Helping writers of the marvelous, fantastical, and strange harness their literary magic and create their best work.
Finding the right editor is so important. If you're writing magical realism, fabulist, speculative, or genre-bending fiction, then you need an editor who understands the nuances of your craft. I can help your genre-bending book reach its full potential because those are the stories I’m passionate about.
Even the best writers have trouble editing their own manuscripts. Writing requires you to be immersed in your work, which makes it difficult to step back and see how you can make it better. I'm a trained editor, and I can help you take your book to the next level. Because whether you plan to self-publish or query agents, your work has to be in tip-top shape if you want to be taken seriously.
Book Coaching
Instead of trudging through your novel alone, and then sending it off to beta readers who give you a laundry list of things that aren’t working after your novel is already finished, imagine working through your book with an editor who cares about your story and gives you personalized feedback as you write. Imagine working with someone who knows your story inside out and can help you work through every doubt and roadblock your novel encounters. Imagine having someone hold you accountable to your word count goals as they cheer you toward the finish line.
That sounds good, right?
That’s because it is. A book coach makes writing a novel so much easier. It’s like hiring a developmental editor, a cheerleader, and a coach all squished into one person. It’s a great way to work through your book because not only will you get personalized feedback every step of the way, but your book will also require less editing when it’s finished.
I coach authors through books at every stage—whether it’s still an idea and you haven’t written a word, or you’ve already written a few drafts.
We can meet weekly or every other week—you pick the frequency that works best for you. Each coaching session includes a developmental edit of your submission and a one-hour video coaching session.
I offer two coaching packages:
$200 for up to 2,500 words
$325 for up to 5,000 words.
I also offer coaching session add-ons for authors who I have completed a developmental edit for and authors who just want to talk through their character and plot problems. These sessions are $70 per hour and only include a video call—no text will be edited.
Developmental Editing
It’s hard to turn your book over to a stranger. It’s even harder to turn it over to a stranger knowing their job is to find the plot holes and flat characters. As a writer, I know how taxing the editing process is on authors, but when you’re working with the right editor, you stop thinking of it as editing and start thinking of it as collaborating. Because that’s what developmental editing is, a creative collaboration where we work toward the common interest of making your book the best it can be. I’ll help you improve your manuscript’s structure, style, plot, characters, dialogue, and tone while preserving your voice, because this is your book.
Whether you’re a professional writer who knows what a developmental edit involves or you’ve been told you need a developmental edit but you’re not sure why—you can trust me to treat your story with creativity and compassion.
My developmental editing rates are based on your manuscript’s needs and start at 5¢ per word.
Line Editing
If you really want your story to sparkle, then you should invest in a line edit. A line edit happens after you've addressed any major developmental issues and before you address grammatical issues. A line edit helps you address issues in your manuscript that will cause your reader to pause, or worse, stumble out of your story. This includes identifying things like inconsistent character voice, inauthentic dialogue, awkward analogies, phrases or words that don’t quite fit, areas where pacing can be improved, scenes that would benefit from additional description, paragraphs that need polishing, and writing that draws too much attention to the author, which can pull the reader out of the story. I always provide revision suggestions to the author where appropriate.
Addressing these minor issues makes a world of difference in how the reader experiences your book and whether they recommend it to their friends. When performing a line edit, my goal is not to change your story, but to make your style shine while ensuring the reader doesn’t question the authenticity of your characters or their world.
My line editing rates are based on your manuscript's needs and start at 5¢ per word.
Copy Editing
If you’ve ironed out your manuscript’s big picture issues, then you’re ready to improve your book on the sentence level. Today's publishers expect you to submit your story fully edited, and if you're self-publishing, then the burden of creating a professionally edited book falls entirely on you. The copy editing process is what takes your book to the next level and gives it that ready to share shine. I’ll go through your manuscript line-by-line and tidy up your grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and usage.
Have a smaller project you need copy edited? I'll also copy edit your short story, flash fiction, newsletter, website copy, grant proposal, or marketing campaign. I will make sure the focus stays on your content and not your punctuation.
My copy editing rates are based on your word count and the level of editing your manuscript needs. My copy editing rates start at 3¢ per word.
Proofreading
Proofreading assumes a piece of writing has already been developmentally edited and copy edited, and it’s the last step before you share your writing with the world. Proofreading requires less creative energy than line editing and developmental editing, which is why I will proofread just about anything, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry chapbooks, website copy, grant proposals, resumes, business communications, menus, and marketing campaigns. If you want the world to view you as the professional you are, then you need your writing to be polished.
My proofreading rate is 3¢ per word.
Not sure what service you need? That's ok!
Send me an email and we can start a conversation about your story.
Hi! It's nice to meet you!
I’m Kimberly Schebler—an editor who supports authors at every stage of their work. Sometimes that involves developmental editing to resolve big picture issues, line editing to strengthen your story at the sentence level, copy editing to ensure consistent grammar and usage, helping a writer draft an engaging query letter to their dream agent, or coaching a writer through their entire book.
