Joyce Lamb – Editor

I have 30 years of professional editing experience, including 15 years as a copy editor at USA Today. I'm also a USA Today bestselling author in romantic suspense (Berkley Books/Penguin Random House), winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award in Romantic Suspense/Mystery and a three-time RITA finalist. From 2011 to 2018, I was a champion of romance authors in all genres as curator of USA Today's Happy Ever After blog. I've been freelance copy editing, content editing and proofreading for several New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors as well as first-time authors for nine years.
With my publishing background, I think like an editor AND an author, which regular clients have said is invaluable to them. My motto, no matter my editing role, is "if I see something, I'll say something," and I'll make realistic suggestions to fix any issues. If something is written exceptionally well or makes me laugh out loud, I'll mention that, too, because, to me, good editing isn't just about pointing out errors. As an author, I know what it's like to receive harsh criticism on my hard work, so I try to make the process as painless as possible while also being very thorough.
Here's what some of my clients say about me:
"Joyce is a GREAT copy editor, able to see the words from both the reader's and the author's perspective and to solve prose problems from either end. Every author should be so lucky as to have talent like Joyce's polishing her manuscripts." — Grace Burrowes, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
"I can’t imagine releasing a book to the world without first having Joyce L.’s eagle eyes on the manuscript. She’s the best of the very best!" — Marie Force, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
"Thou art fabulous." — Roxanne St. Claire, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author