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.
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!
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.
DEANNA H. BRADY is a highly versatile freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience. Known as an "editor's editor," she ghostwrites, rewrites, develops, and copyedits a wide range of material, including self-help/how-to books, novels (both literary and genre fiction), creative nonfiction, biographies/memoirs, proposals, cover and query letters, articles, essays, scripts, business communications, and Web content. She has written and edited marketing and advertising copy for Fortune 500 companies and is adept at editing ESL and translated text, as well as scientific/technical material. In addition, she specializes in projects concerning spirituality, ecology, Native American Indian culture, psychology, allopathic and complementary medicine, and health, and she particularly enjoys working with& fantasy, science fiction, historical, romance, adventure, mystery, and young adult literature.
Deanna spent more than a decade as a magazine editor. She also taught at California State University for a dozen years, has written several children's textbooks, and is an award-winning author of short fiction and poetry. Her many happy clients greatly appreciate her expertise, gentle guidance, and ability to preserve their individual voices and help make their manuscripts shine.
BETH BRUNO is a columnist, author, and book editor. Hundreds of her articles have been published in print and online, and her first book, Wild Tulips, came out in 2001 and went into a second printing in 2002. Beth's proximity to New York and her position as President of the CT Authors and Publishers Association give her unique access to literary agents and publishers in and around New York City. Several of the authors whose manuscripts she has edited have been published in the mainstream, thanks to her referrals on their behalf. Beth's editing interests are eclectic and include a delicious mix of fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and children's works.
"I want to thank Beth for the spectacular job she did editing my book, which has just been published. When Beth first*** received the manuscript, she understood what was missing and recognized the changes needed to improve the flow, characterization, plot, etc., of my novel. She had a keen eye for small details. Beth was also always very available to discuss suggestions, and she quickly came up with alternatives to solve the problems we encountered along the way. She guided me through the particulars of my novel to the final polished product. The result: A published book." Oscar Medina
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
ANNE CREAL is the author of eight published novels. Her books include contemporary and historical children’s, young adult, and adult literature.
Water at the Blue Earth, young adult historical fiction (Roberts Rinehart, 1998) A Ceiling of Stars, middle grade contemporary fiction (American Girl, 1999) Nowhere, Now Here, middle grade contemporary fiction (American Girl, 2000) The Magic of Ordinary Days, adult historical fiction (Viking Penguin, 2001) Under a Stand Still Moon, young adult historical fiction (Brown Barn Books, 2005) Call Me the Canyon, young adult historical fiction (Brown Barn Books, 2006) Nicki, contemporary middle grade fiction (American Girl, 2007) Thanks to Nicki, contemporary middle grade fiction (American Girl, 2008)
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.
"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.
ESTHER DAVID-ROLANDis a writer and editor whose experience includes writing and editing in technical and non-technical subject areas. She has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor for more than 25 years and brings her many years of experience to each project. As a freelance copyeditor, Esther has worked with major publishers, businesses, and individuals, and has worked extensively with authors whose native language is not English.
Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki), reissue, The Rich Dad Company (2011).
Cashflow Quadrant (Robert Kiyosaki), reissue, The Rich Dad Company (2011).
Unfair Advantage (Robert Kiyosaki), The Rich Dad Company (2011).
Finding Peace after a Life of Sexual, Mental, and Physical Abuse (Tena Williams), forthcoming (2010). Client was the author.
The Mystery of Predestination: According to Scripture, the Church, and St Thomas Aquinas (John Salza), TAN Books (2010).
Victims and Perpetrators: Public Memory of Slavery in the South Atlantic (Ana Lucia Araujo), manuscript first draft (2010).
Making It All Work: A Pocket Guide to Sustain Improvement and
Anchor Change (John Roland Schultz), Praeger, forthcoming (2010).
The Making of a Yoga Master: A Seeker's Transformation
(The Yoga-Sutra Sequence Decoded) (Suhas Tambe), forthcoming
(2010).
Whose Little Girl Is This? (De Quien Es Esta Nina?) (Maria
Flores-Sperling), 2009.
Surreptitious Software (Collberg and Naga), 2009.
The Project Manager's Guide to Making Successful Decisions (Powell and Buede), 2008.