I love collaborating with authors of magical realism, fabulist, speculative, weird, and genre-bending fiction.
My editing philosophy embraces bending the rules to preserve an author’s voice while always remembering the reader.
You should work with me if you want an editor who can sharpen what makes your work marvelous. I’ll help you create a book that’s both accessible to readers and true to your vision.
Professional Development:
- Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing from SUNY New Paltz.
- Specialized Certificate in Copyediting from UC San Diego.
- Editor of Bone Parade.
- Six years as a professional grant writer and editor at a nonprofit.
- Certificate in Editing from The Poynter Institute.
- Editorial Freelancers Association courses completed:
- Book Mapping
- Advanced Copyediting
- Intermediate Developmental Editing of Fiction
- Advanced Developmental Editing of Fiction
- Well versed in the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook.
- Conferences attended:
- Editor’s Canada: Editors Transform 2021
- ACES 2021 Virtual
- AWP 2021 Virtual Conference
- ACES 2022 Virtual Conference
- Continually updates skills by attending editing and writing webinars, workshops, and conferences to stay current on changes in the publishing industry.
- Active member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, ACES: The Society for Editing, Professional Editors Network, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and the Freelancers Union.
When I’m not spending time in the publishing world, I’m a small-time adventurer, reader, writer, music enthusiast, and all-around nerd living in Rhode Island. I started my own editing business so I can work on stories that matter to me and be my authentic self by using as many exclamation points and smiley faces as I want in work emails.
Things people said about our work together:
Kimberly is a writing lifeline. I needed a book coach to help get my manuscript back on track. I set the bar high: a professional who understands my genre (magical realism/speculative literary,) will help to keep me on pace, tighten my lines, brainstorm with me when I’m stuck and respect my sometimes- experimental writing style. It was a big ask! I interviewed several editors/coaches before connecting with Kimberly and from our first exchange, I’ve never looked back. She has been pivotal to my creative life and my development as a writer. I highly recommend her for your projects.
Kimberly is an excellent developmental editor, because her priority is understanding the story. Her method has always been to identify the strength and virtue of core ideas and suggest the most effective way to organize and communicate them. She has the professional experience of knowing what a reader needs and the best way to deliver an impressive impact. She is unbiased, objective, and focused on the virtue of the story itself while championing the writer's voice. Writers need a diamond cutter, and Kimberly is a dedicated master of the craft.
Working with you was the best decision I’ve made for my writing. Your comments, advice, and critiques pushed me to improve in ways that I don’t think I would have done on my own. Thank you so much!
A great editor can be hard to come by in this business, but what’s even harder to come by is one you can trust, confide in, and have complete confidence in. Kim Schebler makes sure to listen to you as a writer, to address issues professionally and empathetically, and to truly make a positive impact with your work in progress. I’m proud to have Kim as my editor.
I reached out to Kimberly following a recommendation from a fellow editor. The task at hand was to edit and proofread the Summer 2021 issue of Revealed x Curve Magazine, which is a 40-page highly editorial and content-rich trade publication. After an introduction via Zoom and a brief email exchange, I knew that I found the right person for the project. I was right. Kimberly is a delight to work with. She is a professional with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and, what is paramount when dealing with a complex project, punctual. Her editing style is clean, kind, and yields well-written, easily digestible, and elegant content that is a pleasure to read. Kimberly preserved the voice of each writer, which I value highly, being a writer myself. She was able to correct a myriad of grammar and punctuation issues, weed out typos, and improve the style. The result is the best edition of the magazine to date. I highly recommend Kimberly and can’t wait to work with her again.
Working with Kimberly is like working with a knowledgeable friend who’s just as excited about your project as you are. She’s imaginative and easy to work with. Highly recommended!
Even though I took a long time to rewrite my book, Kimberly was available after I was done and provided great feedback. She also did a professional copyedit and recommended areas for improvement. Her fact-checking was spot on, highly recommended!
Kim was very professional and quick to get my resume back to me. She took my resume notes and made me more marketable. The format she used was unique and I love it! I feel like it made me stand out during interviews. I am very grateful and confident with the work she did. I highly recommend her.
Let's talk about your book!
Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems by Danez Smith
I read this book a few weeks ago and have been meaning to review it, but honestly? It's hard. What can a white, cisgender, mostly hetero woman add to this conversation? Nothing. So I won't try to do that, but this book is beautiful, passionate, and heartbreaking, and...
Keep Going by Austin Kleon
I'll preface this by telling you that I like Austin Kleon. I've read his books and each one breathed life into my creative process. I also subscribe to his newsletter (and you should too). He is really really good at sharing the things that inspire him. He talks about...
Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe, by Madeline Miller was as delightful as anticipated. I read this book on my Kindle Oasis, and it was a fast read at roughly 400 pages. It's one of those books you read and tell the readers you know, "Oh! Read this—you'll love it." But when they ask you...