Christina Houen

Christina Houen – Editor

General and academic books in humanities, self-help, social sciences. Clients have published with Ashgate, Routledge, and Springer.

Overview


I have been a professional freelance editor since 2010. I have edited and coordinated the publication of several anthologies and monographs in self help, biography, design, and the built environment. I review and edit memoirs. I have a Master of Creative Arts degree and a PhD in life writing. I have 3 memoirs published in print and an audiobook of the third.


My studies in literature, post-structuralist philosophy, trauma and women's issues and my past career in mental health nursing and passion for personal development have shaped my own writing and helped me to be a constructive and empathic editor for people who have faced trauma and loss and want to write their stories. Thus, memoirs and self-help books are close to my heart, and I enjoy helping authors to polish these for their target audiences.


Another strand of my practice that is close to my heart is developmental editing. I have just completed a developmental edit of a YA dystopian future fantasy novel for an author for whom I've already edited two published novels.


I have edited many academic theses in subjects such as engineering, business, IT, health sciences, women's issues, education, the built environment, art, literature, and philosophy. I am experienced in editing for non-native speakers of English.


My editing ethic is to help you, the writer, make your work the best it can be, whatever the subject, while respecting the authenticity and uniqueness of your voice. I have a fine eye for detail and word order, as well as the mechanics of grammar and punctuation.


I have many testimonials from happy clients: here are some recent ones:


"I would just like to say that Christina was phenomenal, and her life skills and experiences informed the content of my book and I feel it even more deeply enriched and supported the editing process. She really understood what it took to write the book, and her emotional response to the book made me feel like the process of writing the book was worth it. "


"Christina’s education and experience saw me through my first memoir. She was patient, professional, and available to me whenever I was stressed over the process. This memoir was a challenge to me. I believe that I couldn’t have accomplished it without her. I hope to have her as my editor if I ever write another book."


"We worked with Cristina as copy editor for our authored peer-reviewed book, Building Mixity! Christina was always supportive in trying to accommodate difficult schedules and deadlines. We are very pleased to recommend Christina, as a great and extremely knowledgeable person to work with."


"Christina took on a very niche area in PhD theses when editing my work, meticulously analysed and corrected structure, grammar, and demonstrated the benchmark for clarity in communication through her years of experience as a writer. I’m glad I found the best editor for my particular project and would recommend her services to anyone, especially in academia and government."

Services
Non-Fiction
Architecture Biographies & Memoirs Design Life Sciences Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Dystopian Women's Fiction Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (AUS) English (NZ) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Small publishing grant, Centre for Research for Women, Western Australia, 2005
  • Mary Walters Bursary, Australian Federation of University Women (WA), Inc., 2005
  • Pro-Vice Chancellor Humanities Award for Excellence, with A/Prof Marina Lommerse, Architecture Interior Architecture, Curtin University
  • Varuna Longlines non-residential Mentorship for development of memoir, 2007–08
  • Hal Porter Award for short story (memoir), 2003
  • Curtin Humanities Research Award for book chapter, 2009
  • Grant from Department of the Arts, Western Australia, for collective biography of Fairbridge Single Parents, 2010
Certifications
  • Mental Health Nursing Certificate, NSW, 1976
  • Bachelor of Arts (Hons I)
  • Grad. Dip in Information & Library Studies, 1989
  • Master of Creative Arts, 2002
  • PhD (Social Sciences), 2009

Work experience

Self-employed

Feb, 2010 — Present

My freelance editing work over the past 12 years is 60% academic and 40% commercial non-fiction and fiction.

I was Associate Editor and Reflections Editor (2011–2014) for the Routledge journal, Life Writing. Here I was responsible for having submissions peer reviewed and liaising with authors and reviewers.

After graduating as Doctor of Life Writing, I worked as project officer in the Department of Architecture at a major Australian university. Here, I learned how to frame and present creative practice research writing. Many of the staff I worked with there are still my clients.

I then launched my freelance career as an editor, writer, and reviewer of fiction and non-fiction.

I am registered as an editor with many Australian universities. I edit for overseas clients, including many Chinese professors at Chinese universities, who send their research articles and those of their postgraduate students to me for editing.

