CARRIE ANDREWS is an honors graduate with a BA in English. She has worked in the publishing industry for several years as a project editor, copyeditor, and proofreader, with specialties in fiction, entertainment, and college-level textbooks. She works with companies such as Reader's Digest, Random House, Inc., Kensington Publishing, and Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. A bibliophile her entire life, Carrie has a natural talent for language. Her avid reading has helped her develop a sharp eye for detail and has honed her sense of flow. While copyediting, she strikes that delicate balance between maintaining an author's voice and making the language clear and vibrant. She is also a meticulous proofreader and fact checker. Clients have called her work "superb" and "astute." Authors enjoy Carrie's personable style and find her easy to work with.
Copyediting, proofreading
Formatting: Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed, American Medical Association, 9th ed, American Psychological Association, 5th ed
Fiction: African American, inspirational, thrillers, suspense,
historical, fantasy, romance, and the classics
Non-Fiction: World history, world politics, American government, singing,
psychology, philosophy, speech, physical chemistry, oral
history, self-help, alternative medicine articles, scientific
journals!
DEANNA BRADY is a highly versatile freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience. She ghostwrites, rewrites, and edits self-help books, novels, biographies, cover and query letters, proposals, articles, essays, scripts, textbooks, business communications, Web content, and literary fiction. Deanna taught in the Continuing Education Department at California State University for a dozen years. In addition to writing several children's textbooks, she is an award-winning author of short fiction and poetry.
For more than two decades, Deanna has written and
edited virtually every type of nonfiction literature, including
advertising and marketing copy,
prospectuses, and training materials, for major corporations,
magazines, and
publishing firms. She also works with most genres of fiction,
including young
adult, romance, historical, autobiographical, mystery, adult,
horror, and
science fiction. She is adept at editing ESL text, dialects, and
British
language variation and also specializes in subjects concerning
spirituality,
ecology, alternative healing, and American Indian culture.
FAITH HICKMAN BRYNIE specializes in science and
health, especially for children and young adults. She has a
Ph.D. in science curriculum and instruction, and she is an
experienced editor of science activity books, trade books for
middle school and high school, and textbooks K-12. She has
worked for major publishers as writer, substantive editor,
developmental editor, copyeditor, and fact checker. She excels
at communicating complex ideas clearly and simply.
She loves fiction, and has written
three novels, all published by Geneses under a pseudonym. She
has won several contests and awards for her short fiction, which
has been published in such magazines as Thema, Alfred
Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Midnight Zoo, Aberrations, Over My
Dead Body!, Haunts, and others. She critiques mainstream,
science fiction, horror, and mystery manuscripts, helping authors develop
their characters, plot, dialogue, voice, and
style. She also does developmental editing and copyediting of
fiction manuscripts.
Editing (copyediting and developmental)
Rewriting, ghostwriting
Nonfiction: creative nonfiction, scholarly publications, children, juvenile, young adult
MICHAEL CARR has edited or copyedited 300+ fiction and nonfiction titles for major publishers and authors. Notable nonfiction authors include Bernard Goldberg (NY Times best-seller Arrogance),CNN anchor Lou Dobbs (Exporting America), Rev. Al Sharpton (Al on America), and CNN Crossfire host Tucker Carlson (Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites). Michael edits most fiction genres but specializes in literary and historical, crime/mystery, drama, fantasy, and science fiction.
Notable fiction authors include Brad Meltzer (#3 NY Times best-seller The Zero Game), NY Times Notable Book of the Year author Archer Mayor (The Surrogate Thief, Gatekeeper, The Second Mouse), crime grandmaster Donald Westlake (the Dortmunder series), and the fantasy master Michael Moorcock (The White Wolf’s Son).
Michael has also edited eight published volumes on world affairs and some twenty self-help books (medical, psychological, personal growth, and business) and has translated a dozen novels and other literary works from Spanish to English.
Fiction and nonfiction: literary, how-to, psychology, self-help, crime fiction, adult, young adult, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, true crime, international relations, current affairs, nature and science, military history, forensic science, travel
VIRGINIA CLARK has been an editor and proofreader of fiction and nonfiction for many years, working on more than 200 titles. She specializes in literary and popular fiction, detective/crime fiction, biography, self-help, history, music, and the visual arts, especially film. She was a staff copyeditor for Simon & Schuster in New York starting in 1989 for five years and has continued to freelance for them ever since, as well as for other presses including Algonquin; Duke University; Farrar, Straus, & Giroux; and the University of California. Fiction she has copyedited includes Richard Condon, The Emperor of America; Quinn Dalton, High-Strung; David Freeman, A Hollywood Life and It's All True; Kem Nunn, The Dogs of Winter; Kate Walbert, The Gardens of Kyoto and Our Kind; and Meg Wolitzer, Surrender, Dorothy. Detective/crime authors include Jan Burke, George C. Chesbro, Nick Gaitano, Alison Glen, Philip Harper, David Osborn, Ian Rankin, and Jan Roberts. She has copyedited autobiographies including Miles Davis, Miles; Faye Dunaway, Looking for Gatsby; Charlton Heston, In the Arena; and Neil Simon, Rewrites: A Memoir; as well as biographies such as Joseph McBride, The Catastrophe of Success: Frank Capra and McBride's Steven Spielberg. She has also worked on large collections including The Companion to 20th-Century Music, Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, and The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. In addition, she has been proofreader/copyeditor for October Magazine since 1989, as well as for various other magazines such as for Condé Nast publications.