Memories from Bosnia (Nadzija Gajic-Sikiric, M.D.), 2008.
Framework Design Guidelines, 2nd ed. (Cwalina and Abrams),
2008.
Enterprise Master Data Management: An SOA Approach to Managing
Core Information (Dreibelbis), 2008.
Tracing the Economic Transformation of Turkey from the 1920s to
EU Accession (Tevfik F. Nas), 2007.
Incentive Pay Programs: Opportunities and Challenges (2007)
Excellence at Work (2007)
American Education,
Democracy, and the Second World War (Dorn), 2007.
Missing Data: A Gentle Introduction (Figueredo, McKnight,
McKnight, and Sidani) , 2007.
Domain Specific Development with Visual Studio DSL Tools (Cook, Jones, Kent, Wills), 2007.
Federal Agents (Bumgarner), 2006.
Commercializing Great Products with Design for Six Sigma (Perry and Bacon), 2006.
Pattern Languages of Program Design 5 (Manolescu), 2006.
ASP.NET 2.0 Illustrated (Homer and Sussman), 2006.
Advanced Technologies in Biopharmaceutical Processing (Dutton
and Scharer), 2006.
Extrusion Detection: Security Monitoring for Internal
Intrusions (Bejtlich), 2005.
Core Security Patterns (Steel, Nagappan, and Lai), 2005.
The Linux Enterprise Cluster (Kopper), 2005.
The Feline Patient: Essentials of Diagnosis and Treatment, 3rd
ed. (Norsworthy), 2005.
Cisco Routers for the Desperate: Router Management, The Easy Way (Lucas), 2004.
Other projects include editing of:
Journal articles
Book proposals
Memoirs
"Esther coached, edited, commented, and offered constructive suggestions. Her ideas and comments were more helpful than those I received from colleagues. " John R. Schultz, consultant, writer, retired professor
"Esther was great! She was very informative and clear as to the reasons for changes she suggested. Very bright and intuitive, it was a pleasure working with her and hope to do so again soon."
"I am completely satisfied with her work, and the extra effort she made to understand what I needed. It felt like she was around the corner in regards to how quickly she responded." —Maria Flores (substance abuse counselor)
"Esther was very involved and enthusiastic editing my book. It was a pleasure working with her." —Nadzija Gajic-Sikiric (retired surgeon)
"I was VERY pleased with the whole experience from start to finish! I will definitely use this service again. The copyediting was very constructive and helpful. It was very easy to ask questions and get in contact with my consultant. Esther turned a stressful situation into a fun one. Thanks again!!!!"
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 writer with four collections of poetry and a novel 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.
Fiction editing specialist
Fiction editor for numerous award-winning authors--Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award--and first-time novelists. She does detailed manuscript evaluations, as well as developmental/substantive editing, and 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.
"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."
- - Carrie Wharton-Hanford, first-time novelist
"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."
--Erik R. Brown, first-time novelist
"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."
--Taylor Barton, author of Hotheaded Saints and lyricist
"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."
--Amanda Filipacchi, author of Nude Men and Vapor
JOAN DUNAYER has been a professional editor for more than two decades. She has edited research papers, dissertations, journal articles, magazine articles, and books on a wide range of topics, including psychology, language, literature, education, politics, and medicine.
THESIS AND DISSERTATION EDITOR
APA FORMAT EXPERT
A graduate of Princeton University, Joan has master’s degrees in psychology, English education, and English literature. She has taught writing to high school, college, and university students. At the University of Pennsylvania, Joan taught classes on preparing psychology reports in APA format. In addition to being an expert in APA style, Joan is thoroughly familiar with Chicago and MLA styles.
Joan also has written professionally. Her articles and essays have appeared in magazines, journals, textbooks, and anthologies. Most of her writing has focused on literature, language, psychology, philosophy, and politics. For example, she has written the commentaries for new editions of twenty-one literary classics.
