Jennie Cohen

Jennie Cohen – Editor

Proofreader and copy editor specializing in fiction and literary nonfiction. Fifteen years' experience with premier New York publishers.

Overview

I am a proofreader and copy editor specializing in fiction and literary nonfiction. For more than fifteen years I have worked with some of New York's premier book publishers, including Holt, Anchor/Vintage, Flatiron, and FSG.

I have a red pencil and I'm not afraid to use it.
Typos beware: I have a keen eye.
Narrative beware: I'm meticulously attentive.
Details beware: I'm terribly thorough.

I specialize in literary fiction, historical fiction, women's fiction, humanities and social sciences, memoir and biography, religion and spirituality, and political science and current affairs. Production editors frequently seek me out for translated projects, as I speak a second language and am sensitive to the challenges of translation. (My undergrad degree is in comparative literature.) I also get all the yoga books because I've been teaching yoga almost as long as I've been proofreading professionally.

I will read your work for grammar, syntax, word usage, spelling, and punctuation. I'll ensure stylistic and narrative consistency and will see that the text conforms to industry standards of style. When I return your edited manuscript, all my edits will be visible to you and you will have the final say over the text--your book, your last word.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Health & Wellbeing Humanities & Social Sciences Political Science & Current Affairs Religion & Spirituality
Fiction
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Magna cum laude
Certifications
  • New School "Fundamentals of Copy Editing" course 2006
  • Smith College BA in Comparative Literature 2001

Work experience

Flatiron/Celadon

Jan, 2022 — Present

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads.

Anchor/Vintage

Oct, 2015 — Mar, 2016 (5 months)

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads.

Melville House

Jun, 2013 — Mar, 2017 (over 3 years)

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads. Electronically copyedit manuscripts.

Other Press

Jan, 2010 — Present

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads.

Holt

Nov, 2009 — Present

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Jun, 2008 — Present

Read first pass against copyedited manuscript. Perform cold reads.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Jul, 2005 — May, 2008 (almost 3 years)

Perform final stage of proofreading before publication.

Jennie has 50 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Christine E.

Christine E.

Mar, 2024

Jennie was absolutely wonderful to work with. A true professional and she is incredible at what she does. I couldn’t be happier with her work! Thank you Jennie!
Emily G.

Emily G.

Feb, 2024

Professional, consistent, and finished the project early. Highly recommend!
Emily G.

Emily G.

Jan, 2024

I hired Jennie as a copyeditor for a collection of short stories, and she was outstanding. I could not have asked for a better copyeditor. She responded quickly, professionally, and enthusiastically to all my messages, caught over 1400 mistakes in my manuscript, and finished the project significantly before the deadline. My manuscript was relatively tricky, with complicated syntax, special form...
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Jy B.

Jy B.

Jan, 2024

Jennie was highly responsive and professional. The quality of the work was great and Jennie continued to support after the edited manuscript had been returned, which was really appreciated! One thing to consider is that Jennie does not proof read the post edited manuscript as a matter of principle, which meant I had to find another professional for this, which I had not planned for.
Jennie C.
Thanks, Jy, for this review. I'm glad my copy edit and continued support after editing were useful. Indeed, industry best practice recommends bringing in a fresh set of eyes to tackle the proofread...
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James R.

James R.

Jan, 2024

Jennie has an amazing eye for sentence structure, spacing, and visual details that publishers and authors will easily miss at the end. Definitely hire her to proof your manuscript before typesetting!

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