Leslie Hawkins

I’m a top-rated editor on the Upwork freelance platform with a background in bookselling, business management, marketing, publicity, and contracting, I’m organized, adaptable, detail-oriented, and adept at multitasking and managing deadlines.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Freelance Editor (1 year, current position)    
• Bookseller and Manager (15 years), Spellbound Children’s Bookshop  
• Blogger (2 years), Publishers Weekly
• Program Assistant (3 years), Contract Specialist (2 years), Vaya Health (Medicaid Administration)

PROFESSIONAL  SKILLS                 

EDITORIAL

I created written and visual content for Spellbound’s website, print and digital newsletters, blogs, social media, advertising copy, press releases, and other marketing materials. For both Spellbound and Publishers Weekly I formatted and published my work directly in WordPress. At both Spellbound and Vaya I wrote detailed job aids and instructional materials, following company style. In my current editorial work I routinely create and follow custom style guides; I offer developmental, copy, and line editing, as well as proofreading and ghostwriting. Member of Editorial Freelancers Association.

CONTRACTS

I tracked an average of 54 new contracts and amendments per month at Vaya, as well as proofreading templates, verifying start and end dates, aligning file naming conventions, and sending contracts to individual or bulk recipients in DocuSign.

MANAGEMENT AND WORKFLOW

I wrote detailed job aids for training and instructional materials at both Spellbound and Vaya. At the bookstore: I hired, trained, and supervised interns and employees; engaged graphic designers and other pros to design logos, build websites, and create physical marketing and promotional items; hired performers, building contractors, and other vendors as needed. At Vaya: I revised the workflow for reporting new contracts, saving 5 hours a week, and I designed a system for assigning case managers, balancing workloads of 185 staff in 33 counties.

SOFTWARE

Advanced skills in Microsoft 365 Office Suite including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word, and Excel; Adobe Acrobat Pro; Docusign; and Canva. Intermediate skills in CLM and CRM platforms; Google Suite; Smartsheet; Trello Monday, Hootsuite, and WordPress. I can quickly learn industry-specific platforms as needed (for example, 7 at Spellbound and 5 at Vaya). I participated in User Acceptance Testing for two custom software platforms at Vaya.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of NC Asheville

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Editing Children's Picture Books, EFA

Rhyming Picture Books, Highlights Foundation

Macros for Editing, EFA

Proofreading & Copyediting with Chicago Manual of Style, EFA

Understanding and Explaining Your Editing Decisions, EFA

Fact Checking for Editors, University of Chicago

How Editors & Writers Can Build Great Relationships, ACES

Write and Edit with Design in Mind, ACES