Copyediting
Proofreading
Developmental editing
Literary fiction, popular fiction, detective or crime fiction, true-crime, history, biography, music, film, television, visual arts, self-help, show business, humor, social science, psychology
ALICE DAY has been an editor since 1988. After earning a graduate degree in creative writing at Brown University, she has worked at the book publishers Henry Holt and Company and Carroll & Graf Publishers. Writer Don Smith, whose awards include 19 regional Emmys, said of Alice Day, "She's the kind of editor every writer should be so lucky to have." Alice Day is an award-winning poet with four collections of poetry that have been published by nationally-recognized publishing houses. Kathleen Wakefield, whose novella won the 2008 Cleveland State University novella contest, said "that [Alice] has been an editor at a major New York publishing house gives her insight into that complicated world; that she is a poet, I believe, gives her the sensitivity to find the beauty of a writer's individual work." Alice Day has the skill and experience to focus on a writer's vision and help the writer realize it. She's a hands-on editor who's not afraid to cut words and offer insights. And she has a poet's sensitivity to language.
Alice Day's specialty is fiction editing. She has worked with numerous award-winning authors (authors who have won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award, as well as first-time novelists) She does detailed manuscript evaluations, as well as developmental/substantive editing. She is also a skilled copy editor.
Her fiction specialties include short stories, novellas, literary fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction, chick lit, thrillers, mysteries, and detective/crime novels.
"Alice 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." --Amanda Filipacchi, author of Nude Men and Vapor
CAROL HEGBERG is an internationally published, award-winning writer and content editor. Her novel is entitled Pen Pals. Her poetry, scripts, short stories, and articles have been published in many magazines and books. Carol knows the endurance, tenacity, and patience a writer must possess to become published. Beginning writers, published authors, agents with needy clients, and publishers who need developmental editing for their writers use her services. She helps rewrite speeches, short stories or collections, articles, essays, and manuscripts. She helps develop inspirational, Christian, and picture-book manuscripts, children and young-adult fiction and nonfiction. She's available for writing help with manuscript submissions, query letters, and book proposals.
Developmental editing, rewriting, mentoring
Juvenile & young adult fiction/nonfiction, Christian topics
"Carol breathed life into my top-selling children's story with her wonderful way with words." Nancy S. Mure, author of Irregular Joe
The award-winning writing of KAREN DAVIS prompted one of many loyal clients to call her his "secret weapon in attaining communications supremacy." 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..
Copy Editing & proofreading
Technical editing
Business, marketing, and advertising writing
Screenplays
Journalism and reporting
Writing instruction
Fiction: historical, mainstream, literary
Nonfiction: history, creative, literary, business
"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.... 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. You're brilliant."— Linda Dennis Richmond, author
BONNIE HILL is a writer-friendly editor/mentor who has helped numerous authors break into print. She teaches workshops for Writer's Digest Online Workshops and speaks at writing conferences across the country. Her workshop members have won awards (such as the Hackney Literary Prize for fiction) and sold everything from novels to nonfiction books, essays and cowboy poetry to top publishers such as Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan, Writer's Digest, Story Line Press, Santa Monica Press, and Simon & Schuster.
Twenty-three years as an editor have failed to kill Bonnie Hill's love for the
written word. When editing your work, her goal is not to change for the sake
of change, but to make you sound more like *you* -- without leaving
editorial fingerprints.
Submission materials: Book proposals and, query letters
"She is quite simply the finest editor I've ever met and/or worked with. And I don't say that lightly. She's a truly gifted editor." Cindy Wathen, editor of the award-winning nonfiction book, Remembering Cesar, and former editor for McGraw Hill and the University of California Press.
LORNA LYNCH has over twenty-five years of developmental editing experience and has worked on more than a hundred books to date. She also co-owned a monthly newspaper and wrote hundreds of articles. She has a tremendous instinct for what "works" and what doesn't in both fiction and non-fiction, and has guided numerous authors to publishing success. Her primary goal is to see that writing with some potential becomes writing with great potential, and she works closely with authors to achieve that goal.
Her area of expertise is character-driven fiction; however, she has edited books of all stripes, including political commentary, how-to books, humor, mysteries, romance novels, children's books, young adult fiction, detective novels, and psychological thrillers.
