I have always been intrigued by the written word; I suppose that’s why I ended up with a degree in English Literature. While some consider that a semi-useless achievement, it has served me well. During my 29 years as an educator, I was the go-to editor/proofreader for countless students, colleagues, and friends. I followed that with a two-year stint as Program Assistant at Bay Area Turning Point, a nonprofit that provides shelter and recovery services for women and children who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, where I served as the unofficial agency proofreader, editing and revising agency letters, documents, and webpage articles for my colleagues. As a reader, I have always been tormented by the little things I stumble across in books: misspelled words, typos, grammar errors, etc. When Richard Stephenson published the sneak peek of his debut novel, Collapse, I took a look, then stopped. The storyline had pulled me in, but the grammatical problems drove me nuts! I emailed him and offered to do some editing . . . and haven’t looked back since.
Back in the good ol’ days, writers didn’t have the option to self-publish. Things have changed, thankfully, and writers are putting their blood, sweat, and tears into writing projects that can now be made available to the public without the need for a big-time publishing house’s seal of approval. That’s where a professional independent editor comes into the picture. Whether you’re planning to self-publish or want to pitch your work to an agent, publishing house, or publication, I can help. Take a look at the services I have to offer and contact me for further information.
Dear Susan,
Upon reading your post, I realized how much we have in common in our personal lives. I have a degree in English Language and Literature, I taught 27 years in the public school system, and have been editing, revising, and proofreading upper-level high school students forever (not really, but it felt that way). Must of all, grammar errors drive me bonkers!
Having self-published my first novel, Sunny Side Up, in collaboration with my daughter, it’s time for round two. You seem like just the person I would like to trust with my book baby. The first book is clean and well-edited; however, your background and experience seem like perhaps a better fit. I have submitted a sample of Deviled, and look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Maureen!
Thanks so much for getting in touch. We really do have a lot in common, don’t we? I just downloaded your sample of Deviled and am looking forward to taking a look at it.
Thanks for taking advantage of my free sample edit offer.
Talk to you soon!