Fiction Writing Consultant
Developmental Editor

Kelly Lynne is the proud “auntie” to over 20 published novels, novellas and short stories, which have sold to Kensington Publishing, Cerridwen Press, Awe-Struck Publishing, Samhain Publishing, and The Wild Rose Press. These books have gone on to earn high praise from reviewers and readers, as well as multiple awards and contest wins. As an editor for The Wild Rose Press, she has edited contemporary western and light paranormal romances, with heat ratings from sweet to spicy. Her fiction fortes include sci-fi, fantasy, romance, speculative fiction, young adult, and stories of psychic or supernatural phenomena.

Empathic about the “feel” of a story, Kelly provides suggestions so that authors may revise with their own style in mind, preserving the individual voice, while alerting authors to current trends in publishable styles. Developmental fiction editing requires an emotional investment in the work—an investment of time and effort that Kelly is happy to make.

Specialties:

Style-sheet to track continuity, character traits, and plot aspects
Critique of story plot, character believability and setting
Weeding out clichés, redundancies, wordiness, triteness and vague generalizations

Kelly has published over 100 non-fiction articles and two short stories. In between her freelance assignments, she also works on her novel-length fiction. She knows the hoops authors are expected to jump through and helps authors polish their submission packets. Query letters, synopses and professional quality formatting are as important as a well-polished manuscript.

List of published titles:

"Kelly has a magnificent eye for detail coupled with an ability to find weak writing and weak ideas. She does not in any way change your intentions. Instead, she makes multiple suggestions for improvement in a straight forward, professional way. These suggestions will polish your manuscript into stellar final copy. She'll deliver a fantastic edit in a timely manner--one that will keep you using her service over and over and over. She's that good." ~Patti Ann Colt, author of The Sweetheart Dance, 2009 CAPA nominee

"Kelly has a keen eye for detail and an incisive editing style. She catches the tiniest goofs while maintaining a larger perspective on a story's overall pacing and tone. When a verb isn't brave enough or a metaphor isn't clear enough, she pulls no punches. Kelly helped my drafts become polished, saleable manuscripts, for which I'm grateful." ~Carrie Lofty, author of Scoundrel’s Kiss

"Kelly Lynne’s editing skills are outstanding. In addition to her excellent knowledge of grammar and the fundamentals of good writing, she provided brief summaries of each chapter that I found invaluable. She pointed out gaps in story line and inconsistencies in characterization that kept us on track. She's been a joy to work with." ~Isabel L. Martens, author of Nightflyers, 2009 CAPA nominee

"Thank goodness for editor Kelly Lynne. She worked with me to shape my ms into the best book it could be. With her knowledge and skills, she guided and encouraged me to push my own boundaries. I now have an epic sci-fi romance well received by readers and reviewers alike. My experience with Kelly has been nothing but wonderful, leaving tough shoes to fill by other editors." ~Donna Michaels, author of Legend of the Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren

"Kelly [has] a good sense of humor and a tactful way of communicating, who relates to writers as equals, not underlings. With each manuscript Kelly has edited for me, I've gained invaluable knowledge about the craft of fiction writing." ~Stacey Coverstone, author of High Lonesome

"When I recall what [my award-winning] manuscript looked like the first time Kelly read it, I cover my face in embarrassment. Truly a sow's ear that became a silk purse. [She] got me to not just fix what was on the page, but to improve my process. I was writing on a higher plane by the time we finished." ~Lynnette Baughman, author of Love with a Welcome Stranger, 2009 EPPIE winner Best Contemporary Romance and First Place, Single Title Contemporary, 2009 Write Touch Readers' Award.

"Working with Kelly was a pleasure. With professionalism and a touch of humor she pointed out errors and supplied suggestions and reasons for changes. In no way did she ever try to alter my voice or my vision for the book. I would love to work with her again on any manuscript." ~Carolyn Smith [writing as Caroline Clemmons] author of Out Of The Blue

"Kelly’s editing made such a remarkable difference! When I thought "no!" I trained myself to try her suggestions each time and damned if they weren’t right – she gave professional advice and professional polish and never once stepped on my story or my voice." Mae McCulloch, author of A Single Tear

"[Kelly] has a gift for finding weak spots in storytelling and character development. My rewrites were few, but each suggestion, even the one we debated, improved the story. I can't wait to work with her again. ~Keena Kincaid, author of Ties That Bind

"‘Editor’ is not a detailed enough job description to fully describe what Kelly does for manuscripts. Her title should be: ‘Human thesaurus/mistake-catching/grammar-watching/plot-strengthening/cheerleader of a gal who loves your book, loves you and always exceeds expectations.’ She works with you so that the finished product is still your novel...just better!" ~ Dylan Newton, author of Despite the Ghosts

"Kelly focuses on the details a writer often misses: timelines, passive voice, and all those pesky odds and ends that might turn off a reader. Her recommendations never watered down my voice, yet managed to make my story shine! I’m grateful for her sharp eyes, enthusiastic approach, and professionalism at every step of the editing process." ~Katherine Brandon, author of Kismet’s Angel

Novels:

The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt, 2009 CAPA nominee, contemporary romance

Nightflyers by Isabel L. Martens, 2009 CAPA nominee, fantasy romance

Despite the Ghosts by Dylan Newton; release July 2010

Enthralled by Keena Kincaid, release date pending

The Daddy Spell, by Patti Ann Colt

The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt

Nightflyers by Isabel L. Martens

Best Laid Plans by Isabel L. Martens

Scandalous by Diane Drew

What a Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty

Scoundrel’s Kiss by Carrie Lofty; release January 2010

Jazz Baby by Lorelie Brown; sold Sept. 2009 to Samhain Publishing.

Love With a Welcome Stranger by Lynnette Baughman; 2009 EPPIE winner ~ Contemporary Romance; First Place, Single Title Contemporary, 2009 Write Touch Readers' Award.

High Lonesome by Stacey Coverstone

Legend of the Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren by Donna Michaels

A Convenient Cowboy by Shari Thayn

Ghost of a Chance by Judi Phillips

Alex by Monica Robinson

Ties That Bind by Keena Kincaid; release December 2009

Kismet’s Angel by Katherine Brandon; release May 2010

Out of the Blue by Caroline Clemmons; release June 2010

A Single Tear by Mae McCulloch; release July 2010

Despite the Ghosts by Dylan Newton; release date pending

Spirit of the Mountain by Paty Jager; release date pending

Short stories:

Sundial by Carrie Lofty

Chasing Her Dreams by Stacey Coverstone

The Wiccan Kitten by Susanne Saville

From the Ashes by Cait McCarter

The Bewitched Cowboy by Tess Quinn; release date pending

Submission

Cut and paste the questions and answers into an e-mail:

EditMyBook@Gmail.com

Alternates:
2010 at book-editing.com
help2010 at airmail.net

Required:
Submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript (Word/DOC or RTF attachment preferred). 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)

(06) Level of editing desired/expected --

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?
$ ________________
(Note: The editors will quote their regular rates, but having an idea of your budget allows the editors to tell you what services they can provide to stay within that budget.)

(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):

(18) Do you want the coordinator to reroute your submission if you requested editors/writers who (a) are not available by your deadline date, (b) do not handle the type of material you submitted, and/or (c) do not perform the service(s) you want?

(19) How did you learn about our service?:

(20) Attach the first 50 pages of your manuscript (include prologue/preface, proposal, query)

Notes:

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.)

To learn more about the rates charged by professional editors, please see: Editorial Freelancers Association

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.

LIVE AGENT

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.

Fiction Writing Consultant Developmental Editor

Fiction Writing Consultant
Developmental Editor