In the Margins Editing Services

Your book deserves to be on someone's TBR list, not their DNF pile.

If you're dealing with plot holes, pacing issues, flat characters, and other big picture issues, a developmental edit will help you to manage those weak spots and create a stronger manuscript.

I'll provide you with a detailed developmental report with feedback and suggestions to strengthen your plot, develop characters your readers will connect with, and build worlds they'll wish were real.

My developmental editing service includes:

👉🏻 2 read throughs of your completed manuscript
👉🏻 Detailed comments in the margins with my questions, comments, and suggestions
👉🏻 Light comments regarding any line/copy issues that arise and how to fix
👉🏻 a chapter tracker detailing your story's progression, POV characters, light summaries of each chapter, questions, and possible continuity problems
👉🏻 a lengthy, detailed editorial report (typically 15–25 pages) summarizing my feedback on each level of your manuscript, including: themes, plot, structure, pacing, character development, world-building, etc.

Developmental Editing

Maybe you’re not ready to spend on a developmental edit, or maybe you’ve already gone through one and are looking for feedback on your revisions. 

Whatever the reason, you know that you’ve taken your own revisions as far as you can go and now it’s time to find out if your reader is picking up what you’re putting down.

Here's what you'll get with a beta read:

👉🏻 1 read through of your completed manuscript
👉🏻 Light comments in the margins with reactions, questions, etc.
👉🏻 a short note summarizing my perception of the story, what I see as it’s greatest strengths and weaknesses, light suggestions, and answers to any targeted questions you had going in


* Beta reading is not a substitute for developmental editing and will not result in the same level of feedback, but it can be an affordable "temperature check" option for those who cannot invest in a proper edit

Beta Reading

Build confidence in your writing and revision skills through one-on-one workshopping.

Are you a new writer who doubts their abilities? Are you more experienced but feel you could use help developing a certain skill?

I provide flexible options to meet you where you are. Whether you’re looking for:

🖋️ A temperature check on a chapter/excerpt
🖋️ Feedback on whether characters are drawing emotional responses from your readers
🖋️ The pacing of a scene
🖋️ Building your world
🖋️ Writing for the style and voice you want
🖋️ Learning to recognize and fix common copy mistakes

...or something else!

As a former university-level instructor of writing and editing, I bring a coach-like style to my workshopping to help you not only improve the words already on the page, but build skills to ensure you feel able to apply similar techniques and revisions to your writing down the line.

Isn't it time to get the feedback you need to grow as a writer?

Individual Workshopping

After providing editing services as a side hustle for over 15 years, I launched In the Margins in 2022. I'm currently offering:

✏️ developmental editing
👩🏻‍🏫 individual workshopping (to build skills and confidence)
📚 beta reading
✍🏻 writers' groups

Founder and Editor

Worked with internal stakeholders and brand strategists to develop clear and concise creative copy representing the unique voice, tone, and identity of university partners worldwide. This included development of email campaigns, paid social and out of home ads, organic and paid landing pages, video scripting, and more. 

Employment terminated as part of one of 2U's several mass, company-wide layoffs.

Copywriter

My analytical nature makes me an excellent problem-solver. In this role I assessed and improved team processes for efficiency, consistency, and clarity by: creating and offering strong, curated training sessions; serving as superuser and lead implementation manager for our event management and virtual event platforms and related integrations; and by continuing to educate myself so I could best support my teammates in a changing industry.

(Trilogy Education Services was acquired by 2U, Inc. in May 2019. My title and job responsibilities were changed and expanded multiple times throughout the transition due to 2U's struggle to oversee its acquisitions.)

Manager, Industry Engagement

I supported local and online teams in executing online career workshops and networking events that establish connections between boot camp students and local professionals. My interest in learning new skills lead to my taking a lead role in our transition to a new event management platform and, later, a promotion to Senior Project Manager.

(Trilogy Education Services was acquired by 2U, Inc. in May 2019)

Regional Event Coordinator, Northeast + Online

Provided: copy edits, line edits, developmental editing
Projects: dissertations, career materials, novels, short stories

Launched full-time editing business in 2022.

