Ashley Strosnider - Editor
A supportive and collaborative editorial professional with 10+ years’ experience across print and digital—and a total bookworm.
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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, most recently, 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. 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, but I try to align with the Editorial Freelancers Association rates. Reedsy's own rate calculator is a good starting point, too!
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, most recently, 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. 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, but I try to align with the Editorial Freelancers Association rates. Reedsy's own rate calculator is a good starting point, too!
Languages
English (AUS)
English (CAN)
English (SA)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Business & Management
History
Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Cozy Mysteries
Literary Fiction
Short Story
Women's Fiction
Certifications
- Master of Fine Arts, University of South Carolina
Work experience
Managing Editor
Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska
June, 2014
–
October, 2020
(over 6 years)
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.
Manuscript Consultant
Self-employed
January, 2012
–
Present
(almost 10 years)
For more than six 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.
Senior Content Editor
Compose.ly
November, 2020
–
Present
(12 months)
Compose.ly is a content marketplace . We’ve made it our mission to help businesses, big and small, tell their stories to the world.
Proofreader
History Press
December, 2013
–
June, 2014
(6 months)
History Press empowers history enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences.
Book Reviewer
Publishers Weekly
September, 2013
–
August, 2014
(11 months)
Publishers Weekly is an international source for book publishing and bookselling news, reviews, and information.
Content Editor, Content Media Specialist, Content Media Coordinator
CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company
May, 2012
–
June, 2014
(about 2 years)
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.
Editorial Intern
Milkweed Editions
May, 2011
–
September, 2011
(4 months)
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.
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Yemassee Journal
May, 2010
–
September, 2012
(over 2 years)
Yemassee Journal is the literary journal of the University of South Carolina, founded in 1993.
Portfolio (56 selected works)
Tiny
Kim Hooper
Nate and Annie Forester are faced with every parent’s worst nightmare when their three-year-old daughter, Madeline, is hit by a car right before their eyes. In the aftermath of her death, the distance between them grows. Nate just wants to move on and return to some version of normal, while Annie finds herself stuck in the quicksand of her grief. Josh, 22 years old – third party to the nightma... read more
From student loans to savings accounts, cars to credit scores, I Am Net Worthy covers all the essential aspects of personal finance for today's young adults. Let's face it, many young adults and millennials today have no grasp over their personal finances. In a world where everybody is trying to one up one another, it's more important for people to "look" rich right now, rather than be rich or... read more
A witchin' new series from USA Today bestselling author A. GARDNER!Ember Greene, savvy businesswoman and troubled psychic, returns to her family's bakery in southern Alabama after her sister mysteriously disappears.The magical folks of Misty Key have always lived in harmony. But that all changes when a maid at the local hotel is murdered, and a rogue witch is to blame. Desperate to find her si... read more
Terms and Conditions
Helen J. Darling
An ambitious single woman. A lifelong goal within reach. Will Manhattan’s unexpected challenges turn her fantasy into a disaster? After ten lackluster years in a dead-end job, Jane Desmond can’t wait to pursue her enduring ambition of a career in the glittering NYC literary scene. But the city starts throwing her curveballs the moment she arrives and what’s worse, her nervous mother, petrified... read more
Sink or Shine: Attract Clients and Talent with the Brightness of Your Mission
Adam H. Michaels, Dayna Williams
In the modern marketplace, there are two types of businesses: Tugboats and Lighthouses.Tugboats represent the antiquated ways of the past. These businesses may have dominated in their day, but now, their love affair with the way things have always been puts them at risk of sinking. The hard truth is that most established businesses and the leaders within them often gravitate toward comfort and... read more
All the Acorns on the Forest Floor
Hooper, Kim
American Animals: A True Crime Memoir
Eric Borsuk
AS SEEN IN THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE “One of the most esoteric and far-fetched crimes in 21st century annals.” ―The Hollywood Reporter “A rare book heist that Danny Ocean may have applauded―except for one mistake.” ―Vanity Fair “A tragicomedy of errors.” ―Salon “They are the young people, the people with the idealism, the passion, the courage to do something interesting with their lives: an act... read more
Cover Your Tracks
Auffenorde, Daco
Paradise, WV
Rufus, Rob
Prairie Schooner, a national literary quarterly published with the support of the English Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Press, is home to the best fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews being published today by beginning, mid-career, and established writers.
