Mary Cook - Editor

Name: Mary Cook
Address: Santa Bárbara, CA, USA
Telephone: +1 407-233-3331

Experienced copy editor, proofreader, and fact-checker who has worked with award-winning authors of creative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction

Overview

I specialize in copyediting, proofreading, and fact-checking memoirs and essay collections about race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, nature and the environment, grief/death/loss, love/desire, and travel.

I have a bachelor of science in biology (Cornell University) and a master of arts in English (University of Vermont), and I am a current English PhD candidate (University of California, Santa Barbara).

For six years, I worked as a freelance development editor for pediatric nursing textbooks published by Pearson. Then, before becoming a part-time college professor of English, I began copyediting, proofreading, and fact-checking for literary titles in creative nonfiction, poetry, literary fiction, and occasional genre fiction (mystery/thriller) and still take on such freelance work to this day.

Services

Copy Editing

Proofreading

Languages

English (US)

Fiction

Anthologies

Literary Fiction

Poetry

Non-Fiction

Biographies & Memoirs

Nature

Sex & Relationships

Sports & Outdoors

Travel

Awards

Lake Tahoe Community College Molly Owen Creative Writing Award (2013)
Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) Postcolonial Essay Award (2021)
Lake Tahoe Community College Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award (2022)

Work experience

Freelance Copy Editor, Proofreader, Fact-Checker, and Book Designer

Self-employed

January, 2012 – Present (over 10 years)

Job specifications: copyedit, proofread, fact-check, and lay out manuscripts of diverse lengths and mediums (literary journals, anthologies, poetry collections, memoirs, novels); knowledge of MLA and Chicago styles, Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator.

Instructor of English, Part-Time Faculty

Lake Tahoe Community College

September, 2018 – Present (almost 4 years)

Specialties: American literature, world literature, composition and rhetoric, research writing, creative nonfiction writing, and basic skills in the Incarcerated Student Program.

Literary Journal Managing Editor

Lake Tahoe Community College

May, 2012 – Present (over 10 years)

Job specifications: responsible for all aspects of Lake Tahoe Community College’s literary journal, The Kokanee, including call for submissions; submission management, review, and selection; contributor communication; manuscript organization; copyediting; manuscript layout and design; cover design; proofreading; manuscript preparation for printer; marketing; and book launch.

Freelance Development Editor

Pearson Education

September, 2010 – October, 2016 (about 6 years)

Job specifications: project management and completion on deadline and within budget of college-level pediatric nursing textbooks; management of the art program, peer-review process, and contributing authors; development of pedagogical features; analysis of competing texts; adherence to APA style; and preparation of manuscripts for release to production.