Cindy Marsch - Editor
Specializing in historical and literary fiction – deep guidance for new writers and a final polish for seasoned authors and small presses.
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Overview
(Now booking for May and beyond, recommending the cost-effective Manuscript Assessment)
I'm an author and editor with an undergraduate degree in creative writing (short stories primarily) and a master's in literature and have been teaching writing for more than three decades. I work with each writer according to his or her needs, making the most of each one's strengths and following or leading according to each client's direction. Because I am an author myself, my first novel and short story published in 2016, I know you are looking for what an editor can do to enhance your own writing, to help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
Are you a confident writer and self-editor and just want that final pair of fresh eyes on your manuscript? Or are you a small press with a busy schedule? I can help you clear away any snags that might keep you from providing your reader the smoothest reading experience possible. As one client prospect commented, I showed how my editing could take her modern romance "from garage band to gold record."
Do you have a draft and a dream, but you know your work is not up to the high standard you want? Are you struggling with the big-picture issues of consistent characterization, story arc, style, and overall impression? I can work with you in developmental editing, drawing on my thirty-odd years of teaching writing to come alongside and coach you in the things you can do that will make the most difference the fastest. In even more streamlined help, I can give you a manuscript assessment, a true overview of what is most promising and what needs most work from you before you come to closer editing work--several recent clients have used the manuscript assessment in lieu of a more-expensive developmental edit.
As a lover of beautiful writing and as a novelist and short story writer myself, I have a deep commitment to quality fiction, and I am active in online groups of independent authors and editors. But as a long-time educator and writer and editor of curriculum and organizational documents, I bring the savvy of long experience to the needs of non-fiction writers as well. I have provided editorial services for a sweeping novel of African history as well as works about Britain, America, Italy, Rome, and Spain, ancient to modern. I work with short fiction and nonfiction as well. I have served both independent authors and small presses, and I enjoy reviewing my own leisure reads on Amazon and Goodreads. Over previous years I have developed writing, literature, history, and other curriculum for high school and college students and curriculum plans for schools in several U.S. states, and I've written and edited documents and procedure manuals in many venues of business, education, churches, charities, and government. Everywhere I go I find my writing and editing in demand.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you on whatever your writing dream might be!
Note: Although I am open to some sensuality, violence, and strong language, I prefer not to edit extensive erotic content, graphic violent content, gratuitous strong language, nor occult material.
Cindy Rinaman Marsch
Please read my Reedsy reviews below that catalogue many productive partnerships with happy authors!
I'm an author and editor with an undergraduate degree in creative writing (short stories primarily) and a master's in literature and have been teaching writing for more than three decades. I work with each writer according to his or her needs, making the most of each one's strengths and following or leading according to each client's direction. Because I am an author myself, my first novel and short story published in 2016, I know you are looking for what an editor can do to enhance your own writing, to help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
Are you a confident writer and self-editor and just want that final pair of fresh eyes on your manuscript? Or are you a small press with a busy schedule? I can help you clear away any snags that might keep you from providing your reader the smoothest reading experience possible. As one client prospect commented, I showed how my editing could take her modern romance "from garage band to gold record."
Do you have a draft and a dream, but you know your work is not up to the high standard you want? Are you struggling with the big-picture issues of consistent characterization, story arc, style, and overall impression? I can work with you in developmental editing, drawing on my thirty-odd years of teaching writing to come alongside and coach you in the things you can do that will make the most difference the fastest. In even more streamlined help, I can give you a manuscript assessment, a true overview of what is most promising and what needs most work from you before you come to closer editing work--several recent clients have used the manuscript assessment in lieu of a more-expensive developmental edit.
As a lover of beautiful writing and as a novelist and short story writer myself, I have a deep commitment to quality fiction, and I am active in online groups of independent authors and editors. But as a long-time educator and writer and editor of curriculum and organizational documents, I bring the savvy of long experience to the needs of non-fiction writers as well. I have provided editorial services for a sweeping novel of African history as well as works about Britain, America, Italy, Rome, and Spain, ancient to modern. I work with short fiction and nonfiction as well. I have served both independent authors and small presses, and I enjoy reviewing my own leisure reads on Amazon and Goodreads. Over previous years I have developed writing, literature, history, and other curriculum for high school and college students and curriculum plans for schools in several U.S. states, and I've written and edited documents and procedure manuals in many venues of business, education, churches, charities, and government. Everywhere I go I find my writing and editing in demand.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you on whatever your writing dream might be!
Note: Although I am open to some sensuality, violence, and strong language, I prefer not to edit extensive erotic content, graphic violent content, gratuitous strong language, nor occult material.
Cindy Rinaman Marsch
Please read my Reedsy reviews below that catalogue many productive partnerships with happy authors!
