The award-winning writing of Karen Davis prompted one of many loyal clients to call her his "secret weapon in attaining communications supremacy." In three years she earned magna cum laude degrees in English and history and world-class journalism credentials from the London Times and Regional Newspapers. Since 1976 she has been an international correspondent and author of hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles; publishing house editor (several books won American Library Association Outstanding Reference Source awards); acclaimed advertising writer (First Place in the Pacific Northwest, direct mail campaign) and technical writer ($10,000 First Place in North America, engineering paper); director of publications and marketing; author of style manuals; university lecturer in writing; and published lyricist and poet. She brings clarity and conciseness to confusing language and organization to chaos. She researches, writes, rewrites, edits, and proofreads everything from books (fiction and nonfiction) and screenplays to business, scientific, and government documents. Her areas of expertise include anthologies and compendiums, autobiography and biography, British language and culture, crime and mystery, children's books, drama and theatrical, education and textbooks, entertainment and Hollywood, essays, fables and fairy tales, horse racing, humor, history and politics, historical fiction, music, mythology and folklore, nature and the environment, philosophy and religion, poetry and verse, psychology, romance, short stories, science and science fiction, space flight, sports, travel, and young adult fiction. Clients value her meticulousness, intelligence, honesty, reliability, creativity, and cooperative spirit. She's a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Author of Santa Anita Morning Rhapsody
Copy Editing & Proofreading
Technical Editing
Business, Marketing, and Advertising Writing
Academic Editing
Screenplays
Journalism and Reporting
Writing Instruction
Fiction: Historical, Mainstream / Literary
Nonfiction: History, Creative / Literary / Business
(Published) books edited by Karen:
Alan, Theresa. The Girls' Global Guide to Guys. Kensington Books, NY: 2004.
Bass, Elizabeth and Julie. His Chosen Bride. Kensington Books, NY: 2005.
Coburn, Jennifer. Tales from the Crib. Kensington Books, NY: 2006.
Gaddis, Thomas E., and James O. Long. Panzram: A Journal of Murder. Amok Books, Los Angeles. 2002.
Gilmore, John. L.A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes and Bad Times. Amok Books. Los Angeles, 2005.
Gilmore, John. Laid Bare: A Memoir of Wrecked Lives and the Hollywood Death Trip. Amok Books. Los Angeles, 1997.
Gilmore, John. Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder. Amok Books, Los Angeles. 1998.
King, Valerie. A Garden of Dreams. Kensington Books, NY: 2005.
Raleigh, Deborah. Some Like It Wicked. Kensington Books, NY: 2005.
Simpson, Donna. The Gilded Knight. Kensington Books, NY: 2005.
Magill Books: Encyclopedia of the U.S. Supreme Court and Popular Musicians (winners of the American Library Association Outstanding Reference Source Award), The Solar System, World Leaders of the 20th Century, Notable British Novelists, Aging, Short Story Writers, et al.
"A deep bow to my editor . . . a mere genius. Thank you for your help and encouragement. You are amazing!"
―Richard Winwood, author, A Poore Wand’ring Boy, 2006
"It took me weeks to settle on an editor for my collection, and I'm thrilled that I ended up with Karen. Her work is, in a word, fantastic. I got exactly what I asked for and it made me euphoric. It was a pleasure to work with an editor who was both professional and friendly."
— Laala Kashef Alghata, author and poet (Friendship in Knots, Behind the Mask: A Folded Heart)
"[You are] a gifted editor . . . a very talented lady. Thank you so much!"
―Mark H. Barratt, author, The Guardian of Heaven series: One, 2006; David, 2007; Shannon, 2007; published by BookSurge Publishing.
Feedback
"Thank you for all your hard work. Beyond excellent!"
—Salem Press, Pasadena, CA
"It's a pleasure working with you." —Karina Mikhli, Kensington Publishing, New York, NY
"Karen did a critique followed by an extensive edit on my stage play, which was published by a London publishing company in August with the comment "one of the best plays the review board has read." It was a difficult piece because it was a modern day version of a biblical story. Karen gave valuable advice on the strengths and weaknesses of the work plus an extensive edit. I cannot thank Karen enough and it was a real pleasure working with her." —C.G. Wilson, author, The Judith Code, 2006
"Working with Karen as copy editor of non-fiction book titles is complete pleasure. Karen is painstakingly thorough, extremely well-informed in all areas of her field, and willing to rise to the most challenging assignments. I highly recommend her to any fellow publisher or author with the utmost confidence." — Stuart Swezey, Publisher, Amok Books
"Thanks, Karen. Youre my secret weapon in the struggle for communications supremacy!" — Alan Lattanner, CEO, Blue Iguana
"Karen is a consummate professional. She is an English language expert with an eagles eye for detail. I recommend her whole-heartedly . . . to any business associate who will listen." — Paul Lineberry, Principal, Lineberry Engineering
"I cant thank you enough. Your incredible skills continue to be a huge asset to Comic Relief." — Mary Ruth Koogler, former Director of Special Projects, Comic Relief
"Karen is the best technical editor that I have worked with. She accepts the responsibility to provide accurate and precise information. She is not satisfied until she exceeds her own high expectations." — Thomas L. Foster, Principal, Maul, Foster & Alongi, Inc.
