Editing services for fiction & creative nonfiction

  • Includes feedback on theme, titles, poem order, line edits (word choice, line breaks, meter, etc.), and possible revisions.

  • Includes 1-3 pages of “big picture” feedback on theme, scope, structure, transitions, pacing, character development, and grammar. Can be done at any stage of the writing process, from early ideas to completed drafts.

  • Includes generous, constructive margin comments on structure, character, theme, plot, pacing, etc. Can be done at any stage of the writing process, from early ideas to completed drafts.

  • Sentence-level edits that focus on tone, word choice, grammar, clarity, and flow. Typically done as part of a developmental or copy edit.

  • A thorough assessment of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Ensures your piece is consistent and accurate.

  • Prior to becoming a writer and editor, I worked as a social worker (LICSW). My graduate-level training and professional experience centered around mental health, specifically assessment and diagnosis of conditions according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). With that background, I can read your manuscript for authenticity regarding a variety of mental health conditions.

I especially love reading: poetry, creative nonfiction, folklore/fairy tale retellings, science fiction, environmental fiction and nonfiction, speculative fiction, flash, and weird/hybrid/genre-defying manuscripts.

Editorial resume can be found here.

What People Are Saying

"Amanda is outstanding. After working with publishing companies and other editors who made my manuscript feel more confusing and overwhelming, Amanda read through the fourth draft of my [110,000-word post-apocalyptic] novel and took detailed notes that clarified the weak points in my story and helped me work through the flaws in my character development. Amanda’s input was not only helpful, it was encouraging and kind. That’s a rare gift when handing someone a copy of your work that feels so painfully vulnerable." 

— Joe Feuille

"Working with Amanda was a wonderful experience. Her warmth, kindness, and thoughtfulness made the editing process so much less intimidating that I thought it would be. She gave me helpful and genuine feedback on my poetry manuscript when I was feeling stuck and uncertain. I greatly appreciated her promptness and not leaving me hanging when I was feeling nervous about having someone read my work. Her insight and encouragement were invaluable and I’m so grateful I was able to work with her. I would work with Amanda again, in a heartbeat."

— Heather C. Krueger

“Amanda is a warm-hearted and generous collaborator with a finely-tuned ear for language. As a developmental editor, she is continuously interested in the author’s vision and point of view. My experience with her services has been a genuine delight as she challenges me to refine and further define my meaning and intent, leaving my work (an 11,000-word fairy tale) truer and more certain of its own worth. I am continually grateful for her insight.”

— Michael A. Smith, playwright and Editor in Chief of The Object

“When working with Amanda [on a developmental edit of my debut poetry collection], I felt a sense of trust from the start. As a writer, it takes a lot of vulnerability to share new work with someone. But Amanda makes you feel comfortable throughout the process. She provides an insightful perspective that has made me become a better writer. I would recommend her to a friend and will be hiring her again for future projects.”

— Amber Michele Giangregorio, author of Seasons of Sobriety