"My committee chair suggested that I have my dissertation professionally reviewed to insure that its formatting complied with the latest version of APA standards. Luckily I found Joan Dunayer. She was easy to work with, provided quick turn-around, realistic pricing, and suggestions that made my dissertation stronger. Her work made me confident that my dissertation would not be held up by the university’s APA police . . . And it wasn’t! I am pleased to say that I have now completed my doctoral journey." -- Edward Lisi, Northcentral University
"Joan has been very helpful with clarifying concepts throughout the whole chapters that she worked with me. She always made sharp comments which helped me to re-shape my thoughts and writings. Joan attended my request on specific things, and helped to make the whole documents in better shape. She was never late with giving me feedback. She is the best editor that I have ever worked with, and I am truthfully recommending her." -- (Contact information on request)
"Joan was excellent. She replied very quickly to my emails, and she was extremely helpful. Her knowledge and experience were invaluable to me. I think I received a wonderful value for the cost of the service. I would recommend her to anyone without reservation. Her honesty was helpful as well as her insight. I would have loved to have her as my graduate advisor." —Scott Carey
"Joan is an outstanding editor. She is timely, sincere, and honest with the work she provides. Before contacting Joan, I was frustrated and felt as if I was not going to meet my deadline for my proposal. Now, thanks to her professional consultation, my proposal is definitely on the right track."
"A fair price for high-quality work. I would highly recommend her to others seeking assistance for their dissertations. Thank you so much. Money well spent!")
"Joan did a very thorough review of my dissertation. Her expertise in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and most importantly APA formatting was invaluable to me. I would definitely use Joan again."
"Joan’s assistance with my dissertation proposal exceeded my expectations, and went beyond the reason for which I had originally contracted her services. Her comments and suggestions were on-target, insightful, and helped me to craft an even better document that was tighter, smoother, and more acceptable to my academic review board. I intend to ask for her services again prior to my dissertation submission."
"Joan did a very thorough review of my dissertation. Her expertise in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and, most importantly, APA formatting was invaluable to me. I would definitely use Joan again."
“I consider myself a skilled writer, but I admit that after this experience I realize I have much to learn. I have never had my writing so effectively edited. Joan’s suggestions and revisions were masterfully crafted to retain and enhance the meaning of my writing. I will certainly ask Joan to help me craft future projects. I feel very fortunate to have found her.” —W.B. Elder, University of Utah
SHERRY GERSHON has performed developmental and intensive line-editing for over 250 books, primarily novels by new authors, and she contributed the chapter entitled "The Book Doctor is In: The Seven Most Common First Novel Problems and How to Avoid Them" in THE PORTABLE WRITERS' CONFERENCE (Quill Driver 2007).
A former bookstore owner, Sherry knows what sells: Her own books have been published by Forge/Tor, Viking and Warner; her first book was nominated for the PEN West USA Literary Award for Nonfiction, and her first novel was aired as a TV movie. Some of her editing clients have subsequently sold their books to major publishers, including Knopf, Harper-Collins, Berkley-Putnam, St. Martin's Press, Greenleaf Book Group Press, and Jossey-Bass.
She particularly enjoys working on mysteries, thrillers, adventure novels, and speculative fiction/science fiction, but has also had experience with young adult novels (two YA novels she edited were published by Knopf), memoirs, and both contemporary and historical fiction (including an historical published by St. Martin’s Press).
“THE BLOODIEST QUEEN will be my thirty-third published book; I've grown lazy and jaded and had thought there was little anyone could teach me, but I wound up being blown away by Sherry’s editorial acumen. She understood all the nuances of the scene in question better than I did — and pointed out exactly what wasn't working, and why. She then gave me a suggestion which was nothing short of brilliant in terms of making the whole thing work beautifully.
Trust me, Sherry is an honest, top-notch professional editor. Whether you're an aspiring writer or an established professional, if you're writing a novel and could use some help, please consider Sherry.” — Jeanne Kalogridis
“Sherry worked with me on my manuscript for my novel Glint, published by St. Martin's Press. I do not hesitate to say that without her help and suggestions, I might still be trying to figure out what I should be doing. In other words, her editing accelerated my learning curve by at least a year, if not more. I don't know how to put a value on it, except to call it immeasurable. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with her and I hope to work with her again in the future.” — Joseph Valentinetti
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.
Nonfiction: Inspirational, self-help, business, science and medicine, ethnology, history, political science, memoirs, scholarly/textbooks
"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
JOHN DAVID KUDRICK (MA in
Journalism, Professional Writing: Fiction).
