Overview
***Summer 2024***: I am currently open for copy editing and editorial assessments. Other services will resume in the fall.
I'm here to help you polish your prose until it shines! I'm a published author and a seasoned editorial professional with clients at fiction presses, academic and university presses, large companies such as P&G, ConAgra and Kroger, and web publishing platforms such as Forbes and LinkedIn. I combine an in-depth knowledge of Chicago Style and AP Style with a broad understanding of the market and a deep love for the cadence, meaning, and musicality of language to help you clarify and express your unique voice.
Offering your work up for editing, especially if you're a first-timer, can feel incredibly daunting. My approach combines humor, compassion, expertise, and insight into the current literary landscape. I stay in communication with you throughout the course of your project, asking questions and making suggestions to ensure I'm helping you meet your publishing goals.
I own and operate Red Pen Refinery, LLC, an editing/proofreading business that serves authors and business clients. I'm also the author/illustrator of the MG novels BOTH CAN BE TRUE and FIGHT + FLIGHT under pen name Jules Machias, both published by HarperCollins. As a YA/MG writer and a parent, I'm interested in a wide range of topics that affect today's kids, tweens and teens, ranging from external factors like our ever-changing political climate to internal concerns like first love, personal aspirations, disabilities, and peer and family relationships. If you're writing for kids, you're writing for our future. I'm committed to helping you share your message and voice as clearly and effectively as possible.
I live in Cincinnati with my family and a zoo's worth of rescue dogs, reptiles, and birds with varying disabilities, plus loads of overstuffed bookshelves and more art supplies and dirt bikes than anyone honestly needs. I love staying active with trail running, weight training, biking and obstacle course racing (OCR). In 2016, I competed in the OCR World Championships and showed that warp wall who was boss (spoiler alert: it was the warp wall).
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Languages
Awards
- American Library Association Rainbow Booklist Top Ten Title for Young Readers: BOTH CAN BE TRUE
- Bank Street Children's Best Books of the Year: BOTH CAN BE TRUE
- Indie Next List Pick: BOTH CAN BE TRUE
- American Library Association Rainbow Booklist: FIGHT + FLIGHT
Certifications
- BA in Creative Writing from Miami University (graduated with honors)
Work experience
Self-employed
I provide editing and proofreading services to clients in book publishing, web publishing, and marketing. I'm current on all AP Style and Chicago Style rules and guidelines.
Barefoot Proximity
I provide part-time editing for a marketing firm that serves clients in healthcare, energy supply and delivery, consumer packaged goods, pet food and wellness, and more. Working in the marketing field keeps me constantly tuned in to cultural and societal trends and changes, and it's a great deal of fun.
Northlich
I provided writing, proofreading and editing services for clients in such industries as publishing, healthcare, finance, B2B, nonprofit, restaurants, CPG and more.
Portfolio
Jules has 28 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
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Allison O.
Mar, 2023
PinnedErin K.
Oct, 2022
PinnedGeoffrey W.
Jun, 2022
PinnedDouglas W.
Sep, 2024
Jenée A.
Jul, 2024
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