Celia Chalfoun

Celia Chalfoun - Editor

Toronto, ON, Canada

🚀 Science fiction/fantasy & Life sciences/Nature/Travel editor 🌱 Fluent in English and French ⏳ 14+ years of experience

Request a quote
Verified identity

Overview

** Science fiction/fantasy**(scroll down for Life sciences/Nature/Travel)

As an editor fluent in English and French (and currently learning Hindi/Spanish), I read speculative fiction from all over the world. Reading stories from as many countries and cultures as possible is essential to being a good editor. It challenges my habits and thoughts, and I'm constantly learning something new. Speculative fiction is all about exploring new horizons and gaining new perspectives to add to our collective wisdom.

I dive into your unique world while maintaining the objectivity needed to provide you with insightful notes and suggestions. Some things I'll analyze and advise you on: infodumping/incluing (a term coined by the amazing Jo Walton); choice of narrator - limitations, pros and cons, how it serves the story and your voice; character development, to paint your characters in all their complexity; World building, to ensure your world makes sense and does wonders. And much, much more!


**Life sciences/Nature/Travel**

I've been reading and annotating nature books forever - and that's when I'm not busy taking online classes in astrobiology, microbiology, or mycology. There's so much we know about nature, yet so little. The application of non-human animal ethics and queer theory to life sciences has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life! And the recent mainstream appeal for fungi is also helping people all over the world reconsider their understanding of collaboration, gender... the list goes on.


There's a particular skillset involved in choosing to write these essays. Often the line between non-fiction and storytelling gets blurred and it's wonderful, but also tricky to navigate. As your editor, I'll make sure to understand your voice and lift it. We'll look at how to engage the targeted audience; ponder language intricacies that will make all the difference in how you portray nature and other beings; we'll discuss outlines and how to choose a structure carefully.


📒 About me 📒


⏳ 14+ years as science fiction, fantasy, and travel editor + in writing, publishing, and content development

🌻 Background in anthropology, biology, and languages (Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish)

🏳️‍🌈 I’m a queer person who’s deeply committed to lifting voices from the community

🖋️ A writer myself, I understand the work that comes with the craft. I work with two perspectives — the writer’s and the editor’s

🌏 Lived in France, the U.S. and in Canada


🔥 5 reasons we should work together 🔥


⚡ We stay connected throughout the project! I’ll send you reading suggestions and/or writing exercises, so you can start thinking about/working on the next steps!
✨ My job: story shiner! I’ll read your manuscript twice to understand your story in-depth and suggest improvements that keep the spirit of the story intact.
🎶 I’ll help you find/refine your voice. My notes are full of suggestions and examples to arm you for any roadblock, now and in the future.
💪🏻 I’ll challenge you: I’ll ask you to go deeper and question things you didn’t think about, and I’ll tell you why and how.


Please feel free to contact me with any question. Always happy to talk!

Celia
Languages
English (CAN)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences
Life Sciences
Nature
Travel
Fiction
Fantasy
Magical Realism
Science Fiction

Awards

  • Distinction from the Québec Ministry of Higher Education for the title Analyse financière (published in Jan 2014)
  • Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire 2018 nomination for my short story La Route des Orsadoles

Work experience

Radio host

Bouquins & Confidences/Fantastika
July, 2020 – Present (over 2 years)

One of the best jobs I've ever had: I present curated selections of books on any topics I'm interested in. I tend to mix science-fiction/fantasy, natural history/life sciences, and queer fiction/non-fiction.

Travel Writer/Editor

Self-employed
October, 2010 – Present (over 12 years)

I write travel content for several of Hachette's imprints. Some titles I've worked on: Norway, Japan, Rajasthan-Gujarat, Tuscany, United States, China, Egypt, Portugal.

Academic & editorial assistant

School of Social Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)
June, 2017 – December, 2017 (6 months)

Surrounded by the brightest minds of the social sciences field, I planned seminars, reviewed and translated books and speeches, and developed online content for journalists, publishers, and various institutions.

Higher Ed. Project Manager

TC Media
March, 2013 – September, 2015 (over 2 years)

I managed the production of textbooks from manuscripts to final printing. I worked on a variety of topics ranging from Physics to Criminal Law.
I was awarded a distinction from the Québec Ministry of Higher Education, for the title Analyse financière (published in Jan ’14)

Editorial Assistant

Hachette Tourisme
January, 2010 – June, 2010 (5 months)

I coordinated travel guides development from inception to printing, working closely with the many departments involved in bringing books to life!

Editorial Assistant

Editions Denoël
May, 2009 – August, 2009 (3 months)

I worked for the speculative fiction collection Lunes d'Encre. My job involved a mix of manuscript reading, working with authors on their upcoming publications, designing and creating catalogue content and organizing events related to new publications.

