Contemporary Fiction
Mainstream - Trade
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Editors
Clients are particularly impressed by her ability to make their text sparkle while maintaining their voice. She is flexible, personable, and highly proficient. As one client noted, Sarah is clearly a gifted, disciplined editor. It was obvious that she took great care to preserve my voice, and not to change meaning when structure needed adjusting. Her art is subtle – at first glance, I wondered what she'd done . . . but the changes added power, conviction, and flow to my thoughts. I am so glad I found my way to Sarah!
Specialties:
Genres: women’s fiction, literary fiction, memoir, biographies, religion, new age, spirituality, inspiration, self-help, how-to
Award-winning writer and editor H. L. BELL is committed to helping other writers make their work the best it can possibly be. Intimately familiar with the thrills and insecurities of the writing process, she empathizes and works especially well with other writers. Clients have praised her as an editor with an engaging manner, a meticulous attention to detail, and a consummate skill with language. She has edited a broad range of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction titles, including Bonnie Jo Campbell’s American Salvage, finalist for the 2009 National Book Award in fiction. Her own fiction and book reviews have appeared in Jane, Salon, The Women’s Review of Books, and the Chicago Reader.
Services
D.J. BRUNO works closely with authors to develop, liven, and perfect their books and articles. She provides manuscript critiques that offer extensive feedback on every aspect of a narrative, as well as ghostwriting, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and marketing (proposal, query, and synopsis development and agent contact). A fiction writer herself, she was an editorial assistant and reader at Ploughshares, had her fiction published in various literary magazines, taught literature and grammar, and edited a range of material from memoir to erotica, biography, short fiction, poetry, travel writing, personal essays, and literary and commercial fiction. She specializes in film and photography, food and wine, nutrition, travel, psychology, memoir, and literary fiction.
Manuscript Submission Services: Your initial contact with an agent or publisher is your first impression; therefore, it's crucial that you put your best foot forward when drafting a letter. What I can do . . . "Thanks for your flexibility, great attitude, and hard work. It was a pleasure working with you on this project." - Sarah Yezzi, Senior Technical Editor, Prentice Hall
Water at the Blue Earth, young adult historical fiction (Roberts Rinehart, 1998) She has seen one of her novels made into film (for Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions) and has won numerous literary awards. She believes that even in today’s tough publishing climate, it is still possible for new writers to enter the business and succeed. Second to writing her own novels, she loves to mentor others to help them achieve their goals. She knows firsthand how writers benefit from the help and support of others writers and/or editors. Specialties
"Anne has provided expert level editing assistance to me in the writing of my manuscript. Her ideas and creativity have been invaluable to me." Kandi Hofmeister, author of the memoir, Held. "Anne's insight and original input helped improve my novel and matched my expectations beautifully." Andrea Kolub, author of The Lady in the Cape. Writing Historical Fiction that Sells
"After researching many, many book editors, I chose Alice because
I was impressed with her extensive list of accomplishments, both as an editor
with top publishing houses and as a poet and author in her own right. [That
she] actually managed to exceed my (already sky-high) expectations was quite
a feat! She took a manuscript that had completely gone off the rails in terms
of pacing and focus, and put it squarely back on track – somehow she was
able to see through all the extraneous, meandering subplots and envision the
work as it was meant to be. As my editor, Alice not only extracted (read: rescued)
the core story from its runaway cast of supporting characters and sub motifs,
but went on to cultivate the roots of that core story until it transformed into
a road map of the simply but poignantly plotted, character-driven literary novel
I had sat down to write more than two years before. In addition to several such
fundamental plot fixes, Alice also provided a meticulous list, complete with
page numbers, of every chronological inconsistency, every mix-up of a character’s
name or background, and every oversight in which I had unintentionally and prematurely
revealed plot twists and other information to the reader. I was blown away by
how thoroughly she knew every detail of each and every character and minor event
of the novel inside out, in just two weeks – in this way too, she had
become more versed in my own novel than I was at that time. Throughout the editing
process, Alice was very generous and patient with me in answering my millions
of questions about her invaluable feedback and suggestions. I feel confident
that I’ll not only be able to rewrite the novel in accordance with the
new, cogent outline Alice helped me create, but also, to use this restructuring
to push the narrative, and the writing, to its fullest literary potential." "As a novice, writing my first novel, I was amazed by Alice's ability
to visualize my entire novel and make succinct comments that were specific to
a particular sentence while referring to the structure and narrative of the
entire work." "Alice is very professional, knows writing, knows the business. I hope she’s available for my next project. I not only received a professional editing of my piece, but peace of mind as well."” - Barbara Wade "Alice Day is a clever, intelligent, thoughtful, and thorough editor.
