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 sometimes find an annotated manuscript appraisal (with Zoom discussions) can be beneficial if your MS is not quite ready for that final edit. Going by reviews, authors truly appreciate my appraisals as I have given them the clear advice they needed to improve their own writing. I love empowering authors. I find the educative aspect of being an editor rewarding. One more thing, 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 some 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.

Aside from 5-star reviews on Reedsy , I also have numerous on Facebook. Here are two:

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

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 24 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Sam C.

Sam C.

Mar, 2025

Pinned
Kim was the first professional editor I've ever worked with. I was nervous about the process and the difficulties it might entail, but she made it remarkably easy. She was reliable, timely and very communicative. She was kind and friendly, and eager to chat about the project. She has a great sens...
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Kim S.
Thank you, Sam. It was a joy to work on this manuscript with you. And a lot fun too. I did make a number of suggestions and, now that I’m going through your revisions I can see you’ve done a remark...
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Emma F.

Emma F.

Dec, 2024

Pinned
Kim was great to work with and tailored everything to my individual needs. Being able to zoom with her and discuss the edits she suggested was great and allowed me to get a better understanding of the how to edit my manuscript myself. Her knowledge was amazing and I’d highly recommend using Kim a...
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Kim S.
Emma, thanks so much. Both of us could see that with just a little advice and encouragement how much you could improve the narrative of the first three chapters yourself. You can now carry on with ...
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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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Peter J.

Peter J.

Jun, 2025

Kim provided really useful feedback, and the weekly zoom calls were a good opportunity to ask questions and have discussion. In particular she helped me see places in the story that were confusing and chapters that needed to be cut back or rewritten. I came out of the process feeling a lot more c...
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Kim S.
Thank you Peter. Your project was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed working with you. I wish you the best with it. Regards, Kim
Geo J.

Geo J.

Apr, 2025

This was a post-feedback rewrite and review. Having rewritten a few early chapters according to Kim’s feedback, it’s amazing how much smoother they read. Her suggestions were excellent. I’m hoping I can apply what I’ve learnt here to the rest. I highly recommend this approach to anyone who’d like...
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Kim S.
Geoff, I have every confidence you will do a great job on the rest of your manuscript. It was wonderful working with you and I look forward to seeing your story once it is completed. Cheers, Kim

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