Hire the Best Book Editors in Wisconsin

Beautiful design is respect. I design reports, webs, books, and data visuals that help people understand and trust complex work. When content is dense or technical, I bring calm structure: clear hierarchy, strong typography, and charts that explain, not decorate. What I design and deliver • Impact reports, annual reports, research publications, guides/toolkits • Infographics, data visualization, and chart redesign • Book interiors, book covers, and ebook layout • Amazon KDP print + ebook production support (print-ready PDF, EPUB when needed) • Presentations and client-ready PDFs • Wix pages that match the publication design system (optional) What you can expect • Clear scope and milestones (no surprises) • Careful production details (styles, consistency, print readiness) • Clean, organized files and reliable handoff My background in education and software engineering helps me think in systems and deliver reliable handoffs: clean files, consistent styles, and clear communication. Tools & platforms: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Tableau, Python, Wix, Amazon KDP.

For over 30 years I've helped writers (from entrepreneurs to academics to healers) successfully shape what they're trying to say, in their own voice. I believe every document has an intended result or call to action; a tone, style or voice; and an ideal reader — and I edit towards those outcomes, working hand in hand with you. As a developmental editor, I'm the person to call when you have a pile of ideas, a half-finished draft, or a concept you're not sure how to frame. One of my strengths is organizing, so I'll help you figure out what belongs where and what doesn't. For books, I'll help you outline and title your masterpiece to make it land with impact for your ideal audience. (Every book I've helped develop has revealed a "surprise" chapter that turns out to be one of the most powerful one.) After that, I can coach you in writing or help you create your manuscript via the speak-to-write method, a specialty of mine that captures your voice. Tapping my marketing background, we can design a book to grow your business. I can even help you build your signature system. I came up through line editing and proofing, so I offer those services as well. I love that my clients often return for more. I prefer long-term relationships. What I bring: • Over 30 years of professional editing and writing, both corporate and freelance • Deep background in health, wellness, and spirituality; as well as entrepreneurship (esp. startup/growth phases) and marketing; and finance (formerly Series 7 and Series 65) • The intelligence to edit research and academic reports or white papers and catch errors • Speak-to-write book creation: You talk, I shape that transcript into your manuscript. • AI-fluent: I love to edit AI-generated content to sound human. On the flip side, I can use AI tools and create prompts to get your workflow done. • Ivy League BA in Economics • Work with AP, Chicago, APA, and eclectic in-house styles Selected work: • Right to Petition by Nicole Tisdale: Co-outlining, title development, coaching • Memoir: Developmental editing of a personal narrative about body image that helped a woman reclaim her story • Research reports of 100+ pp, including bivariate and multivariate modeling: Full line edit and proofing, plus I catch math errors Genres: Nonfiction, memoir, poetry Topics: • Health, wellness, nutrition, exercise, self-help, healing, spirituality, coaching • Money management, finance, economics; entrepreneurship • Published research reports, board communications, external-facing thought leadership • Book outlining and development How I Work: • I'm fast, reliable, and I take your subject matter seriously. • I bring a light touch and great respect for your voice and ideas. • Having worked with many clients, I can adapt flexibly to your editing preferences. Note: I am returning to Upwork (May 2026) after working with private clients for a few years, Therefore I currently have no Job Success Score, which requires two active contracts. When I was last active on Upwork, it ran at nearly 100% and I was a Rising Talent. I hope to return to that status this year.

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing (with a Minor in Communications) from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. I took rigorous courses in both academic writing, research, and creative writing. I specialized in poetry. I served on the school's literary journal, the Sheepshead Review, for two years, or four semesters. For three of those semesters I was on the editing team. I was the nonfiction editor one semester, and then co-chief and chief copyeditor for two semesters, respectively. I'm very good at looking through things and finding flaws, as well as rewording sentences so they make more sense. I'm also very good at casual writing and writing poetry, short stories, and articles for newspapers, which would translate over to blogs. If I have to do a little research, that's no problem. I once had to write a ten page research paper, so this is no big deal! I have been on Upwork for over 6 years now and I have edited over 160 manuscripts. I am the listed editor on the book AEGIS by Aether Quinn and registered in Bowker's databases (where the ISBNs for the book came from). One think I would really like to work on is ghostwriting small pieces or parts of books. I really want to strengthen that skill and would be honored if you let me do that in your manuscript. In my downtime I'm a huge nerd who reads, plays video games, and is into other geeky culture. I'm also a wife and have an adorable calico cat named Leliana. I very much look forward to working with anyone who is interested. I look forward to hearing from you!

