Caroline Macon Fleischer - Editor
Story-driven developmental editor with a love for strong characters and juicy plots. I specialize in indie publishing and literary fiction.
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Overview
I am a Chicago-based writer and editor with an interest in literature across many genres.
I am a compassionate editor that guides writers through their manuscripts from the conceptual stages to the finished product. My working style is intuitive and flexible around the writer's goals. Working with an editor can be vulnerable, so I do whatever I can to help the writer feel confident and shine. My working relationships are always warm, but I seek to challenge every project so that it reaches its full potential.
My taste varies, but I especially love character-driven stories, literary fiction, women's fiction, and work that has a genre that is hard to define. I am riveted by blunt language, unusual synopses, and stories that make me laugh and cry at the same time. If you are an odd duck, we'll probably get along great.
My own writing has been published in American Theatre Magazine, Scary Mommy, L.A. Review of Books, The Rumpus, Time Out, and more. I am a longtime member of Chicago's "Poems While You Wait," a team of poets and our typewriters that offers typewritten, one of a kind poetry on demand.
Editorially, I've worked with Rose Metal Press, which specializes in hybrid-work, and Curbside Splendor Publishing, a Midwestern publisher of a diverse array of titles and authors. I also have experience in playwriting and new play development. I formerly managed the new play development program for Lookingglass, a Tony Award-winning theatre company.
*
"Caroline brings precisely the kind of generous but critical eye to writing and editing projects that every piece needs—she polishes up the gleaming parts to best advantage and makes the dull bits shine. Well-read, funny, and personable, Caroline is astute, energetic, and punctual with a deadline. Any author or editor should count themselves lucky to get to work with her."
- Kathleen Rooney, NYT Bestselling Author
"Caroline demonstrates a clear passion for writing and editing. She has a real depth of understanding characters and a keen ear for dialogue. She is a deeply gifted, dedicated writer with a singular voice, she is one of the most hardworking people I know, and I have no doubt that she will make quite an impact as her career progresses."
- Carlos Murillo, Playwright
"Working alongside Caroline for 6 years and counting, I trust her with my writing projects in any and all genres. She has an innate ability to question, cut, and shift—necessary for honing the direction and allowing projects to flow seamlessly. Her combination of raw talent and hard work, plus both academic and professional training, makes her an invaluable reader and editor."
- Becky Wills, Writer
"Sharp-witted and forthright with emotional intelligence, Caroline always gives fresh and vital notes to my fiction."
- Julianna Hurtado, Author
"Caroline is an exemplary editor and writer who is careful and thorough in her research and reading. A true joy to work with!"
- Catherine Eves, Senior Editor, Cancer Wellness
I am a compassionate editor that guides writers through their manuscripts from the conceptual stages to the finished product. My working style is intuitive and flexible around the writer's goals. Working with an editor can be vulnerable, so I do whatever I can to help the writer feel confident and shine. My working relationships are always warm, but I seek to challenge every project so that it reaches its full potential.
My taste varies, but I especially love character-driven stories, literary fiction, women's fiction, and work that has a genre that is hard to define. I am riveted by blunt language, unusual synopses, and stories that make me laugh and cry at the same time. If you are an odd duck, we'll probably get along great.
My own writing has been published in American Theatre Magazine, Scary Mommy, L.A. Review of Books, The Rumpus, Time Out, and more. I am a longtime member of Chicago's "Poems While You Wait," a team of poets and our typewriters that offers typewritten, one of a kind poetry on demand.
Editorially, I've worked with Rose Metal Press, which specializes in hybrid-work, and Curbside Splendor Publishing, a Midwestern publisher of a diverse array of titles and authors. I also have experience in playwriting and new play development. I formerly managed the new play development program for Lookingglass, a Tony Award-winning theatre company.
*
"Caroline brings precisely the kind of generous but critical eye to writing and editing projects that every piece needs—she polishes up the gleaming parts to best advantage and makes the dull bits shine. Well-read, funny, and personable, Caroline is astute, energetic, and punctual with a deadline. Any author or editor should count themselves lucky to get to work with her."
- Kathleen Rooney, NYT Bestselling Author
"Caroline demonstrates a clear passion for writing and editing. She has a real depth of understanding characters and a keen ear for dialogue. She is a deeply gifted, dedicated writer with a singular voice, she is one of the most hardworking people I know, and I have no doubt that she will make quite an impact as her career progresses."
- Carlos Murillo, Playwright
"Working alongside Caroline for 6 years and counting, I trust her with my writing projects in any and all genres. She has an innate ability to question, cut, and shift—necessary for honing the direction and allowing projects to flow seamlessly. Her combination of raw talent and hard work, plus both academic and professional training, makes her an invaluable reader and editor."
- Becky Wills, Writer
"Sharp-witted and forthright with emotional intelligence, Caroline always gives fresh and vital notes to my fiction."
- Julianna Hurtado, Author
"Caroline is an exemplary editor and writer who is careful and thorough in her research and reading. A true joy to work with!"
