Editorial Services
Do you have a book that needs a once-over for typos, a complete plot or characterization overhaul, or just some TLC?
You need an editor before you send your book to an agent or small press, or even self-publish. If your book is well polished, your reader will take your message seriously, and won’t be distracted by errors or clumsy writing.
Jessica Knauss is a great editor because she loves books. Her foundation rests on writing workshops, editorial services for small presses, independent editorial work, and a thorough education that includes two MAs, an MFA, and a PhD. She is also a published author who understands a writer’s needs.
She provides copyediting and content editing at an affordable price starting at one cent a word. CONTACT at acedrexpublishing at yahoo dot com for a free quote.
She specializes in historical fiction, literary fiction, contemporary/mainstream, and short stories as well as historical/biographical non-fiction and can also be consulted about other genres.
Jessica is especially talented at streamlining wordy prose, focusing the narrative voice, and catching logical and historical errors.
Additionally, she can shepherd any type of text translated into English through a process that ensures accuracy, fidelity to the original, and natural sound and rhythm in the target language.
¡También corrige textos en español! En español Jessica tiene las mismas especialidades (histórica, literaria, relato) y el mismo nivel de profesionalidad.
Experience
- Writing workshops, including the University of Iowa, Grub Street, and the Tin House Summer Workshop
- A thorough education: BA, two MAs, MFA, and PhD — all writing and editing intensive
- Editorial positions at Hawthorne Books, Fireship Press, Loose Leaves Publishing, The Worcester Review, and Victory Productions
- Membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the American Literary Translators Association
- Independent editorial work, memberships in editing networks, and (remote) freelancing for some large companies (such as HarperCollins Children’s, Historical Editorial, the University of Arizona Press, and the University of New Mexico Press)
- Novels and short story collections published, so I understand publishing from both sides
Types of Editing
Developmental Edit
All the essentials are covered: plot, pacing, character development, structure, dialogue, and point of view. Jessica will make notes on your manuscript in an agreed-upon format. She’ll make suggestions and provide rationale. She can provide consultations about any of the comments.
Revision Content Edit
This service can be performed as a second step. You go through the suggestions from the first content edit and send the manuscript back to Jessica. She will evaluate whether the changes work and clear up any big-picture errors generated in the revision process.
Copyedit
This step is essential for avoiding the mistakes your readers or prospective publishers are most likely to notice first. Jessica can perform a copyedit as a final step after the content edits, or as a separate service. Jessica specializes in catching what spell-check can’t, questions historicity and plausibility in your manuscript, and knows when to put the apostrophe in “its.”
Selected Published Books Edited by Jessica
Along the Far Shores by Kristin Gleeson (historical fiction) 2015
Amada’s Blessings from the Peyote Gardens of South Texas by Stacy B. Schaefer (nonfiction) University of New Mexico Press, 2015
Anahareo: A Wilderness Spirit by Kristin Gleeson (biography) Fireship Press, 2012
The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar by Kim Rendfeld (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2014
The Assassin’s Wife by Moonyeen Blakey (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Astreya Trilogy by Seymour Hamilton (historical fantasy) Fireship Press, 2011 and 2012
Banana Cowboys: The United Fruit Company’s White-Collar Empire and the Culture of Corporate Colonialism by James W. Martin (history) University of New Mexico Press, 2018
Cancer, Autism and Their Epigenetic Roots by K. Jon Morrow, Jr. (nonfiction) McFarland, 2014
Un catecismo para los negocios: Respuestas de la enseñanza católica a los dilemas éticos de la empresa by Andrew V. Abela and Joseph E. Capizzi, translated by Francisco J. Lara (religion) Catholic University of America Press, 2016
Confessions of the Creature by Gary Inbinder (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Crusader by S. A. Laroche (sci-fi fantasy) 2013
The Cross and the Dragon by Kim Rendfeld (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Devil Made Me Do It by R. Scott VanKirk (fantasy) 2013
The Dryad’s Kiss by R. Scott VanKirk (fantasy) 2012
The Emperor’s American by Arthur F. McGrath III (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2013
The Fenwold Riddle by Dave Evardson (historical fantasy fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Fiery Alphabet by Diane Lefer (historical, literary fiction) Loose Leaves Publishing, 2013
Finding Meaning: Kaona and Contemporary Hawaiian Literature by Brandy Nālani McDougall (literary criticism) University of Arizona Press, 2016
The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst: Their History, Heroics, and Humor by Barbara Marriott (nonfiction) Loose Leaves Publishing, 2012
The Flower to the Painter by Gary Inbinder (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2011
The Fornes Frame: Contemporary Latina Playwrights and the Legacy of Maria Irene Fornes by Anne García-Romero (literary criticism) University of Arizona Press, 2016
Heroes of the Borderlands: The Western in Mexican Film, Comics, and Music by Christopher Conway (literary and film criticism) University of New Mexico Press, 2019
The Imp of Eye by Kristin Gleeson and Moonyeen Blakey (historical fiction) 2015
