Nic Lyons

Nic Lyons – Editor

Bitten at age seven by a radioactive thesaurus, I turned to a life of eradicating rogue typos and ameliorating villainous first drafts.

Overview

I'm a speed reader turned copyeditor turned marketer looking to mentor you. My passions include reading 200+ books a year, hiking in the woods of Maine, and coaching creative people whose work will change lives.

A few reasons to consider me:

>> My varied professional experiences as a writer, editor, and marketer across multiple industries, subject areas, and platforms give me a distinct advantage in coaching writers.

>> I've coached writers on work that went on to win awards.

>> Books I've worked on have earned more than $14 million in revenue since 2020.

>> I take your work far more seriously than I take myself.

>> I will push you to achieve the best work you possibly can.

The time will pass anyway. Wouldn't you rather have your book published at the end of it? Let's get started.

Nic

Services
Fiction
Children's
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • New England Newspaper Awards, Multiple
  • Maine Press Awards, Multiple
Certifications
  • Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: Columbia Publishing Course
  • Bachelor's degree in English; writing concentration from Lake Forest College
  • Editorial Freelancers Association Member
  • ACES: The Society for Editing Full Member

Work experience

Arctis Books USA, dist. Simon & Schuster

Apr, 2024 — Present

Self-employed

Jan, 2015 — Present

Self-employed

Apr, 2024 — Present

K12 Educational Publisher

Oct, 2015 — Apr, 2020 (over 4 years)
I managed operations for a small, independent educational publisher. I led a team of creative and marketing professionals who worked on everything from multi-channel marketing strategies to events to PR. As a marketer, I've written content for and edited the front matter of textbooks published over the past five years. I directed designers with creative briefs on cover art, resulting in award-winning cover designs.

Maine OK Enterprises (Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper)

Aug, 2012 — Oct, 2015 (about 3 years)
Copy edited, edited, and assigned reporters' work, as well as managed web content, front section layout editing, social channel management, and more. My coached writers won more than 30 awards in my time with them.

Portfolio

Iron Wolf (Vardari)

Pettersen, Siri

Arctis

Proofreading Book Coaching
Little Sisters

Miura, Tomo

Arctis

Proofreading Book Coaching
Knockout Noel

Masai, Nobutaro

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
EntreCulturas 1B Espanol: Communicate, Explore, and Connect Across Cultures, c. 2019, 9781641590280, 1641590289

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
EntreCulturas 1A Espanol: Communicate, Explore, and Connect Across Cultures, c.2019, 9781641590228, 164159022X

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Triángulo APreciado 6th Edition: Productos, Prácticas y Perspectivas, 9781944876807, 1944876804

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Chiarissimo Due (Italian Edition)

Bruna Petrarca Boyle

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Proofreading
Little Worlds : A Collection of Short Stories for the Middle School

Peter Guthrie

Proofreading
Scandite Muros: Softcover (Latin)) (Latin Edition)

Jane Lienau

Proofreading
EntreCulturas 3 (Spanish Edition)

Pamela Garcia

Developmental Editing
EntreCulturas 2 (Spanish Edition)

Catherine Schwenkler

Developmental Editing
EntreCulturas 1: Softcover (Spanish Edition)

Ann Mar

Developmental Editing
Neue Blickwinkel Softcover (German Edition)

Cynthia Chalupa

Developmental Editing
APprenons, 2nd Edition, Softcover

Elizabeth Zwanziger

Developmental Editing

Nic has 6 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Roy G.

Roy G.

May, 2025

As an amateur writer and first book, I was blessed to have chosen Nic to work with. She is an outstanding person who gets to know you first before engaging in the project. I recommend her to anyone who is looking for coach, she a true professional. Thank Nic, Roy Garcia
Nic L.
Thank you for your kind words, Roy! It was a pleasure to work with you!
Cindy K.

Cindy K.

May, 2025

Easy to work with, very knowledgeable.
Nic L.
Thanks, Cindy!
ANGEL C.

ANGEL C.

Jan, 2025

Nic did an an outstanding job, helping me gain confidence and direction in finalizing my book with an editorial assessment and market review. Nic went above and beyond researching, and was kind, prompt, and professional. Thank you, Nic!!
Johnny L.

Johnny L.

Apr, 2023

This is my 2nd project with Nic, and I am very pleased with her professionalism and eagerness to assist. She is more than an Editor to me. She is like a family member and a teacher, who loves to teach.
Nobutaro M.

Nobutaro M.

Aug, 2021

As a new writer, I've enjoyed working with Nic during the editing process of my novel. She provides excellent, quality services and is very accommodating. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for an editor.

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