My job is to help get your message to your readers.
I work to clear away anything that might distract them from your message—an unclear point, a faulty argument, right down to a typo or a mislabeled chart—and let your brand shine through.
Whether writing from scratch, shaping a piece from your assembled notes, or editing your written draft, I help you say what you want to say, clearly, succinctly, and effectively.
After seventeen years in the corporate world, I know how businesses work and how business people think. I fight hard against jargon, working to keep language simple and accessible while retaining the appropriate level for the audience.
“Special kudos to Jess—this is one of the best editing/proofreading jobs I’ve ever seen.”
my clients and services
I do work for several very large, established companies (such as Deloitte and LoyaltyOne) and also for a number of newer, smaller ones. No matter what your size, product, service, or industry, if it involves words, I can help.
I'm equally comfortable with internally and externally focused materials, from simple description to complex analysis. I've worked in a wide variety of topic areas and industries, including professional services, healthcare/life sciences, technology, innovation, employee benefits/pensions, insurance, investments, customer analytics, and loyalty marketing. I write and edit articles, executive memos, points of view/white papers, case studies, blog posts and other web copy, presentations, speeches, letters, proposals, executive summaries, briefings, Q&As, brochures, sell sheets, product overviews, editorial style guides, and more.
And if I don't think my skills are right for your project, I can help connect you with someone in my network of writing and editing colleagues.
How does it work?
I'm happy to work into your existing processes. Typically, however, how we work together depends on where you are in your process and on what you want done. So we'll spend time upfront talking about what you're looking for, what level it's already at, how long it is or will be (i.e., the word count), what its purpose, goals, and audience are, and more.
Writing
If you don't have a draft already in the works, you'll have to help me learn about your topic (I can write about just about anything, but I certainly don't know about everything!), giving me as much detail as possible whether by phone call or in a written brief, along with any available supporting materials. If time and budget allow, I can conduct interviews with your subject matter experts. This type of in-depth project will require that both of us invest more time to bat ideas back and forth and to ask and answer questions. I'll provide a full draft of your project in MS Word. You could take it from there if you wanted, but generally I suggest that we allow for two or three iterations to revise it together and get the piece to where you want it.
Editing or rewriting
The most efficient method is for you to give me a written draft. It need not be a good draft—it's my job to turn it into one. But it's often easier and more cost-effective for someone to put their thoughts down on paper before I start.
Then, whether it needs a full rewrite or a minor copy edit, you'll send your draft my way, ideally in MS Word. I'll edit it to the level we've agreed on (see types of editing) and send it back. Unless it's a major rewrite, I'll use Track Changes to highlight what I've done and Comments to make suggestions, to ask questions, or to explain why I've done something. You can decide to take it from there, or you can review my changes, accept/reject them, address my questions, and send it back for me to create a clean, final version.
“Jess is an exceptional writer, and the very best editor I have ever worked with—by far. She is wicked-smart, has great integrity, and is a strong people leader and a strong project manager.”
Fees
You won't find your project cost on my website. Every project has unique needs—some need a very deep, detailed edit, some need only a light copy edit, others need to be written entirely from scratch. I can only quote on it once I've reviewed your very specific situation, understood what you're looking for, and often completed a sample (if I'm editing).
I can usually also provide options for you to choose from that will accommodate different budget levels. Please contact me to talk it through.