Overview
- Laurel Hightower, Bram Stoker-nominated author of Below and Crossroads
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I had an amazing experience at HarperCollins Canada, providing editorial assessments for and championing many talented authors, including Steven Hall, Kate Eberlen, Dan Vyleta, Karen McBride, Jessica Westhead, Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, Jeffrey Colvin, Owen Nicholls, and Alison Taylor. Working with both publishers and agents has groomed a fundamental understanding of what each is looking for and the best ways to entice them to read on. I'm thrilled to be able to use my editing skills and knowledge of the industry to help new authors develop their craft and elevate their work to a high standard.
As an editor, I prefer not to tell you what needs to change in your work, but rather I want to guide you to an understanding or spark an idea so that you can grow as a writer and continue to create better and better stories. Knowing what you did well is just as beneficial as knowing what needs to be improved, and you will hear both from me in my thorough editorial memos at each level of edit. I aim to guide writers to a polished manuscript or screenplay they can feel confident in bringing out into the world.
I'm most interested in working with my greatest love—the creepy, bizarre, and gory genre of horror! I'm a member of the Horror Writers Association and am passionate about assisting and promoting all writers whose stories confront the dark, bleak, and terrifying webs in the corners of our minds. But don't let that scare you off *wink* —I've worked with genres of all kinds, including character-driven literary and contemporary fiction, speculative fiction, and psychological thrillers.
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--Testimonials--
“Karmen's intuition and well-rounded perspective of the publishing landscape makes her a tremendous asset as an editor.”
- Iris Tupholme, SVP and Publisher of HarperCollins Canada
“Karmen gives thoughtful, thorough, and personal feedback. She helped me dig deeper and was generous with her time and attention throughout the process. I absolutely hope to work with Karmen again in the future.”
- James Morosini, actor, filmmaker, writer of I Love My Dad, ScreenCraft Comedy Contest Winner
“Karmen’s insightful and encouraging editorial input was invaluable. Her suggestions vastly improved the story I was trying to tell, and her excitement about my work and faith in my abilities buoyed me up during the entire process. Any writer would be lucky to have her in their corner.”
- Jessica Westhead, author of Worry
- Mike Weir, author
Services
Fiction
Languages
Certifications
- MA Journalism, Western University, 2014
- Publishing Courses, Ryerson University, 2016
Work experience
Self-employed
I specialize in horror fiction but have worked with many genres, including literary fiction, science and speculative fiction, thrillers, and YA fantasy.
Editorial services include:
- manuscript evaluation
- substantive/structural editing
- proofreading and copyediting
- script consultation
HarperCollins Canada
- provided editorial reports to the publisher on agent submissions and new drafts from authors
- assessed and line-edited fiction acquisitions
- provided editorial reviews to senior editors and championed talented authors such as Steven Hall, Kate Eberlen, Dan Vyleta, Karen McBride, Jessica Westhead, Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, Jeffrey Colvin, Owen Nicholls, Alison Taylor, and Beatrice MacNeil
- launched titles to the sales, marketing, and publicity teams
- wrote cover copy and metadata
- liaised with authors, agents, freelancers, and other departments
The Rights Factory
- edited manuscripts of clients
- evaluated manuscripts of potential clients through detailed editorial letters
- organized cross-country workshops
McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada
- curate titles best suited for IP development for film and TV
- pitch IP projects to production companies, studios, writers, directors, etc.
Western Report
- assigned and edited weekly stories from journalism students
- wrote features stories
- copyedited and proofread final layout
Portfolio
Karmen has 27 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness

Will S.
Jan, 2023

Becks S.
Jan, 2023

Charles C.
Jan, 2023

Summer R.
Aug, 2022

Joe B.
May, 2022