Book Editing, Proofreading, Book Proposals
Query Letters, Publishing Assistance, Ghostwriting,
Manuscript Evaluation and Critique
Romance / Women's Fiction
As a romance writer, you need someone to be as involved in your story as your characters are with each other: deeply, devotedly, passionately. Contemporary, historical, paranormal . . . whatever the subgenre, with romances, details also matter. Were Langdon's smoldering eyes deep-sea blue or midnight black? Was Anastasia's fiery office rendezvous with Robert or Richard? (They both work in marketing!) A good editor will take note of these important details, as well as wonder if "getting to first base" was a term used in 16th-century Scotland. You've poured your heart into this manuscript. Is your heroine endearing enough? Will the reader pull for the lead characters or doubt they're right for each other? Are your scenes believable (e.g., Is a virgin really likely to have a trio of orgasms her first time?)? You need an editor who will make your text technically accurate but also keep a sharp eye out for the little gaps in logic, time, and storyline that can cause a reader to stumble. Adept editing can help engage the readers throughout your characters' romantic journey.
Editors
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 nonfiction projects include a psychologist’s spiritual autobiography, which she developed from existing material and transcripts, and a book on marriage. She 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 love her flexibility and her personable style.
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!
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.
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.
Copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing
Ghostwriting
Manuscript critiques
Mentoring and writing instruction
Submission materials: book proposals, query letters, synopses, agent/publisher research
Non-fiction: marketing & business communications travel, creative nonfiction, cookbooks, psychology, diet/nutrition, health, memoir, biography, self-help, alternative medicine
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JEANNETTE CEZAN can help your ideas soar, dazzle,
and rise above the ordinary. She is passionate about language
and concerned about its correct usage (to the point of mentally
correcting the grammar on public signs!). She brings a
multicultural background and approach to every project, offering
diverse viewpoints and an expression encompassing many different
perspectives. She holds two masters degrees and a doctorate, so
brings a strong background in academia to bear on projects as
well.
As a freelance writer and editor, she blends grammatical
correctness with scintillating prose for projects as diverse as
documentary and educational videos, articles and magazine
columns, business plans, press releases, patent applications,
technical documentation and business manuals, marketing
collateral, Web site copy, brochures, advertising campaigns, and
academic work. Edited fiction projects include mainstream,
historical, mystery, romance, and speculative fiction
manuscripts. Whatever your project, she can help you express it
with words that will make a difference.
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.
CAROL HEGBERG is an internationally published, award-winning writer and 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 with editing work use her services. She copyedits, rewrites, and proofreads speeches, short stories or collections, articles, essays, and manuscripts. She helps develop and edit inspirational, Christian, and picture-book manuscripts, children and young-adult fiction and nonfiction. She's available for proofreading or writing help with manuscript submissions, query letters, and book proposals.
Line editing, rewriting, mentoring
Juvenile & young adult fiction/nonfiction, Christian topics
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.
LINDA HINES ghostwrites, rewrites, and edits novels, business manuscripts, self-help books, short stories, essays, articles, biographies, literary fiction, proposals, and cover and query letters. She has edited over 100 fiction and non-fiction works and wrote and produced articles as managing editor of a subscription-based, B2B newsletter. She specializes in subjects such as humor, mystery, business, current events and politics, psychology, holistic healing, organic gardening, nature and the environment, weight loss, fitness, health, diet and nutrition, spirituality, alternative healing.
Book editor, ghostwriter
Fction: genre fiction, young adult literature, literary fiction, mystery, suspense, psychological, crime, supernatural, action, adventure, short story
Nonfiction: business, self-help, self-improvement, how-to , memoir, personal essay, biography, alternative medicine, holistic healing, diet, nutrition, spirituality
STAVRA KETCHMARK has edited more than 200 fiction titles while working for major publishing houses, as well as numerous medical, technical, and scientific trade, academic, and professional titles. She specializes in a variety of fiction genres, including romance, historical, mystery, suspense, crime, horror, fantasy, science fiction, and young adult. Her nonfiction specialties include all medical disciplines, nursing, allied health, alternative health, political science/politics, history, journalism, religion, parenting, and cooking.
Stavra has also helped a broad range of corporate clients fine-tune their annual reports, advertisements, websites, and other marketing materials to achieve the image they are seeking.
Her edited manuscripts have been published by Wadsworth, Mosby, Signet, Roc, NAL Trade, Thompson Delmar Learning, and Onyx.
Jo-Ann Langtree writes and edits books, stories, and articles in the following fields: business, medical, insurance, health, holistic health, spirituality, religion, psychic phenomena, young-adult fiction, children's books, mystical experience, self-help, New Age, nutrition, diet, exercise, saints & masters, gurus, theosophy, Christianity, homeopathy, vitamins & minerals, herbs, and food supplements. She was a writer and editor for Aetna Life & Casualty. As editor of Life NEWS, she had sole responsibility for finding, developing, writing, editing, and proofing all articles. Topics included new products, sales campaigns, insurance-agent interviews, accolades, seminars, Company acquisitions and policies. Jo-Ann also edits personal and business sites.
LORNA LYNCH has over twenty-five years of editing, copyediting, and proofreading experience, and has worked on more than a hundred books to date. She also co-owned a monthly newspaper for seven years, where she wrote and edited 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.
Line editing, proofreading, author guidance
Fiction: young adult, contemporary/mainstream, detective/crime, humor, literary fiction, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, short stories, thriller/espionage
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
Required:
Submit a sample of your book manuscript or story (Word/DOC or RTF
attachment preferred). The sample should be 5-50 pages. 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? $ ________________
(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):
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.