Receive that “Congratulations!” email.
My process
Proposal consulting applies developmental editing to book and funding proposals and thus follows similar steps:
Initial consultation: I will listen and ask questions to learn about your project and its significance to your field and career, about what pulls you to your topic, and what you hope will come from publishing your book or completing your research.
Review: I will then work through your proposal’s structure, flow, content, and voice. This stage typically takes 1–2 weeks and includes adopting the perspective of the many audiences your proposal must satisfy:
Book proposals
Acquisitions editors/series editors: Foreground your book’s unique contribution and its fit with the press/series, showcase your best writing, provide strong sample chapters that truly address your intended audience—make it easy for the editor to advocate for your book.
Peer reviewers: State your argument with authority, demonstrate command of the literature, help time-pressed reviewers quickly grasp your book’s significance—present a book they will look forward to reading.
Publishing staff (e.g., marketing and sales): Identify a realistic target audience, list appropriate specs, increase your book’s discoverability—make a case for the press to invest in your book.
Grant + fellowship proposals
Program officers: Show fit with the agency’s funding trends, communicate confidently with agency staff, adequately address reviewers’ feedback—make it easy for the program officer to advocate for your research.
Peer reviewers: Lay out a robust research design and acknowledge its limitations, establish credibility and ground your work in recent research, and be clear about your analytical framework and the stakes of your research—generate excitement about your project.
Final decision makers: Write to a broader audience and keep in mind the ultimate decision makers, who often are outside your discipline or program area—ensure legibility to nonspecialists.
Follow-up session: In our next session, we will go over my feedback and plot your next steps. This conversation will yield new insights, a concrete work plan (including, if you wish, copyediting and line editing), and a more polished, cohesive, and compelling proposal.
My promise
I offer long and varied experience with both book and funding proposals. I have consulted on contract-winning book proposals to Oxford University Press, Stanford University Press, Intellect Books, and University of Illinois Press and for several years ran a university subvention grant program and international book award program. In the funding realm, I have consulted on over $21 million in grant and fellowship proposals as a research administrator, grants program officer, and editor and have received NSF and Wenner-Gren funding for my own research.
No editor can guarantee a successful proposal. But whether you’re looking for quick feedback or a deep dive, I can guarantee an improved proposal that increases your odds of receiving that “Congratulations!” email.
“I’ve worked with Jennifer on two book projects, and her editorial services are beyond comparison. She’s a meticulous editor who knows exactly what publishers want to see in book proposals and completed manuscripts. I couldn’t recommend her services highly enough.”
“Jennifer is an outstanding editor. She went through my proposal with an eye for detail and provided nuanced feedback that led to a successful grant application. As a person she is a joy to work with, and I would readily hire her in the future to help refine and polish my writing.”