Jane Smith

Jane Smith – Editor

I'm a freelance editor, author and librarian with an eye for detail. Kids' books, fiction, non-fiction, history books: I love them all!

Overview

I'm an editor, author and librarian with a special interest in history and children's books. With years of experience in schools and public libraries, I know what readers like. I have a Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing from University of Southern QLD. I've reviewed books for 'Magpies' magazine, I've written my own books in a range of genres, and I have experience in manuscript assessments, structural editing, copyediting and proofreading. My clients have included Big Sky Publishing, University of Southern QLD, and many indie authors.


I provide a range of editing services for fiction and non-fiction titles for adults and children. My work as an author makes me sensitive to an author's needs and point of view. If you want an editor who will work closely with you, paying attention to detail and listening to your concerns, I could be the one for you!


Here's a testimonial from a happy customer:

"Jane has a keen eye for detail and I was astonished at the subtle inconsistencies and ambiguities she identified within my manuscript - a novel I have worked on for five years and thought I knew back-to-front. Jane is a kind, honest and helpful editor, providing clever solutions and succinct explanations for her suggested revisions. Jane's skilled hand transformed my story into a better book and me into a better writer. "

Tara East, BA, GCEP, MProfPrac(CreativeWriting), Author of 'Every Time He Dies'.

Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Middle Grade Picture Books
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Health & Wellbeing History
Languages
English (AUS) English (NZ) English (UK)
Awards
  • Shortlisted for Australian Book Industry Award 2015
  • Children's Book Council of Australia 'notable' 2017
  • Shortlisted for Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award 2019
  • Shortlisted for Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize 2022
Certifications
  • Advanced Proofreading course through SfEP (2018)
  • Introduction to Copyediting - SfEP (2018)
  • Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing (USQ)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2017 — Present

I'm an Australian freelance editor with experience in editing a variety of genres and providing a range of services for independent authors, traditional publishers and academic institutions. I have qualifications in both editing and librarianship, and I'm a published author of both traditionally published and self-published books for children and adults – fiction and non-fiction. Through my career as librarian, author and editor, I have had a wide exposure to literature of all genres and developed a broad understanding of the publishing industry. Four of my own books have been short- or long-listed for literary prizes.

Self-employed

Jan, 2009 — Present

I write historical books: fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children. My books include the 'Australian Bushrangers' series (5 titles), the children's historical fiction 'Tommy Bell, Bushranger Boy' (8 titles so far, 5 to come), and 'Captain Starlight: the strange but true story of a bushranger, impostor and murderer), all published by Big Sky Publishing. I also wrote 'The story of The Swamp: a children's history of Toowoomba' (published by Toowoomba City Library) and am about to self-publish 'Ship of death: the tragedy of the "Emigrant"'. My book 'Captain Thunderbolt' (from the 'Australian Bushrangers' series) was shortlisted for an Australian Book Industry Award in 2015, and two books from my 'Tommy Bell' series have been listed for major awards (#1 was a Children's Book Council of Australia 'notable' in 2017 and #7 is currently listed for a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award). My books are meticulously researched and have been well reviewed.

Concordia Lutheran College

Jul, 2004 — Jun, 2018 (almost 14 years)

I worked as a librarian and archivist at the secondary campus of Concordia Lutheran College from 2011 to 2018, and at one of the junior campuses as librarian from 2004 to 2010. My duties included book selection and cataloguing and working closely with students and teachers to meet their information and recreational reading needs and encourage a love of books. In 2017 I initiated and ran a writing project with a group of Indigenous students. After a three-day writing workshop conducted by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, they produced a book that was launched at the Brisbane Writers' Festival.

Portfolio

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Motivated by Murder

Marslew , Kenneth B.

