Christine McKnight

Christine McKnight – Editor

Experienced editor of cookbooks and home/lifestyle books; my editing and proofreading work includes James Beard and IACP Award winners.

Overview

I am an expert editor with nearly two decades of experience developing and editing nonfiction content. I specialize in recipe editing and food and lifestyle books, and also have experience in subject areas including self-help, business, education, the arts, parenting, and religion and spirituality. After graduating from Connecticut College and the Columbia Publishing Course, I got my start in publishing in the cookbook department at John Wiley & Sons, where I worked for eight years before embarking on a freelance career. I have had the privilege of working with many award-winning authors and top brands over the years, and my work includes IACP and James Beard award-winning books. I am passionate about guiding each of my clients toward the best possible version of his or her work, while at the same time helping each author's personal voice to shine through in every word.
Services
Non-Fiction
Business & Management Career Guides Christian Non-Fiction Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing Home & Garden Parenting & Families Weddings
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • IACP Award Winner, 2011, for Wedding Cake Art & Design by Toba Garrett
  • James Beard Award Finalist, 2012, for The Art of Beef Cutting by Kari Underly
  • IACP Award Finalist, 2012, for The Art of Beef Cutting by Kari Underly
  • IACP Award, 2017, for The Young Chef by The Culinary Institute of America
  • James Beard Award, 2017, for Dorie's Cookies, by Dorie Greenspan

Work experience

Self-employed

Dec, 2012 — Present

I offer a full range of editorial and writing services for publishing companies and individuals, including copyediting, proofreading, development editing, and book proposal development for nonfiction titles. I specialize in recipe editing and food and lifestyle books and have more than a decade of experience as a cookbook editor, and I also have editorial experience in subject areas ranging from business and careers to the arts, parenting, self-help, and spirituality. I am committed to working collaboratively with my clients to achieve the highest level of quality on each and every project.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Nov, 2008 — Dec, 2012 (about 4 years)

Acquired and edited food and lifestyle books on subjects including cooking, baking, beverages, food reference, and catering and events. Edited and published 8-10 highly illustrated cookbooks per year in print and digital formats for trade, professional, and educational markets, including IACP and James Beard Award winners and nominees as well as the Culinary Institute of America line.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Jun, 2007 — Nov, 2008 (over 1 year)

Reported to two Senior Cookbook Editors working on a range of award-winning cookbooks. Assisted on titles from top chefs and food writers such as Marcus Samuelsson, Rose Levy Beranbaum, and Gordon Ramsey as well as from brands including The Culinary Institute of America, Mr. Boston, and Bon Appétit magazine. Edited manuscripts, reviewed page proofs, organized art programs, and wrote copy for marketing and publicity materials.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Sep, 2005 — Jun, 2007 (over 1 year)

Supported two Senior Cookbook Editors, including preparing manuscripts for transmittal to production, writing copy and preparing financial paperwork for new proposals, managing publication schedules, and handling correspondence with authors and agents.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Sep, 2004 — Sep, 2005 (about 1 year)

Supported two Senior Cookbook Editors, including preparing new proposals, managing publication schedules, handling correspondence, and all general administrative duties.

Portfolio

Dorie's Cookies

Dorie Greenspan

James Beard Award-winner for Best Baking and Dessert Book 2017 All-new collection from a "revered icon" and "culinary guru" (New York Times). Over the course of her baking career, Dorie Greens... read more
Proofreading
Proofreading
To the hundreds of thousands who follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, Dorie Greenspan’s food is powerfully cookable—her recipes instant classics. In Everyday Dorie, she invites read... read more
Proofreading
Copy Editing
Proofreading
Developmental Editing
The most extensive and lushly photographed Turkish cookbook to date, by two internationally acclaimed experts Standing at the crossroads between the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia, T... read more
Proofreading
From the leading photographer of Cuba, A Taste of Cuba is a stunning culinary and visual journey through Cuba that presents 75 authentic, never-before-shared recipes from the world’s most inve... read more
Copy Editing
The grand master of cooking has a new apprentice in the kitchen: his granddaughter. Jacques Pépin is one of the nation’s most famous cooking teachers, renowned for his knife skills. Ever since... read more
Proofreading
For their first major book since the trailblazing Zahav, Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook go straight to the food of the people—the great dishes that are the soul of Israeli cuisine. Usually ... read more
Proofreading
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Top food stylist and popular baking columnist shares her baking secrets.When people see Erin McDowell frost a perfect layer cake, weave a lattice pie crust, or pull a rich loaf of brioche from... read more
Proofreading
Proofreading
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing Proofreading
Proofreading
Preserved: Fruit

Goldstein, Darra

Proofreading
Preserved: Condiments

Goldstein, Darra

Proofreading
Proofreading
Proofreading
Antoni In The Kitchen

Porowski, Antoni

Proofreading
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Dreaming of having the most beautiful wedding photos? It's important to choose a skilled photographer, but you shouldn't stop there. To have the best wedding photos, you also need wedding plan... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
An illustrated guide to decadent French desserts from the legendary Larousse kitchens The name Larousse has been synonymous with culinary excellence for nearly a century, and this new book bri... read more
Developmental Editing
Creating Your Culinary Career