She is nurturing yet highly professional, with keen eyes and ears. She hones
in on the heart and matter and delivers the goods…a goldmine for any
writer." "Alice Day is a joy to work with and someone I recommend most highly
to other writers. She is a skillful, sensitive editor with excellent judgment
and tremendous respect for an author's voice. Whether she's commenting on the
overall arc of a story or zeroing in on a specific phrase or line of dialogue,
her comments are always insightful and instructive."
Before STACEY DONOVAN became a professional editor more than 20 years ago, she worked in a literary agency where she learned how to say no more often than yes, and include reasons why. A stint in advertising followed, teaching her to tell it short and sweet, meet deadlines, and most important: never give up. Donovan is a six-time published book author of both fiction and non-fiction. She has edited or ghostwritten more than a dozen published books for her clients. Two became New York Times Bestsellers, and another nominated for Best First Novel by International Thriller Writers. She is experienced in many genres: Contemporary/Mainstream; Caper/Detective; Erotica; Gay/Lesbian; Literary Fiction; Mystery; Psychological Thriller; Suspense; Women's Fiction; Young Adult; Memoir/Autobiography; Creative Nonfiction. Specialties
Donovan is a writing coach, mentor, collaborator and ghostwriter. She has published dozens of non-fiction articles on design and art, and specialized in celebrity interviews with experts in their field. She is also a Publishing and Social Media strategist. ANNE GREENBERG was an in-house editor of children's books for 16 years at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, specializing in fiction for readers 5–8 (but not picture books), 8–12, and young adult. Now she is a full-time freelance, doing developmental editing, editing, and copyediting of adult fiction and nonfiction, in addition to children's books. Known for her thorough yet sensitive work, at Pocket/S&S she edited more than 550 books (including all-new Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles) and worked with more than 40 writers, including first-time authors. Honors for her list include The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti, a teen novel that garnered two starred reviews and the cover of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; Why Do They Hate Me?, a nonfiction compilation that was named a VOYA Nonfiction Honor Book; and Violet Eyes by Nicole Luiken, a teen science fiction novel that was a YALSA Quick Pick nominee. As a freelance she has edited Walking the Line by Mike Lude with Bill Knight (sports autobiography), Sniper Shot by Barry Ozeroff (adult thriller), Spider Riders: The Shards of the Oracle by Tedd Anasti and Patsy Cameron-Anasti with Stephen D. Sullivan (children's sf), and Defender: Hyperswarm by Tim Waggoner (sf). Copyedited works include Winning by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch (business); Shine by Star Jones Reynolds; The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty by Buster Olney (sports); Arthritis by John D. Clough, MD; One Stroke, Two Survivors by Bernice Kleiman with Herb Kleiman (health); The Van Gogh Conspiracy by J. Madison Davis (thriller); The Rare and the Beautiful by Cressida Connolly (biography); and Running Money: Hedge Fund Honchos, Monster Markets and My Hunt for the Big Score by Andy Kessler (business).
