Joie Davidow – Editor

"Joie was a pleasure to work with. She was prompt, and her communication skills are stellar. My manuscript is long, the story is complex, and the characters are diverse. She was able to correct every logical inconsistency, front to finish and make critical motivational observations that clarified and made for much easier reading. She will never steamroll your style. She made thousands of grammatical improvements and corrected tense and style issues of the most subtle kind with what I can only describe as editorial artistry." - David Coy, author of "Verde's Revenge."

I help writers achieve their goals, acting as coach and cheerleader, polishing their prose the way a sculptor puts the final polish on a statue. I carefully preserve the author's unique voice while keeping the reader in mind. As much as possible, I explain the changes I make in the hope that I will not only improve the book but also help writers improve their skills.

I love working with memoir, and I've edited many books in the genre. Having traditionally published one of my own ("Marked for Life," Fireside/Crown), I have great respect for authors who have the courage to confide their traumas, despair, and hope, inspiring others in the process.

I've also traditionally published two historical novels, ("An Unofficial Marriage," Arcade, and "Anything but Yes," Monkfish), and I've edited numerous works in that genre. I understand the need for accuracy, as well as the freedom to invent, taking readers to unreachable times and places.

As an editor, I aim to help the author deliver their message with clarity, ease, and precision without altering their unique voice. 1. Before a new author signs on to work with me, I offer a complimentary trial edit of the first three or four pages to be sure they feel comfortable with my approach.

2. I like to begin with a Zoom conversation, so that I can be sure I understand the author's needs and goals and structure my work accordingly.

3. Then I go through the manuscript line by line at least twice, correcting for redundancy, unnecessary details, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on. I look at the arc of the storyline, the pacing, and the flow, and I leave notes in the margin explaining my changes and sometimes suggesting further changes.

4. Then I send it back in MS Word, with all changes marked and an editorial letter with my overall impression of the book and any further suggestions.

5. After the author has had a chance to review my edits, we can schedule a Zoom consultation, when I'll be happy to answer any questions and discuss plans for the book going forward, using my experience with agents and publishers to help guide the way, whether you plan to submit the work to agents, small publishing houses, or self-publish.

I am a member of the Authors Guild, the Editorial Freelancers Association, and the European Association of Creative Writing Teachers.

I'm looking forward to working with you!

Joie