EDITING/COACHING SERVICES

Experience:

Over nearly two decades as an editor, writing teacher, and writing coach, I’ve worked with a wide range of writers on just about every kind of project you can imagine. For five years, I was an editor at the New Republic and Foreign Policy, editing everyone from correspondents in war zones to senior government officials to the interns down the hall. I co-created and then, for almost a decade, co-edited the opinion section at Street Sense, DC’s street newspaper, working primarily with unhoused and housing-unstable writers. As a freelancer, I’ve worked both as a developmental editor and a proof-reader on nonfiction books, offering advice at every stage of the process. I have an MFA in fiction from Bennington College and have edited both short and book-length fiction. I’ve taught undergraduate-level writing and journalism at Georgetown and George Washington universities, working with students to plan and execute (and most importantly, revise) long-form reporting and research assignments.

I’m a collaborative, detail-oriented, and versatile editor eager to work with all types of projects and writers — including people who aren’t sure they’re writers at all! Reach out and we can discuss rates and the type of service that might be most helpful to you, whether it’s a quick proof-read, a more in-depth developmental edit, or just a consultation about your project and where it might go.

brittpeterson2@gmail.com for rates and all questions

Testimonials:

 “Britt is an incredibly thoughtful reader, writer, and editor. When I had a sensitive piece of writing that I needed help with, asking them was a no-brainer. They’re great with words, structure, and pacing. But more than that, they also provide the kind of close, empathetic eyes that any worthwhile writing needs.”

“Britt Peterson has the perfect pitch. They were the editor for two of my books, Waiting for the Taliban and Afghanistan by Donkey, as well as for a series of dispatches I filed from Afghanistan for Foreign Policy magazine. Filing to Britt from an active war zone provided me with the kind of collaborative support a writer always hopes for and rarely gets. Never intrusive, always inquisitive, they unfalliably made my words better. A dream editor to work with.”

  • Anna Badkhen, Guggenheim Fellow, National Book Award nominee

 

“Britt is an incredibly incisive editor. They have a rare talent for identifying what it was you were trying to say and helping you say it more clearly and concisely, while still maintaining your voice. Perhaps most importantly, Britt is a warm, supportive presence who can make even the trickiest edits seem approachable. Working with Britt was a privilege, and I can't wait to collaborate again.”