Cynthia C

Cynthia C – Editor

Developmental editor (Random House, Victoria Magazine) of award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Former publisher with 17+ years' experience.

Overview

Cynthia’s work in editing spans multiple disciplines, including medicine, education, journalism, cybersecurity, business, and literature. She’s edited books that have gone on to be published by Random House and has won awards for books she has written. For several years, she was the managing editor for a prominent women’s lifestyle magazine originally published by Hearst. For many more years, she was the founding editor of a literary journal and the founder of a book publishing company specializing in literary fiction. Cynthia has co-edited nursing journals published by Slack and Elsevier, edited and published a novel for a prominent film producer, and written research-based books for a business publisher. Cynthia has an MFA in Creative Writing with a specialization in fiction, and while her editing background spans industries, her focus is on nonfiction and fiction editing.


Those who have worked with Cynthia as an editor have appreciated her thorough, detail-oriented style. Many of her clients have commented on her ability to bring out the writer’s intent in the most effective way, producing an end result that truly shines. What can you expect when working with Cynthia on fiction manuscripts? The first round of feedback is an analysis of what works and areas for improvement. This round includes recommendations for improvements to the style, structure, narrative arc, character development, voice, tone, pacing, point of view, and other higher-level aspects of the manuscript. Once Cynthia receives revisions from this round of edits, she will review the updated manuscript and recommend any areas that could benefit from further improvement. Throughout the process, she helps guide the writer through any questions or challenges with one goal in mind: to help the manuscript become its very best. For nonfiction manuscripts, such as textbooks, Cynthia provides detailed feedback and recommendations for improved clarity, structure, and organization, and, when requested, a detailed line edit and final polishing of the manuscript to prepare it for publication.


Testimonials:


“Cynthia is a conscientious, detail-oriented, and extraordinarily dedicated editor. I have worked with several editors of varying levels of experience and skill over the past five years, both in print and online media across the trade book and literary/academic journal industries, and she is by far one of the fairest, most talented, and easiest to work with. I wholeheartedly endorse the fine work she's done and continues to do […] and I hope to work with her for the foreseeable future.”

—Eric W.


“Cynthia is a dependable, detail-oriented editor who never misses a beat. Her ability to juggle multiple responsibilities with unfaltering focus and efficiency still amazes me. When deadlines are tight and expectations are high, Cynthia delivers with great skill. I very much look forward to collaborating with her on projects in the future.”

—Patrick A.


"I found the thoroughness of Cynthia's review, the clarity and breadth of her comments, and her suggestions to be extremely helpful."

—David W.


“Cynthia's a wonderful editor. I found her to be friendly, responsive, and insightful with regards to feedback. Excellent all around.”

—Anish M.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Education & Reference Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Literary Fiction
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Silver Medal, Cover Design - Fiction, Independent Publisher Book Awards, 2017
  • 2022 People’s Choice Book Award, Coalition of Visionary Resources
  • 2022 Silver Medal, Tarot Book, Coalition of Visionary Resources

Work experience

Hoffman Media, Victoria Magazine

Jul, 2016 — Oct, 2018 (over 2 years)

Managed, supervised, and mentored a team of writers. Identified and conceptualized multimedia content across platforms. Wrote and researched articles and features for print issues, social media, website. Interviewed leading artists, writers, designers. Identified candidates for annual artist-in-residence, writer-in-residence, entrepreneurial features. Assigned content to writers. Maintained editorial workflow and ensured deadlines were met. Proofed production pages. Edited and wrote content for magazine issues. Performed developmental editing. Ensured content was on-brand. Ensured adherence to Chicago Manual of Style. Created and managed contracts for writers, stylists, artists, photographers. Collaborated with art department to coordinate content. Updated rights and permissions for images and text in content management system.

Aqueous Books

Jan, 2010 — Aug, 2017 (over 7 years)

Oversaw book acquisitions, submissions, editorial workflow, prize submissions, and staff. Performed developmental edits. Developed author contracts. Established and cultivated vendor and author relationships. Created book layouts, cover design, web design, graphic design. Developed content for website and advertisements. Branding and marketing.

