Overview

PLEASE NOTE: For those interested in working with me, I encourage you to snag your spot in advance.

About Chersti (share-stee)
I'm a professional freelance editor with over 13 years of experience. I have a special emphasis in adult science fiction and fantasy, and all genres of young adult, but I've worked with all fiction genres. At this time, I prefer not to work with non-fiction, erotica, or Christian fiction. I have edited for New York Times Bestselling authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells (I am mentioned in the acknowledgements). Because of my experience, I understand the traditional and indie marketplace and help guide on the increased marketability of a book. I also teach at several writing conferences each year and have been a guest lecturer at college and high school writing classes. I do this job because I love it and I bring that same enthusiasm to your edit as I help you learn how to elevate your craft. I see my job as going to the heart of the story to find the best option for solutions that feel organic to your story.

BOOKS I LOVE AND RECOMMEND
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - Plot Twists & Character Backstory
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Story Structure (pay special attention to plot twists and building to the climactic moment at the end of the novel and within each scene--added bonus: notice how descriptions are interwoven with character)
Nation by Terry Pratchett - Theme (also pay attention to characterization, dialogue, setting and description, and writing POC and female characters)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo or Saving Francesca by Melena Marchetta - Theme
Guards, Guards or Witches Abroad or Night Watch by Terry Pratchett - Dialogue
Shutter or Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda - Pacing/tension
The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith - Voice, Style, and Point of View
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie or Feed by M.T. Anderson - Voice
Red Rising by Pierce Brown - World Building (pay special attention to setting descriptions)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller or Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda - Polished Prose

Notes: (1) Some of these books may take 50-100 pages to get into, but it is worth it. (2) To gain the most out of a book, read it at least 3 times. The first time for plot. The second time with a highlighter and pen to mark good sentences and examples of writing well done. The third time to really deconstruct and analyze what the author has done: for the plot as a whole, for each scene, and with each line. (3) You can also dissect every one of these books as a good example for characters, prose, and plot.

Services

Languages

Fiction

Chersti Nieveen has been a freelance editor for over 12 years. She has experience editing for several New York Times Bestselling authors. She is mentioned in over a dozen acknowledgements, including Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn.

- personal assistant for a New York Times bestselling author for over 5 years
- graduated with a BA in English with a minor in editing
- worked as an acquisitions editors for a traditional publishing house
- worked as an editorial assistant to an acquisitions editor at Tor
- guest presenter and lecturer at various writing conferences and college/high school classes since 2008
- organized over 6 writing conferences
- edited 200+ science fiction, fantasy, and YA manuscripts
- handled marketing strategies and helped define author brands
- worked with various New York editors, book publicists, agents, and traditionally published authors to gain a unique behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world

Chersti has a select client list full of indie and traditionally published clients. While she has a special emphasis on fantasy, science fiction, and young adult manuscripts, she has worked extensively on non-fiction projects as well as adult titles. Right now, she does limited work with middle grade and picture book titles.

Editor at LEADING EDGE, a science fiction and fantasy magazine publisher. Once a manuscript was acquired, I oversaw the whole editing process, running editorial teams and doing all final edits myself, until the manuscript went to print.

Daughter of the Pirate King

Tricia Levenseller

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for. Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has onl... read more

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for. Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has onl... read more

Pitch Dark

Courtney Alameda

From Courtney Alameda, the author of Shutter, this thrilling, sci-fi horror and space adventure will be sure to stay with readers long after the last pages.Lost to time, Tuck Morgan and his crew have slept in stasis aboard the USS John Muir for centuries. Their ship harbors a chunk of Earth, which unbeknownst to them, is the last hope for the failing human race.Laura Cruz is a shipraider searc... read more

From Courtney Alameda, the author of Shutter, this thrilling, sci-fi horror and space adventure will be sure to stay with readers long after the last pages.Lost to time, Tuck Morgan and his crew have slept in stasis aboard the USS John Muir for centuries. Their ship harbors a chunk of Earth, which unbeknownst to them, is the last hope for the failing human race.Laura Cruz is a shipraider searc... read more

