top of page
Below is the start of your new site. The old header will be removed once the site is ready to launch
hiking photo for Home or About page.jpg

Write and publish your true story. 
The path shimmers with possibility.

I listen to what writers are really saying, deep down, and help them get their transformative story onto the page and into the world.

Element light green (transparent backgro

Services for Writers

My qualifications are unusual, in that I’m trained in the full spectrum of book coaching and editing. That means I can see a project through from start to finish.

Writing a Book_edited.jpg

Book Coaching

The Lookout:
Mini-Blueprint + Opening Pages
Writing a memoir is a journey like no other, and it’s easy to get lost in the forest. The Mini-Blueprint will give you a mountain-top perspective on your story and where it needs to go.  Feedback on your first chapter will help you start strong.
Map Your Memoir
Have you lost the trail in a thicket of pages? Creating a map of your story doesn’t constrain you. It frees you to be fully present and explore the terrain.  
It’s Your Time:
1:1 Coaching
One-on-one coaching meets you where you are in your writing life, invites you to commit to a writing practice, and develops the craft you need to tell your story in a way that interests readers who don’t know you.
Checking Text on a Document_edited.jpg

Editing

Manuscript Evaluation
Unsure whether your story is any good or how to revise it? Get a 6-page report that assesses the overall strengths and the top five things to work on.
Developmental Editing
Can’t see the forest for the trees? A developmental delves into all aspects of the story, deepens your writing craft, and gives you a roadmap for revision.  
Line
Editing
Have you tinkered with your words so much that you no longer know what sounds good? Line editing clarifies meaning, improves flow, and suggests changes in harmony with your voice. 
Copy
Editing
You want to publish a book you’re proud of. Copy editing catches and corrects the small, niggling errors that could embarrass you and distract readers from your story. 
Element light green (transparent backgro

Hi, I’m Ellie!

​​I’m a highly trained editor and certified book coach specializing in memoir and narrative nonfiction. I believe that we learn through stories, and that we’re always telling ourselves stories about our lives. Some of these narratives are true, and some are harmful interpretations that get stuck on rewind in our heads. Writing your true story is transformative not only for you, but for the reader, too.

 

I’ve worked with over 75 authors who have published with HarperCollins, Douglas & McIntyre, Jessica Kingsley, university presses, and small presses, as well as with authors who have chosen to self-publish. I bring over twenty years of experience to this transformative work of midwifing stories onto the page and into the hands and hearts of readers.
 

headshot 4.jpg

"Ellie did two or three rounds of editing on my book. Her editorial letter gently prompted me to share more of my personal story and guided me in revising. That was followed by an exquisitely careful line edit. Important life events kept happening while working on my book, and her help made my task so much more manageable."

Nancy MacMillan

Let me do for you what I did for them.

Artful editing for memoir and narrative nonfiction

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

elliebarton@editorbooks.net

613-572-3567

Join our mailing list

© 2018-2025 Ellie Barton. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Site by KN Creative. 

This is the end of your new site. The old footer below will be removed once the site is ready to launch
bottom of page