Experience: Nationally recognized communications writer and editor since 2015, following two decades as a journalist in California, Latin America, Moscow, and Washington, DC. Winner 2023 Webby Award, 2023 and 2024 Anthem Awards, and 2023 National Association of Black Journalists Award, all for content produced for Southern Poverty Law Center. Other clients include Ford Foundation, World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Natural Resources Defense Council. Former Pentagon Correspondent, Los Angeles Times and Mexico City Bureau Chief,  Knight Ridder Newspapers. As a journalist, received Overseas Press Club Award and Associated Press Fairbanks Award for Public Policy, among other honors.

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, United States -Latin American relations, narcotics, and immigration policies, national and international health care, national security, trade, Eastern Europe, and the environment. 

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

Education: Bachelor’s degree in history and English from Dartmouth College.

Experience: More than four decades as a reporter, writer, and editor. Former Washington bureau chief of the Orlando Sentinel and Washington correspondent for the New Haven Register. More than 15 years as a freelance writer and editor for newspapers, magazines, and websites. Past president of the National Press Club.

Skills: Narrative storyteller able to translate complicated issues into copy relevant to any audience. Compelling profile writer. Experienced content editor. Quick study in new subject areas. 

Subject matter expertise: National politics, Congress, health care, business, personal finance, transportation, real estate, parenting, and education. 

Education: Master’s degree in public policy from Trinity College in Hartford. Bachelor’s degree in journalism and Spanish, with minor in political science, from Indiana University.

Experience: More than two decades as a reporter, editor, and media executive. Worked as a Washington correspondent for The New York Times; Editor-in-Chief 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. Editor of several nonfiction books.

Subject matter expertise: Advocacy and 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.

Experience: Three decades as a writer, editor, and publications manager for environmental economics think tanks, sustainable development institutions (including the World Bank), climate philanthropies, and nonfiction book publishers. 

Skills: Developing and editing content to engage specific audiences; shaping content for clarity and impact; working with subject matter experts to create compelling books, reports, and policy briefs; and developing marketing collateral, including blogs, Q&As, stakeholder emails, publication landing pages, and social media content.

Subject matter expertise: Climate change, sustainable economic development, urban transportation, housing, and governance.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary and master’s degree in English from the Catholic University of America.

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. The Rose Theatre Co. performed one of her poems during a Poetry & Music Concert in April 2024, and she won third 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.

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 making small editorial changes, sometimes including light rewriting, to ensure 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 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.

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. The Rose Theatre Co. performed one of her poems during a Poetry & Music Concert in April 2024, and she won third 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.

LinkedIn Profile

Experience: More than two decades writing and editing for major international organizations. Main clients: World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, U.S. 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. Translation from Spanish to English. 

Education: Master’s degree in international relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Master’s degree in social work from The Catholic University of America. Bachelor’s degree in Italian language and literature from Bryn Mawr College.

Our writers share tested techniques to 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 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Center in Washington, DC, and the staff of the nonprofit Center for Health Care Strategies. 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 on issues of national importance, such as the opioid crisis and formal apprenticeship programs, and on local challenges, such as hunger in Colorado among vulnerable populations. We fine-tune research papers by the Brookings Institution on 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

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 our write-ups on graduate studies 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 collateral (brand assets, email newsletters, and more)
• Opinion pieces (blog posts and op-eds)
• Speechwriting
• Video scripts
• Website copywriting