Samuel S.

One of the "Best Editors in the United States" (Upwork, October 2026) | Top Rated (2020–2026) | Two-time General Excellence Award Winner (Kentucky Press Association, Tennessee Press Association) — Everyone has a story, so everyone needs an editor. (A human editor.) My most meaningful work is in the shaping of words, finessing every project into its most fully realized form. I'm a writer's editor, having worked for newspapers, magazines, and storytellers for 20 years. You will almost always find me with a book or pen in my hand, if I'm not at my desk editing a manuscript or assignment. A bachelor's in English and master's in writing form the bedrock of my lifelong study of literature in all its forms. If you need an editor or proofreader, odds are I am more than qualified (and very eager to get started). I pride myself on keeping a diverse pool of clients, with assignments for novelists like Christopher Murphy (The Other Side of the Mirror), Jason Klamm (Ferris Bueller ... You're My Hero), and Be Scofield (Hunting Lucifer). Name it, and I've edited it: novels, screenplays, memoirs, short stories, essays, travel guides, YA series, picture books, flash fiction, commercial pieces, website ads, product packaging, email campaigns, slideshows, recipes, B2B/B2C assignments, and so much more in just about every industry and genre. Empathy is an underestimated force of nature that informs my own writing, along with my all-in process as an editor and proofreader. My first priority is learning from my clients what kind of editor they need: developmental, line, copy, proofread, or all the above. At the center of my work is the mission of preserving and amplifying each client's voice, whether you are a fellow Appalachian writer or a department of the Small Business Administration. Send me your projects and pages. I will gladly make room for them.