development(the real story) at every step of my plot. During our calls, she would help live brainstorm ways to improve scenes through character action/character motivation etc. Her familiarity with story strucutre makes her an expert at identifying what scenes are missing to drive the reader forwa...
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Colleen M.

Colleen M.

Nov, 2024

Sarah was a great book coach. She helped keep me motivated and inspired to write as well as had excellent suggestions for areas of improvement. I enjoyed bouncing my ideas off of her.

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