Overview
Content editor by day, book editor by night. My 10+ years of editing experience range from traditional to commercial to indie/self-publishing to small-press literary journals. I am dedicated to supportive critique, empathetic editing, and the creative exchange of ideas.
I'm an enthusiastic and detail-oriented professional editor and writer with a MFA degree in creative writing. My career work has included running book signing events for an independent bookstore, guiding indie authors through the self-publishing process with CreateSpace/KDP, and serving as the Managing Editor at Prairie Schooner, one of the oldest and most celebrated literary journals in the US, and the African Poetry Book Fund. Currently, I collaborate as part of the team at The Book Incubator, led by Mary Adkins, working alongside talented writers and mentors including Rufi Thorpe and others. I bring to each project a unique range of experience, expertise in multiple editorial styles, creative problem-solving skills, clear communication, and an eye for clean, concise copy.
From substantive developmental editing to a nitty-gritty proofread, I’ve helped writers with a range of work across multiple genres. I'm always particularly interested in working with new writers in fun genres like cozy mysteries, romance, and the genre commonly called "women's fiction." I have a deep love of literary novels and short stories as well as substantial experience in business, leadership, memoir, and light medical texts, as well. Whether you’re looking for a short story critique, feedback on submission packets for traditional querying, a full-on line edit of a manuscript draft, or something in between, I’d love to take a look.
Please note, I typically book projects a month or two in advance. Rates and turnaround times vary based on manuscript length and level of service. I aim to work as quickly as my schedule allows while upholding quality standards; typically, the timeline will be between three to six weeks. My rates are aligned with the Editorial Freelancers Association rates. Reedsy's own rate calculator is a good starting point, too!
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- Master of Fine Arts, University of South Carolina
Work experience
Self-employed
For the past 10+ years, I've been working collaboratively with indie authors and publishers to provide a variety of editorial services. From editorial assessment to developmental editing, from copy/line edits to proofreads, I am flexible, thorough, and committed to delivering work that directly answers to the author's goals for the project.
The Book Incubator
I work alongside founder and best-selling author Mary Adkins and a team of writing coaches, mentors, and editors to support writers in the program. I regularly critique chapters, hold 1:1 meetings with writers, and provide developmental edits on completed drafts.
Compose.ly
Compose.ly is a content marketplace . We’ve made it our mission to help businesses, big and small, tell their stories to the world.
As the Senior Content Editor, I manage a team of in-house editors, community managers, and 200+ freelance writers and editors to ensure brand voice and style guide alignment, clean copy, and consistent quality, on projects ranging from blog posts to white papers to ebooks for our more than 200 clients.
Clients I've worked with include WebMD, Calendly, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, MedicineNet, Springboard, Termly, Pacific Life, Wiley, and more.
Turner Publishing
I perform line and developmental edits, copy edits, and proofreads, as assigned, on frontlist fiction and nonfiction titles. I work according to house style and the Chicago Manual to improve clarity, flow, readability, and organizational structure and to ensure text is clean and error-free. My editing deliverables include a marked-up manuscript, style sheet, and memo to the autor.
Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska
Prairie Schooner is one of the oldest and most-respected literary journals in the United States. I handled all aspects of production, finances, marketing, distribution, and more.
History Press
History Press empowers history enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is an international source for book publishing and bookselling news, reviews, and information.
CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company
CreateSpace, an Amazon company, helps people independently publish and distribute books in physical or digital formats. During my two years in the company I was promoted twice. My work ranged from company-wide collaboration to implement data-driven decisions and document policy and process improvements to performing in-house editing and basic manuscript formatting for VIP clients like Hugh Howey and H.M. Ward, from managing productivity and subject-matter expertise within a team of editorial coordinators to serving as a liaison between authors and third-party vendors.
Milkweed Editions
Milkweed Editions is an independent publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The mission is to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it.
Yemassee Journal
Yemassee Journal is the literary journal of the University of South Carolina, founded in 1993.
Portfolio
Ashley has 45 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Daniel P.
May, 2022
Daniel P.
Mar, 2022
jen G.
Dec, 2021
Daniel P.
Dec, 2021
Monique B.
Nov, 2021
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