Kelsey Mitchener – Editor

I’m Kelsey, a nonfiction copy editor with over twenty years of in-house and freelance experience. I've edited over 145 published books, including 32 bestsellers (and counting).

I’ve edited for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Simon and Schuster (four of the Big Five publishers), as well as Dotdash Meredith, America’s largest digital and print publisher, and I’ve helped thousands of writers around the world to get their messages out there.

I’ve edited books by many first-time and indie authors, as well as popular figures like:

• Chip and Joanna Gaines

• Meghan Trainor

• Willie Nelson

• Reba McEntire

• Mark Harmon

• Kathie Lee Gifford

• Senator Tim Kaine

• Kristin Chenoweth

• Dave Ramsey

• Michael Crichton

• Wilmer Valderrama

• Zachary Levi

• Andre Ward

• Rachel Held Evans

I especially love editing memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, and other personal narratives. If you have a memoir, I'm your copy editor! Other themes/categories/genres I also really enjoy editing include:

• inspirational

• health and well-being, including mental health

• self-help and self-improvement

• personal growth

• religious harm, spiritual trauma, deconstruction, and exvangelical

• strong female leads

• creative nonfiction

My signature service is an above-and-beyond copy edit I call The Fine-Toothed Comb. You’ve poured yourself into your book, and I honor that by pouring my expertise into it, too. I never do things by halves, and you and your book get to benefit. Not to ruin the surprise, but the writers I work with are usually astounded by just how thorough this edit is.

As a firstborn, eldest daughter, Virgo, INTJ, and recovering perfectionist, I’m more or less hardwired for editing as a detail-obsessed, analytical type A. I start most days seeking validation from Wordle (and most days, I’m “impressive”). I organize my sock drawer by season, height, and color, and I have strong opinions about the Oxford comma.

I know, I know—I sound like I’d be fun at parties! 😅 But let’s be honest: My deep experience and hardwiring as an editor are wins for you because I can come alongside you and your book as an expert friend. I’ll make your book better and make you look better along the way. Let's get your story out there!