Kelly Lynne is the proud "auntie" to over
45 published novels, novellas and short stories, which have sold to Kensington
Publishing, Carina Press, Cerridwen Press, Awe-Struck Publishing, Samhain
Publishing, Wings ePress, 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, two short stories,
and a novel. 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:
Lynnette Baughman Love With a Welcome Stranger (2009 EPPIE winner,
2009 Write Touch Readers' Award)
Katherine Brandon Kismet’s Angel
Lorelie Brown Jazz Baby and Catch Me
Caroline Clemmons Out of the Blue
Patti Ann Colt The Daddy Spell, The Sweetheart Dance
(2009 CAPA nominee), The Rock Star’s Sheriff, and Kiss
Me Goodnight (coming November 2011)
Stacey Coverstone Chasing Her Dreams,High Lonesome, and
Big Sky (coming 2012)
Sandra Desjardins Sleeper Cells (coming November 2011)
Diane Drew Scandalous
Paul Gillebaard Moon Hoax (coming 2012)
Denise Golinowski The Festival of the Flowers: The Courtesan and
the Scholar
Blake Hausladen Ghosts in the Yew
Heather Hiestand Victoriana Adventure
Paty Jager Spirit of the Mountain, Spirit of the Lake, and Spirit
of the Sky (coming 2012)
Ilene Kaye It Had to be Yuu
Keena Kincaid Ties That Bind and Enthralled
Carrie Lofty Sundial, What a Scoundrel Wants, Scoundrel’s Kiss,
and Song of Seduction
Gabrielle Lucas Same as it Never Was (coming November 2011)
Isabel L. Martens Best Laid Plans and Nightflyers (2009
CAPA nominee)
Cate Masters Romancing the Hero and Ground Rules (coming
Christmas 2011)
Cait McCarter From the Ashes
Mae McCulloch A Single Tear
Donna Michaels Legend of the Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren
Dylan Newton Despite the Ghosts
Judi Phillips Ghost of a Chance (2010 Bean Pot award winner,
New England RWA)
Tess Quinn The Bewitched Cowboy and The Cowboy and the Rose
(coming 2012)
Monica Robinson Alex
S.G. Rogers Clash of Wills (coming 2012)
Susanne Saville The Wiccan Kitten
M.A. Street Hands and The Third Life (coming February
2012)
Toni V. Sweeney Variation (coming December 2011)
Shari Thayn A Convenient Cowboy
Feedback
"I was very impressed with the level of professionalism from my
consultant, Kelly Lynne. This was my first novel to receive professional
editing on, and Kelly was very patient with me the entire way through.
I loved her insight and I know my story is better after she worked
her magic. She was upfront and very clear about the entire process
from the very beginning and she worked hard to make sure she met
the deadlines she set." - Tera Shanley
"As a new writer, I found Kelly’s comments, suggestions and
overall critique to be invaluable. Her feedback not only helped
me bring my manuscript to the next level but she also helped me
become a better writer." - Sandra Bunin
"I am a first time author of a young adult paranormal romance
novel. In my research of how the publishing world works, I determined
that it would be in the best interest of the success of my book
to get a professional critique of my completed manuscript before
querying any agents. I found www.book-editing.com on the internet,
among many other editorial sites offering their services. I requested
a sample edit from each website I found, but www.book-editing.com
went above and beyond. I chose Kelly Lynne. Kelly was familiar with
the genre of my manuscript and we totally connected. Her comments
about my manuscript were insightful, well thought out, well researched
and she has a firm grasp of the market and what it takes to get
a manuscript noticed. Kelly’s email responses were timely and her
answers to my questions were thorough and voluminous. I am in the
middle of a final re-write based on her comments and I’m noticing
that the story grows stronger and more interesting with every change,
all thanks to Kelly’s critique. If you’re writing a paranormal romance,
she’s definitely the editor to choose for your critique! She’s worth
every penny!" - Cris L. P. Olsen
"Kelly did a phenomenal job with her read-through and critique.
She was very concise and thorough, unafraid to be brutally honest,
and yet at the same time respectful and encouraging when addressing
author’s weaknesses and strengths. All things considered, her contributions
have significantly improved the quality of my work and I’d be more
than glad to work with her again." - Tyler Barron
"I found the network to be very efficient. I received responses
shortly after I posted my request, and the editing of my book began
shortly thereafter. My editor, Kelly Lynne, was a great asset. Apart
from making the book's wording 'tighter,' she turned my attention
to many inconsistencies in the book, which would have surely confused
readers. Kelly also helped me with describing the characters better
- their motivation, personality, and even appearance. Our work together
was always pleasant, and she always responded to my queries with
patience." - Dan Bentsur, ynetnews.com
"Lovely, available, thorough." (Contact information on
request)
"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
"The network responded promptly to all my queries and emails.
My consultant was friendly enough to make the editing process a
comfortable one, but also professional enough so that you never
forgot this was also a business transaction. She did her best and
then some to accommodate me. If she is free, I do plan on using
Kelly in the future because she’s warm, friendly, and uses honesty
instead of editor intimidation to get you to improve your book."
(Contact information on request)
Submission
Cut and paste the questions and answers into an e-mail:
You may send your initial submission to all addresses to make sure it's received.
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).
A sample is required to receive an estimate
for editing services
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?
$ ________________
(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.)
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:Questions about price and turnaround times cannot be given over the phone or via chat.
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 (M-F, 9a-7p central). Expect longer response times if you submitted after U.S. business hours or on weekends.
You may also send your submission to our alternate e-mail addresses if you do not receive a response within three hours M-F:
Help2012 at Airmail.net
editingnetwork at gmail.com
contact at editing-writing.com
You may also leave voice mail for the network coordinator: 469-789-3030. This number is for verification of e-mail submissions only.
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 editor or publishing consultant, not with the editing network as a whole or its coordinator.