Lillian Boyd - Editor
10+ years' editing experience, specializing in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance. Let's take your book to the next level together!
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Overview
I’m a full-service editor with over a decade of experience in genre fiction — everything from domestic vampire fluff to sprawling, post-apocalyptic retellings of When Harry Met Sally. I worked as a content manager for four years while editing manuscripts as a side-hustle before realizing that all I wanted to do was work with authors, and I’ve been freelancing ever since, doing everything from proofreads to line edits and full structural overhauls.
Give me space truckers and haunted houses. Give me gothic romances and werewolf heists and slapstick splatterpunk. I love dialogue that my brain won’t stop chewing on hours after I should have already fallen asleep. I love enormous emotions and characters that are extremely bad at talking about them. I’m a sucker for found family, technology doing things that technology has no business doing, monsters doing their best, and enemies-to-lovers romances.
I want to help your story find the piece it’s missing and shape it into the thing that got you excited about writing it in the first place. Whether you need someone to get down in the trenches with you and figure out the brass tacks of your story beats, or just need proofreading before you send it out, I would love to collaborate and make something beautiful together. Let’s go to work!
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Here's what some of my clients have said!
"Lillian Boyd's editorial feedback is consistently kind, thoughtful, and creatively nourishing. She's also one of the fastest editors I've ever met. I've worked with her for several years, and have always been amazed at the level of improvement I see in my work after implementing their feedback. Lillian is not only brilliantly insightful; she is quite simply a pleasure to work with." - Sarah Gailey, author of Magic for Liars, The Echo Wife
"Lillian offered insightful suggestions about both big-picture structural edits and fine-grained prose edits, all of which improved my final draft. She is also funny and kind and great to work with, which are essential qualities in an editor." -Felicia Davin, author of the Gardener's Hand trilogy
"Lillian has been a strong editor since the day we first met. She most recently edited a short story of mine ("Gender Reveal Box, 16.95") in the Spring issue of Fireside Magazine, 2021), and her turnaround of edits was quick and they got right to the heart of the story. It's a weird story, but Lillian got the whole scope and got a better ending out of me. Definitely recommended." -John Wiswell, author of "Open House On Haunted Hill"
"On any topic and at any length, Lillian has consistently brought out the best in my work, with a compassionate hand and an eye so sharp the sentences bisect themselves. It's an absolute joy to work with her and I can't wait for our next project." -Julian Stuart, "Papa's Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird," "Hex Code"
"Lillian provided a stellar sensitivity read, with insightful and incisive comments about a central nonbinary character. Working with her was easy and an absolute pleasure." -Nino Cipri, author of Defekt, Finna
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Horror
LGBTQ Fiction
Romance
Science Fiction
Non-Fiction
Travel
Certifications
- EFA Member
Work experience
Freelance Editor
Self-employed
January, 2019
–
Present
(about 4 years)
I've edited, critiqued, and developed over four dozen manuscripts as a freelance editor since 2019 across a wide variety of genres, primarily science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I've done line and copy edits, full developmental fixes from start to finish, and sensitivity reads.
Content Manager
Internet Brands
May, 2015
–
January, 2019
(over 3 years)
As a content manager, I edited, wrote, and produced daily content for websites under the Internet Brands umbrella, including Fodor's Travel, FlyerTalk, and WebMD. I also managed freelance writers who wrote for Internet Brands and maintained quick turnaround times for publication.
Portfolio (11 selected works)
The Clockwork Empire
Johnson, Lucas J.W.
