Isthmus || Editing
Engage your readers. Advance your ideas.
SUBSTANTIVE &
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
I am a professional editor who lives and works on an isthmus—a strip of land between bodies of water. My goal is to guide you along solid ground from draft to publication by providing useful, constructive feedback. The careful expression of ideas matters to me and to my clients, who produce academic books and articles, trade nonfiction books, and periodicals.
My specialty is substantive and developmental editing. This means I will help make your style engaging, your argument persuasive, and your analysis lucid—not just check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Whether you are an author submitting for publication or a publication working with authors on revisions, you can benefit from hiring a perceptive, experienced editor. Contact me to get started.
Academia
Trade Nonfiction
Magazines
ABOUT THE EDITOR
I have been freelance editing for over ten years. Before (and alongside) freelancing, I have been a technical writer, grant writer, college instructor, magazine editor, and author of a scholarly book on American philosopher William James. I am always giving and receiving edits, and I know what it means to respect an author's vision while providing honest and balanced feedback.
My doctorate is in philosophy, but my intellectual curiosity—like my editing—spans the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Whatever your background, I can help you present complex ideas clearly and persuasively to both scholarly and popular audiences.
Education
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Certificate in editing, University of Chicago
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PhD in philosophy, University of California, Santa Cruz
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BA in English and philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Lucas McGranahan, PhD
TESTIMONIALS
Lucas has been a valued editor of mine, and many others I know, for approximately a decade. I've witnessed him develop numerous articles, books, and proposals for a range of academic and popular audiences, and his feedback and line editing are detailed, encouraging, and insightful. His ability to help make the argument flow clearly and persuasively from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph is particularly impressive. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone!
Full professor at an American research university
I have worked with Lucas on several book projects and proposals, and even though I consider myself a somewhat experienced academic (even in English, which is not my mother tongue), I have been absolutely amazed at how much better the texts get when he has gone through and added his edits, comments, and suggestions.
Mikkel Krause Frantzen, author of Going Nowhere Slow: The Aesthetics and Politics of Depression
In an early Zoom conversation about my book manuscript, I happened to mention a musical interval, the tritone, that connotes sonic ambiguity. Lucas picked up his guitar, perched nearby, and played the tritone passage I mentioned. At that moment, I had no doubt that he would unambiguously understand my writing. I was right.
Julie Jaffee Nagel, author of Career Choices in Music beyond the Pandemic: Musical and Psychological Perspectives
I highly recommend Lucas for any editing needs. His attention to detail has greatly improved the readability and cohesiveness of my writing. Working with Lucas was a pleasure, as he is professional, responsive, and always exceeds my expectations.
Henning Piezunka, associate professor, INSEAD (Paris)
Working with Lucas has been a joy. He has allowed our team to be more productive and improve our magazine’s content. He asks thoughtful questions, is thorough, follows up in a timely manner, and shows a high level of care.
Sanhita SinhaRoy, editor and publisher, American Libraries magazine
Lucas is a wizard when it comes to cutting down length without sacrificing content, which has been invaluable. I'm also consistently impressed with how responsive he is and how he turns things around in relatively quick timeframes, especially compared to many other editors.
Sruthi Thatchenkerry, associate professor, Vanderbilt University
CONTACT ME
Tell me about your project. I will get back to you within 1–2 business days to discuss pricing and other details.