Misha Kydd

Misha Kydd – Editor

Production editor at Penguin with over nine years editorial experience, specializing in fantasy, romance, LGBTQIA+, and YA titles.

Overview

Hello! As a book publishing professional with over nine years editorial experience at both trade and academic publishers, including Workman, Taylor & Francis, and Penguin Random House, I love helping authors refine and develop their projects. I'm passionate about honoring authorial intention and respecting your unique voice while editing.


I'm currently an in-house production editor for Penguin Young Readers, where I copyedit and proofread YA, graphic novels, middle grade, and picture books across genre. In addition, I love working on adult fiction, with a soft spot for quirky fantasy, out-of-the-box romance, creative gaming/RPGs, and projects with queer themes.


I’m a member of ACES: The Society for Editing, the Professional Editors Network, and the LGBTQ+ Editors Association.


I currently offer copyediting and proofreading. I do not offer editorial assessments or developmental editing at this time.


Copyediting typically occurs after a developmental edit and before a proofread (if you choose to have either of those edits performed). It provides feedback on spelling and grammar, but also goes beyond that to help make sure your manuscript is consistent and clear for readers. It does not include developmental notes or feedback on overall reader appeal.


What can you expect from a copyedit?

• Check for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

• Flag inconsistencies with character details, timeline, etc.

• Light fact-checking.

• Highlight any terms or phrasing that may unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes or stigmas.

• Creation of a style sheet.


Proofreading is the final editing step, which is performed after a copyedit when the book is in its print-ready layout. It does not include significant sentence-level adjustments beyond correcting grammar or punctuation issues.


What can you expect from a proofread?

• Scanning for remaining errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation that may have been overlooked in previous edits.

• Flag any layout errors or inconsistencies, including issues with fonts, chapter/part organization, and formatting (bad breaks, orphans, widows, etc.).

• Final check of any images or artwork.

• Checking for anything that may have been missed in the copyedit or design process.


Please note, I do not offer proofreads on manuscripts that have not already been professionally copyedited.

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Epic Fantasy Gaming & LitRPG LGBTQ Fiction Magical Realism Middle Grade Fantasy Romantic Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Penguin Young Readers

Jan, 2022 — Present

Routledge/Taylor & Francis

Aug, 2018 — Jan, 2022 (over 3 years)

Routledge/Taylor & Francis

Apr, 2016 — Aug, 2018 (over 2 years)

Workman Publishing

Sep, 2015 — Mar, 2016 (6 months)

Portfolio

Check & Mate

Hazelwood, Ali

Proofreading
Proofreading
Her Good Side

Weatherspoon, Rebekah

Threads That Bind

Hatzopoulou, Kika

Full Shift

Dugan, Jennifer

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Spin of Fate (The Fifth Realm Book 1)

Vora, A. A.

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

The Invocations

Sutherland, Krystal

Proofreading
Playing for Keeps

Dugan, Jennifer

On the Bright Side

Sortino, Anna

Hearts Still Beating

Archer, Brooke

Proofreading
Us, Et Cetera

Vincent, Kit

Proofreading
One Last Breath

Sain, Ginny Myers

Proofreading
Proofreading
Lying in the Deep

Urban, Diana

Misha has 24 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Paul Michael W.

Paul Michael W.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
Misha was very thorough in her proofreading. She was excellent at communication throughout the process and even finished the job two weeks early. I highly recommend her.
Tylisha W.

Tylisha W.

Sep, 2024

Pinned
This was a great experience. I've learned a lot from working with Misha, and I feel confident in my manuscript's potential and my ability to write a strong sequel after working with Misha. As others have said, she was very thorough and attentive to detail. Her feedback was helpful and informative, and she helped me catch so many things that I missed/didn't know were wrong. I appreciated the hum...
Read more
J B.

J B.

Sep, 2023

Pinned
Misha catches eve-ry-thing! She is incredibly professional and even points out when certain word usages might be misconstrued or be offensive. I feel so much more confident about my work after she's looked at it. This is the second manuscript I've sent to Misha and I plan to use her again if she'll have me.
Kristina F.

Kristina F.

Feb, 2025

Misha is an incredible copyeditor! She picks up everything. She is very responsive and even created a style sheet to help organize all the place names and characters. I will definitely be using her again!
Jesse B.

Jesse B.

Feb, 2025

The editor was professional and responsive.

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