Sara Oestreich

Sara Oestreich – Editor

10+ years experience. A lover of love & finder of plot holes. Known for honest & supportive feedback. Let's make your book its best!

Overview

I have been in love with love since I first snuck a harlequin novel off my grandmother's shelf. A lifelong reader and writer, my favorite part of the process has always been editing. Taking a story and polishing it until it shines.

I work as a developmental editor in ALL romance genres. My passion (besides tall, dark, and handsome) is strong stories. I focus on aligned goals, motivations, conflicts, and character-driven plots. I pride myself on never skipping a "beat" in a story. The authors I work with often note that my eye for detail and honest feedback reinvigorate their passion for their stories.


Services I Offer:

* Developmental Editing: Includes three full feedback rounds with overarching notes and in-text comments.

* Editorial Assessment: Includes one round of feedback with an overarching note and comments at the chapter level.

*Guided Beta Reading: Includes sourcing beta readers, creating a custom feedback questionnaire for your manuscript, and one feedback round for incorporating edits.


I am responsive and open in my communication. I have been told I thrive during the editing process in taking a book to the next level. I like to collaborate and use questions to push the story forward. I believe in helping the author find their voice rather than imposing my own ideas onto the story. It's not my story -- it's yours!

I look forward to helping you find all the FEELS in romance writing, please let me know if you have any questions regarding my work and/or experience.

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What others say:

"She was prompt, honest, clever, flexible, communicative, clear, kind and so generous with her time, and I had total confidence in her assessment of my work’s strengths and weaknesses. As a new author I was very apprehensive and naïve and Sara taught me so much."

"I can't say enough about Sara! She was prompt and thorough through all rounds of the developmental edit and coaxed a more compelling story out of my project than I dared hope. She has an exquisite eye for detail - the look, the feel, the sound, and flavor of the whole piece of writing that make it sing."

"Sara offered thoughtful feedback on the structure and flow of the narrative and helped bring out the best of my writing. I appreciated her constructive criticism, which pushed me to refine my ideas and strengthen my storytelling. I highly recommend Sara to any author seeking a professional and insightful editor who is committed to elevating the quality of their work. Her expertise, combined with her approachable and collaborative nature, make her an invaluable asset to any writer looking to polish their manuscript."

Services
Fiction
Chick Lit Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Fantasy Paranormal Romance Romantic Comedy Romantic Suspense
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Special Fiction Books

Jan, 2022 — Present

I developmental edit books from start to finish. I begin by offering feedback on concepts based on market trends and a solid foundation for romantic conflict and tension. Then I edit the outline ensuring the book is romance-forward and that all of the story beats are accounted for. I find the outline stage to be important - if I can catch a plot hole or unlikeable character at this stage it won't be baked into the book! Finally, I edit the written book offering feedback to stay true to the heart of the book's story.

Bickerstaff Publishing

Mar, 2017 — Oct, 2022 (over 5 years)

I worked as an editor during the outline and writing stages. Stories were focused on evergreen trope driven romance and market trends. Feedback was collaborative in nature.

Relay Publishing

Apr, 2016 — Present

I have worked for Relay in a number of capacities: Outliner, Concept Creation, and Editor. I feel that experiencing each role has given me a unique insight into each step of the story creation process. My work with Relay includes editing at the outline and writing levels.

Sara has 35 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Leisa H.

Leisa H.

Jul, 2024

Pinned
This was my second time working with Sara and she was just as fabulous. She was direct, kind, thorough, thoughtful, and responsive. This fantasy romance book is a THOUSAND times better than when she first took a look. She works some serious magic, let me tell you. My favorite part about working with Sara is that she always makes me excited to dive into revisions (how?!?). Thank you, Sara!
Doreen B.

Doreen B.

Apr, 2024

Pinned
I can't say enough about Sara! She was prompt and thorough through all rounds of the developmental edit and coaxed a more compelling story out of my project than I dared hope. She has an exquisite eye for detail - the look, the feel, the sound, and flavor of the whole piece of writing that make it sing. Sara was supremely patient with my "tracking changes" questions and super responsive to any ...
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Casi H.

Casi H.

Apr, 2024

Pinned
Sara was amazing and I highly recommend her. With her feedback (which was a lot and exactly what I needed) I was able to bring my novel to a whole different level. She was easy to work with, kept my author voice intact, and after each round of edits I felt more and more confident with my story .
Sarah B.

Sarah B.

Nov, 2024

Sara was absolutely perfect for my project! She gave such good feedback and helped turn my draft into a book I am incredibly proud of and cannot wait to publish!! I highly recommend her. Her skills and professionalism go above and beyond.
Christina W.

Christina W.

Nov, 2024

Sara was a developmental editor for my debut novel. She was frank about where things could improve and offered constructive suggestions to get there. Sometimes they were easy fixes and sometimes more complex (not necessarily hard but required more work than I had hoped) - but at the end of the day, her feedback made the big picture so much better. We did three rounds of edits total. I am so gla...
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