Overview
I've worked in trade publishing, academic publishing, and journal publishing. If you've written something, I can copy edit or proofread it, or I can guide you through all the stages to make it a published book/ebook.
I'll act as an advocate for your book's readers. That can mean telling you that what you intended to communicate isn't being conveyed—after all, you've lived and breathed the story, so while you may think something is clear, the reader may be left confused or, worse, miss the point entirely. If I suggest an edit that goes beyond fixing spelling, grammar, and punctuation, I'll explain my reasoning. But it's your book, so it's up to you whether you take my advice!
I want your readers to tell their friends and Goodreads and Amazon how much they loved your book. I want them left eagerly awaiting your next book. I don't want them dwelling on distractions such as using the wrong word—you have no idea how many times I've seen mistaken usages of mantle/mantel, discrete/discreet, hoard/horde, and the list goes on—or a character switching between blue and green eyes or to be left wondering which character is speaking in a dialogue-heavy section. Let me help you make your book memorable for the right reasons!
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
—Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Work experience
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
I oversee and work alongside a team of production editors producing about 200 books (plus ebooks) per year. My department—editorial production (aka managing editorial)—works directly with authors and freelancers and handles copyediting, composition (typesetting), proofreading, indexing, editing cover copy, ebook creation, and prepress. We publish general-interest books (pop culture, self-help, history), professional development books (education, security, and library services), and academic books (textbooks, scholarly, and reference).
Penguin Putnam Inc. (now Penguin Random House)
I oversaw copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, and indexing for fiction and nonfiction books publishing under the Dutton and Plume imprints, which publishes mysteries, literary fiction, cookbooks, and memoirs.
myself
I have copyedited and proofread fiction and nonfiction books for Kensington, Dutton, Signet, and Hyperion (now Hachette). Those books have been primarily in the areas of mystery, thriller, romance (historical and contemporary), health, and memoir, but I also love science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and historical fiction.