Hire the Best Line Editing Freelancers in Illinois

From 2007 to 2017 I was the owner of the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, which published 40 books for total distribution of over 20,000 copies. Along the way, CCLaP's books won or were finalists for a half-dozen awards, including the Pushcart Prize, the Lambda Award for LGBTQ literature, and the Independent Publisher Book Award; and the center itself was named one of the 10 best indie presses in the United States by both BookRiot and Poets & Writers magazine. Now I bring that same award-winning deep experience to your own self-published or small-press manuscript, helping you hone it with a fine knife into the best book it can possibly be. I currently offer three services as a freelancer, the first and main one being editing. I provide not only developmental editing (helping you identify “big picture” problems regarding the story, characters, dialogue, information logic, and more) but also copy editing (including a close-in technical pass for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage, also sometimes known as “line editing” or “content editing”) and post-production proofreading (where I review not only the text but also all the book parts, such as headers and footers, the title page and synopsis, etc.). I charge half a cent per word for proofreading, 1 cent per word for either developmental or copy editing, or a bundled discount of 1.5 cents per word for all three. Secondly, I offer graphic design of your book’s interior pages. If you have specific ideas beforehand of what you’d like included, I’m happy to incorporate those wishes; or otherwise we work in an iterative process, where I present you multiple options as far as layout style and typeface choices, and over several back-and-forth discussions we whittle things down to a design you love. For books of less than 500 pages/100,000 words with no tables, I charge a flat $300 for the entire process, plus provide EPUB and Kindle ebook versions for free; please drop me a line if you have a bigger or more complicated book. (My apologies, but I do not offer cover design as a freelance service.) And thirdly, I offer help as a story coach, which you can think of as a creative writing college course but with only one student, you. I meet up with you at whatever frequency works best, review the latest work, give you pointers on where to go next, help you brainstorm ideas, and serve as an accountability partner during mental blocks. You determine exactly what kind of help would work best for you, and the maximum amount of hours I should work per week, at a rate of $30 per hour. See my portfolio section at the bottom of the page for a broad selection of testimonials from authors I've worked with as a freelancer, and praise my books have garnered over the years from such publications as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, the Chicago Tribune, HTMLGIANT, and more. Proud member of: American Copy Editors Society Romance Writers of America (fellow RWA members get a discount; write for more) Chicago-North Romance Writers ANTI-AI PLEDGE: I promise that all work I complete for clients has been, and will always be, accomplished using only my human brain and ten human fingers, never using AI bots, Grammarly, or other software options.

Hello! I am an editor and English teacher with a B.A. in English and a passion for helping writers bring impactful, quality work to their audiences. I have been proofreading and editing writing since 2016 and would love to help with your next project. I offer developmental editing, copy and line editing, and proofreading in any genre. As an avid reader and writer, it's been a pleasure working on an incredibly diverse variety of literature and collaborating with many up and coming writers. In fiction, I specialize in fantasy, romance, young adult, and memoir. I've edited full length nonfiction books, educational and academic materials, dissertations, and job and college applications. I'm also experienced in children's books. Any project you bring to me, I will tackle with enthusiasm, care, and a meticulous eye for potential improvement. Bringing out authors' unique voices, tailoring content to their target audience, and providing detailed feedback are some of my strengths as an editor. I am knowledgable about grammar, style, figurative language, industry standards, and more, and would love to help make your work the best it can be. Don't take my word for it; check out the reviews from my clients! I am the author of the adventure novel No Matter What, and a contributor to the anthology Illinois' Best Emerging Poets, and have helped multiple authors navigate their own publishing journeys. I am happy to answer any questions you have and set up a custom contract to meet your needs. Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to collaborating on your next project.

I am the award-winning author of the young adult novels SAY NO TO THE BRO and GENA/FINN. I am also a professional copywriter and editor with more than ten years' experience. An eye for detail and a wealth of experience are just the beginning of what I will bring to your project. I work with your schedule and deadlines and ensure a prompt turnaround. You will find me agreeable and easy to work with.

Hello, I strive to optimize your written work to its full potential. I've edited and proofread a range of materials: from a doctoral candidate's cover letter and a leadership booklet to numerous blog posts, articles, and a six-month daily devotional. I have edited two children’s books and a self-help book. I'm a native English speaker from the USA. I hold a bachelor's degree in history, with teacher's certification and a minor in social science. My teaching credentials included History, Political Science, Sociology, English, and Language Arts. I hold certificates from The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in editing, namely: • Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing • Poynter ACES Certificate in Accurate, Audience-focused Editing While accuracy is my top priority, I'm also mindful of budgetary constraints and deadlines. Tamara Austin

Thank you for taking the time to check out my profile! I am very excited to provide my freelance editing on UpWork. I have a wide range of experience with beta reading, editing and proofreading of documents, novels, novellas, business reports and the like. I have been on UpWork for over three years providing my services. I am open to all kinds of projects and learning new ways to gain experience in proofreading and line editing. I have a wide range of life experience skills from traveling, dragon boat racing, knitting/crocheting, and dog mom. I have incredible work ethic, and I cannot leave a project finished without making it the best possible. My whole life I have loved books! I have a personal library of over 1000 novels and texts. No, I have not read them all, but I love supporting authors I love. One day would like to own my very own bookstore! It is a big dream and that is why I am on UpWork. I want to gain as much experience working with books as I can in any type of way. I would like to eventually edit books as my main source of income and move away from the 9-5 life. I have excellent skills with Word documents, PowerPoint, and Excel. I am looking for new projects that I can use to build my resume and work experience in the proofreading and editing world.

I believe my role as an editor is to help writers express themselves in their own voice as clearly and eloquently as possible. This calls for honesty, sensitivity, excellent communication, a collaborative mindset, and an obsessive attention to detail, all traits I strive to embody every day. As they say, variety is the spice of life, and for me this holds true in editing as well. That's why I edit most types of content (yes, including AI-generated or assisted, though I advise writers to please at least attempt to write your own content), and am always looking to forge long-term relationships. I have years of experience editing: - Adult, YA, and middle grade fiction: fantasy, thriller, mystery/suspense, literary, historical. All lengths, from short stories to epic fantasies - Non-fiction: memoir, historical, self-help/personal development, marketing collateral, white papers, consultant reports, etc. *Please note that AI-generated content is more difficult to edit than human writing because of its deceptive nature and lack of depth/personality/nuance, which may result in longer timeframes for completion. We editors are trying to adapt to the 'AI slop' flooding the market, but trust me, we'd much rather be helping you write your own content! I'm passionate about what I do, and consider it a privilege to help writers of all skill levels bring their vision to life. Know that I will be as invested as you are in the quality of your final draft. Reach out to me and let's get started! I look forward to working with you.