Rachel Lapidow – Editor

"Rachel has been a dream to work with—careful, diligent, and precise beyond professional. She absolutely made Upwind better. Can't recommend her highly enough.

—Jeff Barber, founder of Biohazard Games and creator of Blue Planet: Recontact and Upwind

I am a copy editor, proofreader, and developmental editor. My clients include Penguin Books, Yen Press, Square Enix, Norton, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Dover Books, independent tabletop roleplaying game companies, and indie authors. While I’ve worked on a range of titles from romance novels to biographies to health books, my favorite things to work on are comics, manga, RPGs, science fiction, and fantasy.

I have a bachelor’s degree in professional writing from Champlain College. I earned a certificate copy editing from the University of California, San Diego. I am familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Stylebook, American Psychological Association style, as well as house style guides. I am happy to learn additional style guides.

I will work with you to determine your needs, offer advice, and set project timelines. Some writers want regular weekly updates, others would rather only hear from me once I’ve completed their edit. Let me know how you want to receive updates.

I’ve developed documents from as short as a paragraph to over 122,000 words with an eye for consistency, tone, and readability. I review each piece and make recommendations that improve accuracy and target audience appeal for nonfiction and enhance reader interest and buy-in for fiction.

Do you need someone to look over your text and tell you what is working and what isn’t? I will examine your work with an eye for holistic effect (overall character development, dialogue, and setting, etc.) and offer recommendations to address issues. I won’t just say that something is good or bad, but explain why I think this is so and offer suggestions for fixing any rough patches.

I live in beautiful Vermont, so you may hear me talking a lot about the weather (it’s one of the major pastimes here). I read books from a lot of different genres. My love of cozy mysteries has led me to subscribe to a British streaming service so I can get my fix of Agatha Christie's Poirot (I also own the complete set of Murder, She Wrote DVDs).

“I have worked with Rachel for some time and have found her to be a pleasure to work with. She is more than capable in many areas and, in particular, I have found her to be a proofreader par none. Rachel is always on time and above expectations. She would be a valued asset to any organization.”

—Kevin Lewis, president of The Hinesburg Record