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood

Liesl Shurtliff

Beauty and the Beast fans: satisfy your fairy tale cravings with the New York Times bestseller RED, a spellbinding adventure that features a brave heroine, plenty of pixies, a beast like no other, and a beauty too! Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic. But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is f... read more

Beauty and the Beast fans: satisfy your fairy tale cravings with the New York Times bestseller RED, a spellbinding adventure that features a brave heroine, plenty of pixies, a beast like no other, and a beauty too! Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic. But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is f... read more

The Unhappening of Genesis Lee

Shallee McArthur

What would it feel like to never forget? Or to have a memory stolen?Seventeen-year-old Genesis Lee has never forgotten anything. As one of the Mementi--a small group of genetically enhanced humans--Gena remembers everything with the help of her Link bracelets, which preserve memories perfectly. But Links can be stolen, and six people have already lost their lives to a memory thief, including G... read more

What would it feel like to never forget? Or to have a memory stolen?Seventeen-year-old Genesis Lee has never forgotten anything. As one of the Mementi--a small group of genetically enhanced humans--Gena remembers everything with the help of her Link bracelets, which preserve memories perfectly. But Links can be stolen, and six people have already lost their lives to a memory thief, including G... read more

Over Your Dead Body (John Cleaver)

Dan Wells

New York Times bestselling author Dan Wells continues his popular John Wayne Cleaver series in Over Your Dead Body.John and Brooke are on their own, hitchhiking from town to town as they hunt the last of the Withered through the midwest--but the Withered are hunting them back, and the FBI is close behind. With each new town, each new truck stop, each new highway, they get closer to a vicious k... read more

New York Times bestselling author Dan Wells continues his popular John Wayne Cleaver series in Over Your Dead Body.John and Brooke are on their own, hitchhiking from town to town as they hunt the last of the Withered through the midwest--but the Withered are hunting them back, and the FBI is close behind. With each new town, each new truck stop, each new highway, they get closer to a vicious k... read more

Next of Kin: A John Cleaver Novella

Dan Wells

We call them demons, for lack of a better word, but the truth is something much more mysterious. In the I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER trilogy, the young sociopath John Cleaver killed three of them, trying to protect his family, but he has no idea what horrors he's stirred up. . . . Elijah Sexton was a god of the ancient world, but now he drives a hearse in a Midwest town, keeping his head down, avo... read more

We call them demons, for lack of a better word, but the truth is something much more mysterious. In the I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER trilogy, the young sociopath John Cleaver killed three of them, trying to protect his family, but he has no idea what horrors he's stirred up. . . . Elijah Sexton was a god of the ancient world, but now he drives a hearse in a Midwest town, keeping his head down, avo... read more

The Devil's Only Friend (John Cleaver)

Dan Wells

John Wayne Cleaver hunts demons: they've killed his neighbors, his family, and the girl he loves, but in the end he's always won. Now he works for a secret government kill team, using his gift to hunt and kill as many monsters as he can . . .. . . but the monsters have noticed, and the quiet game of cat and mouse is about to erupt into a full scale supernatural war.John doesn't want the life h... read more

John Wayne Cleaver hunts demons: they've killed his neighbors, his family, and the girl he loves, but in the end he's always won. Now he works for a secret government kill team, using his gift to hunt and kill as many monsters as he can . . .. . . but the monsters have noticed, and the quiet game of cat and mouse is about to erupt into a full scale supernatural war.John doesn't want the life h... read more

A Night of Blacker Darkness: : Being the Memoir of Frederick Whithers As Edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III

Dan Wells

Wrongly imprisoned, Frederick Whithers is desperate to commit the crime he's already being punished for: defrauding the bank out of a vast inheritance. He fakes his death to escape, but when he's seen climbing out of a coffin everyone assumes he's a vampire; when he shows none of the traditional vampire weaknesses, they decide he must be the most powerful vampire in the history of the world.Ha... read more

Wrongly imprisoned, Frederick Whithers is desperate to commit the crime he's already being punished for: defrauding the bank out of a vast inheritance. He fakes his death to escape, but when he's seen climbing out of a coffin everyone assumes he's a vampire; when he shows none of the traditional vampire weaknesses, they decide he must be the most powerful vampire in the history of the world.Ha... read more

A Pear-Shaped Funeral: Being the Second memoir of Frederick Whithers as edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III

Dan Wells

Just when Fredrick Whithers thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, he is asked to arrange a funeral for a man who is very much not dead. In the companion to A Night of Blacker Darkness, Frederick must balance the arts of necromancy and magic while managing to run a funeral home.

