Overview
I am a historian, editor, and author whose books have garnered positive reviews in such publications as the New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and Chronicle of Higher Education. During my career, I have had countless opportunities to perform developmental and copy editing work, including for manuscripts published by Basic Books and Oxford University Press. Below is a selection of the books I have edited, evaluated, contributed to, or authored. I have a Ph.D. in American History (Vanderbilt University) with research specialties in religion, politics, and the American South. I also have more than a decade of experience teaching World History.
Looking at the totality of my career, including my time as a professor, I can honestly say that my first love has always been editing--whether it involves working with an outline, a book proposal, a first draft, or a near-final draft.
I'm not kidding! I enjoy all aspects of editing, especially helping authors sharpen their arguments by way of sharpening their writing (and, in the process, finding their voice). No project is too big or too small.
So please take a look around my profile page, and drop me a line if you have any questions. I look forward to working with you.
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>>>>> "Steven is uniquely gifted as an editor. He combines big-picture awareness with sharp technical know-how, and ably manages different authorial voices and audiences. . . Eager to provide concrete advice where brass-tacks issues (and inefficiencies) of structure were concerned, he also pressed me to think through the larger implications of my scholarly claims, and about the best way to communicate them with a light touch of the pen. And he delivered all of that feedback with his own light touch, and with a balance of patience and precision that is welcomed by any author anxious to finish a book." -- Darren Dochuk, author of Anointed With Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America (Basic, 2019)
>>>>> "Steven is a meticulous editor and generous critic. He is also an insightful reviewer. As an experienced writer himself he has a keen sensibility for assisting authors with enlivening their prose. He’s able to suggest ideas for a well-placed phrase or to present a sterling insight that will help writers clarify their argument. His editorial practice simultaneously addresses granular details of sentences, clauses, and general prose while encouraging authors to connect the dots between larger claims their projects try to make. As an editor, he will skillfully study your writerly voice and provide feedback that will help you to ultimately speak more clearly, crisply, and energetically with your words. I offer this endorsement from personal experience. . . I remain grateful for his work and heartily recommend his editorial services." -- Phillip Luke Sinitiere, author of Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity (NYU Press, 2015)
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Work experience
Self-employed
Projects have included:
- Darren Dochuk, Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America (Basic, 2019).
My primary work involved detailed developmental and line edits. I also reviewed the original proposal to publishers. Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly are among the outlets that have praised Dochuk’s opus.
- PBS American Experience documentary, Billy Graham (Sarah Colt Productions, 2021).
I consulted with Sarah Colt Productions to reshape and refine the script for his two hour film produced by renowned documentary maker Sarah Colt. I also appear in the film as an expert on Billy Graham and American evangelicalism.
- Phillip Luke Sinitiere, Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity (NYU Press, 2015).
I provided extensive chapter-by-chapter developmental edits on drafts of this highly regarded book. Sinitiere’s book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Self-employed
I have reviewed book proposals (including draft chapters and manuscripts) for a range of major publishers, including Bedford/St. Martins, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Routledge. In each case, I prepared a substantive reader report recommending for/against publication and/or proposing changes. In appropriate contexts, I included developmental edits. I have performed a similar service for a number of journals, including the leading publication for historians of the United States (Journal of American History).
Examples:
- Molly Worthen, Apostles of Reason (Oxford, 2016). Worthen’s study received favorable attention in numerous publications, including Slate and The Nation.
- Matthew Avery Sutton, Jerry Falwell and the Rise of the Religious Right (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012). The author subsequently received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and his most recent work was published by Hachette.
- David Swartz, Moral Minority (Penn, 2011). Swartz’s book was reviewed in The New York Times.
Oxford University Press, University of Pennylvania Press, and other publishers
I am the author of two books, Billy Graham the Rise of the Republican South (University of Pennsylvania, 2009) and The Age of Evangelicalism: America’s Born-Again Years (Oxford, 2014). The former received a glowing review in The New York Times Book Review, among many other venues, while the latter received positive reviews in The Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, American Interest, and other publications. I have discussed my work on numerous NPR affiliates, ABC Radio, Sirius Radio, and other outlets. I have been quoted or cited in outlets including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Salon, and the Associated Press. I have also authored numerous scholarly and popular articles, as well as dozens for book reviews in a host of publications as different as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Religion and Politics, and The Page 99 Test.
Portfolio
Steven P. has 53 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Christopher S.
Sep, 2023
Pinned
Joseph B.
Jun, 2023
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Anil J.
May, 2023
Pinned
George R.
Nov, 2024
Rahim E.
Oct, 2024
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