Nancy Tan - Editor
A jack-of-all-trades copy editor with experience in multiple genres and trade and academic nonfiction
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Overview
I am an experienced copy editor and project manager who works mainly in book publishing. I have edited a wide range of genres, from romance to speculative fiction, and bring to each manuscript a fresh eye and an open mind, no matter the subject.
Services
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Political Science & Current Affairs
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Humor & Comedy
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Work experience
Freelance Copy Editor & Project Manager
Self-employed
February, 2008
–
Present
(over 14 years)
Current clients include HarperCollins Publishers, Grove Atlantic, the Modern Language Association, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and Unnamed Press.
Production Editor
HarperCollins Publishers
February, 2008
–
November, 2011
(over 3 years)
Production Editor
Oxford University Press
September, 2006
–
February, 2008
(over 1 year)
Portfolio (23 selected works)
Every Day Is Extra
John Kerry
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER John Kerry tells the story of his remarkable American life—from son of a diplomat to decorated Vietnam veteran, five-term United States senator, 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, and Secretary of State for four years—a revealing memoir by a witness to some of the most important events of our recent history.Every Day Is Extra is John Kerry’s candid personal story. ... read more
A brilliant, soulful, and timely portrait of a two-hundred-year-old crabbing community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay as it faces extinction "BEAUTIFUL, HAUNTING AND TRUE." — Hampton Sides • “GORGEOUS. A TRULY REMARKABLE BOOK.” — Beth Macy • "GRIPPING. FANTASTIC." — Outside • "CAPTIVATING." — Washington Post • "POWERFUL." — Bill McKibben • "VIVID. HARROWING AND MOVING." — Science • "WONDE... read more
Neruda: The Poet's Calling
Mark Eisner
The most definitive biography to date of the poet Pablo Neruda, a moving portrait of one of the most intriguing and influential figures in Latin American historyFew poets have captured the global imagination like Pablo Neruda. In his native Chile, across Latin America, and in many other parts of the world, his name and legacy have become almost synonymous with liberation movements, and with th... read more
Meddling Kids: A Novel
Edgar Cantero
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"Freaky pleasure...it scratches a nostalgic itch for those who grew up on Saturday morning Scooby-Doo cartoons and sugar-bombed breakfast cereal"--USA Today"Deliriously wild, funny and imaginative. Cantero is an original voice."--Charles Yu, author of How to Live in a Science Fictional UniverseWith raucous humor and brilliantly orchestrated mayhem, Meddling Kids subver... read more
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREWhen literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent ... read more
The Sympathizer Hardcover – April 7, 2015
Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who received his education in life and love in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause. A man who is a spy and a sympathizer. A man who does not know who he really is. In this stunning and beautifully written novel of betrayal, espionage, and t... read more
An Unnecessary Woman
Rabih Alameddine
Winner of the California Book AwardFinalist for the National Book Critics Circle AwardFinalist for the National Book AwardBeautiful and absorbing.”New York TimesAn Unnecessary Woman is a breathtaking portrait of one reclusive woman’s late-life crisis, which garnered a wave of rave reviews and love letters to Alameddine’s cranky yet charming septuagenarian protagonist, Aaliya, a character you... read more
Freshwater
Akwaeke Emezi
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how w... read more
Ladivine: A novel
Marie NDiaye
From the hugely acclaimed author of Three Strong Women—“a masterpiece of narrative ingenuity and emotional extremes” (The New York Times)—here is a harrowing and subtly crafted novel of a woman captive to a secret shame. On the first Tuesday of every month, Clarisse Rivière leaves her husband and young daughter and secretly takes the train to Bordeaux to visit her mother, Ladivine. Just as Cla... read more
The secrets behind the world's most beautiful skin!In Korea, healthy, glowing skin is the ideal form of beauty. It's considered achievable by all, men and women, young and old—and it begins with adopting a skin-first mentality. Now, this Korean beauty philosophy has taken the world by storm!As the founder of Soko Glam, a leading Korean beauty and lifestyle website, esthetician and beauty exper... read more
MEM
Bethany C. Morrow
MEM is a rare novel, a small book carrying very big ideas, the kind of story that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it.Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images ... read more
Taipei (Vintage Contemporaries)
Tao Lin
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice "[A] modernist masterpiece. . . . True, his characters are young people living in Brooklyn. And he writes about the Internet. But we should stop calling Tao Lin the voice of his generation. Taipei, his new novel, has less to do with his generation than with the literary tradition of Knut Hamsun, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert Musil. . . . I cheerfully... read more
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?
Kathleen Collins
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love
theMystery.doc
Matthew McIntosh
With praise from Alan Moore and Rachel Kushner, a groundbreaking novel told in an exciting new form, mixing fiction, memoir, prose poetry, and textual art, exploring birth, death, the Internet, and the writing life as they play out in contemporary America and telling the story of a man who wakes up one morning not knowing who he isFunny, highly inventive, and deeply moving, theMystery.doc is a... read more
Celebrate all of the special moments in your life, big and small, with this warm and welcoming, illustrated lifestyle and entertaining guide, complete with delicious, healthy recipes, from actress, fashion icon, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Happy Kate Hudson.In Pretty Happy Kate Hudson shared her wisdom and advice for living a healthy, strong, and mindful life.... read more
These are the continuing adventures of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, time traveling superheroes on an epic journey to turn the tide of history, bromancing spacetime together in search of a brighter future for America. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Moments after the inauguration of our 45th President, best friends Barack Obama and Joe Biden were escorted to secret lab run by the wo... read more
A leader of the transcendentalist movement and one of the country's first public intellectuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson has been a long-standing presence in American literature courses. Today he is remembered for his essays, but in the nineteenth century he was also known as a poet and orator who engaged with issues such as religion, nature, education, and abolition.This volume presents strategies... read more
Doxology: A Novel
Zink, Nell
Weather: A novel
Offill, Jenny
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
Russell, Kate Elizabeth
Sex and Vanity: A Novel
Kwan, Kevin
Why We're Polarized
Klein, Ezra
The Committed
Nguyen, Viet Thanh
Nancy has 3 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
This is the second time I have worked with Nancy, and the only reason I continue to write is because I know she will be editing my work. As professional as it gets. Literally the best there is. Hire her!!!
Michael Andrew Johnston, September 2021
Nancy is everything I could have asked for in a copy editor, especially since she worked on my debut novel. The highlights of her work include:
1. Continuity - My story timeline is long and complex; Nancy helped me smooth out inconsistencies.
2. Technicalities - My manuscript was full of Em-dashes; Nancy whittled them down so the remaining ones were more effective.
3. Punctuality - I had ...
Read more
Nick Holmberg, February 2020
Nancy did superb work on my novella. Very professional in her correspondence, provided me a sample of her work, and was overall an absolute pleasure to work with. Will be using her services again in the near future!!!
Michael Andrew Johnston, January 2020
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Amanda Owens
I am known for tightening up writing to create compelling copy as well achieving realistic dialogue that truly speaks to readers.
Cullman, AL, USA
Christopher Ryan
Narrative is my specialty, be it fiction, memoir, or CNF. A meticulous, forthright editor, I offer both developmental and close editing.
Helsinki, Finland
