Amanda Owens - Editor
I am known for tightening up writing to create compelling copy as well achieving realistic dialogue that truly speaks to readers.
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Overview
I have 30+ years of editing/proofreading experience, from nature to health, finance to science, and cooking to crafts. I have worked with individuals as well as institutions to attain their publishing goals. As a fellow writer, I am keenly aware of the importance of respecting the author's voice while striving to achieve clear, crisp, compelling copy. Having lived and been educated in six countries outside the United States has given me the advantage of working successfully with a number of authors for whom English is a second language. I’m nothing if not adaptable, so bring it on!
Services
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Management
Calendars
Cooking & Food Wine & Spirits
DIY & Crafts
Finance & Accounting
Health & wellbeing
Home & Garden
Work experience
Owner of Copy Editing, Proofreading and Writing Service
Self-employed
January, 2010
–
Present
(over 10 years)
Since striking out on my own, I have edited and proofread a variety of works, including nature guides, hospital newsletters, an amusement park guide, scholarly works such as memoirs and biographies, scientific papers and articles, tenure packages and essays, as well as an as-yet-unpublished young adult fiction book. Additionally, i have written news releases and successful nomination packages for academics seeking prestigious awards. I have considerable experience working with writers whose first language is not English. A selection of published projects are reflected in my Portfolio listings.
Research Assistant, Copy Editor, Senior Copy Editor, Copy Chief, Managing Editor
Oxmoor House (a Division of Southern Progress Corporation [now owned and operated by Meredith Corp.]}
October, 1988
–
December, 2009
(about 21 years)
As an assistant in Research and Development at Oxmoor House--originally the book division of Southern Progress Corporation, publishers of such magazines as Southern Living, Cooking Light, and Health-- I worked as part of a team with staff at Money and Fortune magazines to produce a series of finance books and business-related best-seller compilations. After being recruited to Editorial as a copy editor (then later senior copy editor) I worked on a wide variety of craft, decorating and cooking books before being selected to be the sole copy support for the newly established Health Department. In addition, I contributed to bookazines, catalogs, calendars, premiums, promotional packages and various materials for Southern Living At Home. I worked one-on-one with renowned psychologist Dr. Judith S. Beck (whose father, Dr. Aaron Beck, is the founder of cognitive therapy) on the New York Times Best Seller The Beck Diet Solution. We also worked together on two subsequent well-received titles. As copy chief, every book the publishing house put out came across my desk for review. And as managing editor I worked with editors and brand managers to ensure the highest quality publications. I was distinguished as having proofed the only trade catalog that came out without needing costly corrections at blue lines.. A selection of these projects are reflected in my Portfolio listings.
Portfolio (33 selected works)
The Beck Diet Solution has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.
A practical workbook based on the Beck Diet Solution introduces a six-week regimen to help readers retrain they way they think in order to help them stick with their diet, lose weight, and keep the weight off, explaining how to use the principles of cognitive therapy to eliminate negative thinking patterns and behaviors that lead to dieting failures. Original.
The Complete Beck Diet for Life: The Five-Stage Program for Permanent Weight Loss
Judith S. Beck Ph.D.
Bestselling author and weight-loss expert Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., has inspired thousands of dieters to lose weight and keep it off using the power of Cognitive Therapy. Her techniques emphasize preparing the mind and changing eating habits before making changes to the food you eat. Now, for the first time, Dr. Beck outlines the next step on the road to success: a specific, balanced diet plan th... read more
Winning With Mutual Funds
Ill.) Money (Chicago
Explains how mutual funds work, tells how to determine which funds meet one's financial goals, and provides information on taxes, portfolio management, and top funds
Real life solutions from the editors of Health Magazine. Discover how to eat, work, sleep, play, and look your best.
O's Guide to Life: The Best of O, The Oprah Magazine (Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews and Inspiration)
Editors of The Oprah Magazine
A definitive handbook for living well on one's own terms brings together a collection of informative, empowering, and motivational articles from O, the Oprah Magazine that are filled with expert advice on how to promote one's physical and emotional well-being, from maintaining one's health to building confidence and discovering a sense of purpose. 125,000 first printing.
The author of The Wine Bible combines thirty sumptuous menus and more than 150 kitchen-tested recipes with wine recommendations for every season of the year and handy tips on buying, ordering, and serving wine. 25,000 first printing.
