As an independent editor, I am available to help authors refine their academic publications and creative nonfiction.
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My approach to editing is informed by the mentorship I was fortunate enough to receive in the practice of writing, first as an undergraduate at Reed College, and then as a PhD candidate at Cambridge. Throughout my education, my writing has been meticulously reviewed, dissected and, ultimately, vastly improved by some of the world's top scholars.
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Whether you are a tenured professor, a graduate student, or simply a writer with something to say, I am ready to work as your collaborator in an all-out effort to achieve your writing goals. That means taking your ideas and your process seriously, but also presenting my own point of view wherever it is warranted. By choosing to work with me, you are choosing that kind of intellectually respectful engagement, alongside professionalism and formal rigor.
Feel free to contact me to discuss your project!
I provide:
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• Expert developmental editing for your important writing, whether it's a book-length manuscript, doctoral dissertation, master's thesis, or research paper. At the developmental stage, I edit for structure and content, and give clear explanations for each of my suggestions. Along with the edited document, I provide an assessment of the work as a whole, and list action-steps based on your stated objectives.
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• Copy editing which focuses on the grammar, style, and argumentative flow of each paragraph and sentence. You might consider hiring me to do copy editing after I've done a developmental edit, or simply begin with the copy editing phase. As with developmental editing, I give clear explanations for each of my suggestions.
• Video conferencing to go over my edits, and to discuss writing strategies tailor-made to suit your style of thinking. I recommend scheduling a consultation to follow each editing assignment, but this is entirely optional. For extended assignments like book manuscripts and dissertations, regular check-ins are included with developmental editing.
SAMPLE TESTIMONIALS
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"Thanks to my editor, Michael Dylan Rogers. I've been asking around, and plenty of my colleagues have authored books, but none has received the kind of editorial support that you've given me. I realized it during one of our teleconference meetings when I said, 'Which outline are we working from now?' and you said, 'Oh, I can just tell you the outline . . .' and then you listed each chapter and its content from memory, without even looking at your notes. I thought, This guy knows my book better than I do. When I describe that moment to colleagues, the mixture of disbelief and longing on their faces confirms that I made the right decision in working with you."
—Barbara Sarnecka, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, from the Acknowledgments to her book The Writing Workshop: Write More, Write Better, Be Happier in Academia
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"Holy moly — we feel so incredibly lucky to have met Michael! He provided an incredibly in-depth editorial assessment of our book on a very short timeline, and then facilitated a walk-through of the assessment that seriously helped us gain clarity in our project. We were re-inspired to make changes (big and small) to our book, and we can’t wait to collaborate more."
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—Lindsay Deacon and Angela Scotto Harkness, authors of The EduCoach Survival Guide
"I have been working with Michael Rogers for the past two years and it has been an excellent experience. Michael corrected and commented on a number of academic papers I wrote, and most importantly my master's thesis. What I particularly appreciated was that Michael not only corrects your orthography and grammar, but he gives you extremely valuable input about the structure and logic of your paper. Moreover, we always had a Skype session where I could ask questions and he explained to me in detail on which parts I can improve. This was very helpful, and enabled me to improve a lot on my writing skills. Plus, Michael has been super reliable, I could always count on him. I can definitely recommend him for everyone who is looking for highly professional editing and constructive feedback!"
—Dorin Heid, MSc, Copenhagen Business School