Hollow Bones
B Narr
Scrubby, hidden weeds snatched at their clothes like hands. No further, they whispered, go back. Ornithologists Danielle Wright and Luca Navarro are trying to save the Caddo Lake wetlands from an oil pipeline. Local boat tour guide Harper Benoit is trying to save her family business from collapse. None of them know that there's something much deadlier on the horizon. Not yet.When the swamp sta... read more
Thornfruit (The Gardener's Hand Book 1)
Felicia Davin
There were two secrets in Varenx House, and Alizhan was one of them.Alizhan can’t see faces, but she can read minds. Her mysterious ability leaves her unable to touch or be touched without excruciating pain. Rescued from abandonment and raised by the wealthy and beautiful Iriyat ha-Varensi, Alizhan has grown up in isolation, using her gift to steal secrets from Iriyat’s rivals, the ruling clas... read more
Upright Women Wanted
Sarah Gailey
In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.“That girl’s got more wrong notions than a barn owl’s got mean looks.”Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who... read more
Out of Nowhere (The Nowhere Book 2)
Felicia Davin
Aidan Blackwood barely survived an unethical experiment by Quint Services. Researchers there robbed him of his ability to access the Nowhere, a void between worlds that allows him to teleport. Aidan plans to destroy the company and the man behind it, trillionaire Oswin Lewis Quint.The problem? Aidan’s childhood best friend Caleb is the one who rescued him. Aidan’s spent years distancing himsel... read more
Random Walk (Fractured Galaxy)
Rachel Lulich
Book One in the Fractured Galaxy trilogy, Random Walk is the story of three U.S. Air Force Space Command astronauts: Colonel Derek Williams, a mild-mannered, experienced space traveler; Captain Jacob Mendez, the ship's playful navigator; and civilian Vicky Abrams, an introverted accelerator physicist and the newest member of the crew. Together, the diverse crew sets out on the Air Force's firs... read more
Fodor's Chicago (Full-color Travel Guide)
Fodor's Travel Guides
Written by locals, Fodor’s Chicago is the perfect guidebook for those looking for insider tips to make the most out their visit. Complete with detailed maps and concise descriptions, this Chicago travel guide will help you plan your trip with ease.Fodor's Chicago is the perfect companion for a trip to this quintessential American city. With colorful features and the most updated information, F... read more
Fodor's Los Angeles: with Disneyland and Orange County (Full-color Travel Guide)
Fodor's Travel Guides
Ready to experience Los Angeles? The experts at Fodor’s are here to help. Fodor’s Los Angeles travel guide is packed with customizable itineraries with top recommendations, detailed maps of Los Angeles, and exclusive tips from locals. Whether you want to lounge on a beautiful beach, take a selfie with celebrity, or hang out with locals on the East Side, this user-friendly guidebook will help y... read more
Fodor's San Diego: with North County (Full-color Travel Guide)
Fodor's Travel Guides
Ready to experience San Diego? The experts at Fodor’s are here to help. Fodor’s San Diego travel guide is packed with customizable itineraries with top recommendations, detailed maps of San Diego, and exclusive tips from locals. Whether you want to find the perfect beachfront hotel, visit the San Diego Zoo, or spend the day in Coronado, this up-to-date guidebook will help you plan it all out. ... read more
Fodor's New Orleans (Full-color Travel Guide)
Fodor's Travel Guides
Written by local experts, Fodor's travel guides have been offering advice and professionally vetted recommendations for all tastes and budgets for 80 years.New Orleans is a vibrant, bursting-at-the-seams melting pot of a city that famously inspires indulgence. This is the place to eat, drink, listen to jazz or R&B, take part in a parade, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere. Whether you come... read more
Fodor's Colorado (Travel Guide Book 13)
Fodor's Travel Guides
Written by locals, Fodor’s Colorado is the perfect guidebook for those looking for insider tips to make the most out their visit to Denver, Boulder, Vail, Aspen and beyond. Complete with detailed maps and concise descriptions, this Colorado travel guide will help you plan your trip with ease. Join Fodor’s in exploring one of the most exciting states in the United States.A playground for nature... read more
Lillian has 31 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
It was a pleasure as usual to work with Lillian on book three of my series. I am looking forward to working with Lillian again for book four!
Stephen Ralph, March 2023
The one this I can't do as an author is assess my work as a reader. The story is already there in my head. Lillian was so great at giving me the feedback I needed to make my book better. She's completely understood my weird little book and where I was trying to go with it. Highly recommended especially if you write topics that are controversial.
Jordan Howell, February 2023
Lillian has turned my finished manuscript into a complete manuscript, and I am so grateful. Everything was done on time, with no issues whatsoever. Very professional and an eagle-eye for detail. I will definitely be contacting Lillian again the next time I need proofreading services.
K. C. Brote, January 2023
Lillian is insightful, professional, and lovely. I didn't expect the process of working with an editor to be as inspiring as it was. Her feedback is priceless. She's smart and, as another client said, is "creatively nourishing." I cannot thank you enough, Lillian.
Heather McDonald, January 2023
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Luke Sittenauer, December 2022
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