Hannah Wallace

Hannah Wallace – Editor

Editor, writer, traveler, and Slow Foodie. I specialize in nonfiction books—any topic from green building design to cannabis lifestyle.

Overview

Do you need help perfecting story pitches for consumer publications? Do you have a fabulous book idea but don't know how to go about catching the attention of a literary agent, let alone writing a book proposal? Or maybe you're afraid to look at your dissertation, which needs some serious revising before you send it out to publishers.
I can help you.
I'm a freelance editor with 20 years of experience editing and writing for print publications and online newspapers. I've worked at a New York City literary agency, a leading travel magazine, and an online newspaper with a global readership. My articles have appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Fast Company, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Portland Monthly, and my book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. (You can read my latest articles on my web site; see link above.) I've edited half a dozen book manuscripts, offering feedback both small and large, and I also served as a freelance editor for the global innovation design firm Continuum.

SERVICES
Editing— I can do anything from proofreading for grammar, punctuation, consistency and style to more in-depth editing, depending on your needs. If your book manuscript or dissertation has organizational problems, I can suggest changes and help make it clearer and more engaging.
Pitch Polishing—I can help you focus and sharpen your pitches for consumer magazines and newspapers, making them lively and attention-grabbing. I'll also help you brainstorm other outlets for your pitch in case your first choice says no.
Proposal Shaping—I will help shape your book proposal, making sure it has all the essential elements (about the author, marketing plan, comparative titles, and so on).
Executing Ideas—Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting your ideas—clear and articulate when you talk about them—down on paper. If something in your writing is dense and convoluted, I'll get you to talk it through until we're both convinced that what you've written matches what you're trying to say.

Recent Testimonials:

"How fortunate was I to have Hannah Wallace edit a draft of my book Look Both Ways? Too lucky to quantify. Wallace's eagle eye and logical (yet literary) sensibility saved me from many potential embarrassments. Highly recommended!"
—Jennifer Baumgardner, author of Manifesta, F 'em, Abortion & Life, and Look Both Ways

"Hannah’s craft is more than just making manuscripts the best they can be. In wanting her clients to be exceptional writers, she carefully uses her finely-honed emotion and intellect to pull that out—in equal measure—from her writers. Because of the nature of the writing I do, I count on her clear-eyed and warm intellect; it means everything in our work together."
—Susan Troccolo, author of The Beet Goes On: Essays on Friendship and Breaking New Ground

"It is so easy to write something that I understand—and that any expert understands—but which will confuse and frustrate anyone else. Hannah has the discipline to set aside any knowledge she had before reading what I wrote, and look at my writing from the reader’s eyes, catching all the places I missed saying something that needed to be explained to a non-expert reader. I shudder to think of how my writing would come out without her."
—Henry Gifford, building science expert and energy consultant

"Hannah served as my editor at Travel + Leisure magazine, and has since become someone on whom I call whenever I need an honest and sharp assessment of a new text. Hannah has an uncanny knack for knowing how language and narratives function. She's a real wordsmith and about the warmest and friendliest person with whom you will have a chance to work."
—Adam Baer, contributor, New York Times, NPR, Harper's, and various national publications

"Hannah is a trusted eye and ear on my pitches and article drafts. She gets rid of wordy, distracting phrases and finds the error of omission, pointing out the missing detail that makes an idea cohere. Her breadth of expertise, fine editor's instinct, and embrace of great ideas is, in the real sense of the word, unique."
Carly Berwick, freelance writer for the Atlantic, the Week, Next City, Edutopia, and The New York Times.
Services
Non-Fiction
Agriculture Architecture Biographies & Memoirs Health & Wellbeing Nature Parenting & Families Political Science & Current Affairs Religion & Spirituality Sex & Relationships Travel
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2006 — Present

Freelance editor on numerous nonfiction book projects, most recently a lifestyle book about cannabis, which will be out in 2020. I also fact-checked Rediscovering Travel: a Guide for the Globally Curious, by Seth Kugel.

Continuum

Mar, 2011 — Mar, 2012 (about 1 year)

I served as a freelance editor for the Boston-based global innovation design consultancy, Continuum. I shaped and edited speeches and articles by Continuum's thought leaders for publication in consumer business magazines.

JANERA.com

Apr, 2007 — Apr, 2010 (about 3 years)

JANERA was an organization that curated global conversations via intimate salons and dinner parties in New York, Rome, Istanbul, and other cities. Topics ranged from climate change and human trafficking to global religion and Haiti's reconstruction. We also organized events for nonprofits who share our mission, taking care of every last detail. I served as editor of JANERA's monthly online magazine and helped founder Janera Soerel curate the salons.

Travel + Leisure magazine

Jun, 2004 — Jun, 2006 (about 2 years)

Assigned and edited feature stories, the driving column, and “Update” (travel industry news including health, tech, and aviation). Assigned and edited major platforms such as the T+L 35 (travel industry innovators), the best-selling A-List (travel agents), the Business Travel Package, and the Women’s travel package. Conceived, edited, and reported cover packages such as “Staying Healthy Abroad” and “Sleeping Around” (about sleep and travel).

Travel + Leisure

Jan, 1999 — Dec, 2003 (almost 5 years)

Assigned and edited “Weekender,” “This Just In” and “Ask T+L” columns. Wrote articles, contributed to round-ups, and researched.

Portfolio

Buildings Don't Lie

Henry Gifford

A simple, clear, thorough, and complete explanation of basic building science applicable to any building in any climate. Over 1,000 large color drawings and photos, plus fun quizzes. No charts, graphs, or math. Read this book and become your own expert on maki... read more
An indispensable companion for rookie and veteran travelers alike that promises to revolutionize both how and why we vacation.By captivating millions during his six-year, fifty-country tenure as the New York Times’s “Frugal Traveler,” Seth Kugel has become one... read more
For the acclaimed author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner, bisexuality has always been more than the “sexual non-preference of the ’90s.” In Look Both Ways, Baumgardner takes a close look at the growing visibility of gay and bisexual characters, performers, a... read more
A Gift of Friendship ... If you've ever wrestled with the realities of growing older, fallen into a funk after a health scare or struggled to grow your own vegetables, Susan Troccolo's The Beet Goes On, is for you. Troccolo's wise and hilarious essays are like... read more

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