- Catherine Eves, Senior Editor, Cancer Wellness
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Literary Fiction
Plays & Screenplays
Short Story
Women's Fiction
Certifications
- BA English - Creative Writing
- BFA Theatre Studies - Playwriting
- Chicago Dramatists Fellowship Alumni
- MFA Writing and Publishing
Awards
- Zach Helm Endowed Playwriting Prize
- StoryStudio Stories Matter Award
- Larry Bundschu and Warren Snoddy Endowed Playwriting Prize
- Cunningham Commission Chicago
Work experience
Freelance Writer and Editor
Self-employed
May, 2019
–
Present
(about 3 years)
Literary Associate
Lookingglass Theatre Company
September, 2016
–
May, 2019
(over 2 years)
I managed Gglassworks, the new play development program. In the role, I assisted playwrights both editorially and administratively to help their manuscripts come to fruition.
Editorial Assistant
Curbside Splendor Publishing
January, 2015
–
August, 2016
(over 1 year)
I served for an independent press and assisted with manuscript proofreading and editing, book mailings, press releases, and the grand opening of an independent bookstore.
Editorial Intern
Rose Metal Press
June, 2013
–
June, 2014
(about 1 year)
Rose Metal Press specializes in hybrid-genre work. As an intern, I assisted with marketing and outreach, manuscript and eGalley proofreading, and sales at book fairs and other events.
Portfolio (9 selected works)
A Heart to Love
Horton, Sandra
Liliane's Balcony: A Novella of Fallingwater
Kelcey Parker
Liliane’s Balcony is a multi-voiced novella-in-flash set at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Built for Pittsburgh merchants E.J. and Liliane Kaufmann in 1935, the house is as much a character as it is a setting. One September night in 1952, Liliane Kaufmann—tired of her husband’s infidelities—overdoses on pain pills in her bedroom. From there, Liliane’s Balcony alternates Mrs. Kaufmann’s mos... read more
My Very End of the Universe: Five Novellas-in-Flash and a Study of the Form
Chris Bower, Margaret Patton Chapman, Tiff Holland, Meg Pokrass, Aaron Teel
MY VERY END OF THE UNIVERSE is a celebration and study of an increasingly popular genre: the novella-in-flash, a novella built of standalone flash stories. The novellas in this collection—BETTY SUPERMAN by Tiff Holland, HERE, WHERE WE LIVE by Meg Pokrass, SHAMPOO HORNS by Aaron Teel, BELL AND BARGAIN by Margaret Patton Chapman, and THE FAMILY DOGS by Chris Bower—are compact and specific, yet ... read more
The Voyager Record: A Transmission
Anthony Michael Morena
Late summer 1977: two identical robotic spacecraft launch from Cape Canaveral. Their divergent paths through the solar system take them past gas giants, icy moons, asteroid belts, and eventually into the unknown of interstellar space. There, they will continue to travel on forever, the fastest moving objects ever created by humans. The Voyagers carry a message from Earth, a phonograph record p... read more
Juventud
Vanessa Blakeslee
Growing up as the only daughter of a wealthy landowner in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, teenaged Mercedes Martinez knows a world of maids, armed guards, and private drivers. When she falls in love with Manuel, a fiery young activist with a passion for his faith and his country, she begins to understand the suffering of the desplazados who share her land. A startling discovery about her father fo... read more
The Voiceover Artist
Dave Reidy
Simon Davies suffers a crippling stutter inherited from his father. At the age of seven, he decides to stop speaking completelyeventually rendering his vocal cords useless from atrophy. Unable to speak, Simon finds solace in the voices piping through his bedside radio.Eighteen years later, Simon rebuilds his voice and learns to mostly manage his stutter with a series of subtle tics he’s devel... read more
"In the hands of Gwendolyn Brooks, old age is a diamond with many facets. Throughout her poetry Brooks has illuminated old age as a time of isolation and withdrawal, remembrance and continuity, poverty, vulnerability, even homelessness, exploitation, neglect, abandonment, marginalization and destruction. And, yet, she offered resistance and affirmation."—Angela Jackson, award-winning poet and ... read more
The Javier Plays
Carlos Murillo
Chicago-based playwright Carlos Murillo's The Javier Plays is an inventive and epic trilogy that delves into themes of authenticity, truth, and self-made mythology. This collection includes the plays Diagram of a Paper Airplane, A Thick Description of Harry Smith (Volume 1), and Your Name Will Follow You Home.
Caroline has 28 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
After working with Caroline on my first book it was a no-brainer to work with her again on my second. I was not disappointed at all. I was extremely satisfied with the work that she did. She went above and beyond expectation and I look forward to working with her again!
Kevin Spivey, April 2022
I had a wonderful experience working with Caroline. She went above and beyond, answered my numerous questions, and pointed out certain words appearing too often in the manuscript. She even gave me some advice about publishing!
Erick Edwards, December 2021
I've greatly enjoyed working with Caroline. Her feedback was easy to consume and use to improve my work. She also seemed to have no issue with working with my responses being delayed at times. I look forward to continuing our work together!
Melissa Owens, November 2021
Caroline was helpful in all aspects in the development of my screenplay. Positive experience. I highly recommend her.
Steve Olsen, October 2021
I am so thrilled with Caroline’s developmental edit of my book. In addition to remaining accessible throughout the time she had my manuscript, her enthusiasm for starting the work and her professionalism in executing it was incredible. At first read through her assessment I felt as though she was in my head—every question I had about what she proposed was answered as I read, and any lingering i...
Read more
Alix Purcell, August 2021
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