Ashleigh Imus

What is at stake? This is the most important question writers need to answer––for themselves, their ideas, and their audience. When writers truly understand what’s at stake, they can bring their mission, values, and ideas to life for their readers. As a writer and editor specializing in nonfiction, I help individuals, businesses, and organizations answer this question and produce their best writing.

Sometimes you need help finding what’s at stake in your story. Other times you already know what matters, but you need help developing it or making sure your audience really gets it; you might need help framing your ideas, making the language and structure clear, or clarifying your style. I help people with these challenges by offering manuscript evaluation, writing, developmental editing, and copy editing.

Maybe you’re writing or summarizing a business book. Or perhaps your mission is to educate the world about technology and data privacy, fair elections, or green living. Or you want to transform city and regional planning so that everyone has access to healthy, nutritious food. I support people and organizations in these subjects and many others.

My unique offering comes from my training and experience. Having taught and coached hundreds of writers in person, I understand how to find and care about what’s at stake in each individual’s writing. My humanities Ph.D. afforded extensive training in theory and analysis. I see strengths, opportunities, questions, and challenges in writing that others do not. Many copy editors know what sounds right. My expertise in numerous languages has brought comprehensive mastery of English grammar as well as training in rhetoric. Because I approach language in grammatical and rhetorical terms, I know what works and why; more important, I can explain it in accessible terms to any writer.

Selected Clients and Projects

• The Future of Privacy Forum, Writer and Developmental Editor for policy and technology guides, white papers, blogs, and other materials
• Soundview Executive Book Summaries, Developmental Editor and Project Manager for business book summaries, audio scripts, and other materials
• The Google School for Leaders, Developmental Editor and Writer for white paper and style guide
• Heather Hollick, Developmental and Copy Editor for Helpful: A Guide to Life, Careers, and the Art of Networking
• Dr. Samina Raja, Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, SUNY-Buffalo, Developmental Editor and Copy Editor for policy and academic materials
• Dr. Eric Cheyfitz, Editor and Indexer for The Disinformation Age: The Collapse of Liberal Democracy in the United States
• Dr. David Obstfeld, Developmental Editor for Getting New Things Done: Networks, Brokerage, and the Assembly of Innovative Action
• Dr. Marilyn Migiel, Proofreader and Indexer for The Ethical Dimension of the Decameron (winner of MLA 2015 Howard R. Marraro Prize)
• James Harf and Lawrence Herson, Developmental Editor for The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All That You Meet

Education
Cornell University, Ph.D., English, Italian, and Latin language/literature
Middlebury College, M.A., Italian literature
New York University, B.A., comparative literature

Ithaca, NY
US

Business phone: 607-351-6842

Email: ashleighimus@gmail.com

http://ashleighimus.com/

More information: View PDF file

Years in the field: 20
Years freelancing: 11