A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes

If you had told me fifteen years ago when I graduated high school that I would own my own business and edit books for work, I would have thought you were crazy. For one, I didn’t even know that being a book editor was a “real” job. Sure, I knew that books needed to be edited. But I never realized that meant that I could do it. If I had, I would have started this fifteen years ago. There are a million and two reasons as to why I am truly glad I didn’t start then.

I have changed a lot from that little eighteen year old. I maybe never would have found myself the way I was able to after having so many doors slam in my face. But that is life, right? We try and try and keep on trying, no matter what. Which is how I one day stumbled upon the bookstagram community. (Check out my about me page for more info about my personal life and education.)

After finishing the book Slewfoot by Brom, I had to talk to someone about it. But I didn’t have anyone in my life who enjoyed reading at that time. So I decided to make a graphic on Canva and start a bookstagram. I originally started it only to talk about the books I had read and loved. But one thing led to another, and suddenly, I was being added to ARC groups and following authors (a few of who would go on to hire me to edit their books. Here are their testimonials). I had found myself in this magical space, and I couldn’t believe that authors would want me to read their Advanced Reader Copies. I couldn’t believe the amount of people that wanted to talk about books. I couldn’t believe the amount of books that I found that I immediately wanted to read. And I couldn’t believe that it had been waiting there for me this whole time.

Bookstagram opened a whole new world for me. When I read my first ARC, I fell in love. The idea of getting to know a whole story before it was even published—to get to see that first look and then TALK TO THE AUTHOR!? Are you kidding me? I thought people had to go to signings and pay for author panels before they ever got to talk an author. I didn’t realize that authors were just waiting for their readers to find them and start engaging.

The other thing I realized? Maybe I wasn’t as bad at grammar as I assumed I was. To be fair to me, I didn’t have any reason to think I was bad at it. No one had ever told me I was good at it though, and multiple teachers had told me my writing was terrible. After a bit of research, I realized that I could take courses and earn certificates in editing. I learned the difference between a copy edit and a line edit. I took detailed grammar courses to make sure I was up to snuff with CMOS. And I continue to learn as I grow my business to stay at the top of my game. Check out my certificates!

Finally, I posted on my bookstagram that I was starting an editing business. I asked for five willing authors who would send me their book for me to edit for free. And boy, did those spots disappear fast. Those authors each gave me a review, and from there, I continued posting about my business. Today, I have edited over twenty books for over ten different authors, and I can’t wait to do even more!

In need of a qualified editor? Here’s my contact page!