My most recent projects—Lift Every Voice!, Strange & Wonderful, and four books by Leah Friedman—involved subjects close to my heart and people with whom working is a joy.
By Leah Friedman
I was trained in scholarly editing, and initially most of my work was in the arts, humanities, and biological sciences. Sample projects I worked on in more than 20 years of freelancing:
- Flora of North America, illustrations editor for Vol. 1, Missouri Botanical Garden, Oxford University Press
- The Lure of Zinc: A Century of Zinc Sculpture in America, 1850-1950, by Carol Grissom, Smithsonian Institution
- Nan Nuu: Men, Women, & Gender in Late Ming and Early Imperial China (journal)
- Bridging Science & Spirit and The Hidden Domain, by Norman Friedman
- Prescribing Colonization: Grafting Staatsmedizin into Colonial Medicine in Japan-ruled Taiwan, 1895-1945, by Shiyung Liu
- Trial and Error of Modern Reforms: Korean Buddhism under Colonial Rule, by Pori Park
I specialized in assisting non-native English speakers whose written language needs refining before their manuscripts are submitted to publishers.
Recently I have undertaken a broader range of work, assisting writers in various ways to bring texts to their full potential.
William Everett, author of Red Clay, Blood River, asked me to work on one
aspect of his eco-historical saga linking three continents, three generations,
and a profound earth-centered vision. Although I am not a fiction editor,
I was won over by the opportunity to contribute to this extraordinary novel.
Freedom To Fall is Carol Hampson’s eloquent account of losing her son,
a well-known rock climber who fell to his death in Yosemite. Seeking to understand
Chris’s passion for this daunting pursuit, she spent time at Yosemite’s rock-climbing
camp (in the role of camp cook), where she interviewed other climbers, including the
partner who was with Chris when he fell. This deeply moving story looks unflinchingly
at what we can and cannot know about another person’s life and death, as the author
ultimately finds her way to acceptance.
Milestone Press publishes excellent outdoor guides. As I copy edit each text, I have
the vivid sense that I myself experience what the author describes—hiking the
Appalachian Trail, riding a motorcycle on the Blue Ridge Parkway, sitting by a
waterfall in the escarpment between North and South Carolina—a most pleasant
way to spend time at my desk.
client quotes
We think of Sara as the gold standard of editing. She is unfailingly accurate, efficient, and solution-oriented, and she always gets the job done on time.
– Mary Ellen Hammond & Jim Parham, Milestone Press
I am in awe of the gifts Sara brought to my work, above all her uncanny ability to go straight to the heart and allow the book to flow from there and her dedication to seeing me though the trial of bringing the book to completion. It was a partnership made in heaven.
– Carol Hampson
Sara has earned my sincere gratitude for the inspiration and editing skill that went into transforming my manuscript from ideas and drafts in Chinese to a book-length manuscript in English. Her hard work in helping me assemble and refine my rough narrative resulted in a text that received high praise from reviewers, and I owe her great thanks.
– Mike Shiyung Liu
Sara and I worked closely together for several years when she edited my two books. Her skill and commitment to excellence produced outstanding results.
– Norman Friedman, Bridging Science & Spirit and The Hidden Domain