"Karen was responsible for preparing, writing, and editing the monthly internal employee newsletter better than it had ever been done in the companys history. Her writing skills are superb." — Walter C. Minnick, President, Trus Joist Corporation
"Karens brilliant writing and editing skills transformed our bare-bones materials. The breadth of her writing skills is evident in her ability to produce and improve a range of materials . . . from concept through completion." —Marjorie Saadah, former Executive Director, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
"I just want you to know how much I appreciate the time you had to take to do such a thorough job. The document is more concise and has an authoritative air about it." —Tom C. Waller III, Regional Quality Assurance Manager, STV
"Karen has superior skills for producing clear and effective writing. We had worked together years ago for the same company. When I started my own company, I went to great lengths to locate her. I wanted the best." — Vahan Hoonanian, Principal, EP Associates
"Karen has played a pivotal role in the preparation of our provisional patent applications that we have submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office. She has the unique ability to describe complex medical and technical matters in a way that any educated person can understand, regardless of his/her area of expertise." — Frank Arguello, MD, President, Arguello Brothers & Associates
"You are a magician with language. The ms. reads much better now, which is amazing because it had already been revised at least thirty times and professionally edited. I've learned a great deal from you and it's been a pleasure working with someone so pleasant, extremely talented, and knowledgeable. I hope you'll be available for my future projects. Now I don't think I'd want my agent to see anything you haven't seen first! Thank you for doing such a marvelous job. Don't be surprised if you get some referrals. Youre brilliant." — Linda Dennis Richmond, author
"Im glad you came along. Youre brillianta true genius with words! Im always so amazed that every suggestion and correction is the perfect choice. And Im so grateful how your knowledge and intuition, practicality and artistry, reason and vision have perfected my work. Thank you, Renaissance Woman." — David Yakerson, author, educator, musician
"You've done a great job taking the bugs out of my writing. Your meticulous editing has made the work flow more smoothly. Thank you for all the work you've done. You've made my first writing exploration a less daunting experience. I look forward to working with you again. I'll keep in touch." — Bart Lambrecht, author
"Karen, I just want to thank you so much for your magic touch in working with my mss. It finally took the shape I had in mind from the beginning." — Alina Barkan, author
"The mss reads much, much better. Thanks for a really professional job. I've started my second book, so . . . we'll do this again." — David Sakamoto, author
"Thanks for your quick and through analysis! I deeply appreciate your comments and suggestions. Frankly, I was ready to throw in the towel on this book because I knew it wasn't anywhere near finished, but I didn't know how to proceed. You've given me good insights and needed hope!" — Richard Winwood, author
"Wow! Thank you. It appears my decision to employ your talents was a wise one!"
— Jay Osman, author
"I think everything you said was absolutely right. Thank you so much for your encouragement." — Simon Taylor, author
"Jim and I want to thank you for editing Pennsylvania's Forest: A Story of People and Change. Your efforts were an improvement to our effort, and we are pleased with your suggestions ... copy editing changes ... (and) editing beyond that, which, as you said, (makes) things a little more enticing and vibrant. Right now we're looking toward publishing the book as an educational tool for school students." —Seth P. Cassell,
Communications Coordinator/Resource Planner, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry;
Dr. James C. Finley,
Professor of Forest Resources, Pennsylvania State University
Required:
Submit a sample of your book manuscript or story (Word/DOC or RTF
attachment preferred). The sample should be 5-50 pages. Large files
should be zipped. Attachment not required if writing has not started
(e.g., because you're looking for a ghostwriter).
Along with a sample, the following information is required. Ignore questions that do not apply to your
project (e.g., footnotes).
(01) Word count of complete project (under "Tools" in MS Word):
(02) Put your 100-word (approx) synopsis/description here (or attach):
(03) Describe your genre and topic (e.g., nonfiction/self-help, science fiction,
horror, romance, mystery, Western, young adult, children, poetry, Christian, creative nonfiction, literary):
(04) Deadline date, if any, for return of complete project. (Please be realistic. Remember that professional editors usually have a project in process.):
(05) If you have no immediate deadline, when do you want to start the editing process?: (For instance: within 30 days, within 60 days, within 90 days, 4-12 months)
Copyediting / Proofreading / Line Editing (e.g., English corrections, typos, paragraph and sentence structure, word use)
Developmental (e.g., help with the big picture, such as flow/pacing, telling the story, characterization, structure, style)
Rewriting / Ghostwriting
Critique / Evaluation
(07) Number of charts/tables/pictures (if any):
(08) Writing style/format manual (e.g., Chicago Manual, APA, MLA), if applicable:
(09) Number of footnotes/references:
(10) Do you have a contract with an agent or publisher?:
(11) Do you plan to self-publish?:
(12) What is your budget for the entire project? $ ________________
(13) Your name:
(14) E-mail addresses:
(15) Day/evening phone numbers (required -- in case the response to your e-mail bounces or the editors need clarification
regarding the scope of service needed, deadline, etc.):
(16) City, State, Country (or time zone):
(17) The name(s) of the editor(s)/writer(s) you'd like to contact.
(If no names are selected, your e-mail will be sent to several consultants chosen by the coordinator):
No hidden charges
We won't quote you one price and charge you another. When possible, we'll provide you with a per-word or per-page rate so you'll know up front exactly
how much your project will cost. (Of course, we ask that you fairly represent the scope of your project.)
It is a mistaken notion that freelance editors work "on spec" (speculation) with no payment to the editor. It is basically asking the editor to work for free. There's no guarantee that a book will see a profit (or even be published). The editors posted here do not work on spec.
Note: Price quotes and time estimates for individual editors cannot be given over the phone or via chat. This is a network of freelance editors with varying prices and work schedules (see our FAQ). To obtain a price quote please follow the procedures listed on our quotes page.
Contact live support if you do not receive a response within three hours. It is possible that your submission was not received. You may also page the network coordinator by leaving voicemail or sending a fax to 469-789-3030.
Please be as complete as
possible in representing your project's scope and size so you will receive
the most accurate estimate.
Disclaimer: Your agreement, whether oral or written, is with your freelance editor / proofreader / writer, not with the freelance network as a whole or its coordinator.