Kathleen Becker Blease

The Manuscript Editor

Ex-Random House Editor. The Manuscript Editor. Nonfiction & CNF.

Developmental/substantive Editing, Evaluating, & Rewriting

contact: krblease(at)hotmail.com

Memoir

“In my long life, I have learned “Helpers” appear when most needed. Kathleen Becker Blease is such a helper. Her editing suggestions and comments were insightful, wise, and sensitive, leading me to where I needed to go. I shall be ever grateful.”   –Renate F. Caldwell, author of 169K-word memoir, Raven and the Hummingbird: A Healing Path to Recovery from Multiple Personality Disorder (2022, full evaluation)

“You emphasized and enhanced the story without interfering with my voice, while respectfully continuing to give professional advice…I can see why you worked professionally as an editor and why you’re so successful in your own freelance business. Thanks again for all you’ve done. I would recommend you to anyone.”  —Karen Wilt, author of 80K-word memoir, God Uses Wusses (2020, full deep edit)

Career/Business how-to

“To my editor, Kathleen Becker Blease, thank you! Your focus and your talent were immeasurable.” — Bill Wilson, author of 120K-word career/business how-to book, Master Virtue, Master Selling: The Innovative and Authorized Companion to the Lead Personality Profile Program for Selling (2022, full deep edit and rewrite)

Career/Memoir hybrid

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Kathleen Becker Blease to develop the manuscript for my latest book. Before we began working together, she clearly explained her editing process so I knew exactly what to expect. Her suggestions and attention to detail greatly improved the book’s organization, content, and style.” –Lynne Beverly Strang, author of  40k-word hybrid book, The 4Ls: A Simple Way to Find Life Purpose (White Chimney Press, 2022, full evaluation)

“A special thank-you to Kathleen Becker Blease for helping make me a better writer.”  —Wendy Marx, author of Thriving at 50+: The 7 Principles to Reinvent and Rebrand Yourself (New Degree Press, 2020, evaluation by chapters)

 

It’s good writing that endures. If a story is well-crafted, engaging, and memorable, it will live a very long time. When you’ve taken your draft as far as you can, I take it to its highest level.

🌟Please be assured: Your privacy and copyright protection are imperative. I do not use AI, ChatGPT, or MS Copilot to edit, or upload any material (manuscript or others) from an author to any AI software. My editing skills have been developed and polished through years of experience and practice.

I’m a full-time freelance book editor. This is my only gig, and my sole focus is editing manuscripts. I enjoy elevating life transition stories. Before-and-after journeys. Personal and professional. Memoir. How-to. Collection of personal essays. And I bring my personal experience of love and loss and reinvention to every editing project I sign. I’m experienced and coached among some of the best in commercial trade book publishing.

A former nonfiction book editor at Random House, Inc. with unique training in writing direct response sales copy, I marry developmental/substantive and content editing skills with an acute understanding of how to engage readers. My priority is to remove those written obstacles that lay between your reader and you and your message.

I charge a flat fee  with a letter of agreement, and I make myself available for clarifications or revisions for another 30 days after delivery of the completed project. My rate ranges from 8 1/2 to 13 cents per word.

How to get started

I’ve worked with professional writers and novices alike. If you’re new to writing, take heart. The key is, you’ve got all your thoughts down in a manuscript draft–a huge step forward–and that’s what’s important to me.  If the below description of my services fits your needs, please reach out, and I’ll be happy to send along further information about my introductory process, how it works.

From an author quoted above…

“Before we began working together, she clearly explained her editing process so I knew exactly what to expect.” –author Lynne Beverly Strang

Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Manuscripts

I particularly enjoy editing and evaluating nonfiction and creative nonfiction manuscripts, such as memoir, career/business how-to, career/memoir hybrids, and collections of personal essays.

Please contact me for a clear overview of my editorial process and to inquire about a free sample edit or sample evaluation. Initial feedback from an author quoted above…

“Thank you for the [sample] evaluation and explanations! Smart, thoughtful, assuring… Your process is exactly what we think we need. Easy to navigate your edits. Comments are concise, clear, and direct–suits our working methods perfectly.” –author Renate F. Caldwell

 I offer two manuscript services:  the evaluation, and the deep edit.

• My evaluation spots the obstacles with a fresh eye and helps you improve and stretch as a writer. For example, I’ll identify problems with a confusing narrative arc, gaps in logic, rambling, repetition, and dull usage, then provide detailed written insights on how you can correct them yourself.
• And with my deep edit service, I evaluate the manuscript and, of course, take the liberty of making the changes via a complete developmental/substantive edit, so your message will come through clearly.

Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Book Proposals

As a former staff book editor and trained copywriter, I don’t shy away from editing book proposals because of their marketing element. I can help turn yours into a nice marketing tool that gets your ideas noticed by an agent or a publishing house editor (I used to be one!). I offer two levels of book proposal services:

• level 1: A review/critique with comments and poignant questions that guide you into targeting your message and fleshing out your ideas, without further obligation.
• level 2: Includes the review/critique step and a complete substantive edit.

Please contact me so I can review your book proposal draft and recommend which level of service would best serve your project.

Important to note

Coming from book publishing, where it’s all about the manuscript, I’m particularly strong in collecting information and communicating through the written word. Thus, I look for authors who are comfortable with this preference and working through emails. (However, I’m very happy to say hello over the phone or Zoom!) If you favor regular Zoom meetings, Facetime, or phone calls, I’d recommend seeking editors trained in collecting information verbally, such as those who come from journalism or psychology.

I work in Word with its track changes/comments features. And I work with only completed drafts–meaning, you have taken the writing as far as you possibly can.

Whatever state your manuscript’s in–organized or chaotic, smooth or very rough–it holds all your thoughts on the subject and is as complete as you personally can make it at this time. (As I mentioned above, this is key.) You feel you’ve given it all you could, and you’ve decided it’s now time for a professional to take over and elevate your message so it’s clear, engaging, and effective.

A little more about me…

I’m the author of several gift books, a Boston Book Review bestselling author, a matured and  experienced freelancer, a veteran homeschool mom, and a novice painter. I’m also a young widow and experienced caregiver, so I bring an empathy and understanding to the topics of life transitions, health, mental health, and caregiving. I also enjoy working with a variety of topics, such as memoir, collected personal essays, education, parenting, how-to, self-improvement, personal finance, biographies and history, and cooking and needlecrafts in essay form (a la Elizabeth Zimmerman’s The Knitter’s Almanac). I am organized, a lifelong learner, and incredibly curious.

Please click on my LinkedIn profile for my complete background.

And when you’re ready for a great edit or eval: krblease(at)hotmail.com  Thank you!

 

Kindly note, the following services are outside my skillsets: coaching, copyediting, proofreading, formatting, or interior book design. I’m happy to supply contact information of qualified professionals.

[EFA and LinkedIn profiles conceived, written, and edited by Kathleen Becker Blease 2023]

Easton, PA
US

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenbeckerblease

Years in the field: 19
Years freelancing: 16