You are sitting at your computer, smiling, with an incredible sense of
satisfaction in your heart. After more hours than you can count, you've
finally finished your novel – a story from deep inside your soul that you
want to share with the world.
But soon the questions start hitting your mind: Is it the
very best that it can be? Will anyone even want to read it? Will an agent or
publisher want to look at it?
With more than a decade of experience as an editor, John
David understands the gamut of feelings that comes with getting your novel from
your hard drive onto the shelf at your local bookstore. That's why
he'd love to partner with you in getting your novel to the next level,
whatever stage you may be at after you've written it …
Services:
Manuscript
Diagnostic – Get a big-picture look at your novel's
strengths and weaknesses, with a general evaluation sheet and a list of
recommended action steps to take your story from good to great.
Developmental Editing – With a detailed evaluation document and page-by-page comments / suggestions
throughout your novel, find out exactly how you can make your good story
even better.
Substantive Editing – Receive guidance and hands-on editorial help from John David in
reorganizing and revising your story to take care of style, structure,
content, plotting, character, story flow, and point-of-view issues. Also
includes copyediting and proofreading.
Copyediting – Got the big-picture stuff down already? Then let John David take
care of grammar, word usage, tone, format, and more with a copyedit that
will add a shine to your story. Also includes proofreading.
Proofreading – Don't let your story get tossed aside because of a
misspelled word or misplaced punctuation. Get your novel as clean as can
be by allowing John David to read through it and fix typos,
inconsistencies, misspellings, and punctuation problems.
Book Proposal Development –
Novel ready for submission? Then you're ready to develop your book
proposal. Together, you and John David will create a compelling,
well-crafted document that's a necessity in getting published.
Genre Specialties:
Christian
Fiction (all genres – for both adults and young adults)
Action
/ Military
Historical
Fiction
Science
Fiction (Sci-Fi) / Fantasy
Contemporary
/ Mainstream
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
TOM GRANT LEMONS is a successful novelist, editorial consultant, publisher, ghostwriter, and managing editor. His historical fiction has won awards and appeared on bestseller lists, and his novels have been translated and published in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Poland.
Tom is passionate about the written word, and he is eager to bring his passion and expertise to your writing project. Authors Tom has worked with include Oliver North, T.D. Jakes, Bob Hamer, Joe Moscheo, and Hamilton Gayden. The fiction and nonfiction books Tom has worked on both as developmental editor and ghostwriter have been published by major houses including Broadman & Holman, Warner Faith Publishing, Hachette/Center Street, and Greenleaf Book Group.
A skillful editor or ghostwriter can help you refine your words, create a flow that will pull readers in, and still leave the work stamped unmistakably with your unique literary voice. Tom has been able to do this for dozens of books and authors during his writing and editing career. One author told him, “It’s like you were inside my head.” Another wrote in the acknowledgments to his book, “…to Tom … who ‘got it’ immediately, and without whom this book would not have happened.”
Developmental and substantive editing, both fiction and nonfiction;
“Tom is simply one of the finest men I've ever known and one of the best writers I've ever encountered. His combination of creativity, craftsmanship, integrity, and intelligence puts him at a level I've rarely seen.”—Gary Terashita, Executive Editor, B&H Publishing Group
“Tom is an exceptional editor. An author himself, Tom is meticulous and creative in his work as he expertly brings a writer's best ideas forward. Not only are his editorial abilities outstanding, he is also warm, patient, caring, and thus a joy to work alongside. I recommend him wholeheartedly!”—Edwina Barvosa, Associate Professor, University of California at Santa Barbara
Scope limited to copyediting and proofreading of fiction and nonfiction manuscripts represented by literary agents and/or scheduled for publication.
DON McCLAIRE uses forty years of editing and writing experience to help both fiction and non-fiction writers polish their work for publication. He’s spent his career as a magazine editor (11 years), award-winning public relations executive (six years), head of his own marketing communications firm (21 years), professional editor, and writing instructor. He’s written and placed hundreds of press releases and trade magazine articles, and has produced three non-fiction “how-to” books, two young-adult novels, and four Donna McClaire-bylined romance novels, all published. McClaire’s work won him The Public Relations Association’s highest award, the Silver Anvil, plus two Golden Trumpets from the Chicago Public Relations Associarion.
