Kim Smith

Kim Smith – Editor

Recognised professional line/copy editor of sci-fi, fantasy, humour, crime, chicklit & MG fiction. I work on one narrative at a time.

Overview

I mainly work with Australian and British English authors but have done a number of US English projects. I focus on line/copy editing but often find an annotated manuscript appraisal (with Zoom discussions) can be beneficial if your MS is not quite ready for that final edit. If not engaging a proofreader, I offer a free final proof-check of your formatted book. Note: this is a check for problems like spacing errors and hyphenation issues only.


I am semi-retired and only work on one book project at a time to keep my headspace in your narrative.


I work across a number of genres as well as narrative non-fiction. My favourite is humorous sci-fi/fantasy. I also have experience with middle-grade children's fiction.


I work collaboratively with my authors and keep them regularly updated on progress. My authors enjoy working with me and find me very approachable. Maintaining author voice is key and I am not a prescriptivist editor.


Facebook 5-star reviews:


Kim is an amazing editor. The key thing about Kim, is that she'll do a phenomenal job while acknowledging, respecting and enhancing author voice. All her feedback is given with honesty AND compassion. You'll get real info, no beating around the bush, but also real solutions and kindness.

Elisse Hay- Foul is Fair


Kim has an excellent sense of composition, both for narration and dialoge. She's a stickler for grammar accuracy, her edits invariably improving clarity and flow. Kim caught inconsistencies in my story line that, while subtle, blemished the overall story. Her revision recommendations were well considered and clearly expressed.

Jim Giedraitis (writing as Kenneth James) – Dog Star Night


Kim did an awesome work. English is not my first language, but Kim brought my manuscript to a professional level. She also helped me see plot holes and details requiring further research. Anttimatti Pennanen – The Black Table series - Black Table, Unity, Catalyst.

Services
Fiction
Chick Lit Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Humor & Comedy Mystery & Crime New Adult Science Fiction Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA Communications (UTS)
  • Graduate Certificate Publishing and Editing (USQ)
  • IPEd professional member
  • CIEP professional member

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2016 — Present

Working with indie authors as a freelance editor to get their narratives to a professional, publishable standard.

Monash Postgraduate Association (MPA)

Jan, 2007 — Sep, 2016 (over 9 years)

Commission, edit and publish articles for student magazine. Edit website. Edit and produce all print publications for the organisation. Edit and produce newsletter and social media.

Allen & Unwin

Feb, 1989 — Jul, 1994 (over 5 years)

Print buyer, production controller and reprint editor.

Portfolio

Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Black Table

Pennanen, Anttimatti

Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
My little body enchantment

Russell, Tara

Editorial Assessment
Made with Reedsy
Charlie and Halley Break the Story

Keandrick, R.K.

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Traces of June

Dengate, Rebecca

Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Editorial Assessment
The Last Line

Monash Writers Group

Copy Editing
The First Line: An Anthology

Group, Monash Writers

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Unprecedented Times

Group, Monash Writers

Copy Editing

Kim has 19 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sam O.

Sam O.

Jun, 2024

Pinned
Kim was extremely helpful in editing my novel and communicative throughout. She has an open approach to what you are trying to achieve as an author and is very easy to work with. She works with great professionalism and has a great eye for fine detail. I wouldn't be confident submitting my work to agents or publishers without this kind of professional review. Thanks Kim!
Kim S.
Sam, Thank you, I really did enjoy working on your manuscript. I do think it has legs for a traditional publishing deal but you need to understand that luck does play a part in that fickle process....
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Marianne P.

Marianne P.

May, 2024

Pinned
Working with Kim was an absolute pleasure. She was helpful, knowledgeable, and responsive... and she has a great sense of humour! I'd highly recommend Kim's editing skills and I'd be very keen to work with her again myself.
Kim S.
I hope to see you in my Reedsy inbox again too. Lovely working with you and you’ve created a totally believable future scenario with fleshed out characters. I want to see more of your writing. If y...
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Kathleen R.

Kathleen R.

Sep, 2022

Pinned
It was the best decision to send my manuscript to Kim for appraisal. Her comments and explanations, not to mention her patience gave me a great insight into my style of writing. I look forward to working with Kim again in the future.
Kim S.
It was lovely working with you Kathy. I hope we cross paths again but as you are writing for your own enjoyment, rather than publication, I think you don’t need to spend your money on a professiona...
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Daniel M.

Daniel M.

Mar, 2024

Kim is responsive and professional. Her collaborative approach was really helpful and ensured the work was completed in a thorough and efficient manner.
Kim S.
Thanks Daniel. I really enjoyed working with you, such a responsive author and so quick on your turnarounds with your manuscript after our Zoom sessions. Great world building and immersive charact...
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Ashly H.

Ashly H.

Feb, 2024

Kim was so kind and helpful. She gave me a lot of tools to help the flow of my story. Thank you so much Kim!!
Kim S.
It was lovely to meet you and so glad I could help.

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