Overview
CLOSED TO NEW CLIENTS AT THE PRESENT TIME. SORRY!! :(
AVAILABLE TO EXISTING / PREVIOUS CLIENTS, BUT ON A LIMITED BASIS.
THANK YOU!
I'm an editor with a very diverse background, having started my career in comic book editing before moving into print production and manufacturing and then managing editorial. I have over twenty years of line editing and copyediting experience with major publishers and I've worked in (and enjoy) a variety of genres—ranging from traditional fiction to romance to self-help to sci-fi & fantasy—and in different types of media, such as traditional print, ebooks, manga, and graphic novels. Additionally, I've written scripts for both the page and screen. So if you're looking for an editor with a perspective on the whole lifespan of a manuscript—from inception to publication—as well as the skill to make your story the best it can be, then I'm your guy.
Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Comics & Graphic Novels
Cozy Mysteries
Epic Fantasy
Plays & Screenplays
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
Comics Non-Fiction
Languages
English (US)
Awards
- Harvey Award (nominee)
Work experience
Self-employed
Apr, 1999 —
Present
Highly experienced copy editor and proofreader of manuscripts large and small. Also adept at developmental editing with an approach that encourages the author to be an active participant in the revision process, providing the tools and feedback an author needs to shape his or her story into the best it can possibly be. In addition to my editing experience, I have an extensive background in prepress production (both print and electronic) and am able to usher a manuscript from final edit to finished book.
Current clients include Hachette Book Group (copyediting and proofreading, primarily for their Yen Press imprint), HarperCollins Publishers (proofreading and other editorial services), Action Phase Games (editorial development and copyediting for The Stuff of Legend, an expansion for the popular board game Heroes Wanted, as well as other upcoming projects), Hay House (copyediting and proofreading), and Vendome Press (currently serving as their production director). Prior editorial clients have included Kirkus Editorial (primarily collaborative/ developmental editorial work), Nickelodeon Magazines and Archie Comics (story scripts), and DC Comics (freelance consulting and copywriting on trade editions). Noteworthy projects include development of a three-issue graphic novel series for Tonner Dolls based on a story overview provided by the company, and the script for an eight-page educational story on dinosaurs for Zenscope Entertainment (see portfolio).
Kirkus Media, LLC
May, 2014 —
Dec, 2014
(7 months)
As the second director in the service’s history, I was the primary contact for the independent authors and publishing partners who relied upon it. Day-to-day responsibilities included overseeing the editing (developmental, copyediting, and/or proofreading) of manuscripts from both traditionally published authors and those who were planning to self-publish, and personally reviewing most projects once complete to ensure quality.
Hachette Book Group
Mar, 2008 —
May, 2014
(about 6 years)
Established the position of production editor for the Yen Press imprint, Hachette’s manga and graphic novel line. This included creating and maintaining Yen’s style guide, modifying HBG’s existing workflows and systems to match the model required by Editorial, and maintaining a very high standard of editorial quality—a standard that did not waver, even as the imprint grew. (At the time of my departure, Yen Press was publishing eight to sixteen manga titles per month, each averaging 192 pages, and at least eight prose titles a year.) At my request, I later took on the production editor role for Orbit’s digital-only science fiction/ fantasy short fiction program and any e-first titles published by the imprint, as well as select print titles on the Little, Brown for Young Readers list.
Time Warner Book Group/Hachette Book Group
Nov, 1999 —
Mar, 2008
(over 8 years)
Primary responsibility was the production and manufacture of at least five hardcover titles per month with press runs ranging from 20,000 to 650,000+ copies. Due to my background in four-color production, I handled most color titles, including the acclaimed Sopranos Family Cookbook and its sequel, Entertaining with the Sopranos.
DC Comics
Nov, 1993 —
Apr, 1999
(over 5 years)
From 1993 to 1995, as an editor in the DC Universe group, I was the editor for the monthly titles Damage, Hawkman, and Primal Force, and I was the editor of the feature “Homecoming” from the anthology Showcase, which won Spain’s Haxtur Award for Best Short Story.
From 1995 to 1997, as a member of the Special Projects editorial group, I worked on the art direction and editorial development for DC’s line of trading cards, and served as primary liaison and co-developer for the DC Comics edition of Fleer’s OverPower trading card game.