SANDRA JUDD is an editor, proofreader, and indexer with more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. Her clients have included university presses, large, mainstream publishers, and smaller presses and professional organizations. She has edited or proofread over 300 published books, on topics that include politics, history, business, literary criticism, ethnic history, anthropology, science and medicine, industry manuals, memoirs, Christian and inspirational, parenting and relationships, humor, and fiction. She has edited 20+ volumes in the Health Reference Series published by Omnigraphics, all published under her name as editor. She has also edited professional journals and newsletters, business plans, scholarly articles being prepared for publication, economic plans to be distributed to the state legislature, and a number of dissertations. She has prepared indexes for more than 30 published books. She strives for precision in language and is devoted to making the author's voice heard.
"While I have never met Sandy Judd face to face, I have used her services as a copyeditor since 1997. She is easy to work with, extremely competent, and has helped me improve my writing skills. I will continue to use her services as long as she is available." -- Lewis C. Forrest, Ed.D., technical writer and published author, North Carolina "As senior editor of a book publishing company, I used Sandy Judd’s services for several years as a proofreader and copyeditor. Her detail-oriented skills and her unfailing ability to meet deadlines kept her at the very top of my list." -- Kathryn Deering, Ann Arbor, Michigan "I kept Sandra Judd as busy as she’d let me while I was senior editor at Servant Publications (1995–2001). She produced high-quality work on time and at reasonable cost. I highly recommend her." -- Heidi Hess Saxton, former senior editor, Servant Publications
As an editor, John David has been privileged to work with some of the best publishers of fiction in the nation, including Whitaker House (where as senior editor he worked on James Byron Huggins' Nightbringer, a book that Library Journal named one of its annual top five Christian novels), David C. Cook, NavPress, Realms Fiction, and Marcher Lord Press. "I confess… did a lot of investigation over the Internet… from half way around the world… received a many sample edits / quotes from different editors (~12!). My choice was perfect. On a scale of 1-to10 I rate John a solid (plus) 10! First and foremost for the English… past tense-present tense… grammer —use of the em dash… POV… the whole nine yards. Perfect.And next – for him getting into the story… making very good COMMENTS and suggestions all throughout. This includes checking things on the Internet… noting that the coca cola slogan – “The Real Thing” did not come out in the time period that I mentioned it… and many other excellent comments." Michael Weiss
THEODORA O'BRIEN focuses on mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, adventure, and horror titles. She has considerable experience with trade non-fiction. As Editorial Director of her own publishing house, Theodora published almost 100 titles, garnering several awards in "Best Of" categories. Almost half of the titles were bought for paperback reprints, and two were optioned for TV/movies. She has invaluable knowledge about the industry, the type of people who run it, how to work within it, and tips for getting your foot in the door. She’s reviewed, evaluated, and edited thousands of manuscripts through the years, and uses that knowledge to help her clients produce results-driven manuscripts, query letters, and synopses. She works particularly hard at staying in the author’s “voice,” making sure the facts and dialogue match the time period in which the book is set, and “losing” excess verbiage. She's a good mentor, hard worker, and in many cases, has ultimately become a good friend.
"I am absolutely sure I wouldn't have gotten the publishing contract if it hadn't been for Theodora's evaluation and editing. What an enormous find she was for me!" Shayne Easson, Wrath of Zar. ARLENE ROBINSON has developed and edited 450+ full-length manuscripts in a variety of genres since 1996. Her clients include women's fiction author Angie Daniels, sociology professor Joyce Tang and college-success guide author Josh Richardson. The true crime memoir The Twelfth Man Standing received Turner Broadcasting Network's Trumpet Award in 2002, and 'PRESSIONS: Memoirs of a Southern Cat by Edith M. Holmes won the YOUnity Reviewers Guild Top Honor Award. Arlene welcomes new or published authors as clients, and enjoys helping journalistic, business and academic writers transform their writings into marketable, polished products for mainstream readers. While not a professional humor writer, she could be. Arlene lives in the Deep South with her probation officer/journalist husband and two almost-adult sons, and looks forward to the day when her human offspring venture into the world as independently as she envisions her writings springing onto bookshelves.
