Trista Smith

Trista Smith – Editor

Experienced copyeditor and proofreader specializing in adult fiction (long-form and short stories), self-help and memoir.

Overview

My early editing career was in the academic sector, which gave me a solid footing in the strict rules of copy editing and proofreading (and the confidence to know when to break them). Since then my work has run the gamut from novels and memoirs to feature-length scripts, recipes, and short stories.


I have an MA in oral history and am 100% committed to making the author's voice as transparent as possible, regardless of the medium. I love applying that concept to fiction and supporting both new and experienced writers to get the best possible result from their labor of love (and sometimes agony!).


I am a qualified librarian and can provide research and fact checking services as well.


I'd love to hear about what you are working on and see if I can be of service.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Chick Lit Contemporary Fiction Short Story Thriller & Suspense
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA English and Spanish
  • MA Life History Research
  • MA Library and Information Services Management

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2008 — Present

Editing services for academic and trade publishers, and corporate clients

Self-employed

Apr, 2010 — Jun, 2016 (about 6 years)

UK Department for Education, Chesterfield Borough Council, De Montfort University

SAGE Publications

Sep, 2005 — Sep, 2014 (about 9 years)

Academic journals publishing in social sciences and STM

Trista has 21 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Dolores P.

Dolores P.

Jan, 2025

Trista did a great job. She provided detailed feedback, explaining why the recommendations in copy were made, and took the time to offer additional suggestions in terms of gaps in character development and relationships. She touched base partway and invited feedback. My past experiences with editors were often not this positive and never this educational. It's a pleasure to learn so much from t...
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Matthew L.

Matthew L.

Oct, 2024

Trista completed the task on schedule and to my satisfaction. Her detailed oriented approach is exactly what I wanted in a proof reader. As an example of this is when I mentioned a district of Lisbon called Alges. She spotted that the e required an accent so it read Algés. She also went above what I expected in terms of suggesting more appropriate words at points in the text. I would highly rec...
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Christopher O.

Christopher O.

Jun, 2024

My novel had numerous female leads and took place around the UK. So, as a male from the US, I was looking for a female editor that could help bridge the cultural/language barrier for some of the characters. Trista was THE proofreader I needed. We talked through some of my specific needs and she went to work. She helped build consistency in my manuscript, including the presentation of inner th...
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Kathy S.

Kathy S.

May, 2024

Trisha delivered the edit of my manuscript on time and attuned to the details I asked her to be especially aware of. Professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Mark E.

Mark E.

Apr, 2024

Trista did an amazing job and provided extremely helpful advice! I couldn't ask for a better editor!

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