What’s your story?
Mine is filled with curiosity, a sense of adventure, and a love for the written word. I’m always ready to be moved to tears by the unexpected turn of phrase, lost in well-crafted imagery, or to fall in love with a character I’ve only just met. One of my favorite things about being an editor is knowing that I’ve helped writers create moments like these.
For many writers, the prospect of hiring an editor feels completely daunting. Sometimes we’re worried about the expense, sometimes it’s because we’re not sure we want strangers telling us how bad our work is, and sometimes it’s because we’re not even sure how to get started hiring an editor.
The most important thing to know is that I share your goal of creating the best possible manuscript. Good editors recognize that different writers, and different projects, have different needs and goals; it is the editor’s job is to meet writers where they are and help them get where they want to go.
Think of it this way: every manuscript goes through an editorial process, whether the writer has used a professional or opted to self-edit the work. One of the key advantages of hiring a professional editor is this: fresh, objective eyes, and the skill to help you hone and polish your work.
What do you need?
Developmental Editor
Plot, character, and story
Beta Reader
Reader’s perspective first look
Proofreader
Final clean-up
Copyeditor
Content, flow, and continuity
Brooke Baker
I believe in the power of the Oxford comma. I’ve had fun learning to weld and to drive a backhoe. I once worked as a courier in Anchorage, Alaska, and as a news reporter for a public radio station in Houston, Texas. I’ve taken printmaking classes, worked in a soup kitchen, and one holiday season baked and hand-decorated (badly) eighteen dozen cookies for a library bake sale. Currently, I live in Western New York where I’m finishing my Master Editor certification through the University of Chicago.
I have more than 20 years of experience as a college writing tutor and lecturer. I have a BA in Writing and an MA in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Michigan. I have a Hopwood Award (for short fiction) like Lawrence Kasdan, Marge Piercy, and Arthur Miller, though I’d never claim to be anywhere near their league. These days, although I do some writing, I’ve returned to my first love: working with writers. It’s what has drawn me first to tutoring, and now to editing.
My editing experience includes romance novels, mystery novellas, women’s fiction, dissertations, college applications, and scholarly journals.
I’m also a member of ACES: The Society for Editors; Romance Writers of America (RWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA).
My style of editing
As a writer myself, I know that every word I’ve written is either a gem or complete rubbish; I need objective readers to help me see the truth. Different writers, and different projects, have different needs and goals. I share your goal of creating the best possible manuscript. You bring the project; I’ll bring my bag of editorial tricks.
Book a free 15 minute consultation.
You’ve got a great idea. Let’s chat.
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