Updated December 2021
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
- For free: Jane’s Writing Advice Archive
- In book form: The Business of Being a Writer
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 Andi Cumbo-Floyd offers a wide range of budget-friendly services for all types of writers. I recommend her manuscript review, where you can get big-picture feedback before investing in a comprehensive editing job.
- 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.
- 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
- Copy Write Consultants offers a sharp eye at an affordable price.
- Tessera Editorial offers copyediting and proofreading services using Chicago Manual of Style.
- The Editorial Freelancers Association is a national, nonprofit professional organization of writers and editors, with 2,500 members nationwide. You can post your job to their JobList for free.
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 an extensive list of other firms who can help.
Agent or Publisher Research
- Copy Write Consultants: They offer customized market research based on the qualities of your book project.
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.
Legal Issues | Literary Lawyers
- Adam Losey at Losey can help with copyright and trademark registration, infringement cases, licensing and franchise contracts, and legal issues related to writing about other people.
- Here’s a fuller list of literary lawyers.
Author Websites
- I personally work with Writer Digital for website help that goes beyond my level of expertise.
- Dandelion Web Marketing is great for website launches or redesigns.
- Author Pop is run by a publishing industry and marketing expert.
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.
- Want to share your work with other writers and get feedback? Try one of these communities: Wattpad or Scribophile
General Industry Resources
- Especially good for sussing out scams and not-quite-legitimate publishers and agents: Writer Beware. It’s also a great 101 site for learning about the publishing industry.
- Wondering how to get published? Read my “start here” post.
- Wondering how to find publishers and agents? Here are free 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.
Publishing Industry News & Trends
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.