Michael S.

Michael S. – Editor

Versatile editor of award-winning fiction and nonfiction with 15+ years' industry experience.

Overview

I will give your manuscript the professional polish it needs to succeed in today's competitive marketplace.


I've been a busy editorial freelancer since 2005, specializing in developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading. I've edited everything from academic articles and scholarly books to rock 'n' roll memoirs, sports autobiography, general self-help, historical fiction, and even a book about whale music. I've been a regular freelancer for Oxford University Press for the past decade and have worked extensively with SUNY Press, Princeton University Press, Rochester University Press, Duke University Press, and Continuum International, among others. I've also edited and proofread commercial trade fiction and nonfiction for Knopf/Doubleday, Avalon Publishing Group, St. Martin's Press, Kirkus Direct, Perseus Books, Cardoza Publishing, Skyhorse Publishing, and other prominent publishers. I've edited over 100 trade and academic books. I specialize in nonfiction but have also worked extensively with fiction (especially historical fiction). In addition to my freelance editorial experience, I also have five years' experience as a manuscript reader and evaluator (fiction and nonfiction) for two top NYC literary agencies.

Sample edit also available.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Humanities & Social Sciences Political Science & Current Affairs Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing, NYU Summer Publishing Institute, 1994

Portfolio

Love in Idleness: A Novel

Craig, Amanda

Copy Editing
Dreaming in Libro: How A Good Dog Tamed A Bad Woman

Bernikow, Louise

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Taking Back the Corporation: A Mad as Hell Guide

Ralph Estes

Copy Editing
Game of My Life Denver Broncos: Memorable Stories of Broncos Football

Jim Saccomano

How do you measure the soul of a city? In Denver, for the better part of five decades it’s been by the Broncos. From an ugly and inauspicious beginning to the first nationally televised Monday... read more
Proofreading
Lint: The Incredible Career of Cult Author Jeff Lint

Aylett, Steve

Copy Editing
Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound

David Rothenberg

Whale song is an astonishing world of sound whose existence no one suspected before the 1960s. Its discovery has forced us to confront the possibility of alien intelligence-not in outer space ... read more
Developmental Editing
Green Suede Shoes: An Irish-American Odyssey

Larry Kirwan

This rock 'n' roll Angela's Ashes begins in County Wexford, Ireland, in the late 1950s, a now unrecognizable, priest-fearing backwater suffocating in superstition and strangled by sexual fever... read more
Copy Editing
The Universe Behind Barbed Wire: Memoirs of a Ukrainian Soviet Dissident (Rochester Studies in East and Central Europe)

Marynovych, Myroslav

Copy Editing
How Should We Live?: A Practical Approach to Everyday Morality

John Kekes

What is your highest ideal? What code do you live by? We all know that these differ from person to person. Artists, scientists, social activists, farmers, executives, and athletes are guided b... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
[Teach Them to Challenge Authority: Educating for Healthy Societies] (By: Gregory S. Prince) [published: June, 2008]

Gregory S. Prince

Developmental Editing
Don't Mean Nuthin': A Military Thriller

Lealos, Ron

Skyhorse

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Drinks Are On The Devil (Boomtown Heavy Book 1)

Morrison, Roger

Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
The Eisenhower Chronicles

Zucker, M B

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
Made with Reedsy
Cheerful Obedience

McLaughlin, Patrick

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Made with Reedsy
Exoduster (Before Freedom)

King, Kristopher

Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Soldier of the Airwaves: Defending Democracy One Song at a Time

Smith, George A.

Copy Editing Proofreading
The Science of Anime: Mecha-Noids and AI-Super-Bots

Gresh, Lois H.

The End of Romance: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and the Mystery of the Violin

BARZMAN, Norma

Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics

Campbell, Phillip

Don't Worry, You'll Get In: 100 Winning Tips for Stress-Free College Admissions

Doe, Mimi

Families of Value: Personal Profiles of Pioneering Lesbian and Gay Parents

Bernstein, Robert A.

