Isabella Betita

Isabella Betita – Editor

Experienced freelance editor specializing in SFF, horror, and speculative fiction for Adults and YA. Formerly with S&S.

Overview

I have worked on multiple international bestselling and award-nominated titles, interested in young adult/middle grade, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, suspense, historical, and literary and commercial fiction. Also available for query letter review and sensitivity reading.

I have seen projects through every stage of production—from first drafts that need heavy development, to final manuscripts that only require fine tuning to make them marketable. I offer compassionate, thoughtful, and honest critique that never impeaches the writer's voice. I want to help authors tell their stories—and tell them well.
Services
Fiction
Fantasy Horror Literary Fiction Romance Science Fiction Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • B.A. English Literature at Brown University
  • B.A. Anthropology at Brown University

Work experience

Simon & Schuster, Touchstone/Atria

Aug, 2016 — Mar, 2019 (over 2 years)

Self-employed

Jan, 2014 — Present

Editorial services have included developmental comments, line editing, proofreading, sensitivity reading, and more.

Portfolio

An Ocean of Minutes

Thea Lim

AN INDIE NEXT PICK! A “Best Book of 2018” —Real Simple “Lim’s steady prose and deft character development ensured that I was hooked on Polly’s story from beginning to end. [F]ull of fascinating social commentary on class differences, racism and sexism...it’s e... read more
The History of Bees

Maja Lunde

“Imagine The Leftovers, but with honey” (Elle), and in the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this “spectacular and deeply moving” (Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author) novel follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, an... read more
One Day I Will Save Myself: Poems in English and Spanish

Sastre, Elvira

George and Lizzie: A Novel

Pearl, Nancy

Duel to the Death (Ali Reynolds Series Book 13)

Jance, J.A.

The A List (Ali Reynolds Series Book 14)

Jance, J.A.

Women Utopia: The Feminists are Here to Exterminate

Wee, Wendy

To Crown A King

Melin, Raedene Jeannette

Crown of Lies

Nicholson, Alexandra

Scrublands

Chris Hammer

In the vein of The Dry and Before the Fall, a town’s dark secrets come to light in the aftermath of a young priest’s unthinkable last act in this arresting and searing debut thriller.In Riversend, an isolated rural community afflicted by an endless drought, a ... read more
Me for You

Lolly Winston

From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Grief comes a richly poignant and stirring story that asks: How soon is too soon to fall in love again?The last thing Rudy expected was to wake up one Saturday morning, a widow at fifty-four years old. Now, te... read more
The Lost History of Dreams

Kris Waldherr

A post-mortem photographer unearths dark secrets of the past that may hold the key to his future, in this captivating debut novel in the gothic tradition of Wuthering Heights and The Thirteenth Tale.All love stories are ghost stories in disguise. When famed By... read more
Goodbye, Paris

Anstey Harris

A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK AN INDIE NEXT PICK Jojo Moyes meets Eleanor Oliphant in Goodbye, Paris, an utterly charming novel that proves that sometimes you have to break your heart to make it whole.Grace once had the beginnings of a promising musical career... read more

Isabella has 49 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Michael M.

Michael M.

May, 2024

Hired her as a "developmental editor," But took the liberty to ignore the developmental editing request and focus mostly on copyediting and "flow," informing me of this change after the manuscript was submitted at the end. We spoke on the phone, We agreed that each chapter was supposed to be reviewed and sent to me during the process, which did not happen. If you decide to hire her, make sure y...
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Isabella B.
Hi Michael, I'm sorry that this experience didn't work out for you. Working with different editors will necessarily yield different results because we are all different kinds of readers who look ...
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Mikel W.

Mikel W.

Apr, 2024

Isabella's enthusiasm is matched by her sharp mind and keen eye for ways to improve a story. Her detailed and carefully thought-through feedback is proving invaluable in strengthening the novella I hired her to work on as a developmental editor. I could not be more pleased with our collaboration on this project. She grasped the characters so well, asked insightful questions, pointed out problem...
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Jay W.

Jay W.

Apr, 2024

Isabella was great. She saw what I was trying to accomplish narratively and thematically and tailored her response to help achieve that. Before I was pretty stressed out about all the conflicting, vague, or odd beta reader advise I was getting, and Isabella's work has laid out a straightforward and reasonable path to making this book the best it can be. Her responses were insightful, kind, and ...
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Ryan B.

Ryan B.

Apr, 2024

Incredible work, prompt, accurate, and professional. 100% would recommend.
Brendan T.

Brendan T.

Dec, 2023

Isabella’s feedback was thorough, insightful, and completely essential for me to see a path to going deeper with my characters. She helped me understand what my manuscript and writing as a whole has been missing. Her editorial, character and general development notes were all very concise and clear. She suggested a list of relevant comps for me to look at. She really helped me see the forest th...
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