Humans have always connected deeply to the idea of home. In Bryn Chancellor’s nine stories, home means, in part, the physical spaces: the buildings, cities and towns, the fragile, imperious landscapes of the region. But home is also profoundly rooted in intangibles. Set in urban and rural Arizona, home, for the characters in these stories, is love—familial, romantic, and unrequited. It is loss... read more
Reliquaria (Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry)
R. A. Villanueva
In his prize-winning poetry collection Reliquaria, R. A. Villanueva embraces liminal, in-between spaces in considering an ever-evolving Filipino American identity. Languages and cultures collide; mythologies and faiths echo and resound. Part haunting, part prayer, part prophecy, these poems resonate with the voices of the dead and those who remember them. In this remarkable book, we enter the ... read more
Is your speaking letting you down? I am confident that you, like me, have sometimes spoken words in anger, without thinking. Almost as soon as the words leave your mouth, you’re already regretting saying them. Then follows the awkward apology, the ‘trying to set things right’ conversation. How often have you spoken in a work-related context and felt you haven’t quite done justice to yourself, ... read more
The World Was Our Stage: Spanning the Globe with ABC Sports
Doug Wilson, Jody Cohan
In The World Was Our Stage, producer/director Doug Wilson recounts his incredible fifty-year journey with ABC Sports and its beloved sports anthology program ABC's Wide World of Sports. His natural story telling style and entertaining anecdotes capture not only "the human drama of athletic competition"--the hallmark of ABC's coverage--but also the unforgettable golden era of sports television.... read more
Tracing Kentucky's unusual history through its early days as the rough-and-tumble frontier and its settling down and growing up in dozens of directions, Only in Old Kentucky" offers a series of novel and fascinating stories of bygone days from Cadiz to Versailles. Kentucky's saltpeter reserves take a backseat to coal mining today but played a critical role in the military engagements of yester... read more
Whidbey Island: Reflections on People & the Land
Elizabeth Guss, Mary Richardson, Janice C. O'Mahony
For generations, Whidbey Island's vivid beauty has made it a home for those drawn in by a rural landscape and thriving communities. Whether native tribes, pioneers, vacationers or retirees, all have enjoyed the island's legacy. Their stories illustrate Whidbey Island residents' devotion to their home. Authors Elizabeth Guss, Janice O'Mahony and Mary Richardson offer a compelling anthology that... read more
Hidden History of Milwaukee
Robert Tanzilo
Join OnMilwaukee.com's Bobby Tanzilo for a behind-the-scenes tour of Milwaukee's past. Sail out to the Breakwater Lighthouse, scramble up the wings of the Milwaukee Art Museum and dig up the city's roots on the corner of Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Seize the chance to do a little urban spelunking and explore basilicas, burial grounds and breweries. Ring the bell in the city hall tower, ... read more
Remarkable Women of Stockton (American Heritage)
Mary Jo Gohlke
Women played prominent roles during Stockton's growth from gold rush tent city to California leader in transportation, agriculture and manufacturing. Heiresses reigned in the city's nineteenth-century mansions. In the twentieth century, women fought for suffrage and helped start local colleges, run steamship lines, build food empires and break the school district's color barrier. Writers like ... read more
Going Home: Roger (Sweet and Sensuous Book 2)
Barbara James
Roger M. Young turned his back on his conservative upbringing when he left home at eighteen and joined the Coast Guard. He was quite happy with his life. When he served as a groomsman at his best friend Rick Santelli's wedding, dating Denise Perigault, Rick's teenaged sister-in-law, was the last thing on his mind. And she felt the same way too. Having recently finished her junior year in high ... read more
The Greene sisters are back in this witchin' new series from USA Today bestselling author A. GARDNER!Kill 'em with kindness . . . or just kill 'em. A simple act of southern hospitality pulls Ember Greene into a murder investigation when she finds her new neighbor, a vampire exec at Corpse Corp., dead. And the mysterious wound that killed him points to someone she least suspects.The coastal tow... read more
The Greene sisters are at it again in this witchin' new series from USA Today bestselling author A. GARDNER!A hotel billionaire is dead, and Ember Greene is the prime suspect.Misty Key's annual Mardi Gras celebrations are approaching, and the Lunar Bakery is busier than ever cranking out beignets and King cakes. Ember is tasked with juggling her responsibilities at the family bakery with her n... read more
Perfumed Steamroller: A journey into the world of technology
Christine McNamara
For some people, technology is a necessary evil – for others, it’s something they can’t imagine living without. For Christine McNamara – a ground-breaking businesswoman and technical expert – it has led to a dynamic and rewarding career in the Information Technology industry. Christine’s journey into the world of technology began in 1986, when the new generation of mini computers was considere... read more
An updated edition to a classic book about the amazing benefits of everyone's favorite food: Chocolate!Dark chocolate sales are on the rise as people embrace the concept that chocolate can truly be good for them. But how do they know what to eat, how much, and which kinds are the best?The Chocolate Therapist answers these questions and more. This book has everything a person needs to know to s... read more
An ancient crystal ball is hidden on the Georgia coast, and a killer will stop at nothing to find it.Ember Greene, a sharp businesswoman but troubled psychic, is invited to a Seer retreat on the Georgia coast complete with fruity cocktails, spa treatments, and daily affirmations. But her relaxing weekend turns sour when a dead body turns up in the hotel kitchen. The victim, a suspected witch c... read more
Yin Yang Diet
Ken Babal
The Yin-Yang Diet is a modern, scientific approach to balanced nutrition based on the ancient Asian concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang describe how opposites or contrary forces are interconnected, interdependent and complimentary. The book explains the Yin or Yang nature of foods and nutrients and how they affect our constantly changing body chemistry. A diet that is too extreme in either Y... read more
If you think you're funny and you want others to think so? The this is book for you. Dean has cracked to joke structure code, and then developed an original joke writing system, The Joke Prospector. This is the most comprehensive step by step manual on the planet for learning the principles and skills of being funny.
