Melanie McFadyen

Melanie McFadyen – Editor

Development editor, writer, and proofreader specializing in general nonfiction, cookbooks, lifestyle, wellness, crafts, and education.

Overview

Hi, I'm Melanie. I'm an editor, writer, and proofreader with nearly eight years of experience in editorial publishing. I graduated with a degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, where I spent my time in countless writing workshops and reviewing submissions for literary magazines. As a Development Editor for Macmillan Learning I published textbooks for history, communication, and the first-year experience. I have edited numerous cookbooks and craft books for Page Street Publishing. Most recently I worked directly with authors as an editor for Callisto Media, editing books in personal growth and development as well as crafts, hobbies, and home.

I am happy to offer my services as a development editor, line editor, copyeditor, and proofreader. My particular interest is in editing general nonfiction books including cookbooks, craft and hobby manuals, memoirs, and educational materials, but I enjoy editing for all genres and formats. When I'm not editing, I like to spend my time cooking, knitting, crocheting, painting, reading, writing, and cross-stitching. If you have works in development on any of those subjects, let's chat about them!

My job as an editor is to bring out the best in your work. It's your story, and I'm here to help you find the best way to tell it. Whether you need a big picture overview, in-depth line edits, or a last review to check for any pesky stray commas, I'm here to help. When working together, I'll be following your lead in voice, tone, and style, maintaining your vision, and providing you with the feedback to help you move forward with your work.
Services
Non-Fiction
Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits DIY & Crafts Education & Reference Health & Wellbeing History Home & Garden Inspirational Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Callisto Media

May, 2022 — Nov, 2022 (6 months)

Editor for the Personal Growth & Development portfolio as well as the Crafts, Hobbies, and Home portfolio

• Develop and project manage books in the Crafts, Hobbies, and Home portfolio from concept to completion.
• Onboard, collaborate with, and support authors throughout manuscript development and review.
• Collaborate with editorial, design, production, and marketing departments on schedule, format, and aesthetics of publication.
• Oversee the day-to-day development and production of multiple books and ensure projects stay on time and within budget.

Page Street Publishing Company

Oct, 2019 — Present

Proofread PDF manuscripts to check for spelling, punctuation, and layout errors, along with any other issues. Titles include cookbooks, crafting manuals, and activity books for parents of young learners.

Macmillan Learning

Jun, 2015 — May, 2022 (almost 7 years)

• Oversee the development, production, and marketing of titles in the Communication and College Success disciplines, including print texts and supplements as well as eBooks and digital ancillaries.
• Collaborate with and support authors through manuscript development and revision.
• Contribute to, and support, a collaborative, productive, and innovative culture; develop and implement strategies to continually improve company texts and culture in terms of diversity, inclusion, and culturally responsive pedagogy.
• Manage the Community Sites for Communication and College Success. Collaborate with freelance writers to develop short articles on a variety of topics related to the discipline.

Former positions include Assistant Editor for History and Associate Editor for Communication and College Success.

Portfolio

Connections

Gore, Paul A.

Melanie has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Wilma W.

Wilma W.

Feb, 2023

Melanie has done a superb job editing my non-fiction writing and my proposal. She surpassed my expectations. I'm a non-native English writer and I feel so much better sending my proposal after her very detailed corrections and feedback. Very adequate turnaround too. Highly recommended! Thank you, Melanie!
Melanie M.
Thank you, Wilma! It was a pleasure to work with you. I'm glad that I was able to help you prepare your proposal, and I wish you the best of luck for your project!

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