Recommended Resources

Updated May 2022

None of these freelancers or services have paid to be listed, nor do I receive a commission for referring you. These are all people I’ve either met and worked with directly, or people who have long-standing and respectable reputations in the writing and publishing community.

The Best of My Advice

Also, I’ve created a list of my favorite books on writing and publishing.

Editing and Coaching

If you’ve never before worked with an editor, I urge you to read this post first on finding, hiring, and working with a freelance editor.

  • Writer and editor Susan DeFreitas offers manuscript evaluations and coaching for writers working in speculative and literary fiction, with a focus on social/environmental justice and writers from historically marginalized backgrounds.
  • Editor Mary-Theresa Hussey worked for many years in traditional publishing and is now a freelancer. She typically works with romance, urban fantasy, and young adult, but is open to many types of fiction.
  • Lisa Cooper Ellison is an experienced writing coach and thoughtful editor who can help a wide range of fiction and creative nonfiction writers.
  • Sarah Chauncey focuses on developmental editing and storytelling technique for narrative nonfiction and memoir.
  • Athena Dixon offers high level editing for individual personal essays and collections in addition to fiction projects and sensitivity reads.
  • Whether you’re writing a novel, seeking a ghostwriter, or looking to publish a book from your nonfiction expertise, Stuart Horwitz of Book Architecture can help.
  • Editor Paul Witcover is a traditionally published author of speculative fiction who can offer editorial help across a range of fiction categories.
  • Mehta Book Editing can help with both children’s and adult work, including young adult, middle grade, commercial women’s fiction, literary fiction, and more.
  • Tessera Editorial offers a manuscript editing across all genres, as well as sensitivity reading.
  • Lexi Services (Melanie Bishop) offers manuscript editing and consulting across genres.
  • I can offer more recommendations if you contact me.

Copyediting and Proofreading

Query and Synopsis Editing

  • Jessica Strawser, the former editor of Writer’s Digest, offers a Gut Check Package that helps you perfect your submissions materials.
  • Copy Write Consultants offers synopsis editing if you’re struggling with your novel or memoir synopsis.

Book Design and Production

  • Damonza is a popular choice for self-publishing authors, with economical packages and professional cover and interior design services.
  • Book Design Templates from Joel Friedlander is an economical resource for producing an interior design for print (POD) book; his templates can also produce EPUB files.
  • If you need help with print and ebook formatting/conversion, check out eBookPartnership.

Book Marketing and Publicity

  • Best Page Forward offers a book description toolkit to ensure professional and persuasive book marketing copy, especially at Amazon.
  • Contact me for a list of other firms who can help.

Agent & Publisher Research

  • Copy Write Consultants: They prepare agent and publisher lists if you don’t want to research the market yourself.

Permissions | Fair Use | Fact Checking

  • Copy Write Consultants: If you’re struggling with securing permissions, or aren’t sure if you even need permissions, this firm can help you sort through all the questions (and risks). They can also do fact checking on many types of manuscripts.

Author Websites

A Few More of My Favorite Folks

  • For business advice related to freelancing and journalism: Subscribe/listen to The Writers’ Co-op or join StudyHall.
  • Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers newsletter lists semi-pro or higher paying markets and contests as well as grants, crowdfunding, contests, publishers, agents and employers.
  • Need a platform to help facilitate your writing or critique group? Try Inked Voices.

General Industry Resources

Can’t find what you need? Search The Writer’s Knowledge Base for an answer; it’s curated by someone in the business you can trust.

Writers tend to get frustrated and bitter in their attempts to publish—usually because they don’t understand how the publishing industry works, or they have expectations that will never be met. I offer a paid newsletter, The Hot Sheet, that helps remedy that.