If you asked me a few years ago what I wanted to do with my life, I would have told you I wanted to work in publishing. However, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I wanted to do past that. As a lover of books with a writing degree and a dream of publishing my own novels, it seemed like the logical choice of career post-graduation. All I knew for certain was that I enjoyed the labor of bookmaking, the impassioned debates in editorial, and the satisfaction of a finalized printed work in the palms of my hands. I love discussing craft, attending writers conferences, and brainstorming how to make pieces better. I wanted to work with writers and their work. Whether by physically bringing the book into being, choosing to champion a piece through the submissions process, or helping classmates cultivate their drafts, I wanted to help people get published.

Figuring how that was going to happen has been a long, circuitous road of speed bumps and pitfalls, but I was fortunate enough to have an amazing opportunity dropped into my lap a little over two years ago. One day, a friend asked me to edit the first draft of her recently-finished novel. Just to be asked to work on it had me tearing up at my computer. The fact that she believed that I had the skill to review and evaluate an entire manuscript for her was an incredible amount of trust I was happy to take on without a second thought. And, truth be told, I missed working with fiction. I happily poured over the manuscript with any spare time I had, ecstatic to be continuously working on fiction again after losing touch with my own writing and process.

To this day, I believe the joy and enthusiasm I took from reviewing that manuscript for a year, and how I couldn’t shut up about it, was the reason I got into the Denver Publishing Institute. Participating in the accelerated course over 4 weeks in Colorado last summer set me firmly on a more Editorial-based path that editing the manuscript had inadvertently lead me to. I connected most with the editing exercises, the lectures on editorial, and the manuscript discussions on Children’s Lit Day. Then seeing the 6th overall draft for this manuscript with my comments incorporated, and the good fortune my friend has since received for her persistent revisions, inspired me to keep dreaming and keep pursuing a publishing career I truly love. It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I could spend the rest of my life editing and developing fiction.

Years of consideration, months of planning, and daily doses of self-doubt have finally lead to this: I’m finally open for business as The Novel Tailor! Like any good novel, it took a village to get to this point and I would not have gotten here alone. I’d like to thank my friends and colleagues for their constant positive energy and encouragement. I’d like to give a very special thank you to my friend Kess for her patience, feedback, and continued belief that I could guide her through making her book something she was proud of. I’d also like to thank the Connecticut Small Business Development Center and the invaluable Mary Kay Della Carmen for their support in navigating the start-up for this venture. I strongly recommend going to your local SBDC if you’re in the US for any small business questions. They’re free, funded by US tax dollars, and an overall wonderful resource to connect with and utilize.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to announce that as a promotional offer I will be be taking 25% off the full scope of work for all projects booked prior to October 31st 2018.  Since my specialty is in lengthier work, this would encompass any work booked prior to October 31st even if the project has a forecasted deadline past that date. After October 31st, all services will be quoted at the rates shown on the Deadlines and Rates page. If you’re interested in working with me and taking advantage of this opportunity after reviewing my services, please feel free to request a quote if all qualifications for doing so are met. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to working with all of you!