Just when Fredrick Whithers thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, he is asked to arrange a funeral for a man who is very much not dead. In the companion to A Night of Blacker Darkness, Frederick must balance the arts of necromancy and magic while managing to run a funeral home.

Bluescreen (Mirador)

Dan Wells

“Bluescreen is a stunning deluge of imagination, filled with suspense and twists and unforgettable characters. This book is just plain awesome.”—James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze RunnerFrom Dan Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling Partials Sequence, comes the first book in a new sci-fi-noir series. Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the righ... read more

“Bluescreen is a stunning deluge of imagination, filled with suspense and twists and unforgettable characters. This book is just plain awesome.”—James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze RunnerFrom Dan Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling Partials Sequence, comes the first book in a new sci-fi-noir series. Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the righ... read more

Fragments (Partials Sequence)

Dan Wells

Author Dan Wells is back with the sequel to the sci-fi blockbuster Partials, which Pittacus Lore called a "thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of Earth's future I've seen yet."After discovering the cure for RM, Kira Walker sets off on a terrifying journey into the ruins of postapocalyptic America and the darkest desires of her heart in orde... read more

Author Dan Wells is back with the sequel to the sci-fi blockbuster Partials, which Pittacus Lore called a "thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of Earth's future I've seen yet."After discovering the cure for RM, Kira Walker sets off on a terrifying journey into the ruins of postapocalyptic America and the darkest desires of her heart in orde... read more

Ruins (Partials Sequence)

Dan Wells

New York Times BestsellerKira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Blade Runner and The Stand.There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in... read more

New York Times BestsellerKira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Blade Runner and The Stand.There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in... read more

Altered Perceptions

Altered Perceptions is the anthology put together for the IndieGoGo campaign to benefit Robison Wells, who was crippled by debt caused by his mental illnesses. Sales of this ebook edition will go to charity, with 90% of the net proceeds benefiting Bring Change 2 Mind. This anthology contains original stories, deleted scenes, and essays from the contributors about how mental illness has affecte... read more

Altered Perceptions is the anthology put together for the IndieGoGo campaign to benefit Robison Wells, who was crippled by debt caused by his mental illnesses. Sales of this ebook edition will go to charity, with 90% of the net proceeds benefiting Bring Change 2 Mind. This anthology contains original stories, deleted scenes, and essays from the contributors about how mental illness has affecte... read more

Timestorm: A Tempest Novel (The Tempest Trilogy)

Julie Cross

"Cross's zippy writing and fresh plot are an exhilarating combination." ―Publishers WeeklyThe battle between the Tempest Division and Eyewall comes to a shocking conclusion in Timestorm―the final installment of Julie Cross's Tempest trilogy, where the need for survival stretches the boundaries of history, both past and future, and the world Jackson Meyer once knew is a place forever marked by ... read more

"Cross's zippy writing and fresh plot are an exhilarating combination." ―Publishers WeeklyThe battle between the Tempest Division and Eyewall comes to a shocking conclusion in Timestorm―the final installment of Julie Cross's Tempest trilogy, where the need for survival stretches the boundaries of history, both past and future, and the world Jackson Meyer once knew is a place forever marked by ... read more

Pieces of Jade (Pirates of Orea Book 1)

Lani Woodland, Melonie Piper

Sentenced to death by the man she loves . . .Jade has no control over her future. She is the Emmía, the girl whose magical blood keeps her kingdom’s cursed soil fertile and ensures the survival of her people. But her destiny is ruined when pirates take her magical medallion, the loss of which is treasonous, and the prince she loves is honor-bound to sentence her to death. Forced to flee to the... read more

