Recommended Resources

Updated August 2025

None of these freelancers or services have paid to be listed, nor do I receive a commission for referring you. These are all people I’ve either met and worked with directly, or people who have long-standing and respectable reputations in the writing and publishing community.

I do my best to help you find people I truly believe will help you along your journey. But I’ve also been honest about my qualms when it comes to making recommendations. It might be helpful to read that first to avoid a wasted investment.

Cautionary note: Predatory companies have fraudulently used my name in conjunction with their services to imply an endorsement where none exists. It is exceedingly rare for me to endorse any company. If you see such an endorsement, contact me.

The Best of My Advice

People and Organizations You Can Trust

Editing and Coaching

If you’ve never before worked with an editor, I urge you to read this post first on finding, hiring, and working with a freelance editor.

  • Mehta Book Editing can help with both children’s and adult work, including young adult, middle grade, commercial women’s fiction, literary fiction, and more.
  • Writer and story expert Jule Kucera offers occasional courses on storytelling foundations, as well as free resources—a great option for those who can’t afford to hire a professional editor. (Check out her free lecture on YouTube.)
  • Editor Mary-Theresa Hussey worked for many years in traditional publishing and is now a freelancer. She typically works with romance, urban fantasy, and young adult, but is open to many types of fiction.
  • Whether you’re writing a novel, seeking a ghostwriter, or looking to publish a book from your nonfiction expertise, Stuart Horwitz of Book Architecture can help.
  • Andi Cumbo is actively taking clients in fiction and creative nonfiction for developmental edits or manuscript reviews.
  • Lynne Griffin is an experienced author and editor who is open to many types of book-length projects, as well as short works.
  • Editor Paul Witcover is a traditionally published author of speculative fiction who can offer editorial help across a range of fiction categories.
  • Writing the Other offers classes and resources to write about characters different from you—both sensitively and convincingly.
  • Lexi Services (Melanie Bishop) offers manuscript editing and consulting across genres.
  • Struggling to find the right fit? The Editorial Freelancers Association allows anyone to post to their job list for free. You can also browse their member directory. Take a look.

Nonfiction focus (some may work with fiction writers)

  • Jacqueline Salmon offers ghostwriting, editing, and line editing services.
  • Amy Bernstein combines her passion for novelistic storytelling and journalism experience to provide structured guidance and support to nonfiction writers in all categories. 
  • Anne Janzer coaches nonfiction authors—especially academics and experts—on crafting clear, compelling books and proposals that reach wider audiences.
  • Amy Goldmacher offers nonfiction coaching and book proposal editing, particularly for people who don’t consider themselves writers.
  • Lisa Cooper Ellison is an experienced writing coach with a background in mental health.
  • Sarah Chauncey offers developmental editing and manuscript evaluations for nonfiction writers, including memoir. She also offers mindfulness-based writer coaching for both nonfiction and fiction writers. 
  • Jessica Filippi of Beacon Editing offers nonfiction book editing for entrepreneurs, including developmental editing, line and copyediting, and proofreading.
  • I can offer more recommendations if you contact me.

Copyediting and Proofreading

  • Christopher Hoffmann of Copy Write Consultants offers line editing and copyediting, as well as other editorial help.
  • Kayla Kauffman offers copyediting, proofreading, and document formatting for all types of work, among other services.
  • Tessera Creatives is a freelance directory that connects authors and publishers with skilled, culturally competent freelance creatives who provide editing, writing, and sensitivity reading for authors and publishers.

Query and Synopsis Editing

  • Jessica Strawser, the former editor of Writer’s Digest, offers a Gut Check Package that helps you perfect your submissions materials.
  • Former agent and author Nathan Bransford offers query editing services.
  • Copy Write Consultants offers synopsis editing if you’re struggling with your novel or memoir synopsis.
  • Contact me if you need more suggestions.