In Praise of the Bees by Kristin Gleeson (historical fiction bestseller!) 2015
The Kiss by Scott E. Blumenthal (historical fiction) Loose Leaves Publishing, 2013
The Latino Christ in Art, Literature, and Liberation Theology by Michael R. Candelaria (art and literary criticism) University of New Mexico Press, 2017
The Laughing Princess by Seymour Hamilton (fantasy) Açedrex Publishing, 2012
Mayan Literacy Reinvention in Guatemala by Mary Holbrock (anthropology) University of New Mexico Press, 2016
Nine by Zach Hines (YA fantasy) HarperTeen, 2018
The Perfect Wreck by Steven Maffeo (creative nonfiction) Fireship Press, 2011
A Persistent Revolution: History, Nationalism, and Politics in Mexico Since 1968 by Randal Sheppard (history) University of New Mexico Press, 2015
Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice edited by Francisco X. Alarcón and Odilia Galván Rodríguez (poetry) University of Arizona Press, 2016
La princesa valiente by Seymour Hamilton (fantasy) 2013
¡Qué chévere! Levels 1–4 (textbooks) EMC Publishing, 2016
Raven Brought the Light by Kristin Gleeson (historical fiction) 2015
River of Stones by Seymour Hamilton (fantasy) 2020
Sarapiquí Chronicle: Α Naturalist in Costa Rica Revised and Expanded Edition by Allen M. Young (entomology and botany) University of New Mexico Press, 2016
The Sciell by Auden Johnson (dark fantasy) 2014
Sea of Travail by Kristin Gleeson (historical fiction) 2016
The Shadow’s Touch by R. Scott VanKirk (fantasy) 2013
A Tainted Dawn by B. N. Peacock (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Templar’s Legacy by R. Scott VanKirk (fantasy) 2013
Thirst by Mary Donnarumma Sharnick (historical fiction) Fireship Press, 2012
A Transplanted Chicago by Robert E. Gutsche, Jr. (nonfiction) McFarland, 2014
What’s the Reason for All That Wheezing and Sneezing? by Michael Fowler and Nancy McKemie (nonfiction) Fireship Press, 2012
The Worcester Review published by the Worcester County Poetry Association (poetry and fiction) Volume XXXV (2014-2019)
Writing the Goodlife: Mexican American Literature and the Environment by Priscilla Ybarra (literary criticism) University of Arizona Press, 2016
Testimonials
“Did you just turn around a 100,000-word manuscript in six days?” —Managing Editor at Inkitt
“Detailed proofreading. Well worth the money!” (I consider this the highest praise imaginable.)
“High quality, serious service… more than I expected.”
“We consider you as the very best of our editors. Thank you for the consistently high quality work.” —Cambridge Proofreading
“Thanks for this excellent job! I have never had such a professional proofreading. I like it that you also comment on the consistency and coherency of the article and not only on grammar. It did help me a lot.”
“Thank you so much, this was great. I was expecting just a linguistic check, and actually, after your help, my cover letter looks so much more effective (and concise, which helps too!) very grateful.”
“Jessica is our best editor.” —Tom Grundner (Author of many books and Founder and Senior Editor of Fireship Press)
“I was rescued. Before the prayer made it into print, my excellent editor, Jessica Knauss, pointed out that it was much, much shorter in the Dark Ages…” —Kim Rendfeld, author of The Cross and the Dragon and The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, on a potential historical issue avoided
“Copyeditor Jessica Knauss’s excellent work has made this book a smoother read than it would have been otherwise.” —James W. Martin, PhD, author of Banana Cowboys
“Many thanks go out especially to Jessica Knauss for her care and meticulous editing skills.” —Stacy B. Schaefer, PhD, author of Amada’s Blessings
“It has been a pleasure to work with you on this project. You saved us on schedule with your quick, efficient work on more than one unit.” —Project Coordinator, Victory Productions
“As an editor myself, I was wary of putting my novel into someone else’s hands. But Jessica Knauss seemed to understand my book as well—if not better—than I did. She not only improved my novel’s internal consistency, pacing, and flow, but she also identified superfluous and missing components that brought the book to a new level.” —Scott E. Blumenthal, author of The Kiss
“Jessica, thanks so much for your assistance with my how-to manual, Format Your eBook the Free and Easy Way. Most editors would have merely read the work and critiqued it. The fact that you actually downloaded the two programs and formatted an ebook using my technique, testing the clarity of the instructions step by step, speaks highly of your attention to detail and dedication to your craft. It’s something that’s heard a lot, but in this case, I honestly couldn’t have done it without your help.” —J. Gunnar Grey, author of Deal With the Devil, Trophies, and Format Your eBook the Free and Easy Way
“I’ve enjoyed working with Jessica. She made some great suggestions for revisions, and did a very thorough job of line editing.” —Gary Inbinder, author of The Flower to the Painter and Confessions of the Creature
“Appreciation and many thanks go to Jessica, the best of editors, for many corrections, suggestions and improvements that made the manuscript ready for publication.” —Seymour Hamilton, author of The Astreya Trilogy and The Laughing Princess
“…my thanks to the staff of Fireship Press, especially my erudite, energetic and patient editor, Jessica.”
—Moonyeen Blakey, author of The Assassin’s Wife
“First on the list is my editor, Jessica. She was invaluable in guiding me through the publishing process.” —B. N. Peacock, author of A Tainted Dawn
Articles About Editing and English Usage
Homophones: What, Why, and How to Use the Right One (+ Examples)
- Have You Peaked or Are You Piqued?
- A Grisly or a Grizzly Sight?
- Illegibly Eligible
- May I Compliment You on Your Complement?
- Not a Knot for Naught