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Anthologies
Cultural & Ethnic
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Short Story
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Education & Reference
Writing & Publishing
Certifications
- Editorial Freelancers Association Member
- Alliance of Independent Authors Partner Member
Work experience
Guest Lecturer
Grove City College
August, 2016
–
Present
(over 3 years)
Teaching one or two sections each semester of Foundations of Academic Discourse in the Writing Department to freshman students from all academic disciplines, conducting class lectures and exercises, interacting on a class message board for essay discussions, and extensively evaluating three essays and a final exam. Our curriculum includes critical thinking, grammar and style instruction, and the principles of academic writing of several types: exposition, persuasion, synthesis, and critical review, with a professional standard and citation of sources in all essays with journalistic attribution and MLA, Chicago, APA, and CSE style sheets.
Editor, Proofreader, Writer
Self-employed
October, 2015
–
Present
(over 4 years)
I am an author of historical, biographical, literary fiction and short stories thus far, with plans for cozy mysteries and contemporary fiction in the years to come. I have recently begun offering professional editorial services and found immediate enthusiastic acceptance from small presses and individual authors as soon as they saw what I could do for them. One special offering is what I call instructional editing or book coaching, like developmental editing but designed to be done a chapter or two at a time, the writer applying each segment's evaluation and improvements to the work of later drafts.
Instructor of Writing
Veritas Academy Online
September, 2010
–
May, 2015
(over 4 years)
Developed and taught Composition 2 to students in grades 8-12 for this online school, helping students learn grammar, style, and basic essay forms for description, persuasion, comparison, and narrative. In our online live class meetings I managed groups of up to 22 students, engaging them in discussion, writing exercises, peer critique, and imitation of great writing samples. Much of my instruction was in the form of individual essay evaluation in extensive comments for each student.
Writing Tutor, Writing Evaluator, Curriculum Developer
Self-employed
May, 1996
–
Present
(almost 24 years)
As a young mother watching the growth of homeschooling all around me and hearing the desires of homeschooling parents for quality writing instruction for their older children, I began teaching online when the technology allowed only exchange of simple files and emails. I developed many writing courses using the Great Books, ancient rhetoric exercises (Progymnasmata), and other high-quality resources, and in time I became a consultant for many private schools for their writing programs. It is wonderful to work with students throughout their secondary education and then watch many of them go on to become important writers, educators, and other professional in their own right.
Instructor of English
Florida State University, Auburn University, Tallahassee Community College, Los Positas College
August, 1982
–
May, 1995
(over 12 years)
In these different colleges, taught courses including remedial writing lab, freshman composition, freshman article and essay workshop, sophomore literature, written business communications, and business report writing part time (FSU, TCC, LPC) or full time (Auburn University) intermittently through these years.
Portfolio (14 selected works)
Rosette: A Novel of Pioneer Michigan
Cindy Rinaman Marsch
Why did she edit her wedding-day journal? Almost-spinster schoolteacher Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell married Otis Churchill on a Michigan farm in 1857. Her real-life journal recounts two years of homesteading, history hints at the next six decades, and the novel explores the truth. We meet Rosette in 1888 as she revises the wedding-day page of her journal. In lush detail, in the voices of Rosette... read more
Blizzard: A Story of Dakota Territory
Cindy Rinaman Marsch
A homesteading farmer, his pregnant wife, their daughter, and the grandmother wake to a beautiful winter morning on the prairie. And then it descends upon them - the infamous Children's Blizzard of 1888. Who will survive? With characters from Rosette: A Novel of Pioneer Michigan, “Blizzard: A Story of Dakota Territory” captures in one sod shanty the dramatic effects of a storm on the bodies an... read more
Writers of historical fiction face a daunting creative challenge: that of shaping fresh and original stories from a verifiable and sometimes familiar past. Again and again, today's gifted historical fiction authors meet that challenge brilliantly. But readers rarely get to see how they tackle such an intricate task, or what happens to transform the first glimmer of an idea and a set of histori... read more
The Legacy of Lanico: Reclaiming Odana
E Cantu Alegre
Odana was Crown Prince Lanico’s home… until he was forced to flee following his defeat in battle and the siege of his kingdom. After years of living hidden in the wilderness with his adopted son, Prince Lanico suddenly finds himself on a quest to return to his kingdom - to reclaim the lands that are rightfully his. During his journey, Lanico finds himself facing a myriad of threats, making all... read more
Nzinga: African Warrior Queen
Moses L. Howard
Across the savannah and into the green mountains, people shouted her name: “Nzinga, Nzinga, Child of the Flame!” “Nzinga, Daughter of the Old Ngola, Savior of Ndongo!” In the governor’s palace Luanda, the Portuguese courtiers whisper in shock: A woman! Sent to make a treaty with the invaders, Nzinga of Angola is swept into world history, a generation after Elizabeth I ruled England. For forty ... read more
A Kindom Divided: Books 1 - 3 in S.C. Stokes' Epic Fantasy Adventure
Samuel Stokes, S.C. Stokes
