There is a name in my field I have read, written, and taught for years — and in my own book about grief, I spelled it wrong. My copyeditor caught it. What that one query taught me about expertise, blindness, and why no writer can be the last set of eyes on their own work.

A prospective client recently told me he didn’t need an editor — he’d been an English major. I hear a version of this every week. Here’s the truth about what an academic editor actually does, why it’s about far more than grammar, and why good judgment is the one thing software still can’t replace.

Long before the Ph.D., the business, or the book, I was the one my cohort sent their drafts to. The origin story of how editing found me — and what it taught me about helping a piece become what it is trying to be.

Seventeen years on one side of the editor’s desk, and now my own book is at Routledge. Here is what sitting where my clients sit taught me about revision, perfection, and finally letting the work be what it needs to be.

Almost a year ago, a peer-reviewed article of mine was published online — and I was so deep in book deadlines and client work that I never said a word about it. So here, belatedly and a little sheepishly, is the study that sits underneath everything I write about grief: my synchronicity-and-meaning research in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

A look behind the curtain at what actually happens after you hit “submit”: the first round of editor queries, the small fixes, and the surprisingly human back-and-forth that quietly turns a manuscript into a book.

This week I did something I've helped dozens of authors do, but never quite this way: I submitted a full book manuscript to Routledge — on time. It's about synchronicity in grief, and it opens a new series, The Patience of Publishing, where I share the real, unpolished version of what happens after you hit "submit."

JHMES's founder, Dr. Jennifer Hill, is deep in the most productive season of her scholarly career — completing a book manuscript for Routledge on synchronicity in grief while continuing to take on select editing projects. Read her candid reflection on what writing under deadline teaches her about the academic writing life, and what's coming next for JHMES.

I’m thrilled to share an update from one of my ongoing developmental editing projects—a scholarly monograph on embodiment psychology. After helping my client secure a contract with Routledge, we’re now refining the final manuscript for submission. This project highlights the heart of developmental editing: championing scholarly voices while enhancing clarity, accessibility, and impact.

In under a week, I took a formatting-challenged dissertation and turned it into a polished, submission-ready document. From fixing heading levels to refining citations, see how expert editing can ease the path to graduation. Formatting errors don’t have to derail your dissertation. In this post, I detail a full edit: correcting styles, fixing tables of content, and preparing a clean PDF for submission—all in just 6 hours of focused work.

Rejection isn’t the end—it’s a pivot point. In this post, I share how I helped a qualitative researcher transform her manuscript after rejection, transitioning from Chicago to APA 7, and preparing it for submission to The Qualitative Report. Discover the value of resilient revision and expert editorial support.

I’m thrilled to share that I became certified in Motivational Interviewing (MI) in March 2025. MI is a powerful, client-centered approach that helps writers move through self-doubt and creative blocks with compassion and clarity. In this post, I share how MI enhances the coaching and editing support I offer—helping you feel more confident, empowered, and connected to your writing. Whether you’re stuck in the middle of a big project or just getting started, MI offers a gentle, effective path forward.

Celebrate the publication of "The Jungian Inspired Holocaust Writings of Etty Hillesum" by Dr. Barbara Morrill. This groundbreaking work analyzes the journals of Etty Hillesum through a Jungian lens, offering new insights into resilience and personal growth during the Holocaust. A must-read for Jungian analysts, trainees, and those interested in the intersection of psychology and history.

Dive into the diverse world of academic editing! From dissertations on immigrant experiences to studies on psychedelic therapies, this showcase highlights eight weeks of intense editing across various disciplines. Discover how meticulous APA 7 formatting, attention to detail, and value-added services elevate scholarly work to new heights.

Navigating the Complexities of Dissertation Editing: A Case Study

Recently, I tackled a challenging dissertation project exploring technology's influence on organizational culture and strategic leadership. This comprehensive edit required attention to APA 7 guidelines, tense adjustments, and structural improvements across multiple chapters.