Hello! I'm trained in how to tell stories effectively, and I'm skilled at helping my clients tell theirs. I offer services including ghostwriting, plot design, developmental editing, line editing and proofreading, and formatting for publication. I also recognize that every creative project is unique, which is why my extensive experience allows me to adapt to unique contracts that may not fit within a neat classification. If that sounds like a good fit for you, I hope we can connect!

With 12+ years of experience as a line, copy, and developmental editor working with independent authors and small presses, I serve clients including first-time novelists, memoirists and activists, families, prolific romance and thriller novelists, and multiple finalists in international short story competitions. I earned my copyediting license from the University of San Diego extension program. I work from a thorough knowledge of the Chicago Manual of Style, while flexibly accommodating author preferences. Going beyond grammatical corrections, I also provide suggestions for clear and vivid writing, with powerful pacing, content, and word choice. Each year, I read over 200 books in a wide variety of genres, from bestsellers to indie titles. Along with being great fun, this creates a wide perspective I bring to genre, literary, and cross-genre work, understanding readers’ expectations while respecting each author’s unique approach. My own experience as a writer means I understand how it feels to be edited–the work, the nerves, and the satisfaction of knowing a manuscript has been improved with the help of thoughtful input. "I can't say enough about the timely and thorough manuscript evaluation I received from Therese. Her detail-oriented critique not only provided me with invaluable suggestions with regards to the overall structure of my story but, just as important, also touched upon how to fine-tune the subtle aspects of my novel to create a more superior read. I look forward to utilizing her skill set again during the editing phase." -Alex F. "Therese copyedited my novel and did a great job. She offered many helpful suggestions and continues to respond to questions in a timely manner. I highly recommend Therese Arkenberg if you need fast and accurate editing." -Michael E. Kmiotek "The [developmental editing] memo alone is like a writing seminar targeted at my particular story. Therese Arkenberg' insights and editing skills were nothing short of remarkable. She seemed to know my characters better than I did. I was most fortunate to have found her." -T. Hahm PUBLISHING CAREER HELP Find anthologies, journals, and contests. Research literary agents and prepare your query letter and synopsis. Build a strategy to promote your work. Format manuscripts for self-publishing on Createspace or Lulu, Kindle, Smashwords, and other distributors. DELIVERY TIME Based on schedule and the needs of a particular project, short stories can take as little as 48 hours, novels between two weeks and two months. MORE CLIENT TESTIMONIALS: Jeff Jorczak (Cody Leet): "Therese was one of the beta readers for my new novel Spheria. The depth of her analysis and feedback were invaluable. She caught some very subtle continuity issues that I had not even thought of. Her love of sci-fi and technology also helped me in particular since this book was heavy on science. Last, the detail of her notes was amazing...I already asked her if we could working together again on my future projects. (and if you use her as a result of this recommendation, I get first dibs!)" Alero Dabor: “I do not think I would have completed my memoirs without Thesere. From the moment I started working with Therese, she has offered invaluable suggestions that empowered my story. Her understanding of what I was striving to achieve is truly commendable. Therese is an exceptional editor. I will recommend Therese to anyone I know who is looking for an editor.” Cynthia "Cyn" Duby: "I was very leery of hiring an editor and now I don't know what to do without one! And, there will never be another editor for me than Therese. She is extremely thorough, makes excellent suggestions, and has tightened up my novel, improved the way the story arcs, and has given me, not only global suggestions, but also incredible line by line edits. My writing has vastly improved and my confidence has grown immensely. She not only is a very talented writer and editor, but she also knows the business and, knowing that I seek publishing, has that in her mind when editing and when we correspond. My manuscripts will never leave home without her expert eye catching my errors, my repeated phrasing, and cutting the unnecessary words and confusing phrasing...Be prepared for corrections, be prepared to hear that there are changes, and then smile knowing every change, every edit is making your work the very best it can be." Zahara Heckscher: "Therese is a talented writer and editor. I highly recommend her for manuscript review. She provided essential big picture suggestions for my novel with excellent ideas for conflict and character development as well as a close read with page by page comments to improve the draft. She made excellent and specific suggestions that improved my novel—and helped me strengthen my craft as a writer."

As a copy editor, I have an excellent eye for detail, and am extremely thorough in my work. I enjoy adapting sentences to make them clearer and more concise, and my knowledge of grammar and punctuation is top-level. As an academic writer, I am experienced in research, formatting, and structure. I am nerdy enough to pursue information above and beyond the call of duty -- and I am skilled and experienced enough to then craft that information into a clear, interesting paper. As a ghostwriter, I can tap into my many, many years of devouring fiction of all eras in order to create charming, colorful, and exciting storytelling. My own writings have been professionally published.