Chersti Nieveen – Editor

PLEASE NOTE: My Client Calendar is completely full for 2025. I am now booking clients for April 2026.

I’ve been a professional freelance editor for 20 years, working with NYT and Indie Bestselling authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Demi Winters, Dan Wells, Liesl Shurtliff, Tricia Levenseller, Arabella Federico, Tim Facciola, and others (I’m often mentioned in the acknowledgments). Because of my experience, I understand both the traditional and indie marketplace. I've consulted on plays and screenplays, including a few live productions, taught at writing conferences, and been a guest lecturer for universities.

My job is to help you create the strongest story by finding the best solutions that feel organic to your story. 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 choose to work on projects that show potential and that I feel passionate about.

***SPECIALIZATION***

I have advanced experience in editing Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, and all genres of Young Adult. I am personally passionate about all things historical, especially Ancient Rome (Republic and Empire), and I love a good romance (even as a sub-plot).

FANTASY specialization includes romantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, progression and cozy fantasy, magical realism, epic/high fantasy, science fantasy, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, court intrigue, coming-of-age, and more.

SCIENCE FICTION specialization includes dystopian, apocalyptic & post-apocalyptic, space opera, steampunk, time travel, alien invasion/first contact, and more.

I also have experience working with Mystery, Crime, Thriller, and Suspense.

***REVIEWS***

"Chersti has a deep understanding of story structure as well as a keen eye for detail. She knows how to take a writer's raw material and guide them through their process to create the best possible version of their story."

- Liesl Shurtliff, New York Times best-selling author

"I love working with Chersti! She has a fantastic editorial eye and delivers feedback in such a tactful and personable manner."

- Tricia Levenseller, author of DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING

​"Since self-publishing last summer, my books have been picked up by a traditional publisher, and I cannot thank Chersti enough for her help in crafting the stories.

I did a full developmental edit with Chersti for my first manuscript and an outline consultation for the second, and can honestly say they have been the absolute best investments I've made in my writing. Chersti saw the potential in the stories, and helped me look at them in a completely different way. Whereas I knew there were 'issues' but couldn't pin point exactly what, she was able to make story structure suggestions that made a huge impact. From the books she recommended reading to the calls, I learned so much about crafting a better story. My experience with Chersti was not only about making the existing books so much better, but improving my own writing skills. In short, I would absolutely, 1000% recommend Chersti's developmental editor services!​"

- Demi Winters, author of THE ROAD OF BONES