Academic Book Chapter Line Editing

Project Background

Savannah Esquivel is an art historian and specialist in the material culture of the Hispanic Americas. Her research focuses on Catholic monasteries and churches in colonial Mexico and the complex relationship that Indigenous Nahua communities developed with these spaces.

While preparing a book proposal for University of Texas Press, Savannah returned to an article she had previously worked on with one of our line editors in the hopes of turning it into a sample chapter that could accompany the proposal. She reached out to Flatpage for further academic editing on the text.

Because I most benefit from line editing at an early stage in my writing process, sometimes even before the first draft is finished, it was important to me to work with a service that helps me keep my momentum by returning edits when the project is still fresh in my mind. A good line editor, like those at Flatpage, saves authors tremendous time, energy, and stress because they pinpoint the most crucial interventions that need to be made and identify exactly where in the text those interventions will have maximum impact. 

Savannah Esquivel, PhD

The Collaboration

When an author is thinking about the intended function or audience of a text and fine-tuning their writing at the sentence and phrase level to address those goals, line editing services—whether journal article editing or book chapter editing—can be very useful. Rather than addressing large-scale questions of organization and argument, or drilling down into the details of grammar, punctuation, and formatting, a line edit ensures that your writing is clear, fluid, and appropriately targeted.

Flatpage’s line editors really digest your argument and its presentation so they can offer comments that enhance clarity or point out logical holes. They ask exactly the right questions in exactly the places where a reader will need further context. This is especially important for authors like me who use specialized or technical language and Indigenous-language sources. I walk away from the feedback I receive from Flatpage knowing what work the next draft needs to do, which is an amazing feeling as a writer.

This kind of intervention is precisely what’s needed in a case like Savannah’s, where the text had already been extensively developed as an article, but now needed to be reoriented to address a different audience and format. Luckily the same editor who worked on the article version of the text was available for this project, allowing for a seamless collaboration.

In transforming the article into a sample chapter, the author’s primary concern was to maintain the flow of information throughout the text while also making substantial cuts to the word count. Because Savannah had previously worked with the editor on the project, we put them in touch on Basecamp, our project management platform, so they could communicate fluidly as the edit proceeded. This turned out to be particularly useful here, as early on in the process Savannah began to suspect that part of the chapter should be split off into a separate article. Since she had access to the Basecamp project page, she was able to appraise the editor and solicit their feedback directly.

The Outcome

It gives me great peace of mind knowing that the first reader of my chapter draft is someone who is going to help me enhance my argument and storytelling skills. The editors at Flatpage see the problems and questions I need to answer before I do, which means I don’t get stuck trying to diagnose writing problems for myself. That kind of writing support is invaluable: it builds confidence and the sense of voice that’s crucial in a manuscript.

The proposal was accepted by the acquisitions editor at University of Texas Press, and Savannah is currently working on the full book. She has continued to work with the same editor as she’s developed subsequent chapters.