International Association Management, LLC

Jan, 2010 — Oct, 2016 (over 6 years)

Established, implemented, and led department processes. Coordinated editorial boards and peer-reviewed publications, certification preparation forms, training, educational materials, and documentation. Created archives. Oversaw the life cycle of publications from concept to publication. Ensured timely review of peer-reviewed publications and adherence to deadlines. Managed projects and workflows. Edited content and coordinated revisions for peer-reviewed educational medical content, books, journal articles for SLACK and Elsevier, other publications. Created graphics and book layouts. Established vendor relationships. Processed and tracked copyright and permission requests. Developed internal policies. Created departmental budget and generated budget analysis reports. Implemented strategic planning initiatives. Collaborated with editorial boards.

Prick of the Spindle, Inc.: A Nonprofit Literary Journal

Mar, 2007 — Jul, 2017 (over 10 years)

Oversaw submissions, workflow, and editorial staff. Managed content acquisitions and issue planning. Performed developmental edits on manuscripts. Conducted interviews of authors, editors, publishers, artists. Made final decisions on content to be published. Designed and maintained website, social media, online presence. Created print edition layouts and cover design. Sourced visual artists and filmmakers. Established and cultivated media and vendor relationships. Set up promotional events. Managed distribution, marketing, and branding. Facilitated competitions, non-profit grant writing, and funding initiatives. Designed graphics and layouts for individual online, print, and Kindle editions. Hand-coded Kindle magazine editions in XML (the first literary journal to have a Kindle magazine edition). Wrote editorial book reviews. Selected, onboarded, mentored, and trained staff.

Self

Mar, 2007 — Present

Project-based editing, writing, ghostwriting, and editorial consultancy

Portfolio

Developmental Editing
Nobody Move!

Esposito, Robert

Red Penguin Books

Developmental Editing
Badlands

Harris, Scott M

Meraki Press

Developmental Editing
Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Angel of God : In the Book of Time

Peters, Pablo

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Core Curriculum for Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Float

Nate House

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Virgins & Tricksters

Kearns, Rosalie Morales

Developmental Editing
Kabuki Boy

Besserman, Perle

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
From Here

Michalski, Jen

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing

Cynthia has 58 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Daniel J.

Daniel J.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
This is my first book...hopefully not my last...and I sincerely didn't know what to expect. For a first experience, I don't know that I could be more satisfied, or more supported. When Cynthia and I connected, I wasn't sure what to look for in an editor. But within our initial two exchanges, I knew she was the person I needed. I even felt like it was divine providence, and the process hasn't di...
Read more
Cynthia C.
Thank you so much, Daniel! I'm beyond pleased you found my edits helpful. Thank you so much for this review. It's truly been a pleasure working with you!
Don G.

Don G.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
It is always a pleasure working with Cynthia. If you ask her for a developmental edit, she will give you an honest and detailed one. Well worth the price in itself. She has been most courteous, responsive and encouraging to this novice writer. I have worked and been reviewed by her twice previously and plan on doing so again. Her help in the proper formatting of a manuscript has been an educati...
Read more
Isaac J.

Isaac J.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
I cannot thank Cynthia enough for the dedication and commitment she put into helping me get the best out of my writing. Cynthia's editing provided ideas and advice that improved my piece for the better. Also, Cynthia is quick to answer questions and respond to emails! I look forward to working with Cynthia again one day and would love to recommend her work to any writer out there!
SB S.

SB S.

Dec, 2024

It was a quick and short project but I will most certainly work with her again! Thank you for such a smooth collaboration.
Cynthia C.
Thank you, SB! It was a pleasure collaborating with you and I would be happy to work with you again.
David R.

David R.

Nov, 2024

She's great! Loved working with her!
Cynthia C.
Thank you, David! It was wonderful working with you. I enjoyed the collaboration and would be happy to work with you again.

Sign up to read more reviews

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

Professionals similar to Cynthia

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

Robert Astle

Robert A.

Editor and publishing consultant based in NYC. Owned and operated a literary agency and an Indie publisher. Hardwired for storytelling.

New York City, NY, USA

100% reply rate

View profile
Amy Durant

Amy D.

I am an experienced editor who has worked for over ten years in publishing. Particular interests: literary, historical, and crime fiction.

Eastbourne, UK

100% reply rate

View profile
Lana Todorovic

Lana T.

Over 15 years of experience editing book-length manuscripts and journal articles. Have worked for Sage Publications, Manning, Cactus Global.

Lawrence, KS, USA

95% reply rate

View profile