Wendy Heard – Editor

During my decade-long career as an author, I've invested in the writing community by uplifting writers through various mentorship programs. After serving as PitchWars mentor and seeing my mentees go on to earn major book deals, I realized I loved the collaboration of editing, and I began providing freelance editorial services. That was seven years ago, and I've been editing ever since! My clients have gone on to do well in traditional and indie publishing, and I'm so proud of the work they've done!

Before being a full-time writer and editor, I was an educator with a specialization in adult learning, and I come to this work with a teaching and learning mindset. I want to set you up for the future.

I bring encouragement, honesty, and a lot of industry knowledge to my editorial services. If you need someone to help you organize your ideas, find the places the plot is slowing down or the opportunities for improvement in your character arcs, I'm your person. I'm also very helpful at the line level, looking for ways to clean up your prose and hone your unique voice. I have developmental, line, and copy edited eight of my own books for publication, and I am detail-oriented and enjoy both building and polishing prose with my talented clients.

Thanks to my background as an educator, clients walk away from our interactions with more than just an edit; they feel equipped to tackle future projects.

TESTIMONIALS:

"Wendy has proven herself an invaluable asset to my writing process time and again. In developmental edits, she has a keen eye for what will make the story stronger and what needs to be pared down. Her instincts for character development and plot are incredible. I don't know what I'd do without her!"

—Layne Fargo, author of We'll Never Tell, Temper, and Young Rich Widows

"Wendy's feedback on The Hurricane Blonde has helped push this book through such difficult moments! She's someone I go to with the stickiest plot problems, the person who can detangle almost any web I've woven. She's great with details, and she's great with larger conceptual problems."

—Halley Sutton, author of The Hurricane Blonde and The Lady Upstairs

A note on content:

I'm not a good fit for projects that feature on-page scenes of animal abuse, sexual abuse of children, or graphic sexual assault. I am happy to read projects where these topics are discussed, handled off-page, or are featured as overarching themes.

A note on AI:

I do not use AI for any part of my processes. All work and communications are original content.