"Arlene is everything you want in an editor: thorough, timely and accommodating. If it weren't for her, I certainly would not have landed a publisher for my manuscript. Not only was her editing topnotch, her advice on everything about publishing was very helpful. Arlene really cares about the work she does and it shows!" — Josh Richardson, Ahead of the Pack: Balancing Your Way to Personal Success in College, Thomson Delmar Learning JAMES POWELL is "a good literary surgeon," as one of his accomplished clients noted. As an editor of fiction and non-fiction, he views manuscripts with a broad, comprehensive vision and an eye for detail-for "the right word in the right place." Powell's editors will tell you that his books need no editing, as Powell is, himself, an editor. He will read your fiction with an eye to making it believable and your non-fiction with a knack for making it both convincing and engaging. His books and short stories have been translated into many languages and are known throughout the world. His list of publications includes The Tao of Symbols (Morrow 1982), Energy and Eros (Morrow 1985), The Prentice Hall Global Employment Guide (Prentice Hall 1983), Mandalas: The Dynamics of Vedic Symbolism (Sterling 1980), Derrida for Beginners (Writers and Readers 1996), Postmodernism for Beginners (Writers and Readers 1998), Eastern Philosophy for Beginners (2000), and Deconstruction for Beginners (2005), and Slow Love: A Polynesian Pillow Book (2008). His short story "The Silence of the Hummingbird" was published in Spanish in Revista Katharsis in Malaga, Spain and his journalism has appeared in the Santa Barbara Independent and Montecito Journal.
"The turnaround time was excellent. The work was fabulous!!" Nova University student. "His editing really streamlined my ideas. Mr. Powell's service offered much needed support."
Published nonfiction edited by Marie:
Published fiction edited by Marie:
Marie has edited numerous manuscripts by authors who self-publish, list available on request. Services:
Articles:
I love having Marie as an editor. She truly engages with the work. She finds the inner heart of the piece and works her way out from there. I appreciate that she fields my questions regarding edits openly and promptly. She is more than I could hope for. If it were ethical, I would have her edit this recommendation. -Mike Bahl, fiction writer Marie Valentine has edited three books I have written and we have co-edited several short-run chapbooks. Her keen intellect, critical eye for good writing and ability to process large amounts of complicated text in a short period make her a valuable asset. Marie is impressively well-read and has been tremendous to collaborate with due to the broad range of literature which encompasses the breadth of her interest. I would highly recommend her in the areas of editing, proofreading, writing, analytical critique and inspirational encouragement. -Wes Tank, writer and filmmaker |
Submission Cut and paste the questions and answers into an e-mail: Alternates You may send your initial submission to all addresses to make sure it's received. Required: A sample is required to receive an estimate 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 --
(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. (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 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. Note: Questions about price and turnaround times cannot be given over the phone or via chat.
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. Help2012 at Airmail.net 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. |
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SARAH ANDERSON is a freelance editor and writer, experienced in fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been called outstanding, and she was solely responsible for editing the three most successful romances published by Banbury Books and distributed by Dell. Her recent nonfiction projects include A Loving Guide to These Shifting Times and Biography of A Time Traveler: the Man behind the 2012 Phenomenon. Recent fiction projects include The Apprentice and Sisters of War. Sarah is an acknowledged contributor to The Wisdom of The Enneagram, published by Bantam. She has self-published a relationships handbook, Relationships Made Easy: How to get along with all kinds of people, and has written articles on the psychology of personality.
ANNE CREAL is the author of eight published novels. Her books include contemporary and historical children’s, young adult, and adult literature. 
MARIE VALENTINE's editorial work ranges from conceptual and developmental brainstorming to copy editing and proofreading, as well as the nitty-gritty of print and Web production. She has worked in acquisitions and production for the renowned new age book publisher Llewellyn Worldwide. She has also served as a news editor and writer, business technology editor, poet and small press publisher of experimental works by contemporary writers. Marie will use her knowledge in literature and nonfiction to clarify your thoughts with minimal alteration, but she is also open to experiments and will adapt easily and quickly to your perceived vision and goals. A flexible editor and proofreader with a light touch, Marie will help your prose shine while keeping your personal style intact.