Scripted Unscripted
Kristina Miranda
Ellie Quinn has spent most of her sixteen years behind the scenes, helping her father manage a crew of four-legged movie stars. Although she longs to be acknowledged as an animal trainer in her own right, she often gets stuck babysitting actors’ personal pets and is known around the studio as “the dog sitter for the stars.”When teen megastar Kate Montgomery’s sidekick gets fired while filming ... read more
Where I'm Supposed To Be
H.K. Christie
Where I'm Supposed To Be is a heartfelt novel about love and self-discovery. It will make you laugh, cry, and stop to think about what's really important in life.An inspiring read perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Catherine Ryan Hyde, and Jodi Picoult.When Casey and her husband, Jason, decide to add a new member to their family, a feisty Shih Tzu puppy, aptly named Roxie with the Moxie, a glimme... read more
The Wedding Bet: Lauren (Sweet and Sensuous Book 2)
Barbara James
What if the hottest and most eligible guy you’ve ever met makes you an offer you can't refuse?College student Lauren Boucher was happy to be a bridesmaid at her friend Annelise Perigault’s wedding. Her partner, groomsman Don Lamoreaux, was too hot for words, but she wasn't interested, because she knew he had a roving eye.Although he asks her out, she puts him off by saying she’s only intereste... read more
Diabhal (Book 1)
Kathleen Kaufman
Diabhal (Devil) is the story of cults, exorcisms and the devil in 1980’s era Los Angeles. Ceit Robertson, age ten, is the next Matrarc to the Society, a cultish, matriarchal group living in an inconspicuous cul-de-sac in Venice Beach. When Ceit’s mother is attacked by spirits from the old world, a failed exorcism results in Ceit’s exile into the foster care system in Los Angeles. She eventuall... read more
Another Kingdom Book 1
Andrew Klavan
Austin, a struggling screenwriter living in LA, is transported to the medieval city of Galiana, where he is charged with murder. He is suddenly transported back to LA and sets off in search of the only book written about the medieval kingdom. But Austin is not the only one interested in the book – Serge Orosgo, a powerful billionaire and family friend, wants the books so badly that he threaten... read more
I'll Know Me When I Find Me (A Jane Desmond Novel Book 1)
Helen J. Darling
Jane’s in a rut. Can she dig herself out without burying her best friend?Jane Desmond feels like a failure. Sure, she has a good job and a roof over her head, but nothing else seems to ever go her way. Unwanted attention from an infatuated coworker and meddlesome matchmaking from her mother has her professional and social life in tatters. When her best friend Thea loses her job a few days afte... read more
Motorbikes and Camels
Nejoud Al-Yagout
Diverse characters. Diverse tales. Sometimes intertwining. There is Salma, facing a spiritual crisis in a country steeped in dogma; Hussam - a billionaire’s son who tries but fails to conceal his gay relationship; Mohammed, a bigamist, grasping tightly to antiquated patriarchal ideals at the expense of his love life; Mike, who adopts cultural appropriation to provide him with a stable foundati... read more
He Came in With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness
Miriam Feldman
“…a cleansing narrative that should inspire mothers―and other caregivers―to rise up, unite, and breathe hot new life into the drooping cause of mental healthcare reform.”― Ron Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author. “To know that you are not alone in this loneliest and most emotionally difficult of all family situations is a great gift, a comfort and s... read more
Stuck in Manistique
Dennis Cuesta
Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as sole beneficiary of Vivian's estate, he travels there to settle her affairs. As Mark tours his aunt's house for the first time, the doorbell rings.Days after graduating medical school, Dr. Emily Dav... read more
EndoMEtriosis: A Guide for Girls
Tamer Seckin MD
From the award-winning Dr. Tamer Seckin comes a book written for all of the Endo Warriors out there, from the thirteen-year-old girl who is being told that her pain is “part of becoming a women,” to the woman who has been misdiagnosed for decades―and needs to know she is not alone. Every girl has the right to be pain-free. To live the life they want to live. The journey toward new and happy li... read more
There’s a little-known strategy that smart coaches, consultants, professional service providers and other entrepreneurs are using to position themselves as the obvious go-to expert in their marketplace.The ever-increasing gap between running a successful, growing business and a failing one comes down to this one harsh truth: If you aren’t the one standing out and being noticed chances are you ... read more
