Chelsea Beam

Chelsea Beam – Editor

I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, romance, and Black/African American lived experiences. I am also a master of humor and dialogue.

Overview

Hello, and thanks for checking me out! My name is Chelsea (she/her), and I’d love to work with you.



Prior to joining Reedsy, I ran my own editing business while also working as an editorial intern at The Bent Agency. I have a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University (in London, England), meaning that I know how to make words work!



When I edit, I never want to trample over the heart of your vision, which means that I will always offer suggestions and my rationale about potential changes—but you always get the final say. I do my best to ask questions when I’m confused and notate the places where I laugh out loud or get teary. Do be aware that I will spend more time on things that didn’t work for me rather than positive things.



Genre-wise, I love fantasy, science fiction, romance, and all things young adult, but I’d love to dip my toe into other arenas as well! Also, if you're writing outside of your own culture/experience and are looking for an African American sensitivity reader, I'm your gal. I'll review your manuscript for internalized bias and negatively charged language. I'm here to help you be as inoffensive as possible (but keep in mind that I can only do my best and speak from my own experiences).



When I’m not editing, I’m writing my own books, watching anime, or playing video games (Genshin Impact, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Final Fantasy XIV are my current loves), and I spend many of my evenings listening to actual-play Dungeons and Dragons podcasts. This means that if your book is nerdy, I am your person.




Reach out today, and let's get to work*!


*I do request that you've—at least—run a spell and grammar check on your document, please!

Services
Fiction
Children's Fantasy Romance Science Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Oct, 2016 — Present
Scours manuscripts, essays, college applications, etc. for line, content, and overall structural issues. Focuses on editing grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and other elements that negatively affect a piece’s fluidity. Schedules follow-up sessions with clients to answer questions and explain any points of confusion.

The Bent Agency

Feb, 2018 — Jan, 2021 (almost 3 years)
Assessed query letters and submission materials. Provided readers’ reports and second reads on manuscripts. Obeyed strict confidentiality clauses regarding submission materials and client information.

Portfolio

First Elite (Foundra Book 3)

Arriaga, Emmanuel M.

eshLucient LLC

The Angel of Death (Chronicles of Elysia Book 1)

Horst, April Emmit

April Emmit Horst

Developmental Editing
Fall's Thorns (The Briar Sisters Book 2)

Mannon, Carly H.

Valley Bloom Books LLC

Copy Editing
Inheritance of Scars

Seitz, Crystal

Margaret K. McElderry Books

Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
The Hunting Society

Stahl, Ashley

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
How to Fix a Flubbed Summon

Clarke, L. N.

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Letters of Lily and Moons

Sage, S.M.

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Quest for Qieta

Wu, Dr. T.

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

Brown, Roseanne A.

Developmental Editing
The Tiger at Midnight

Teerdhala, Swati

Developmental Editing

Chelsea has 30 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Elizabeth J.

Elizabeth J.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
Chelsea was great to work with she provided a very comprehensive letter and edits within the book. She was able to help me add the holes in my writing that are necessary for an adult romantasy, but I had missed due to it being a new to me genre. Would definitely recommend. She was also very prom...
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Chelsea B.
Elizabeth was a great client! Lovely manuscript, extremely responsive, and very receptive to suggestions. Thanks so much for choosing me to work on your book! :)
Ellen C.

Ellen C.

Oct, 2023

Pinned
Chelsea is a delight to work with! She has a brilliant eye for detail and a warm and friendly communication style. She does not try to change an author's style, but instead offers suggestions that enhance the text. I cannot recommend her enough!
Chelsea B.
Ellen is an absolute gem and a 12/10 client that everyone should be honored to get to work with. Her writing is phenomenal and her personality even more so. Everything about this experience was lov...
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Tina W.

Tina W.

Aug, 2023

Pinned
I am really impressed with Chelsea's work. She is very friendly and kind, and her editing is not only professional, she doesn't take away the voice or style from the author. She gave me very helpful tips and advice, and I have learnt a lot from her, especially from a grammar point of view. I am s...
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Chelsea B.
Tina is an absolute gem of a person and a delight to work with. Her writing journey is going to take her places, and I can't wait to see where she goes with her writing! Tina, thanks so much for ...
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Devin P.

Devin P.

Apr, 2025

I definitely got what I paid for, which was not bad by any means. Chelsea was a little late on getting the edits complete, but her critiques have been nothing but helpful and informative. I would highly recommend her for any editing work, particularly with POV and character development / depths.
Chelsea B.
Thanks so much, Devin. It was great to work with you, and I'm excited to see where your work takes you!
Tim S.

Tim S.

Mar, 2025

Dear Chelsea, Firstly, thank you. I've just gone through everything and I am simply overjoyed and overwhelmed (in a good way). I will take my time and carefully implement your sound suggestions and observations. I would love a chance to work with you again for my novel's second installment.
Chelsea B.
I can't wait to work with you in the future! Good luck with all your editing! :)

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