Big Book of Scrap Quilts
L. Amanda Owens and Patricia Wilens
Book by L. Amanda Owens and Patricia Wilens
Money: Guide to a Secure Retirement
Junius Ellis
The purpose of this book is to help you enjoy a comfortable retirement and lifelong financial security - goals not easily reached in an increasingly complex financial environment. Money Guide to a Secure Retirement will help you understand your options and advise you on the best ways to take advantage of them.
Among the Garifuna: Family Tales and Ethnography from the Caribbean Coast
Dr. Marilyn McKillop Wells Ph.D.
Among the Garifuna is the first ethnographic narrative of a Garifuna family. The Garifuna are descendants of the “Black Carib,” whom the British deposited on Roatan Island in 1797 and who settled along the Caribbean coast from Belize City to Nicaragua. In 1980, medical anthropologist Marilyn McKillop Wells found herself embarking on an “improbable journey” when she was invited to the area to d... read more
African American writers have incorporated Martin Luther King Jr. into their work since he rose to prominence in the mid-1950s. Martin Luther King Jr., Heroism, and African American Literature is a study by award-winning author Trudier Harris of King’s character and persona as captured and reflected in works of African American literature continue to evolve. One of the most revered figures in ... read more
F. Scott Fitzgerald at Work: The Making of "The Great Gatsby"
Dr. Horst H. Kruse
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby occupies a preeminent place in American letters. Scholars have argued that Jay Gatsby is, in fact, the embodiment of American cultural and social aspiration. Though The Great Gatsby has been studied in detail since its publication, both readers and scholars have continued to speculate about Fitzgerald’s sources of inspiration. The essays in F. Scott Fitzg... read more
Southern Living: Slow-Cooker Cookbook: 203 Kitchen-Tested Recipes - 80 Mouthwatering Photos!
Editors of Southern Living Magazine
A collection of two hundred all new slow cooker recipes is focused on simplicity, dependability, and versatility to help readers create great-tasting, home-cooked meals for family meals or larger crowds, with minimal preparation and only a single pot.
Covering the region surrounding the 22-mile-long lake, author Jordan Summers guides hikers along 40 of the region's best trails--all located within 25 miles of Lake Tahoe's shoreline.Trekkers can easily find the perfect hike with the complete trail descriptions for 27 day hikes and 13 overnight destinations. An accurate map, directions to the trailhead with coordinates for GPS use, and an elev... read more
South-central Wisconsin provides an impressive array of opportunities for all types of paddling, including some of the very best day trips in the entire state and even Upper Midwest. Paddling South Central Wisconsin, by experienced paddler and author Timothy Bauer, guides all types of paddlers, whether veteran or novice, through whitewater adrenaline or flatwater calm routes near Madison, Rock... read more
Christmas is Coming 1994: Holiday Projects for Children and Parents, Vol. 4
Vanessa Ann, Leisure Arts, Oxmoor House
Christmas is Coming 1994: Holiday Projects for Children and Parents
Cather Among the Moderns
Janis P. Stout
A masterful study by a preeminent scholar that situates Cather as a visionary practitioner of literary modernism Willa Cather is often pegged as a regionalist, a feminine and domestic writer, or a social realist. In Cather Among the Moderns, Janis P. Stout firmly situates Cather as a visionary practitioner of literary modernism, something other scholars have hinted at but rarely affirmed. Stou... read more
Winner of the Elizabeth Agee Prize in American LiteratureAn innovative exploration of postwar representations of effeminate men and boysSissy!The Effeminate Paradox in Postwar US Literature and Culture expands on recent cultural criticism that focuses on the ways men and boys deemed to be feminine have been—and continue to be—condemned for their personalities and behavior. Critic Harry Thomas ... read more
An examination of the first attempt to conquer cancer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In Malignant Growth: Creating the Modern Cancer Research Establishment, 1875–1915, Alan I Marcus explores a relatively understudied period in the history of cancer by providing a careful investigation of the first public crusade to determine the cause of cancer. The search for cancer’s c... read more
