Abbey McLaughlin

Abbey McLaughlin – Editor

Quirky, insightful, open-minded Christian editor since 2016. Worked at Proverbs 31 Ministry (Lysa T). Considerate of budgets ❤️ - Cheers!

Overview

I'm Abbey! Thanks for stopping by.

I'm an open-minded, professional editor skilled in Christian and inspirational nonfiction.

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Still here? Sweet! Here’s the unabridged version:

My writing career began in 3rd grade when I wrote my first book (not to brag, but it filled an entire composition notebook, which is the equivalent of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to an 8-year-old). Fast forward a smidge, and I got a bachelor's degree in English & Creative Writing from Indiana Wesleyan. While in school, I was published twice for my short stories and was hired as a part-time copy editor for a small publishing co! I'm so grateful for the internet (most of the time).

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I have professionally edited within many contexts and genres! My first "gig" was with Pique Publishing, working mostly with a small magazine. Then, academic copy editor for textbooks (Routledge, Real Estate education textbooks, etc.). My favorite job was Proverbs 31 Ministries.

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For 2 years, I served as a content editor for P31, specifically helping with devotions and First 5 Bible studies. I worked one-on-one and as a team with writers and staff members to create rich content for tens of thousands of readers. A family emergency pulled me away from this amazing job, but freelancing is pretty darn cool.

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That’s the history—here’s the present. I’m smart, but I want to be smarter. I attend professional development seminars (thank you ACES and EFA!), other conferences in the Christian world, work with mentors, and pick up new side-skills!

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My editing style tends to be mildly blunt and reader focused (giving 'em a good experience). I'd rather be clear and straightforward than risk confusion by over-sugarcoating. That said, tell me what works best for you. I'm happy to accommodate.

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I think it's easier to tell if writers+editors are a match through a phone call (or Zoom), so if that doesn’t scare you, let’s do it! I WANT questions (none of yours are dumb). This is supposed to be FUN!

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I’m not here to misrepresent my services. That's why I offer FREE sample edits for line and copy editing + proofreading, plus the fun consults.

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I want your book to succeed. It is a reflection of your amazing ideas and creativity, but also my editing, so I obviously take that seriously! (Also, I'm GenZ, so every other sentence has to end with an exclamation point!)

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Let's be honest. We all have flaws too, and I'm not going to sell my weaknesses as strengths, so here are my pain points ⬇

I have diagnosed narcolepsy, which is a sleep disorder.

I answer messages within 72 hours (often sooner), but all meetings have to be scheduled as my hours vary. It also means I need a lot of pre-planned wiggle room and grace with deadlines.


Whew! I hope I didn't lose you.

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Okay, honestly, I’m so flattered you read this all. Your time is so valuable. Let me know when you wanna gab!


GRATEFULLY,

Abbey

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Christian Non-Fiction Health & Wellbeing Inspirational Parenting & Families Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Christian Fiction Contemporary Fiction
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Member of ACES: the Society for Editors
  • Member of the EFA

Work experience

Proverbs 31 Ministries

Jan, 2020 — Sep, 2021 (over 1 year)

I love working for this nonprofit, doing developmental edits on Bible study material. A book I proofread for this company, that was self-published, was later purchased by HarperCollins.

Apex CoVantage

Sep, 2018 — Jan, 2020 (over 1 year)

Pique Publishing, Inc.

Jan, 2016 — Jan, 2020 (about 4 years)

Portfolio

Beautiful Ashes

McGuire, Beth Shuey

Open Mike

Hill, Mike

David Warrior

Fergusson, John

Why the Wait?

Moraldo, Kizzy

Unclaimed Son

Altair, Day

Abbey has 72 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Alison A.

Alison A.

Mar, 2024

Abby has been fabulous to work with. Her feedback is insightful, kind, and helpful. She completed projects on time and was willing to push back the final proofread date to accommodate my designer, who got us off schedule a bit. She is extremely thorough and took this project seriously. She gave me incredible insights into my book. I would love to work with her again on future projects!
Diamond K.

Diamond K.

Mar, 2024

Abby has been wonderful to work with, and I'm looking forward to learning from her to finalize my first book. She has been transparent, insightful, responsive and encouraging!
Gregory N.

Gregory N.

Feb, 2024

Abbey is an amazing editor who is really tremendous to work with!
Deborah P.

Deborah P.

Feb, 2024

Abbey has been incredible to work with. She is a great editor. She knows how to tear it apart and encourage me until I get it right!
Casey B.

Casey B.

Feb, 2024

Abbey was wonderful, had insightful feedback, was easy to work with, met deadlines and overall was a joy to correspond with. Thank you Abbey!

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