Vanessa Wells

Vanessa Wells – Editor

I've edited everything from Tom Clancy books to award-shortlisted thrillers to debut novels by authors publishing independently.

Overview

I've enjoyed warm collaboration with new and seasoned writers in historical, speculative, and general fiction for 12 years. No red-pen attitude here! I've worked for indie authors and publishers, and no matter the client, my aim is always to prevent embarrassment: I've got your back!

I’ve met the stringent requisites to become an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP, formerly SfEP), perhaps the highest-regarded editing association globally. I’ve also spoken at several international conferences on editing.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Christian Fiction Dystopian Historical Fiction Historical Romance Post-Apocalyptic Technothriller
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders

Work experience

Self-employed

Jul, 2014 — Present
I worked for a few years on a magazine before going full-time with my own business. Most of my work has been with a Big 5 publisher, where they call me their resident polyglot!

Portfolio

Net Force: Threat Point (Net Force Series, 3)

Preisler, Jerome

Hanover Square Press

Copy Editing
Net Force: Attack Protocol (Net Force Series, 2)

Preisler, Jerome

Hanover Square Press

Copy Editing
Net Force: Moving Target (Net Force Series, 4)

Preisler, Jerome

Hanover Square Press

Copy Editing
Sky View: Descending

Eggers, Devon R.

D. Eggers Enterprises Ltd.

Copy Editing
Sky View

Eggers, Devon R.

D. Eggers Enterprises Ltd.

Proofreading
Death is a Many-Splendored Thing

Belle, William Quincy

BG Ltd.

Proofreading
Metrofloat New York

Belle, William Quincy

BG Ltd.

Copy Editing
Boy Moscow: Cold War Exploits and Adventures

Scarrott, Kevin Paul

Independently published

Copy Editing Indexing
Why Was Rachel Murdered?

Prentice, Bill

Echo Road

Copy Editing
Shattered Illusions: KGB Cold War Espionage in Canada (Security and Professional Intelligence Education Series)

Mahar, Donald G.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Copy Editing
Hope of Ages Past: An Epic Novel of Faith, Love, and the Thirty Years War

Gardner, Bruce

Bruce E. Gardner

Copy Editing
To Be Wolves: A Novel of the Vestal Virgins (The Vesta Shadows Trilogy)

Debra May Macleod

Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

Copy Editing
Empire of Iron: A Novel of the Vestal Virgins (The Vesta Shadows Trilogy)

Debra May Macleod

Blackstone Publishing

Copy Editing
The Vesta Shadows Trilogy

Macleod, Debra May

Copy Editing

Vanessa has 8 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Aslynn H.

Aslynn H.

Feb, 2026

Finding Vanessa as my editor was the best thing I did for my book! Very knowledgeable and really understood what I was going for in my book. Her edits improved my writing while still preserving it as my writing.
Vanessa W.
Thank you, Aslynn. That should be the aim of a professional editor: not to rewrite your book, just offer ideas about tweaks for clarity, correctness and conciseness. Best regards!
Will M.

Will M.

Feb, 2026

Vanessa was highly professional, easy to work with and thankfully spotted a few inconsistencies.
Vanessa W.
Thank you, Will. It was a pleasure working with you--and I hope to again on a sequel!
kishanda S.

kishanda S.

Jan, 2026

Vanessa was enthusiastic and supportive from our first interaction. I felt she was on board with my first attempt at a published story and that she was with me every step of the copy editing and proof reading way. Her guidance and advice lead to a book that was more finished and more readable. Th...
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Vanessa W.
Thank you for your very kind words, Kishanda. It was lovely to work with you and especially to collaborate on a topic close to the heart. Best wishes with your first publication! I'd love to edit y...
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Mir B.

Mir B.

Nov, 2025

Vanessa greatly improved my manuscript. Professional and awesome in every aspect. A great experience. A great editor. And a great person.
Vanessa W.
Thank you, Mir--the feeling is mutual. Despite being an accomplished and established author already, your openness to collaboration was a boon to my role. I can't wait to read and edit another of y...
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Saskia G.

Saskia G.

Oct, 2025

Vanessa has been great. Not only did she finish my project quicker than expected, she also provided an extremely comprehensive copyedit. She also answered all the various questions I had once the copyedit came back. She offered suggestions and solutions throughout the manuscript. Vanessa also se...
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Vanessa W.
Hi Saskia--thanks for the very kind words. While I don't expect authors to use my changes-accepted file, writers do tend to appreciate seeing it as a first look at the edit so they can (a) see that...
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