Dakota Reed

Dakota Reed – Editor

Experienced editor & published writer ▪ I have a passion for literature & words—especially poetry, essay collections, & children's books.

Overview

I've been immersed in the literary and publishing world for 7 years. I began in 2017 as an editorial intern for The Georgia Review, then worked as senior editorial assistant for swamp pink (formerly Crazyhorse) from 2018 to 2020. I'm now an editor, designer, and operations/distribution coordinator for Atmosphere Press. While I am our sole children's book editor, my clientele includes writers of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction as well. I've spent almost four years editing, proofreading, and designing dozens of books published and distributed by Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Target, and Amazon.


I hold an MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry from the College of Charleston, where I was a Woodfin Fellow. I received my Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Georgia. My work has been published or is forthcoming in the North American Review, Ghost City Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, The Shore, Blood Orange Review, and NELLE. It has received awards and accolades from The Poetry Society of South Carolina, the College of Charleston, and AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs).


I love helping writers edit and revise manuscripts to their most polished, refined version, while also ensuring the autonomy and voice of the author remain fully intact. My services range from proofreading to copyediting to extensive developmental editing and assessment. I'm happy to operate on any level of involvement and guidance to best help you hone your book into a beautiful and publishable piece of work.


Reach out if you're looking for an experienced editor to work with you!

Services
Non-Fiction
Art Biographies & Memoirs Nature
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Picture Books Poetry Psychological Thriller Women's Fiction
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • Poetry Society of South Carolina: Nancy Walton Pringle Memorial Prize
  • College of Charleston: Creative Writing Prize
  • AWP Intro Journals Prize: Honorable Mention
  • Recipient of the Woodfin Fellowship
Certifications
  • University of Georgia: BA in English
  • College of Charleston: MFA in Creative Writing

Work experience

Atmosphere Press

Aug, 2020 — Present

I exclusively edit all of our children's books at Atmosphere Press and work directly with illustrators to design them. I put each children's book together in InDesign and work with authors until they're 100% happy with the final product. My clientele also includes writers of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.

University of Bahrain

Jan, 2019 — May, 2019 (4 months)

Crazyhorse Magazine

Aug, 2018 — May, 2020 (over 1 year)

The Georgia Review

May, 2017 — May, 2018 (about 1 year)

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Ink & Ember: A poetry collection

Nguyen, Jessie

Made with Reedsy
McQuiddle Riddles: the sea

Morin, Lief

Made with Reedsy
Rewriting Herstory

Kiiru, Mwihaki

Made with Reedsy
One Major Love

Adams, Kimberly

Made with Reedsy
Scarecrow's Keep

Sjoblom, Jo

Made with Reedsy
Gracie's Glamorous Glasses

Kehr, Colleen

Made with Reedsy
Nelly Finds Her Niche

Trout, Lauren

Made with Reedsy
Growing Pains: LGBT Coming of Age Poems

Marks, Taylor

Made with Reedsy
Thinking In Eighths: a poetry collection

Salehipour, Behrouz

Made with Reedsy
Zoetic

Wilson, Hannah

Beneath the Smiling Moon

Valdes, Devon Jeffers

Until We Meet Again, Leo

McGroarty, Alexandra

Our Earth

Calame, Jane

The Mighty Warner

Munns, Darren

Amethyst, The Shallows

Abernathy, Kellye

Seeing Thing

Fowler, Evan

Lovely Minds

Gambacorta, Alyssa

Lovely

Jin, Chu

The Nightmare

Rec, Christina

Time to Play: In Space

Dawson, Bernadette

The Christmas Witch

Katusha, Jaime

Crossroads

Hill, Dre

Where Destiny Decides

McDonald, Jessie

Amaranth

Davenport, Samantha

A Trip From God

Grubb, David E.

Late In the Day

Shapiro, Brett

Addition Problems

Laakko, Janice

Found

Cooper, Irene

Little Town Blues

Gonthier, David

Phoebe and Fred

Johnson, Nathaniel S.

Homecoming Heist

Collin, Tyson

Hart Street and Main

Sprunger, Tabitha

MALL

Palmer-Baker, Pattie

Loved By Fire

Rose, Natalie

Twisted Silver Spoons

Wicks, Karen, M.

Love Against the Law

Klavon, Justine

Just Be Honest

Yates, Cindy

Stronghold

Bakunin, Kesha

All or Nothing

Malach, Miriam

My Place in the Spiral

Beardsall, Rebecca

Helping Howard

Schloss, Sally

Logan and Lexi Meditate

Rodgers, Denesia D

Winston’s Big Wind

Reyelts, Barbara Macpherson

Dakota has 50 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Christine Gail G.

Christine Gail G.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
I will definitely use Dakota in the future if I do another book. Her proofreading is excellent, but it's her editing that stood out. She understood perfectly what I was trying to say and how I wanted to say it; and all of her editing suggestions enhanced and blended in perfectly with my writing style.
Lindsay A.

Lindsay A.

Mar, 2024

Pinned
Dakota's work developmental editing my poetry book was absolutely invaluable and very much worth the price. I can't recommend her enough! I will definitely be working with her again in the future.
D.C. C.

D.C. C.

Nov, 2023

Pinned
First let me start by saying this is my first attempt at writing my poetry collection, so it’s the first time I’ve ever used an editor. Which that being said, I didn’t know what to expect or even which kind of editing service I needed. With no expectations, I guess my only hope was that I didn’t get laughed at. Sharing your art can be difficult. Besides my family, I’ve never shared my poems wit...
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Chris N.

Chris N.

Jul, 2024

I asked Dakota to provide feedback and an assessment of seven poems. She provided detailed copyediting with comments, an overall assessment of each poem, and some editorial remarks on each one. Her feedback was honest, straightforward, and constructive, and her suggestions were always encouraging. She possesses a sharp eye and the ability to make you think deeper about your choices as a writer....
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Barbara S.

Barbara S.

Jun, 2024

Excellent service. Provided me with constructive feedback. Very professional throughout the collaboration. Thank you Dakota!

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