Steven Smith

Steven Smith – Editor

Now semi-retired and working from home, I look forward to taking on further editing projects in the military history field.

Overview

As the founder and CEO of the military history firm Sarpedon Publishers and then Editorial Director of Casemate Publishers, I have guided over 120 books to fruition. I am also, sometimes under the pen-name Stephen Tanner, the author or co-author of a dozen works of military history. While my projects have ranged from ancient to modern conflicts, I have a particular expertise in the Civil War and World War II, and also a certain weakness for alternative histories.

When I take on a project I consider my task to involve not only developmental editing, including advice on illustrative elements, but copyediting (UK or US English) to ensure the best chance of successful publication. These days publishing houses may or may not provide serious editorial capability; my own approach is to treat manuscripts as if I were developing them in-house, ensuring their respectful reception from fellow professionals and readers. During the process I look forward to engaging with the author for whatever is necessary to mold the project into its optimum shape.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs History
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Languages
English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Casemate Publishers

Oct, 2004 — Apr, 2016 (over 11 years)

Acquired and developed manuscripts for this Philadelphia-based military history publisher. Duties included hands-on edit of some projects and design and marketing guidance for all of them.

Sarpedon Publishers

Oct, 1991 — Oct, 2000 (about 9 years)

Founded and ran a New York City-based military history publishing company, taking part in every aspect of marketing and book production.

Steven has 13 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Laura D.

Laura D.

Oct, 2024

For the second time, Steve has done an outstanding job on my manuscript. He is very thorough and professional. One of the best things he does is check my research to make sure it is historically accurate. In my opinion, that's going above and beyond! You should hire him!
John and Janice W.

John and Janice W.

Oct, 2024

Working with Steven Smith on Jack’s Story was an exceptional experience. His expertise and passion for military history took our well-researched manuscript and transformed it into a spellbinding, page-turning story from cover to cover. His understanding of the World War II landscape, and particularly the underrepresented details of the 7th Armored Division, added depth and significance that onl...
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Elisabeth D.

Elisabeth D.

Oct, 2024

Steve's comments on my writing and ideas were positive and he asked the correct questions concerning various people and events. Made me rethink some of the events and how they relate to the story. Also how people relate to one another. Steve also points out a bunch of events that I thought were clear, but obviously were not .
S J F.

S J F.

Aug, 2024

I hired Steve to edit my novel and found him knowledgeable and insightful. He caught a glaring plot error (that I was thankfully able to fix quickly) and a number of characterization improvements. His thoughts on adding a subtitle, changing the placement of maps, and fixes on my seeming inability to use commas correctly were spot on. What I most appreciated about working with Steve was his enco...
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Roderick S.

Roderick S.

Feb, 2024

Steve was utmost professional in the editing of my book manuscript. His knowledge of military history and historical novels in general was crucial in taking off the rough edges of my novel. His comments and recommendations were well thought out, not only from a technical point of view, but also from a reader's aspect.

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