Editorial Services

General Consultation

Do you want to develop or return to a writing practice but aren’t sure how to get started? Have a pile of finished or semi-finished writing in the drawer or desktop and don’t know what to do with it? Have a project in mind and need help realizing it?

Schedule a 30-minute consultation call to get started. 

Interested?

A combination of in-person or phone feedback and editorial notes. We’ll begin with a 30-minute meeting (in-person or over the phone) to discuss your project, giving you the opportunity to describe your goals, ask questions, air concerns, and highlight specific areas in the manuscript where you’re looking for additional guidance.

We’ll read your manuscript closely, then provide a detailed editorial letter offering a big-picture analysis of the work that considers overall structure, tone, plot and character development, story arc, logic and argumentation as each applies.

We will identify exemplary passages in your manuscript as well as sections that could be expanded, pared back, or clarified. This editorial letter aims to give you the guidance and tools to go back into your manuscript and make revisions on your own. The consultation does not include line edits.

Manuscript Consultation

Interested?

Full-Length Manuscript Edit

Full Manuscript Edit

Full content edits for manuscripts ranging from short stories and essays to book-length projects. We provide in-document notes and edits, as well as a detailed editorial letter addressing macro issues like plot and character development, story arc, structure, tone, continuity, argumentation, and more.

EDITORIAL LETTER A big-picture analysis of your manuscript that considers overall structure, tone, character and plot development, logic and argumentation. We will identify sections that could be expanded or pared back, questions that arise during reading, particularly strong sections, and areas that could be revised. We often suggest outside reading that may provide a useful model.

LINE EDITING In-document editorial notes that consider your manuscript at the sentence level, addressing word choice and syntax, logic and flow. We’ll clean up typos and leave comments or questions to resolve issues of clarity and continuity. We’ll highlight exemplary sentences as well as sections that could be streamlined or tightened.

MULTIPLE DRAFTS According to your preference, We’ll provide editorial notes and additional guidance on revisions.

NEXT STEPS When you’re ready to send out your work, whether you’re querying an agent or submitting directly to a (book or magazine) publisher, We offer how-to-pitch guidance and specific suggestions for where to place your work based on my knowledge of the literary landscape and marketplace. For a book-length manuscript, we’ll provide editorial guidance on your query letter and synopsis.

Interested?

In addition to her career as a literary editor, over the two decades Ariel has worked as a newsroom reporter and a freelance journalist. She has also written textbooks, scripts for commercials, grants for arts nonprofits, press releases for music festivals, forewords to policy books, marketing and publicity materials for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and more.

We offer copyediting and proofreading services for a wide array of written content including contracts, presentations, grant and program applications, social media campaigns, and more. We will also craft original content upon request. 

Copywriting & Proofreading

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Publishing Projects

Looking to self-publish a single bound edition, a small print run for family and friends, or a professionally produced title listed in the catalogues of commercial booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble? We offer soup-to-nuts support including manuscript edits, typesetting, layout and design, printing, and distribution. 

Interested?

What People Are Saying

  • “Ariel Lewiton worked closely on my debut memoir in dual roles: editor and publicist. I was astounded at the clarity of vision, resourcefulness, and ingenuity she possessed in both roles. I always had a teammate, someone who saw beyond what I did in the manuscript, and knew exactly how to realize it. Throughout our editorial rounds, she switched hats constantly to act as my book’s tireless advocate. Ariel was essential in securing reviews in heralded, widely read outlets, placement on lists in top publications, and scheduling events that expanded my book’s readership in smart, unique ways.. It was, by far, the best professional experience I’ve ever had.”

    Mike Scalise, author of The Brand New Catastrophe

  • “During the final bleary push of making my book into a book, Ariel renewed the vision. She offered constructive and concrete feedback, allowing me to see the whole in a new way. She gracefully strengthened problematic sentences and made sure that the word fear didn’t appear 142 times in an essay collection titled Fear Icons. Ariel transformed the editorial process into a conversation, one that is informed by her extensive experience in the publishing industry and her own work as a creative writer. That extended and generous conversation allowed me to see the work in a new way. And to make it what it needed to become.”

    Kisha Lewellyn Schlegel, author of Fear Icons

  • "Working with Ariel Lewiton as the editor of my book was a dream. She took my earnest and all too effusive manuscript and helped me turn it into a smart, concise and direct piece of writing, much more suitable for the academic market to which it was targeted. She sharpened my prose, gently edited my enthusiasms, pointed out contradictions and readily supported insights I had that were worth writing about. In the process she sharpened my thinking as much as she sharpened my writing. We worked via phone and email and she was immediately responsive to my questions and concerns. And (bonus!!) she helped me to stick to the publisher deadlines! She really did make my book much better than it was when I started. I can’t recommend her highly enough."

    Ken Foster, author of Arts Leadership: Creating Sustainable Arts Organizations

Get in touch!

Interested in booking a speaker for your event, or learning more about our editorial services? Drop us a line, and we'll get back to you shortly.

☎︎: (917) 277-5850