Kelly Schaub

Kelly Schaub – Editor

I invest my experience in editing your book and show you how to write tighter while retaining your voice. It’s still your story—only better!

Overview

*****************NOW BOOKING JULY 2024 **********************


I edit fiction novels and short stories in adult, YA, and middle grade categories only.


I do not edit children's picture books, poetry, memoir or other nonfiction.


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A former zookeeper turned author and freelance editor, I have published four short stories and two novels (as Kelly McCrady), so I too have felt the sting of an editor's red pen. This helps me empathize with your journey as a writer.


I focus on developmental *fiction* editing as well as stylistic edits needed to bring a writer's vision to the attention of agents and publishers. I have shepherded more than 190 novels and short stories to publication as a freelance editor plus 32 titles as a staff line editor for The Wild Rose Press.


I know what to look for in a sagging middle, where a story goes off the rails before the end, and even how to root out where an author inadvertently deflates the tension. Freelance editing allows me to help writers fix problem areas and strengthen their craft techniques.


Here's what I do for every client, whether we do a critique or an edit:

--Analyze plot, character, setting, and writing technique

--Give positive and constructive feedback


My job is to tighten sentences to eliminate junk words, distancing, passive voice, and wordiness. I'll point out areas where the author must fix the following common errors, and show you how to do it:


--head-hopping

--white wall syndrome

--talking heads

--body parts moving on their own

--infodumping

--and so much more!


Many of my authors have sold their work to traditional and small press publishers alongside many pioneering self-publishing authors. Let me help your book become part of my brag list!


We're limited to listing 8 genres of interest, but I welcome and have edited manuscripts in the following genres:


GENERAL FICTION / WOMEN’S FICTION

ACTION / THRILLER / HORROR

MYSTERY

SCIENCE FICTION

SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE

FANTASY / PARANORMAL

FANTASY ROMANCE

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

CONTEMPORARY PARANORMAL ROMANCE

CONTEMPORARY WESTERN ROMANCE

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

HISTORICAL ROMANCE WITH PARANORMAL ELEMENTS

EROTICA

NEW ADULT

YOUNG ADULT FANTASY / SCIFI / CONTEMPORARY

MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY


I am usually booked three months in advance, so plan accordingly!

Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Contemporary Romance Dystopian Fantasy Middle Grade Fantasy Paranormal Romance Time Travel Romance Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

The Wild Rose Press

Sep, 2007 — Apr, 2012 (over 4 years)

Editor for both the Faery Rose (paranormal romance) and Yellow Rose (contemporary western) lines. Duties included review of submissions, contracting authors with approval from Senior editor, project management from contract to publication, developmental and copy edits for contracted titles, liaison between author and publisher.

Self-employed

May, 2006 — Present

I provided freelance editing services that range from query and synopsis writing or review to manuscript critiques to line edits and heavy developmental edits. I have worked with English Second Language authors from around the globe as well as hundreds of home-grown aspiring authors with an eye on either traditional publishing or self-publishing. While a large portion of my experience lies in the romance genre, I will happily edit any genre of fiction and reading levels from middle grade to adult.

Portfolio

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Resuming Eden: A Utopian Romance

Brown, M

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
A World Divided: Monoflufee Book One

Clipper, Rebekah

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Concordance of Steel

Chesler, Daniel

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Mira's Voice

De La Cruz, Armando

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Guarding Sarah

Sterago, David

Editorial Assessment
Made with Reedsy
Into the Black

Work, Brian

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Mark of the Vasirian (Blackthorn Saga Book 1)

Denne, Stephanie

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Dare Me (The Man Wars Book 1)

Wilder, Sue

Editorial Assessment
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Meeting Aggie (Agatha Youngblood)

., Marmelibee

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Beyond the Memory Veil

Shaw, A.L.

Developmental Editing Query Letter Review
Made with Reedsy
Malik: Her Story

Refai, Hend

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Witch Hill Cabin (The Brave Books)

Harris, H.