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

A must-have resource for anyone crafting a career in the culinary arts Ronald Hayes, the Career Development Manager with The Culinary Institute of America, explores the broad scope of jobs ava... read more
Developmental Editing
An illuminating account of how history shapes our diets—now in a new revised and updated Third EditionWhy did the ancient Romans believe cinnamon grew in swamps guarded by giant killer bats? H... read more
Developmental Editing
A modern, completely updated guide to effective event marketing As the events market becomes increasingly saturated, it is essential for a successful event professional to understand the use o... read more
Developmental Editing
Professional Event Coordination

Julia Rutherford Silvers

A fully updated guide to the state-of-the-art guidelines, strategies, and new technologies in modern event planning A must-have resource for every event planner, manager, caterer, and student,... read more
Developmental Editing
An up-to-date, comprehensive guide to understanding and applying food science to the bakeshop. The essence of baking is chemistry, and anyone who wants to be a master pastry chef must understa... read more
Developmental Editing
Learn to create plated desserts like a master, with recipes from the World and National Pastry Team Championships Considered the Olympics of the pastry arts, the World and National Pastry Cham... read more
Developmental Editing
From business essentials to design inspiration, the secrets to events industry success Author Lena Malouf is a renowned expert in the special events industry. She has won countless accolades f... read more
Developmental Editing
A culinary reference packed with thousands of straightforward definitions and fun tips and trivia Perfect for cooks, food lovers, and even trivia buffs, The Culinarian is a wide-ranging kitche... read more
Developmental Editing
A gorgeous professional-level guide to the most challenging form of the confectioner's art A showpiece created entirely from sugar is truly a work of art, and it takes an eye for design and st... read more
Developmental Editing
A must-have guide to chocolate making and chocolate showpiece design, from renowned confectionery expert Ewald Notter. Covering the full spectrum of chocolate work--from the fundamentals of ch... read more
Developmental Editing
Explore the newest techniques in cake decoration and design with Toba Garrett As one of the premier experts in cake decoration, Toba Garrett has trained some of the world's top cake artists. O... read more
Developmental Editing
Book annotation not available for this title.Title: Wedding Cake Art and DesignAuthor: Garrett, Toba/ Schaeffer, Lucy (PHT)/ Mathews, Christine (ILT)Publisher: John Wiley & Sons IncPublication... read more
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
"If Catalan superchef Ferran Adria is the leading missionary of molecular gastronomy, Mr. Chartier is his counterpart with a corkscrew."—Globe and Mail This award-winning book, now available f... read more
Developmental Editing
Larousse on Cooking

Editions Larousse

A gorgeous guide to simple French-inspired cooking from the legendary Larousse kitchens The name Larousse has been synonymous with culinary excellence for nearly a century, and this new book b... read more
Developmental Editing
Preserving: Putting Up the Season's Bounty

The Culinary Institute of America

Everything you need to know about home preserving, from The Culinary Institute of America Home canning and preserving is more popular than ever. It's economical, environmentally smart, and a g... read more
Developmental Editing
Payard Desserts

Francois Payard

In this visually stunning new book from legendary pastry chef François Payard, professional pastry chefs and serious home bakers will learn how to prepare pastry and other plated desserts that... read more
Developmental Editing

Christine has 28 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Shenita R.

Shenita R.

Dec, 2023

Christine was great to work with. I appreciated her attention to detail, responsiveness, and speed with which she edited my book.
Christine M.
Thank you Shenita! It was a pleasure working with you, and I'm so glad to hear that you were happy with the edit.
Bree M.

Bree M.

Oct, 2023

Christine is a true master at her craft! She is an absolute pleasure to work with and was able to pick up the vibe I was looking for immediately. She exceeded what I was looking for and her communication was great!
Christine M.
Thank you so much for the kind review, Bree! It was a pleasure working with you!
Jan W.

Jan W.

Sep, 2023

I enjoyed working with Christine. Struggling with vestibular migraine, my manuscript was a total mess. She is very knowledgeable, professional and thorough. Very happy with the work she has done.
Christine M.
Thank you Jan, it was a pleasure working with you as well, and I'm so glad to hear you were happy with the edits!
Roya S.

Roya S.

Aug, 2023

Christine did a phenomenal job editing our cookbook. We had worked on it for several years (before hiring her) and had a very specific idea of how we wanted the tone and recipes to flow. We explained it to her and she delivered a product even better than we could have imagined. Would absolutely hire her again! :)
Christine M.
Thanks so much--it was a pleasure working on your book, and I hope we'll have the chance to work together again soon!
Jeri P.

Jeri P.

Apr, 2023

Christine provided a great editorial assessment of the first draft of my manuscript. Her guidance, advice, and commentary were excellent.
Christine M.
Thanks Jeri! It was a pleasure working on your editorial assessment, and I can't wait to see where you take the book from here. I hope we'll have the chance to work together again soon! Christine

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