Book Editor & Private Writing Coach
Lisa Dale Norton is a gifted book editor and developmental writing coach.
With her own literary memoir published by Picador USA/St. Martin’s Press (Hawk Flies Above: Journey to the Heart of the Sandhills) and with her guide to memoir writing published by Griffin/St. Martin’s Press (Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir), Lisa stands out as one of only a handful of developmental writing coaches in the United States with a specialty in Memoir.
Memoir is part of a larger genre called Narrative Nonfiction, and with Lisa’s deep credentials in writing, editing, and academic study of Narrative Nonfiction, she is uniquely positioned to help clients writing not only Memoir, but also Autobiography, Travel Writing, the Essay, and other forms of narrative-driven nonfiction, like Literary Journalism, Creative Nonfiction, and the Personal Narrative. What each of these forms shares is a storyline created from life material.
In her editing and coaching, Lisa helps clients clarify writing goals, develop story material and structure, and complete book manuscripts.
Writers consult with Lisa on the nuances of story structure, narrative voice, character development, structure, and the creative process, and receive coaching on every step of the writing process, from that bugaboo of supposed writer’s block, through narrative arc, to the fine points of punctuation and manuscript preparation.
Lisa coaches via e-mail, standard mail, and phone consultation.
Clients live across the country from California to New York, in Mexico, Canada, and overseas. References are available.
For thirty years Lisa has worked with writers from beginning journalists to seasoned Narrative Nonfiction and Fiction writers. Lisa has taught writing at colleges, universities, writing conferences, and retreat centers nationwide.
Clients come to Lisa via word of mouth. She does not advertise her services.
For a more complete biography and Lisa’s writing, speaking, and teaching history click on Welcome, Résumé &/or Speaking Schedule.
2010—Annual Rate Adjustment:
• An initial 15-minute consultation to discuss the project is conducted via telephone at no charge.
For writers who seek a one-time analysis and edit of a manuscript for potential publication, the fee is $9/page. (A page is measured by the industry standard of 250 words/page.)
For on-going clients developing and completing book manuscripts, the Santa Fe Writing Institute charges two rates for editing and developmental coaching with Lisa Dale Norton.
1) The first is a Reading & Editing fee: $7/page. (A page is measured by the industry standard of 250 words/page.)
2) The second is a Developmental Writing Coaching fee: $100/hour. This fee covers phone consultations with Lisa Dale Norton in which the art and craft of writing is discussed and taught one-on-one with the client. Whatever is needed to move the project forward will find its way into these consultation calls.
3) Other charges include office expenses. These consist of printing and copying of manuscripts at $.15/page, and the cost of returning manuscripts via the post office. Standard return mailing from The Santa Fe Writing Institute is $3.95, except if the weight of the package pushes the price over $3.95. Then the fee charged is the exact amount of the mailing, plus $1.95. For example, if the mailing costs $5.35, the final mailing cost is $7.30 ($5.35 + $1.95).
Manuscript Preparation:
If you become a client, consider these following guidelines when preparing your manuscript for submission:
• Use 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper
• Format with 1-inch margins on all sides
• Use 12 pt.
• Double-space
• Insert a header on each page in the upper right corner including your name, date submitted, and consecutive page numbers
• E-mail as a DOC attachment.
General Procedure:
After the initial phone conversation—and a determination that the writer, the project, and the editor (Lisa) are a good match—manuscript material is e-mailed to The Santa Fe Writing Institute where Lisa assesses it and returns it as hard copy to the writer, via the post office, fully edited with suggestions for revision.
Once the writer has received the manuscript, studied Lisa’s comments, and formulated questions, the two talk by phone to discuss the development of the material, the creative writing process, and the projet as a whole.
With on-going clients, this submission and response process continues until the project is completed.
Billing:
Clients are billed monthly on the 15th. Payment is due by the 10th of the following month.
Most clients choose to pay by check, although the option to use PayPal is available. If the client chooses Paypal, that fee is added to the bill. The current PayPal fees for clients residing within the United States is 2.9% + $.30. Cross-border fees vary and can be discussed.
Contact Lisa:
If you are interested in working with Lisa and The Santa Fe Writing Institute, use this contact form to get in touch.
