“I am thoroughly impressed with the editorial work of Lila Stromer. It is very
important that my voice is maintained, and Lila maintained it throughout the
editing process and in making recommendations for the manuscript. Her views,
knowledge of what will help the readers understand my message, and her
approach to my topics have been exceptional.”
– Eddie Taylor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

“Please know how appreciative we are of your excellent efforts here.
It is really impressive to see how carefully you have reviewed the text
and the book is so much better as a result of your work.”
– Peter L. Bergen & Daniel Rothenberg (Drone Wars, Cambridge University Press)

“I really appreciate all your help, comments, and suggestions
and for being so professional, accommodating, and helpful
throughout the entire process.”
– Prabha Kotiswaran, Professor, Law and Social Justice

“I would like to thank my editor, Lila Stromer, for her tremendous
patience, support, and guidance in making sure I make the legal
language more easily comprehensible and digestible. She was the
‘delivery nurse’ for this ‘baby’ to whom I have tremendous gratitude.”
– Jennifer O Price, Lawyer

“I am deeply impressed by you; such a
combination of efficiency and courtesy is rare.”
– Marina Kurkchiyan, Professor, Socio-Legal Studies

Editing for academic and nonfiction writers

Are you an academic or nonfiction writer

  • Looking to make sure your ideas are crisp, clear, cohesive, and consistent, and that distractions are removed?
  • Needing another set of eyes to ensure that your writing is approachable yet professional?
  • Writing in English, but it is not your first language?
  • Preparing to initially submit, or been asked to revise and resubmit, to various journals, magazines, etc.?
  • Putting together a presentation for a conference?
  • With an accepted project, but the publisher does not offer any (or good) editing services?
  • Turning your dissertation into a book?
  • Working with a specific publisher and you need to meet their expectations (e.g., a particular style, separate lists of table and figure titles, etc.)?
  • Needing a partner who is thorough, offers a high level of attention, and understands the publishing world?

If you answered yes to even one question, then you need an editor!

I can help you tame a large project into a polished product. With my work as the former managing editor of an academic journal and as the current freelance copyeditor for two different journals, I have edited millions of words over hundreds of articles and thousands of book pages (see the Publications page). I have edited, among many other subjects: anthropology, criminology, economics, history, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology, nationalism, political and legal processes, multiculturalism, human rights, civil rights, finance, history, business, motherhood, race relations, education, health care, self-help, and much more.

This combined experience means I know how to work collaboratively with authors to publish their best work.

What do you write that could use a keen eye to make sure that your ideas are sharp, polished, and clear? This could include:

  • Books (single author, coauthors, edited, anthologies)
  • Articles
  • Book reviews
  • Presentations
  • Grant proposals
  • And much more

My goal will always be to polish your writing, to make it precise, to aim for successful publication or presentation, and to make you feel that you and your words are treated with care.

“I just wanted to thank you once again for your support and diligence throughout this process. You were instrumental in moving the process forward, your attention to detail was much appreciated, and it genuinely felt like a team effort to put out the best product possible. A grand thank you.”
– Erik D. Fritsvold, Professor, Sociology, Crime, Justice, Law & Society Concentration

“You could not find a more competent and thorough editor…. Lila guided me through the process over the past six months with patience and grace, knowledge, and wisdom. Trust me…if you need someone to give you the best possible feedback, question your structure and timeline, and fix your syntactical errors, Lila Stromer is your editor.”
 – Casey Hayes, Professor, Fine Arts-Music

For ACADEMIC and NONFICTION editing, I offer:

  • Communicating throughout the process.
  • Retaining the author’s voice while adding uniformity, consistency, and clarity
  • Making sure the language is suitable for the intended audience (e.g., scholars, students, policymakers, general readership, targeted readership, etc.)
  • Rewriting for clarity and reorganizing paragraphs for better flow
  • Adding consistency if writing moves between first-person and third-person narrative (unintended)
  • Suggesting when additional information might be helpful (i.e., for context)
  • Correcting wording (e.g., EFL authors)
  • Checking online sources if spelling looks incorrect (e.g., names, places)
  • Deleting repetitive wording and repeated sections
  • Creating special sections (e.g., glossaries, lists of tables, etc.)
  • Verifying abbreviations, pseudonyms, names, etc. are spelled consistently throughout
  • Following the house style of a publisher or creating a style sheet for work to be submitted
  • Comparing citations to references and vice versa
  • Shortening of citations at second appearance
  • Reformatting as needed (e.g., quotes to inset or block format)
  • Offering suggestions when titles are not clear (e.g., main or section headings, tables and figures)
  • Comparing tables/figures/graphics to text and vice versa