Amanda Karby

Amanda Karby – Editor

Experienced copyeditor + publishing professional with over ten years of multi-genre work, focused on partnership, quality, and kindness.

Overview

"I have been an editor for fifteen years and Amanda is the most thorough and comprehensive copyeditor I've worked with (or should it be "with whom I've worked"?—Amanda would be able to help with this one!). During all the years she copyedited PLEIADES, she never missed a deadline and always made our language keener. She goes above and beyond, delivering not just a style sheet and corrections but rationales and suggestions. Our authors were *happy* to have their work examined and strengthened by such an astute reader. I would give Amanda my highest recommendation."


—Phong Nguyen, Miller Family Endowed Chair in Literature and Writing at Mizzou; former editor, PLEIADES


When I was an undergrad studying poetry and creative nonfiction, I imagined myself becoming an author, going on to publish my own work one day. Instead, as I grew and learned, I realized my strongest skills actually lie on the other side of the manuscript.


I offer copyediting, line editing, and proofreading for a wide variety of genres. I have experience in literary fiction and nonfiction, genre fiction, poetry, journalism, and academic writing, with particular interest in short stories and memoir. I hold a BA in English and creative writing from Hope College and an MA in publishing and writing from Emerson College. Professionally, since 2013, I've worked in print and digital publishing production at some of the most prolific university presses and scholarly publishers in the world.


I view all forms of editing as collaborations between author and editor, and in these collaborations I prioritize communication, quality, and sincere care. Partnering with an author to highlight their gifts is an honor. I would love to hear from you!

Services
Fiction
Anthologies Literary Fiction Poetry Short Story
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Entertainment Humanities & Social Sciences Writing & Publishing
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • Erika Brubaker Senior Award for Proficiency in Literature, 2010
  • William B. Eerdmans’ Prize for Prose, 2008
Certifications
  • MA in Publishing and Writing
  • BA in English and Creative Writing

Work experience

California Digital Library

Aug, 2023 — Present

I collaborate with librarians and researchers across the 10-campus UC system to help manage eScholarship, a well-established publishing program of over 90 open access journals, and to cultivate new publishing projects with a particular focus on the humanities, social sciences, as well as other fields and researchers who are underserved by the traditional publishing marketplace.

Self-employed

May, 2011 — Present

I offer copyediting, line editing, and proofreading services with experience in narrative (creative/literary) fiction and nonfiction, poetry, genre fiction, journalism, and scholarly writing. I specialize in the Chicago Manual of Style and have strong familiarity with AP, APA, and MLA.

Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library

Feb, 2016 — Jul, 2023 (over 7 years)

My work centered on managing full-suite publishing production for scholarly/academic trade books and open access academic journals. Production management for books runs from first transmittal of a complete manuscript all the way through to the print and digital release.

The MIT Press

Sep, 2014 — Jan, 2016 (over 1 year)

While at MITP I helped direct ebook production workflows, from developing reflowable ebooks, to managing their distribution to retailers, and every step in between.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Aloha Everything

George, Kaylin Melia

Red Comet Press

Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Junior Ice Hockey: The Leagues Before The League

Schaedig, Derek

Derek Schaedig

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Train Wrecker

Livingston, Andrew

Andrew Livingston

Copy Editing
Universal Love: Stories

Weinstein, Alexander

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
The Hollow

Barrell, Nicole

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing

Amanda has 8 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Kaylin G.

Kaylin G.

Aug, 2023

Pinned
I had the pleasure of working with Amanda for the proofreading of my children's book manuscript, and I'm very pleased with the results. Despite an extremely tight deadline, Amanda's attention to detail and her dedication to the project were both superb. She was responsive and communicative, and she provided me with very thorough and thoughtful responses to my many questions. Plus, her positive ...
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Amanda K.
Kaylin, thank you so much for trusting me with your wonderful book! I'm so glad our paths crossed and sincerely appreciate your kindness and collaboration.
Derek S.

Derek S.

Mar, 2023

Pinned
Amanda was AMAZING to work with! She is a great communicator, and has a lot of passion for the work she does. I cannot recommend her highly enough!
Amanda K.
Derek, it was so wonderful working with you and getting to know your story. So excited to see what comes next for you!
Jennifer R.

Jennifer R.

Jul, 2024

Amanda was amazing to work with! She goes into detail, explains everything thoroughly, and critiques while keeping your own voice in the writing. Communication was clear. Updates and changes were flexible. I will definitely reach out to her again for future projects.
Amanda K.
It was such a pleasure to work with you again, Jennifer! I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to read your work, and I can't wait to see where you take it in the future.
Jennifer R.

Jennifer R.

Mar, 2024

Amanda was the best choice for me. Her feedback is detailed, but straight to the point. She enhances your ideas without overstepping. Her work has kept my vision how I see it while making sure it will be clear to readers as well.
Amanda K.
Jennifer, thank you so much for trusting me with your writing! It was such an honor to spend time with your poetry and highlight your talents.
Natasha B.

Natasha B.

Jan, 2023

Amanda did quality work editing my manuscript. I'll be coming to her again in the future!

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