Kelly Messier

Kelly Messier – Editor

I am a meticulous, passionate copy editor who specializes in YA fiction and cookbooks and has worked with Random House and Simon & Schuster.

Overview

Hello! I am a seasoned copy editor and proofreader with more than 30 years of editing experience with many well-known publishers, such as Random House and Simon & Schuster. My specialities are middle grade and young adult novels and cookbooks, but I have also copyedited books on health, the arts, and business, and am open to working on just about anything!I also have an MFA in Fiction, so I understand what it is like to have your work edited. I respect each author's style and have worked with writers and journalists of all different types. I am always willing to listen, suggest, and guide while respecting your voice, in addition to fixing typos and grammar errors, of course.Outside of work, I love cooking, movies, books, theater, art, music, restaurants, nature, traveling, cats, psychology (I almost became a therapist!), and all things parenting. I hope to work with you soon!
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits DIY & Crafts Health & Wellbeing
Fiction
Coming of Age Middle Grade New Adult Social & Family Issues
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Mar, 2009 — Present
Since 2009 I have been an exclusive contract editor, working with Random House, Simon and Schuster, Quatro Publishing, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business Review Press, Cambridge University Press, and Adams Media. I have copyedited young adult and middle grade novels, as well as books on cooking, the arts, business, law, fiction, and all sorts of other nonfiction topics.

StayWell

Oct, 1995 — Mar, 2009 (over 13 years)
Head of copyedit department of health care publisher that published health magazines.

New England Conservatory

Aug, 1994 — Oct, 1995 (about 1 year)
Editor for well-known music conservatory. Edited a book on the history of the conservatory.

George Mason University

May, 1992 — Jul, 1993 (about 1 year)
Edited and wrote for the university's weekly newspaper, performing arts center playbills, and alumni magazine.

Portfolio

The Sixty-Eight Rooms (The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures)

Malone, Marianne

Proofreading
The Crock-Pot Ladies Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners: More Than 300 Fabulous and Fuss-Free Recipes for Families on the Go

Kennedy, Heidi

Proofreading
The Everything Pie Cookbook (Everything Series)

Jaggers, Kelly

Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Villains Who Snapped My Spine: A Memoir

Nazzareno, A. H.

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Finding Purpose: Book 1 in the Mylin Valley Series

Powell, Angela E

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Toby Dog of Gold Shaw Farm

Gold, Morgan

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Grove Street Mysteries

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Boys of Benjamin Boulevard (The Boys of Benjamin Boulevard Series)

Robinson, Samantha

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Nellie and the Runaway Drone

Tolle, Janet Pogue

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Starless (2) (Under the Stone Arch)

Martinez, Solber

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Time Gatherer (The Timegathering Series)

Dacus, Rachel

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Just Gods: The Eventer's Revenge (Maryland Equestrian Series)

Trovillion, L. R.

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Nora, a Neanderthal girl (We are the Hominins Series)

Graves, Mary A.

Copy Editing
Mixed Media Color Studio: Explore Modern Color Theory to Create Unique Palettes and Find Your Creative Voice--Play with Acrylics, Pastels, Inks, Graphite, and More

Wynne Conrad, Kellee

Proofreading
Get Messy Art: The No-Rules, No-Judgment, No-Pressure Approach to Making Art - Create with Watercolor, Acrylics, Markers, Inks, and More

Grey, Caylee

Copy Editing
Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters: Step-by-Step Lessons for Creating and Drawing Unique Characters - Learn Anatomy, Poses, Expressions, Costumes, and More

Choi, TB

Proofreading
Sheet Pan Science: 25 Fun, Simple Science Experiments for the Kitchen Table; Super-Easy Setup and Cleanup (Kitchen Pantry Scientist)

Heinecke, Liz Lee

Proofreading
Brilliant Inks: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating in Vivid Color - Draw, Paint, Print, and More! (Volume 7) (Art for Modern Makers, 7)

Sokolova, Anna

Proofreading
Good Cheap Eats: Everyday Dinners and Fantastic Feasts for $10 or Less

Fisher, Jessica

Proofreading
The Family Camp Cookbook: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Meals to Enjoy Outdoors (Great Outdoor Cooking)

Vikre, Emily

Proofreading
Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today

Register, Matthew

Proofreading
Triple Trouble (mix)

DeVillers, Julia

Proofreading
Sunshine Picklelime

Ferguson, Pamela

Proofreading
Five Children and It (Penguin Drop Caps)

Nesbit, E.

Proofreading
The Fairy Godmother Academy #5: Sumi's Book

Bozarth, Jan

Proofreading
Blimpo: The Third Circle of Heck

Basye, Dale E.

Proofreading
The Long Wait for Tomorrow

Dorfman, Joaquin

Proofreading

Kelly has 41 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Janet T.

Janet T.

Jun, 2023

Pinned
Kelly was a wonderful, talented, kind, upbeat person to work with on my second children’s book. She has a keen eye for proofreading and I am so glad I found her. I was under some pressure to have over 4,000 words proofread quickly over a weekend and she came through. I feel so comfortable knowing...
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Julia M.

Julia M.

Mar, 2023

Pinned
From the beginning of our conversation, Kelly was there for me every step of the way. I had countless questions, she got back to me right away and put my mind at ease on each one. I cant thank Kelly enough for the way she handled my first publication. Boy did I have errors, and she taught me a...
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Mary G.

Mary G.

May, 2022

Pinned
Kelly is a real treasure. She found many errors I completely missed. Her comments helped me re-evaluate choices I'd made. She pointed out multiple inconsistencies and redundancies in the manuscript. She is meticulous and thorough. Kelly also had an understanding of the language needed to reach ...
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Savannah W.

Savannah W.

Aug, 2026

Kelly was incredible and extremely professional—she was always happy to answer my questions and offered excellent, detailed edits on my manuscript. The job was completed early, too! Highly recommend Kelly's services!
Kenton L.

Kenton L.

Jun, 2026

Working with Kelly was an outstanding experience from start to finish. As a first-time cookbook author, I was looking for an editor who understood both recipes and the unique requirements of cookbook writing. Kelly exceeded my expectations. Her knowledge of cookbook editing was evident throughou...
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