From 1997 to 1999, while serving on the editorial staff for Collected Editions, I worked on a variety of titles, including the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning collections Jack Kirby’s New Gods and Plastic Man Archives Volume One, and I was co-editor of the Harvey-nominated Manhunter: The Special Edition.
Portfolio
A brand-new, full-color graphic novel series for animal fantasy fans that delivers a daring adventure and a mysterious threat that has animals–prey and predator alike–disappearing.
Public-relations extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader,... read more
A popular marine biologist is dead. An octopus named Fred is accused of killing her. Can Xena interrogate Fred and solve the crime before more people die?Xena Cali is a somewhat overzealous investigator with a passion for poetic justice. Her latest case takes ... read more
"This magical, terrifying, and whimsical debut is a genuinely original and immersive take on post-apocalyptic SF." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) What unforgivable sin would you commit to save the world? In 2161, the first chimera arose. A year later, t... read more
Cressida is back. And this time she’s not alone...Another body washes up on the shores of the Mermaid Asylum. The police rule it a suicide: the impetuous act of a woman obsessed with a dangerous legend. But Cressida knows better. Addictions aren't so easy to k... read more
Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories... read more
The third book in a rollicking fantasy series where the grit of grimdark meets a police procedural, and it's up to two watchmen to protect the streets of one of fantasy's most dangerous cities.Yenara is a sprawling, dirty city. Filled to bursting with heroes q... read more
After living life as a corporate lapdog, Arihito is reborn in a fantasy world. Strangely, the class he's assigned is the very ambiguously titled Rearguard. It seems weird, but Arihito soon figures out that though it isn't flashy, he's gained the ability to do ... read more
The Wanderer and the New West reinvents the Western novel with a dystopian outlook on a possible America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground.In the near future, the government leaves it to the American people to protect their... read more
An experiment in “re-wilding” the western United States and reviving the environment seems a stunning success -- at first. A virus spread by the predators and prey relocated and now thriving in the West devastates the adult human population, raging out of cont... read more
A power passed down through generations. A people hungry for freedom. The time for change has come.Since its founding, the matriarchal society of Corinas has existed under the oppressive rule of the Masters of the Conclave, who use powerful child Adepts to aid... read more
Quarter-finalist for the 2014 ABNA!If truth is the first casualty of war, who do you look to for answers when the bullets fly and the bombs begin to drop?It all starts with the hit of the century, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, and Chicago City's top news... read more
Between Our World and Hel, Uncover... deep lore, dark intrigue, depraved enemies.The links between the Nine Worlds of Creation are deteriorating. The Gates to the Underworld are closed. A veil of shadow shrouds all the land. Rumors of a dead savior reemerge.Ei... read more
For all fans of John Hughes and his hit films such as National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, and Home Alone, comes Jason Diamond’s hilarious memoir of growing up obsessed with the iconic filmmaker’s movies—a preoccupation that eventually convinces Diamo... read more
Former Army Ranger and thief Van Shaw is thrust into danger as lethal and unpredictable as the war he left behind in this emotionally powerful and gritty follow up to the acclaimed Past Crimes.When an old crony of Van Shaw’s late grandfather calls in a favor, ... read more
It was the summer of 2014, and the true horrors of the Rising were only just beginning to reveal themselves. Fans from all over the world gathered in San Diego, California for the annual comic book and media convention, planning to forget about the troubling r... read more
The first volume in D.J. Molles's bestselling series, now in a special edition with the bonus novella The Remaining: Trust.In a steel-and-lead encased bunker a Special Forces soldier waits on his final orders. On the surface a bacterium has turned 90% of the p... read more
Zenescope's second book in its new, all-ages imprint, Silver Dragon Books, takes you on an adventure back in time with Discovery Channel's Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Predators. Nothing captures the imagination of kids like the prehistoric world of Dinosaurs, and ... read more
When former big-game hunter and intelligence officer Paul Kirk was trampled by an elephant in the African outback, it seemed as if the legendary adventurer's life had come to a poetic close. But when a fanatical organization called the Council repaired and alt... read more
Jim has 33 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Adam W.
Aug, 2022
Andy G.
Jul, 2022
Dave W.
Jun, 2022
Dave W.
Dec, 2021
Scott H.
Aug, 2021
Sign up to read more reviews
Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Jim and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.
