My Editing Philosophy
I offer the unique perspective of being an author as well as an editor. As such, I know that your manuscript is your creative baby, and I promise to treat it that way. My goal is to do more than just provide a file full of corrections in red—I will encourage you to put forth your very best work.
My editing style is a mix of copy editing, proofreading, line editing, and coaching. On the first read-through, I’ll include questions and comments from a reader’s perspective, but also offer suggestions from the point of view of a fellow writer. I will never override your writing style or author voice.
The author-editor relationship is a partnership, and I always support an open dialogue. Feel free to ask questions or brainstorm your ideas with me. Don’t be surprised if I push you a little at times—my job is to leave you more than "just satisfied" with the story you’ve produced. I want you to be ecstatic about sharing it with readers. Your hard work will pay off by making you a better writer in the end. I’ll be happy to provide a sample edit so that you can get a feel for how well we’ll work together as a team. This will also help me assess what kind of editing your manuscript needs.
As a first-time indie author, Allison's feedback as an editor has been invaluable, actionable, and thorough. She's helped me polish my manuscript to the best state it can be. Besides that, she's also provided me plenty of advice as I go about publishing my debut. I cannot recommend her services well enough!
— Angola Hone, author of The Canid Chronology: A Journey's Beginning (Book One)
As a newly emerging author looking to get her first book edited and ready for publishing, I was terrified to put my baby into a stranger's hands, let alone let someone mess with it. Besides that, I could not afford the thousands and thousands of dollars quoted to me by other editors I found.
I am self-publishing my series and have virtually been going it alone. I had reached a point where I was beginning to think it was hopeless—that I'd never find an editor I could afford to hire, let alone trust.
That all changed when I found Allison. She was the helper I had been praying for as I searched and queried. A fellow Christian, with an understanding and compassion for my nerves, she was just the person I needed and she was also exactly in my budget for an editor. Allison took my baby, and after the initial test pages where she showed me how she would edit, she then patched up my poor grammar (semicolons will be the death of me yet), caught minute details, asked important questions that made me realize holes I had left far too open, and did a marvelous job to get me polished and ready to publish.
Allison gave me friendship, taking an interest not only in me and my life, but in my story and the characters within. She gave me steady encouragement and praise, and did an absolutely amazing job on my book, doing only what needed to be done, and leaving my baby whole. Allison is everything I could want in an editor and is extremely talented at what she does. I will (Lord willing) continue to plague her with every story I write and beg her to be my editor. Words cannot express how absolutely grateful I am to have found her, and to be working with her.
— E.R. Brookes, author of Kidnapping Grimm (Book One) and Breaking Grimm (Book Two)