Misty Bourne

Misty Bourne – Editor

Veteran editor specializing in inspiring stories about religious deconstruction, deconversion, and narcissistic abuse recovery

Overview

☆ "As a ghostwriter for NYT bestsellers, it is vital that I have a team I can rely on to guarantee perfection for my clients. Misty is an integral part of that team. She has an unrivaled set of eagle eyes. She does her job with such grace, consistently hitting even the tightest of deadlines, that she makes projects fun and breezy. I would (and do) recommend her to anyone looking for a top-notch editor."

- Alee Anderson, bestselling ghostwriter


☆ "Misty is an angel from above. She is so easy to work with, and her quality of work is superior. I especially love how well she communicates throughout projects and always delivers on time!"

- Laura Hatajik | Biddy Tarot


☆ "Misty is everything I need in an editor—conscientious of deadlines, inquisitive, thorough, and receptive to feedback. 10/10, will work with again!"- Bill Benham | Wizards of the Coast


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I'm a seasoned publishing professional with more than fifteen years of experience providing editing, writing, proofreading, and manuscript critique services.


I consider myself lucky to have known since I was a kid that wordcraft is my calling. From childhood through years of climbing the corporate publishing ladder and learning from the best at HarperCollins, to this stage of my journey working as a freelancer on the content I love most, I have always known—words are the path to connection.

Through my personal journey of religious deconversion as well as my recovery from narcissistic abuse, I discovered a passion for helping others tell their stories of survival, healing, and reclamation. Religious and abuse recovery are lifelong labors, and telling our stories is one step toward healing I am honored to help authors take.


I am grateful every day for the opportunity to help others say what they want to say well, to be a part of crafting content that heals wounds and leaves the world better than it was before.


For developmental edits on poetry collections (which include editing for comprehension and appeal, cutting content to reach desired poem count, recasting lines for flow, rearranging poems, improving transitions, eliminating extraneous words, improving word choice, I offer three packages:


☆Discovery Package – one 1-hour video chat + one round of developmental edits


☆Synergy Package – two 1-hour video chats + two rounds of developmental edits, including implementation of author feedback


☆Transformation Package – three 1-hour video chats + three rounds of developmental edits, including implementation of author feedback + complete copy edit


Fee structure for non-poetry:


☆manuscript critique

$1,500 for books up to 80,000 words

$2,500 for books between 80,000 and 125,000 words


☆developmental editing

$6,300 for books up to 80,000 words

$9,800 for books between 80,000 and 125,000 words


☆copy editing

$3,500 for books up to 80,000 words

$5,400 for books between 80,000 and 125,000 words


☆rewriting

$64,000 for books up to 80,000 words

$101,000 for books between 80,000 and 125,000 words


☆proofreading

$2,300 for books up to 80,000 words

$3,600 for books between 80,000 and 125,000 words

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Inspirational New Age Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Cozy Mysteries Fantasy Poetry Young Adult
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • IPPY (Fablemaker's Tarot)
  • ENNIE (Hit Point Press's "Big Bads")
Certifications
  • Communication Skills for Women
  • Davenport University Leadership Development Program
  • BA in English

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2015 — Present

Job Duties + Responsibilities:

• Creative writing
• Author coaching
• Rewriting
• Manuscript critique
• Developmental editing
• Copy editing
• Proofreading
• Project management
• Consulting
• Project breakdown + scheduling

Accomplishments:

• 2023 IPPY award, writing + art direction (The Fablemaker’s Tarot)
• 2023 ENNIE nomination, writing + art direction (The Fablemaker’s Tarot)
• 2022 ENNIE award, editing (Hit Point Press’s “Big Bad Booklet”)
• 250+ successful projects

2CGaming

Dec, 2020 — Dec, 2022 (about 2 years)

Job Duties + Responsibilities:

• Creative writing
• Developmental editing
• Copy editing
• Proofreading
• Project management
• Consulting
• Project breakdown + scheduling

Accomplishments:

• Project managed 10+ products (core + ancillary) simultaneously
• Vetted, hired, + trained freelance editorial team

HarperCollins

Dec, 2007 — Aug, 2015 (over 7 years)

Job Duties + Responsibilities:

• Developmental editing
• Copy editing
• Proofreading
• Project management
• Consulting
• Project breakdown + scheduling

Accomplishments:

• Managed editorial, marketing, creative, + production deliverables for 150–200 SKUs simultaneously
• Managed ongoing projects list averaging 30–50 products at a time for both Trade and Custom