Portfolio

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
A Gradual Grace

Houen, Christina, Marigold

Developmental Editing
She City

Nicole Kalms

Rooted in feminist political thought, She City illuminates how gender shapes our urban spaces and city design. Through three sections: 'Resisting Sexist Cities', 'Designing Feminist Cities', a... read more
Copy Editing
Bringing together an international range of contributors from the fields of practice, theory and history, this book takes a fresh look occupation. It argues that occupation is a prospect that ... read more
Copy Editing
How can we engage communities? What is empowerment? To what extent should the project process be participatory? How is an outsider-insider relationship handled? How do researchers negotiate wi... read more
Copy Editing
In times of inflationary investment and explosive urban growth, Building Mixity! challenges the status quo of expansive and unequal development in Melbourne, Australia. The long forgotten and ... read more
Copy Editing
What is a better community? How can we reconfigure places and transport networks to create environmentally friendly, economically sound, and socially just communities? How can we meet the chal... read more
Copy Editing
This Place You Know

Houen, Christina

Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Can your difficulties become stepping stones to a successful future? Can a young boy overcome a serious reading difficulty and achieve beyond all expectations?For a few gruelling years in a Ca... read more
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
This book argues that interior architects have a responsibility to practice their profession in collaborative ways that address the needs of communities and of to be the agents of social justi... read more
Copy Editing

Christina has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Selina T.

Selina T.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
Christina was great to work with. She understood the brief perfectly and adjusted her fees accordingly when there was less work to do. It was refreshing to work with someone who was knowledgeable in the genre and also to have honest opinions given to me in a development edit. Would highly recommend! Thank you Christina! 😊
Christina H.
It was such a pleasure to work with you, Selina. I find your story engaging and honest and your compassion for self and others shines through. I wish you and your story well and believe that many r...
Read more
Lucy M.

Lucy M.

Apr, 2023

Pinned
Project: First book – Initial assessment. Subject: Self-help. I had searched for an editor for months and turned down several offers before I found Christina. From the start, the worry and doubt I had about being too picky melted away and I felt at ease explaining my project. Christina’s assessment of my work was forthright, fair, and generously spattered with hints and tips on how my rookie w...
Read more
Christina H.
Lucy, your review is generous and accepted with gratitude. It was an honour to assess your work, which has integrity and a clear, accessible message about the pathway of healing and sel-help. I am...
Read more
william C.

william C.

Mar, 2021

Pinned
I emphatically recommend Christina as a copy editor. She took on a dense, complex academic manuscript. She was timely, eagle eyed, discriminating, and with plenty of substantive queries and suggestions. Yes, I would certainly use her service again.
Christina H.
Thank you, William, for this lovely review. It was a challenging edit because of the density and complexity, but I enjoyed it; I learned a great deal about the subject, and developed a great respec...
Read more
barbara M.

barbara M.

Nov, 2023

Christina is a fast and thorough editor; she grasped my direction and gave me both helpful criticism and encouragement. I look forward to further work with her.
Christina H.
It was a delightful experience working with Barbara. Her memoir is engaging, witty and very interesting and gave me a fascinating picture of a woman's life in America in the second half of the twen...
Read more
Abigail M.

Abigail M.

Sep, 2022

Christina is professional and quick. She is elegant and thoughtful and very detailed in her work. Her work was exactly what I was looking for. I am so glad I picked her to edit my manuscript before self publishing my first book.
Christina H.
Thank you, Abigail! It was a pleasure to work with you to polish Shattered to Shine. I found the text well written and the structure is detailed and comprehensive, and flows well. I wish you every ...
Read more

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Christina and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

Professionals similar to Christina

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Patience Bloom

Patience B.

An enthusiastic, hands-on developmental editor with 26 years of experience at Harlequin Books. Romance and its sub-genres are my specialty.

New York

100% reply rate

View profile
Amy Tipton

Amy T.

I was a literary agent for years now I'm a freelance editor/owner of an editorial service for women/women-identifying/genderqueer writers.

Gillette, WY, USA

98% reply rate

View profile
Eleanor Boyall

Eleanor B.

Over 10 years’ experience editing romance and fantasy. My NYT-bestselling clients have sold millions of copies.

Bristol, UK

100% reply rate

View profile