Amy Snyder

Amy Snyder – Editor

Careful editor offers expert services for adult fiction, romance, mystery, LGBTQIA+, historical, YA, sci/fantasy. 30+ years in publishing.

Overview

Friendly, diligent copy editor and proofreader serving individual authors, major fiction houses, award-winning children's publishers, and academic publishers.


I work with new and experienced authors to polish their book manuscripts, ensuring proper grammar and spelling, concise wording, and consistency in character and plot. I retain the author's voice and style while providing careful editing and proofing. I offer a safe, positive partnership for this editorial stage.


My experience comes from expert work for top children’s publishers and fiction houses. I partner on LGBTQIA+, romance, mystery, paranormal, historical, teen, sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary trade novels as well as teen and YA fiction. I also provide high-level editing for academic work in fields such as psychology, communication, cognition, education, and technology.


SAMPLE CLIENTS

Disney/Hyperion, Candlewick Press, Harlequin, Kensington Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Lake Union, HarperCollins, Oxford University Press, Barnes & Noble, APA Books


CAREER HIGHLIGHTS


* Proofreader for Candlewick: Timmy Failure book series (Stephan Pastis); Stonewall Book Award winner Fat Angie (e.E. Charlton-Trujillo); National Book Award author M.T. Anderson (Landscape with Invisible Hand; The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge).


* Proofreader for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 2016 Coretta Scott King New Author Award winner Ronald L. Smith’s novel The Mesmerist; National Book Award author Han Nolan’s novel Pregnant Pause.


* Edited and proofread work by best-selling authors such as David Sedaris, Fern Michaels, Janet Dailey, Lisa Jackson, and Cathy Lamb.


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE


Great Minds

Lead Editor


Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

Journal Production Supervisor


Services
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference
Fiction
LGBTQ Fiction Literary Fiction Middle Grade Mystery & Crime Romance Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • American Copy Editors Society member

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 1993 — Present

I provide freelance editing and proofreading services to publishers, self-publish authors, full-service vendors, and others who need careful and accurate editing and proofing that respects the author's voice and intention. I edit electronically using Track Changes or PDF notations, and I am an expert at marking hard copy pages. I will quickly become fluent in house style. I excel at academic journal articles, YA books, romance, LGBTQIA+, trade novels, and educational material.

Great Minds

Apr, 2021 — Present

I ensure consistency, clarity, and correctness for science curricula in grades K-8. As a member of the style guide committee, I contribute to regular updates of our editorial documentation.

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

Sep, 1992 — Mar, 2007 (over 14 years)

Managed production staff, launched new journal titles, interviewed applicants, held staff meetings while producing seven journal titles, as Production Supervisor, 2000–2007. Managed freelance editor pool and managed production of six journals, including typesetting, editing review, and printer and online file preparation, as Senior Production Editor and Production Editor, 1992–2000.

Portfolio

Point Blank (Sisterhood)

Fern Michaels

"Justice For All The members of the Sisterhood always stand together, and that includes aiding and protecting the men in their lives. Yoko's partner Harry Wong has received a phone call from his old schoolmate Jun Yu. Jun Yu resided at the same temple where Ha... read more
Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star (A Desert Flowers Mystery Book 5)

Hollis, Lee

Kensington Cozies

Swan Light: A Novel

Rowe, Phoebe

Murder at an Irish Christmas (An Irish Village Mystery)

O'Connor, Carlene

West with Giraffes: A Novel

Rutledge, Lynda

Proofreading
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge

M.T. Anderson

Long-Listed for the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's LiteratureSubverting convention, award-winning creators M. T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin pair up for an anarchic, outlandish, and deeply political saga of warring elf and goblin kingdoms.Uptight ... read more
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Stephan Pastis

Want to aspire to greatness? Check out this new edition of Timmy Failure’s first adventure—featuring the bonus section “How to Draw Timmy and Total.” He may be clueless, but the comically self-confident Timmy Failure is CEO of the best detective agency in town... read more
Junior Ninja Champion: The Competition Begins

Catherine Hapka

For ninja fans everywhere, this action-packed adventure series brings five unlikely friends together to compete in the first-ever Junior Ninja competition. Izzy, Ty, Kevin, JJ, and Mackenzie don't have a lot in common. But they have all seen the reality TV obs... read more
Timmy Failure: We Meet Again

Stephan Pastis

From the New York Times best-selling creator of Timmy Failure comes a third adventure about the comically overconfident sleuth.His name is Failure. Timmy Failure. And his detective agency is on the verge of global domination. Global riches. Global fame. And ye... read more
Oh My Dog!

Palmer, Iva-Marie

HarperCollins

Ghosted

Fry, Michael

Red Road

Denise Mina

Ghost Roast

Gibbs, Shawneé

I Know Where You Live

Olsen, Gregg

Christmas Mittens Murder

Hollis, Lee

How to Catch a Bogle

Catherine Jinks

Birdie McAdam, a ten-year-old orphan, is tougher than she looks. She's proud of her job as apprentice to Alfred the Bogler, a man who catches monsters for a living. Birdie lures the bogles out of their lairs with her sweet songs, and Alfred kills them before t... read more
The Mesmerist

Ronald L. Smith

Thirteen-year-old Jessamine Grace and her mother make a living as sham spiritualists—until they discover that Jess is a mesmerist and that she really can talk to the dead. Soon she is plunged into the dark world of Victorian London’s supernatural underbelly an... read more
The Price Guide to the Occult