McClaire knows firsthand, after editing for others for years and judging numerous writing contest entries, the many mistakes unpublished writers make. He spreads this knowledge by conducting workshops at weekend writing conferences and teaching two online writing classes: Editor-Proof That First Chapter for WriterUniv.com, and 21 Steps to Fog-Free Writing, at WritersOnlineClasses.com.
He'll edit your manuscript, correcting
things you may have been doing wrong your whole writing career. Areas of focus include appearance, hooks, plot, motivation, dialogue,
setting, point of view, research, conflict, and voice. He'll also edit weak verb forms, strip away
author intrusions, identify character filters, ban redundancies, eliminate
foggy phrases, correct passive voice sentences, slash misused and
overused words, and correct other writing bugaboos. These are all
problems an acquisitions editor or literary agent won't take the time or effort to tell you about, but they could keep
you from being published!
"I’m going back and redoing everything I’ve everwritten…ever! When you edited the first chapter of my latest manuscript, you opened my eyes to a whole new world—and that’s way too cheesy to be an exaggeration! I can’t thank you enough for the
profound impact you’ve had on my work. I don’t think it was coincidence that I received my first contract hardly a month after you set me straight!"
Amber W. Shedeck,
w/a Amber Leigh Williams,
Fairhope, Alabama
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.
Books, memoirs, theses, and dissertations
APA and MLA formats
"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."
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.
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
CAROLINE T. has been editing popular fiction for 20 years and has 200+ novels under her belt. Her ability to see the big picture, combined with an in-depth knowledge of today’s publishing market, makes her an invaluable partner in the editing and publishing process.
Editor of New York Times Best-Sellers
A former in-house editor at Pocket Books—a division of Simon & Schuster, the premiere New York City publisher of commercial and trade fiction—an outside editor for Harper Collins/Avon, and a reader for The Literary Guild and The Rhapsody Book Club, Caroline’s particular expertise is historical and contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and romantic suspense. Carla Neggers, Karen Robards and Andrea Kane—three New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling authors—had books edited by Caroline. She also specializes in suspense thrillers, crime fiction, amateur sleuths, sagas, inspirational romance, westerns, urban fantasy and African-American popular fiction. She holds workshops on the writer’s conference circuit and speaks at numerous venues to help advance the cause of popular fiction for women.
Known for her accessibility, Caroline is available to answer any questions a client may have; from a simple inquiry regarding point of view switching, to a larger issue regarding career path. She is a hands-on editor, likes to put her blue pen to work, and enjoys brainstorming with writers. She is a mentor, a guide and a source of vast knowledge on the subject of popular fiction. Caroline offers content and developmental editing with commentary; minor line-editing if necessary, submission help, and career consulting.
A good editor is counselor, advocate, guide, parent, friend, and teacher. Caroline was my editor at Atria Books, a division of Pocket Books. With her determined guidance, I published three novels that were well-received, and of which I am still very proud. Writing isn’t done in a vacuum. Good writing is dependent upon the close relationship of an author with a professional editor. Caroline helped me to hone my writing skills—where I might have thought the story was being told well, she pointed out where it wasn’t. When I went off the rails, she set me back on track. When it was good, she was a cheerleader. Caroline held me to a high standard; and, in exchange, she shepherded my books through the publication process and out into the world. Any writer who is serious about his or her work would be lucky to have Caroline as an editor. She is professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated to working with writers to achieve their goals. I count myself incredibly blessed to have been one of Caroline’s authors. -- Susan Wilson, author of Hawke’s Cove, Cameo Lake, and The Fortune-Teller’s Daughter.
“Caroline. and I worked together as an author/editor team for a dozen years. She is, by far, the finest editorial partner I've ever had the good fortune to work with. Her instincts about how to make the book the best it can be are dead-on, and her willingness and abilities to achieve that end (without making the author feel that the book is no longer his/her own) are amazing. She has experience in a broad range of genres, and she puts that experience to work whole-heartedly. There is no one I would more strongly recommend to you if you want to make your book the best it can be, and if you want the best chances of becoming published or further published!” -- NY Times bestselling author, Andrea Kane
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.