reid tang

reid tang – Editor

Editor with extensive experience at an independent small press, specializing in literary fiction and poetry.

Overview

I'm an editor with four years' experience at Math Paper Press, an independent small press publishing literary and genre fiction, short story collections, and poetry collections and anthologies. Since 2020, I've been a freelance editor through Reedsy.


I'm especially excited about—and have additional expertise editing—experimental, genre-transgressive & hybrid work. Nothing's too weird for me; I grew up on the 90s internet and experimental poetry of questionable merit.


In the past, I've worked on Victor Ocampo's The Infinite Library (sci-fi short stories, International Rubery Book Award shortlist) and Madeleine Thien's Simple Recipes (short stories, author shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker for a different title). I also edited and wrote the foreword for Alvin Pang's What Happened (collected poems, and Alvin's poetry is in the Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry in English, 2nd Ed!).


My approach to editing begins with acknowledging that everyone needs a fresh eye on their writing, however accomplished and great the work. I am committed to an editing process that is as gentle or as frank as the manuscript requires at its current stage of development. I don't condescend to authors, I don't sugarcoat, but I don't believe in cruelty or harshness or canceling entire pages out with red pen.


-


Here is a quick breakdown of the differences between the editing services I offer:


Developmental editing is the most thorough and in-depth service. I provide both big-picture and zoomed-in, scene- & paragraph-level feedback on your manuscript. Where the work falls within the realm of my specific interests, I can also offer more involved industry- or genre-specific comments. No line or technical edits are offered with developmental editing services.


Copyediting focuses on the mechanics of your writing: grammar, spelling, and punctuation. No creative feedback is offered with copyediting services.


Proofreading is the final stage of editing, taking place after the manuscript has been laid out by a designer. I’ll tackle typos, formatting errors, and grammatical mistakes. No creative feedback is offered with proofreading services.


Editorial Assessments are manuscript evaluations, with no inline editing work on the manuscript. I read the manuscript and you get a written assessment that tells you what areas of it need further work. If you’re not sure what kind of editing service you need, an assessment will show you the areas your manuscript could use some help, and whether that help should be comprehensive or minor.


-


Please include a 10-15 page sample of your work with your request. For prose, provide the manuscript's full, specific word count. For poetry collections, provide the page count of the manuscript, and indicate the total number of poems. Thank you!

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction LGBTQ Fiction Literary Fiction Poetry Short Story
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

The New School of Drama

Aug, 2017 — May, 2020 (over 2 years)

Math Paper Press, BooksActually

Jan, 2016 — Jan, 2020 (about 4 years)

Edited, copy edited and proofread fiction, non-fiction and poetry manuscripts for publication.
Coordinated timelines for editorial and publishing processes for new titles.

reid has 20 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Anna B.

Anna B.

Apr, 2024

Reid was so helpful with the way that they edited my work. They were very efficient in their work but not at the suffering of their editing work. I found all the suggestions to be useful and will definitely be coming back!
reid T.
Thank you, Anna! I'm so glad you found my edits helpful.
Joseph D.

Joseph D.

Mar, 2022

Ruth helped me understand my own vision far better than I could have without them! Super communicative and professional, as well as true to their word in all aspects.
reid T.
Thank you, Joseph! It was such a pleasure working with you.
Daniella H.

Daniella H.

Mar, 2022

Ruth was absolutely fantastic to work with! When reading her feedback, I felt that she really took the time to understand the work, its heart, and my intentions in order to deliver sound feedback. The feedback itself was more guiding than prescriptive, which I always find to be the most helpful and prefer whenever collaborating. Wonderful to talk to, very professional!
reid T.
Thank you - I'm so glad our collaboration was fruitful for you, Daniella!
ian G.

ian G.

Dec, 2021

Ruth was meticulous, professional and highly observant when it came to leaving feedback on my manuscript. She not only provided line by line edits over multiple drafts, but analysed the entire manuscript for its overall coherence, themes, and its strengths and flaws. She was also patient and eager to assist whenever I had questions or comments. Would gladly work with her again!
reid T.
Thanks, Ian! Best of luck with your manuscript - and I'd definitely love to work together again in future!
Margot D.

Margot D.

Dec, 2021

Fastidious, incisive, quick to synthesize, and so kind. Cannot wait to collaborate with Ruth again. Wonderful experience. Highly recommended editor for short stories / narrative projects.
reid T.
Thanks so much, Margot! I loved working with you on your story, and am excited to collaborate again soon!

Sign up to read more reviews

Create a free Reedsy account to connect with reid and thousands of other publishing professionals on Reedsy.

Professionals similar to reid

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Fiona McLaren

Fiona M.

Shaping novels into the best version of an author's vision. Former clients published by HarperTeen, Macmillan, and more. US and UK markets.

Limassol, Cyprus

100% reply rate

View profile
Amaryah Orenstein

Amaryah O.

Literary agent/editor with 10+ yrs experience, looking to help authors bring out the best in their manuscripts, proposals, query letters.

NYC, NY, USA

100% reply rate

View profile
Diane Bailey

Diane B.

My sweet spot is MG and YA fiction. I'll help you find your story (ornery manuscripts don't scare me!) and figure out how to tell it.

Lawrence, Kansas, United States

100% reply rate

View profile