Book Design and Production

  • Studiolo Secondari: professional, high-quality book design and production
  • Damonza is a popular choice for self-publishing authors.
  • Good DIY options include Vellum (Mac) and Atticus (PC).
  • If you need help with print and ebook formatting/conversion, check out eBookPartnership.
  • Print-on-demand printing: If you want to print your own books and don’t want to go through IngramSpark or Amazon KDP, I recommend Snowfall Press.
  • More complicated printing and production jobs: Try PrintNinja.

Audiobook, Podcast, and Multimedia Production

  • Brandon Hopkins at D20 Media offers a wide range of services, including audiobook and podcast production, video production, print and web-based publishing help, and more.

Self-Publishing Guidance and Project Management

  • Author Imprints: Run by David Wogahn who has many years of industry experience
  • Endeavorink: offers consulting on self-publishing and paid publishing options, as well as project management and book coaching
  • If you’d like to explore a range of services/companies that help you self-publish or that consider themselves hybrid publishers, contact me for a list. However, I do not endorse any particular companies. If you believe that I have endorsed a company, please contact me so that I can offer needed clarification.

Book Marketing and Promotion

  • PR by the Book is an experienced book publicity firm that’s been in the business for more than 20 years. They can do traditional publicity campaigns and help with platform development.
  • Press Shop PR offers book publicity campaigns to authors and publishers. They work with a wide range of clients on nonfiction, memoirs, literary fiction, and academic and lifestyle titles.
  • Amazon ad management: Want help setting up and managing campaigns on a monthly basis? Try Geoff Affleck.
  • Kathleen Schmidt is a great choice when your book isn’t a new release any longer; see her for hourly consulting and marketing assistance of all kinds, including platform building and Substack setup.
  • For nonfiction authors: Weaving Influence (Becky Robinson) offers a broad range of book marketing and publicity services, including help with social media marketing, websites, podcasts, and more.
  • Best Page Forward offers a book description toolkit to ensure professional and persuasive book marketing copy, especially at Amazon.
  • Contact me for a list of other firms who can help.

Agent & Publisher Research

Permissions | Fair Use | Fact Checking

  • Copy Write Consultants: If you’re struggling with securing permissions, or aren’t sure if you even need permissions, this firm can help you sort through all the questions (and risks). They can also do fact checking on many types of manuscripts.

Virtual Assistants

  • Lorna K. Bailey offers services for writers and authors who seek support with all the tasks involved in managing a writing career. She has years of experience helping writers.
  • I highly recommend joining the Authors Guild if you need help reviewing a publishing contract of any kind. Their legal team vets contracts at no charge to members, and provides legal advice, if you’re a regular or associate member. Membership is $149, which is likely to cost less than the alternatives.
  • Adam Losey at Losey can help with copyright and trademark registration, infringement cases, licensing and franchise contracts, and legal issues related to writing about other people.
  • Alan J. Kaufman or Lloyd J. Jassin can help with a range of legal issues related to writing and publishing.

Author Websites

  • I personally work with Writer Digital for website help that goes beyond my level of expertise, as well as Mission Lab (Mission Lab requires minimum spend of about $2,000)
  • Monkey C Media specializes in author websites and has many endorsements from happy clients.
  • Dandelion Web Marketing can help with website launches or redesigns.
  • Authors who are going it alone and lack tech skills should consider the author website builders offered by Tertulia and BookBub. You’ll be limited in what you can do, but both services will produce an author website that follows best practices and takes mere minutes to pull together.

A Few More of My Favorite Folks

  • For business advice related to freelancing and journalism: Join StudyHall.
  • If you’re interested in the literary journal market and publishing your short pieces, subscribe to Lit Mag News.
  • Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers newsletter lists semi-pro or higher paying markets and contests as well as grants, crowdfunding, contests, publishers, agents and employers.
  • Need a platform to help facilitate your writing or critique group? Try Inked Voices.

Additional Industry Resources

Can’t find what you need? Search The Writer’s Knowledge Base for an answer; it’s curated by someone in the business you can trust.

Writers tend to get frustrated and bitter in their attempts to publish—usually because they don’t understand how the publishing industry works, or they have expectations that will never be met. I offer a paid newsletter, The Bottom Line, that helps remedy that.