Kerri M.

I’m a fiction editor with a compulsively analytical mind, the instincts of a lifelong avid reader, and nine years of professional freelance editing experience. I specialize in science fiction and fantasy, but I’ve also worked extensively with thrillers, urban fantasy, YA and middle-grade fiction, and other genres. I’m equally comfortable nit-picking commas, smoothing awkward prose, and stepping back to ask whether a character arc works, a plot development feels earned, or the timeline actually makes sense. More importantly, I understand that your manuscript is yours. I’m a writer myself, and I know how personal writing can be. My job isn’t to rewrite your book into the book I would have written. It’s to help you make your book stronger while preserving your voice, your vision, and the things that already make it special. I can help with: • Developmental editing: plot, pacing, character development, worldbuilding, continuity, believability, timelines, inconsistencies, and structure • Line editing: flow, clarity, sentence structure, dialogue, word choice, repetition, awkward phrasing, and style • Copyediting: grammar, punctuation, usage, spelling, consistency, and Chicago style • Author coaching: brainstorming, troubleshooting story problems, revisions, and writer’s block I’ve maintained a 5.0 rating on Upwork and have had many clients return with additional projects. One author first hired me in 2018, and I’ve now edited more than twenty of her books. Those long-term relationships matter to me. I want authors to feel comfortable asking questions, disagreeing with suggestions, and talking through problems with me. Editing works best as a collaboration—not as an editor handing down commandments from on high. For fiction editing, I generally use Microsoft Word with Track Changes so you retain complete control over every change. I use The Chicago Manual of Style as my primary style guide for novels and Merriam-Webster for spelling and usage. My background includes ten years teaching high school English, university writing-center work, private tutoring, paralegal work, and two years as deputy editor of a space advocacy magazine. I have an MA in English and defended my thesis with distinction. But credentials only tell you so much about an editor. The best way to find out whether we’re a good fit is to see what I do with your writing. I’m happy to provide a free sample edit of up to approximately 1,000 words. For larger projects, I prefer to skim the full manuscript first and select a representative passage so you get a realistic sample and I can estimate the scope and cost accurately. If you’re looking for an editor who will notice both the misplaced comma and the plot problem hiding three chapters away—and who will tell you about both without making you regret ever showing another human being your manuscript—I’d love to hear about your book.