Running a business or nonprofit is hard work. There’s not enough time to do everything. Why try? When you hire a professional writer for your communications needs, that’s one less thing on your to-do list.

HarpWorks owner Stephanie Harp brings over 35 years’ experience to meeting your writing needs. She has worked in journalism, public relations, creative writing, arts administration, and education, and is a professionally trained researcher, interviewer, and historian.

From original writing to editing, updating, or proofreading, HarpWorks will fine tune your company’s written communications so your customers or clients get your message.

Let HarpWorks set you free again to do what you do best.

Writing

• Book Proposals – A Book Proposal is designed to introduce and summarize a completed or in-progress manuscript to an agent or publisher. Some elements of a Proposal are standard, and some vary by according to the requirements of different publishers. Think of it as a resume for your book manuscript

• Case Studies – An extended testimonial that is structured like a news article, a Case Study answers the Why and How of the classic Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions. Why should a customer purchase what you offer? How have previous clients benefited from it? The before-and-after picture painted in a Case Study provides the answers.
• E-Newsletters – With several companies offering mailing list storage and custom formats, e-newsletters are easier than ever. Keep your clients and customers up-to-date on your latest products, services, and successes.
• Fundraising Letters – Asking for money can be challenging and uncomfortable. A well-worded letter that explains who you are, what you do, and why you are raising money can go a long way toward reaching potential donors. Think of it as writing a grant application to individuals rather than to foundations.
• Ghost Writing – Do you have a story to tell but you don’t feel comfortable doing the actual writing? From celebrities to CEOs, many “authors” hire ghost writers as silent and invisible partners who do the actual writing. Your name is the only one on the finished product. Ghost writing can help you tell your story.
• Grant Writing – Foundations, corporations, and governments of all sizes have funds available. For more than a decade, HarpWorks has been finding funding opportunities, and writing and submitting applications on behalf of nonprofits, businesses, and individuals.
• Letters, Memos, Flyers – Sometimes everyday communications are challenging. HarpWorks can help you say what you want to say and save your valuable time.
• Media Kits – Media Kits are a means of providing news organizations—print, television, radio, or digital—with enough background information about a company or organization to write an article. Reporters and editors may use the Media Kit information as is or may supplement it with additional interviews, research, and writing.
• News Releases – Even in the instant news cycles of the digital age, News Releases remain the time-honored way of communicating news from a business or nonprofit to the media. News Releases answer the classic Who, What, When, Where, and Why questions in a standard format that editors can use.

• Web Pages – Staying current can be a challenge in this fast-paced environment. Does your website need refreshing? HarpWorks can help you spruce up the content, or reword what you have so it sounds like new.

   

Editing

From simple proofreading to polishing drafts and updating documents or websites, editing is a process that can make any piece of writing more readable and free from errors. The better your writing, the easier your customers, clients, or colleagues will understand what you want them to know.

Different levels of editing are appropriate to different sorts of content, based on the developmental stage of a particular piece of writing. What you need will depend on whether you are producing an advertisement, a news release, a book manuscript, an academic document, or something else. HarpWorks will help you to determine the sort of editing that best suits your project.

HarpWorks has edited or proofread academic and personal essays, biographical sketches, fiction, and nonfiction.

• Proofreading: Sometimes all that’s needed is a basic read-through, to make sure the final version is error-free. This sort of editing requires an eye for detail, as well as a thorough knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules.
• Line editing: This next level of editing includes grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as more substantial editing that may include language usage, sentence and paragraph structure, and any needed adherence to Associated Press, Chicago Manual of Style, or other stylistic rules.
• Content editing: The most thorough type of editing may include complex changes in structure, readability, and tone, in order to help shape the final development of the project.

In addition to the writing, grant writing, and publicity through HarpWorks, Stephanie has experience and training in editing a wide variety of content as a journalist, creative writer, and historian. She will be happy to work with you on your written project so that it reads smoothly and well. Good writing is good for business, and for individuals.