Portfolio (18 selected works)

Life: A Critical User's Manual

Didier Fassin

How can we think of life in its dual expression, matter and experience, the living and the lived? Philosophers and, more recently, social scientists have offered multiple answers to this question, often privileging one expression or the other – the biological or the biographical. But is it possible to conceive of them together and thus reconcile naturalist and humanist approaches? Using resear... read more

How can we think of life in its dual expression, matter and experience, the living and the lived? Philosophers and, more recently, social scientists have offered multiple answers to this question, often privileging one expression or the other – the biological or the biographical. But is it possible to conceive of them together and thus reconcile naturalist and humanist approaches? Using resear... read more

La stratégie des as

Damien Snyers

Les Démons de Paris

Jean-Philippe Depotte

Retour sur l'horizon: Quinze grands récits de science-fiction

Jean-Claude Dunyach, Maheva Stéphan-Bugni, David Calvo, Fabrice Colin, Philippe Curval, Thomas Day, Daylon, Catherine Dufour, Emmanuel Werner, Léo Henry, Éric Holstein, L. L. Kloetzer, Xavier Mauméjean, Jérôme Noirez, André Ruellan, Serge Lehman

Le Livre de Toutes les Heures, I : Vélum

Hal Duncan

Editeur : Denoël Date de parution : 2008 Description : In-8, 668 pages, broché, occasion, très bon état. Envois quotidiens du mardi au samedi. Les commandes sont adressées sous enveloppes bulles. Photos supplémentaires de l'ouvrage sur simple demande. Réponses aux questions dans les 12h00. Librairie Le Piano-Livre. Merci

Editeur : Denoël Date de parution : 2008 Description : In-8, 668 pages, broché, occasion, très bon état. Envois quotidiens du mardi au samedi. Les commandes sont adressées sous enveloppes bulles. Photos supplémentaires de l'ouvrage sur simple demande. Réponses aux questions dans les 12h00. Librairie Le Piano-Livre. Merci

Ptah Hotep

Charles Duits

Guide Bleu Japon

Collectif

Une capitale trépidante, des châteaux forts dans le Kansai, des quartiers de samouraïs dans le Chûgoku, le pèlerinage de Shikoku, la beauté sauvage du Chûbu et de Hokkaidô... Suivez le Guide Bleu au pays du Soleil-Levant. Découvrez à Tôkyô les quartiers villageois à l'ombre des gratte-ciel, prenez un bol d'air et d'art contemporain sur les petites îles-musées du Shikoku, plongez-vous dans les ... read more

Une capitale trépidante, des châteaux forts dans le Kansai, des quartiers de samouraïs dans le Chûgoku, le pèlerinage de Shikoku, la beauté sauvage du Chûbu et de Hokkaidô... Suivez le Guide Bleu au pays du Soleil-Levant. Découvrez à Tôkyô les quartiers villageois à l'ombre des gratte-ciel, prenez un bol d'air et d'art contemporain sur les petites îles-musées du Shikoku, plongez-vous dans les ... read more

Celia has 20 reviews

Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality

Matthew Frey
I enjoyed working with Celia. Her weekly updates were appreciated. The assessment received was exactly as promised and will prove invaluable in taking the work on its journey towards publication.

Matthew Frey, November 2021


Erik Schutzman
Celia has been a pleasure to work with. It was obvious to me that she understood what my story was about and helped me work out parts that were confusing, underdeveloped, or missing. Her willingness to collaborate on-going is inspiring. I can’t wait to begin making my manuscript better, because of her feedback.

Erik Schutzman, March 2021


Eric Smith
It was a pleasure working with Celia. She helped me focus on the problem areas of my book and helped me see how best to address them.

Eric Smith, August 2020


Omari Richards
Celia was fantastic to work with. Her weekly updates were great and really helped lower the anxiety that comes with sharing your work. Her assessment was insightful and full of helpful suggestions that kept the spirit of my manuscript while making needed improvements. A very worthwhile investment.

Omari Richards, July 2020


Nathalie Lacheny
Working with Celia was an incredible experience! She was professional, thoughtful, and provided me with some fantastic recommendations to make the story shine. Through the process she kept me up to date and asked very specific questions to better understand what was happening in the world which I found wonderful since I could then help along the way with maps or timelines or anything that she c...
Read more

Nathalie Lacheny, June 2020

Read more reviews

Explore the Reedsy Community

Reedsy is a community of top publishing professionals. Join Reedsy today to browse 1000+ profiles.

Michael Ryan

I'm a confident, compassionate editor with 10+ years experience at major publishers. You bring the creativity, I'll handle the detail.

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Michael Carr

Senior literary agent with 15 years of industry experience offering developmental editing, editorial assessment, and query workshopping.

San Francisco, CA, USA

To view 1,000+ more profiles, Join Reedsy