Ross Angelella – Editor

Philosophy: Empowering Your Voice and Vision

Editing is a partnership. My philosophy centers on respecting and nurturing the unique voice of each writer while offering insightful, honest guidance. I believe in deep collaboration—working closely to refine narrative vision, enhance character depth, and elevate storytelling impact, always ensuring that the author’s intention shines through. My goal is to help you tell your story in the best possible way, while challenging you to elevate your craft.

Editing, Teaching, and Writing Expertise to Elevate Your Story

EDITING: With 10+ years of professional editing experience, I’ve collaborated with top-tier agents and publishers like Random House and Simon & Schuster to bring narratives into sharper focus. My in-depth, honest critiques are crafted to elevate your story to its fullest potential. I love working with literary fiction as well as genre fiction—romance, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and crime.

TEACHING: As a creative writing professor at the University of Maryland, and the director of Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, I nurture emerging writers and foster literary excellence. I also teach screenwriting at Towson University, where I help students bring compelling stories to life on screen.

WRITING: I’m an award-winning author and screenwriter, known for the twisted coming-of-age novel Zombie (2012).

TESTIMONIALS

"Ross is extremely personable and has a positive way of presenting his comments and criticisms. I highly recommend his services. When the edits and suggestions were done, we met via Skype and talked about how the idea for my novel came about, then reviewed all his editorial notations, as well as principles and examples of good dialog, reworking the point of view in one section, and ideas for rewriting certain portions of the manuscript to improve overall flow and find means other than dialog for ‘showing’ the story and moving it forward. Ross took the time to answer all my questions."

-Ernestine B. Colombo, Author of 'Returning Souls: A novel'

“A professional to the last dot and dash—Ross thoroughly and effectively edited my manuscript. He provided balanced and specific direction for filling the voids where plot or dialogue fell short. His feedback was genuine and unfiltered, and he instinctively had an uncanny ability to understand my writer’s voice. I would highly recommend Ross’ professional and compassionate approach to the editing process.”

-Sharon CassanoLochman, Author of 'Man with the Sand Dollar Face: A novel'

"Ross’ critique was thorough, respectful, and thought-provoking. Everything I’d hoped it would be. I knew there was something 'off' with my manuscript, as I’d received rejections that indicated I was close, but not quite there. I needed Ross to help me identify my manuscript’s weaknesses; he made great suggestions. A revision can be overwhelming, but Ross’s approach—breaking down his editorial letter into distinct topics—helped me devise a plan. I especially appreciate Ross’s suggestion to slow the pace of the reveal and get more into the mindset of my main character, as painful as that might be. I highly recommend Ross and would work with him again."

-Kathleen Blasi, Author of 'Aftermath: A novel'.