Stephanie Heilman

Stephanie Heilman – Editor

Editor, proofreader, reader. Wrangler of run-away trains of thought and foxhound puppies.

Overview

I'm a copy editor and proofreader with full-time employment experience at academic and technical publishers as well as freelance experience with works of creative nonfiction.

Storytelling is a great passion of mine. I love helping writers and researchers make their knowledge, or their story, available to the rest of their field and community.

I have a BA in English from Penn State University and an MA in Religion from Temple University. My graduate research focused on historical depictions of lay women and women religious in various traditions. I am endlessly intrigued by the many ways that people use texts, and by the insight a body of literature can offer about its authors, readers, and historical period.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Education & Reference History Humanities & Social Sciences Parenting & Families Religion & Spirituality
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2009 — Present
I work with authors to polish their manuscripts for submission to agents and publishers or for publication on their blogs and online magazines. I have edited children's books, genre fiction, and think pieces. I also edit and proofread scholarly articles for publication in journals, and proofread monographs for professors of the humanities and social sciences.

ASTM International

May, 2013 — Sep, 2018 (over 5 years)
I work with scholars, engineers, and other scientists from various industries to polish and publish their testing and materials standards. I copy edit, tag in XML, and proofread hundreds of technical standards each year. ASTM International publishes standards that keep consumers safe and ensure businesses are able to use the most efficient and greatest quality of materials and processes available.

Temple University Press

Oct, 2012 — May, 2013 (8 months)
I worked in acquisitions at Temple University Press, sending academic manuscripts out for peer review and preparing contracted manuscripts for transmission to production. I tracked down missing image permissions for authors, formatted their manuscripts, and did fact-checking when needed.

Penn State Press

Jun, 2010 — Jul, 2012 (about 2 years)
I worked in acquisitions at Penn State Press, sending academic manuscripts out for peer review and preparing contracted manuscripts for transmission to production. I tracked down missing image permissions for authors, formatted their manuscripts, and did fact-checking when needed. I signed two manuscripts in Literature as acquiring editor. The bulk of the projects I worked with were in Latin American Studies, History, Literature, Religious Studies, Political Science, Gender Studies, and Animal Studies.

Portfolio

Until The Last Dog: One Man's Lifelong Journey to Alaska with His Dogs

Downey, Rob

selfpublishing.com

Copy Editing
Expecting Wonder

Brittany L. Bergman

When you're expecting a baby, all the focus seems to be on the external trappings of pregnancy--baby showers, doctor appointments, setting up the nursery, learning about baby's development. But amid all that preparation, your own emotional and spiritual journe... read more
The Greatest Worth: Finding Oneself as a Single Member of a Family-Centric Faith

Mr Kevin L Baker

In The Greatest Worth, Kevin Baker provides his humor, insight, and life experience as a single adult in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His is an important and fun perspective for any single adult trying to survive sainthood in a religion whe... read more
Chaucer, Gower, and the Vernacular Rising: Poetry and the Problem of the Populace After 1381

Lynn Arner

Chaucer, Gower, and the Vernacular Rising examines the transmission of Greco-Roman and European literature into English during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, while literacy was burgeoning among men and women from the nonruling classes. This... read more
The Revelations of Asher: Toward Supreme Love in Self – (This Is an Endarkened, Feminist, New Literacies Event) (Black Studies and Critical Thinking)

Jeanine M. Staples

The Revelations of Asher: Toward Supreme Love in Self is an endarkened, feminist, new literacies event. It critically and creatively explores Black women s terror in love. With poetry, prose, and analytic memos, Jeanine Staples shows how a group of Black women... read more
The New Face of Small-Town America: Snapshots of Latino Life in Allentown, Pennsylvania (Keystone Books)

Edgar Sandoval

Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a small city located along the Lehigh River in the eastern part of the state. Once the hiding place of the Liberty Bell, Allentown has become a popular destination for Latino immigrants. These Latinos, mostly from Puerto Rico, now m... read more
Mortal Gods: Science, Politics, and the Humanist Ambitions of Thomas Hobbes

Ted H. Miller

According to the commonly accepted view, Thomas Hobbes began his intellectual career as a humanist, but his discovery, in midlife, of the wonders of geometry initiated a critical transition from humanism to the scientific study of politics. In Mortal Gods, Ted... read more
Hannah Arendt and the Negro Question

Kathryn T. Gines

While acknowledging Hannah Arendt's keen philosophical and political insights, Kathryn T. Gines claims that there are some problematic assertions and oversights regarding Arendt’s treatment of the "Negro question." Gines focuses on Arendt's reaction to the des... read more
NEVER THE LAST JOURNEY by Felix Zandman, David Chanoff (1995)

Stephanie has 14 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Rob D.

Rob D.

Jun, 2024

Pinned
Stephanie was amazing, I can't say enough good things about her. She was very thorough, and her edits were spot on. She was also very thoughtful and I truly enjoyed working with her.
Kat L.

Kat L.

Oct, 2023

Pinned
This was my 3rd time hiring Stephanie for a project, and she did a great job. It was a quick turnaround time and she was able to get it done swiftly and accurately. Thanks again!
Tiffany L.

Tiffany L.

May, 2018

Pinned
Stephanie's editing was fantastic. She copyedited an entire academic book manuscript for me and cleaned up my writing up wonderfully. I appreciated the way she tightened my prose without losing my voice or changing my argument. Her experience working at an academic book publisher was also helpfu...
Read more
Dee Dee H.

Dee Dee H.

Mar, 2026

Stephanie was wonderful to work with, and I immediately felt confident in turning over my manuscript to her. She answered all my questions throughout the process, and even if it was a question outside of her scope, she went above and beyond to try to give me some direction. Writing my book was ...
Read more
Stephanie H.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Dee Dee! It was wonderful working with you and I can't wait to see your book out in the world!
Michael B.

Michael B.

May, 2025

Excellent work product and very professional experience

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