Carrie Wicks

Carrie Wicks – Editor

Seasoned copyeditor/proofreader with a passion for cleaning up copy, focusing on nonfiction: art books, cookbooks, and memoirs.

Overview

I've been working independently as a copyeditor/proofreader for about twenty years now. I proofread art books in-house for eight years prior. I work on creative nonfiction (art books, cookbooks, memoirs) as well as some fiction (preferring short) and whatever else anyone might need help polishing for publication. Very familiar with Chicago style and Merriam-Webster's, I can help weed, prune, and clean copy in preparation for wider distribution. I focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation; notice inconsistencies in style and typography; call out unnecessary redundancies; check spellings of proper nouns; and fix or query awkward constructions, tone, etc. I do not use AI in my work and prefer not to work on AI-generated text.

Services
Non-Fiction
Art Biographies & Memoirs Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits
Fiction
Literary Fiction Romance Women's Fiction
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Modernist Cuisine

Dec, 2010 — Jun, 2012 (over 1 year)
Proofread the Kitchen Manual and the index for the six-volume Modernist Cuisine as well as the marketing brochure; proofread volumes for third edition printing; then part-time, copyedited and proofread Modernist Cuisine at Home, June 2011-June 2012; proofread the Photography of Modernist Cuisine; April 2015-freelance proofreading for the Modernist Bread book (five volumes) as well as for the marketing dept.

Self-employed

Jul, 2008 — Present
Since 2008, after working in-house at Marquand Books for nearly eight years as proofreader and editorial assistant, I've been copyediting/proofreading for book publishers, independent (dev edited) authors, content editors, magazines, marketing depts. at universities, and graphic design firms / ad agencies.

Marquand Books

Nov, 2000 — Jul, 2008 (over 7 years)
For this nationally acclaimed designer and producer of fine illustrated books, I proofread edits to rounds of page proofs to ensure consistency of editorial and typographic style; performed copyediting, focusing on spelling, punctuation, and grammar; cross-checked references and proofread indexes; entered edits in Adobe InDesign; prepared and cleaned up manuscripts in Microsoft Word per house style; applied for CIP data from the LoC; checked printers' proofs; worked closely and quickly with typesetters and designers

The Leonhardt Group

Jul, 1996 — Aug, 1999 (about 3 years)
Ensured accuracy and typographic quality of final copy for this graphic design firm. Copyedited marketing proposals and various communications for internal departments. Office culture emphasized teamwork with designers, production artists, and print and account managers to realize tight deadlines Later on, TLG became Fitch, for which I proofread on a contract/freelance basis.

Portfolio

Modernist Bread

Nathan Myhrvold

Modernist Bread: The Art and Science is a revolutionary new understanding of one of the most important staples of the human diet. Created by the team that published the award-winning Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, this massive treasury of p... read more
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir

Cinelle Barnes

Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, Monsoon Mansion is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family’s rise and fall from grace in... read more
A Beautiful Work In Progress

Mirna Valerio

Runners’ vocabulary is full of acronyms like DNS for “Did Not Start” and DNF for “Did Not Finish,” but when Mirna Valerio stepped up to the starting line, she needed a new one: DNQ for “Did Not Quit.”Valerio has tied on her running shoes all across the country... read more
Captive Light: The Life and Photography of Ella E. McBride

Margaret E. Bullock

Internationally acclaimed fine-art photographer Ella McBride (1862–1965) played an important role in the Northwest's photography community and was a key figure in the national and international pictorialist photography movements. Despite her many accomplishmen... read more
Günther Förg: A Fragile Beauty

Dallas Museum of Art

Günther Förg (1952–2013) was a German painter, sculptor, and photographer with an irreverent approach to abstraction. Förg’s project tackled the latent instability between image and reality. His painterly surfaces may appear exquisitely sensitive, his installa... read more
Subjective Objective: A Century of Social Photography

Exhibition Catalogue, Zimmerli Art Museum,
Not My Secret to Keep: A Memoir of Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Digene Farrar

DIGENE FARRAR was in New York City, launching the modeling career she’d always dreamed of. The morning of September 11, 2001, she was two blocks away when the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center. Her instincts as a registered nurse led her to the sce... read more
A Year Right Here: Adventures with Food and Family in the Great Nearby

Jess Thomson

Armed with "The Here List" and a Type-A personality, Seattle-based writer and cookbook author Jess Thomson sets out to spend a year exploring the food of the Pacific Northwest with her family. Planning to revel in the culinary riches of the region and hoping t... read more
Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age

Luke Timmerman

Lee Hood did that rarest of things. He enabled scientists to see things they couldn’t see before and do things they hadn’t dreamed of doing. Hood led the team at Caltech in the 1980s that developed the first automated DNA sequencer. That invention set the stag... read more
Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

John Medina

Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know—like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What ex... read more
Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded): How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

John Medina

What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know. In his New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina showed us how our bra... read more
Modernist Cuisine at Home

Nathan Myhrvold

What can you make for dinner? Modernist Cuisine is an interdisciplinary team in Bellevue, Washington, founded and led by Nathan Myhrvold. The group includes scientists, research and development chefs, and a full editorial team all dedicated to advancing the st... read more

Carrie has 17 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

alexis K.

alexis K.

Mar, 2026

Carrie was professional and personable. I appreciate her editing skill and approach. She did exactly what she explained to me, and I felt comfortable leaving my work in her capable hands.
Fiona O.

Fiona O.

Feb, 2026

Carrie really has an eye for detail. I hired her for copyediting and then a final proofread of my short story and she did not disappoint. My story was easier to read and error free after her help!
Gabe L.

Gabe L.

Feb, 2026

Carrie was a pleasure to work with. She’s thoughtful, attentive, and genuinely engaged with the material. Her edits were clear and respectful, and when she suggested changes, they made sense. Communication was easy and professional throughout. If you’re looking for a copy editor who understands t...
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Trent F.

Trent F.

Aug, 2025

Carrie has been a pleasure to work with. She has gone over and beyond my expectations in her copyediting, addressing my errors in a way that was helpful and necessary, yet in manner that came across in notes as thoughtfully respectful, which served me well and was appreciated greatly. I am than...
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Stephanie Nina P.

Stephanie Nina P.

Jul, 2024

Second time using Carrie as a proofreader (this time for a book-length work) and she delivered very careful edits and corrections we missed, with explanations. This is quality proofreading that will ensure your book shines its best.

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