I edit and proofread texts for a variety of clients. These range from academic dissertations to private letters and from book manuscripts to personal bios. My services range from developmental editing all the way down to grammar and usage proofreading. I also provide referencing and indexing services for academic and trade nonfiction books and articles. Sessions range from one-off consultations to more involved work over the course of weeks and months. 

My approach to editing grows out of the time I spent working on my doctorate, during which I learned to listen actively, write carefully, and engage substantively with other people’s ideas. I hold a 2023 PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in comparative literature and critical theory. During my doctorate, I studied twentieth century German, French, and Polish literature, Eastern European history, and the philosophy of history. Under the supervision of Profs. Niklaus Largier, Alexei Yurchak, Karen Feldman, and Lilla Balint, I wrote a dissertation that advances a theoretical account of historical experience under state socialism. The postwar Polish and East German novel, I argue, furnishes us with an idiosyncratic understanding of historical time as something qualitative, subjectively experienced, and emotionally textured. At Berkeley, I was additionally fortunate to study under Anton Kaes, John Connelly, Yuri Slezkine, Judith Butler, Michael Lucey, and Harsha Ram. I credit my intellectual formation to the eight wonderful years I spent there. In additon to my academic work,  I worked for five years as a grant writer at Berkeley’s Institute of European Studies, working for Dr. Akasemi Newsome, who taught me how to write and edit copy on tight deadlines with precision and verve. 

Here are some testimonials:

We couldn’t believe our luck when we found Thom to assist with editing a complicated philosophical manuscript that drew from poetic sources in English, French, German and Polish. How unusual it was to find a literary scholar with the depth and breadth of linguistic and technical expertise that Thom brought to the task—which included verifying, and in some cases providing, translations of poems that stretched from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century, and also required securing permissions, formatting, and copyediting. Thom did excellent work, was an excellent communicator, and overall, our team would highly recommend.
Carolyn Forbes, Research Manager, Arizona State University

Thomas is an excellent editor: tactful, attentive, and responsible. His help with my texts really moved them to a new level of clarity. I plan to use his services again!
Polina Barskova, Poet and Professor of Russian Literature, UC Berkeley

I've hired Thom to look over academic journal articles and grant applications for me. His referencing work is accurate and well-organized, and his native-English proofreading is top notch. He is easy to communicate with and understood very well what needed to be done with very little instruction. When I needed a quick turnaround, he was able to accommodate my timeframe, and I recommend his services highly!
Anne-Sophie Reichert, PhD

Thom was a fantastic research assistant.  He tracked down sources across multiple centuries, languages and continents quickly and professionally. He's fun to work with and sensitive to an author's style and bibliographic resonance. If there were an academic Yelp, I'd give him five stars.
Leigh Claire La Berge, Professor of English, City University of New York





For proofreading, referencing, and indexing I charge per page. 

For all editing I charge an hourly fee. 

To find out more, send me an email with a little about your work.