KAREN SCHADER specializes in fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults, including chapter books, picture books, and educational resources. She has worked as a substantive editor, copyeditor, and proofreader for authors, trade publishers, and educational publishers. With an academic background in child development, she brings an understanding of children to her work, and several of her titles have been recognized with iParenting Media Awards and National Health Information Awards. A client once described Karen's editing as going beyond "simple grammar and sentence structure to style, age-appropriateness, and clarity." She respects readability, grammar, punctuation, accuracy, deadlines—and the importance of preserving the author's voice.
Selected List
101 Ways to Teach Children Social Skills A Pinch of Powder Allie Learns about Alzheimer's Disease Barking Broccoli, Ecstatic Eggs, and Groggy Guacamole Beyond the Blues Calm Down and Play>
Magic Wanda’s Travel Emporium Mommy’s Birthday Surprise Say Goodbye to Being Shy Sometimes I Get Sad Sometimes I Worry Too Much The Adventures of Ty and Caine The Anxiety Workbook for Teens The Chimp Who Lost Her Chatter The Divorce Workbook for Children The Rabbit Who Lost His Hop The Social Success Workbook Tools and Techniques for Helping Children with GAD What’s Eating You? Why Did You Die? YouthLink: Developing Effective Mentoring Programs
Feedback
"Karen provided no-nonsense editing: she made simple changes that needed to be made without wasting my time discussing trivial points, and illuminated the larger points and gave me suggestions that weren't overwhelming, explaining why they were needed and giving me the option of discussing them if I wasn't comfortable with them. She was prompt and encouraging, and I got the sense that she believed in the potential of my work. All in all, I'm happy I worked with an editor who helped me to zero in on the exact changes that needed to be made without my having to obsess about them for weeks. Now this manuscript is clean and ready for submission, rather than just being added to my 'needs polishing' pile that goes nowhere." Linda Hildonen
"Karen Schader was extremely prompt with responses to my inquiries. As well, she went above and beyond to provide me with feedback and ideas I found helpful to my writing process. I was very impressed with her work and will definitely use her services again in the future." --Kimberly Kassis
"She was always kind; Karen understood how the book should be written, and without being dictatorial, made sure I did it."
--Rita Whitman Steingold, author of Taking Visual
Impairment to School
"I found Karen to be unlike any other editor with whom I have worked. She accepted quality and didn't feel she needed me to rewrite just to validate her position as an editor. She is that good, both in her approach to the writing and her ability to work with the author in a positive way."
--Elaine Ernst Schneider, author of Taking Hearing
Impairment to School
"Sensitive to both the author's voice and ego, [Karen] is able to focus quickly on the content of written material, suggesting to the author ways in which the message might be delivered most effectively. She strives for consistency, economy in word usage, and clear communication in the material entrusted to her."
--Marji Gold-Vukson, author of Teaching Character Through
Service
"Karen was very helpful. Her comments and changes just made
the story flow better. She was open to talking with me and was very open to my
questions as this was my first attempt at writing a book. I found her feedback
extremely helpful in a process that seemed to have some mysterious elements
within it. She was also very encouraging. I cannot say enough about how much I
appreciated her editing suggestions — It was obvious to me that she is
extremely skilled and that is what I needed."
--Susan Pelton, Clinical Psychologist
"Karen was a delight to work with. She was very professional
yet sprinkled in hints of humor. Her editing was concise and improved the
tightness and flow of my manuscript. I would be very happy to work with her
again."
--Contact information on request
I had the privilege of working with Karen in the development
of my second publication, YouthLink: Developing Effective Mentoring Programs.
Her skills in editing text to make it accessible to the reader are
extraordinary. Karen has a good eye for the logical arrangement of materials
and is very creative in suggesting additions. I found her to be easy to work
with and an excellent listener, combined with exacting editorial standards.
I attribute much of the success I have had with my
publication to the expertise of Ms. Schader. I am confident you will experience
the same.
--Nathan T. Avani, PhD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Secondary Education
San Francisco State University
Whenever I have worked with you, Karen, your keen eye for
detail and ability to politely point out the need for a change has made working
with you a pleasure. Editorial input is a two-way street, needing give and take
on both sides. You and I have always had the ability to function that way, and
working with you has always been a delight.
-- Steve Barr, Illustrator
It has been a pleasure working with you on this book! Your
comments and revisions improved the book and we are both pleased with the final
product. We appreciate all of your suggestions and help.
-- Richard Brozovich and Linda Chase, authors of Say
Goodbye to Being Shy
"The editing was returned promptly, and was professionally completed,
particularly regarding grammar, punctuation, clarity and syntax. Karen was also
helpful in giving advice, and she sought clarification to be certain that she
understood the writer's intent. She provided prompt answers to inquiries,
making it easy to work with her."
--
Linda Fausey, childrens book author/attorney
"I was very happy with the work that Karen did for me. She returned my manuscript before the date given. Her changes were perfect. She really made my characters come to life. She made herself available for any questions that I had and she answered my emails very promptly. If I were to write another story I would use Karen again." -- Erin Cortes, teacher, Judson ISD
"It was a wonderful experience working with this editor. I will definitely use her in the future."
-- Terrienna Cullins, director, child care facility
“Karen did a wonderful job of editing our picture book. Her inputs were very valuable.”
--
Ken San Vicente, Project Manager, LionX Publishing
“Karen finished ahead of time and provided useful suggestions. I
would recommend her to anyone.”
--Nick
--"I was delighted with the finished results and feel confident that the work my editor did has improved my chances of getting my manuscript published. A pleasure from beginning to end."
--
Contact information on request
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.
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possible in representing your project's scope and size so you will receive
the most accurate estimate.
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