Jenny Malnick

Jenny Malnick – Editor

Diligent, thoughtful editor at major publishers for almost 30 years. Memoirs & life stories are my specialty. Let's make your book amazing!

Overview

Hello! I am Jenny. I love what I do, and I want your book to be amazing.

With almost 30 years of experience working at major publishing houses and as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, I’ll look through your work, treating it with the love and respect it deserves. And then I’ll edit it, looking for grammar, clarity, consistency, and style while ensuring your voice is still there. My goal is for you to leave here with a book we’re both proud of.

I take my work and my job very seriously and always give a book my best work; I take pride in being easy to approach and amenable to ideas and changes. With track changes on, you’ll be able to see everything I do. After all, it’s your book!

If you're looking for a diligent, hard-working editor who will communicate often, who is always honest and respectful, and who approaches everything with a healthy sense of humor, you've found her right here. Let's work together and make some magic.

FYI, I am booking into early-mid November. Hope you are ok waiting a couple weeks! (I'd like to think I am worth the wait.🤓)

My focus is on memoirs. I also specialize in neurodivergence, including ASD and ADHD, as I have two neurodivergent kids of my own.

**Please do not send me a request if you used AI to write your book.**

Some recent reviews on competitor’s website:

"Jenny really gets it. She did a remarkable job with my manuscript and provided clear directions when I asked for guidance. The communication level was fantastic. She always responded promptly to my questions or suggestions. I highly recommend her!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Jenny is amazing! She's highly professional, knowledgeable, polite, and always timely. Her great sense of humor made the process even more enjoyable. Jenny went above and beyond my expectations, and I’ll definitely be working with her again.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

”Go no further. Jenny is the full package. She does not rest until she exceeds your expectations. She takes her work seriously. Even with my level of scrutiny and endless revisions, Jenny was polite, patient and kind. Communication was frequent and seamless. Jenny is so amazing that a review does not encapsulate all of her qualities. Again, you have found your Editor. Do not scroll further. This is it."⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I was so impressed with Jenny’s work. She went over and above the call of duty, providing guidance and advice beyond the light edit she was hired for. Her passion for editing really shows. She was organized, enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable. I felt that she was in my corner advocating for my voice as the writer. I can't wait to work with Jenny again!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Health & Wellbeing Parenting & Families Philosophy Self-Help & Self-Improvement Travel
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • Copyediting Certification, Emerson College
  • Copyediting Certification, UC Berkeley Extension
  • Copyediting Series, Media Alliance
  • BA in English Literature

Work experience

Chronicle, Harper/Collins, MacMillan & More

Jan, 2006 — Present
I have copyedited for the following publishers: - Avalon Travel Publishing (Rick Steves) - Chronicle Books (humor, entertainment) - MacMillan/Dynamic Books (nonfiction, biography) - HarperCollins/HarperOne (nonfiction) - McGraw-Hill/Osborne (business and technology) - Hundreds of independently published books, fiction and nonfiction

Cengage Learning

Jun, 2005 — Oct, 2014 (over 9 years)
I managed freelancers and support staff for project list as well as interviewed, hired, and trained fellow project editors and support staff.

McGraw-Hill Education

Mar, 2000 — Jan, 2005 (almost 5 years)
I managed project schedules to ensure on-time delivery and hired/supervised copyediting, layout, proofreading, indexing—often doing them myself—as well as led freelancer training and was on the style guide team.

Portfolio

Penny: A Graphic Memoir

Stevens, Karl

Chronicle Books

Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Mongolian Love Letters: Finding My Footing at the Edge of the World

Lundin, Rachael

Horizon Line Books

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Harmony's Bytes

Abramowitz, Stephen

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Long Way I Came (Radical Optimism)

Haney Poole, Andrea

Back to Me Press

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
And So, She Rose

Sjostrand, Kate

Sjostrand Publishing

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
From One Parent to Another: A Guide for All Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and Everyone in Between!

Morrison-Provencher, Jessica

Independently published

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Primary Colors of Purpose: First Principles for Living a Meaningful Life

Arnson, Greg

Independently published

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Pause: What I Found When I Decided to Stop

Giffney, Karin

StillWater Publishing

Copy Editing Proofreading
Witch, Please!: Magic for Healing Your Inner Hot Mess

Martucci, Kristi

Independently published

Copy Editing
Copy Editing Proofreading
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Parenting ABC's: One STEPS at a Time

Cho, Sunny

Duageeso

Copy Editing
In the Hands of A**holes: Healing your Trauma from the Troubled Teen Industry

Hofstetter Psy.D., Dr. Jeannie M.

Independently published

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia

Steves, Rick

Rick Steves

Copy Editing Proofreading
Rick Steves Paris

Steves, Rick

Rick Steves

Proofreading
Rick Steves Italy (Travel Guide)

Steves, Rick

Rick Steves

Proofreading

Jenny has 43 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sloan M.

Sloan M.

Sep, 2026

Pinned
Jenny was absolutely amazing with my manuscript. She did an incredible job on my proofread and also helped me clean up unclear pieces of my memoir. I really enjoyed learning from Jenny and getting her perspective. I would hire her again in a heartbeat for proofreading, copyediting etc. She's the ...
Read more
Sonja L.

Sonja L.

Sep, 2026

Pinned
I hired Jenny to proofread my first book ever: The Third Act, and I am so grateful I did. She understood that this book is personal and treated it that way. The stakes on my side were high. I was self-publishing on a firm launch date, and every stage of production depended on hers. She received ...
Read more
Rachael L.

Rachael L.

Mar, 2026

Pinned
Working with Jenny was one of the best decisions I made for my manuscript. She brought a rare combination of precision and warmth to my memoir — the kind of editor who clearly loves both language and the people behind it. She was meticulous without being heavy-handed, catching the kinds of detail...
Read more
Amanda S.

Amanda S.

Oct, 2026

Jenny is such a blessing! I had hit a few roadblocks as I was trying to complete my book. She helped me course correct and motivated me to keep on trucking. She offers clear direction, delivered with warmth and humor. You can tell she genuinely cares about your project, and that fosters trust qui...
Read more
Jason M. W.

Jason M. W.

Oct, 2026

Jenny was fantastic to work with! I was always kept updated on the progress of the work and was very satisfied with the proofread of my manuscript.

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with Jenny and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

Most recent contributions

How did you get your foot through the publishing door?

My first job, right after college, was at a very small press. My boss paid for any editing classes I wanted to take and let me gain experience editing the books we published. After two years there, I landed a fantastic job at a major publisher, and that has propelled me forward ever since.

What experience has been the most valuable in improving your proofreading skills?

Experience, of course, but also paying attention to other people’s work. One of my freelancing gigs has a Slack channel for the editors, and it has been invaluable for me to observe, pay attention, and learn new things all the time.

What are some powerful non-celebrity memoirs, and what makes them stand out?

I love, truly love, A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg. She had an amazing blog for many years, and even won a James Beard Award for it, and this book was her (first) memoir about growing up with food but also her relationship with her parents and her childhood in general. She is an incredibly g...
Read more

Professionals similar to Jenny

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Joelle K.

Experienced proofreader and editor with a sharp eye for detail. I give caring, thoughtful feedback and use an anti-oppressive framework.

Toronto, ON, Canada

100% reply rate

View profile

Anna K.

Making your author dreams come true! Award-winning editor with 16+ years of experience working with beginners and seasoned authors alike.

Franklin, New York, USA

95% reply rate

View profile

Tatiana W.

Book editor with 20 years' experience in non-fiction, literary fiction, autobiography, history, travel, current affairs and biography.

London, UK

95% reply rate

View profile