Leslye Walton

From the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting maelstrom of magic and murder in the lush, moody Pacific Northwest.When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have b... read more
Ride: Competing for the Cup

Bobbi JG Weiss

Horse-loving American teen Kit Bridges is in it to win it when her new boarding school’s House Cup competition begins.Fourteen-year-old Kit Bridges is slowly growing accustomed to her new equestrian school, the illustrious Covington Academy, and life as an Ame... read more
GO! All in One: Computer Concepts and Applications (3rd Edition) (GO! for Office 2016 Series)

Shelley Gaskin

GO! with Office 2016 is the right approach to learning for today's fast-moving, mobile environment. The GO! Series focuses on the job and success skills students need to succeed in the workforce. With GO! All in One, you can teach Computer Concepts and Applica... read more
Christmas on My Mind (A Cowboy Christmas)

Janet Dailey

“A delightful annual tradition.” —RT Book ReviewsThe future looks merry and bright… The little town of Branding Iron, Texas, keeps an annual tradition that makes the holidays especially festive—the Cowboys’ Christmas Ball. But Sheriff Ben Marsden, busy with wo... read more
What I Remember Most

Cathy Lamb

In a new novel rich in grace, warmth, and courage, acclaimed author Cathy Lamb tells of one woman's journey of reinvention in the wake of deep betrayal.Grenadine Scotch Wild has only vague memories of the parents she last saw when she was six years old. But sh... read more
The Language of Sisters

Cathy Lamb

From acclaimed author Cathy Lamb comes a warm and thoughtful novel about the secrets that can break or unite a family—and the voices that resonate throughout our lives... Toni Kozlovsky can’t explain how she knows exactly what her sisters are feeling—only that... read more
I, Eliza Hamilton

Susan Holloway Scott

In this beautifully written novel of historical fiction, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza—a fascinating, strong-willed heroine in her own right and a key figure in one of the most gripping periods in A... read more
Took: A Ghost Story

Mary Downing Hahn

“Folks say Old Auntie takes a girl and keeps her fifty years—then lets her go and takes another one.” Thirteen-year-old Daniel Anderson doesn’t believe Brody Mason’s crazy stories about the ghost witch who lives up on Brewster’s Hill with Bloody Bones, her man... read more
How to Make a Wish

Ashley Herring Blake

Grace, tough and wise, has nearly given up on wishes, thanks to a childhood spent with her unpredictable, larger-than-life mother. But this summer, Grace meets Eva, a girl who believes in dreams, despite her own difficult circumstances. One fateful evening, Ev... read more
The Friendship Experiment

Erin Teagan

Future scientist Madeline Little is dreading the start of middle school. Nothing has been right since her grandfather died and her best friend changed schools. Maddie would rather help her father in his research lab or write Standard Operating Procedures in he... read more
The Bone Queen: Pellinor: Cadvan's Story (Pellinor Series)

Alison Croggon

In a highly anticipated prequel to the Books of Pellinor, Alison Croggon captivates fans old and new with her ancient, legendary world of Annar.After being seduced into sorcery by an agent of the Dark, the promising Bard Cadvan of Lirigon recklessly unleashed ... read more
Landscape with Invisible Hand

M.T. Anderson

National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson returns to future Earth in a sharply wrought satire of art and truth in the midst of colonization.When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth — but not necessa... read more

Amy has 16 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sierra B.

Sierra B.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
Amy provided valuable feedback that both enhanced my final project and my all-around writing. She offered a full product package rather than just simple in-line edits and was happy to answer my questions along the way. Thank you, Amy. I look forward to working with you in the future. Sierra Burke
Natalie A.

Natalie A.

Nov, 2024

Amy was a pleasure to work with. She provided a great overview of what to expect and delivered on that. She touched base along the way and sent an initial draft so I could ask for a deeper dive on any aspect. I used her to review an excerpt from a full-length novel that I submitted as a writing sample to an MFA program and, thanks in part to her helping me polish it up, I was accepted to the pr...
Read more
Amy S.
Thank you so much for your review, Natalie, and congratulations on your program acceptance! Well-deserved! Our work together was a pleasure, and I wish you the best. I would be happy to work with y...
Read more
Sierra B.

Sierra B.

Aug, 2024

Your comments and edits as last time were above board and extremely helpful. I recognize that while I dabbled in a new writing style my writing was not as polished as perhaps it should have been. I appreciate the help and effort. I do miss the general feedback that was provided with my last work. I found this very helpful. Your summation comment on the overall work was equally helpful and great...
Read more
Amy S.
Thank you, Sierra, for your feedback. I enjoy working with you, and I appreciate knowing how helpful a general feedback summary is for your projects.
Ivy D.

Ivy D.

Aug, 2024

This was my second time working with Amy, and it was once again a great experience. The work she does is exactly what is needed to bring a novel to the next level!
Amy S.
Thank you so much, Ivy! I've enjoyed our working together, and I appreciate your kind words.
Edward M.

Edward M.

Jul, 2024

Amy has been such a pleasure to work with, and has been so helpful with this being my first time publishing. She was meticulous and diligent in her corrections, while being mindful of the artistry and voice I was trying to convey in my writing. I would highly recommend her and use her again for my next novel.
Amy S.
Thank you, Edward. I am happy that my work helped you with your novel, and I appreciate your kind words.

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