About Melanie
More than ten years of combined work & study experience in writing, reading & editing—working for you.
I’m Melanie—a freelance editor, proofreader, book production manager, and content creator. I have a B.A. in Humanities, an M.A. in English, academic & nonacademic training, and 15+ years of combined experience studying, teaching, and coaching writing, reading analysis, and literature & editing/proofreading for businesses and individuals. I’ve also worked in an independent bookstore as a book buyer/book signing events coordinator.
Since 2021, as a developmental editor, copyeditor, and proofreader, I’ve helped self-publishing authors polish their manuscripts as they prepare to publish.
My “inside out” editing philosophy has evolved from intensive studies of the book publishing journey in general—with close attention to writing processes, authorial authenticity, audience identification, effective messaging & storytelling, and eventually marketing considerations—and also represents the genres and interests that I gravitate toward most, namely nature & sustainability, arts & culture, conscious living & holistic health, personal & spiritual development, and reflective fiction.
I work with indie authors, publishers, and academics.
Growing a culture requires a good storyteller. Changing a culture requires a good editor.
Ryan Lily (author of Write Like No One is Reading)
Melanie S. Demmer
Resume
I work remotely with indie authors, publishers, academics, companies, and nonprofits on books (fiction, nonfiction, and theses/dissertations) and long-form articles and blog posts for editing, publishing project management & content/copywriting.
Book Contracts with Publishers
Inner Traditions (and imprints)
July 2023-current
Light developmental editing, copyediting & proofreading
(see my portfolio for specific titles)
Book Contracts with Self-Publishing Authors
January 2021–current
Developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, production management.
(see my portfolio for specific titles)
Academic Proofreading
September 2016–September 2023
-Academic journal article proofreading (independent projects)
-Dissertation proofreading
-Dissertation citations proofreading for MLA and APA style &formatting (independent projects)
Texas A&M
May 2021–December 2022
Digital Humanities proofreading & beginner programming:
-Work with Dr. Laura Mandell to upgrade a version of the digital project “Forget-Me-Not” from P4 to P5 TEI tagging
-Transcript proofreading for Forget-Me-Not (Texas A&M)
-Teaching assistant in Programming for Humanists online course
Work with Companies
Younity
December 2021–current
Substantive & surface-level editing for online course workbooks, often translated from German by human or AI translation. Content/copywriter for new workbooks in English.
Proofed
August 2022-current
Proofreading and editing for businesses and writers in various English dialects.
-academic editing & proofreading
-blog editing & proofreading
-business editing & proofreading
-fiction editing (translated from other languages via human or AI translation.)
Writing & editing for Proofed blogs.
Razeware
May 2021- April 2022
Pre-publication page layout for their books, addressing complications such as orphans, widows, runts, rivers and stacks in addition to image sizing.
Work with Magazines & Journals
Daily Art Magazine
Spring 2021-Fall 2022
Proofreading / light editing (in WordPress editor) of articles on art history subjects, sometimes involving light copyediting and rewriting.
Work in Academia & Education
University of New Mexico
2008–2009
Responsible for instruction, grading, and course planning for:
-English 101 (Composition: Exposition), a genre-based course that covered business writing and creative nonfiction (such as memoir and popular magazine articles).
-English 102 (Analysis and Argument), focusing on rhetorical strategies and conducting, evaluating, and citing sources.
University of Texas at Arlington
August 2017–December 2018
Academic coach responsible for grading assignments and communication with assigned students for:
-British Literature, 4 sections
-Composition & Rhetoric, 2 sections
-American Literature, 2 sections
B.A. College of Santa Fe
Humanities
M.A. University of New Mexico
English
Style Guides
- Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)
- Modern Language Association (MLA)
- America Psychological Association (APA)
Platforms
MS Word
Google Workspace
Slack
Airtable
Asana
Monday.com
Trello
Special Interests
A little more about melanie…
Freelancing editing and writing allows me to be involved in the subjects that inspire and motivate me—usually those involving eco- and socially conscious visionary writing, either through fiction or nonfiction.
Are we a good fit to work together?
Do you have a project you’d like to discuss?
Or, browse my services page.