Louise Stahl

Louise Stahl – Editor

A detail-oriented proofreader with experience in basic copyediting. I specialize in fiction, creative non-fiction, and memoirs.

Overview

I am a freelance proofreader with over 30 years of experience in proofreading and basic copyediting. I have worked on fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews in the context of a literary magazine. Among other things, I have proofread a 100+ page anniversary book for a private school, a compilation of essays and stories by MFA students in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University ("Gateways," published by Serving House Books, 2018), and numerous pieces by graduate students before and after their graduation for publication (which I continue to do). I was the final proofreader for a book in translation ("Happiness, as Such," by Natalia Ginsburg, translated by Minna Proctor, New Directions Press, 2019), and a book of personal essays by Renee Ashley ("Minglements," Del Sol Press, 2019). I assisted in the final editing of the book "The Muse Upon My Shoulder," edited by Sylvia Skaggs McTeague for The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press (2004). Most recently, I proofread an Indie Book Award winner ("Duplicity," by Peter Selgin, 2020), a fictionalized memoir (published Summer 2021), and numerous manuscripts through Reedsy.Authors I have worked with include Walter Cummins (short story writer and editor), the late Thomas E. Kennedy (novelist, essayist, and literary critic), and Rene Steinke (author and finalist for the 2005 National Book Award). I pride myself on being efficient, and, as one of my editors once told me, being "able to spot an italicized comma from across the room."~ ~ ~ ~"Louise is an asset to any project. She is meticulous, thoughtful, and intelligent. Also important, she is an absolute pleasure to work with." —Minna Zallman Proctor, Editor, The Literary Review

"Louise does fabulous work. She’s a nit-picker—the best of all possible qualities for a proofreader/editor. She’s knowledgeable, reliable, and great to work with. Totally my go-to source for freelance jobs."—Renee Ashley ("Basic Heart," "Because I Am the Shore I Want to Be the Sea," "The View from the Body," and others)

"I have worked with Louise on many editorial projects over the years, including a number where she was one of several proofreaders of a manuscript. She never failed to impress with her close attention to details, often catching errors that others missed. She is precise and scrupulous. ... Most recently, she proofread a 700-page novel and caught one or more errors of punctuation, spelling, usage, and more on just about every page. She is extremely thorough."—Walter Cummins, Co-publisher, Serving House Books

"Louise served as Editorial Coordinator for Fairleigh Dickinson University Press for nearly thirty years. Among her responsibilities was to communicate with book authors, to edit promotional materials, including the press website, and to copy-edit our annual catalog. She has a keen eye for typos and other editorial issues, and helped assure that our materials fully met professional standards." —Harry Keyishian, Professor Emeritus of English and Past Director, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Contemporary Fiction Humor & Comedy Literary Fiction Short Story Women's Fiction Young Adult
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

The Literary Review at Fairleigh Dickinson University

Sep, 1992 — Jul, 2020 (almost 28 years)
Reading and evaluating submissions of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and essays. Proofreading and basic copyediting of work before publication, both in print and online.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Sep, 1992 — Jun, 2017 (over 24 years)
Assisted Director with maintaining manuscript submissions database, as well as corresponding with authors and manuscript evaluators. Website maintenance, social media, and coordinating Editorial Board meetings.

The Legislative Index of NJ

Jun, 1987 — Apr, 1992 (almost 5 years)
Compiling and proofreading weekly legislative newsletter, as well as annual booklet of legislator's biographies and photos.

Portfolio

Duplicity

Selgin, Peter

Back to Bainbridge

Lally, Norah

Abbey Glen Press

If Not the Whole Truth

Arbogast, Claire S.

Margin Key LLC

Don't Let Me Down

Stollenwerck, Kate

Iceblink Books

A Boy's Guide to Outer Space

Selgin, Peter

Regal House Publishing

The Art Collector

Bacon, Susan

Porter Street Press

Venezuela's Collapse: The Long Story of How Things Fell Apart

Lizarralde, Carlos

Independently published

And the Dead Shall Live

Klein, David Shawn

The Sweet Friendship

Neuder, Lisa R.

The Literary Review: The Tides

The Literary Review, TLR

Happiness, as Such

Ginzburg, Natalia

Louise has 72 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Daniel F.

Daniel F.

Jun, 2025

He did a great job!
Louise S.
(She) Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate the positive feedback.
david M.

david M.

Jun, 2025

I cannot give enough praise to Louise. As far as I'm concerned, Louise was very instrumental in my very first book. At fifty-seven years old, I learned a lot. Her guidance from the draft to the finished product was tremendous. Just as Louise reviewed my work, I reviewed and accepted her suggest...
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Louise S.
David, thank you so much! Yes, "repeat business" is one of the highest forms of praise. I would look forward to reading more of your work. I appreciate your kind words.
Edie A.

Edie A.

Apr, 2025

Louise was a pleasure to work with. She completed editing my manuscript ahead of schedule and quickly responded to any questions I had. Louise had a fantastic balance of meeting my needs by keeping the realness and rawness of text/email entries in my memoir while having a keen eye for precise det...
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Louise S.
Edie, thank you for your kind words. It was an honor to work on this project with you. I would be happy to work with you again.
esmond R.

esmond R.

Apr, 2025

I have left one box unticked since I had no way of knowing what to expect! Ah - it seems I have to fill it. I expected a good result and got it. So 5 stars. Louise was pleasant, enthusiastic, capable and witty. Having read your earlier advices on offer letters I was pleased enough with my own...
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Louise S.
Thank you, Esmond. It was a pleasure. And fun. Thank you for bringing the humor and the work. Best of luck with your project.
Daniel B.

Daniel B.

Mar, 2025

Louise works on a level of fastidiousness that allows you to rest assured that you have left your work in the right hands. I cannot praise her work on my manuscript enough.
Louise S.
Thank you, Daniel. Those are very kind words indeed.

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