ELIOT WEST EDITORIAL
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Eliot West, PhD
​they/them

Picture
smiling blue-haired person standing outdoors
I am an independent editor, educator, and writing coach serving creators who care about inclusivity. I support writers across experience levels through personalized coaching as well as my teaching roles, work with independent authors on everything from big-picture story issues to sentence-by-sentence polishing, and contract with publishers and other companies as a copyeditor and proofreader. I've edited over five million words in 187 projects since starting my business in 2018: Might your words be next?

A literary scholar, romance fan, and incorrigible nerd, I’ve spent my life smitten with—and studying and teaching about—stories, language, and the sharing of ideas. As an editor and coach, I aim to support creators in realizing their particular visions and growing in their craft—and to advocate for readers through a commitment to inclusive language and storytelling.

I’m also fundamentally a teacher, a role I’ve found myself performing my whole adult life in a surprising range of contexts: in a slew of college literature and writing classrooms, at a creative writing camp, in conference presentations and Q&As, at a library reference desk, in workshops for writers and editors, one-on-one with clients, and more.
 
I believe that editing is (or at least can be!) a form of teaching and learning, and that all of these interactions are best approached not only with loads of knowledge to share but also in a spirit of empathy, curiosity, and collaboration. And when you get right down to it, that’s what I love most about the work I do!

My many other great loves include: Schitt’s Creek and She-Ra, Maintenance Phase and Fated Mates, knitting, coffee, nature photography, gardening, our two gloriously big-eared dogs, and wombats.

And last but definitely not least: I'm reliable, prompt, and a pleasure to work with!

education

I have a number of English lit degrees, culminating in a PhD with specialties in literary theory and twentieth- and twenty-first-century British novels. In my academic life, I produced a body of work focused on narrative form and taught literature and writing courses for a decade.

A longtime voracious reader when it comes to writing craft, genre fiction, and developments in English usage (with special attention to inclusive language), I’ve also taken courses and attended conferences on a variety of topics in editing. I am not only committed to but downright enthusiastic about keeping my skills up to date through continuing education.

member of:

ACES: The Society for Editing (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Advisory Committee Member)
Professional Editors Network (PEN)
LGBTQ+ Editors Association
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
EFA/Editors Canada Academic Editing Chapter
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  • Home
  • About
    • About Eliot
    • Queer Lens
    • Testimonials
  • Services
    • Coaching
    • Line/Copyediting
    • Developmental Editing
    • Manuscript feedback
    • Idea development
  • Teaching
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact