Luann Reed-Siegel

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” No. “Speak softly and carry a big red pencil.” Not that either. “Speak softly and use the red pencil with care.” That’s it. My goal as an editor is to treat each work as the unique creation it is, not to attack it with the red-pencil axe. Whether I’m editing an academic work or a novel, my role is read with an eye to the details of grammar and style but also to give constructive support as the author brings ideas and characters to life.

I’m a freelance editor with over twenty-five years of experience. My areas of expertise are genre fiction (mystery, science fiction, romance, paranormal) and academic nonfiction, and my clients include publishing houses, book packagers, and individual authors. I serve on the Board of Governors of the Editorial Freelancers Association and am a member of the American Copy Editors Society.

I have both an A.B. and an M.A. in English and a certificate in editing from NYU. I also attended Trinity College, Oxford University to study Paleography (manuscripts and handwriting).  As a freelancer for ETS, I’ve written questions for standardized tests such as the GRE and SAT subject tests. I began my editing career working on study guides for these and other academic tests and coauthored the AP English Language and Composition study guide. Teaching, tutoring, burger serving, and blowing up balloons are former occupations.

It’s strangely fitting that my last name is “Reed,” because reading is such a big part of my life. People often ask if I still read for pleasure after reading all day for a living; the answer is, of course, YES.

I live in New Jersey with my husband and a menagerie.

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