The ultimate post-cancer survival guideThrough painful personal struggle and discovery, BH Lindblad discovered that life after cancer wasn't as he imagined. Crippling anxiety and PTSD plagued him for years, with no end in sight.From vigorous research, Lindblad found a dozen natural ways to cure his anxiety, for good. In this ground-breaking book, which is part memoir and part prescriptive self... read more
Getting out of the Comfort Zone: Ayanna
Barbara James
Ayanna Pagdell, a young military officer and seminary student, had things all figured out. She was going to take her required unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at her local hospital and go on with her career in ministry. But she wasn’t prepared for the emotional intensity of being confronted with her baggage: the things she ignored and the relationships that made her cynical. She wasn’t prep... read more
THE SANITY GAME
Chris Moses
Your success and the success of any organization can be traced to the level of sanity exhibited and practiced.Studies continue to show that most employees leave to find sanity elsewhere, and almost half of the employees are considering a move outside of their company this year. Chances are that most employees are not adding their full potential value and your career, company, health, and earni... read more
Reaching the End Zone: Suzette (The Seminarians Book 2)
James, Barbara, Strosnider, Ashley
Vanilla Vendetta (A Mission Inn-possible Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Point, Rosie A.
Cover Your Tracks
Auffenorde, Daco
The Escape of Light
Fred Venturini
Teenage burn survivor, Wilder Tate, begins high school ashamed of his disfigurement. He finds an outlet tapping into his one-dimensional basketball talent as a shutdown defender and courts his cheerleader dreamgirl, only to endure heartbreak and setbacks that drive him to have a tissue expander operation to rid himself of his scar tissue for good, but at what price? The operation costs him his... read more
Hopefully, Eventually
Roe Hooper, Chelsea
Murder By Chocolate (A Bite-sized Bakery Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Point, Rosie A.
All the Love: Healing Your Heart and Finding Meaning After Pregnancy Loss
Hooper, Kim, Resnick, Meredith, Diep PsyD, Huong
Before Anyone Else
Leslie Hooton
As a designer of upscale restaurants, 30-year-old Bailey Ann Edgeworth can go into an empty space and immediately see what it would take to transform it into a beautiful and memorable spot. She learns transforming her own life is another proposition entirely. It can get messy and it doesn’t always go according to a neat blueprint. Bailey’s brother, Henry, and his best friend Griffin are stars ... read more
Recusal
R.L. Sommer
Jake Lehman, fresh out of law school at NYU, finds himself swept into the political intrigue and moral dilemmas plaguing the nation’s capital when he lands in Washington, DC, for a clerkship with the venerable Supreme Court Justice White. As he begins falling for a fellow clerk--a brilliant and gorgeous Rhodes scholar from Stanford--a political scandal erupts, implicating the president and rai... read more
Words to Eat By: Using the Power of Self-talk to Transform Your Relationship with Food and Your Body
Koenig LCSW M.Ed., Karen
One Potato
McMahon, Tyler
The Sunny Side Up Cozy Mysteries Box Set
Point, Rosie A.
Ashley has 40 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I am really pleased with the editorial assessment I have received from Ashley. She really understood what my overall goal was in hiring her services, and also where I wanted to take my story,.
Ashley was extremely thorough and gave me a lot of really good tips and ideas on how I can fine tune and enhance my manuscript.
I would highly recommend as the service I received was exceptional, and A...
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Carly Wilson, April 2021
Ashley is a professional through and through. It was a pleasure working with her, and I will for sure use her again. The proof was very clean and easy to work through, and I agreed with 99% of her edits. She also told me when something was off, or my phrasing was odd, and even came with suggetsions. Early on she explained edits so I could learn, but didn't clutter the document more than absolu...
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Tommy Ueland, March 2021
Ashley stuck to our scheduled and provided excellent feed back and edits. I will definitely use her skills again.
Robert Lay, March 2021
Ashley is extremely nice, yet direct. Honest and welcoming, her assessment of my work went way above and beyond what I expected.
Andrew Dodson, November 2020
This was my first time working with an editor and Ashley was very good. She was thorough, responsive, and left me with some great ideas, lessons, and inspiration moving forward. I am still absorbing everything and it took a few rereads of her notes before I began my own revising and editing process. Ashley has given me some great insight into how to further develop my story and I am genuinel...
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Tiffany Giusti, October 2020
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