Portfolio

“Rich characters, a forensic artist’s eye for detail, and plot twists—Carrie Stuart Parks hits all the right notes!” —Mary Burton, New York Times bestselling authorAn unsolved case. A tempest of memories. The future’s at stake—and time is running out . . .Gwen... read more
The Tukor's Journey

Jeannine Kellogg

Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist, Juvenile Fiction IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™, Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book Silver Winner Children's/Young Adult Reader Views Literary Awards Children's Book of the Year and 1st Place Young Reader Royal Dra... read more
An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories.Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.Literature professor ... read more
A Harvest of Thorns

Corban Addison

A beloved American corporation with an explosive secret.A disgraced former journalist looking for redemption.A corporate executive with nothing left to lose.In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a garment factory burns to the ground, claiming the lives of hundreds of workers,... read more
Rachel Cruze shines a spotlight on the most damaging money habit we have: comparing ourselves to others. Then she unpacks seven essential money habits for living the life we really want - a life in line with our values, where we can afford the things we want t... read more
Rise to Dust: The Scion of Hope

Boehme-Mason, Alexander

The 3rd Edition of The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings has arrived!Finally! Here's a fresh, modern, and practical guide to the meanings of the Tarot cards that makes reading Tarot as easy as reading your favourite magazine!Brigit Esselmont, Founder of Bi... read more
Tome of Beasts 2: Lairs

Larwood, Phillip

When you need a 5th Edition monster to put the fear of certain defeat in your Players, the Total Party Kill Bestiary provides. No longer will pesky paladins and devious warlocks trivialize your encounters. The creatures within these pages are among the most po... read more
Are your players crushing your carefully constructed encounters or overcoming your mightiest villains with ease? The Total Party Kill Handbook - Volume 2 is here to remind overconfident heroes that you are a DM to be feared. Within its pages you will find enco... read more
Tyrants & Hellions

Steven Gordon

There is no substitute for a quality antagonist. Within these pages you will find fifteen villains your players will love to hate replete with schemes, minions, and lairs, and spanning levels 1 to 20. There’s so much content here you could run three unique cam... read more
Dungeon Masters rejoice and players beware! The Total Party Kill Handbook is here to help you take your game to the next level of challenge and fun with 25 encounters, running from level 1 to level 20, all designed to be dropped into your existing campaign. Ev... read more
Fragments of Light

Michele Phoenix

An impossible decision in the chaos of D-Day. Ripples that cascade seventy-five years into the present. And two lives transformed by the tenuous resolve to reach out of the darkness toward fragments of light. Cancer stole everything from Ceelie—her peace of mi... read more
Because You're Mine

Colleen Coble

Amid the beauty of Charleston, not all is as it seems.When her husband Liam is killed by a car bomb while their Celtic band is on tour in Charleston, singer and Irish beauty Alanna doesn’t quite know where to turn. Her father-in-law is threatening to take cust... read more
"Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction: staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment—and her interventionist is found dead at the airport—Barbara enters her ... read more

Misty has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Chelsea B.

Chelsea B.

Jul, 2024

Misty provided thorough and thoughtful developmental edits for my novel. Her knowledge of narcissistic personalities was especially helpful in my case. That, combined with her professional experience and knowledge, resulted in meaningful insights and suggestions to improve my story. Thanks, Misty!
Misty B.
Chelsea, thank you so much for this thoughtful review! It was a pleasure working with you. I can't wait to read the book when it comes out! :)
Chelsea B.

Chelsea B.

Jun, 2024

Misty provided some great feedback and professional and thorough editing of my poems.
Kevin H.

Kevin H.

Nov, 2023

Misty started off by asking some very interested questions about my work a couple of which I hadn't thought about. She then provided very detailed/through editing and then gave some very thoughtful/nuanced criticism in the context of the questions she had asked me. The process did help me see areas to grow with the project and I was very grateful. The overall experience was very positive.
Misty B.
Kevin, thank you so much for your kind words and positive review. I'm happy you're happy! :) Please let me know if you'd like to collaborate in the future!
Alexander B.

Alexander B.

Jul, 2021

Let me just say wow! What a joy it was to work with Misty! She is not only someone who understands the vision you are attempting to create, but is patient and pays attention to every detail. She is not the type of person who you feel must be micromanaged, but someone who you can trust to add her own insights and catch specific things in your manuscript you would have never thought about. She he...
Read more

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