Joyce Lamb

Joyce Lamb - Editor

South Beloit, IL, USA

Editor with 30 years of professional experience, including 9 years copy/content editing for NYT bestselling romance and suspense authors.

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Overview

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 Lamb’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
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
Mystery & Crime
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Suspense

Awards

  • Three-time RITA finalist in romantic suspense (Caught in the Act, True Colors, True Shot)
  • Winner of Daphne du Maurier Award in Romantic Suspense/Mystery (True Vision)

Work experience

Editor

Self-employed
November, 2012 – Present (over 10 years)

I provide a range of editing services to fiction writers, including proofreading, copy editing, line editing and developmental editing. Regular clients include several USA TODAY and New York Times best-selling romance authors, such as Grace Burrowes, Marie Force, Roxanne St. Claire, Cindy Kirk, Julie Ann Walker, Christi Caldwell and Bella Andre. Genres include romantic suspense, historical romance and contemporary romance.

Curator of Happy Ever After blog

USA Today
October, 2011 – December, 2018 (about 7 years)

Oversaw 25 freelance contributors who wrote reviews of books in all romance genres and recommended good reads. Interviewed a variety of authors, including USA TODAY and New York Times best-sellers, self-published authors and more.

Published author

Berkley Books/Penguin Random House
August, 2001 – Present (over 21 years)

I have eight published romantic suspense novels (four with Berkley Books and four self-published).

Copy editor

USA Today
July, 1998 – October, 2013 (over 15 years)

Copy edited stories for print and online Money section, correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation and fact errors. Wrote headlines and photo captions. Worked closely with content editors and other copy editors to ensure factual and fair reporting.

Portfolio (27 selected works)

The Dogmothers

St. Claire, Roxanne

Magnolia Bloom

Adler, Paula

Holly Danger

Carlson, Amanda

The Dogfather

St. Claire, Roxanne

Mischief in Mayfair

Burrowes, Grace, Burrowes , Grace

Joyce has 9 reviews

Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality

Sharon Calvin
Her feedback was spot on . I really appreciated her suggestions on ways to fix a problem that made me look at the passage in a new light--this was incredibly helpful as well as encouraging. I would highly recommend Joyce for developmental edits.

Sharon Calvin, December 2022


Kristin Bee
Joyce is wonderful to work with! It was my first time working with an editor and I was extremely nervous, but she was very kind while still being constructive. I feel she has helped mold my book into exactly what I hoped for, and I look forward to working with her in the future!

Kristin Bee, October 2022


Nathan Cobert
I am very happy with the proofreading services Joyce provided for my debut novel. Her attention to detail was great, even catching several problematic plot devices. I would recommended her.

Nathan Cobert, August 2022


Joanie Castle
This wasn't my first rodeo. I've been at this for some time, so I knew what I wanted to see in an edit and I wasn't disappointed (too often I am with a new editor). But don't take my word for it, you can see for yourself. How? When I was looking for an editor, I did my due diligence. Joyce showed a list of books she had edited in the past. One name stood out right from the start, Marie Force! (...
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Joanie Castle, August 2022


Hollie Smurthwaite
Joyce's line edits made the prose flow so much better, and she also added some comments about the content when needed, which was so helpful and the advice spot-on. My manuscript is going to be so much better because of her expertise and help. Very thorough, great communication, and conscientious.

Hollie Smurthwaite, July 2022

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Joel Bahr

Competent. Sincere. Reliable. Trustworthy. Writing a great book is hard. Work with an editor who cares about your writing as much as you do.

Penny Moore

I'm an agent at ACM and a part-time freelance editor experienced in breakout fiction across multiple genres and age groups. How can I help?

Atlanta, GA, USA

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