Sentenced to death by the man she loves . . .Jade has no control over her future. She is the Emmía, the girl whose magical blood keeps her kingdom’s cursed soil fertile and ensures the survival of her people. But her destiny is ruined when pirates take her magical medallion, the loss of which is treasonous, and the prince she loves is honor-bound to sentence her to death. Forced to flee to the... read more

Stronger

Lani Woodland

It's been said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the aftermath of an alien invasion, the old saying became literal.When the aliens attacked Earth, their bombs changed our atmosphere. Through DNA manipulation, humanity survived, but exist now as two distinct classes of people: the Valudis who heal and gain strength from every hurt, and the weaker Debilii, for whom the slightest inju... read more

It's been said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the aftermath of an alien invasion, the old saying became literal.When the aliens attacked Earth, their bombs changed our atmosphere. Through DNA manipulation, humanity survived, but exist now as two distinct classes of people: the Valudis who heal and gain strength from every hurt, and the weaker Debilii, for whom the slightest inju... read more

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Book No. 1)

Brandon Sanderson

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action.For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinel... read more

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action.For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinel... read more

Midnight Poison: An Urban Fantasy Romance Thriller (Paranormal Poisons Saga Book 1)

A & E Kirk

A new paranormal urban fantasy romance thriller from thebestselling authors of The Divinicus Nex Chronicles! Dark and twisted, and full of action,adventure, suspense, humor, and crazy fun characters! Perfect for fans of Bella Forrest, Sarah J. Maas, and Jaymin Eve. - No Memory. No Mind. No Mercy.Kiara Blackwood has a few problems.She's older thanshe looks - by several centuries. She can't reme... read more

A new paranormal urban fantasy romance thriller from thebestselling authors of The Divinicus Nex Chronicles! Dark and twisted, and full of action,adventure, suspense, humor, and crazy fun characters! Perfect for fans of Bella Forrest, Sarah J. Maas, and Jaymin Eve. - No Memory. No Mind. No Mercy.Kiara Blackwood has a few problems.She's older thanshe looks - by several centuries. She can't reme... read more

Daughter of the Siren Queen

Tricia Levenseller

The capable, confident, and occasionally ruthless heroine of Daughter of the Pirate King is back in this action-packed sequel that promises rousing high seas adventures and the perfect dash of magic.Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ... read more

The capable, confident, and occasionally ruthless heroine of Daughter of the Pirate King is back in this action-packed sequel that promises rousing high seas adventures and the perfect dash of magic.Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ... read more

Sisters of Sorrow #1

Kurt Sutter, Courtney Alameda

Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC) brings this all-new original tale of revenge and recovery to comics with novelist Courtney Alameda (Shutter) and breakthrough artist Hyeonjin Kim. By day, Dominique, Greta, Misha, and Sarah run a nonprofit women's shelter. At night, they each don a nun's habit and move through Los Angeles hunting down violent abusers who have escaped justice. Their incr... read more

Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC) brings this all-new original tale of revenge and recovery to comics with novelist Courtney Alameda (Shutter) and breakthrough artist Hyeonjin Kim. By day, Dominique, Greta, Misha, and Sarah run a nonprofit women's shelter. At night, they each don a nun's habit and move through Los Angeles hunting down violent abusers who have escaped justice. Their incr... read more

Eloy's Discovery (The Eloy Trilogy Book 1)

Kara Timmins

When the fragile balance of his world is shattered by an invading horde, Eloy must flee for his life into a world he has only heard about in stories. Armed only with courage, his wits, and the dream of something better, Eloy embarks on a quest into the unknown to find the sister he lost and discover the future destined for him.

When the fragile balance of his world is shattered by an invading horde, Eloy must flee for his life into a world he has only heard about in stories. Armed only with courage, his wits, and the dream of something better, Eloy embarks on a quest into the unknown to find the sister he lost and discover the future destined for him.