Watching from the window, Tristan screamed, “Father!” Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees. Without mercy the bandits closed in, torches blazing against the night sky. Tristan watched in terror as the Manor caught fire…with him inside it.With his home in ashes and his world on fire, Tristan has to make a choice…Fight or die. Tyranny and civil war threaten to consume the island ... read more
Bring Me Back Home
D. R. Thatcher
D. R. Thatcher is recently retired with a loving wife and grown children. Adjusting to a different pace of life, he yearns to reconnect with his childhood memories. His Mom, Dad, and only bother have passed away leaving a lingering sense of regret and the realization that maybe life’s priorities should have been different. In his retrospective memoir, Douglas reflects on the experiences he had... read more
Sisters Claire and Susan have been noticing their independent, introverted mother is sort of… off. Discreet investigation reveals the appalling truth: Mom can’t find her way home, pay her bills or even get to the toilet anymore. The move to an assisted living facility only further highlights the many aspects of her life that have quietly fallen through the cracks. Assisted living doesn’t rende... read more
The book intertwines the stories of three professionals from different countries who cross paths in Asia, against the backdrop of the landscape of globalization—the diverse countries, cultures, and international businesses which are the fabric of the novel. It addresses the various ways people deal with the pressures of a career, with the loneliness of living in a foreign place, and with the n... read more
The Mentor That Matters: Stories of Transformational Teachers, Role Models and Heroes, Volume 1
Suzanne Fox, Laura Steward Atchison
In every life, there is at least one “mentor that matters”: a person whose insights spark change and whose influence endures. It might be an educator whose knowledge ignites new passion. A family member whose wisdom steers us away from irreparable mistakes or encourages our boldest dreams. An expert whose training spurs us to do more than we could have imagined. A leader who elicits strength o... read more
Like all good Awakenings and revolutions, the Great Awakening and the American Revolution started with a good conversation. But when and with whom did that good conversation start? New England Transcendentalism started somewhere, but where and how? The seed of Civil Disobedience was planted by someone in Massachusetts, but by who and why? In the polemic spirit of Jane Anger’s The Protection fo... read more
Stuck in Manistique
Dennis Cuesta
Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as sole beneficiary of Vivian's estate, he travels there to settle her affairs. As Mark tours his aunt's house for the first time, the doorbell rings.Days after graduating medical school, Dr. Emily Dav... read more
Was it fate, destiny, or some divine plan that brought four very different travelers together in their struggle to survive what should have been a routine trip to Rome? Driven by events, these new friends and their family members found themselves playing pivotal roles at a focal point in the history of western civilization. For winds that had spread a great fire across Rome also carried embers... read more
The Gift of the Seer
K.B. Laugheed
Katie O’Toole’s epic adventure began in The Spirit Keeper (Plume 2013) when she was rescued from a 1747 frontier massacre in Pennsylvania only to find herself chosen as the “Spirit Keeper” of a dying Indian Seer. She hesitated to accept this mysterious obligation until she fell in love with the Seer’s bodyguard, an Indian man she called Hector.In The Gift of the Seer, Katie and Hector continue... read more
Cindy has 34 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Cindy was most excellent to work with, particularly for me as a new writer. Conversation with her was informative in ways I could not have predicted. She finished the work ahead of schedule and insured I received every cent of value from our collaboration.
In truth the budgeting was a bit higher than my usual threshold but I found it well worth the price.
Thank you Cindy.
Stephen Wallace, March 2020
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Reply from Cindy Marsch
Cindy provided clear, understandable edits that made the revision process more efficient and productive.
She offered specific and concrete solutions to problems she found in the manuscript.
I had the sense she had entered the world of the book and so her creative input supplied new and original ideas to improving the overall structure of the book and "arc" of the story line.
One of Cindy's grea...
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George Kressley, March 2020
Reply from Cindy Marsch
Before working with Cindy, I thought writing was an instinctive craft...I have written several technical documents, and this was my first attempt at fiction. I mean, how hard could it be to transition from technical writing to fiction? I tried several beta readers...family and friends, and after a while I noticed all of them were avoiding me when I asked for their review. One beta reader even ...
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Dave Bell, January 2020
Reply from Cindy Marsch
I came to Reedsy knowing that my manuscript needed work, but without a clear understanding of what was required. CIndy was unique among all editors from who I requested a quote, as she explained the various stages of editing to me, and gave me stronger view of what my manuscript needed. A quick look at a sample assessment that Cindy was kind enough to perform, convinced me to take things forwar...
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George P, November 2019
Reply from Cindy Marsch
One of the great things about working with Cindy is that she is so knowable and willing to find the best path to help move your project towards completion. She discussed the various options I could choose for my book - from a Manuscript Assessment to a Developmental or Copy Edit. Her rates for all categories were fair.
As a beginning writer, I chose her Instructional Editi...
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Barbara Bryan, October 2019
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Reply from Cindy Marsch
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