Katherine Hutt Scott, Principal of Best Writers and Editors, loves all forms of clear, beautiful writing. She worked for more than two decades as a journalist, including for major media organizations The Associated Press and Gannett, covering Venezuela, the Caribbean, and official Washington, DC. Since 2009, she has worked as a writer and editor focused on international issues.

Katherine founded Best Writers and Editors in 2018 to provide sophisticated writing, editing, and coaching services for a variety of clients. Major projects include for Foreign Policy, 2.5 years managing a team of writers, a copy editor, and a designer to produce a quarterly paid content supplement, and for U.S. News & World Report, six months reporting a series of consumer news and investigative articles about K-12 education.

Katherine has researched, written, and edited all types of content, including annual reports, blog posts, e-books, promotional brochures, speeches, and website copy. She has broad experience translating technical material into simpler language, refining texts on topics from federal student financial aid in the United States, to the impact of tourism on the natural resources of the Philippines.

Katherine has coached professionals ranging from World Bank Group economists to microentrepreneurs in good writing practices. Katherine also works with writers of fiction and poetry. She edited a book of poems, helped a retiree with cognitive difficulties draft his memoir on surviving brain cancer, and taught creative writing at a retirement community. She won 3rd place in the 2018 Bethesda Urban Partnership poetry contest.

Katherine has a Master’s degree in Journalism with Honors from Columbia Journalism School, a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University. She is fluent in Spanish.

Experience: Almost three decades of experience as a reporter, editor, and media executive. Worked as Washington correspondent for The New York Times; Editor of Congress Daily (now NJ Daily); and Senior Vice President for Product Execution at CQ Roll Call.

Skills: Writing and editing of all kinds, with an emphasis on developing e-books, white papers, and reports; advanced sales and marketing collateral; blogs, email briefings, and video scripts; and social media on all major channels. Edited several books on various subjects.

Subject matter expertise: Advocacy and US national politics. Covered two presidential campaigns, the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Graduate work in business administration at Tulane University.

Our team of former journalists produces a full range of content, from blog posts to newsletters, speeches, and website copy. We collaborate with clients to convey ideas in lucid prose. Some examples of our work: We research, report, and write website articles, such as stories for Georgetown Law about an international tax dispute and a looming sovereign debt crisis. We craft paid content, such as write-ups about graduate education in international affairs for Foreign Policy’s FP Guide. We translate technical descriptions into engaging website copy for clients such as the United Nations Foundation. Our services include:

• Corporate reports (annual reports, press releases, and more)
• E-Books
• Ghostwriting
• Marketing materials (collateral, email newsletters, and more)
• Opinion pieces (blog posts and op-eds)
• Speechwriting
• Video scripts
• Website copywriting

Experience: Award-winning career reporting from Washington, Latin America, and Moscow and a decade crafting messaging and honing copy as a communications writer and editor. Covered the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as Pentagon Correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Five years as Mexico City Bureau Chief for Knight Ridder Newspapers and two years as Latin American Affairs Correspondent for the Times. Honors include Overseas Press Club Award and Associated Press Fairbanks Award for Public Policy. As a communications writer and editor, produce compelling content that drives page views for the Southern Poverty Law Center and strengthens and clarifies research produced by clients including the Ford Foundation, World Bank, USAID, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Skills: Write and edit complex reports, speeches, op-eds, promotional features, press releases, grant proposals, annual reports, and blog posts. Interview subjects and conduct research across the globe and synthesize complex information into agile copy. Formulate and analyze communications strategy. Provide writing coach services to groups and individuals.

Subject matter expertise: Civil rights and public interest law, US-Latin American relations, national and international health care, national security, trade, Eastern Europe, and environment.

Languages: Fluent in Spanish. Experience translating technical reports from Spanish to English.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in History from Dartmouth College.

Experience: More than two decades of writing and editing experience for major international organizations. Main clients: World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, US Agency for International Development, International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, and International Labour Organisation.

Skills: Copy editing and proofreading working papers, discussion papers, articles, monographs, and books. Writing summaries of discussions and conference proceedings.

Subject matter expertise: Economics, finance, psychology, social sciences, environment, technology, innovation, immigration, and social inclusion.

Languages: Fluent in Spanish and Italian. Translates from Spanish to English.

Education: Master’s degree in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Master of Social Work from The Catholic University of America. Bachelor’s degree in Italian Language and Literature from Bryn Mawr College.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is substantive editing?

• Substantive editing is restructuring and rewriting to improve the organization, clarity, and flow of language.
• The usual substantive editing rate is about 2-3 pages per hour, for double-spaced copy (about 250 words per page). The rate can vary, depending on the extent of editing required.
• Substantive editing must be done in a file that allows the editor to make changes, such as Microsoft Word. It is not practical to do restructuring or major rewriting in a file that cannot be changed, such as a PDF.

What is copy editing?

• Copy editing is small editorial changes, sometimes including light rewriting, to ensure that the copy follows recognized style guidelines.
• The usual copy editing rate is about 6 pages per hour, for double-spaced copy (about 250 words per page). The rate can vary, depending on the quality of the writing submitted.
• Copy editing typically is done in a file that allows the editor to make changes, such as Microsoft Word. If it must be done in a file that cannot be changed, such as a PDF, the process will take roughly twice as long.

What is proofreading?

• Proofreading is checking for grammar, spelling, and typographical errors.
• The usual proofreading rate is about 8-10 pages per hour, for double-spaced copy (about 250 words per page).
• Proofreading typically is done in a file that allows the editor to make changes, such as Microsoft Word. If it must be done in a file that cannot be changed, such as a PDF, the process will take roughly twice as long.

How do writing coach services work?

Coaching sessions usually are 1–2 hours long and can be for groups or individuals. We can tailor our services to your needs and conduct sessions either in-person or virtually.

What types of creative writing have you edited previously?

Memoirs/autobiographies, a novel, and poetry.

Can you edit in a PDF?

Yes, editing can be done in a PDF, but the process will take roughly twice as long as editing in a file that allows the editor to make changes, such as Microsoft Word.

What are your rates?

Email info@bestwritersandeditors.com and we will contact you to discuss.

Our writers share tested techniques that help promote your work or satisfy your creative urge. Our coaching supports small businesses, nonprofit organizations, professionals from a broad range of industries, retirees, and writers of fiction and poetry. Some examples of our work: We coach groups, including entrepreneurs mentored by the SBA’s Small Business Development Center in Washington, DC, and the communications staff of the nonprofit Families USA. We work hand-in-hand with individual professionals, helping an architect and a health care innovator streamline their blog posts. We coax creative expression, teaching at a retirement community and guiding a poet in the crafting of her first book. Our services include:

• Coaching in professional writing for groups
• Coaching in professional writing for individuals
• Coaching in creative writing for individuals

Our seasoned editors offer proven experience in perfecting documents, whether 500-word blog posts or 100-page annual reports. We select key ideas to sharpen your messaging and communicate your meaning in direct, concise prose. Some examples of our work: We refine annual reports for the African Export-Import Bank. We polish policy papers by the research and analytics firm IMPAQ about issues of national importance, such as the opioid crisis and formal apprenticeship programs, and about local crises, such as hunger in Colorado among vulnerable populations. We fine-tune research papers by the Brookings Institution about forced early marriage in Nigeria and improving girls’ education in Peru. Our services include:

• Substantive editing to restructure and rewrite
• Copy editing to follow recognized style guidelines
• Proofreading to check for grammar and spelling errors
• Message development to highlight your key ideas