Overview
Fiction is my passion—as editor, writer, reader, reviewer, contest judge—and helping authors with their novels, novellas, and short stories is the best job in the world.
I came to it unconventionally, via two converging pathways: document production for corporate publishers, and personal art/writing/reading. Both channels exposed me to weirdly wide knowledge and experience. They met in the middle in 2006, when I hung out my freelance shingle. Since then I have edited novels for major traditional publishers, such as Penguin/Berkley/NAL, HarperCollins, and Little, Brown; and indie authors seeking either traditional publishing or self-publishing their books. I work with seasoned pros and first-timers, and all skill levels in between.
The range and diversity of my two-channel experience—subjects from equines to aircraft, genres from romance to steampunk—let me help authors in any fictional realm transform their ideas into stories aimed at the readership they desire.
All stories share the need for mechanical “housekeeping” after the developmental work has been done. I specialize in preserving each author’s unique voice and vision while attending to the four C’s: clarity, consistency, choreography, and comprehension. These translate into content and copy editing. Their purpose is to hone writing craft and story craft to avoid readers going “huh?” and stumbling out of the story.
Through direct experience publishing my own novels, coupled with indirect experience sharing the publishing journey with clients, I’ve learned the ropes from dream and first draft to prize-winning success. I look forward to joining you on your own publishing journey!
In addition to the categories shown elsewhere in my listing, I have a special interest in novels involving:
* Aviation
* Autosports
* Animals, especially horses
* Westerns (historical and modern)
Currently booking projects for 4Q 2023 and onward.
Services
Fiction
Languages
Awards
- Grand Prize Winner, Chanticleer Book Reviews 2015 Paranormal Fiction Award
- 2nd Place, West Houston RWA 2019 Emily Award
- 3rd Place, Feathered Quill Book Awards, 2022 Animal-Adult Category
Certifications
- Copyediting & Proofreading (Fairfield University)
- BA equivalent in English/Communications, from work experience and independent study (ongoing)
Work experience
Self-employed
Full-service editorial company helping authors and publishers in fiction and select nonfiction. Clients range from new indie authors to large publishing houses and university presses; also special-interest and university alumni magazines.
Vermont Country Store
Copyediting and proofreading, copywriting, page production, and scheduling for the Creative Department of a catalog retailer.
New England Business Journals
Copyediting and proofreading, copywriting, and typesetting for a B2B regional newspaper:
Self-employed
Editing and desktop publishing support for large and small companies and publishers, and independent authors. This was the birth of what would later become my company, DocuMania.
Consultech Communications
Copyeditor and compositor for a marketing and direct mail start-up firm serving high-tech companies and publishers.
General Electric
Edited, proofread, typeset, and converted all materials in the in the publishing division at GE headquarters.
Portfolio
Carolyn has 28 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Frank T.
Aug, 2023
Layne F.
Aug, 2023
Steve W.
Apr, 2023
Steve W.
Mar, 2023
Brandon L.
Feb, 2023
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