Mary Neretlis - Editor

I'm an experienced Copy Editor and Proofreader and have worked with a variety of fiction and non-fiction writers from independent first-timers through to award-winning published authors. I have also assisted business writers with their internal and external newsletters and promotional pieces.

I can help make sure your work is ready to be shared with the world! I will look at the entirety of your writing, from a broad overview of how everything interweaves and flows, down to the duplicated sentence and the misplaced comma. I’ll suggest a more fitting phrase, or reorder a paragraph for more clarity. I’ll help unravel your message so your reader will be able to grasp it.

And through it all, I will respect that it’s your writing and it must be kept in your voice.

A bit about my past adventures...

While in a 10-year telecommunications management position, I was involved with the writing of communications briefs, developing easy-to-follow sales campaign guidelines, and providing clear and concise training instructions.

During my 12 years at a legal publishing company, I learned about the book publication process from initial author communications and deadline setting, to editing raw manuscript, through to proofreading and typesetting for final print production.

When I first founded my freelance company, In Writing, it was mainly a writing and editing service for small business clients with marketing and promotional needs. However, in the process of thinking of ways to promote local small business to local residents, I created a community newsletter, intermingling business stories with personal stories.

This opened up a new passion and direction for me that carries through to today... I love story-telling! I love listening to and reading people's stories, and I am adamant that their stories must be shared! They must be written and edited and proofread – corrected, fine-tuned, polished – so they can be easily understood and the true essence of the writer's meaning can be experienced and enjoyed by the reader!

As a result, presently...

In Writing has been re-established and has branched out to service writers of fiction and creative non-fiction. My ultimate goal is to raise your writing up to a higher level, while being faithful to your story. Let me help your words come to life and jump off the page, and land directly into your reader's heart. Tell me what you're working on and I'll tell you how I can assist.

~~~~~~~~~

I take pride in the relationships I've developed with my clients. Here are a few comments I've recently received from some of them, and see more Reedsy reviews below:

"Thank you so very much for the edits and feedback. … It is interesting – the more I write and work with you, the more I come to understand … your suggestions really do make it read better. I remember how much I enjoyed working with you on the first book, and this experience mirrored that." — Jacqualine Haller, author of Love You to the Stars and Back, and Grandpa John and Uncle Peter

"I loved working with you on Unveiled … I believe the author-editor relationship should be open and friendly and not discouraging. … Offering feedback and critique in an encouraging way, as in your case... made me love working with you and will keep on doing it for my next stories onwards." — Samreen Ahsan, author of Once Upon a [Stolen] Time

"… it’s exactly what I was needing. Thank you so much for this, and for the quick turnaround. Greatly appreciated!!!" — Jenny Ayigah, author of Create a Heart of Faith in a World of Fear

"I have just completed accepting your edits and addressing your comments. Thank you for your insights and attention to details that were missed by me. It was very helpful. — Joseph Morin, author of Villains, Victims & The Vanquished: A Memoir

~~~~~~~~~

I'm also a writer of creative non-fiction and fiction-based-on-true-story. My current project is titled Leaves from the Family Tree which includes creatively re-told short stories that have been passed down verbally for generations. Trying my hand at writing for children, I will also be working on stories that reflect the fun (and sometimes funny) lives and adventures (and sometimes misadventures) of family members (including pets, stuffed animals, and observant spruce trees). :)