Decolonizing American Philosophy (SUNY series, Philosophy and Race)

McCall, Corey

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
My 50 Most Memorable Hands By Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson

This instant classic relives the most incredible hands by the greatest poker player of all time. Great players, legends and unforgettable events in the history of poker march in and out of fifty years of momentous hands. Sit side-by-side with Doyle as he repla... read more
The Filth Disease: Typhoid Fever and the Practices of Epidemiology in Victorian England (Rochester Studies in Medical History)

Steere-Williams, Jacob

Copy Editing
Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World (Sexual Cultures, 53)

Jackson, Zakiyyah Iman

Copy Editing
The People Are King: The Making of an Indigenous Andean Politics

Penry, S. Elizabeth

Developmental Editing
Disability in Practice: Attitudes, Policies, and Relationships (Engaging Philosophy)

Cureton, Adam

Presidential Campaigning in the Internet Age (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics)

Stromer-Galley, Jennifer

The Oxford Handbook of the Baroque (Oxford Handbooks)

Lyons, John D.

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
The Black Death: A Personal History

John Hatcher

In this fresh approach to the history of the Black Death, John Hatcher, a world-renowned scholar of the Middle Ages, recreates everyday life in a mid-fourteenth century rural English village. By focusing on the experiences of ordinary villagers as they lived—a... read more
Encyclopedia of Human Rights

David P Forsythe

Winner of the 2010 Dartmouth Medal, this major five-volume encyclopedia offers comprehensive coverage of all aspects of human rights theory, practice, law, and history. The set will provide si... read more
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Florida's Other Courts: Unconventional Justice in the Sunshine State (Florida Government and Politics)

Pushing past the conventional understanding of federal and state courts and the judicial system, this volume examines eight little-known Florida courts. Part 1 details general jurisdiction courts from 1513 to 1865 while part 2 profiles modern-era special juris... read more
The Oxford Handbook of Latino Studies (Oxford Handbooks)

Ilan Stavans

At the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, the Latino minority, the biggest and fastest growing in the United States, is at a crossroads. Is assimilation taking place in comparable ways to previous immigrant groups? Are the links to the countrie... read more
Storm of the Sea: Indians and Empires in the Atlantic's Age of Sail

Matthew R. Bahar

Narratives of cultural encounter in colonial North America often contrast traditional Indian coastal-dwellers and intrepid European seafarers. In Storm of the Sea, Matthew R. Bahar instead tells the forgotten history of Indian pirates hijacking European sailin... read more
Religion of a Different Color

W. Paul Reeve

Mormonism is one of the few homegrown religions in the United States, one that emerged out of the religious fervor of the early nineteenth century. Yet, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have struggled for status and recognition. In th... read more

Michael has 84 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Adan F.

Adan F.

Feb, 2025

Pinned
Incredible! As a first-time author, Michael was an invaluable resource in helping me navigate the process of writing a memoir. He took the time to explain the parameters and structure of the genre, which made a huge difference in shaping my work. His edits were thoughtful and thorough, and his at...
Read more
Karu S.

Karu S.

Aug, 2024

Pinned
Working with Michael was great. He was extremely thorough with this feedback on each chapter and providing an overall assessment. All of his comments and feedback including specific actionable things to do. It all greatly helped improve my manuscript. I would definitely recommend him to others an...
Read more
Phoebe D.

Phoebe D.

May, 2024

Pinned
Michael truly is a seasoned freelance editor who did an amazing job. Aside from his stellar editing, Michael also provided professional insights on the structural and developmental flow of my manuscript. Likewise, he was well-versed in the broad range of topics I explored in my manuscript, making...
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Sherrie W.

Sherrie W.

Apr, 2025

Michael was very easy to work with and delivered the editing right on time. He was enjoyable to work with and I would do so again if there was a need.
Mark B.

Mark B.

Apr, 2025

Michael completed the requested copyediting service on the contracted timeline. His edits are clear, understandable, and will surely improve the quality of the manuscript. I appreciate his professionalism while collaborating, and his responsiveness to my concerns. I highly recommend Michael for a...
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Most recent contributions

How do you balance being critical while encouraging authors through your feedback?

This issue can prove to be a real tightrope walk even for the most experienced editor. You should always keep in mind as an editor is that your goal is to be constructive, not destructive. I always try and balance out my editorial comments: although I'm always as open and honest as possible in my...
Read more

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