Bethany Blair

Bethany Blair – Editor

Experienced and friendly developmental editor/copy editor specializing in romance and cozy mysteries with an obsession for minor details.

Overview

I am a former Penguin Random House assistant editor who specialized in romance and cozy mysteries. Though life has taken me from one coast to the other and landed me back in the Midwest, I still love to consume and edit books. For the past few years I've been freelance editing with Radish Fiction, a serialized fiction app for romance novels, where I've worked on a number of high heat romance series. I also freelance with ByteDance's new publishing branch 8th Note Press, working mainly on romance and cozy mystery titles.

In addition to my editorial insights, I am a stickler for small details and identifying inconsistencies. If you have a project you're passionate about, I'm happy to help give it shape and craft it into something you can feel good about and your readers will love.

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Cozy Mysteries Paranormal Romance
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Aug, 2019 — Present
Copy edit content for grammar, awkward phrasing, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and continuity. Provide developmental edits to ensure consistency in voice, tone, characterization, and plot for various high heat romance series.

Penguin Random House

Jul, 2014 — Oct, 2016 (over 2 years)
Edited and managed commercial fiction books on tight deadlines, offering creative feedback and editorial guidance to authors, and performing substantive content edits and line-edits on manuscripts. In addition to my own authors, I worked alongside two senior editors on manuscripts for New York Times bestselling author Miranda James, Victoria Hamilton/Amanda Cooper/Donna Lea Simpson, Susannah Hardy, Jean Flowers, Laura DiSilverio, Terrie Farley Moran, Mary Kennedy, Nancy J. Parra, Elaine Viets, Laura Bradford/Elizabeth Lynn Casey, and M.L. Rowland for the cozy mystery genre. For the romance genre, I worked on manuscripts for Lisa Desrochers and Stephanie Julian.

Portfolio

Savory & Supernatural (Movie Magic)

Healey, Karen

8th Note Press

Proofreading
Bespoke & Bespelled (Movie Magic)

Healey, Karen

8th Note Press

Proofreading
Going for Two (Chicago Heartbreakers)

Wiegand, Ally

8th Note Press

Developmental Editing
Swamp Princess (Critters and Criminals Book 2)

Lush, Tara

8th Note Press

Developmental Editing
Rebel Darling (Immune Book 1)

Best, Valerie

8th Note Press

Copy Editing
Dangerously Charming (Broken Riders Novel, A)

Deborah Blake

From the author of the Baba Yaga novels, a brand new series set in the same “addicting”* world, filled with wild magic, enchanting damsels, and the irresistibly daring men who serve the Baba Y... read more
Developmental Editing
Sowed to Death (Farmer's Daughter Mystery)

Peg Cochran

In the latest Farmer’s Daughter Mystery from the national bestselling author of No Farm, No Foul, farm owner and blogger Shelby McDonald must field another murder mystery....The county fair is... read more
Developmental Editing
Cold Pressed Murder (An Olive Grove Mystery)

Kelly Lane

Eva Knox and her quirky Southern family are back in the second in the “intriguing”* culinary mystery series. It’s the pits for the attendees of the annual Farm Family Fare in Abundance, Georgi... read more
Developmental Editing
Cheddar Off Dead (An Undercover Dish Mystery)

Julia Buckley

Caterer and cook Lilah Drake is up to her elbows in deadly trouble in the latest mystery from the author of The Big Chili... The Christmas holidays are one of Lilah’s favorite times of the yea... read more
Developmental Editing
Prose and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery)

Amanda Flower

Magic, books, and cats collide in a village near Niagara Falls in the latest mystery from the author of Crime and Poetry... In Cascade Springs, New York, Violet Waverly and her grandma, Daisy,... read more
Developmental Editing
Ghost Maker (The Ghost Seer Novel)

Robin D. Owens

Clare Cermak has a gift for speaking to ghosts of the Old West, but in the latest from the author of Ghost Talker, she may soon join their ranks... With Clare’s health fading, she and her part... read more
Developmental Editing
Forsaken (Deep Connection Novel, A)

Sierra Kincade

The author of the “funny, sweet, suspenseful, and smoking hot” (Beth Kery) Body Works series is back with a dangerously seductive new trilogy...His job is to find her, not to fall for her...Ma... read more
Developmental Editing
Protege

Lydia Michaels

The author of the provocative Surrender Trilogy presents a new novel of one woman’s introduction to a world of sinfully sweet submission... For too long, French teacher Collette Banks has lock... read more
Developmental Editing
A Chasing Fire Novel (3 Book Series)

Ann Marie Walker

From Book 1: First in a tantalizing new trilogy about reigniting a forbidden desire from long ago...As heiress to a media empire Alessandra Sinclair was raised to put family obligations first.... read more
Developmental Editing
Dangerously Divine (Broken Riders Novel, A)

Deborah Blake

The author of the “wonderful” (Tamora Pierce) Baba Yaga novels and Dangerously Charming is back with a magically mesmerizing new tale about the dashing and daring Broken Riders... The Riders: ... read more
Developmental Editing

Bethany has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jeanne Q.

Jeanne Q.

Aug, 2017

Pinned
I enjoyed a terrific collaboration with Bethany. With great enthusiasm for the project, Bethany deftly edited my manuscript, fixing typos and punctuation errors, repairing awkward sentences, and catching inconsistencies in the plot and overuse of words/descriptions. Bethany made the manuscript be...
Read more

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