Ryan Quinn

Ryan Quinn – Editor

Detail-obsessed proofreader and copyeditor with 15+ years of Big Five and indie experience. Let’s polish your manuscript to perfection!

Overview

Your book is almost there—let’s make it flawless.


You’ve poured your heart and soul into your manuscript, and now it’s time to ensure it’s polished, professional, and ready for publication. A final proofread (often called a copyedit in US publishing) eliminates typos, inconsistencies, and other errors that can pull readers out of your story.


For over fifteen years, I’ve helped authors and publishers refine their books, working across a wide range of fiction and nonfiction—from Big Five releases to indie bestsellers. As a detail-obsessed proofreader and an expert in The Chicago Manual of Style, I’ll make sure your manuscript is clean, consistent, and publication-ready.


Whether this is your debut novel or your tenth book, I’d love to help you put the finishing touches on your work. Let’s get your book ready for the world!

Services
Fiction
Dystopian Espionage Legal Thriller Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Psychological Thriller Technothriller
Non-Fiction
Political Science & Current Affairs
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Deutsch LA

Jan, 2011 — Present
Proofread ad copy, scripts, and pitches for a major ad agency

Self-employed

May, 2010 — Present
Copyeditor with over 15 years of experience in the publishing industry. I work with a diverse range of publishers on both fiction and nonfiction titles.

Phoenix Books

Sep, 2009 — Apr, 2010 (7 months)
Edited and copyedited a diverse list of fiction and nonfiction titles.

Penguin Group USA

May, 2007 — Jun, 2009 (about 2 years)

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Code Name: Goliath (Pangex Book 1)

Bean, Douglas

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Frontier Justice: A Coogan Mystery (Frontier Series Book 1)

Cardwell, Michael

Copy Editing Proofreading
On Harrow Hill (Dave Gurney Book 7)

Verdon, John

Counterpoint

Proofreading
You Are Here: A Novel

Lin-Greenberg, Karin

Counterpoint

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Depths

Kirk Kjeldsen

"A gut-punch of a thriller, wickedly paced and beautifully rendered." - Peter Swanson, author of Her Every Fear and The Kind Worth KillingFrom the author of Tomorrow City and Land of Hidden Fi... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Get Out of the Car: Inspirational Stories for Cultivating an Empowering Inner Voice

Zimmerman, Sandy

Independently published

Copy Editing Proofreading
Woo Woo: A Novel

Baxter, Ella

Catapult

Copy Editing Proofreading
The Future Was Color: A Novel

Nathan, Patrick

Counterpoint

Copy Editing Proofreading
Cosmogenesis: An Unveiling of the Expanding Universe

Swimme, Brian Thomas

Counterpoint

Copy Editing Proofreading
This Story Will Change: After the Happily Ever After

Crane, Elizabeth

Counterpoint

Proofreading
Our Biggest Experiment: An Epic History of the Climate Crisis

Bell, Alice

Counterpoint

Copy Editing Proofreading
White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color

Hamad, Ruby

Catapult

Copy Editing Proofreading
The Way of Imagination: Essays

Sanders, Scott Russell

Counterpoint

Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Space Inside, A Novel

Morrison, Michelle

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
History of China for the Young Reader: Volume 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Warring States Period

Li, Shupeng

Dreamland Press LLC

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
No Solace in Death: A Hardboiled Detective Novel

Herle, Douglas

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Guns of Monte Carlo: A CIA and MI6/SIS International Spy Thriller

Christie, Ray

Euro Classical Publishing under Haus des Säntis - Switzerland

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Bit Flip: A Novel

Trigg, Mike

SparkPress

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Starfighter Rising: An Epic SciFi Adventure (Starfighter Rising Series Book 1)

Seegmiller, Daniel

DBS Press

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Haze Gray and Underway: Sea Stories of the US Marines

Morgan, William F

Independently published

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Nominee (Lucius White Novels)

Woodruff, Alan P.

Independently published

Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Mechcraft

Brian Fitzpatrick

A teen singularity hunted by relentless enemies for his shape-shifting nanotech ability.A story that hits like a sucker punch to the face- "a mad, violent rush of a book not for the weak-heart... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
Trail of the Hana K'ilo (Skeptic Detective Book 2)

Channing Whitaker

Deep in the wilderness of rural Alaska, people tell the legend of an elusive predator called the Hana K’ilo. Said to hunt from beneath the water's surface, it waits silently to spring out, sei... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Made with Reedsy
The Courier (Gregg Westwood series Book 1)

Gordon J. Campbell

An expatriate businessman, Gregg Westwood, leaves the Officers’ Club at an American Air Base in Japan unaware about the impression he’s made on two intelligence agents. They sized him up as so... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Desert Notebooks: A Road Map for the End of Time

Ben Ehrenreich

For fans of Robert Macfarlane or Elizabeth Rush, National Magazine Award winner and The Nation columnist Ben Ehrenreich layers climate science, mythologies, nature writing, and personal experi... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
The King's Beast: A Mystery of the American Revolution (Bone Rattler)

Eliot Pattison

When Duncan McCallum is asked by Benjamin Franklin to retrieve an astonishing cache of fossils from the Kentucky wilderness, his excitement as a naturalist blinds him to his treacherous path. ... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life

Phil Zuckerman

"A thoughtful perspective on humans' capacity for moral behavior." ―Kirkus Reviews "A comprehensive introduction to religious skepticism." ―Publishers Weekly In What It Means to Be Moral: Why ... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Apology to the Young Addict: A Memoir

James Brown

"The third panel in Brown’s masterwork triptych on addiction from youth to sixty, Apology to the Young Addict also accomplishes at last a staggeringly rare mercy―on the ghosts of memory, the r... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land

Noé Álvarez

The electrifying debut memoir of a son of working-class Mexican immigrants who fled a life of labor in fruit-packing plants to run in an Indigenous marathon from Canada to Guatemala, reimagini... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
The Last Sheriff in Texas: A True Tale of Violence and the Vote

James P. McCollom

"A true-crime story centering on a South Texas lawman who became a law unto himself . . . Of interest to students of Texas history as well as aspiring law enforcement officers, who should read... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Grace: A Novel

Natashia Deon

Named a New York Times 2016 Best Book of the Year by critic Jennifer Senior. For a slave in the 1840s South, life on the run can be just as dangerous as life under a sadistic Massa. That’s wha... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading
Our Town: A Novel

Kevin Jack McEnroe

Our Town is the debut of a striking literary voice, one that captures the disillusion at the fringes of Hollywood as seen through a haze of drugs, alcohol, abuse, and fallen aspirations. An un... read more
Copy Editing Proofreading

Ryan has 85 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Peter S.

Peter S.

Jan, 2025

Ryan provided detailed feedback on schedule. I found his edits very helpful, and I look forward to collaborating with him in the future.
Howard G.

Howard G.

Nov, 2024

It was a pleasure working with Ryan. His work is first rate and he's affable and easy to deal with. I would definitely work with him again.
Jack R.

Jack R.

Oct, 2024

Super thorough and communicative. Would love to work together again.
Troy B.

Troy B.

Jul, 2024

Ryan is an excellent editor who helped me improve my novel in every way. He was very professional and his impeccable insights were very valuable to me. I am grateful for his contributions, attention to detail, and editing support. His comments, changes, and suggestions made my story better. I wou...
Read more
Bill G.

Bill G.

May, 2024

Provided precise, detailed, and thorough edit of my first manuscript. Provided exhaustive copy and line edits and also identified inconsistencies, timeline questions and other issues only a thorough analysis could deliver. I'd strongly recommend Ryan.

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