Editorial Services for Publishers and Independent Authors

Plain, textured beige or light brown paper background.

Portrait of writer and editor Dan Letchworth. Photo by Kristy Walker.

Photo by Kristy Walker

I’m Dan Letchworth, an editor and writer with 18 years of experience, seven of which as the copy chief of San Diego Magazine. I started Desert Owl Press because I love making books and helping people publish great stories. As a freelance contractor I’ve copy edited, fact checked, or proofread over 400 books for young readers; I have also designed and self-published five of my own original books.

Editorial Services

As a contractor, I can work with you through any stage of print and digital book or magazine publication, from interviewing, writing, and copy editing to proofreading and design.

I would love to help bring your project to life! Drop me a line and let me know what you need.

Explore options

Original Books

Phoenix Dawn

Now This Ain’t No Shit

We Flew Out and Walked Back

Telegraph Canyon

More Info

Articles

Science Writing

Theater Reviews

Dansplaining

Interviews

See Samples

Editing

Copy Editing

Product Development

Proofreading

Fact Checking and Continuity Editing

View Selected Work

Clients

"Hiring Dan to copy-edit Seraphant was one of the best decisions I made on this book. His comments were specific and actionable. He flagged real issues, left strong prose alone, and pushed back on things that needed pushback. As a debut author, I needed an editor who could be both rigorous and respectful of the voice. I would hire Dan again without hesitation and recommend him to any author with a serious project that deserves a serious editor."

—J. A. Megara, author of Seraphant: The Cycle of the Darkened Thread
"Working with Dan was an excellent experience from start to finish. He was fast, communicative and clear in his feedback. What stood out most was his attention to detail and deep knowledge of the genre. He caught niche science fiction specific details that a general editor would have missed entirely, which made all the difference for this manuscript. He always explained the reasoning behind each suggestion rather than just flagging issues. I would absolutely recommend Dan to any author looking for a copy editor, especially those writing in science fiction or speculative fiction. I will definitely be working with him again."

—Kiki Taylor, author of The Sovereign
"If you're looking for a copy editor who truly cares about books and wants to make your work the best it can be, then Dan is the copy editor for you. He treated my work with tremendous care, going above and beyond with a level of true professionalism. Dan's work was detailed and thorough, and his turnaround time was expedient. I would highly recommend him for any future work."

—Michael del Rosario, former project manager for Pixar Animation Studios and independent author
“Dan made all of the storytelling at San Diego Magazine better. He saved us on so many levels, so many times, but was also there with a great, new, big idea when we needed it.”

—Erin Chambers Smith, former chief content officer, San Diego Magazine
“During my time at the magazine, I was consistently amazed at how many things Dan would catch during the copy editing process, both in the Word drafts as well as in final layouts on the day the publication was going to press. He has saved us from printing potentially embarrassing mistakes numerous times. I always felt assured that a story was fit to be published after Dan looked at it. “

—Marie Tutko, former editor in chief, San Diego Magazine
“Dan does a superb job at tracking the details of the story and found inconsistencies, both literal and conceptual, that I might have missed even if I looked for them. His understanding of grammar is highly nuanced, and he explains the nuances clearly. As part of my request, I asked him to do any final line editing where needed. He understood the essence of some of the complex perspectives in my most tortured descriptions, and he was able to distill the ideas into simple, effective sentences.”

—Edward Bagby, Reedsy client and author of The Feigned Moon of Entiria

Latest Writing

“The History of Jackass Mail, San Diego’s First Mail Route”
San Diego Magazine

“San Diego Fringe Fest Was Built for the Undecided”
San Diego Magazine

“Illumina leads the industry in genomic AI”
Illumina News Center (ghostwritten)

How can I help bring your book to life?

Reach Out