Jennifer Collins

Jennifer Collins – Editor

I'm an editor and writing coach specializing in Suspense/Thrillers, Crime, Horror, Paranormals, SFF, Women's Fiction, Romance, and Memoir.

Overview

For more than ten years, I've served as a full-time freelance editor, offering developmental and line/copyedits, and also offering support as a writing coach as needed. My passion is helping authors to find the full potential in their manuscripts so that they can move toward publication, whether in the self-publishing space or the traditional space. I excel at offering personalized, constructive feedback that keeps in mind an author's voice, goals, and particular project. Whether examining plot, character, genre fit, worldbuilding, or language clarity/detail, I take pride in making sure that no aspect of a project goes unexamined. Prior to becoming a full-time freelancer, I was also an award-winning English teacher; those years spent teaching set me up to be an editor who can not only polish novels and help writers achieve their dreams, but also offer such clear and detailed feedback that their craft improves through the editing process, which is part of why I'm such an effective writing coach.

Working with me, you can expect clear and professional communication that comes directly from me, without any implementation of AI or assistants. I track all suggestions and comments via Word's Track Changes features, and as a full-time freelancer, I'm able to meet with my clients via Zoom as needed to talk about the big-picture, revision plans, or any follow-up questions that may arise. I pride myself on building supportive, long-term relationships with my clients, and believe the greatest testament to my talent is the fact that many of my clients have worked with me on multiple books; my most prolific clients have had me edit literally dozens of books (I believe 34 books is the current record).

**An additional note on AI: If you've used a LLM or generative AI to draft or edit your manuscript, I'm not the right editor for your needs. Using something like spellcheck or Grammarly is absolutely fine! But for ethical and moral reasons, I do not use generative AI, and I also try to avoid working on projects developed with the help of systems like ChatGPT and Claude.**

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Epic Fantasy Horror Mashups Paranormal Romance Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Thriller Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • ABD in Literature, Duquesne University
  • Masters in English, Clemson University
  • BA in English, Shenandoah University

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2014 — Present
I've been a full-time freelance editor for more than a decade now, working across genres with both publishers and independent authors. I offer book coaching, developmental editing, line/copyediting, and occasionally ghostwriting.

Duquesne University Writing Center

Aug, 2012 — May, 2014 (over 1 year)
I served as the assistant director of Duquesne University's Writing Center while working toward a PhD. Besides aiding in managing the center's day to day operations, I tutored undergraduate and graduate students, and I also taught classes on various elements of grammar and citation as well as specific style sheets such as CMOS and MLA.

Duquesne University

Aug, 2008 — May, 2012 (over 3 years)
I taught Writing courses while working toward my PhD, offering courses in both college composition and creative writing.

Clemson University

Aug, 2004 — May, 2008 (over 3 years)
While obtaining my Masters in English at Clemson (2006), I taught Freshman Composition courses. After receiving an award for teaching while earning my degree, I was offered a job as a lecturer and remained on campus for two more academic years to teach Contemporary Literature and Science & Technology in Society.

Portfolio

A Beautiful Couple: A Psychological Thriller

Wolfe, Leslie

Italics Publishing

Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
In Step

Ember, Rachel

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Eye for Eye (Roy Cruise Book 1)

Franko, JK

Talion Publishing

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Furlough

Moon, Jacob

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Just Who We Are: My Story of Grit, Grace, and Identity

Stecher, Robyn

Incorgnito Publishing Press LLC

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Wisdom Lost: Pandemonium Rising (#2)

Sliter, Michael

Dragyn Press

Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
Dead Reckoning

Moon, Jacob

Jacob Moon Publishing

Copy Editing
Letter 26

Moon, Jacob

Jacob Moon

Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Killing Johnny Miracle

Franko, JK

Rum House Books

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Life for Life (Roy Cruise Book 3)

Franko, JK

Talion Publishing

Copy Editing
Tooth for Tooth (Roy Cruise Book 2)

Franko, JK

Talion Publishing

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
My Letters To Conceição

Molina del Callejo, Jorge

Incorgnito Publishing Press

Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
News Real (News Memoir Book 1)

Ortman, Tim

Incorgnito Publishing Press

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment Book Coaching
Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
The Birds of the Air

Arthur, L. H.

L. H. Arthur Publishing

Developmental Editing Copy Editing

Jennifer has 27 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Elinor S.

Elinor S.

Aug, 2026

Pinned
I’m a new author, and I came to Jennifer with a 170,000-word manuscript. I knew it was too long, and honestly, I had written it more for myself than for anyone else. Before I went any further with it, I wanted an independent and honest perspective from someone who wasn’t just going to tell me wha...
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Redmond Waters L.

Redmond Waters L.

Jul, 2026

Pinned
Jennifer C. is a complete professional. I worked with her for developmental editing on my manuscript, and I don't know how the experience could have been better. She guided me through the entire process, communicated promptly, and made everything feel straightforward from start to finish. Even af...
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Samaneh R.

Samaneh R.

Jan, 2026

Pinned
I’m so glad I chose Jennifer to edit my book. She is incredibly detail-oriented and responsible. She has a way of catching those hidden mistakes between the lines that I had completely missed. You can really tell she loves what she does because she puts so much heart and energy into the work. Sh...
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Robert G.

Robert G.

Sep, 2026

I was looking for an experienced eye to perform a developmental editorial review of my first ever attempt at a novel. I could not have wished for a better collaborator than Jennifer for this task. From the start, she was prompt with her offer and clear about the process, what I'd get, billing i...
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C.V. K.

C.V. K.

Aug, 2026

Fantastic perspective. Really helped elevate the partial manuscript to a new level.

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Most recent contributions

What factors influence the ideal paragraph length in nonfiction writing?

The size of an idea, and the amount of explanation needed, will influence your paragraph lengths, but there are some other basic points of guidance you can keep in mind in order to make your work more readable and dynamic. 1) You want to vary your paragraph lengths just like you vary sentence le...
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What strategies make a redemption arc feel earned, credible, and emotionally powerful?

With a redemption arc, everything comes back to character. Whether your character is sympathetic or likeable, you have to make them believable in order for their redemption arc to be either believable or emotionally powerful. Keep in mind also that 'believable' doesn't mean that the character nee...
Read more

What are the most important questions an author should ask beta readers when gathering helpful feedback on their manuscript?

If you want a really useful experience with a beta reader, you have to start asking questions before you ever send them your book. First, ask: "Do you read in my genre? In my sub-genre?" (If the answer is no or they can't name authors in your genre who they love, they're not the right beta for y...
Read more

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