Freelance Editor

Salem State University

I had the pleasure of teaching undergraduate writing courses, with a focus on professional writing and editing. I also assisted in the advising of the Professional Writing concentration’s student-run online magazine.

Visiting Assistant Professor

Hawthorne Hotel

Engaged and maintained Hotel website and assisted with social media pages, including Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter; wrote and designed monthly e-mail guest newsletter; coordinated photography; assisted in redesign of hotel collateral and responsive website; designed print and online ads for hotel, restaurants, and weddings/catering department; edited letters and memos to guests to ensure consistency of Hotel brand and message; established and tracked marketing budget and checkbook; wrote monthly reports for Executive Committee and Hotel Owner.

Marketing Coordinator

Assisted the General Manager and staff in tracking guest comment cards and surveys, performed initial review of employment applications and distributed to executive team, managed donation requests, recorded meeting minutes, distributed information and mailings, and completed a variety of special projects including, but not limited to, preparation of hotel events, and the conversion of a large number of intricate budget files from Lotus to Excel resulting in the discovery of invoicing errors that brought tens of thousands back to the hotel from outside vendors. Other responsibilities included designing and writing the monthly employee newsletter.

Executive Administrative Assistant

Sylvan Learning Centers

(LOCATION CLOSED) Assisted the center director and director of education in scheduling tutoring and testing sessions, scheduling parent conferences, directing students, updating and organizing student binders and records, pulling materials for tutoring sessions and parent conferences, proctoring exams, placing supply orders, supporting staff, and responding to inquiry calls; instituted new procedures when scheduling tutoring sessions to correct high rate of scheduling errors made previous to my employment.

Barnstorm Literary Magazine

Publicized magazine utilizing social media (Facebook, Twitter), maintained and tracked activity on social media pages, read and helped select fiction submissions for publication.

Editor / Reader

Peabody Essex Museum

Worked with PEM planning staff to establish website, program, and publicity of Material World symposium, schedule all aspects of the symposium and two private round table sessions, assisted speakers and participants in travel and lodging arrangements, registered attendees, coordinated expense reimbursements and honoraria distributions to speakers, answered all inquiries of speakers and registrants, maintained symposium budget, and oversaw registration during the symposium to assist in any issues with attendees or staff.

Symposium Coordinator (Contracted)

Assisted in the application for, organization, publicizing and budgeting of several grant-funded conferences and institutes, including 2009 and 2010 NEH institutes, and the 2010 Terra Conference; took charge of institute participant housing and travel arrangements, and the photographing and documenting of classroom sessions and field trips; wrote the application for and received a supplemental grant to enhance the 2010 NEH project website; self-taught myself video editing software so as to edit short video podcasts for the 2010 NEH project website.

Executive Departmental Assistant (Art Department)

Assisted program coordinators, secretaries, and students of various graduate programs, arranged schedules, trained new student employees, and photographed several Graduate School events including the 2006 NEASECS conference and the annual Honors Banquet.

Program Assistant / Photographer (School of Graduate Studies)

Worked with other members of the editing staff to screen and select written and visual creative works to appear in 2008 edition.

Editor, Soundings East Magazine

Created and edited PowerPoint presentations, assisted in the organization and budgeting of the NEH Conference during the summer of 2006, and photographed student outings, lecturers and presentations for documentary purposes.

Assistant / Slide Librarian (Art Department)

I'm the founder and owner of In the Margins Editing & Writing Services, where I help fiction writers to craft their stories and meet their goals. I've also built a career being seen as a jack-of-all-trades. My curiosity, creativity, and inner nerd have made me a strong writer and communicator with a knack for unique problem-solving and a love of weird font facts.

At the end of the day, it comes down to this: I live and work by a core desire to learn. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out; if I don't know how to do something I need to do, I'll learn.

✨

Some of my favorite feedback:

"I wish you could be the COO of my life." - from a friend and former colleague

"You can see the fire before anyone else even smells smoke." - from my former director

"You do so much. Your 100% is like someone else's 120%." - from a former colleague

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