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Emma is just 13 years old in 1933 when she gives birth to her father's baby. Unable to care for the child, she abandons tiny Maddie and returns to her isolated home on a North Carolina mountai... read more
Developmental Editing
The Sixth Storm

Kim Cooper Findling

Every January, Skye Clancy’s mother slips into despair on the anniversary of a devastating storm that claimed her sister. But no one may talk about it, or any of the other strange deaths that ... read more
Developmental Editing
Paul Gillebaard's brilliant debut novel of the HOAX TRILOGY is a magnificent tale of seemingly doing the impossible, sending an American back to the moon...today.China claims the moon landings... read more
Developmental Editing
A junction erupts between the worlds.The Gold Rush trickles to a fool’s quest and a string of stagecoach heists. In 1888, Earl Blacke decides to make a new start and become a better man. He es... read more
Editorial Assessment
Silver Lake

Kathryn Knight

Rain Anderson can't decide which is more unsettling--encountering the ghost of her missing friend, or reuniting with the man whose love she foolishly rejected. But one thing is certain: the pa... read more
Developmental Editing
Epitaph

Karla Brandenburg

Try the first in the Epitaph series free!"Crazy Amy" Benson has an unusual talent for hearing epitaphs as the dead pass on. The men she dates who aren't unnerved by her ability are usually sca... read more
Editorial Assessment
Five-year-old sisters Boo and Lindy want a daddy -- and anything goes in their quest, including a secret spell known only to the twins. On a lonely country road, Chad Applegate appears out of ... read more
Developmental Editing
Wealthy New York socialite Grace Preston uses men for amusement, holding her heart inside an ice fortress for protection. Spurned by a sociopathic male model, Grace picks up a new man with all the right moves; smooth as bourbon, Cole slides under her wall and ... read more
Contemporary Gothic RomanceFor the past twenty-seven years, Kayla Grayson’s mother has refused to discuss Kayla’s absent father or explain why the two of them have been alone in the world without relatives. A mysterious email sends Kayla to a Maryland beach to... read more
LaylaAfter three years caring for her dying mother, Layla Callaway learns she was adopted under unusual circumstances. Following a cryptic message to seek her birth family in Oregon, Layla upr... read more
Developmental Editing
"I envy your journey with him." Jason Sterling never meant to put his life or anyone else's in danger. The Genier law firm's excellent reputation assures him all is well when he accepts the un... read more
Developmental Editing
I would recommend “Ghosts in the Yew” to everyone who likes an elaborate Fantasy story full of political intrigue with a splash of magic. Especially if you read “The Pillars of the Earth” and ... read more
Developmental Editing
Chase

Jill Knapp-Zitron

The question that 23-year old Amalia Hastings wants the answer to is: What happens to men when they move to Manhattan? Life in the city gives Amalia a ride she is not expecting. As she tries to find her way on the little island that never sleeps, she discovers... read more
The Fourth Wall

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

When Marin was little and monsters chased her through nightmares, she learned to weave her own dreams. Her mother called the lucid dreaming a gift, and when an accident takes her mother and leaves her baby brother an empty shell, Marin uses this gift to spin a... read more

Kelly has 76 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Robyn J.

Robyn J.

Mar, 2024

Is it possible to leave 6 or 7 Stars? Kelly exceeds expectations and blows them out of the water. She is professional, patient, and is the best editor I have ever worked with.
Troy S.

Troy S.

Feb, 2024

Kelly Schaub provided me with the insight I needed to improve my writing. Her analysis was accurate, direct, and very thorough. I highly recommend her as an Editor.
Herb H.

Herb H.

Jan, 2024

Off to hire Kelly again Need I say more?
Genevieve M.

Genevieve M.

Dec, 2023

This was my fourth book project with Kelly, which I think speaks for itself. Easy to work with, thorough, and tactful. Highly recommended!
Stephanie D.

Stephanie D.

Nov, 2023

Always a pleasure working with Kelly! We're four books in, and I've already got a fifth lined up. Not only does she provide excellent service, but she also educates along the way, and I love that!

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