Revisions Coaching for Cultural Anthropologists and Humanities Scholars
Revisions coaching is for scholars with a book project who need structured editorial support, sustained accountability, and expert editorial feedback as they revise toward a completed academic monograph.
This service combines developmental editorial guidance with ongoing coaching support to help you clarify your argument, strengthen your structure, and maintain momentum across the revision process.
It is designed for scholars working toward a book-length project before peer review of a completed draft: often at the stage of a proposal, partial manuscript, or several drafted chapters.
Unlike a full developmental edit, revisions coaching works iteratively and chapter by chapter. Rather than waiting until a full draft is complete, we work through the manuscript in progress, addressing large-scale concerns as they emerge: argument, structure, conceptual framing, cohesion, voice, and style.
This service is for academic monographs only.
It is particularly well suited to scholars who need:
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expert developmental feedback while revising
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accountability and external structure
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support sustaining momentum on a long project
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help shaping chapters into a coherent book
How it works
Revisions coaching is tailored to the stage and scope of your project.
Most clients work with me on a monthly basis, meeting once or twice per month and submitting work between sessions on a monthly or bimonthly schedule. We shape the process around your manuscript, timeline, and working style.
Pricing is discussed on our introductory call. I'll develop a package that suits your needs and requirements.
Who this is not for
If your project has fully stalled and you need support with severe procrastination, chronic overwhelm, or wider career change questions, you will likely be better served by a writing coach with psychotherapy training. I’m happy to recommend trusted specialists where appropriate, and my own coaching and developmental editing practice is supervised by one such colleague.
Credentials
I am a coaching provider on Yale’s Coaching for Success program.
Clients have gone on to secure book contracts with university presses including Cambridge University Press, Stanford University Press, Indiana University Press, Bristol University Press, University of Minnesota Press, CEU Press, University of Toronto Press, I.B. Tauris, and others.
Academic Book Consulting
If you’d prefer a one-off conversation before committing to coaching, you can also book a consulting session for strategic feedback on your project.
£99 / $125
One 60-minute Zoom consultation (recorded if useful)
Includes advance review of up to 2,000 words
Dr. Leandra Bias, University of Bern
Andrew's detailed review crucially supported me in making decisions about how much and which work I was ready to do on the proposal and what publishers would be suitable. Within two weeks of revising the proposal based on his feedback I got two major UK university presses interested in reviewing my manuscript!
Dr. Pavel Brunssen, Heidelberg University
I have worked repeatedly with Dr. Hodges on scholarly manuscripts, and each project has been a huge success. His editing skills are tremendous! His meticulous eye for details and his scholarly background make him my favorite editor.
Talal Mohammad, St Antony's College, University of Oxford
Thanks to Andy's great editorial skills, quick turnaround time, and going the extra mile to read my work, my monograph gained immense praise from authorities in the field.
More recently, an article Andy evaluated made it into one of the top current affairs magazines.
Dr. Barbara Turk-Niskac, ZRC SAZU
In an ideal academic world, colleagues would foster a supportive environment, providing reciprocal assistance with writing projects. In real life, there´s Andrew. I now feel much more confident about my book project and am prepared to submit it to publishers.
FAQs
How can revisions coaching and developmental editing help you?
Academic training teaches you to think and write in a way well-suited to exploring ideas and concepts, but it's a writing style at odds with what's required when publishing for a popular audience or writing a book proposal (which is effectively you pitching a product and asking a publisher to invest in it).
Academic feedback within disciplines is often focused on the fine details. It can be helpful to get an overview of big-picture issues in your writing too. Furthermore, feedback from an expert working in the publishing industry, and with a background in academic writing, can help you revise your book or journal article with the reader in mind. This can make it more compelling and help you reach more readers.
Constructive, targeted feedback on a project from somebody outside of academia's system of gatekeeping can help take your writing up a level. It can also be highly motivating!
How long will it take?
I appreciate as much advance notice as possible for a project as I like to book up between three and five months in advance. How long the edit will take will depend on the service. I usually budget a month for developmental edits, and four to eight weeks for substantive/line edits, depending on how long they are. I can usually return a journal article within two weeks, except during holiday periods.
I'll always give you a firm deadline before starting work.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! Otherwise, you can book a chat with me to discuss your project here: