Are you feeling stuck with your manuscript? Do you feel unsure about how to take your writing to the next level? Have you received waffly critiques in the past that left you confused about how to improve your manuscript and create a book that readers will love? When you work with me, I’ll give you the straight dope.
Years of book industry experience as a former bookseller and book buyer gives me a strong feel for what readers want from a book—and what compels them to read on.
My academic background in English and my experience as a slush reader both provide me with the tools to assess your writing with my detail-oriented eye. Using concise, direct language, I’ll help you learn how to fix common problems and push your writing to the next level.
My specialty is genre fiction: speculative fiction, horror, romance, mysteries, thrillers, yup—even westerns, all have a place in my heart. I love to explore the tropes, expectations, and specific beats of each of these types of fiction—always with an eye to market viability—and I hope to share that enthusiasm with every author that I work with. If you’re ready to dig deep and set clear goals, I’d love to hear from you!
For fiction works, I follow Chicago Manual of Style guidelines.
Education:
BA Business and English, summa cum laude, Green Mountain College
Courses:
Copyediting
Fundamentals of Editing
Editing Mastery
Editing Fiction
Introduction to Developmental Editing
Evaluating Manuscripts
Creative Nonfiction
Experience:
Bookbuyers
Barnes & Noble
Powell’s Books
Distributed Proofreaders/Project Gutenberg
Strange Horizons
Have a question or comment? Like what you see and want to work with me? Contact me here:
© Jean McConnell, 2018–2022. All rights reserved.