Elizabeth Lyon, Editor

Author, editor, and teacher Elizabeth Lyon, sometimes described as the writer’s midwife, has been an independent book editor for the last twenty years. Scores of her clients and students have been published and won awards. A few have secured movie options. She has also trained half a dozen writers in the fine art and craft of editing, including Candy Davis, a conference presenter, who was one of her students. Elizabeth has been a contributor to The Writer & Writer’s Digest magazines and to several anthologies and other publications. She has served as a judge to literary contests including, for many years, the Surrey International Writers contest.

Elizabeth is the author of five highly regarded books for writers: A Writer’s Guide to Fiction, A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit, and National Directory of Editors and Writers. She is presently under contract to write two more books for writers, one on self-editing fiction and the other on self-editing nonfiction. Tips, techniques, and client successes are posted at her author website: www.elizabethlyon.com.

As a traveling workshop teacher, she has held the post, for the last seven years, as instructor of the Master Classes for novelists attending the much acclaimed, annual Writers Retreat Workshop in Kentucky. She also teaches many two-day workshops for writing organizations and clubs and has frequently led Thursday master classes for the Surrey conference. 

Elizabeth lives in Springfield, Oregon where she also operates her company, Editing International (www.4-edit.com). Her beloved Border collie, Riley, beats her at Scrabble and, as the newest editorial apprentice, has recently mastered three four-letter words: Show don't tell.

Photo credit: www.akarnophotography.com