LAURA HARVEY is passionate about reading and producing high-quality books, and she is the perfect editor to take a manuscript from rough draft to finished, polished product. Since 2006, she has edited for numerous publishers, including Common Ground Publishing, Mayhaven Publishing, and Northwestern University Press. Her interests include nonfiction, children’s literature (picture books through young adult books), historical fiction, the arts, and education.

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
― Jorge Luis Borges

Experience

Laura has edited technical papers, novels, marketing materials, and legal documents professionally for the last seven years. Prior to becoming a full-time editor, she was an elementary school teacher. After graduating with honors from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Laura later added a master’s degree in curriculum, technology, and education reform. Using her teaching background and attention to detail, Laura copyedits and proofreads all manuscripts with eagle-eye precision. No mistake will go unnoticed—from character development to grammatical errors, all aspects of a manuscript will be developed.

Editing Services

Laura offers editing in the following areas/genres:

• Technical papers
• Journals articles
• Nonfiction
• Historical fiction
• Web content
• Marketing materials
• Fiction – adult and young adult
• History
• Education
• Music
• Art
• Language arts
• Educational/instructional materials

Developmental editing

Developmental editing is a detailed critique of a manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses; Laura looks at the overall structure of the manuscript. Laura works with the author to identify the intended audience; they then work together to develop the story. She helps the author see the big picture in order to develop a clear, concise product. She reorganizes any out-of-place aspects of the manuscript, eliminates any unnecessary information or passages, and checks the logic of the overall story. Working closely with the author, Laura finds the true meaning of the manuscript and lets it shine.

Copyediting

Copyediting includes checking the manuscript for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and appropriate style. Laura ensures that the manuscript includes proper word usage and suggests alternatives for awkward phrases. She verifies story continuity and confirms that all grammatical mistakes are found and corrected.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the last look at a manuscript prior to publication. Laura fixes all typographical and mechanical errors that may have been missed by an earlier editor. This is the last opportunity to make changes to a manuscript, and Laura ensures that the manuscript is ready for submission.

 

Client Feedback

“Laura was very prompt and efficient with her editing services. As a small business owner, we needed a partner that would help refine our sales and marketing materials. Laura was able to edit and provide technical recommendations on content for marketing materials and proposals. Her work was professional and well worth the investment.”
-Thomas Ross, Small Business Owner

“I have worked with Laura over the past year and have found her to be competent, quick and thoughtful. She has been asked to proof, comment, and suggest improvements to selected manuscripts being prepared for publishing. In addition, we have a busy office, and variety in personnel and authors. I found her able and helpful in all situations.”
-Doris R. Wenzel, owner/president of Mayhaven Publishing, Inc.

“Laura has worked as a freelance editor for Common Ground since February 2014 and has been very diligent in returning her assignments promptly, in many cases, days earlier than the deadline. Her work is always of the highest quality. Laura is one of the best freelance editors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is highly-skilled at The Chicago Manual of Style, managing her time to submit all of her assignments early, and incredibly organized. Her assignments are always completed and submitted with one-hundred percent accuracy and attention-to-detail. It is a pleasure to have Laura as a freelance editor. She is a very friendly and upbeat person.”
-Madison Eddy, Community Editor, Common Ground Publishing

“I was extremely happy with the editing work that Laura provided for my manuscript. She was a pleasure to work with and extremely timely. Her edits were incredibly thorough, and her comments were very on point and thoughtful. At no point were her edits or suggestions overbearing, and she showed a real sensitivity to the text and my writing style. I definitely plan to utilize her talents on my future projects.”

-Jon Wesley Huff, author of Unfolding Lives

“Laura is a pleasure to work with! She is able to turn projects around quickly without sacrificing quality. Laura has a great sense of editorial priorities and is able to adapt quickly to individual author styles, effectively cleaning up the project while upholding the original tone and intent.”
-Erin Sprague, Editorial Coordinator, Apex CoVantage

“Laura is more than an editor – she has the unique ability to respect and amplify the subject matter without having to be the subject matter expert herself.”
-Jason Baldwin, Director, Healthcare Performance Partners