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Little Book of Hopes

Elyse Shellie

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Perfect Breed

Brennan, Caitlin

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Monarchs of Aotearoa

Willson, Erin

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
A Dangerous Land

Jones, Marisa K

Copy Editing
Every Time He Dies

Tara Louise East

Daphne Lawrence is haunted. Two years ago, her fiancée died in a terrible accident, her mother passed away from cancer and she stopped speaking to her father. As an embalmer, Daff is used to the company of dead people, but she isn’t used to them talking back. ... read more
The Australian Bushrangers series by historical researcher, Jane Smith, details the colourful lives of six of Australia’s most famous bushrangers: Captain Thunderbolt, Captain Moonlite, Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall, and the two men known as ‘Captain Starlight’. Th... read more
When Tommy Bell’s father’s car breaks down on a road trip, Tommy and Martin are stranded overnight in a motel room in a strange country town. Things get even weirder when Tommy finds himself roaming the deserted streets on a moonlit night, way back in 1869. Bu... read more
Grandpa & Tuska

John Phillips

Tuska is a young elephant who loves spending timewith his grandfather. And Grandpa loves spendingtime with him. Tuska never grows tired of Grandpa’sthrilling stories about being a young elephant and thinksGrandpa is the wisest elephant he knows.But Grandpa is ... read more
Dreaming Soldiers

Catherine Bauer

Dreaming Soldiers poignantly weaves tales of childhoodadventures and battlefield challenges with gentle Dreamingthemes.This is a touching friendship story about Jimmy and Johnno,two young Australian boys in the 1900s; mates who doeverything together, sharing a... read more
The way our children handle ‘small knocks’ is crucial, as it will bethe foundation for much bigger things. Parents are wise to see eachsmall knock as a teachable moment that has long-term significance.We can’t dismiss or understate our child’s daily experience... read more
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a global mental health concernwith studies conservatively indicating 10% of young peopleexperiment with self-harm. The ways in which young people selfharmare wide and varied, and a challenge many families nowhave to face.It r... read more
Hadamar is the story of Ingrid Marchand, is a young girl of mixedGerman-French-African race born and her struggle to survive asthe Nazis rise to power and Hitler’s barbaric racial policies areintroduced.While Ingrid’s colour has always ostracised her in the co... read more
In 1869 Mt Egerton was outraged by the armed hold-up of the local bank by a masked villain calling himself ‘Captain Moonlite’.The shock deepened when the perpetrator turned out to be the new lay preacher, Andrew George Scott. On his release from prison Moonlit... read more
Frederick Wordsworth Ward, better known as ‘Captain Thunderbolt’, had one of the longest bushranging ‘careers’ in history. Plaguing New South Wales for almost seven years, Thunderbolt enjoyed much public support as he was intelligent, charming and courageous a... read more
Perth, 1899: a respected public servant mistakes a bottle of cyanide for his heart medicine, swallows it and dies. Months later on the other side of the country, a prisoner of Pentridge gaol with the same name as the deceased reads of the inquest with alarm. H... read more

Jane has 16 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

mark M.

mark M.

Aug, 2024

Everything and more! Top of my list for the next book!
Jane S.
Thanks, Mark! I enjoyed your writing and look forward to the next book.
Georja-Renee L.

Georja-Renee L.

Dec, 2023

Jane Smith has provided exceptional support and responsiveness that has helped me to improve my project. She has also provided me with the necessary links to study proper writing techniques. I couldn't have asked for a better professional.
Jane S.
It was a real pleasure to work with you, Georja-Renee, and I wish you well with this project and all your future writing.
Pip M.

Pip M.

Jul, 2023

As a new author, I was nervous about seeking professional feedback. Jane was supportive, responsive, and provided her expertise as an editor to make my book something that I am now proud of. I will be seeking the editing services of Jane in the future. Thanks, Jane!
Jane S.
It was a pleasure to work with you, Pip. I look forward to the next book in the series! Wishing you all the best.
Marisa H.

Marisa H.

May, 2023

Jane was a delight to work with. She really helped me to understand how to structure my sentences coherently and was very thorough in her fact checking. Highly recommend.
Jane S.
Thank you, Marisa. I really enjoyed working with you on your novel and can't wait to see it in print!
Adam M.

Adam M.

Feb, 2023

Wow. Jane is TERRIFIC! I am a very new author - and Jane was an absolute pleasure to work with! I would recommend her to 11 out of 10 people and look forward to working with her again in the future. Below are a few outlined points: -- From a professional standpoint, Jane's process, timing, and feedback far surpassed my expectations. She was thorough and timely, and her feedback was catered...
Read more
Jane S.
Thanks for your very kind review, Adam. I've enjoyed working with you and it has been a real joy to see your writing skills develop. I'm grateful to have been part of the process.

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