Allison K Williams – Editor

June 27, 2015 - Please note, I am currently booked for full-length projects through December 1, 2015.Sample editing continues, but take your own deadlines into consideration if we're otherwise suited._____________________Allison Williams is a well-published author and editor, with 10 years of experience in literary and genre fiction, and a strong literary background. She has edited books for independent authors and those published by Penguin Random House and Spencer Hill. Her work has been seen in The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and on National Public Radio. She is on the editorial board of noted literary magazine Brevity. A successful veteran of the query process, Allison knows how to help you present your book in its very best form. She edits and critiques literary fiction and a broad range of genres, including romance, mystery, horror and young adult fiction, memoir and travel essays.______________________While leafing through the classifieds in a popular writing magazine, I noticed something. The freelance editing ads were so *nice.*"Gentle editor...""Nurturing editor...""Sensitive, budget-conscious editor..."But when I was giving feedback to writers, I heard,"I'm so glad someone gave it to me straight.""I'm so tired of people being nice, it's not helping me get better.""Please, just tell me what's not working so I can fix it."It's not fun or easy to hear it straight. But if you're up for it, you're at the right place.Praise makes you feel good. Criticism makes your work better.I'm not nasty or cutting, but I'm not kind. I don't care about your self-esteem unless it affects your ability to keep writing, and I'll only praise stuff that's genuinely right.Your work deserves it. You deserve it._______________________"I could not be more happy with the precision and quality of your insight. You have been really comprehensive and the information is organized in a great way. I see myself making 80-90% of these adjustments." Emily Stowe"To my editor, thank you, thank you, thank you. There are editors and then there is Allison Williams, The Unkind Editor. Your insight and expertise not only made my book stronger, but also made me a better writer. I look forward to having your attentive eye on all of my future works." A K Mills"Allison isn't (just) the type of editor you want--she's the type of editor you need. She cares about what's important in this process: pushing your work to perfection. And she will, with a smile on her face and red pens on hand." Alex R Kahler"I'm extremely grateful that the network connected me with a professional editor whose competency I could trust. I really enjoyed working with you, Allison. You were polite, detail oriented and extremely thorough. The wrap-up editorial letter was fantastic and you provided a wealth of helpful suggestions for me to implement. For example, the prosthetics section. I'm bowled over that you would take the time to contact an amputee. You went above and beyond on that. Also, the examples of technical problems were great. They were exactly what I was looking for when I hired you. My goal was to streamline things and make my writing tighter. My goal is to become more proficient at editing my own work, but I think it's a crutch that a lot of writers bear. An editor can see what needs to be done, and sometimes the writer cannot." Collette West"I've worked with Allison on both self-help chapters and an epic fantasy novel. For the factual, she's precise at pointing out where something needs support, research or an anecdote, and helped keep the tone and style unified. Her suggested rewrites stayed in the voice of the book, too. Working with fiction, Allison was able to point out where the structure of a very complex plot could be tightened while keeping or even strengthening my original intention. She's supportive but picky, and your book will emerge from her tough-love process stronger and better than before." R Mordant Mahon