Medical Writing, Developmental, Copy, and Manuscript Editing Services

What is a developmental and copy editor?

A developmental and copy editor works for writers and helps them reach their audience by mediating between the interests of the writer and the reader. In my case, I strive to do this with the utmost respect and compassion.

Lost Coast Medical Writing Services

Our passion and preferences lie in communicating medical information with those outside of the medical field. Services include:

  • Writing – We are happy to contribute an opinion piece or collaborate on a more scholarly publication. Lauren has formerly written patient education on a variety of topics. See the blog and the white paper written for CHCAO.

  • Reviewing – Authors can’t always know if their piece will appeal to a physician audience or be understandable to a lay one, but our eyes can see what yours may miss. Though we do not have a medical license, we are happy to provide medical review of content based on our education, as well as assessment for how work may be perceived by lay or professional audiences.

  • Organizing – We love helping authors (and potential authors) organize and reorganize their thoughts for more clarity and impact. We especially love working with book-length manuscripts, including finding the chapters, titles, and sections to improve the book.

  • Editing for Voice – Find the voice you need for your audience while still sounding like your authentic self can be challenge for any author. For example, you may need help translating doctor-speak into a patient-friendly format or improving collegiality for professional communication.

  • Copy Editing – We’ll find errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style. We’ll also check internal logic, consistency of formatting, copyright issues, and medical accuracy. This includes a style sheet if one isn’t provided. AMA Style is our strong preference, but other styles may be discussed. (APA, MLA, etc.)

  • Developmental Editing – This is a deep analysis of a manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions for improvement to better connect to the intended audience. This includes a manuscript assessment and may include fact checking, structuring or restructuring of a manuscript’s discourse. It may also include suggestions for rewrites at the chapter, section, paragraph, and sentence levels.

  • Stand-alone Manuscript Read and assessments (beta-reads) are available. Developmental editing services may be added on at a reduced rate, depending on availability.

  • Writing Coaching – Whether you’re a student or anyone else wishing to improve your writing or reading comprehension skills, Lost Coast is available to coach you.

  • "We hired Lauren as a developmental editor for our parenting book, and she did an amazing job. She reworked the structure of the book and made it better than we had even hoped. She also provided invaluable feedback on the content."

    Olivia Williams, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (The Hand Book)

  • "Lauren successfully completed the tasks I assigned. She was highly effective in helping me brainstorm ideas and flush out my story better. Lauren was always on time. She was not afraid to let me know if one of my ideas was irrelevant to the story. Continuously editing back and forth together brought my paper to another level. She has a way with language that inspires me to improve my own writing. And throughout our one-on-one zoom meetings, she explained why specific sentences need to be removed or revised. I could clearly understand her writing logic on why a particular sentence was better than the other. This has dramatically improved my confidence in writing. Hire Lauren because I know you won't regret working with her. She is truthful, honest, and has a spine."

    Pouya Amin, who hired Lauren to help with med school admission

  • "Lauren is a great tutor! Very good at identifying problem areas; works with you by providing sources to improve your language skills."

    Writing Coaching Client

  • Dr. Lauren Wheeler has helped us immensely with a patient guide for kidney disease. Dr. Wheeler brought a much needed human touch to a lot of very complicated medical terms and subjects. She clearly is very concerned about patient advocacy and ensuring patients understand all of their options. We are working on our next book and as you can guess, we will be using Dr. Wheeler again.

    Lee Hull, kidneyhood.org

How to Work with Lost Coast

  1. Schedule a consult call to discuss your project!

    I’d love to briefly review your current writing ahead of our meeting if you feel comfortable sharing (happy to sign NDAs).

  2. If we’re a good fit, Lost Coast will send you a contract and a list of materials needed to get started.

    Typically, half of the payment is requested upfront for new clients with large projects. The contract will have a proposed deadline, but the understanding is that variation may occur. Any delays or variations will be communicated ahead of time.

  3. If you require services beyond the scope of our initial agreement…

    There may be additional charges. For instance, if you initially hire us for a developmental edit and later want to do a round of copy edits, that will be billed as an additional fee.

  4. Final invoice will be sent.

    Payment is expected within 2 weeks. We are always happy to read final works, so let us know when they publish!

Never feel alone in healthcare.