Developmental editing
Fiction: young adult, contemporary/mainstream, detective/crime, humor, literary fiction, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, short stories, thriller/espionage
"I was very happy with the job Lorna did for me. The edit was very sharp and the critique very detailed. She broke down the manuscript from top to bottom and all of her points were excellent. She not only focused on technical structure, but also the substance of the story. She pointed out many things that I would not have discovered on my own and she looked at the manuscript not only as an editor, but as a reader--which is very important. I would definitely use Lorna again as my editor." – Derek Lively, Diary of the Devil's Son
Pulse-pounding high adventure, painstaking attention to detail, carefully drawn characters who step off the page and into your life ...
STEPHEN and ANNE MacEACHERN are the authors of over 81 internationally published novels (with sales in the tens of millions of copies) and numerous short stories. As a science fiction author, Stephen is best known for his postapocalyptic series, The Survivalist. Their books have been published in English (USA, Canada, Great Britain), French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Serbo-Croatian, Russian, and Portuguese, as general fiction, adventure, and science fiction and fantasy. They were commissioned by Dino DeLaurentiis to write two screenplays (unproduced). Their Horror Writers Award nominated short story, “Silent Pace,” was twice optioned as a film property and—the third time the possible charm—they have just inked another option deal for this property. Stephen has also written over a thousand articles, columns, features, and interviews for magazines and newspapers. He is considered a leading expert on concealed-carry techniques, personal small arms, and personal-edged weapons. He has lectured extensively before general audiences, police, civic and writing groups on these and various other topics. His articles have appeared in magazines such as Gun World, Satellite Orbit, Writer’s Digest and over 20 more.
As book editors, they look at the book as a whole and as a series of inter-related parts. It’s not uncommon for a writer to be strong in one area (e.g., character development) and weaker in another (e.g., setting).
Is the hook at the beginning?
Is the action shown/lived rather than told?
Is the dialogue realistic?
Is each character's motivation logical?
Are you engaging the senses?
Is the point of view consistent and clear to the reader?
Is the plot moving well or do you have places that drag?
Does each chapter end with a page turner?
The MacEacherns' goal is the same as the writer's: to get the manuscript inside the publisher's door and to get the royalty check in the writer's hands.
When they are not editing books, writing books or writing magazine articles, they are reading books, from biography to science fiction and everything in between. They have interacted with some of America’s most well-known authors and been published with many of New York’s top houses. They’ve been around the block, you might say—but always with a book!
KEVIN D. MILLER specializes in editing fiction of all kinds—including screenplays—but he has a particular fondness for science fiction and fantasy. As an editor and instructor of creative writing, Kevin has helped dozens of new and experienced writers hone their craft and prepare their manuscripts for publication. Many of Kevin's clients, such as Spencer Tillman of CBS Sports, have gone on to lucrative publishing deals with Thomas Nelson, Lyon Hudson, Crown and William B. Eerdman's. Clients appreciate Kevin's extensive knowledge of story structure, his attention to detail and his knowledge of the marketplace.
A professional writer, screenwriter and editor for the past 12 years, Kevin has worked as both a staff writer and as a freelancer. During that time, he has amassed numerous writing and editing credits. These include over 40 published books, including: Scoring in the Red Zone (Ghostwriter, Thomas Nelson Publishers; World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Buying Your First Home" (with Larry Burkett, Northfield publishing)
Kevin is also the co-founder of Fresh Wind Press and Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice. He has taught creative writing at various colleges and conferences across North America.
Services:
Script coverage
Manuscript critiques
Developmental editing
Structural editing
Line editing / copyediting
Writing assistance
Ghost writing
Market consulting (preparation of query letters, complete book proposals, writing samples)
Genres
Science fiction
Fantasy
Crime/Thriller
Detective/mystery
Romance
Horror
Literary fiction
Historical fiction
Children's/Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction
Christian fiction (extensive experience in the Christian marketplace)
DORRIE 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, Dorrie 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 Dorrie's evaluation and editing. What an enormous find she was for me!" Shayne Easson, Wrath of Zar.
ARLENE ROBINSON has developed and edited 200+ 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. She also takes pride in helping non-native-English writers produce topnotch fiction and nonfiction works.
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.
Substantive and developmental editing, copyediting
Fiction and nonfiction critiques
Book layout and graphics
ESL Style Conversions ("Americanization")
"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
A. J. SOBCZAK is an editor, proofreader, and writer (business writing, business methods, business history, communication, literary analysis, fiction in various genres) with more than 18 years of experience in the publishing industry. He has edited nonfiction work, both articles and books, in a variety of fields, including various social sciences, technical research, and medical research. He has edited dozens of books and journals in the social sciences, research methods, mathematics, political science, psychology, business and management, history, and health and medicine, among other topics, and also has worked on several successful doctoral dissertations.
He is an expert in APA and Chicago styles and is on several publishers' lists of "go-to" editors for manuscripts with heavy math content. His fiction specialties include science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and young adult.
Writing, copyediting, developmental editing
Manuscript evaluations and critiques
Fiction: science fiction, horror, mystery, mainstream, short story
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)
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: 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.