Kim Catanzarite – Editor

If you’ve written a book, it’s an exciting time in your life. It’s also a little scary. You’ve worked really hard and you want the best for your manuscript. You know that you need some help preparing your book before it’s ready to make its big debut. That’s where I come in.

I’ve been a professional editor since 1988, when I began my career in a NYC publishing house as an assistant whose favorite task was to read the slush pile. Since that time, I've been a writer and an editor for newspapers, magazines, and books. I’ve edited manuscripts for companies like Random House, Better Homes and Gardens, F+W Media, Ten Speed Press, and for big-name authors such as Hallie Ephron, Donald Maass, James Scott Bell, K.M. Weiland, and Chuck Wendig. It's my life's work, and I love doing it. In addition, I'm an online instructor for Writer's Digest University (since 2015).

As a freelance editor, I work with all types of writers, beginners to best sellers. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, you and your book can benefit from my work as a developmental and/or copy editor. I specialize in the following fiction and nonfiction genres:

Middle grade, young adult, new adult; thrillers; contemporary fiction; memoir and travel memoir; writing craft, and more.

As a DEVELOPMENTAL editor, I'll give you the honest, friendly feedback you long for and help you see what’s so very hard to see: the strengths and weaknesses in your manuscript. Not only will I point out where the writing falls flat and scenes don’t add up, I'll also apply my knowledge of story structure and query all murky moments and things that seem out of place.

In addition, I'll make suggestions when characters need to dig deeper and/or engage in self-reflection. I’ll tell you when I laughed out loud and when I cried. Most important, I’ll give you advice for strengthening your manuscript as a whole.

A developmental edit is always a huge eye-opener for writers—and an important part of the publishing process. Anyone who plans to publish should hire a content editor no matter how many revisions they've done on their own.

Those who have already had their manuscript edited for content are ready for a COPY EDITOR. For this phase, I use my sharp eye to weed out grammatical and spelling errors, identify and smooth clunky wording, and make sure your writing follows Chicago style (most book publishers’ stylebook standard). If you’re worried about your use of commas, semicolons, and quotation punctuation, never fear. I know the rules inside and out.

Thank you for your interest, and I hope you’ll send me a request.