How a grassroots movement led primarily by women shaped Alabama’s environmental consciousness.A Movement of the People: The Roots of Environmental Education and Advocacy in Alabama is a detailed history of the Alabama Environmental Quality Association (AEQA). The AEQA helped to establish groundbreaking environmental protection and natural resource preservation policies for the state and the re... read more
To Raise Up the Man Farthest Down: Tuskegee University's Advancements in Human Health, 1881-1987
Dana R. Chandler, Edith Powell
An important historical account of Tuskegee University’s significant advances in health care, which affected millions of lives worldwide. Alabama’s celebrated, historically black Tuskegee University is most commonly associated with its founding president, Booker T. Washington, the scientific innovator George Washington Carver, or the renowned Tuskegee Airmen. Although the university’s accompli... read more
On Strawberry Hill: The Transcendent Love of Gifford Pinchot and Laura Houghteling
Paula Ivaska Robbins
While not a biography of legendary American forester and conservationist Gifford Pinchot, On Strawberry Hill: The Transcendent Love of Gifford Pinchot and Laura Houghteling explores a vital and transformative facet of his personal life that, until now, has remained relatively unknown.?At its core, Paula Ivaska Robbins’s On Strawberry Hill: The Transcendent Love of Gifford Pinchot and Laura Hou... read more
Fortune Digest Four Best-Sellers condensed in One Volume One: Up on Wall Street, Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, the Enigma of Japanese Power and The ITT Wars is a book from Oxmoor House released 1990.
Container Gardening (Southern Living Garden Guide)
Jennifer Greer, Lois Trigg Chaplin
Greer, Jennifer, Chaplin, Lois Trigg
Profiles over twenty-five lawn grasses, ornamental grasses, and groundcovers suitable for use in the Southern States, explaining how to fertilize, avoid pests and weeds, and design durable low-maintenance lawns
Young for Life: The Best Antiaging Secrets for Women
Nancy F. Wyatt
Book by
The Best of Mr. Food: Quick and Easy Recipes
Art Ginsburg
The host of the Mr. Food Show shares tips and secrets from his kitchen, including 175 easy-to-prepare, budget-minded recipes that can be easily replicated by most people.
Fix-it and Forget-it Slow Cooker Magic
Julie Boston
Scrap Saver's Bazaar Stitchery
Sandra Lounsbury Foose
Provides instructions for making a variety of gifts, toys, and Christmas and other holiday decorations
Good Things for Organizing (Good Things with Martha Stewart Living)
Martha Stewart Living Magazine
Who wouldn't like their living space to be more organized? Tapping into the popularity of the "Good Things" column in Martha Stewart Living, Good Things for Organizing provides practical, efficient, and pretty solutions for organizing just about everything, from spools of thread and the silverware drawer to your entire wardrobe and home office.It is a law of nature: stuff accumulates. Good Thi... read more
The Best of Vanessa-Ann's Cross-Stitch Collection (Joys of Cross Stitch)
Vanessa Ann Collection
Features classic and new cross-stitch designs with step-by-step instructions and patterns for birth announcements, samplers, pillows, table runners, and holiday decorations
Amanda has 4 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I can’t recommend this Editor highly enough. She goes above and beyond the call of duty, because she’s a perfectionist and wants it done correctly. She’s the best kind of person to have in your corner. I’m so glad she was in mine. You can’t go wrong with this Editor. The best.
Carol S, August 2020
Working with Amanda was a dream. She's an exceptional editor who worked with me on specific problems and did a tremendous job of corrections and suggestions on the entire manuscript. I hope to work with her again on future projects and couldn't recommend her higher than an 11 on a scale of 1 - 10!
Carol S, April 2020
Amanda is fast and thorough. She knows her stuff and is easy to work with. Her caring and human side shines through to me. I'm definitely using her in the future.
Sharon Bennett, December 2019
Amanda was my first editorial experience. I'll continue to use her for my upcoming 3 books in 2020. She's efficient and sometimes early in her responses. I love working with her.
Rosalyn Best, November 2019
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Christine McKnight
Experienced editor of cookbooks and home/lifestyle books; my editing and proofreading work includes James Beard and IACP Award winners.
Chester, United States
Caroline McArthur
Non-fiction editor specialising in illustrated books, cookery, craft, home and garden. Experience includes Vintage Publishing and BBC Books.
London, United Kingdom
