Bird’s-Eye View Editing

specializing in Public writing and developmental editing for the humanities and social sciences

As you might expect, as an editor I pay close attention to details (such as sentence structure, mechanics, and word choice). But I also offer insights and perspective on your work as a whole—stepping back to see the broader story you're trying to tell. That's what the name Bird's-Eye View Editing is meant to convey. It comes from a conversation with a client, a postdoctoral fellow, who told me that she'd started to think of her writing differently through our work together. "I'm starting to get the bird's-eye!" she wrote me one day. 

I’m especially interested in working with scholars who want their writing and research to reach beyond academic audiences to have a broader impact. For over five years (from 2020-2025), I served as the Cultural & Linguistics Development Editor at SAPIENS Magazine, where I edited hundreds of short (under 2,000 word), narrative-driven pieces by anthropologists at all stages in their careers. Reaching over 3 million readers annually, I collaborated closely with scholars around the globe to convey their research insights to public audiences. I was also a contributing editor to the SAPIENS Public Writing Training, an open-access resource for academics who want to publish in magazines, newspapers, and online publications. Over the years, I’ve also worked with authors to publish books with the University of Chicago Press, Stanford University Press, and University of Virginia Press, and on journal articles for Social Studies of Science, Current Anthropology, Social Analysis, Science as Culture, Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Food, Culture & Society, among others.

I think like an academic and a writer, but I approach editing from the perspective of a potential reader. What this means is I'm committed to making your writing clear, engaging, and relevant—for your colleagues and for readers beyond the ivory tower.

Services

Brainstorming sessions: When you need to talk it out. 

Birds-Eye View offers hour-long consultations via phone or video chat to address any hurdles or issues you might be navigating during the writing process. These sessions are ideal for writers who are interested in public writing but not sure where to begin, who are feeling stuck on an ongoing article, or who are just starting out on a new project. Depending on your needs, we can use these sessions to brainstorm ideas and potential publication outlets, tackle an outline, or work to clarify your overall argument and goals. 

Developmental editing: When you need help pulling it all together.

Putting complex thoughts to paper can be a frustrating and isolating task. When you're sitting at a desk and poring over the same pages day after day, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. That's where a developmental editor comes in, to help guide a writer through that tough but ultimately rewarding process. This service is ideal for writers with completed or nearly completed drafts, who are looking for an editor to provide concrete, comprehensive edits and feedback on how to focus, organize, and refine your writing for different audiences.

Editing Rates

Rates for editing services vary for each project, depending on the overall length and type of editing required. Please get in touch so that we can work out a quote for your specific project.

For more on average rates for professional editing services, see the Editorial Freelancers Association.