Bethany Hockenbury
MA English Literature and Writing
BFA English Literature Studies
bethany@languageissue.com
Every person has a story to tell.
I offer high quality professional copyediting services to help you tell your story, in your own voice, to the right audience.
I’m a full-time writing educator and a freelance copyeditor. I’ve been working professionally in this field for fourteen years, honing my craft and falling more and more in love with the English language.
I’ve edited novels, nonfiction guides, pamphlets, and websites. I’ve ghost written speeches, presentations, tributes, eulogies, and recommendation letters. I can take your ideas and sentences and polish them in your voice to craft a final product of which you will be proud. You bring the material, and together we will transform it into your best work.
Recommendations
Whether you’re looking for a fast and efficient line edit, or a fine-toothed literary comb, Bethany Hockenbury is the best editor for hire today. I’ve worked with her on parenting books that needed basic grammatical help, a poetry anthology that required more technical prowess than I possessed, and a memoir in need of shaping. Nothing is too simple or complex for Bethany.
— Wendy Speake, author of Triggers, Parenting Scripts, and Life Creative. WendySpeake.com
As a writer, I don’t know what I would do without Bethany. She has an eye for story and for language unlike anyone I have ever known. As a writer, I need someone like Bethany in my corner – someone who not only believes in my ability to tell a story, but who makes sure I believe in my ability to tell a story, too. Bethany is deeply honest in her edits, which is necessary and refreshing because I know that on the other side of her edits I will walk away with a stronger story. There is no one I trust more with my edits than Bethany!
— Kelli Stuart, author of Carol Award winning novel Like a River From its Course, and Life Creative. KelliStuart.com
As part of a writers’ group, I have seen and heard Bethany guide writers in a variety of genres. Her wisdom and insight are invaluable. I realize that there are a number of people who can edit work for grammar, but there are precious few who have Bethany’s wealth of knowledge and can critically evaluate content. After having Bethany review my writing, I can say with confidence that it is the best that it can possibly be.
— Angie Mosteller, author of Celebrating Holidays: Christmas, and Christian Origins of Halloween. CelebratingHolidays.com
Services
I will provide a complimentary consultation to determine the depth and scope of your project. To begin our collaboration, there is a $100 nonrefundable deposit, applicable towards the project total. Pricing depends on the intensity of the editing and the timeframe to complete the project.
Contact
If you have an interest in engaging The Language Issue for your next project, please fill out the contact form. I will follow up within a few days to get started!
The Language Issue
Poem by Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill
Translated by Paul Muldoon
I place my hope on the water
in this little boat
of the language, the way a body might put
an infant
in a basket of intertwined
iris leaves,
its underside proofed
with bitumen and pitch,
then set the whole thing down amidst
the sedge
and bulrushes by the edge
of a river
only to have it borne hither and thither,
not knowing where it might end up;
in the lap, perhaps,
of some Pharaoh’s daughter.